An Ohio man was sentenced to 20 years in prison Wednesday for pretending to be a Ghanaian prince and swindling more than a dozen victims out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Daryl Robert Harrison, who went by Prince Daryl R. Attipoe and Prophet Daryl R. Attipoe, conned at least 14 people out of more than $800,000 according to evidence shown at his trial. Harrison was convicted in September of mail and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and witness tampering. For several years, Harrison stole money from people who believed they were investing in African mining and trucking companies, prosecutors said. Harrison falsely claimed that he was a prince from Ghana and had connections to those companies, according to the Justice Department. Several of Harrisons victims were congregants of the Power House of Prayer Ministries, where Harrison and his stepfather claimed they were ministers. According to prosecutors, Harrison and his stepfather used the investment money for personal expenses, including renting a house in Colorado and purchasing luxury cars. District Judge Michael J. Newman gave Harrison the maximum sentence allowed under the law 20 years behind bars more than the 14-year sentence prosecutors had asked for. Each of the Defendants fraud crimes were committed in a cold, calculated and premeditated fashion, prosecutors wrote in court filings, describing Harrison as an extremely selfcentered, self-possessed sociopath who has no respect for societal rules or norms, and further lacks any empathy or sympathy for his victims that intimidated and threatened his victims to establish and maintain control over them. Harrison had asked the judge for a much lower sentence, highlighting supportive letters written by parishioners and family members. Harrisons defense attorney also noted that his wife, who is taking care of their six children, is battling stage IV cancer. Harrisons stepfather, Robert Shelly Harrison, Jr., pleaded guilty to one felony charge in December. He will be sentenced later this month. Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The former MP for Tamale Central, Inusah Fuseini has described as surprising, a decision by an Accra high court to dismiss a defamation suit filed by investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, against the MP for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong. An Accra high court on Wednesday dismissed a GHC25 million defamatory suit by the investigative journalist against the vociferous lawmaker for Assin Central in the Central Region. Anas took the MP to court in 2018 for allegedly defaming him. In his application, Anas prayed to the court to award aggravated damages of GHC25 million to compensate for alleged defamatory material published against him by Agyapong. In a lengthy ruling delivered on Wednesday (15 March 2023), Justice Eric Baah held that the plaintiff, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, had failed to prove that Agyapong defamed him by airing the documentary Who Watches the Watchman? The judge said that, on the contrary, the documentary exposed shady deals that Anas and his associates were involved in. The court concluded that what Anas is engaged in is not investigative journalism, but rather investigative terrorism, and that Agyapong was justified to call him a blackmailer, corrupt, an extortionist, and evil. I find the claims by the plaintiff meritless and they are hereby dismissed, Justice Baah ruled. Reaction Reacting to the development on the Big Bulletin on Asaase 99.5 Accra, Fuseini said the judgement will stifle the progress of investigative journalism in Ghana. There are certain activities of humans that cannot be covered by just plain journalism, the former NDC MP said. People must go underground to be able to cover that. Investigative journalism is important in uncovering crime that plain journalism cannot reach. Now that the judge has said that kind of journalism is terrorism, it will send investigative journalism many years back, people are going to be careful, Fuseini said. Source: asaaseradio.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Criminal High Court presided over by Justice Mary Maame Ekue Yanzuh, has convicted five secessionists who were arrested by the police in September 2020, after they blocked the Aveyime road from Accra, with trips of sand and attacked the Aveyime and Mepe police stations in the Volta Region. The High Court convicted the accused persons after finding them guilty of offences contrary to the Prohibited Organisations Act, 1976 Supreme Military Council Decree (SMCD 20). The four charges under SMCD 20 proffered against the accused persons were one; Attending meetings of a prohibited organisation contrary to section 2(1)(b) of SMCD 20, and two; Making contributions to the funds of a prohibited organisation contrary to section 2(1)(g) of SMCD 20. The third and fourth charges were; Participating in the campaign of a prohibited organisation contrary to section 2(1)(d) of SMCD 20, and being a member of a prohibited organisation contrary to section 2(1)(i) of SMCD 20. The 1st accused person, Ebenezer Gblorkpor, was found guilty and convicted on counts one, two and four. The 2nd accused person, Afetorgbor Kpogo, was found guilty and convicted on only count one. The 3rd accused person Joseph Nyamewu, 4th accused person, Wisdom Kuvor, and the 5th accused person, Israel Bessah Kpexor, were all found guilty and convicted on counts three and four. Justice Mary Maame Ekue Yanzuhs Court however, deferred the sentencing of the five accused persons to 21 March 2023. Brief facts The Homeland Study Group (HSG) is an organisation with the primary aim to secede the Volta and Oti Regions, from the territories of Ghana. The Western Togoland Restoration Front (WTRF) on the other hand is an offshoot of HSG, established by Michael Koku Kwabla, also known as Togbe Yesu. The WTRFs main aim was to use force to secede the Volta and Oti Regions from Ghana, to form a new state to be called Western Togoland. It was established by Michael Koku Kwabla. Together with his righthand-man, Charles Elo, they recruited persons to attend WTRF meetings, become members, participate in the groups campaign and make contributions to the cause of WTRF. WTRF hatched a plan to campaign and protest for the secession of the Volta and Oti Regions. They planned to campaign and protest by blocking roads that led to the Volta Region from Accra, with sand and burning tyres. On 25th September 2020 at dawn, WTRF set the plans in motion. They divided themselves into groups. One group blocked the Aveyime road from Accra, with trips of sand and burning tyres. The other WTRF groups proceeded to attack the Aveyime and Mepe police stations of the Ghana Police Service. They wielded guns and other weapons and used same to overpower the policemen. They freed inmates from the cells, broke into the armoury of the stations and stole arms and ammunition including; 13 AK 47 assault rifles; 2 pistols; 5 pump action guns; 1 short gun; 2 mack-3 guns; 1 mack-4 gun; 3 SMG rifles; 11 rubber bullets; 25 rounds of 37mm tear gas cartridges; and about 300 rounds of AK47. They also stole a police patrol vehicle with registration number GP 195, proceeded to attack the barracks and made away with monies and other items belonging to the police residents and their families. A Police team was sent from Sogakokpe to go and restore calm at Aveyime and Mepe. When they reached Aveyime, the team was attacked by WTRF members. Three police officers were injured and their leader, Chief Superintendent Dennis Fiakpui was shot. The signboard of the Police Service was defaced by WTRF members. They erased Ghana from the phrase Ghana Police Service printed on the signboard. They hang and displayed what they claimed to be flags of their new country (Western Togoland). In the midst of the road blockage and attacks on Aveyime and Mepe police stations, the WTRF members also jubilated and chanted freedom freedom. Police investigations led to the arrest of the accused persons. Source: asaaseradio.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The NDC Member of Parliament for North Tongu constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says it is time the government stopped using the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse for our collapsing economy. According to him, the Nana Addo-led government has been reckless in spending throughout the outbreak of COVID-19 despite support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. He maintained that the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have exposed the Nana Addo-led government "big time". He said measures should have been taken to cut down the bloated size of goverment. "Look, as a country, where we are now, this collapsing economy, do we still need a seperate Ministry for Agric and Fisheries? Do we still need a seperate Ministry for Railways and Transport? Do we still need a seperate Ministry for Chieftaincy and Tourism? Do we still need a seperate Ministry for Sanitation and Local Government? Do we still need a seperate Ministry for Information and Communication? These are criticial questions we should be askng ourselves. We can merge them," he said. He said the Covid-19 pandemic brought lots of money for government, as "we had more than US$6billion". "IMF gave us money, World Bank gave us money, and other donor partners, including WHO . . . in Ghana we suspended our Fiscal responsiblity which allowed the President to go for money from the Stabilization Fund, to even go for money from Bank of Ghana and Bank of Ghana on our blind side printed over GHc 55 billion . . . he chronicled. Everyday when they talk about COVID they forget to talk about this side as well and I don't think they forget, it is deliberate becasue if COVID hadn't come all these monies wouldn't have come in..." he said on NEAT FMs morning show, 'Ghana Montie'. Adding that, Yes COVID was a challenge but it came with a lot of advantages. "If your leadership is weak and you don't have strong shock absorbers the COVID-19 and Russia/Ukraine war will espose you . . . COVID has exposed us that we were always a vulnerable nation, that the so called solid economic management team were not even up to liquid". Watch video below Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Kicking off the new year with a banger, Ghanaian hiphop and rap performing artist ClickHuus releases new single Same Time. https://bfan.link/same-time Written by himself and produced by Flow Beats, the hip hop-drill single is a follow-up to his 2022's street anthem "As A Boy." "Same Time" is a motivational single aimed towards his homebrewed youths who need a message of encouragement to push through their daily struggles. The song is delivered in a typical drill pace, with the track showcasing a more inspirational side of ClickHuus, as he encourages listeners to keep pushing towards their goals, no matter what obstacles life may throw against them. Born Evans Oppong, the renowned hip hop artiste broke into industry following his 2021's 'Ma Sparki' which featured Yaw Tog and Kofi Mole. Thriving in the most popular hip-hop-aligned region in the country, Kumasi specifically, Click Huus combines hip-hop, drill, and afrobeats to produce a distinctive sound that has gained him a devoted following in his region and brought attention to the young artist in Ghana. Primarily a drill artist, he explores the most musical themes relating to societal challenges, life struggles, love, religion, and more to always achieve his life goals. Watch "Same Time" (Lyrics Video) here: https://youtu.be/ZGwNrR-omWg CONNECT WITH CLICKHUUS: Twitter: @clickhuus Instagram: @clickhuus Facebook: Click Huss YouTube: Click Huss Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video American comedian, Steve Harvey, sold Ghana to the world in a recent public appearance after praising Ghana as the gateway to Africa. In a viral video, Harvey said whoever visits Africa should first make a stop in Ghana. According to him, Ghana is the go-to place in Africa, after which you have to visit Botswana and South Africa. Leave everything youve ever heard. After you go to Africa, you got to go to Ghana first, and then you need to go to Botswana because you need to see what we (Pause.) Pivoting to music, Harvey trashed claims that Burna Boy is copying American music styles, saying they (Americans) rather stole from Burna Boy. Them Africans aint stole nothing from us, they talk about Burna Boy stole this, no, we stole from Burna Boy. Them Africans is us mhen; they are the beat; they are the rhythm; they are the song. They are hard work; we get our courage from them. When you see them, people, they look just like your family, he said. Steve Harvey visited Ghana with his family, visiting the Cape Coast Castle and other tourist destinations.ookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use. Burnaboy didn't steal from us, we stole from Burnaboy. Cc. Steve Harvey. pic.twitter.com/Pk1m4ytYCO REMA GIRLFRIEND (@remagirlfriend) March 13, 2023 Source: Twitter/GC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video "Very Berry" created by Kathryn Rousso and several of her other works are currently on display at the Petersburg Public Library. Ketchikan artist and master basket weaver Kathryn Rousso is coming to the Petersburg Public Library to present a slide show, "A Sense of Place: Exploring Mexico to Colombia & the Plant Material Textiles Within," Thursday night, March 23, followed by a three-day basket weaving class. Several of her works are on display at the library through March 31. In her presentation Rousso will share her fascination with traditional textiles, some of the historical and cultural context through which woven items developed, and images from her travels to remote villages from Mexico to Colombia where... A proposal from Rep. Jennie Armstrong, D-Anchorage, would ban discrimination based on sex or gender identity Anchorage Democratic Rep. Jennie Armstrong, one of three newly elected LGBTQ members of the Alaska Legislature, has introduced a new proposal to ban housing discrimination based on sex or sexual orientation. House Bill 99 was scheduled for a hearing Wednesday in the House Labor and Commerce Committee. The bills introduction on Wednesday came days after the Anchorage Daily News published an article noting that the state of Alaska had dropped a policy that banned most forms of discrimination against LGBTQ people here. Armstrong said this week that the timing was coincidental since she took office this year, the anti-discrimination bill has been a priority, and in the coming weeks, she hopes to make an economic and business case for the change. I think that theres a gut reaction that people have when they hear LGBTQ or abortion. Those are just two issues that are just throwing a grenade, she said. I keep telling folks that this is not a social issue in the same way that child care is not a mommy issue. And so Im really looking forward to making the case in labor and commerce, that non-discrimination is a business issue, that its a military issue, that its an economic issue, Armstrong said. Twenty-three states, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia have laws that explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. An additional seven interpret existing law to cover those topics, and one state, Wisconsin, prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation only. Though no federal anti-discrimination law explicitly covers LGBTQ Americans, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development has interpreted the federal Fair Housing Act as banning that discrimination. Thats based on a 2020 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that found the federal law prohibiting employment discrimination based on sex includes sexual orientation and gender identity in the definition of sex. The HUD interpretation provides some legal protections in Alaska, but Armstrong noted that it could be temporary a court ruling or a change in federal administrations could change the current interpretation. In addition, filing an anti-discrimination complaint through a federal process can be laborious, and a state-level process could give victims quicker action. Some of Alaskas local governments, including Juneau and Anchorage, have passed local ordinances banning discrimination based on gender identity, but many communities, including in Interior Alaska and rural Alaska, have not. In a news conference with reporters on Wednesday, Armstrong noted that members of the military dont have a choice about where theyre deployed. If they end up in Fairbanks, North Pole or nearby communities, the housing website Zillow displays a warning message noting that discrimination is legal there. Fairbanks city council did approve an anti-discrimination measure in 2019, but the mayor at the time, Jim Matherly, vetoed the ordinance and it has not been revived. I believe all Alaskans want their neighbors to feel safe and welcome, Armstrong said. In making people feel safe, they will feel like Alaska is a place where they want to stay, and businesses will feel like this is a place where they can confidently invest and know that their own employees wont be discriminated against. The AlaskaBeacon.com is a donor-funded independent news organization in Alaska. Bills under consideration in the Legislature to cap state spending are not addressing the main challenges Alaska is facing, said Sitka Sen. Bert Stedman, co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee. We dont have a spending-side problem; we have a revenue-side problem, said Stedman, who represents Petersburg, Sitka and the rest of Southeast except for Juneau, Haines, Skagway and Gustavus. He is in his 20th year in the Legislature. The senator pointed out that the latest spending-cap proposal advanced by an Anchorage Republican would exclude the Permanent Fund dividend from the limit. ... Scranton Bomb Factory Builds Projectiles Bound For Ukraine Rows of nearly finished shells on the factory floor in Scranton, Pennsylvania on Feb. 1, 2023. Production of 155mm shells has been steady as the U.S. commitment to the war in Ukraine ramps up. Credit - Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images Ukraines allies are growing increasingly concerned about the countrys dwindling ammunition supply and production shortfalls as fighting against Russia intensifies in Bakhmut. For this reason, the U.S.-led Ukraine Defense Contact Groupwhich includes around 50 countrieshosted a virtual meeting Wednesday to discuss how to make sure Ukraines military gets enough of the ammunition it needs. Western officials have been sounding the alarm for months. In February, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, The current rate of Ukraines ammunition expenditure is many times higher than our current rate of production. This puts our defense industries under strain. To date, the U.S. has supplied Ukraine with more than 1 million 155-millimeter shells, the NATO-standard artillery shell. The U.S. army is planning to boost the current production rate of about 14,000 155-millimeter howitzer shells per month to 20,000 by this spring and up to 90,000 by 2025. For their part, E.U. countries have provided Ukraine with about 350,000 155-millimeter shells in total, according to POLITICO. But these deliveries have come at the price of both the U.S. and Europes own ammunition supplies. Theyve got to work out how much theyre willing to sacrifice their own stocks and defensive ability in order to help Ukraine, says Trevor Taylor, professor emeritus at Cranfield University in the U.K., who heads a research program on defense and industry at the Royal United Services Institute think tank. Despite these concerns, Western officials are calling for greater supplies. The most important, pressing issue today for the Ukrainian army is to have a continuous flow of ammunition, E.U. foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said last month. If we fail on that, really, the result of the war is in danger. Story continues Borrell said Russian forces fired about 50,000 rounds of artillery each day, compared to about 6,000-7,000 from Ukraineand that the gap should be closed. Estonia, which shares a border with Russia, is pushing the E.U. and NATO allies to provide 1 million artillery shells. More from TIME The E.U. appears to be closing in on a 2 billion ($2.12 billion) deal to restock ammunition supplies for Ukraine and also refill countries stocks, POLITICO reported. Half will be dedicated to partly reimburse countries that are already in a position to donate ammunition from their stockpiles. The other half will be designated for countries to jointly purchase new ammunition to buy at scale, allowing for cheaper overall costs. But experts tell TIME that the danger for Ukraine is not that they will run out of ammunition but that their supplies will be lowered to an extent that will limit their approach on the battlefield. Armies dont run out of ammunition, ammunition supplies get loweredand as they get lowered, armies have to shoot at higher priority targets and not shoot at lower priority targets, says Mark F. Cancian, a retired Marine Corps reserves colonel and senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Strong offensives often require a huge stockpile of ammunition. In World War I, armies would spend months stockpiling ammunition around a certain area; they would build rail lines, typically, to start to bring in artillery, says Ian Williams, deputy director of CSISs Missile Defense Project. But experts add that Ukraine should still be able to effectively defend itself. Holding ground is easier than winning ground, says Taylor. Ukraine is currently holding off Russian advances in the eastern city of Bakhmut, which has intensified since January. While Ukraine has expelled Russian forces from Kherson, it is still facing intense shelling from tanks and artillery there. Strikes continue to hit Kharkiv, too. The biggest bottleneck right now is production, says CSISs Williams. The defense industry is typically not able to scale up production so rapidly; it is often operating to meet the demands of home governments. NATOs Stoltenberg has noted that some orders placed today may take two and a half years to arrive. In the U.S., for example, private companies arent going to produce things unless someones going to buy them and military budgets are under strainno matter how big they get; theres always competing interests, says Williams. Many countries would choose to invest in lighter types of forces, drones, intelligence and reconnaissance methods, or missiles, he explains. We dont have a Soviet style defense industry where we just keep producing shells, whether we need them or not. While tanks, missiles, and fighting vehicles have been key for Ukraine to resist Russian offensives, essential ammunition is just as important, if not more, experts note. This is very much an attritional war with a fairly static frontline, Williams says. That kind of combat tends to be where you have two sides that are increasingly dug in, which becomes a very intensive vacuum for ammunition. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene claimed that people are lying about Putin invading Europe as she didnt know that Ukraine is in Europe. Video: Marjorie Taylor Greene doesnt believe Putin plans to invade Europe, calls it a lie. Greene: Ive never seen Putin actually show in any detail his plans to invade Europe. No one has shown me that. So I dont believe the lies that Im being told about this. pic.twitter.com/2kSqyUy8jI PatriotTakes (@patriottakes) March 16, 2023 Greene said on Steve Bannons podcast, Were paying for a war, a proxy war with Russia, when Ive never seen Putin actually show in any detail his plans to invade Europe. No one has shown me that. So I dont believe the lies that Im being told about this. Rep. Greene is not alone. For many Americans, geography is a vast unknown, so lets take a look at the political map of Europe: Yep, theres Ukraine. Right there in Europe. What makes Marjorie Taylor Greene so dangerous to the United States is that she is certain that she knows things she is entirely wrong about. Unless the definition of Europe has suddenly changed, Ukraine is in Europe. When Putin invaded Ukraine, he invaded Europe. The Russian expansionist threat is in Europe, which is why the European nations have come together with the United States to help Ukraine. The United States is not fighting a proxy war with Russia. The US is aiding a fellow democratic government to save it from being overrun by an authoritarian regime. Greenes lack of knowledge, yet absolute certainty that she is right, is embarrassing. Kevin McCarthy elevated Rep. Greene into a prominent position in the House Republican caucus. Rep. Greene is an ignorant Putin puppet who threatens democracy at home and worldwide. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print The pro-Trump social media site Gettr is looking to expand its business by selling the sperm of anti-vaxxers. Rolling Stone reported: FIGHTING TO SURVIVE in the crowded ecosystem of far-right social media companies, the pro-Trump platform Gettr has in recent weeks held high-level deliberations on the oddest of business pivots: remaking the site to add an online clearinghouse for human sperm. But its not just any sperm. The proposal would see the company expand to include a marketplace for semen from men who havent taken any of the vaccines against Covid-19. Three sources familiar with the matter, and a fourth briefed on the situation, describe serious, repeated discussions about creating the online anti-vax semen market, in which unvaccinated men would self-advertise and sell sperm to the highest bidder. Two of the sources say stakeholders have gone so far as to explore possible testing requirements to ensure specimens came from unvaccinated donors. Subscribe To Our Newsletter: Right-wing social media has reached the point where they arent worried about potentially selling unsafe sperm. Their biggest concern is that the sperm seller might be secretly vaccinated. Interest in American politics is down across the spectrum, which means that political media companies had had to reinvent themselves or change the way that they do business. However, it is difficult to imagine that there is a massive market for unvaccinated sperm out there, and the kind of men who are unvaccinated probably have plenty of excess inventory to put on the market, so to speak. The idea has been floated by Steve Bannons arrested Chinese fraudster sugar daddy Guo Wengui. If a website is faring so poorly that they may have to sell unvaccinated sperm to keep the lights on, it might be time to shut it down. It sounds like things might be getting a little bit desperate in some parts of right-wing media. Artificial Intelligence Grammarly Announces New Generative AI Product GrammarlyGo Starting in April 2023, Grammarly will roll out its beta version of GrammarlyGo, a personalized generative AI tool to complement its existing communication software. The prompt-initiated AI understands personal writing and brand style in context, according to the company, and will generate relevant, comprehensive text on demand. GrammarlyGo can generate ideas, compose, rewrite, and communicate from within any application or system on which it is installed, the company said. It can also understand the context of e-mails and reply to them. The AI will generate ideas and outlines, and its rewrite function can revise for a writer's chosen voice and tone, based on needs. The AI will adjust article length to fit requirements. Context-based prompts can be provided to help initiate and improve writing. "Generative AI represents an inflection point in innovation that Grammarly can incorporate to deliver even more value for our customers," said Rahul Roy-Chowdhury, Global Head of Product at Grammarly. "Now we enter a new phase in our vision to support our customers across all stages of communication, going past revision into conception and composition, all while maintaining our high standards of quality, privacy, and security." "GrammarlyGO will be available across Grammarly's product offerings, including Grammarly Free (in select markets), Grammarly Premium, Grammarly Business, Grammarly for Education (higher education), and Grammarly for Developers," the company said in its release. "Individual users will have GrammarlyGO activated by default and can toggle it off or on in their settings. Grammarly Business and Grammarly for Education administrators will have the option to opt into using GrammarlyGO for their organizations, so they are in control over what Grammarly features are most helpful for their needs." A blog post on GrammarlyGo can be found here. Developers who wish to use the Grammarly Text Editor SDK can apply here for beta access starting in April. A live demo for developers will be held May 2, 2023, at noon ET. Sign up to attend here. For academic use of Grammarly, visit the Grammarly in Education page, and this page to read the Education Blog. Grammarly is free for individual users and also has a subscription price for educational institutions. It can be used on nearly any operating system, browser, desktop, or mobile device, as well as in online applications such as Google Docs and MS Office. Grammarly was founded in 2009 to help writers with grammar and spelling but has since expanded to provide much more writing support. It is used by over 50,000 teams and 30 million people daily. Visit its About page to read more about the company. Kyle Larson passed Joey Logano with 29 laps to go and went on to win his second Cup Series race of the season Sunday at Martinsville Speedway on a day when NASCAR welcomed back Chase Elliott. Logano, who was forced to begin the race in the back of the field after his crew found a leak in his water tank prior to the start, finished second followed by Martin Truex Jr and Denny Hamlin. Larson ended some frustration on a track that he said doesnt suit his driving style, celebrating by doing a burnout most of the half-mile, paperclip-shaped track. It was the 21st career Cup Series win for Larson and his 15th win in the last three seasons. Read moreLarson pulls away from Logano to win at Martinsville Since Earth Day is this week, this is a good time to be mindful of the impact we have on our environment and what we can do to reduce that impact. The good news is there are ways we can go green that are good for our health and the health of our planet. Read moreHEALTH AND FITNESS: Go green for Earth Day Police are investigating the death of a Georgia man. Around 1:05 p.m. on March 14, deputies with the Aiken County Sheriffs Office responded to Kitchings Road near Old Barnwell Road after a passerby reported a Black male lying on the side of the road in a ditch, Aiken County Coroner Darryl Ables said in a media release. Ables identified the victim as Jarvon Stapleton, 24, of Stonecrest, Georgia. Police said a man had been shot multiple times and EMS was called. Stapleton was transported to Aiken Regional Medical Centers and then to Augusta University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 4:29 p.m. Stapletons body was scheduled for autopsied Friday in Newberry. The coroners office and the Aiken County Sheriffs Office are investigating the shooting. Last week, the White House issued an executive order prohibiting federal agencies from using hacking tools that could be harnessed by foreign governments to abuse human rights forcing firms to stop selling to bad actors or risk losing this countrys valuable business. The rules also block Read moreGuest editorial: The White House is trying to stop the spread of spyware. It wont be easy. COLUMBIA South Carolina's state comptroller should be removed from office, a growing chorus of lawmakers charge, following the release of a damning report accusing him of fumbling the state's finances through a $3.5 billion reporting error. The 80-page document released March 15 blasts the states elected Republican Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom for confused testimony that contradicted documents a Senate subcommittee obtained and his efforts to deflect blame onto other state agencies, auditors and the state treasurer. The honorable thing would be for him to resign, Sen. Larry Grooms, a Bonneau Beach Republican who led the investigation, told the Senate as the report was made public. The votes in the House and the Senate are sufficient to actually remove him from office, and I hope that he would help the General Assembly avoid having to go through that, Grooms added. The report, unanimously approved by a bipartisan Senate subcommittee, advises the responsibilities of the Comptrollers Office be transferred to other agencies and that the Legislature put a constitutional amendment on the ballot to abolish the office. Thirty-one states do not have a comptroller, while nine elect one. Eckstrom made it clear in the face of the criticism he has no plans to go quietly. I strongly disagree with the findings of the senators, he said in a statement released by his office. I will not be distracted by anyone from the work ahead of us, work voters elected me to do during this term. Eckstrom, 74, has served since 2003. He did say he would advocate for the comptroller general to become an appointed position rather than an elected one. The scandal began when Eckstrom informed Grooms subcommittee in February a computer coding error had caused the software that compiles the states Annual Comprehensive Financial Report to double-count money flowing to the states colleges and universities to the tune of $3.5 billion. The problem went undetected for nearly a decade until it was discovered by a staff member last year. The error never affected the state budget because lawmakers and state agencies dont use the report generated by Eckstrom's office, but the blunder may have misled Wall Street, which uses the report to assess the states financial health. Grooms called Eckstrom's response to lawmakers about the yearslong mistakes a damning error. This is serious business were talking about, undoing an election, Grooms said. Anyone who listens to even 10 minutes of his testimony will begin to have questions over his abilities. The report recommends the Legislature remove Eckstrom through a relatively obscure state constitutional process called removal on address. The governor must remove an executive officer from office if two-thirds of both chambers of the Legislature vote to remove them. The process, described by Sen. Chip Campsen, R-Isle of Palms, as impeachment light, has a lower bar than impeachment, requiring an official to have committed willful neglect of duty, or other reasonable cause rather than a serious crime. The process also doesnt require a Senate trial, just that an official be given a hearing to put up a defense. Grooms said he does not believe Eckstroms conduct rose to the level of a serious crime. Gov. Henry McMaster indicated last week that he does not support Eckstroms removal from office. I think the answer for all these questions are elections. Let the people decide, he said, pointing to the next general election in 2026. McMaster is constitutionally required to remove Eckstrom if the Legislature votes for it. There does appear to be broad support in the Legislature for removing or at least punishing Eckstrom. A budget amendment to reduce Eckstroms salary from $150,000 to $1 a year proposed by Columbia Democrat Heather Bauer passed 104-7 on March 13. Ways and Means Committee Chair Bruce Bannister, R-Greenville, said the salary vote was a political message to Eckstrom the error is unacceptable. In addition, a bipartisan House resolution to impeach the comptroller general garnered 16 co-sponsors across the political spectrum, including House Majority Leader Davey Hiott, R-Pickens, and Assistant Majority Leader Jay West, R-Belton. If the comptroller were removed or resigns during the legislative session, the Legislature would choose a replacement. The governor would pick the replacement if the body were out of session. The last time a constitutional officer in South Carolina was prompted to be replaced was in 2007 when former state Treasurer Thomas Ravenel resigned in the face of cocaine charges. The March 15 report includes many details of the scandal that have been reported previously but lays out a clearer timeline of events and makes several new revelations based on previously unreported internal emails and other documents. The report shows Eckstom knew for years there was a problem with the states financial reporting, even if he didnt know its extent. When a staff accountant in his office finally nailed down exactly what the error was, Eckstrom wrote in an Oct. 27 email congratulating his staff for solving our long standing riddle. That correspondence and others also demonstrate Eckstrom knew the full extent of the error before his November reelection in which Eckstom was unopposed though he did not begin informing the ratings agencies, the governor or legislative leaders until December. Eckstrom has previously said his silence was to allow auditors to check his staffs work during November, a move some lawmakers questioned as leaving the public in the dark. Is that fair to the voters? subcommittee member Sen. Thomas McElveen, D-Sumter, asked March 15. The report also shows Eckstroms office made more than just the error affecting the college transfers that he originally disclosed to legislators in February, and those errors totaled $4.4 billion not $3.5 billion. The college transfers error actually led to an overstatement of roughly $4 billion, but a separate mistake related to a S.C. Department of Transportation account led to an understatement of about $500 million, making the net total of the errors a $3.5 billion overstatement. Eckstrom referred to the error using the $4.4 billion figure in an October email, and the Comptrollers Office drafted an alternative correction note that used the $4.4 billion figure. Yet the comptroller did not use that figure publicly or disclose the full figure to legislators until pressed by one of the members of the subcommittee during his third appearance before them on the issue in early March. The report rebuts Eckstroms repeated assertion that ratings agencies were unconcerned by the error when he informed them by including a December email from Moodys raising many of the same questions legislators would later about the error. The report also raises concerns about the fact Eckstrom testified under oath March 7 that he had not retained an attorney. Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, R-Murrells Inlet, then read an email from West Columbia attorney Robert Bolchoz that said he would be providing (Eckstrom) with legal counsel in regards to the inquiry. The report lays out two potential root causes of the comptrollers errors showing that Eckstroms staff dwindled from 75 when he took office in 2003 to 26 this year as he touted his offices frugality. The report also asserts the Comptrollers Office rushed to publish its reports to meet deadlines that would earn Eckstrom trade association awards. It seems that the comptroller was more interested in personal vanity and receiving awards than he was in the accuracy of the reporting, Grooms said. For instance, the report shows Eckstrom earned the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the 2021 edition of the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report. However, as it has been revealed, that report contained several billion dollars in errors. Travelers to the state's busiest airport soon will be able to drop off checked bags at the curb without approaching most airline ticket counters. The board that runs Charleston International voted unanimously March 16 to hire a Florida-based company to staff three posts outside of the main terminal to collect and tag the luggage. The roughly $750,000 program with Bags Inc. will start April 1. The service will be free unless a traveler has overweight or extra bags, just like the current system. "As we continue to grow, we have to stay on top of the passenger experience," airport CEO Elliott Summey said. "This is one more convenience we are offering to our passengers." Eight of the 13 carriers that serve CHS have agreements with Bags Inc., including Southwest Airlines, which previously operated the outdoor baggage belt, according to Summey. The others are Alaska, Allegiant, American, Delta, JetBlue, Spirit and United. Five carriers aren't part of the system: Avelo, Breeze Frontier, Silver and Sun Country, according to Summey, who added that Breeze is in negotiations with the new provider. Workers with Bags Inc. will either place collected bags in the outside baggage belt or take them inside to the airline ticket counters. The curbside offering is the first phase of the program. A second phase, expected to begin in two or three months, will shift one of the curbside slots to the second level of the five-tier parking garage that opened in 2020. Eventually, the airport hopes to expand the service to hotels, especially during large events throughout the Charleston region. It would be fee-based. By spreading out some of the baggage handling, the airport hopes to reduce lines at the indoor check-in stations and ease traffic in front of the terminal. "You can check your bags and walk straight from the curb or the garage into the terminal and the security checkpoint without having to stand in line in the ticket hall," Summey said. Bags Inc. is part of Chicago-based SP+ Corp., a publicly traded company with $4 billion in annual revenue and 23,000 employees across North America. The luggage handling business said it works with airlines, cruise ships, hotels and resorts in more than 250 U.S. cities. A new restaurant and bar with a rooftop element is on the way to the tourist district near the historic City Market in downtown Charleston. The Habit plans to open in July at 213 East Bay St. in a two-story building about halfway between South Market and Cumberland streets. Zachary Dennis of The Habit LLC said the 12,000-square-foot building is undergoing renovation and maneuvering through permitting. The new business also recently applied for its alcohol license. "We are aiming to be open by July 4," Dennis said. Business partner Michelle Van Jura said the dining concept is being kept under wraps for now but the aim is for something residents and visitors will find "approachable and delicious." Matthew Greene is coming on board as the third business partner. With experience in the locally based Halls restaurant group, he will serve as chef. The city's Board of Zoning Appeals approved a special exception in October to allow a rooftop terrace on the structure but included stipulations. The roof cannot be used after midnight, and there can be no amplified noise on the roof above normal conversational level because the venue is within 500 feet of the French Quarter residential district. The building across from the U.S. Custom House is owned by Yaschik Development Co., which paid $1.8 million for the site in 2003, according to Charleston County land records. The structure suffered a fire in 2013 that resulted in a lawsuit by the former tenants that was later settled through the S.C. Court of Appeals. Consolidating A downtown Charleston retailer plans to close one of its two locations. Kissmet, which sells rugs, lamps, shoes and ceramics, plans to shutter its shop at 345 King St. by the end of April and consolidate operations in its other store at 84 N. Market St., according to store operator Nedim Dinli. Several suitors are eyeing the King Street site but a lease has not been signed, according to C. Kendrick of real estate firm Charleston Commercial. Expanding A downtown Charleston restaurant and bar plans to expand into a recently closed ice cream shop space. Felix at 550 King St. will take over the 1,650 square feet left vacant in February when Odd Fellows Ice Cream Shop closed after 15 months in business. A representative said Felix hopes to be in the space later this year after renovations are completed. Reopening A downtown Charleston casual-apparel merchant is reopening after its shop underwent a complete makeover. Chubbies plans to snip the ribbon at 3 p.m. March 17 at 333 King St. The company will host an in-store-only promotion Friday, offering $25 off a $100 purchase. Also, the first 50 customers will receive a swag bag with goodies worth up to $100. There will be a DJ, drinks and a photo wall for an Instagram moment. Sign up for our real estate newsletter! Get the best of the Post and Courier's Real Estate news, handpicked and delivered to your inbox each Saturday. Email Sign Up! Chubbies, an apparel lifestyle brand within the Solo Brands portfolio, has other shops in Atlanta, Houston, Tampa and Miramar Beach, Fla. New lease A vacant space in a strip retail building across from Tanger Outlets soon will see a new shop. Hanahan resident Travis Postell of Elevated Brands LLC plans to open I Heart CBD in a 1,500-square-foot leased space at 4958 Centre Pointe Drive, Suite 104, in North Charleston, according to Josh Stamps of the real estate firm Keller Williams, who represented the tenant. The new shop, between a Verizon store and Thai Palm restaurant, could open in about 90 days, Stamps said. I Heart CBD has other locations in the Lowcountry. Kip Bowman and Sara Bodell of Coldwell Banker Commercial Atlantic represented the landlord, Mt. Pleasant Partners LLC of Asheville, N.C., in the lease. Suite deals The set of new commercial space is now open on the ground floor of The Jasper mixed-use development on the Charleston peninsula. Ashley Artisan Suites, first announced in the fall of 2021, offers 24 individual work spaces for a variety of independent professionals, such as stylists, cosmetologists, artisans and designers. The first two tenants in Ashley Artisan Suites are G&H Hair, a salon that has served the Charleston peninsula for more than 15 years, and BeachKrew, a beach-inspired lifestyle brand. G&H Hair is owned by Sherrie Haught, who specializes in upscale mens grooming, and Stacey Goode, a licensed cosmetologist offering both womens hairstyling and barbering services. BeachKrew is a product of Karlee Hart. It's inspired by her love of life by the ocean. Upcoming suite tenants include Liz Veach Hair, Stefanie Hattaway Hair and Makeup and Koniver Aesthetics. The set of suites in 3,375 square feet represents the largest space in the 25,000 square feet set aside for retail use on the first level of the 12-story building. The structure was developed by The Beach Co. along Broad Street in Harleston Village. The Jasper apartment building also includes 75,000 square feet of office space. Gassing up Parker's Kitchen has filed plans with state environmental regulators to begin clearing land in North Charleston for a new store. A stormwater permit is being sought for a 6-acre parcel at the southwest corner of Palmetto Commerce Parkway and Weber Boulevard to build the 5,175-square-foot store with 16 fueling stations. No wetlands are affected, according to the filing with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. Savannah-based Parker's bought the property last November for $2.8 million. COLUMBIA A woman has won a $29.1 million verdict in a Richland County case involving allegations that cancer-causing asbestos was present in makeup and body powders. But that award money could be a longtime coming because the company found liable apparently has ceased operations except to defend itself in court. Two other parties in the case, including cosmetics giant Mary Kay, reached undisclosed settlements during the recent trial. According to her lawyer, attorneys for Mary Kay said it was the first time a case against them over possible asbestos had gone to trial. Sarah J. Plant, 36, a former Spartanburg resident who now lives in Tennessee, was diagnosed two years ago with mesothelioma. It's a rare type of cancer that is associated with asbestos exposure. The diagnosis especially is unusual for someone in their 30s. The average age of a patient with this form of cancer is 72, according to the American Cancer Society. The five-year average survival rate for patients is 12 percent, according to the nonprofit. Plant, a mother of three, sued a variety of retailers and makers of beauty and personal hygiene products. Plant believes that early exposure to talc products, both in body powders used in her family home and in makeup, contributed to her cancer, said one of her attorneys, Jessica Dean. Because of the diagnosis, pushing the case to trial or resolution quickly was urgent, as with other plaintiffs who have mesothelioma cases, said Dean, of Dallas law firm Dean Omar Branham Shirley. "It is the No. 1 thing that matters to them," she said. Plant's family used body powders containing talc frequently after bathing when she was a child, and she began to wear makeup for dance recitals beginning at age 6. She was allowed by her parents to wear eye shadow at age 12 and then any makeup she wanted when she reached high school, Dean said. There have been many lawsuits against makers of talcum powder over the alleged presence of asbestos in the products. Asbestos, long ago used as a fire-resistant substance in construction, is connected in some studies with mesothelioma after prolonged exposure and inhalation of it as a powder. It naturally occurs in areas where talc, the core ingredient in talcum powder, is mined. Companies such as supplier Whittaker Clark & Daniels have to certify that it is not present in the talc. Whittaker Clark & Daniels did not settle and was found liable by a jury on March 3, in a case heard in Columbia by former S.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal. Another company, talc manufacturer IMI Fabi, was not held liable by the jury. The two companies that settled while the trial was underway, Mary Kay and Color Technologies, did not to respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit. Whittaker Clark & Daniels also did not respond to a request for comment submitted to its attorneys. At one point, Dean said, attorneys for Mary Kay were making the point in court that they had to trust their talc supplier, Whittaker, about the ingredients being sold. It was unusual, Dean said, for two legal parties on the same side to disagree in front of a jury. Whittaker has lost several mesothelioma lawsuits, and faces concerns that it is not able to meet its legal obligations, Dean said. In fact, it's unclear whether the company retains sizable assets. According to a court document, the company has said it sold most of its assets back in 2004 to a different company, Brenntag Specialties, and no longer has any employees, customers or incoming revenue. Dean and her legal team requested that a receiver be appointed to determine the company's current assets and to protect Plant's rights, a request that Toal granted March 10 after Whittaker failed to file a response. A court-appointed receiver can investigate whether substantial assets or insurance exist that should cover a company's liabilities, then report back to the court. That can require researching records on past insurance policies or even following assets or insurance to new owners. They also can check to ensure that unnecessary legal fees are not eroding money that otherwise would go to plaintiffs. In Plant's case, a receiver should help her get the settlement she is due, Dean said. "We fought for her to get a unanimous verdict and are doing what we can to protect her verdict given the information we have to date," Dean said. Companies in the cosmetics industry reportedly are moving away from the use of talc in face powders and other products. They also are taking legal claims from mesothelioma patients more seriously, said Dean, who has been active nationally in representing patients in suits, including several against Whittaker Clark & Daniels. "I am just now seeing a change," she said. LEXINGTON Lexington County School District One says one of its teachers did not assault a River Bluff High School student over her refusal to say the Pledge of Allegiance, denying claims from the students parents in a Feb. 13 lawsuit. That lawsuit said Lexington One, its Superintendent Gerrita Postlewait, River Bluff Principal Jacob Smith, River Bluff teacher Nicole Livingstone and the S.C. Department of Education violated 15-year-old Marissa Barnwells constitutional rights, alleging that Livingstone pushed Barnwell, who is Black, against a hallway wall after she didnt stop to recognize the Pledge in November. In a March 15 motion asking the federal district court to dismiss the parents suit, the districts attorney David Lyon wrote that based on the initial suits complaint, Livingstone encountered Barnwell during the schools moment of silence, not during the Pledge of Allegiance. The districts filing also says the initial complaint didn't allege that Barnwell was made to say the Pledge, salute the flag or stay silent during the Pledge or moment of silence, or that she received any discipline after the incident. According to the districts response, the narrative laid out in the initial complaint fails to state a First Amendment, equal protection or due process claim. "There is no allegation that the Student was made to violate her sincerely held beliefs, nor that she received any punishment," the district's filing says. It also asserts that schools can legally require students to observe a moment of silence. The only logical reading of the Complaint is that Defendant Livingston stopped the student in the hall after the Pledge had ended and during the call to remain standing for the moment of silence, the response reads, adding that a mandatory moment of silence has been held to be constitutionalthus, there would be no prohibition on the School requiring students to stop doing whatever they are doing, including walking down the hall, and to remain silent during the Moment of Silence. A footnote in the district's response says that Livingstone "will admit to putting her hand on the Students shoulder to get the Students attention, but denies pushing Barnwell. "Regardless of the exact nature of the touching that occurred in this case, Defendants assert it does not give rise to the causes of action alleged in this Complaint," the response reads. The initial lawsuit against the district says that Livingstone started yelling at Barnwell to stop walking and pushed her against a wall, before taking her to the principals office. In a March 16 statement, district spokeswoman Libby Roof said the district's employee, an instructional aide, was placed on administrative leave until the district finished its investigation, which included multiple camera angles which were reviewed by the parents, their attorney and law enforcement. Livingstone's administrative leave lasted for about two weeks, Roof said. The statement also said that "the student and employees involved are receiving extremely hateful communication," which district leaders "condemn." "Unfortunately, there will be times when a family will not be satisfied with the districts response, and we regret when that happens and attempt to resolve issues in a manner satisfactory to all parties involved," the statement said. Tyler Bailey, the Barnwell family's attorney, sent a letter to Attorney General Alan Wilson asking him to open a criminal investigation into the incident, according to a March 15 statement from Bailey's law firm. A spokesman for the Attorney General's office did not respond to a request for comment about that letter March 16. Bailey's letter to Wilson says that the Lexington Police Department refused to bring any criminal charges related to the incident, which he described as a "horrendous assault." Police department spokesman Cameron Mortenson said that after conducting interviews and reviewing video, the department's criminal investigation division "determined that there was not probable cause for an arrest." "They didn't see an assault on video," Mortenson said. "The teacher stops the student, but there isn't any type of assault." The districts response also says that while the initial complaint asserts Barnwell suffered physical and emotional pain from the incident, it doesn't describe any physical injury, and adds that state law does not allow a plaintiff to recover for intentional infliction of emotional distress. A separate March 10 filing by the S.C. Department of Education also asks for the lawsuit to be dismissed, saying that none of the department's employees were involved in the incident. There is simply nothing alleged factually against the Defendant Department that indicates that any agent or employee of the Department played any role in the event subject of the Plaintiffs claim or its aftermath, the departments filing reads. Both the department and the district also argue that they're immune from the lawsuit because of the U.S. Constitutions Eleventh Amendment, which the department says prohibits federal courts from exercising jurisdiction over suits asserted against a state by its own citizens or by citizens of another state. That immunity also applies to Lexington One and its employees, the districts filing says, because state laws establish "pervasive control" over school districts and their employees, and since the individual defendants were acting in the scope of their employment by the district. COLUMBIA Less than two months after his sudden resignation as superintendent of Richland School District Two, Baron Davis has secured another job in education. The former superintendent for the state's fifth-largest school district has become a senior advisor with a Washington, D.C.-based educational nonprofit Digital Promise. "I've learned from some of the most innovative leaders, instructors, teachers, administrators, and from some of the most innovative school board members," said Davis, who will continue working from Columbia. "It's just been phenomenal. As a leader, you want to have a pulse on what (education) looks like beyond your own backyard." Davis led a district of 28,000 students in Richland Two, serving for just over five years as the school district's first Black superintendent. The school district agreed to pay Davis a $615,000 settlement two days after his resignation. After the November election, leadership of the board shifted to members who had been critical off Davis in the past. They have not explained why Davis left in mid-January when he had a contract through June 2026. Davis, whose settlement includes a non-disparagement agreement, declined to comment on his relationship with the Richland Two administration, except to use the district's own words and say he hopes to see "a commitment to a premier educational experience" going forward. "The great thing about it is I'm still figuring it out," Davis said. "When a person and an organization find such complete alignment, I've never experienced that before. I can't really explain it, but every single day we find opportunities to really impact the education of students on a national level, and that's just exciting." Davis took a job in late February with Digital Promise, a nonprofit started in 2008 to help superintendents develop ways to provide equitable, inclusive education for historically or systemically marginalized students. The group connects school districts with researchers and tech leaders to close the digital learning gap unequal access to the evolving technology needed for classroom learning. He also helps lead an arm of Digital Promise called the League of Innovative Schools, a network of superintendents representing 147 districts in 38 states. He was already a member of the League as a Richland Two superintendent and familiar with their work. With a member of the board for the League of Innovative Schools leaving earlier this year, Davis's timing could not have been better, Digital Promise spokeswoman My Nguyen said. "Since the League started 12 years ago, we've never really had someone so close to the superintendency hold that seat," Nguyen said. Nguyen said the reality for Digital Promise is that many of its leaders have been away from their work as school administrators or superintendents for years, and she believes Davis being fresh out of his role as a schools chief gives them an advantage. She mentioned the COVID-19 pandemic as an example of something that Davis would have gone through as a superintendent and figured out firsthand how to navigate those challenges. "The nonprofit sector is extremely saturated to where so many people think they know the solution to the challenges we're facing in education, but sometimes we do miss that connection to superintendents people who are on the ground," Nguyen said. Davis will soon start work with another arm of Digital Promise, the Center for Inclusive Innovation. The Center is a virtual space where school leaders in the League of Innovative Schools can meet in an "incubator-type setup where they take on problems they want to find solutions to ... from recruiting teachers of color to redesigning curriculum," Davis said. "As a member of the League of Innovative Schools, you get to not only convene and get professional development, but you get to visit schools across the country," Davis said, including North Carolina, Ohio and California in a list of states the League has visited in recent years. "You're seeing what other school systems are doing and you can then bring that information back to your school district and try to implement it or even step up what you're doing." Representation in teacher recruitment has been a major component of Davis's school leadership approach before he joined Digital Promise. Though some parents in Richland Two were critical of the program during Davis's tenure, Davis and the administration started the district's "Premier 100" initiative that continued in February with a goal of recruiting minority male teachers. Davis also took on a role this year as the advisory board chairman for Young Men United, an initiative by United Way of the Midlands to provide mentorships and internships for male high school students of color. "While Richland Two is above the national average at 6 percent of minority male educators in the district, we acknowledge that there is much work to be done to not only recruit but to develop and retain these important class of educators," Richland Two spokeswoman Ishmael Tate wrote on the district's website in February. Richland Two appointed Nancy Gregory, the districts chief instructional officer, as the interim superintendent during a special called board meeting Jan. 19. The district was facing scrutiny at the time for the State Inspector Generals scathing November 2022 report into the district's leadership and financial management, and is facing scrutiny again for an overdue audit report to the State Department of Education. Click here for more news from Columbia, S.C. The idea was hatched last fall when Ryan and Zak Koga went to an auction. They were at Ale Asylum, which had closed in July and was liquidating its equipment at its Madison brewery near Dane County Regional Airport. The Kogas purchased a stainless steel, 40-barrel bright tank now used to clarify and carbonate batches of beer at their Karben4 Brewing Co. facility on Kinsman Boulevard on Madisons North Side. But they also picked up, at no cost, 3,000 empty Hopalicious cans that were headed to a recycling center. The wheels began to spin, and on Wednesday a deal was signed that not only gives the Kogas the right to make one of Madisons most well-known craft beers but other Ale Asylum brands. The purchase of the recipes, marketing and other intellectual property comes a year after the Kogas purchased craft soda company Wisco Pop and moved it from Viroqua, and at a time when the brewery is ramping up making beer for other companies. The whole goal is to make sure that the facility is used to its fullest and that revenue streams come from a wide range of avenues in a highly competitive and saturated craft beer market, those same conditions that forced Ale Asylum in 2022 to close its doors after 16 years. Theres a certain amount of revenue you need to stay solvent. You cant run at half capacity and expect to say open, Ryan Koga said Thursday. It made good business sense. (Ale Asylum) was a brand worth bringing back to make sure it didnt fade to nothing. I didnt want it to be part of history. The first batches of Hopalicious were produced and canned this week and will be served Wednesday at the brewerys tasting room. Distribution to bars, restaurants and retailers will follow later next week. Its unclear when and what other Ale Asylum brands like Ambergeddon, Motorhead Road Crew, Velveteen Habit, Madtown Nutbrown, Bedlam and Unshadowed will be brewed, but Ryan Koga said Oktillion would likely be ready for Oktoberfest celebrations this fall. The Kogas also are contemplating opening an Ale Asylum tasting room elsewhere in the Madison area, but for now Ale Asylum beers will be on tap in the Karben4 tap room next to drafts of Fantasy Factory IPA, Peach Haven Lager, Midwesty Pilsner and more than 40 other offerings from the Karben4 brewery. Home again The purchase brings Ale Asylum full circle as the brewery was founded in what is now the Karben4 space in 2006 before moving into a multimillion-dollar, 45,000-square-foot facility in 2012. That move allowed the Kogas to open Karben4. Were making Hopalicious back home, Zak Koga said during a tour Thursday. I think we have a great responsibility to be good stewards of a Madison and Wisconsin staple. Hopalicious is on a lot of peoples beer list, and we wanted to keep it that way. Theres a whole big greatest hits album we can start putting together of many, many beers of 16 years of brewing. The purchase did not include the former Ale Asylum brewing facility at 2002 Pankratz St. When it moved into the facility, Ale Asylum, had its eyes on producing 100,000 barrels of beer a year. But as the craft brewing industry continued to expand with more breweries and an endless lineup of new beers, Ale Asylum was unable to stay afloat. In 2021, the company closed its taproom and kitchen and was put up for sale before production ended in July 2022 when a potential buyer backed out of a proposed deal. Karben4 was founded three years after Ryan Koga became brewmaster at Yellowstone Valley Brewing Co. in Billings, Montana, but wanted to move back to Wisconsin to be closer to family. His Madison brewery is now known for its Fantasy Factory line of beer that includes an IPA but has expanded over the years into several different styles that include a Maibock Ale, Milk Stout and fruited flavors like grapefruit, mango and pineapple. Production and expansion About 50% of Karben4s 10,000 barrels of production in 2022 was its own brands, with the other 50% coming from contracts to make beer for other companies. Zak Koga said he expects Ale Asylum beers to account for about 15% of the contract production since the Kogas, not the brewery, own the Ale Asylum brands. But to accommodate the growth the brewery has expanded. It recently added a new canning line that can fill 100 cans a minute, more than double the speed of the previous line, while an automated packaging line has also been added. Later this summer a 30-barrel brewhouse will be installed to complement the existing 15-barrel system, a move that will eat away at about 3 feet of the tasting room. The Kogas this year hope to produce about 15,000 barrels of beer and soda. We have had to reinvent ourselves every 10 minutes over the past three years and every time we think were making progress, our cost structure changes overnight. Our cans go from 8.5 cents to 16 cents, Zak Koga said. I think you just have to stay flexible and keep plowing ahead, and this is part of that move. Opponents of a new proposal to ban Charleston County educators from talking with students about sexual orientation or gender say doing so would violate federal laws prohibiting discrimination. They also warned it sends a hurtful message to the LGBTQ community, which already experiences higher rates of depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation. More Coverage To read more in-depth stories from The Post and Courier's Education Lab, go to postandcourier.com/education-lab. Schools should be a safe place for everyone to be themselves, but the proposal before the Charleston County school board would create an environment that isn't, said Chase Glenn, executive director of the Charleston-based Alliance for Full Acceptance, a nonprofit that advocates for LGBTQ rights. "It's not comfortable, it's not safe and it's not affirming," he said. School board member Ed Kelley, who represents the Mount Pleasant area, introduced the proposal March 13. In addition to banning most conversations about sexual orientation or gender, the policy would block teachers from asking students for their pronouns or sharing their own. It would also require employees to use the gender documented on their employment paperwork even if it doesn't correspond with their identity. The goal is to limit discussions about the pronouns people use "simply from a distractions standpoint," said Kelley, chairman of the board's policy committee. Kelley did not respond to a request for further comment. He told fellow board members his proposal was in response to emails from parents with concerns. "Ultimately those conversations belong at home, not in school," he said. The draft originated with five members of the school board whose recent election campaigns were all backed by Moms for Liberty, a fast-growing conservative group that advocates for what it calls parental rights in schools. Pam McKinney, the board's chairwoman, said she doesn't have an opinion on the proposal but supported the discussion. "I wouldn't form any opinion until I heard all sides and all discussion," she said. McKinney declined to say whether she has also received emails from parents on this issue, saying it would be "unfair." In addition to Kelley and McKinney, Carlotte Bailey, Keith Grybowski and Leah Whatley also are listed as the policy's originators on board documents. Whatley said in an email that she is also waiting until more information is presented to form an opinion. The other two did not respond to a request for an interview. The proposal is the latest in Charleston and elsewhere to challenge how schools should support LGBTQ students and staff. Last fall, Gov. Henry McMaster wrote a letter asking the CCSD board to prohibit lessons about gender identity without parental approval after middle school students on James Island were assigned to read an essay about a 16-year-old and his gender identity journey. Gender and sexual orientation aren't topics included in the state's instructional standards, so there aren't expected to be instances where those topics are the subject of classroom instruction, CCSD spokesman Andy Pruitt said in an email. (The district previously has said the lesson that concerned McMaster was mistakenly assigned by a substitute teacher.) Under current policy, if a student asks an educator about those topics, staff are expected to conduct themselves in a way that "contributes to an appropriate learning environment." Pruitt said student and staff requests to use pronouns that don't match the gender identity they are assigned at birth are handled on a case-by-case basis. More Information The Post and Courier Education Lab is a multi-year project, employing four reporters, focused on the need for public education reform in South Carolina. The Coastal Community Foundation and Spartanburg Foundation serve as fiscal sponsors for the Education Lab, which is supported by grants from the Jolley Foundation, Intertech, anonymous donors, and generous donations on behalf of donors to The Post and Courier Public Service and Investigative Fund who designate to the Education Lab. The proposal in Charleston is similar to a law recently passed in Florida. At least 22 other states have introduced similar legislation, according to free expression defense group PEN America. Opponents describe the bills increasingly sweeping the country as "Don't Say Gay," policies, and some who addressed the Charleston County school board this week during public comments used the phrase to describe the policy draft. Supporters say the policies are meant to give parents control over when and how their children are taught about gender and sexuality. Jace Woodrum, the executive director of South Carolina's American Civil Liberties Union, described it as an attempt to push gay and transgender people out of public life. Sign up for our Education Lab newsletter. Email Sign Up! Florida's law bans lessons on sexual orientation or gender identity for students in kindergarten through third grade, or in a manner that is not age-appropriate when it comes to lessons for older students. The draft before the Charleston County school board goes further in that it would ban any conversations, not just lessons, at all grade levels. The draft provides an exception for certain educators school counselors and psychologists, school parent advocates and administrators to have conversations with students about gender and sexuality but only with a parent's permission if the student is under the age of 18 or if there is "imminent concern of harm to the student." Kelley said he does not want to prohibit students from talking about their gender identity in all circumstances. "I don't want to make it against policy to have a conversation with a student who comes to a teacher and says, 'Hey, I'm suffering from mental, psychological problems. I believe I might be the opposite gender and I want some help,'" he said. LGBTQ youth, particularly trans and nonbinary children, are at a higher risk for mental health issues and suicide than cisgender youth, according to data from The Trevor Project, a nonprofit focused on suicide prevention. Being transgender is not a mental health condition, medical professionals say. The higher risk of depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation is a result of hostility and harassment transgender people experience. Half of LGBTQ youth in South Carolina and nearly 60 percent of transgender and nonbinary youth seriously considered suicide in the past year, according to survey data The Trevor Project published in December. One in five trans and nonbinary youth in South Carolina attempted suicide. Nearly 90 percent of LGBTQ youth in the state said recent politics negatively impacted their well-being "sometimes" or "a lot." Policies like these only serve to isolate them further," Casey Pick, the organization's director of law and policy, said in a statement in response to the proposal in Charleston. Kelley told the board the language in the draft proposal came from a number of sources that he could not disclose publicly because it would involve an ongoing personnel matter. Two unnamed principals also reviewed the draft. He said it was written in anticipation of state legislation passing that would impose similar restrictions. Two similar bills have been introduced in the state Senate, one that limits instruction on sexual orientation and gender, and another that requires school employees to tell a child's parents if they learn the student is transgender. The Senate hasn't held a hearing on either bill. They would need to pass one or both by April 10 for the House to consider the legislation this session without supermajority approval to even debate it. If they don't pass one or both bills by that deadline, lawmakers could put a stipulation into the budget to establish a similar ban, although efforts to do that last year failed. Donate to our Investigative Fund to support journalism like this Our public service and investigative reporting is among the most important work we do. Its also the most expensive reporting we do. We cant do it without your support. Donate Now "Whether the state Legislature leads the way or we do, this is the appropriate direction for us to take the district," Kelley said. The proposal was immediately criticized by other board members as well as parents, who said adopting such language would put the district at risk of sanctions for violating federal Title IX laws, which protect students from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It would also put the district in violation of employment discrimination laws, said Woodrum of the ACLU. Courtney Waters, a board member representing North Charleston, said she didn't see how respecting someone's gender identity was distracting. Brandon Fish, the director of community relations for the Charleston Jewish Federation, said the debate over the policy is itself a distraction. "CCSD has a lot of issues to deal with, and we really don't have time to deal with culture war issues," he said. Colleen Condon, president of the Alliance for Full Acceptance's board of directors, told the school board she was grateful her child, a Charleston Charter School for Math and Science alum, was able to talk to school counselors when they were a student struggling with their gender identity. "That needs to stay an option for all children," Condon said. Susan Crawford's new book focuses like a laser on Charleston for a reason. Here is where one can observe best how a long history of racism and the new realities of climate change collide, she argues. Read moreQ&A with Susan Crawford, author of 'Charleston: Race, Water and the Coming Storm' GREENVILLE A developer intends to build a 32-unit townhome project on a property along East Park Avenue down the hill from the Greenville County law enforcement complex. The city's Planning Commission will consider the proposal at its March 16 meeting. The development would sit along a creek and be elevated on one side so that it's above the floodplain, according to plans submitted to the commission. Units would be divided among three buildings connected by a pedestrian boardwalk that would extend over the wetlands. The 2.8-acre property where the project would be built lies within a corridor referred to as the "Gateway District." A recently created master plan for that area, authored by Miami-based urban planning firm Plusurbia, envisions a more-urban, walkable and active future for the corridor that connects Interstate 385 to Greenville's downtown. That plan recommends the law enforcement center which houses the Greenville Police Department, Greenville County Sheriff's Office and the jail move from the 16-acre property it sits on near the heart of downtown to allow it to be redeveloped. The police department is in the process of moving into a new headquarters off Haywood Road, but it is unclear if or when the Sheriff's Office and jail might move. With a major redevelopment of the former Greenville Memorial Auditorium property across from the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in the works, there are signs that activity in that area is set to pick up. A vacant building currently stands on the East Park Avenue property where developer RealtyLink hopes to build the 32 townhomes. The townhomes would face East Park with rear garages facing Henrietta Street. An elevated brick drive connecting the two roadways would feed into the development. It would also include 30 surface parking lots facing Henrietta. Cor3 is the architect over the project, while SeamonWhiteside is the civil engineering firm and landscape architect. Summervilles record took a hit during spring break but the Green Wave may just be better off for it. Read moreGreen Wave faced good arms during HIT The Individual Income Tax due date is Tuesday, April 18. If you have a tax bill and are worried you can't pay, the South Carolina Department of Revenue (SCDOR) wants you to know that you have options. Read moreWhat to do if you can't afford to pay your taxes Inside the battle over the upcoming 2-year Wisconsin budget Over the next several months, the Republican-led Legislature and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers will battle their way through the the 2023-25 biennial budget process as the state has a projected surplus of more than $7 billion. MOUNT PLEASANT Two organizations dedicated to paying tribute to Medal of Honor recipients are collaborating to put Mount Pleasant and more specifically Patriots Point on the map as a town that honors the nations heroes. Leaders of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society have wanted to update its Medal of Honor Museum aboard the aircraft carrier Yorktown for years, but the society hasn't had the funds to see that vision through. Now they can, thanks to a $3.5 million grant by a nonprofit group looking to build its own facility that honors Medal of Honor recipients landside at Patriots Point. John Falkenbury, executive vice president of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, said that it has been a longtime dream to connect the artifacts and aircraft aboard the ship with stories and values of Medal of Honor recipients. "For example, the B-25 outside the museum represents the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo in April 1942," Falkenbury said. "General Doolittle is a Medal of Honor recipient. ... With a recipient story tied to the artifact, we can add an educational component with technology like visual display or QR codes to further research." The National Medal of Honor Museum may have abandoned the once-envisioned plans to build a facility in Mount Pleasant three years ago to move to Texas, but a separate Charleston-area nonprofit the National Medal of Honor and Leadership Education Center has raised more than $20 million to build its own facility at Patriots Point. Out of the money the National Medal of Honor and Leadership Education Center group has raised for its own project, it has committed $3.5 million to help expand the Congressional Medal of Honors museum exhibits aboard the Yorktown. Thomas Mundell is the CEO of the nonprofit spearheading the effort to build a 50,000-square-foot leadership and museum facility envisioned for Patriots Point. We are very proud to have a signed collaboration agreement with the Medal of Honor Society, Mundell said. It means that we are all working in concert together to make sure that we continue to tell the stories of our greatest heroes in our country. Vision for the Congressional Medal of Honor Museum The society a national nonprofit designated by Congress and made up entirely of Medal of Honor recipients has remained neutral on proposed Medal of Honor museums. The two organizations have different visions for separate museums but are uniting to elevate their storytelling and programming reach. The Congressional Medal of Honor Museum is one of three National Medal of Honor sites formally recognized by Congress in the National Medal of Honor Memorial Act. Prior to the move to its present location in 1992, the societys museum consisted of a small collection of materials kept at its former offices on the Intrepid aircraft carrier in New York City. Once the National Medal of Honor and Leadership Education Center is built, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society has the option to move its offices into the new facility. The societys board just executed a five-year extension of their lease agreement with Patriots Point to keep their offices and archives aboard the Yorktown. He said that partnering with Patriots Point draws roughly 350,000 a year to their museum. It makes sense to move landside with our offices, but the museum will stay here, Falkenbury said. Mundell said that the Arlington, Texas, project has received a lot of attention because of the money that has been raised. While some have suggested the society should relocate its offices and archives to another congressional site, the consensus among the two groups is that the society should remain at Patriots Point. The pledge will be paid over the next year, with an agreement it will be fully paid by December 2024. The grant was voted on by the society's board, which approved it earlier this year. Falkenbury said that their museum was specifically designed for the Yorktown, and that any other efforts that come online will not change that. He said that the surviving recipients feel very strongly about keeping their museum aboard the Yorktown, while also supporting other efforts that can complement or add value to their mission. The society has already started using the grant to design the improvements, and it hopes to have the museum ready by 2024. Taking a chance on another Medal of Honor Museum project The two-story National Medal of Honor and Leadership Education Center building would house a conference center and a separate museum emphasizing the Medal of Honor values and how they can instruct and inspire current and future leaders. Mundell described the center as an immersive learning opportunity to honor a courageous group of people that risked or lost their lives protecting their fellow soldiers. The organization has hopes to break ground sometime 2024, but it still has a long way to go to reach its fundraising goal. Through public-private partnerships, the group has so far raised $20 million of its $72 million goal to build a museum under the same name as the nonprofit. Some of the largest contributions to date have been a commitment of $5 million from the state, $5 million (paid over 10 years) from Charleston County and $3 million from the town of Mount Pleasant. Mundell said that they are in talks with other municipalities such as North Charleston and Charleston, as well. We still have some big fundraising hurdles, but it seems like our message is resonating with people, Mundell said. We just needed to be taken seriously. Were grateful to Mount Pleasant for believing in us and our vision. That first $3 million led to more support from the state, other municipalities and the private sector. The National Medal of Honor Leadership and Education Center needs to raise an additional $26 million by July 2024 to execute a ground lease with the Patriots Point Development Authority. Mundell hopes the museum and leadership center can break ground in 2024 and open in 2026. If all goes well with fundraising and the lease, it is expected to be built across from the Cold War submarine memorial, near the entrance to the existing parking lot. Sign up for our SC Military Digest newsletter Get exclusive military reporting, updates from Palmetto State bases, headlines from around the globe and more delivered to your inbox each Tuesday. Email Sign up! Why build a Medal of Honor museum across from the existing congressional museum on the Yorktown? Its a question Mundell has been asked a lot lately. Weve made a promise that our museum is going to be complementary to, not in competition of, the museum on Yorktown, he said. They will not be similar or compete in the same space. Anything that moves the Medal of Honor values and history forward makes everyone successful. Its about honoring the heroic acts of recipients. A tale of two museums: Bringing history to life The museum aboard the Yorktown was established in 1994 as a very small series of displays. Upgrades have happened over the years with grants, but the society said that it has the potential to be more interactive. "Our society's charter asks us to educate America's youth to preserve the legacy of Medal of Honor recipients," Falkenbury said. "How do you take the core values that the recipients promote and relay it through our programs? We need to take a static museum and bring it to life." Falkenbury said that when he joined the society in 2019, he sat with the archivist and said to "dream big" on what the museum could look like if it had the money to upgrade it. He's eager to see that vision come to life over the next year. Once built, The National Medal of Honor Leadership and Education Center will be focused on storytelling to share the experiences of Medal of Honor recipients through visual and audio displays. The latest designs include multimedia exhibits to bring those experiences to life. One example of this concept includes an immersive walk-through of the Meuse-Argonne battlefield during World War I. "It's designed to put you in that situation, in that moment," Mundell said. "You'd experience scenes and stories of Medal of Honor recipients in conflicts spanning from the Civil War to the modern War on Terror." Proposed exhibits include the Medal of Honor Gallery and exhibits on various wars in American history. Each weaves a value of the Medal of Honor into the exhibit. We hope to tell the dramatic and inspirational stories of ordinary people thrust into extraordinary moments, how they responded and why their values mattered then, and still matter today, Mundell said. By telling these stories, Mundell hopes that visitors will learn how to meet their moment. These recipients met their moments on the battlefield, and we can learn from these critical decisions in these high-stakes moments, he said. What will your moment be? Since the museum itself is still years away from opening, the nonprofit is already laying the groundwork for leadership programming based on the six pillars of the Medal of Honor: commitment, courage, sacrifice, integrity, patriotism and citizenship. Mundell said stories of Medal of Honor recipients will be woven into the exhibits so visitors can "walk away with a better understanding of the medal of honor values." The National Medal of Honor Leadership and Education Center is working with the society to develop a new leadership program, urging everyday citizens to learn how to live their lives in alignment with these values. Mundell said people dont have to be a hero to live a life of service, you just have to be willing to think about your life and how you can apply the values of the Medal of Honor to your life today. Our lifetimes are full of moments and decisions that hinge on these pillars," Mundell said. "Our leadership programming will help people prepare themselves for these moments, to lead them to excel. The leadership program will first be implemented locally at high schools, universities, corporations, nonprofit and veterans organizations. The Congressional Medal of Honor Society has a similar program focused on grades K-12. The two organizations see these efforts as a way to ensue to the stories of these heroes dont just live on, but that generations to come can learn from them. Per the agreement, the society can use whatever money is left over from the museum expansion to support the 65 living Medal of Honor recipients and other projects. It's not just looking at the expansion and enhancement of the museum, Falkenbury said. We have to maintain our local and national character development program, valor outreach program, citizens honors awards and the archives that are available to educators and researchers. Those are things that people dont realize are sitting here on the USS Yorktown, too. Patriots Point Development Authority vice chairman Wayne Adams, said that Patriots Point and the state of South Carolina are proud to have the Medal of Honor museum aboard the Yorktown. Its a wonderful museum that also serves as a tremendous educational resource that helps our agency achieve our mission to promote American pride and patriotism while honoring veterans, he said. We look forward to continuing our partnership with the society and are excited for the planned expansion of the museum thats made possible by the donation from the National Medal of Honor Leadership and Education Center. Editors note: The attribution from the Patriots Point Development Authority was incorrect and has been updated. Holy City Arts & Lyric Opera (HALO), a nonprofit that started with a dream and a driveway, is hosting its third anniversary concert on April 22 at 4:30 p.m. at Brickyard Plantation in Mount Pleasant. Read moreHALO to host annual driveway concert CONWAY The estate of a Horry County grandmother murdered two years ago by a Marion County man has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against OnStar, claiming the vehicle communication operator failed to share her location with police in the last moments of her life. In an 11-page civil lawsuit filed earlier this month in Conway, attorneys for the estate of Mary Ann Elvington allege that OnStar refused to provide the location of her car to authorities and her family shortly before the Nichols retired schoolteacher was killed by Dominique Davonah Brand. Brand, also named as a defendant in the lawsuit, was found guilty on Sept. 14 by U.S. District Judge Sherri Lydon following a multiday bench trial of kidnapping resulting in death, carjacking resulting in death and use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death of a person in such a manner to constitute murder. On March 28, 2021, Brand entered Elvingtons Nichols home, later kidnapping her and forcing her to drive him in her 2012 Buick Lacrosse to Lake Waccamaw, N.C., and then back to Lake View in Dillon County a more than 80-mile trip. The same day, Elvingtons children, according to the lawsuit, became concerned that she was missing. Her son called her cell phone, but Elvington said she could not tell him where she was located, where she was headed or describe her surroundings. The suit said Elvingtons son then called OnStar and reported his mother was in danger in her vehicle and needed immediate assistance. He allegedly requested the company provide the vehicles location to him and law enforcement. According to the suit, OnStar refused to provide the location but placed a three-way call to Elvingtons Buick, letting her know that others were attempting to find her. Elvington told OnStar she was in her car but did not know where she was or where she was headed, the suit said. The suit claims she refused to respond when asked by the company whether she would pull over and contact the authorities. During Brands nearly weeklong trial, the judge heard a phone conversation between Elvington, her son and an OnStar operator during the kidnapping. During the call, Elvington reportedly said she did not know where she was and in one instance said, I think Im in North Carolina, I think I passed the South Carolina state line. After the three-way call ended, the suit said Elvingtons son repeatedly asked OnStar to provide him or law enforcement with her location, but the company again allegedly refused to release the information. OnStar refused these requests and took no further action to assist (Elvingtons son) despite knowledge that (she) was in danger, the suit said. The suit said the phone conversations between OnStar and Elvington increased (her) risk of harm as Brand was in the backseat at the time with a shotgun, the trial showed. OnStar allegedly continued to monitor Elvingtons movements in the car but did not share location details with authorities or her son. Elvington was killed by Brand while (her) children and local authorities attempted to locate her, the suit said. Messages sent to OnStar seeking comment were not immediately returned. During the trial, it was revealed Brand drove her to a remote crossroads in Marion County the same evening and walked her behind the abandoned Zion Grocery store. He held the shotgun to the back of her head and pulled the trigger, killing her. Brand drove her car to Marion, where he hid it behind an abandoned club. Elvingtons body was located the next day. After learning he was a suspect, Brand turned himself into authorities on March 31, 2021. Elvingtons estate requests a jury trial, an unspecified monetary amount from Brand and OnStar and court costs. Her heirs have been deprived of all the benefits of her society and companionship and have been caused great mental shock and suffering by reason of her death, the suit said. They have and will forever be caused grief and sorrow by the loss of (her) love, society and companionship. Brand, who is awaiting sentencing, faces a penalty of life imprisonment on each count. The U.S. Attorneys Office released a statement that a date will be set after the Supreme Court issues an opinion in Lora v. United States that examines issuing concurrent prison sentences. A second arrest was made March 15 in connection with a homicide that took place earlier this year on Johns Island. Travis Robert Burton, 24 of St. Helena Island, was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals. Burton was picked up in Pennsylvania and is expected to be extradited to Charleston County to face to a murder charge, as well as for possession of a firearm in a violent crime, according to the sheriff's department. +2 California woman gets 15 years for role in deadly Myrtle Beach robbery A California woman has pleaded guilty and been sentenced for her role in an armed robbery in Myrtle Beach that led to a man's death in 2021. The charges stem from the slaying of Jarnaro Carlos Middleton, 65, Jan. 14. Police found Middleton with a gunshot wound laying in the backyard of his home at 2569 Gibbs Road. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Deandre Jermol Major, 26, was the first person arrested in connection with the case. He was charged with murder Feb. 10 and taken to the Al Cannon Detention Center. NORTH CHARLESTON Julian Lamont Jenkins was accused in 2020 of stealing a $97 vacuum cleaner from Walmart. Three years later, the 50-year-old Summerville man did not show up for a hearing in Charleston County's criminal court, records show, leading a circuit judge to issue a bench warrant for his arrest. Jenkins was diabetic and required dialysis. He was booked March 8 into the Charleston County jail, where half a dozen people died last year while in custody amid growing concerns over the facility's provision of health care. On March 14, Jenkins was found unconscious in the jail's medical unit. He was pronounced dead six days after being incarcerated. His cause and manner of death are pending further testing, County Coroner Bobbi O'Neal announced March 15. Gregory Jenkins is at a loss for why his younger brother was kept in the jail, given his serious medical history and the non-violent nature of his charge. Reached by phone in Port St. Lucie, Fla., the older brother, who said he works in federal law enforcement, said he is angry. "I understand why they took him in, but my issue is, why did he have to stay in that jail that long for shoplifting?" Gregory Jenkins asked, his voice cracking. They could've let him out. He described Julian as a joyous father, brother and son who personally struggled to kick his addiction to crack cocaine. They called him "one of God's children." "It seemed like he was so lucky," Gregory Jenkins said. "Given all of the stuff that he goes through, he always lands on his feet." Jailed for failure to appear An attorney could have advocated for a hearing to lift his bench warrant. But Julian Jenkins didn't have a lawyer after his 2020 arrest, court records indicate. Cameron Blazer, the head of the 9th Judicial Circuit Public Defenders Office, said her office tries to prioritize screening defendants detained in the jail for the most serious charges felonies as opposed to misdemeanors. Jenkins was charged with felony shoplifting in the vacuum cleaner theft because he had at least three previous shoplifting convictions, according to an affidavit supporting his arrest. But Blazer said the Sheriff's Office provided her office inaccurate information in a daily bookings report that reported he had been detained on a misdemeanor shoplifting offense. Sheriff's Office spokesman Andrew Knapp declined to comment, citing the agency's ongoing internal investigation into the man's death. The State Law Enforcement Division has opened a separate investigation into possible criminal charges in his death. No doctor on site Gregory Jenkins spoke with his brother two days before he died. Julian asked for canteen money and said he was alright. "We felt like there was no problem at the time," Gregory Jenkins said. "He was talking normal. He was feeling upbeat." Julian Jenkins was housed in the medical unit of the North Charleston detention center. Jail records show he received dialysis the afternoon of March 13. The following morning, a detention center officer conducting a security check found him lying in bed unresponsive, according to an incident report. The deputy attempted to notify a doctor, the report states, but the doctor was not on site. Other medical staff at the jail, emergency medical services and responding firefighters conducted CPR and used a defibrillator to resuscitate Jenkins. Forty minutes later, he was pronounced dead at 7:18 a.m. County under fire for jail's health care Charleston County is facing pressure to replace Wellpath, a private company contracted to provide medical services at the jail, amid reports of inadequate health care. Wellpath is the largest for-profit health care provider to correctional facilities across the country. It has been the subject of hundreds of lawsuits. The Nashville-based company has not returned The Post and Courier's emails and phone calls requesting comment over the past month. The night before Jenkins died, sheriff's deputies arrested a Wellpath employee as part of a sting operation to intercept contraband trafficked into the detention center. Dayna Yvette Smalls, a certified medical assistant, is accused of sneaking marijuana, cigarettes, rolling papers and prescription medicine into the detention center. The North Charleston woman was arrested March 13. Julian Jenkins was found in possession of a cigarette lighter the afternoon of March 13 in the medical unit, an incident report states. It is unclear how he obtained the contraband. Medical providers employed by Wellpath have reportedly denied prescribed medications to people lodged in the detention center. A wrongful death lawsuit filed last week claims Charleston County and its sheriff knew Wellpath was inadequate, and yet they failed to take appropriate action to help a 28-year-old man with schizophrenia who died in the jail's custody in December. D'Angelo Dontrel Brown withered in a filthy isolation cell inside the jail over the course of four months after he was booked in August at the scene of a violent home invasion, The Post and Courier previously reported. Medical staff did not comply with the North Charleston man's initial request for medication, despite records indicating they should have known he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. In September, Brown spent 18 days in a hospital, where he was stabilized. Once he returned to the detention center, his condition rapidly deteriorated. Brown was found dirty, emaciated and unconscious in his cell six days after a judge had ordered him committed to a psychiatric facility for treatment to restore his competency to stand trial. The father of two never regained consciousness. Sheriff Kristin Graziano previously said her deputies are trained to identify signs of illness, but they can only relay those concerns to medical staff. Wellpath is "woefully inadequate," according to the sheriff. Charleston police went heavy on the black ink when they finally let the public see a search warrant for the home of a prominent attorney found dead there in January. They hid the majority of information, citing a provision in the state's open records law that allows them to withhold details that constitute an unreasonable invasion of personal privacy. But when reporters with The Post and Courier obtained the very same document from court officials, not a single word was omitted. It showed that among the details police didn't want you to see were the color of the home's siding and shutters. The episode illustrates the widely varying interpretations and misconceptions government officials can have of South Carolina's Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA. Its loosely-worded exemptions leave the door open for officials to keep public records private and out of the hands of citizens whose tax dollars paid for them. As the Palmetto State celebrates its open record law with Sunshine Week, information advocates warn that public officials are increasingly using the privacy provision and other exemptions to make the FOIA a mechanism for obstruction rather than a tool of transparency and accountability. And law enforcement agencies are often in the thick of this debate. The S.C. Press Association runs a Freedom of Information hotline for journalists across the state, and it logs several calls each week from people battling to obtain records from police agencies, according to attorney Taylor Smith, who helps guide reporters who have problems obtaining records. He has seen a troubling trend of public reports being withheld, along with heavy-handed redactions to documents and exemptions being cited unnecessarily. Such records were made public by the Legislature to help people make informed decisions about safety in their communities and how law enforcement uses their tax money. The information also is crucial to newsgathering, the publics understanding of government and the democratic process. Why not err on the side of transparency? Smith asked. Yet examples abound of law enforcement agencies censoring their reports while giving out select details in public statements, a tactic that allows police leaders to control the narrative while leaving few avenues for the public to verify their claims. In Greenville County, for instance, sheriff's officials have withheld reports from high-profile incidents until they could prepare "community briefing videos" that contain highly-edited compilations of deputies' body camera footage, framed with a narration of events from department leaders. The sheriff's office gives itself 45 days to prepare those videos, as was the case with a January traffic stop in which a teen was wounded by a gun he had in his waistband. The gun fired when deputies tackled him to the ground. And in Columbia, the city's police department leans on news releases and public statements from the chief while reports from high-interest incidents are heavily redacted before they are released to the public, often with entire pages completely blacked out. Columbia Police abides by the state FOIA, said department spokeswoman Jennifer Timmons. She cited exemptions that allow its leaders to withhold records that would interfere with an investigation. It is within the Chiefs discretion to release whatever information he deems pertinent, relevant, or necessary for the general public, Timmons wrote in an email to The Post and Courier. But blacking out key information, even when details of the crime have already been released by police officials through other channels, suggests the department is employing a heavier hand than necessary, said Carmen Maye, a senior instructor in the University of South Carolinas School of Journalism and Mass Communications. That suggests that these are not good-faith redactions, she said. Theyre overusing their discretion. That department, however, is far from alone in drawing such complaints. Policing the police After a body was found along a rural highway in Berkeley County last month near the Williamsburg County line, the Berkeley County Sheriffs Office issued a short announcement the following day. Few details were immediately available. More than a week passed before the public was told the deceased was 18, or that he had been shot to death. Four days after the grisly discovery, the county coroner identified the man and said his death was being investigated as a homicide. The cause of death was not disclosed, with the coroner saying police had yet to make an arrest. This prompted The Post and Courier to ask for the incident report. That document, under state law, is supposed to be available upon request as it discloses the nature, substance and location of a crime. After repeated requests, and more than a week after the body was discovered, police finally sent the incident report and announced an arrest. When asked about the delay, Berkeley Deputy Chief Jeremy Baker said the incident report was provided as soon as possible. He said he didnt see any issue with the delay, especially if it meant preserving the investigation even at the cost of keeping the public in the dark. Incident reports arent an instantaneous thing, he said in an interview, stressing that the reports go up the chain of command for approvals and changes. We release them when we can. Any incident report filed within the past 14 days is supposed to be made available the day requested, without a written request. These reports memorialize the nature and substance of reported crimes, not only as an investigative tool for police but also to inform citizens about the safety and well-being of their communities. Once provided, though, these reports often lack the requisite substance. Key details of the alleged crime are either redacted or contained in separate documents, like supplemental reports. Advocates argue those, too, are public records to be available upon request. State lawmakers, in fact, changed the state open records law in 1998 to make clear that supplemental reports are public. The heavily redacted report from Berkeley County made no mention of the shooting, except for the very first line of the document identifying the incident type as information shooting. Back in black Columbia police are also well-known for their penchant for black ink, even in reference to cases they have used to push for reforms at the Statehouse or in city hall. At a state Senate subcommittee hearing in January, Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook called for sweeping changes to the states bail bond system, citing a case he described as the worst example of system failure. Holbrook detailed how one man had been accused of killing another in a Columbia housing project while out on bond in connection with a previous alleged murder in July. The chief delved into specifics of the case, saying that 14 people at or near the scene of the fatal shooting were wearing electronic ankle monitors. The Post and Courier requested all documents related to the case to verify Holbrook's public statements by assessing what officers wrote in their reports. The department responded a week later with 26 pages of documents. All but one page was entirely blacked out. Only three sentences were visible on the first page. They described basic details of the initial response to the shooting. Nothing in those three sentences confirmed that 14 witnesses wore ankle monitors or much of the other information Holbrook shared with the subcommittee. Timmons, the police spokeswoman, said the chief was operating within his discretion and the department in accordance with FOIA's exemptions in withholding the information. The law lists a number of exemptions, including the release of information that would "interfere with a prospective law enforcement proceeding" "constitute an unreasonable invasion of personal privacy," and "endanger the life or physical safety of any individual." The loose wording, with no further explanations, has given police departments wide range in redacting and withholding information, open records advocates argue. Jay Bender, a longtime press association attorney and FOIA expert, said he doesn't believe the problem is the act itself; it's a failure to comply with the law and a motivation by some officials "to capitalize on any potential language in the law to justify redaction. Bender said the most common reason he hears to justify redacting information is that a case "is under investigation." Those words arent even in the law, he said. The Times and Democrat newspaper of Orangeburg recently ran into that problem while trying to report on a March 3 shooting at S.C. State University that left a student wounded at a campus housing facility. The newspaper reported that campus police Chief Tim Taylor instructed a reporter a week later, on March 10, to file a FOIA request for an incident report even though a written request wasn't required under the law. Taylor then sent the reporter to a university lawyer, who said S.C. State would not release the reports at all because they were part of an active investigation in which no arrests have been made." No such exemption exists in the FOIA, but the reports have yet to surface all the same. Overused exemptions Open records advocates argue that another oft-abused provision in the law is the personal privacy exemption. The FOIA says the exemption is meant to cover sensitive business financial information or personal information that could be used in solicitations to the disabled. But the law clearly states that this provision must not be interpreted to restrict access by the public and press to information contained in public records. Yet police and other authorities have done just that time and again. In the fall, Charleston County EMS officials refused to release reports on emergency responses to Detyens Shipyards in North Charleston, citing medical privacy exemptions related to accidents at the facility. Four workers had died within three years. Goose Creek authorities recently cited the exemption in refusing to release crime scene photos and videos from a case that closed last February. Two people were found dead at a local home amid a federal tax fraud investigation. These sorts of items were readily available in years past through an open records request. The law didnt change; the interpretation did. And some advocates suspect it is being used to hide details the police would simply rather the public not know. Charleston police used the privacy exemption to redact most of a search warrant in the recent investigation into the death of prominent attorney David Aylor. He was found dead in his Charleston home Jan. 2. An investigation would later pin the cause on an accidental drug overdose. Before that conclusion was reached, police restricted most of the search warrant for his home from public view and carved out key details from its incident report including the names of people at the house when officers arrived. A Post and Courier reporter later obtained from a Charleston County magistrate court the same search warrant, revealing that police had blacked out the address of the home (which was already a matter of public record), as well as the fact that the house was white with black shutters. The example shows just how much discretion governments have to withhold information, and rarely does the public have the option to get the information elsewhere. 'No real teeth' Withholding such information makes it difficult for the public to see and understand how law enforcement is doing its job, press association attorneys Bender and Smith said. And if they are caught violating the FOIA, there is little remedy for noncompliance, except to file suit in court. The law has no real teeth, said Richard Whiting, executive editor of the Index-Journal in Greenwood who also serves as the S.C. Press Associations new president and FOIA chair. I think they bank on, if you will, that most of the time it is going to be too expensive, Whiting said. That newspapers aren't going to do that. Certainly, individuals are not going to, unless they have very deep pockets. Public bodies often think of FOIA as an imposition, something extra, rather than a primary function of their jobs, Maye said. There are only like three reasons that public officials would not comply," she said. "One is they're ignorant of the law. The second is that they just don't care about the law. And the third is that they're afraid of public scrutiny." Local governments, like local news, are often understaffed, which could also contribute to noncompliance, Maye said. Either that's going to reveal incompetence, at best, or, at worse, corruption, Maye said. And so, on its face, there's just no good reason for public bodies not to comply. Caitlin Ashworth reported from Columbia and Ali Rockett from Charleston. Skylar Laird and Alexander Thompson contributed from Columbia, Spencer Donovan from Greenville and Glenn Smith from Charleston. A contract medical worker at the jail was arrested March 13 after she was reported found with contraband, including marijuana, at the Al Cannon Detention Center. Dayna Yvette Smalls, 45 of North Charleston, is charged with one count of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and four counts of furnishing contraband. She was booked into the detention center where she remained as of March 14. A $65,000 bond is set for her. Deputies intercepted Smalls a certified medical assistant for contracted medical provider Wellpath as she entered the facility, the sheriff's office announced March 14. According to the arrest affidavits, Smalls had a plastic bag containing nearly 29 grams of marijuana wrapped in a black medical glove concealed under her left breast along with a pack of rolling papers. She allegedly also hid cigarettes beneath her right breast, and she had a single Citalopram Hydrobromide pill a prescription medication used to treat depression in her top uniform pocket. The Charleston County Sheriffs Office spent weeks leading up to the arrest investigating reports of contraband circulating within the facility. Smalls was tagged as a suspect during that inquiry, according to the sheriff's office. Sheriff's Office spokesman Andrew Knapp said the investigation into contraband entering the facility remains open, and that further developments are possible. Wellpath is a health care services provider based in Nashville, Tenn. According to its website, it employees nearly 15,000 clinicians and healthcare professionals in 36 states as well as Australia. The company claims it provides medical, mental and behavioral services to nearly 300,000 people in various in-patient and residential facilities, including a number of local, state and federal correctional institutions. Messages to Wellpath have yet to be returned as of the afternoon of March 14. SIMPSONVILLE The bill passed by the S.C. House in February to allow people to carry a gun in public without a permit is a danger to public safety and should not be passed by the Senate. Read moreCommentary: SC Senate needs to kill dangerous permitless gun bill President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers a speech at the closing meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 13, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua] Experts: China has sent clear message to further cooperate with other countries The speech delivered on Monday by President Xi Jinping at the closing meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress, China's top legislature, showed the country's determination to boost its economy and promote cooperation around the world, experts said. In his speech, Xi reiterated China's commitment to promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. This is a clear message that the country will further cooperate with other nations, leading to benefits for the rest of the world, said Peter TC Chang, deputy director of the Institute of China Studies at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur. Chang said the concept is a shared vision for the developing Global South. He added that the message President Xi shared resonated with people in Southeast Asia and Malaysia. Lim Tai Wei, an adjunct senior research fellow at National University of Singapore's East Asian Institute, said, "Xi's speech shows a determination to overcome severe conditions, particularly the economy." It showed the determination to circumvent the difficulties ahead by urging unity among people and the mandate to lead the nation forward in its economic recovery, especially in an uncertain world, Lim said. The speech was Xi's first after he was unanimously elected president of China and chairman of the Central Military Commission on Friday at the NPC's annual session. In his speech, Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts will be the central task of the entire CPC and all Chinese people from now through the mid-21st century. Xi also said the country should advance high-quality development, and that it is important to better coordinate development and security. A key point of Xi's speech was that he emphasized people-centered and high-quality development, said Chang from the University of Malaya. "I think he means that, moving forward, the emphasis really should (be) generating socioeconomic uplift for the common folk," said Chang. China's development model is also an inspiration for countries in Southeast Asia to pursue their own development paths, Chang added. Noting that this year is the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, which was proposed by Xi in 2013, Chang said the speech's emphasis on high-quality growth can also be applied to the initiative. Chang said he expects to see the BRI expand beyond ports and highways and evolve into a digital, green and healthy Silk Road. Wilson Lee Flores, honorary chairman at the Anvil Business Club in the Philippines, said Xi's speech outlined the president's clear, bold, hopeful and enlightened vision for the future of a rejuvenated, reunified China, for building a community with a shared future for humanity, and for a better world based on win-win cooperation and multilateralism. "Xi's speech exemplified the wise, courageous, science-guided, reformist, innovative and people-focused priorities, dreams and aspirations of the Chinese nation," said Flores. He Naihe, chairman of the Union of Chinese Residing in Japan, said Xi's speech was very encouraging because it outlined a clear blueprint for China's future development. "I am sure it will also inspire a lot of people like me," said He. "We see substantial opportunity for the world in China's high-quality development." Prime Sarmientoin Hong Kong contributed to this story. Republican lawmakers began circulating a bill Thursday that would designate a lever-action rifle produced in northwestern Wisconsin as the states official rifle. The bill from state Reps. Dave Armstrong, Treig Pronschinske and James Edming and Sen. Romaine Quinn would designate the Henry All-Weather .45-70 as Wisconsins official state rifle. The bill is symbolic only. But it would give the rifle and its manufacturer, Rice Lake-based Henry Repeating Arms, plenty of publicity and help the bills authors score points with gun supporters. Armstrong is from Rice Lake; Quinn is from Cameron, about 7 miles south of Rice Lake. Edmings district includes Ladysmith, home to a Henry Repeating Arms factory. The companys Big Boy All-Weather Rifle won the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerces Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin contest in 2019. Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce is the states largest business association and a staunch Republican ally. Pronschinske, who hails from Mondovi in west-central Wisconsin, said the bill is a way to recognize a Wisconsin company and the states manufacturing sector, as well as honor the states hunting traditions. The nice part about this bill is that it simply honors a longstanding tradition that many Wisconsinites enjoy, he said. Something that pays homage to many generations of hunters is in no way political and should not be framed as such. Armstrong declined comment. Quinn and Edming didnt return messages. At least nine other states, including Alaska, Arizona and Texas, have designated official state firearms, according to the National Rifle Association. North Dakota lawmakers on Wednesday rejected a proposal to make the Winchester Model 1876 rifle that states official firearm. One of the Legislatures handful of American Indian members, Democrat Jayme Davis, complained that the rifle was used to wipe out buffalo in the 1800s, robbing Indigenous people of a key resource. State Sen. Chris Larson, a Milwaukee Democrat, scoffed at the Wisconsin bill. His city has been grappling with a sharp uptick in homicides since the COVID-19 pandemic began and guns have been the weapon of choice. According to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel database, about 200 people have been killed in the city in each of the last three years. Ninety percent of the victims last year and in 2021 were shot; 79% of the victims in 2020 were shot. Are you kidding me? Larson said of the bill. Why? Why? You know, there are mounting problems in our communities that people are facing. It seems silly that were trying to go down a path of trying to designate things that are just bumper-sticker signals to a base. The GOP legislators are seeking co-sponsors to sign on by March 24. Aides to Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu didnt immediately respond to emails inquiring about the bills prospects. Britt Cudaback, a spokesperson for Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, also didnt respond to an email asking if the governor would support the measure, but it appears unlikely that Evers would sign the bill into law if it gets to him. The governor called a special legislative session in 2019 to pass bills creating universal background checks on gun purchasers and to allow judges to disarm people deemed to be a threat. Republicans gaveled in and gaveled out within seconds without taking any action on the measures. Last year, Evers vetoed a set of GOP bills that would have expanded concealed carry rights. From Badgers to Kringle, test your knowledge of Wisconsin's state symbols WASHINGTON, D.C. Elias Irizarry was living the dream he had worked so hard to achieve: Citadel cadet, top grades, a member of the Civil Air Patrol, the admiration of students and instructors. That was until Jan. 6, 2021, when he joined throngs who stormed the U.S. Capitol, interrupting the certification of President Joe Bidens 2020 election win. On March 15 in a Washington, D.C., federal courtroom, Irizarry was sentenced to 14 days in jail for the misdemeanor charge of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds. U.S. District Court Judge Tanya S. Chutkan could have sentenced Irizarry to up to a year of confinement. I made a mistake on January 6th, the worst in my life, and I stood on the wrong side," he said in a statement to the judge. "I chose to allow myself to become a pawn in a struggle to redefine our liberal democracy for the worst. I stand here today to tell you that no matter what is decided today, it is my promise that I will someday redeem myself to my family, to you, to the police, and people who work in Congress, to the people of Washington, D.C. who saw their beautiful city desecrated, and to this county, Irizarry's message concluded. By his account, and what was promoted by his attorney and supporters who wrote to the judge on Irizarrys behalf, Irizarry stumbled into Jan. 6 thinking it would be a fun road trip with his best friend and a chance to hear then-President Donald Trump speak. He and Elliot Bishai entered the Capitol Building only to find their friend Grayson Sherrill, from whom they had become separated. Irizarry was sick with shame after seeing the news reports of what happened that day, he said. To prosecutors, Irizarrys behavior that day was far from innocent. "He was an active participant," Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Akers said during the hearing. Irizarry and his friends were on the front lines during the rioting that threatened the transfer of power and democracy, an incident that left more than 100 law enforcement officers injured and resulted in more than $2.8 million in damage losses. Irizarry saw rioters attacking officers and instead of helping them, he armed himself with a section of a broken bicycle rack, authorities said. He also directed and encouraged others toward the Capitol where he entered through a shattered window within minutes of a frantic order being delivered to representatives and senators and their staff to run for safety. SC Jan. 6 cases Elliot Bishai: 14 days incarceration, one year probation for entering or remaining in a restricted building or area Chadwick Clifton: Oct. 13 plea parading, demonstrating or picketing in Capitol; awaiting sentencing Paul Colbath, Columbia: April 6 sentenced three years on probation with one month home detention for parading, demonstrating or picketing in Capitol William and Joei Gallman, Fountain Inn: are scheduled to plead guilty April 25 John H. Getsinger Jr., Hanahan: July 12 sentenced to three years probation with two months in jail for parading, demonstrating or picketing in Capitol Derek Gunby, Anderson: not-guilty plea four charges, case pending Stacie Hargis-Getsinger, Hanahan: July 12 sentenced to three years probation with two months in jail for parading, demonstrating or picketing in Capitol David Johnston, North Charleston: Dec. 16 sentenced to three years probation with 21 days intermittent confinement and three months home detention Nicholas Languerand, Little River: Jan. 26 sentenced to 44 months in prison followed by two years supervised release for assaulting, resisting, or impeding officer with dangerous weapon James D. Lollis Jr., Greer: Feb. 18 sentenced to three years probation with three months on home detention for parading, demonstrating or picketing in Capitol William R. Norwood III, Greer: not guilty plea to five charges, pending Brittany Linwood, Indian Land: not guilty plea to four charges, pending Linwood Robinson Jr., Indian Land: not guilty plea to four charges, pending Linwood Robinson Sr., Indian Land: not guilty plea to four charges, pending George A. Tenney III, Anderson: Dec. 5 sentenced to three years in prison followed by three years supervised release for civil disorder and obstructing an official proceeding He entered a non-public committee room, making himself comfortable in a chair, and taking pictures and video of himself and his friends. After leaving the building, he still stayed on the Capitol grounds, leaving only when law enforcement regained control hours after the start. Afterward, he eventually deleted images from his phone and discussed joining the Russian military with his friend Bishai if they couldnt remain in the U.S. military. His electronic footprint further shows he joined a chat group titled Civil War. That Irizarry was a member of the Civil Air Patrol and a Citadel cadet made his actions more egregious, prosecutors contended. They ask for a 45-day jail sentence followed by probation. Defense attorney Eugene Ohm stressed Irizarrys youth. On Jan. 6, 2021, he was just two months past his 19th birthday. He wasnt an election denier, Ohm said. Irizarry is a bright young man whose goal in life continues to be to serve others and his country, Ohm said, and an extraordinarily well-behaved young man who excelled in school and spent his free time volunteering. Irizarry is ashamed to know that he will be associated with the rioters, with those who hurt law enforcement officers, Ohm said. Elias accepted responsibility for his actions and has shown singular and exceptional remorse, Ohm wrote in a sentencing memorandum. Irizarry has lost his chance to graduate from The Citadel and become an officer in the Air Force, but he hasnt given up on service. He has completed training to become a firefighter for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Based on Elias personal history and characteristics, it is clear that his conduct on January 6, 2021, was an isolated event, was completely out of character and will never happen again, Ohm wrote in requesting a sentence of probation with no time in jail. In December, nearly two months after Irizarry pleaded guilty to the federal misdemeanor charge, he was suspended from the Citadel for conduct unbecoming a cadet. He can reapply for the summer and fall semesters. COLUMBIA Legislation banning Chinese and Russian companies from buying land in South Carolina has advanced in the state Senate, despite objections it will stifle job-creating business deals. The primary goal of the bill sent to the Senate floor is to curtail operations by Chinese-owned companies, though it doesn't outright say that. Instead, the measure bans companies even partially owned by citizens of countries the U.S. government considers a "foreign adversary" from buying or controlling land in South Carolina. China tops that federal list, which also includes Russia, North Korea, Iran and Cuba. "With everything going on in the global marketplace, I think everyone agrees those are adversarial countries," Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey said March 14 in explaining his bill to the Judiciary Committee, which passed it 17-6. The purpose is to protect South Carolina from communist governments becoming increasingly aggressive to the United States, the Edgefield Republican said, adding that China is "Russia's favorite friend right now." Democrats on the committee countered it could send a message internationally that South Carolina is not open for business. "Ive got Chinese businesses looking at Orangeburg right now that want to invest," said Senate Minority Leader Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg. "They cant take the property home with them. If theyre willing to give my folks jobs, why would I turn that down?" Earlier this week, the state Commerce Department announced that Hounen Solar America is investing $33 million in an Orangeburg County manufacturing plant, its first in the U.S. The plant will create 200 jobs. While headquartered in California, the company is a subsidiary of China's Zhejiang Hounen Photoelectric Co. The company is leasing, not buying, the property, but the Chinese-owned parent company could still fit the bill's definition of controlling the property. "Its a California corporation, but theyre Chinese in origin," Hutto said, asking aloud whether landing the plant was in a time crunch. "How soon do we have to close to avoid this act?" he added. Since 2011, Chinese-owned companies have collectively announced $1.54 billion in capital investment and the creation of nearly 5,300 new jobs in South Carolina, according to the Commerce Department, which has international offices in China and Taiwan. But much has changed on the world stage in the past year, heightening concerns about China conducting clandestine operations from within South Carolina where potential targets include a former nuclear weapons plant and military bases, Massey said. "The proximity is no closer than the nearest satellite or balloon floating over," Hutto responded, adding he sees Chinese surveillance as separate from Chinese investors. "These are business people," he continued. "If they have green money that's going to hire people, I think thats important." Sen. Dick Harpootlian, D-Columbia, said reining in adversarial countries is best left to the federal government. "I dont know why were playing with geopolitical issues here," said Harpootlian, whose wife is the U.S. ambassador to Slovenia. "In my opinion, this is a xenophobic reaction to matters we shouldnt be meddling with." Noting auto manufacturing is key to South Carolina's growing economy, he asked, "Do we not want Chinese buying our cars produced here? Thats (our manufacturers') biggest market. It sends the wrong message. If there are geopolitical issues, whether it's a Republican or Democratic administration, I trust them to make the decision." As initially proposed, the bill barred companies at all owned by Chinese citizens and other "foreign adversaries" from buying, controlling or receiving land. But changes approved by senators include exceptions to the outright ban. Chinese immigrants, for example, who are permanent green card-holding residents of the United States could buy up to 5 acres for their home. They could also buy up to five properties totaling 25 acres for rental property to manage as a landlord. Once an immigrant becomes a U.S. citizen, the bill's limitations would no longer apply. Hutto countered people buying 5 acres aren't the people who can hire 1,000 people. Other opponents said the bureaucratic process of getting a green card to officially become a permanent resident can take a decade, potentially barring Chinese immigrants from simply buying a home during the yearslong wait. Massey said he recognizes that most Chinese in America came here for freedom. "Weve got to try to protect South Carolina as best we can without doing too much to push away friendly Chinese citizens who are here to try to get away from oppression in China and to allow those people to participate in South Carolina's economy," he told immigrants who confronted him after a subcommittee hearing. "Im trying my best to balance that." As Massey initially proposed, the bill also limited foreigners from all other countries to owning or controlling no more than 1,000 acres. But the Senate Judiciary Committee eliminated that section entirely, with senators of both parties arguing it would create unnecessary hurdles and concerns for longstanding allies. The bill is co-sponsored by 14 Republicans and one Democrat. No Republican on the committee voted against the measure. Two Democrats voted for it. SPARTANBURG COUNTY Norfolk Southern has agreed to sell 31 miles of its abandoned rail line connecting South Carolina and North Carolina communities to the Saluda Grade Trail Conservancy for development of a new rail trail. Three nonprofit groups including Conserving Carolina, Upstate Forever and "PAL: Play. Advocate. Live Well!" negotiated with Norfolk Southern to purchase the railroad property. Sixteen miles of the rail line are in South Carolina and 15 miles are in North Carolina. The trail would pass through Inman, Campobello and Landrum in South Carolina, and through Tryon, Columbus and Saluda in North Carolina. "The Saluda Grade Trail Conservancy signed a written agreement with Norfolk Southern for the line and its full 31 miles," Laura Ringo, PAL executive director, told The Post and Courier. "The agreement outlines the price and terms none of which can be disclosed based on a confidentiality agreement." Ringo said Saluda Grade Trail Conservancy signed the agreement on Feb. 3. Norfolk Southern signed the agreement on Feb. 7, Ringo said. The line, which featured an unusually steep segment over the mountains, was active from 1878 to 2001. The South Carolina Legislature earmarked $5 million for the trail project. "The next two steps will be first to continue raising funds for acquisition of the project and completing an economic impact and feasibility study," Ringo said. "This is a complicated project and the feasibility study will help us understand all the pieces and what the condition of the line is in and what we will have to do to fix it." Ringo said state and federal funding opportunities will be sought including a request an additional $11 million from the state in 2023. The feasibility study will also allow planners to better determine the cost to build a new rail trail. Norfolk Southern will go through a federal transportation board process to abandon the rail. The nonprofits would then take ownership of the corridor and work to have the rails removed and a trail constructed. Ringo said this process would likely begin in early 2024 and finish in early 2025. Landrum Mayor Bob Briggs mentioned the signed agreement with Norfolk Southern during a Landrum City Council meeting on March 14. The City Council approved a resolution formally supporting the purchase of the rail line. "It's going to take about two years to raise the money," Briggs said. "Creating the trail is three to five years away. When it is completed the trail will have a big economic impact with outfitter and bike shops along the way. People will be coming to towns as destination points to bike, walk and shop. It's going to be a great opportunity for this whole area." Conserving Carolina Executive Director Kieran Roe said a feasibility study will be conducted on the trail's impact on the 15 miles of rail in North Carolina. "I think all of us are excited that we have a signed agreement in place with Norfolk Southern," Roe said. "It gives us certainty about the terms working to move forward on. At the request of Norfolk Southern, the contract asks we keep the terms confidential. The next steps will be to raise money to be able to make the purchase and do the due diligence required with any real estate transaction. This one is more complex than most so it will be a time consuming process." Ringo estimated the trail could attract 125,000 people during its first year of operation. Upstate Forever Executive Director Andrea Cooper said the new trail will help boost business. "In addition to being beloved community assets, trails energize economies," Cooper said in a news release. "We've seen this play out with the Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail, which is a resounding success. The Saluda Grade Trail will bring new jobs and money to the area, encourage safe outdoor recreation, and improve quality of life for residents." Since the 25th February general elections, Nigerian entertainers have been involved in online spats. Entertainers were primarily divided between three candidates: Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party. However, things have taken a wild turn as one of such online spats has become legal defamation. Yoruba actor Kehinde Adams, popularly known as Lege Miami, trended after a video of him addressing a lawsuit by famous skit maker and political activist Debo Adedayo, better known as Mr Macaroni, went viral. In the video he shared on his Instagram page, Mr Macaroni, through his lawyers from Falana and Falana law firm, sued Lege for making alleged defamatory and inciting statements. Playing down the lawsuit, the 36-year-old actor informed the public and the Falana and Falana chambers that he is friends with Mr Macaroni and believes the skit maker did not intend to make the lawsuit big. He expressed his admiration for Mr Falana and promised to visit him. Advising Mr Falana not to worry about his disagreements with Mr Macaroni, as they were friends and would resolve their issues indoors, he said, Daddy Falana, Debo is my friend. Lawsuit Lege is being sued for publication and dissemination of defamatory and inciting statements against Debo Adedayo (aka Mr Macaroni). As contained in the letter, the reasons for the suit were the actor had circulated videos stating that Mr Macaroni collected money from an unknown source to lie to the public and also went on to claim that the skit maker was disturbing the peace of Lagos State. The lawsuit also claimed that the actor was being sued for another video where he threatened violence on the skit maker if he did not support his political party, APC, publicly. Clearly stating that his actions were a ploy to destroy and lower their clients reputation, the Falana and Falana chamber, on behalf of Mr Macaroni, demanded the immediate retraction of his publications, an apology and the sum of N50 million. READ ALSO: They also gave him a three-day request to take action, or they will take more legal steps. How it all began Mr Macaroni, on his Instagram page, advised young Nigerians not to engage in tribal wars and let politicians use them as a tool of destruction. He urged the youths to remain united and not trigger intertribal chaos over politicians who will always be friends. Reacting to it, Lege Miami took to his Instagram page to call out the skit maker. He questioned why Mr Macaroni was always involved in youth matters and why he was trying to badmouth the APC government. Lege also posed the number of Northern and Eastern states that supported and rooted for Tinubu. Debo, whats your problem, ki lo fe. Your Oga don do one; you can start another thing, he said. If our government were no good, the Hausas wouldnt support us. Some parts of Igbos helped us, and this is Lagos State. You are giving them the wrong information. Mr Debo, whats your information? Cant you leave the youths alone. Are you the only youth? You are even older than me, so you arent a youth anymore. You are old; everything is going on, Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Southwest Airlines lives by a vision to Be the worlds most loved, most efficient, and most profitable airline. And the airline has, for the most part, lived up to that vision over the years. Southwest empowers its employees to take action that benefits the customers. They allow their staff to make decisions that solve customers' problems or meet their needs. The airline has a no-frills approach to travel, which means that they don't charge extra fees for things like checked bags, seat assignments or snacks. The airline also offers a user-friendly booking process through its website and mobile app that make it easy for customers to book flights, check-in and manage their travel plans. To top it off, Southwest values customer feedback and uses it to continue to improve services. Things like that make the travel experience easier for passengers and employees. But for Southwest to stay ahead of the competition, it needs to enhance the customer journey, better optimize operations and streamline infrastructure costs. To do that, Southwest chose AWS as its preferred cloud provider. Going back to the app and website, the airline (with AWS) is expected to harness the automatic scaling capabilities of cloud technology to more efficiently process real-time fare searches on its website and app, even during periods of peak traffic. How will this be done? The airline aims to create a next-gen travel experience that caters to the evolving needs of customers through its Innovation Lab, powered by AWS. The Innovation Lab's test-and-learn capacity allows Southwest to experiment with new technologies and concepts in a controlled environment, allowing the airline to provide better customer experiences and more efficient employee tools. As part of this effort, Southwest Airlines developed a secure system that collects and stores pricing and flight shopping data using AWS Lambda and Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3). This serverless compute service and cost-effective storage class system handles the scale and processing needed to offer competitive fare recommendations to customers across partner and Southwest digital properties. Southwest also plans to leverage the full capabilities of AWS as a development platform, aiming to deliver automated, scalable and secure solutions. To achieve this, the airline is implementing modernized data architecture with Amazon Redshift, a cloud data warehouse that enables analysts, data scientists and business users to gain real-time and predictive insights across the company's operations. Southwest developers are also creating a self-service machine learning platform using Amazon SageMaker, which allows data scientists to build, train and deploy machine learning (ML) models for any use case with fully managed infrastructure, tools and workflows. This will help the airline better harness its data to develop new solutions, optimize operational applications and improve its overall performance. AWS will offer solutions that are critical in our drive to modernize our operation, equip our employees with the tools they need to serve our customers and improve our reliability, said Lauren Woods, Senior Vice President and Chief information Officer of Southwest. With the help of AWS, we will launch improved digital solutions, responsive customer support and streamlined operations as we deliver on our digital transformation initiatives. With the implementation of these new technologies, Southwest expects to expedite the development of new tools and products for employees and customers, delivering on its commitment to continuously innovate and improve the travel experience. Edited by Alex Passett As voters in the North-central state of Kwara elect their next governor on Saturday, they will also be reviewing the performance of the O to ge movement that ended the long domination of the Saraki political family in their state. Four years ago, the O to ge movement, drawn from the Yoruba phrase for Enough is Enough, displaced the Sarakites, a dynasty that had dominated the politics of Kwara State across a period of 40 years. The dynasty began in 1979 when Olusola Saraki, who in that Second Republic became the Senate Leader, led the National Party of Nigeria to win the first governorship election in the state. He would install three more governors, including his son, Bukola, who later seized control of the state from him and installed his own successor in 2011. The junior Saraki was the Senate President in the 8th Assembly when the family lost its fiefdom in Kwara to the Oto ge Movement in 2019. By the end of the 2019 elections, Mr Saraki and his entire political structure capitulated to the coalition that had gathered in the All Progressives Congress (APC). The coalition later quickly showed themselves as strange bird fellows united only by their mutual disdain for the Saraki overlordship. By 2021, the coalition was in name only, having been torn apart in a power struggle between Governor AbdulRazaq AbdulRahman and the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed. By all accounts, the governor appears to have won the fight, forcing several members in Mr Mohammeds camp to seek refuge in the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Young Peoples Party (YPP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP). While the ruling party was engrossed in an internal struggle, the former Senate President and his allies came up with a counterpoise political slogan; O su wa o, a Yoruba phrase that can be loosely translated as We are tired. Within the PDP, O su wa has become the battle cry to retake the state. The governorship election has pitted old friends against one another, while some old enemies have found reasons to work together. Within the split O to ge movement you have Abdulraheem Oba, former vice-chancellor of the University of Ilorin of the NNPP; Lawal Akeem, son of former Governor Mohammed Lawal, of the SDP and Gobir Yakubu of the YPP and the incumbent governor. All of them are from the Kwara Central Senatorial District. On the other hand, the PDP appears to have remained intact and unanimously behind its governorship candidate, Abdullahi Yahman. Ironically, Mr Yahman, who is from the Kwara-North, the only senatorial district that has not produced a governor since 1999, was a principal figure in the Oto ge movement and a major contestant in the APC primaries that produced Mr AbdulRahman as the governorship candidate in 2019. Presidential election as a yardstick If the presidential and National Assembly elections are to be used to assess the strength of the parties, one may say the ruling party has a firm grip on the state. The APC won the presidential election and all nine National Assembly seats in the state. However, several factors may make the outcome of the 25 February elections misleading. One is the popularity of the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, in Kwara State, where he played a leading role in the O to ge movement. Several factions of the O to ge movement that defected from the APC worked for Mr Tinubu in the presidential race. For instance, Saheed Popoola, the SDP House of Representatives candidate for the Ifelodun/Offa/Oyun constituency, openly declared his support for Mr Tinubu in the build-up to the presidential election. I owe Asiwaju Bola Tinubu my allegiance and loyalty irrespective of my interest because he came to my rescue when they were tormenting me in this state, he told journalists in February. The Tinubu wave in the state, coupled with the strengths of the APC National Assembly candidates, appear to have determined the outcome of the election. For the governorship race, local politics and alignment will play a major role. Our people seem to agree that, even though informally, the presidency should go to the south. That resonated well with almost everywhere across the various zones in the country, and Kwara State was not left out in that belief. It was that narrative that influenced the presidential and National Assembly elections, Wahab Oba, the spokesperson of the PDP governorship candidate told PREMIUM TIMES. Politics along the three senatorial districts The southern senatorial district has seven local governments; Ekiti, Oke-Ero, Irepodun, Isin, Ifelodun, Oyun and Offa. In this republic, the zone has produced a governor, Abdulfatai Ahmed from 2011 to 2019. Mr Ahmad is from Share in the Ifelodun Local Government area. The Kwara Central district has four local government areas; Ilorin East, Ilorin South, Ilorin West and Asa. The zone has produced three governors; Mohammed Lawal (1999-2003), Bukola Saraki (2003-2011) and the incumbent (2019 till date). Meanwhile, Kwara North, consisting of Pategi, Moro, Kaiama, Edu and Baruten local government areas, has not produced a governor in this republic. Its only governor, Shaaba Lafiagi from Edu, governed for only 20 months between January 1991 and November 1992 in the aborted Third Republic. Permutations ahead of the election. Kwara Central Kwara Central is the battleground in this election as four major candidates are from the zone. Messrs AbdulRahman, Oba, Lawal and Gobir consider the zone as their home turf. Also, Mr Saraki is from the zone. Mr AbdulRahman is seeking a second term. He will get the opportunity to test his strength as the de facto leader of the APC in the state. Aside from the incumbency factor, the governor will be counting on the voting strength of Kwara Central, the largest voting bloc in the state. Ilorin, like most dominant voting blocs in the country, has retained power for 16 years and in governorship elections, a candidate from Ilorin often has the edge, except in 2011 when Mr Ahmed beat Gbemisola Saraki to succeed Bukola Saraki in the office. The current governor seems to be a safe option here considering the incumbency factor. Unlike him, Messrs Oba and Gobir are contesting under political parties that lack wide acceptance. On the other hand, Mr Lawal of the SDP is expected to ride on the affection many have for his late father, former governor Lawal, particularly from Idi-Ape and other places in Ilorin. However, the affection may not be sufficient for him to win the election. Also, he seems not to enjoy the support of the entirety of his party. A member of the SDP, Iyiola Akogun, who is a former chairman of the PDP and a former leader of the Oto ge movement, told PREMIUM TIMES that none of the candidates has a message to rally voters. Rather, he said money will decide the election. Money is playing a huge role, it will determine who wins, not message. Politics in this era is about cash and carry. And that is because none of the parties can be said to have a good message that can motivate the people to vote. In 2019, we had a good message, a quality message, and we won. We defeated the incumbent governor and the then-Senate President. But when there is no message, people go for whatever is around, he said over the phone. The expected threat will be from the former Senate President, Mr Saraki. The battle will be convincing the people of Kwara Central to drop their son for someone else. Also, there is the feeling that voters are not yet ready to welcome the Sarakis back to power. There is the argument that Mr Saraki accomplished this before when he backed Mr Ahmed in 2011 against his sister, Gbemisola, of ACPN and Dele Belgore of ACN, both from Ilorin. However, he was able to achieve the power shift as an incumbent governor. In 2011, many also backed him for standing up to his father, Olusola Saraki, who wanted Gbemisola to succeed her brother. A controversial hijab policy may play a significant role in this senatorial district. In 2021, the decision of the state government to allow the use of Muslim womens head cover in some grant-aided schools founded by Christian missions generated a controversy that almost snowballed into a violent sectarian conflict. The ten schools in the centre of the controversial policies were shut down for weeks due to their resistance to the policy. It is impossible to rule out protest votes from the Christian community against the governor over that development. Kwara South The southern zone could be called the battleground of the deputies as the major candidates picked their running mates from the area. The incumbent deputy governor, Alabi Kayode, and the running mate for the SDP, Olakunle Olayinka, are from the Ifelodun Local government area while the PDP picked Gbenga Makanjuola from Irepodun. Also, SDP is perhaps the fastest-growing party in Kwara South because several followers of Lai Mohammed defected to the party after they lost the power tussle in the APC. Although the outcome of the presidential and National Assembly elections did not favour them, SDP could still pull some weight in Offa and Irepodun because of Mr Popoola and Wale Suleiman, who contested House of Representatives and senatorial seats respectively on 25 February. However, the governorship candidate is not a household name in the south. APC and PDP will count on the strength of their running mates in the zone. In the case of the incumbent deputy governor, there is the incumbency factor, while PDP will count on the influence of Mr Makonjuola, a former member of the House of Representatives from Omu-Aran. Kwara North The last time Kwara North produced a governor was in 1992 when Mr Lafiagi was the governor. However, since the return of democratic civil rule in 1999, the zone is yet to produce a governor. The PDP strategically zoned its governorship ticket to the district with a view to appealing to the sentiments of the people for power shift to their area. The candidate of the PDP is the only one from the zone. However, unlike the south and central districts, the North is not homogeneousit is made up of several ethnic groups. Winning block votes in this zone will depend on whether Mr Yahman can appeal across ethnic divides in the entire zone. Some residents may argue that their interest would be better served by supporting Mr AbdulRahman now in exchange for his support for power shift in 2027. The poser is, will it be O to ge or O su wa on Saturday? Or can any of the smaller parties play the Labour Party in Kwara by springing a surprise that changes the electoral map of the state? Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print On Saturday, the people of Borno State will elect their next governor and members of the State House of Assembly to serve them for the next four years starting from 29 May. Eleven parties nominated candidates for the governorship poll in Borno State, according to the list published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). However, only four of them were visible during the campaigns. They are the incumbent governor, Babagana Zulum, who is seeking a second term under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mohammed Ali Jajari of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Captain Ibrahim Mshelia of the Labour Party (LP) and Umar Ali-Nasco of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP). The other names on the ballot paper include Babagana Buji of Action Alliance (AA); Alhaji Monguno of Action Democratic Party (ADP); Hassan Musa of Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Abdulkadir Umar of Action Peoples Party (APP) and Shettima Kakagoni for Boot Party (BP). Others are Umar Mustapha of the National Rescue Movement (NRM); Maigawa Muhammad of the People Redemption Party (PRP); Modu Abba, Social Democratic Party (SDP), and Fatima Abubakar, the only female in the race who is the candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC). But the contest is really between Governor Zulum of the APC and Mr Jajari of the PDP. The APC has won all elections in the state since 2015 when it emerged from a merger of the major opposition parties in Nigeria. In the general elections of 1999 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019, politicians under the current APC won the governorship elections in Borno with high margins. The PDP had always tagged along as the only opposition of note in Borno. Rise of Radical Opposition However, Saturdays governorship and state legislative polls may not follow that established pattern of victory for the APC due to the emergence of more radical opposition parties in the state. For the first time since 2007, the PDP is being considered a force to reckon with in the politics of Borno. The opposition party lost its steam, even as a weak opposition, when Kashim Imam, now an APC member and current chairman of the TETFUND board, left the party. PDPs participation in successive governorship elections had been mere rituals because the defeats were predictable. During those inglorious days in opposition, the PDP, the main opposition party in Borno, was seen and treated as an annexe of the ruling party. But the emergence of a young and relatively unknown politician, Mohammed Jajari, as its governorship candidate for the 2023 election has not only revived the PDP but also repositioned it as a force to be reckoned with. Mr Jajari brought excitement to the opposition camp because he represents a new generation of younger politicians seen as a replacement for the older generation of compromised Abuja politicians. Though APC has a formidable candidate in Governor Zulum whose achievements in the past three years and nine months have scaled up his partys winning chances, the emergence of PDPs Mr Jajari provides a platform for some unhappy politicians and communities to challenge the dominance of the ruling party. Also, the debut of the NNPP as a party in Nigeria and its acceptance by some politicians in Borno State have added to the voice of the novel radical opposition in Borno State. Led by Atom Magira-Tom, an APC governorship aspirant in 2019 who left the ruling party in 2022, the NNPP became another formidable opposition party whose popularity amongst the Hausa and the Shuwa Arab residents of Borno, at a point, constituted a significant source of worry to the ruling APC. In 2019, Mr Magira-Tom, a Shuwa Arab, mobilised people from the Gwange area of Maiduguri and the Customs area to support Mr Zulum. Mr Magira-Tom once alluded to dissatisfaction with the governors leadership style, a factor that may have influenced his exit from the ruling party. Mr Magira-Tom, a major financier of the NNPP in Borno, is not the partys governorship candidate. He chose to vie for the senatorial seat of Borno Central District, which he lost in the just concluded presidential and National Assembly elections. His defeat as party leader may affect the partys performance in the governorship election on Saturday. However, the NNPP, having fielded candidates for the 28 House of Assembly seats in Borno, may rob the APC of some of its popular winning votes in some of its strongholds. The LP, as the number four opposition party in the state, may not significantly impact the election, given its abysmal performance at the presidential and National Assembly polls in the state. The defeat of LPs presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and the obscure presence of the partys governorship candidate may not yield any serious vote advantage to the Obi-dients. However, should the LP members listen to the call of their presidential candidate to turn out in large numbers and vote for their sub-regional candidates, the opposition party may make some inroads in some of the Christian and non-indigene-dominated localities of the state. Factors that favour the APC The APC still stands the highest chance of winning the governorship election but it may not retain its overwhelming majority in the state Assembly. Governor Zulums performance as a first-term governor places high his chance of winning Saturdays election. Apart from initiating and executing over 500 projects that cut across all sectors in three years, the recent commissioning of more state government projects by President Muhammadu Buhari earned him more points toward retaining his seat beyond 2023. President Buhari, who was in the state last Thursday, endorsed Mr Zulum for a well-deserved second term. Those public endorsement days to the governorship elections mean a lot to the ruling APC. But that does not mean the party cannot be surprised if it goes to sleep before Election Day. Another factor that may favour the APC against other contending parties is the control of the IDP camps. Like in the two previous elections, INEC said most voters in different local government areas would be voting in camps. These camps are controlled by the ruling APC government, which enjoys massive support from the inmates there. The third factor that may work in favour of the APC against the opposition is the impact of the outcome of the last presidential election. Though the number of voters that participated in the election was much lower than in previous elections, a more severe voter apathy may be recorded even in this Saturdays election, especially on the side of the disgruntled opposition party members. It was on record that the APC polled 836,496 votes to beat the Peoples Democratic Party, who scored 71,788 votes in Borno, during 2019 presidential election. However, the APC could not garner the same level of votes in the 2023 presidential election to earn its candidate a similar landslide victory. The ruling party managed to poll 252,282 votes to defeat the PDP, which got 190,921 votes. It is not likely that Mr Zulum, who polled over 1.1million (1,175, 440) votes in 2019, could do better or near that figure in Saturdays election, mainly because of voter apathy and the influence of the opposition on the electorates. READ ALSO: The PDP, which managed to poll a paltry 66,115 votes during the 2019 governorship elections, can stage a big surprise on Saturday if its performance at the last presidential election is anything to go by. It polled 41 per cent of the votes cast. PDPs flag bearer, Mr Jajari, had, at a press conference on Monday, claimed that his party won the majority of the votes in the presidential elections but was robbed by the ruling APC. He called his party supporters to turn out en masse to vote for him and other PDP candidates as he stressed that all loopholes that enabled the APC to rig the election had been identified and taken care of. Mr Jajari said his party did not deploy enough polling agents to cover all the polling stations during the presidential election; as such, they could not monitor the results or insist on uploading the same to the INEC server. We have learned our lessons, and we are going to massively mobilise to vote and defend our votes this time around, Mr Jajari said. However, the APC Deputy National Chairman (North), and former senator, Abubakar Kyari, said, the 2023 election has been made easy for us in Borno State, and we are confident about our party winning the governorship because Governor Zulum has campaigned based on his remarkable credentials of unprecedented achievements. Trouble Spots For the APC Though Governor Zulum towers above his contemporaries in terms of performance, the ruling APC in Borno State may not have a smooth ride in the governorship and state Assembly elections if it fails to address some of the local issues within and outside the party, especially in some key local government areas of the state. One of its major trouble spots for the APC is the Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC), otherwise known as the state capital. MMC has always remained a strict opposition zone, so much so that a chunk of the votes from there usually favour the opposition. The APC had to struggle to win the last presidential election in the MMC. Many cases of vote buying were alleged and alluded to as factors that made the APC win the election last week. This has not been confirmed by PREMIUM TIMES. Another major trouble area for the APC is the southern parts of Borno, especially the Biu Local Government Area, where disagreements over the choice of Assembly candidate had forced a popular party aspirant to defect to PDP where he now stands as an opposition to the APCs preferred candidate. The defector, popularly known as Mamman Opanka, is primarily expected to defeat the APC candidate going for a second term. It is feared that the love for Mr Opanka as a PDP candidate may mar the chances of APC winning the local government for Mr Zulum. APC is also looking at another tough contest in Bama Local Government Area as voters there had vowed to vote against the party on Saturday. The people of Bama had expressed their anger to the APC for insisting that a member of the House of Assembly who had served several terms should not be replaced by a new and preferred candidate. During the party primaries, the APC had a pseudo-consensus arrangement that favoured many of the incumbents in the state assembly. Though the APC won Bama in the presidential election with 12,579 votes, to defeat the PDP that polled 6,617 votes, the people, except they are appeased, may mobilise against the rejected House of Assembly candidate of the APC, which may affect the governorship votes as well. The only seat the APC lost to the PDP during the National Assembly elections is the Hawul, Askira-Uba federal constituency, which indicates the strength of the opposition in the area. The defeat of the APC in that federal constituency can be linked to the dislike of the APC candidate there. It is feared that should the same scenario play out, it might roughen the partys chances on Saturday. Kashim Shettimas VP factor The emergence of former governor Kashim Shettima as vice president-elect will largely boost the chances of APC retaining power in Borno State. Before the presidential election, voters in the state went to the polls with a divided mindset some opted to vote for the PDP candidates thinking that Mr Shettima had a slim chance of becoming the vice president due to the public anger over their Muslim-Muslim ticket; the hardship caused by fuel scarcity and the federal governments botched policy on naira note swap. But with the defeat of Atiku and the emergence of Mr Shettima as vice president-elect, there is a high chance that many of the disgruntled voters may be influenced by the bandwagon effect to vote APC rather than wasting their votes. In the final analysis, the 2023 governorship election in Borno State promises to be a challenging game for the ruling APC. The opposition parties, especially the PDP, may, for the first time, make a bold statement in terms of improved numbers of votes in their favour; but at the end of the day, the ruling APC should still carry the day. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Nigerias nascent democracy has its peculiarities. No president has been born after the countrys independence in 1960; no candidate from the northeast or southeast has been elected head of government; and no woman has ever been elected president, vice-president or state governor. The results of the 25 February polls have reinforced the lack of gender inclusivity, but state elections on 18 March provide an opportunity for redress. The status quo Only three women out of the 101 confirmed senators-elect are female, a reduction from the current crop of eight women, and two-thirds less than the high point of nine senators that was achieved in 2008. Similarly, there are only 13 confirmed women among the 327 confirmed House of Representatives races. This is the same number as in the current House, albeit with 33 races left to call, but falls short of the previous high of 25 women representatives in 2007. There is also a geographical division when it comes to womens political participation in Nigeria. Of the top ten states with women running for seats in the national assembly, only two were in the north: Gombe and Kwara. This can partially explain why the three female senators-elect are from Lagos, Rivers and the Federal Capital Territory. The pattern also extends to the House of Representatives seats, with just five of the 13 declared women representatives from the north two each from Benue and Yobe and one from Borno. If this trend of better odds for women in southern Nigeria follows, the fact that 22 of the undeclared 33 House seats are from the north should minimise expectations that their numbers will grow as inconclusive outcomes are resolved. But opportunities for stronger womens representation in southern politics appear to have limits. Although 15 of the 17 women deputy governors elected since 1999 are from the south, none have moved from deputy to governor. In Lagos, Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele served under then governor, now president-elect, Bola Tinubu from 1999 to 2003 whilst Virginia Etiaba was Peter Obis deputy in Anambra state, briefing serving as governor during his impeachment in 2006/7. Furthermore, two of the three declared women set to enter the forthcoming senate have previously served as deputy governors in their states Idiat Adebule in Lagos (20152019) and Ipalibo Banigo in Rivers (20152023). However, it has been, and is, female candidates competing in northern states that have come closest to taking the top job. Tales from Taraba and Adamawa Tarabas 2015 governorship election was notable for the performance of Aisha Alhassan, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate. After initial results were declared inconclusive, a supplementary election was held in affected areas. Although the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Darius Ishaku, won those elections, an election tribunal subsequently nullified his election and named Ms Alhassan as the winner and the duly elected governor. However, when the case eventually went before the Supreme Court, Mr Ishaku was confirmed the winner. This outcome did not diminish Ms Alhassans well-established standing in the state. In 2011, having defeated the incumbent in the primaries and won a senatorial seat she used her time in office to push community empowerment programmes earning her the sobriquet Mama Taraba and widespread support in the state. However, she did not seek to contest for the states apex office again, defecting back to the PDP and supporting Mr Ishaku in 2019 before she passed away in 2021. READ ALSO: There are similarities between Mrs Alhassan and Aishatu Ahmed, a serving senator from Adamawa who is contesting for the position of the governor on the APC ticket in 2023. Fondly known as Binani, Mrs Ahmed was first elected as a federal representative, serving two terms from 2011 to 2019, before she was elected as a senator in 2019. Her performance as a representative was well-regarded to the extent that a coalition of civil society groups and professional associations endorsed her senatorial bid. To secure the governorship ticket for 2023, Mrs Ahmed defeated former governor Jibrilla Bindow and former presidential aspirant Nuhu Ribadu. Although an initial legal challenge by primary opponents saw her disqualified from the race, she has since won further legal battles and has been granted judicial clearing to contest the election. However, the 25 February presidential and national assembly elections might be cause for concern for the APC: the PDP won 2 of the 3 senate seats and 7 of the 8 representative seats, as well as the presidential election in the state. While Binani can rightly point to Atikus influence in that race, it remains to be seen if this will be a factor in what is predicted to be a tight contest. Explaining the shortage Despite there being more national representatives and experienced women politicians in southern states able to leverage these experiences and connections to support a concerted run, it has been northern states that have been closest, and remain most likely, to elect a female governor. What explains this? For starters, both Alhassan and Binani benefited from running in states with no de facto political godfather to make or mar candidacies. Taraba has not been prioritised in national political dynamics and Adamawa has dispensed with first-term governors in the past to reduce subsequent extended direct influence so much so that the incumbent Taraba governor lost his bid for the senate in 2023 and a former Adamawa governor lost in the primaries to Binani. In most southwest states, the influence of former governors and tight party structures have rendered candidate selections largely predetermined. Whilst in the south-south and southeast, despite more egalitarian contests, the politics in the zone has seen more tokenism and co-optation from its leaders resulting in a more subdued gender approach. This has led to women being more often recognised through political appointments. A second reason is linked to the fact that both candidates have secured tickets in opposition against their states ruling party. The fairly robust elective results in the northeast incumbent governors seeking re-election in Adamawa and Bauchi both lost their bids in 2019 support insurgent candidacies, which are often from more marginalised groups. It is a reason why analysis accounting for the drop in women candidates for the 2023 elections factors in the reduction of political parties, as women are more likely to run on minor party platforms. Finally, and increasingly, the electorate has welcomed seasoned legislators who have proven themselves to their citizens and who can provide a good launch pad for more prominent elective positions. Future prospects Binani may be the only woman in the governorship race running on the platform of one of the two major parties, but there are other women seeking state executive positions on other platforms. While the political landscape tells us that these candidacies might be more ambitious than realistic, it is still a testament to the faith in participation that there are increased efforts and platforms to help recruit and support women seeking elective office. Nigeria needs more diverse political representation. However, due to the volatility of the political landscape, it is also true that many well-qualified women are unlikely to be enticed by the prospect of jettisoning promising careers to enter the world of highly contested party politics. Afolabi Adekaiyaoja is a Research Analyst at the Centre for Democracy and Development. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has described Nigerias just concluded presidential election held last month as the worst conducted in the countrys recent history. Mr Obi stated this during an interview on Channels TV Sunrise Daily morning show on Thursday. He lamented that despite repeated promises by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to ensure that the elections were credible and successful with the help of the BVAS technology, coupled with the huge amount budgeted for the exercise, the process was far below expectations. We have seen probably what I consider the worst election in our recent history because of the Electoral law (Act) of 2022 which gave so much hope and the huge expenditure we put into technology. Do you know what it means to spend over $1bn? So, there was so much that was promised and then we went back to what it used to be. For me, that is very devastating, Mr Obi said. The former governor of Anambra State lamented that the poor performance of INEC in the election due to the commissions failure to upload election results in real-time on its portal as promised has downgraded the countrys rating by some rating firms. Look at how they downgraded us globally all over the newspaper. Starting from the Financial Times to the Economists to Chatham House to institutions that dont make comments to start making comments bringing us so low in the committee of nations. Even one of the rating agencies downgrades our ratings. A country as big as Nigeria, the giant of Africa, supposedly a nation that should be celebrated globally, 63 years after independence cannot conduct a simple election. For me, the struggle is on and we must reverse the situation, Mr Obi said. When asked about the key factors that made this election the worst in Nigerias history, the LP candidate said, The issue of the so-called BVAS which I have changed to Basic Value Acceptable So you have promised that you are going to conduct an election through a process and that process failed completely. Presidential election INEC had, on 1 March, declared Bola Tinubu of the ruling party APC, the winner of the 25 February presidential election. Mr Tinubu defeated 17 other candidates who took part in the election. He scored a total of 8,794,726 popular votes, while Atiku Abubakar of the PDP came second in the election with 6,984,520 votes and Mr Obi of the LP third with a total of 6,101,533 votes. However, both Messrs Atiku and Obi have since rejected the results as announced by INEC with each of them laying claim to winning the election and vowing to challenge the exercise in court. I am hurt for my country During the interview on Thursday, when Mr Obi was asked if he was hurt, he said, I am not hurt personally, I am not saddened personally but I am for my country and the future it portends for the young ones and the future generations because we must build a better place for them. It is about the future of our society. My generation would say we have lost it. We must build a better place for them. And building a better place is why I am saddened. I can assure anybody that if today I were to be in service, Nigeria would not spend nearly what it spent and we would have a first-class election that would be celebrated globally. He reiterated that everybody paid so much emphasis on the law and the technology, describing the failures of the exercise as when you promise so much and dont even meet the minimum. Mr Obi said whenever there is an election announced globally, what it does is that it uplifts the ratings of that society, but that the conduct of the recent presidential election has further dampened the morale of youth who had so much hope in the process. While vowing that we must build and bequeath them a better future, Mr Obi assured that he is on course to getting justice. Ongoing legal redress Mr Obi said he and his party have approached INEC requesting to inspect the materials used in conducting the elections and that he believes the commission is cooperating. According to him, the commission has granted them access but that they said they want to reconfigure the BVAS for the forthcoming gubernatorial and state assembly elections. Yes we have been given access he said when asked if INEC is complying with the court ruling to inspect the election materials used. More votes in Lagos Mr Obi reiterated that he had more votes in Lagos than what was announced by INEC. He said they were able to gather more votes in Lagos because they told the people of Lagos the truth during their campaign in the state. I can assure you that the position announced by INEC is false. I dont know exactly what it would have been. Our votes are far more than that and the matter is in court. READ ALSO: We campaigned and we told the people nothing but the truth. We want to build a new Nigeria where Lagos will be a place and a financial centre not just for Africa but probably the middle east. We will use it as a place to drive Africa in terms of finance and I am part of that world, Mr Obi said. He said they did the same thing in other states too, stating We can only draw from the past. It is the same thing that we have done all over Nigeria because the North would be something where you have things of pulling people out of poverty due to massive agricultural production that would lead to industry that would lead to export. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Despite the Central Bank of Nigerias directive authorising commercial banks to dispense and receive the old N200, N500, and N1000 notes, many Nigerians this week rejected the bank notes. A PREMIUM TIMES survey across major cities found that some motorists and traders refused to accept the old notes amid the uncertainties surrounding the acceptance of the notes by commercial banks. The apex bank had on Monday announced that the old and newly redesigned banknotes remain legal tender until 31 December. The move brought relief to Nigerians who had gone through hardship as a result of the cash crunch occasioned by the CBN Naira redesign policy since December. The CBN policy caused widespread chaos across the nation, as frustrated Nigerians staged protests amid poor banking operations. On 8 February, the Supreme Court intervened by issuing an order restraining the CBN from enforcing the deadline for the withdrawal of the N200, N500, and N1000 notes. The court granted the order following a lawsuit challenging the CBNs currency redesign policy. The order from the Supreme Court was met with relief from many bank customers who had faced hardship while trying to access their money. However, both President Muhammadu Buhari and CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele refused to comply with the court order. On 3 March, the Supreme Court again intervened by ruling that the CBN must extend the use of old banknotes until 31 December due to the negative impact of the policy. In the ruling, made by a seven-member panel led by John Okoro, the court ordered the CBN to continue accepting the old notes from Nigerian citizens. On Monday, the presidency in a statement claimed that Mr Buhari never directed the CBN to disobey the Supreme Courts order, prompting the apex bank to direct commercial banks to comply with the Supreme Court order. Days after the CBN gave its directive; PREMIUM TIMES observed that while many Nigerians now accept the old N500 and N1000 notes, some others are still rejecting the banknotes. A survey conducted by this newspaper on Tuesday and Wednesday also showed that there are long queues at the banks and ATM galleries, although there has been relative reduction in the number of customers struggling to access the banks. Insufficient Banknotes Although commercial banks began issuing the old notes last week, there has been an improvement in the amount of money being dispensed to customers since the CBN announced that they should comply with the court order Monday night. But bank officials who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES under condition of anonymity said that the banknotes available for customers remain insufficient as of Wednesday evening. A top official at one of the Union bank branches in the CBD area of Abuja confirmed this development to PREMIUM TIMES. We do not have sufficient supply so I doubt there will be better circulation of money this week. We will wait for the CBN to supply us, he said. He added that the amount banks get from the CBN is not enough to meet customers needs. Rejection Meanwhile, in Abuja, PREMIUM TIMES observed that some motorists have refused to accept the old banknotes. Reuben Akintola, a taxi driver that plies the Apo-Kubwa route, expressed reservation about the CBN directive. Honestly, I am not sure I will collect the old notes, since it is not a criminal offense (yet). The whole back and forth of the CBN and banks on this naira note is really discouraging, they dont seem to know what they are doing. For now, I cant collect it from passengers even if it will affect the amount of money I see daily, I dont mind, he said. At the popular Garki market, while some traders received the old naira notes from their customers, others rejected the old notes and insisted on being paid with the new notes only. READ ALSO: Mary Ochigbo and Anaiah, both thrift traders at the market, told PREMIUM TIMES that they wont be collecting the old notes until they are able to confirm if the banks are receiving it from traders. Ismaila Oiza, another trader, attributed her refusal to accept the old notes to the cash crunch. The village people I get cassava from mostly dont know what is going on, they wont receive the old note and I will not put my market on hold because of that so I have to abide, she said. In Ogba, Lagos State, PREMIUM TIMES found that many traders are not accepting the old notes. One of the traders, Henry Obasa, argued that President Buhari has not given a clear order that the notes should be accepted. At the Olujudo market, Ekiti, a trader who identified himself as Odogwu expressed concerns about old note deposit at the bank. He said: I know that the CBN has made the old note a legal tender, some people are collecting it now, while some are still not collecting. For me, I wont collect it because I dont know if I will be able to pass through the stress of depositing it back into the bank. If you have the old note with you and you go to the bank to deposit it, you have to go through many procedures for that and this is just like having your money and also suffering to save it in the bank. So whats the need of collecting it. A frozen fish seller at the market, Olaitan bukola, said: I am collecting the old naira notes but my problem now is that some of my customers are rejecting the old note. Emeka Obi, an electronics dealer at Oja Oba in Ado Ekiti, insisted that he will not accept the old naira note. I already had a placard in my shop that read Pay with the new note or you do a transfer. The president and the CBN started all this issue without considering the masses and now they said we should start collecting it again. The problem is not even to collect but to deposit back is a serious matter, he said. In Uyo, the capital of Akwa-Ibom State, traders and commuters are accepting the old notes according to residents who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES Wednesday. There is circulation of the old notes. Ive actually bought beef today with the old note. ATMs are dispensing old notes. The queue is gradually reducing, says Mkpouto, a resident of the city. Relief Isaac Onyedikachi, a thrift vendor at the Nyanya market in Abuja, expressed delight about the new development. We were waiting for either Buhari or Emefiele to give go ahead, and they have so we have started collecting. Now we pray the money circulates so well so sales can pick up again, he said. He expressed frustration on how the policy affected sales and patronage since it was introduced in December. We really suffered. There are times we will come to the market and there will be markets but no money and the network will even mess up, he said. I lost almost N6,000 in a day due to a fake alert and since then I stopped collecting transfers. A butcher at the Garki market, Adekunke Samuel, said there were days he recorded huge sales but had to trek home because of the cash crunch. Last Friday, I sold so well that before afternoon, I had sold the beef. But customers made payment with PoS as no one in this place (stall) had cash. We had to join some of our people who have cars. I joined my brother at the police signpost in Lugbe and trekked a distance to my house because I didnt have N100 to pay for a bike, he said. Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES, Nkiruka Romanus, a foodstuff seller in Olojudo market, Ido Ekiti in Ekiti State, quipped: This is a major relief for everyone now. I have called the man that used to supply me with goods and he said that I should start collecting the old note so if you have someone that still cant spend the old naira note please, refer the person to my shop. I will collect it. On his part, Yakubu Uwaidem, who resides in the Ibagwa community of Abak LGA, Uyo, said traders within the community are still skeptical about collecting the old notes. Business People around here are afraid to collect the old notes. But I spent the old notes in Uyo yesterday and it was not rejected, he said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Eroton Exploration and Production Company Limited says it remains the operator of Oil Mining Lease 18, in line with the provisions of the Joint Operating Agreement (JOA). The company in a statement on Monday said it was a validly appointed operator of OML 18 via a legal and contractual process involving all the participating entities in the JOA. It added that it has approached the relevant courts to defend its legal rights. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and OML18 Energy Limited, both non-operating partners of Oil Mining Lease 18, recently announced the removal of Eroton as the operator of the joint venture. Garba Deen Muhammad, the chief corporate communications officer of NNPCL, in a statement said the move is to curtail further degradation of the asset and revamp the production of oil and gas. The partners appointed NNPC Eighteen Operating Limited as the new operator, the statement said. The Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and Eroton were also informed of the change, the NNPCL said. The statement explained that the persisting inability of Eroton to meet the fiscal obligations of the federal government led to the sealing of Erotons head office in Lagos by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) for more than twelve months due to non-payment of outstanding taxes to the government. It added that Eroton is also not able to remit to the JV parties the proceeds of gas supplied to its affiliate, Notore. Eroton Reacts But Eroton in a statement posted on its website said it has issued a notice of arbitration to NNPC and Sahara in accordance with the terms contained in the JOA. On the basis of the lack of any grounds for the purported takeover of operatorship in accordance with the terms of the JOA governing the block, lack of due process and flagrant breach of the rule of law, Eroton has taken considered legal opinion to the effect that the status quo ante continues to remain the position and same will be upheld by the courts of Nigeria, the statement said. This is despite any contrary public statements by any entity, in the interim period. If this action taken by NNPC and Sahara is allowed to persist, it poses a threat to all the JOAs in Nigeria involving both multinational and indigenous oil and gas companies, because the due process with regard to dispute resolution has not been followed. Thus, there can be no removal of an operator without following the laid down procedures and processes in Article 2.4 of the JOA. The process is designed in such a way that notices requirements cannot be waived and the removal of operatorship cannot be carried out without following the process provided in the JOA. The management added that Eroton took over operatorship of OML-18 in 2015 with a meagre production of 6,000 bbls/d and increased production to over 50,000 bbls/d of dry crude (75,000 bbls/d of gross liquids) within less than 24 months. This was considered a spectacular achievement at the time by both the NNPC, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) (now NUPRC), and the entire industry. Eroton, as the operator, was also recognised by NNPC as being one of the two JV operators with the lowest technical cost per barrel in the industry over the time period. This stellar and unique operatorship of the asset continued until the wider industry became severely impacted firstly by COVID-19, and then by the unprecedented level of crude theft and sabotage plaguing the country in the Niger Delta area since 2020 till date. Additionally, it is important to state that since Q4, 2021, the federal government of Nigeria has virtually received zero crude oil from any company utilising the Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL), a pipeline that is partially owned by NNPC, (not operated by Eroton) as its primary evacuation route owing to the force majeure declared by the NCTL operator and the widespread vandalism and crude oil theft recorded in the region. The activities of criminal elements in the Niger Delta are known to all and continue to adversely affect the entire region and the nations proceeds from oil. For example, Erotons crude oil receipts steadily dropped at an alarming rate in 2021, culminating in zero receipts in November 2021 at Bonny Terminal, it said. The company explained that this was despite efficient wellhead production data showing produced volumes of over 500,000 barrels of oil for the same month, meaning that all the approximately 500,000 barrels of crude oil produced, processed, and delivered into the NCTL were stolen. Consequently, and in agreement with the JV partners, Eroton shut in the Wells. Eroton therefore proactively undertook an alternative means of evacuating its crude oil from OML-18 using barges. Despite obtaining approval from NNPC for the barging project, the non-operators (NNPC and Sahara) withheld the funding leaving Eroton to single-handedly fund the project, it said. It claimed that the recent publication incorrectly utilizes certain information to accuse Eroton of various infractions. We wish to clarify and state that these allegations are baseless and the due process of the law in line with the JOA has been breached in the futile attempt to displace the valid and subsisting operator of the Joint Venture. We hereby reiterate that Eroton remains the operator of OML18 in line with the provisions of the JOA as any dispute whatsoever between the parties is reserved exclusively for resolution under the dispute resolution clause of the JOA. The actions of the other JV partners (NNPC and Sahara) remain illegal and run contrary to the rule of law and are in total breach of the terms and conditions stipulated in JOA. Eroton, as the operator of OML18, remains committed to transparency, integrity, and due process, and urges the public and stakeholders to disregard any misinformation as we continue to operate in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, the statement said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Thursday arraigned Uche Edwin, a professor, on charges of N1.4 billion fraud. Mr Edwin was arraigned alongside three companies at the Federal High Court in Lagos, a statement by the anti-corruption agency said. According to the statement signed by EFCCs spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, the companies standing trial alongside the professor as his co-defendants are Visionary Integrated Consulting Limited, NEMAD Associates Limited, and Revamp Global Enterprise. The defendants face 11 counts of conspiracy, retention and conversion of a total N1, 473,367,046.04, allegedly belonging to the Maize Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (MAGPAMAN). Mr Edwin pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Following his not-guilty plea, the prosecution counsel, C.C. Okezie, asked the court for a trial date and also asked that the defendant be remanded. The defence counsel, Mobolaji Akintunde, in response, made an application for bail on behalf of his client. Mr Akintunde urged the court to grant his client bail. He also urged the court to allow his client to be remanded in EFCC custody pending when he would be able to meet the bail conditions the court might impose. In a short ruling, the judge, Nicholas Oweibo, granted bail to the defendant in the sum of N1 million and two sureties in like sum. READ ALSO: The sureties must possess landed property within the jurisdiction of the court, and show a tax clearance certificate of three months as well as their passport photographs. The defendant was also ordered to deposit his passport with the court. The judge adjourned the trial till 27 June for the commencement of the trial. One of the counts reads: That you, Professor Uche Chigozie Edwin, Visionary Integrated Consulting Limited, Nemad Associates Limited and Revamp Global Enterprise, sometime in 2021 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Court, conspired amongst yourselves to use the sum of N1, 473,367,046.04 (One Billion, Four Hundred and Seventy-Three Million, Three Hundred and Sixty-Seven Thousand, forty-six Naira, Four Kobo), property of the Maize Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (MAGPAMAN), which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activity to wit: fraud; and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Two Nigerian tech experts have launched an online platform, Collate, to collate and broadcast, in real-time, the results of governorship elections across Nigeria. O. Nwoye and Ozo Omosigho say the platform will use crowdsourced data from Nigerians across the over 176,000 polling units in the country. The results will then be readily available to viewers across the world. To achieve this, at least one electorate from all 176,846 polling units across the federation is required to pre-register on the platform before Saturday and upload election results at their polling unit in real-time, they said in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES. The failure of the electoral commission, INEC, to upload in real-time, polling unit results of the presidential election has been mentioned by local and international observers as one of the flaws of the election. The owners of Collate hope to use the platform to address some of the concerns of Nigerians about INECs election portal, iREV. While party agents contested election results during INEC result announcements, nobody really had real-time evidence to present. There was nowhere visible that the results were all aggregated. So it became difficult to prove, Mr Nwoye said. Read the full statement below. Nigerian tech leaders launch live result viewing platform for gubernatorial elections Tech executives Oo Nwoye and Ozo Omosigho are pleased to announce the launch of Collate, an open and crowdsourced online result collation and viewing platform (ReV) built to aid transparency in the coming gubernatorial elections in Nigeria. In the wake of the controversies that marked the result of Nigerias last presidential election, Collate aims to have robust, documented and centralized data of all polling unit results in all states in real-time. To achieve this, at least one electorate from all 176,846 polling units across the federation is required to pre-register on the platform before Saturday and upload election results at their polling unit in real-time. This will serve as a source of reference for evidence against result tampering. Commenting on the launch, Mr Nwoye states: While party agents contested election results during INEC result announcements, nobody really had real-time evidence to present. There was nowhere visible that the results were all aggregated. So it became difficult to prove. READ ALSO: He adds: Though a lot of people have introduced structured solutions like forms to crowdsource results, these solutions are not entirely designed to capture all the polling units and offer real-time results as they are dependent on voters sporadically finding out about those forms on election day which may be too late. So, from my product knowledge, I thought it would be good to know in advance, polling units without coverage and plan for coverage. With voters pre-registering and indicating their polling units, we can identify the PUs that risk not having results posted on Collate and push to get voters from those PUs to register on the site before the gubernatorial election. Whats key in this product is the ability to plan ahead. Nwoye, Omosigho and the team have been working hard to develop the platform, which they anticipate will be a necessary game-changer for the coming elections. They are dedicated to maintaining a nonpartisan approach and prioritize the elimination of corruption and fraud in the electoral process. The difference with what were doing is that we allow voters to independently collect results and have proof, Mr Omosigho says. When you can point to proof, then you can stop any malpractice in the voter process. Now any candidate from any political party will have access to clear evidence of images taken at the polling units, completely independent of INEC. To safeguard the integrity of the election, Collate ensures that voters who submit results to their platform will be protected, and no personally identifiable information will be disclosed to the public. End. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Oyo State Government on Wednesday released N325 million as compensation to owners of properties demolished in Iwo Road in Ibadan for the construction of bus terminals. Some shops and other business blocks were demolished before Governor Seyi Makinde laid the foundation for the two bus terminals in 2020. Several efforts of the owners to get compensation from the government failed until Thursday, two days to the governorship and state House of Assembly elections in the state. Mr Makinde is seeking a second term under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The State Commissioner for Public Works, Daud Sangodoyin, who presented cheques to the beneficiaries, said 227 persons were paid the compensation. The commissioner said strict processing of the claims was the main reason for the delay in the payment of the compensation. We have two bus terminals that we are building at Iwo Road which occupy two private properties and we need to pay compensation. So, for those that have no litigations on their properties, they are 227, which today, we have started paying them compensations worth 325 million naira, he said. All we had to do was to identify the owners of the properties and present their cheques to them. Three ministries are involved in the valuation of the properties, namely; Ministries of Justice, Lands, Public Works, he added. They did the valuation of the properties and based on their recommendations on the worth of the properties, thats how we arrived at the value for each property. And were not making this payment in batches. Like I said earlier, the money is already available for all those with no litigations on their properties. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The police in Enugu State, south-east Nigeria, said they have arrested two brothers for allegedly killing a security guard and his son in the state. The incident happened on Sunday in Onuakpaka, Ndiagu-Akpugo, a community in Nkanu West Local Government Area of the state. The police spokesperson in the state, Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday. Mr Ndukwe, a deputy superintendent of police, said the suspects Chinedu Nnaona, 25, and Maduabuchi Nnaoma, 21 allegedly killed the victims in a failed attempt to steal a car from the compound. The police spokesperson said one of the victims, Christian Ngene, was the caretaker and security guard at the house which belongs to an unnamed uncle to the suspects. Mr Ngene was killed alongside his 12-year-old son, Promise, he said. The police said investigation revealed that the suspects conspired and left Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where they resided with their parents, and visited their uncles house with the sole aim of stealing and selling their uncles Mitsubishi Grandis vehicle parked in his compound. Mr Ndukwe said the suspects procured knives apparently, and subsequently scaled the parameter fence of the building to gain access into the compound. And to further gain access into the main building to get the cars key, they used the baluster to attack the security guard in order to get the buildings keys from him. He resisted, but they overpowered and used the knives to severally stab him to death, he said. READ ALSO: Five people killed in Enugu road accident They went ahead to stab and murder his said son, who was sleeping, to avoid being exposed by him. They gained access and ransacked the entire building in search of the car key, but were not successful, Mr Ndukwe stated. Arrest The police spokesperson said the suspects were later arrested in Maryland, an urban part of the state by police operatives while they were trying to treat injuries inflicted on them by the slain security guard. He said the police have evacuated the bodies of the slain victims and deposited them in the morgue for preservation and autopsy. Two knives, two hand gloves and broken pieces of a concrete baluster said to have been used by the suspects were recovered from the building where the victims were attacked, according to the police. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Parkinsons disease can be a struggle, for both the individual who has it and for those around them. As part of its mission, Columbus Community Hospital (CCH) is holding an event to help alleviate some of that difficulty for patients and their loved ones. On April 24, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Columbus Community Hospital will hold a Parkinsons wellness symposium at the Ramada in Columbus. The symposium, which ran its pilot year in 2021, will cover topics for those with Parkinsons and caregivers alike. Michell Ruskamp, assistant director of Rehab Services at CCH, said that after the success of the first event, they wanted to see what more they could do. It came about because we wanted to provide an opportunity to learn more about Parkinsons. We had our first Parkinsons symposium in 2021 and it was a success. Members of the community wanted something like that offered in the community more often, Ruskamp said. The symposium will cover a wide variety of topics including Lewy body dementia, multidisciplinary care, nutrition, managing caregiver stress, managing daily activities with Parkinsons, medication and community connections. Presenters come from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Columbus Community Hospital, Columbus Psychiatry Clinic and Parkinsons Nebraska. They both learn more about Parkinsons, I think the caregivers as well as people with Parkinsons will walk away with tools in their toolbox to help each other navigate through their disease, Ruskamp said. Topics, Rehab Services Director Doug Janssen said, came from requests at the 2021 symposium as well as the local wellness support group for those with Parkinsons. With Parkinsons Awareness Month in April approaching and the Columbus Movement Disorder Clinic opening in March, the timing worked out well. What people attending will receive and how it meets our mission goal is, it shows them they can have hope and the more engaged they are in learning about the disease and the things they can do, the better quality of life there can be, Janssen said. Dr. Erin Smith, future director of the clinic, will be joining the symposium via Zoom, while all the other speakers will be present in person. Janssen and Ruskamp both said they expect Smiths contributions will be impactful and they expect she will be well-liked. Dr. Smith is a movement disorder specialist, an expert in the area of diagnosing and treating Parkinsons and she will be the medical director of the new clinic were offering here, Ruskamp said. Were excited to have her talk to us so she can meet the community and talk about the importance and value of a multidisciplinary team. The movement disorders clinic will operate on a quarterly basis and require a referral from a physician. Janssen said that in addition to Smith and her multidisciplinary team being skilled, he believes people will be drawn to Smith as a person as well. I think people will like Dr. Smith, shes very personable, down-to-earth, knowledgeable and compassionate and I think that will come across well, Janssen said. The event as a whole, Ruskamp added, lines up with the hospitals main mission and end goal in all their events and efforts. Our mission is to improve the health of the community we serve and to provide education to people that empowers them to manage their disease and have better control of their disease, Ruskamp said. Those who wish to attend must register at columbushosp.org. The symposium is free, but those attending must RSVP before April 17. There is no cost to register. President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday termed as shocking, murder of several people in the Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State by suspected terrorists. In a statement by one of his media aides, Garba Shehu, Mr Buhari demanded swift arrest and punishment of the culprits. PREMIUM TIMES reported how the police in Kaduna State confirmed the occurrence of a fresh attack on Zango Kataf Local Government Area on Saturday night. Dozens of people were killed in the attack after months of improved security in the troubled area, but the police said they are yet to ascertain the exact number of those killed. The president while condoling the families of the victims said the countrys security agencies must put an end to the attacks in the state. There is a concerted attack on innocent citizens in the state and the security and law enforcement agencies must take serious action to put an end to this, said the President. My deepest condolences to the families of those killed in these horrific attacks. May their souls rest in peace, the president said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Governing Council of the Kaduna State University (KASU) has approved the appointment of the institutions first female Registrar and Bursar. While Samira Balarabe was appointed the Registrar, Hauwau Dalhat, was appointed the Bursar, said a statement by the universitys Public Relations Officer, Adamu Bargo. Ms Balarabe took over from the former Registrar, Samuel Manshop, whose tenure ended on 15 March. She was the Deputy Registrar and the immediate past academic secretary of the institution. She holds a Bachelors in Law from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and a Masters in Conflict Peace and Strategic Studies with a specialisation in Conflict Resolution from KASU. Ms Balarabe joined the institution in 2006 and rose through the ranks to become a Deputy Registrar in October 2018. In the course of her career, Balarabe served in different capacities: Vice-Chancellors Office as an Administrative Officer I (Legal); Faculty Officer in the Faculties of Arts and Medicine respectively, Mr Bargo said. She also served in the Establishment Unit in charge of Council Affairs; Postgraduate School as Secretary; Academic Secretary in the Academic Affairs Unit as well as member and secretary to various committees in the university. Meanwhile, Ms Dalhat took over from Ahmed Ibrahim whose tenure as Bursar also ended. Ms Dalhat is the immediate past Deputy Bursar and had headed the department as acting Bursar. She holds a Bachelors and Masters degree in Accounting and Finance from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. She joined the university in 2006 as an Accountant II in the Bursary Department and rose through the ranks to the position of Deputy Bursar. The university said: Ms Dalhat also served as a member of various committees in the university and equally served as a part-time lecturer with publications and supervised Postgraduate Diplomas, the statement added. With over 16 years of practical experience in accounting and finance, Dalhat is a member of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria, Chartered Institute of Information and Strategy Management. She is also a member of the Institute of Chartered Economists of Nigeria and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, among others. Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, Wednesday, withdrew an application in which he asked the Court of Appeal to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to grant him access to electoral materials that were used in the conduct of the 25 February elections. Atiku, who lost the presidential election to the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential flagbearer, Bola Tinubu, was granted permission on 3 March to inspect sensitive electoral materials including the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) machines that were deployed for the polls. But due to allegations of INECs hesitancy in granting him and the PDP access to the electoral equipment and results sheets from the presidential election, he filed another ex parte application on 10 March at the Court of Appeal. A statement on Wednesday by Atikus spokesperson, Paul Ibe, explained that the former Vice President withdrew the request following INECs compliance with the court orders. He said on Tuesday (14 March) at a conference meeting between lawyers of the PDP, LP, APC and INEC, access was eventually granted to the legal team of PDP by INEC. When the matter came up for hearing on Wednesday, the two motions were withdrawn because they have been overtaken by events since access had already been granted on Tuesday to Atiku and PDP, Mr Ibe explained. Background In a statement issued on 10 March, Atikus lawyer, Joe-Kyari Gadzama, recalled, On 6 March, our Clients representatives led by Adedamola Fanokun, Esq (office of the PDP National Legal Adviser) returned to the Commission (INEC) ready to commence inspection, examination and obtaining of the electoral materials as ordered by the Court but they were informed at the Commissions legal registry that there was no instruction yet from the Commission on the Court Order. Mr Gadzama, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), had lamented that it is disturbing that despite service of the Court Order on the commission since 3 March 2023, the commission is yet to allow our clients and their representatives to access, inspect and/or obtain the needed electoral materials as ordered by the court despite repeated visits to the commission and follow-up in respect thereof. Atiku and the PDP pressed for time in filing their petition at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal registry in Abuja, within 21 days from the date INEC declared Mr Tinubu winner of the race. INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, declared Mr Tinubu the winner of the presidential election on 1 March. Read the statement below: PRESS RELEASE Atiku, PDP withdrew motions because theyve been overtaken by events It has become pertinent to make some clarifications following insinuations and mischievous reporting of the withdrawal of the application for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to grant access to the legal team of the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar and the PDP on the inspection of the documents related to the February 25 presidential election. The Court of Appeal had granted the request of Atiku and the PDP to be granted unfettered access to the INEC documents used for the presidential election. On the 10th of March, 2023 Atiku and PDP filed a motion (number 12M) ex parte and affidavit of urgency to ensure the implementation of the court order. The court, however, asked that they put Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress APC and the INEC on notice. Consequently, they filed a motion on notice (number 13M) and motion ex parte (number 13MA) for substituted service on Bola Tinubu. But on Tuesday at a conference meeting between lawyers of the PDP, LP, APC and INEC, access was eventually granted to the legal team of PDP by INEC. When the matter came up for hearing on Wednesday, the two motions were withdrawn because they have been overtaken by events since access had already been granted on Tuesday to Atiku and PDP. Signed: Paul Ibe Media Adviser to Atiku Abubakar Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and former Vice President of Nigeria, 1999-2007 Abuja 15th March 2023. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The nation was shell-shocked in April 2017 when operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) discovered $43.4 million, among other currencies, in the wardrobe of a four-bedroom apartment in Ikoyi, Lagos. Videos and photos of the sting operation shared by the anti-graft agency were similar to scenes from a raid of the stash house of a drug cartel. The EFCC credited a whistleblowers confidential alert for the huge recovery. That moment represented a shift in the anti-corruption efforts of the federal government and encouraged whistleblowers to come forward with valuable information. But while the government has made several recoveries, how have the whistleblowers fared? In this report, DYEPKAZAH SHIBAYAN examines how the fight against corruption has put the lives of whistleblowers at risk and why a policy meant to encourage and protect them is failing in Nigerias long-drawn-out war against graft. - Blow The Whistle, Face Persecution Citizens aspiring to get into public service seek to have a successful career and earn a living to take care of their families. Most intend to spend either 35 years in service or attain 60 years of age to retire from their careers in line with the public service rules. However, those who have the guts to openly fight corruption within their organisations are often persecuted, dismissed and left in a state of despair. Joseph Akeju, a former bursar at the Yaba College of Technology in Lagos state, found himself in this boat when he travelled the lonely road of whistleblowing a few years ago. Mr Akeju would have loved to be able to adequately support his family and have a fulfilling career before retiring from service but that was not his lot. The former bursar said he first ran into hot waters when he refused to partake in a loot in 2009. He said he was eventually dismissed for his principled stance and after seven and half years of despair, he was reinstated by Adamu Adamu, the minister of education, in 2016. He said during the process of trying to get his job back, providing for his family became herculean while some people benefited from his plight. This story was quite sensational. Some press people were using my name to eat. Some of them went to my then-boss to go and collect money from him, Akeju told TheCable. They twisted my position, my words and it became a lot of crisis. They were pursuing me with juju up and down. I just thank God that those things are past. After he was reinstated, Mr Akeju was transferred from the college to the Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). The lecturer said the college was financially healthy when he left for FAAN and upon his return after two years, he found out that the institution was broke and borrowing. I left for another assignment at FAAN, I was taken there as the director of finance and I had to leave Yaba College of Technology as bursar, he said. Before I left there was a lot of money. After two years when I came back to the college, we were borrowing. Students were suffering and I looked into our finances [and saw] that frivolous contracts were given. The former bursar said he then raised the alarm that the staggering sum of N1.6 billion was missing, prompting his second dismissal from service. The sum, he alleged, was diverted between 2008 and 2014. I Lost Everything Before his second dismissal, Mr Akeju said, his life was threatened through diabolical means by the people connected to the alleged fraud that he blew the whistle on. The threat to life was there and it did not come physically but you know the Nigerian way of making you scared, I became very sick, he said. I was always sick. It is through the grace of God [that I survived] I lost everything. Amidst the ordeal, Mr Akeju said he lost his mother, a wife, and could not afford to pay the school fees of his children. I lost my mother, I could not bury her in the [morgue]. Up till now I have not been able to balance up [payment], it was around that time I lost my junior wife. I had to stop the education of my children. I couldnt fund their schools and it is still affecting me till today, he said. The governing council didnt want to listen to me. They just cooked up stories and dismissed me. Court BattleThen Soft Landing While out of a job yet again, the debts piled up for Mr Akeju, especially because he was in court for more than eight years trying to get justice. A new person was elected as rector and gave me a soft landing. They paid me depreciated money. The money they gave to me had already lost value and I was paying debts that I had already incurred, he said. After I was reinstated, some of the people that persecuted me were still there. They wanted to deal with the woman who brought me back, I resisted and they dismissed me. He said the letter conveying his third dismissal was delivered to him while he was temporarily bedridden in the hospital. People are wicked. I was in the hospital when they dismissed me. They brought the letter to me in the hospital. God saved me, the former bursar said. Mr Akeju said one of his former students helped him file a petition at the schools senate, and he was subsequently reinstated, but it was too little too late as he was almost due for retirement. I do not have anything. I havent recovered from it, he said. SACKED FOR EXPOSING FRAUD In 2020, Joseph Ameh, an architect with the Federal College of Education (Technical), Asaba, Delta State, was sacked after petitioning the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) about alleged contract fraud in the institution. Until his sack, Mr Ameh was head of the physical planning division at the institution, where he had worked for 10 years. In his petition to the anti-graft agency, the architect alleged that over N60 million voted for 12 projects was diverted by the management of the institution. One of the members of the visitation panel from the federal ministry of education said what they had put into that institution in the past three years was over N15 billion but he did not see anything that looks like N3 billion there, Mr Ameh said. The architect said he got wind that the college was planning to sack him over his petition and he informed the ICPC so he could be protected. He said Mohammed Lawal, ICPCs lead investigator on his case, advised him to seek the intervention of the Architect Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCN). He was fired after the ARCN weighed in on the case. His sack letter reads in part: I am directed to inform you that the Governing Council of the College at its 12th meeting held on May 13th 2020 took a decision on the report investigating the alleged petition to Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON) by Arch. Ameh Joseph Eche. After due deliberation, the Council found you guilty of the offence levelled against you and approved the termination of your appointment from the service of the College. Consequently, in line with extant rules, your appointment has been terminated from the Service of the College with effect from 13th May, 2020. ICPC Failed To Protect Me Mr Ameh did not hide his identity when he petitioned ICPC, but he, however, wonders how those he accused of malpractice got to know of the petition and eventually forced him out of the system. ICPC exposed me. The petition I did, I did not hide my identity. I gave my identity because Im 100 per cent sure of what I am saying, he said. The ICPC is not supposed to put my name out there but the people I accused already knew me and that was how I was victimised. Members of college management who were found culpable of malpractice were arraigned by the ICPC but they were later discharged over faulty prosecution. Concerning me having to testify, they refused, he said. Until the last day of entertaining witnesses, the SAN, Femi Falana, put a call to the ICPC office to say that it was wrong. I wrote a letter to ICPC that since they refused to allow me to testify in court, I would testify in public. Mr Ameh claimed that the documents he gave the ICPC lawyers were rejected and never tendered in court as exhibits. The accused Ignatius Ezoem, provost; Ugbechie Linus, registrar; and Chukwuka Jonas, director of works continued their duties while the case was ongoing. They would later retire from service. Letters written to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Federal Civil Service Commission by Mr Ameh did not yield any result. In a correspondence seen by TheCable, the ICPC said it could not intervene in Mr Amehs claim of victimisation because the matter was before the industrial court and discussing it would be subjudice. When contacted Azu Ogugua, the ICPC spokesperson, asked that a message be sent. After that was done, Mrs Ogugua never reverted. The ordeal also took a toll on Mr Amehs relationship with his wife after she got in contact with a cleric over his plight. While Mr Ameh was battling his sack, his wife Rosemary got introduced to Israel Ogaga, a prophet, who allegedly told her that if she returned home, either she or her husband would die in three days. The couple, thus, became separated. The architect said the prophet claimed that his ordeal was spiritual. I still wonder what and where lies the interest of the pastor in breaking and putting a family and marriage asunder, Mr Ameh, a father of three, said in a petition dated August 11 and addressed to the Delta State commissioner of police. When contacted, Mr Ogaga denied the allegations levelled against him. Im a clean man. I dont have anything in my cupboard, he said. The way you are now, somebody says he takes your wife. It is even shameful for you to cry that someone took your wife from you and you are a man. I am a happily married man and I have a wife. Nigerians Losing Interest In Whistleblowing In 2016, the federal government launched a whistleblowing policy, domiciled in the federal ministry of finance, in an effort to tackle corruption. The policy seeks to compensate whistleblowers for exposing corruption. Notably, in 2017, the policy brought in some influx of cash after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said it discovered $43 million, 27,000 and N23 million stashed away at a flat in Ikoyi after a tip-off from a whistleblower. In June 2022, the president said around $386 million was recovered in 2021 through the whistleblowing policy. However, the number of willing whistleblowers is said to be on the decline. Abdulrasheed Bawa, EFCC chairman, attributed the drop to false whistleblowers who were prosecuted for wanting to turn a serious programme to memes, unnerved some other would-be informants. Similarly, Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance, budget and national planning, said Nigerians are losing interest in whistleblowing. After about two to three years of the implementation of the policy, the interest of the public and the policy began to nosedive, the minister said in July 2022. Experts believe that apathy towards whistleblowing might encourage sustained corruption in the civil service. In September 2022, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) said the biggest cases of corruption are allegedly perpetrated by civil servants. Ahmed Idris, a suspended accountant-general of the federation, is currently being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged N109 billion fraud. Also, the trial of Abdulrasheed Maina, a former civil servant who is accused of embezzling billions of naira in pension funds, is still ongoing after several years. Failed Legislations Questback, an online survey and feedback software company, said many people believe that the global best practices for whistleblowing must have protection, incentives, legislation and an easy way to report or expose corruption in place for those interested in ridding society of malpractices. It said the anonymity of the whistleblowers who might be afraid of the loss of their jobs or the threat to life is valuable in the fight against corruption. The eighth Senate led by Bukola Saraki passed the Whistleblower and Witness Protection Bills separately. But the whistleblower bill got stuck during the second reading in the House of Representatives and did not make it through to a third reading by the time that assembly wound down. The legislation sought to protect whistleblowers against victimisation and loss of jobs. In 2019, under the Senate led by Ahmad Lawan, the Whistleblower and Witness Bills were consolidated and reintroduced as one single legislation. However, Benjamin Uwajumogu, the senator representing Imo north and sponsor of the bill, died a month after he reintroduced it. After his demise, nothing has been heard about the bill. In December 2022, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved a new whistleblowing bill to be sent to the national assembly for consideration and subsequent passage. With only a few months to the end of the ninth national assembly, the prospect of having a whistleblower bill materialise is not encouraging. Legislation Is Still The Solution The African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), a civil society organisation (CSO) dedicated to the protection of whistleblowers through its Corruption Anonymous programme, has been working to obtain justice for Messrs Akeju and Ameh. In a survey published in 2021, AFRICMIL said whistleblowing has had little impact in tackling corruption owing to some challenges lack of legal protection for whistleblowers, prolonged periods of investigation and delay/miscarriage of justice. Kola Ogunbiyi, AFRICMIL programme manager, said adequate legislation would better protect whistleblowers and encourage them to expose corruption. He said the national assembly should ensure that it works on the bill and transmit it to the president for assent before it winds down in June. Having realized the challenges faced by whistleblowers and having realised the decline in whistleblowing because of the absence of legislation, I think the way forward is to advocate vigorously for legislation before the end of this administration, he said. When they come back [from the elections] we still have about two months before the end of the administration. Amnesty International also believes that the absence of a law protecting whistleblowers has rendered the policy weak. It is imperative that the legislators pass the Whistleblower Protection Bill into law and present it for the presidents assent before this administrations cycle ends, Osai Ojigho, director of Amnesty International Nigeria, told TheCable. Anti-corruption human rights defenders journalists, members of civil society organisations, whistleblowers, and others play a crucial role in the prevention of and in the fight against corruption and the promotion of human rights. Over the years, they have been instrumental in investigating and exposing corrupt practices and in demanding transparency and accountability and the protection of human rights. The government has a responsibility in line with international standards to protect human rights defenders and foster an environment that allows them to thrive. Although Messrs Akeju and Ameh do not have regrets about exposing corruption at the organisations they worked for, the ripple effects of their actions have adversely affected them and altered the course of their lives. **This story is funded by Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development under the Media Freedom Project through Justice for Journalists Foundation.** Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, on Thursday said he has confidence in the countrys judiciary system despite his dissatisfaction with the outcome of the election held last month. Mr Obi disclosed this during an interview on Channels TVs Sunrise Daily morning show. The LP candidate recently obtained an order of the Court of Appeal to inspect electoral materials in his bid to challenge the outcome of the 25 February presidential election in court. He came third in the election which was won by the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu. I am confident in the judiciary. I am because I stayed in court for three years where people say it is impossible to become the governor through the court and I became the first, Mr Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, said when asked if he has confidence in the Judiciary. Remember I was impeached and again the court brought me back. I have gone through courts, several of them and I have not had any cause to doubt the court. Mr Obi said he believes Nigeria has one of the best judiciary in the world, but that it is the politicians that are trying to corrupt it. I can tell you that I believe that Nigeria has one of the best judiciary globally. It is we politicians because of our transactional nature that are trying to ensure that everywhere is corrupted, he said. He said he hopes to begin reversing that even with his case approaching the election tribunal to claim he won the election. He added, They are seeing globally what is happening. People everywhere in the world are asking what happened to the Nigerian election. Africans are surprised that the giant of Africa can no longer deliver just an election. We are not talking about something great, it is just an election. Ghana would soon have elections, without BIVAS and it would be seamless. Youll see it come very soon. So what is wrong with us? Mr Obi said irrespective of the controversial judgements given by the judiciary in recent times, I have confidence that they know that the country is collapsing. They (Judiciary) know they have to help to build a better place for their children. Atiku, who came second in the election, recently expressed doubts about Nigerias judiciary. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The doctors under the umbrella of the National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMP), Ekiti State chapter, are set to down their tools beginning from midmight Friday (tomorrow). The union, which accused the govrernment of neglecting the states health sector as allegedl experienced under the administration of the immediate past governor of the state, Kayode Fayemi, have given the government up till 11:59p.m on Friday to address all its concerns. In an ultimatum addressed to the state governor, Abiodun Oyebanji, and signed by its Chairman, Alo Akinleye, and the Secretary, Olajide Abimbola, NAGGMP highlighted its challenges and demanded a prompt resolution from the government. The ultimatum, which commenced on 8 March, followed the expiration of an initial 14-day ultimatum which started on 17 February. The challenges identified by the doctors include: pay disparity affecting doctors among doctors in the state, inadequate workforce, and that the entry-level of newly employed doctors should be grade level 13 as it reportedly obtains in other parts of the country. On pay disparity The doctors association emphasised in the ultimatum that the singular demand of pay parity has been on the frontburner of its requests for the past three years and that committees have been set up with their reports begging for implementation. Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES Wednesday, NAGGMP chairman urged the state government to resolve the problem of pay disparity affecting the doctors under the employment of Hospital Management Board (HMB), Ministry of Health and the Primary Health Care Development Agency (PHCDA) compared to their counterparts in federal employment. Mr Akinleye said the governor who has only spent a couple of months in office has not shown commitment to improving the welfare of doctors and resolving the issues that have lingered from the past administrations. He said the governor in a meeting with the association in January approved the payment of hazard allowances which was applauded but the promise made to bridge the gap of pay disparity by 50 per cent has not been implemented, hence the reason for the ultimatum to down tools. Inadequate workforce Mr Akinleye noted that the problem of inadequate workforce is connected to other issues. In the ultimatum, the association noted that the current workforce of 66 doctors covering 22 specialist and general hospitals is grossly inadequate and the inability to attract fresh hands is a direct consequence of pay disparity. Explaining this, Mr Akinleye said some of the newly graduated medical students would prefer to work with the Federal Medical Centre, Ido Ekiti, to the HMD or PHCDA because of the existing pay disparity. He further noted that the inadequate workforce is affecting the lifestyle of the available doctors as most of them spend 24 hours attending to patients every day of the week. Most of our members stay away mostly from their homes. I am on level 15, and I am supposed to have three to four doctors working under my supervision to carry out diagnoses and other basic assignments, but in situations when they are few hands, the workload becomes strenuous for the few available people. Most hospitals today are covered by one or two doctors and such doctors will be in the hospital 24/7. To even cater for their own needs would be difficult, he said. Speaking on the brain drain, the Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) South-west, Rosiji Babatunde, said not only are we losing doctors to foreign climes, but we are also having an internal redistribution of this highly skilled manpower. In Ekiti State, just about two to three years ago we have about 800 doctors in the state but as I speak to you we have barely 500 hundred doctors and as soon as our governor was inaugurated on 16 of October we engaged him on the need to rescue the health sector, Mr Babatunde said. He also acknowledged that the governor showed some levels of sincerity and set up a committee to address the issues but has only implemented one which is the payment of hazard allowance. He urged the government to consider the recommendations earlier made as regards the development of the secondary hospitals which he noted get less attention compared to the primary hospitals that receive more funding from NGOs and the federal government. No doctors want to apply Mr Babatunde gave a further breakdown of the existing brain drain, noting that the state requires 178 to 200 doctors to run the facilities of the 22 general hospitals but that as of Thursday, only 65 doctors are available. He said as of November 2022, when they engaged the government, there were about 78 doctors in the general and specialist hospitals, but now we are left with 65 meaning 13 people have resigned. The simple question is why are they resigning? and if they are resigning we should be able to get fresh hands to replace those that are leaving but at the moment we cannot even attract fresh hands At some point, we had the approval to consequentially replace doctors as soon as they left. We needed 15 doctors at some point and only three applied. Just recently we had the approval to feel five spaces, we had only one doctor applying to the hospital, he explained. He noted that young doctors who are employed in primary hospitals are now growing faster in terms of pay than those who have spent six years in the service. For us, we are recommending that the government should bring stability to the system. Let there be pay parity as it will reduce the velocity of motion of this healthcare professional between the primary, secondary and tertiary institutions and it will stop the internal drift, internal migration from all these centres, to the better-paying facilities, he said. He added that the NMA is committed to partnering with the government in stabilising the health sector in Ekiti State. READ ALSO: Nigerian doctors threaten fresh strike We will like to put on record that categorically we are not fighting the government we are partnering with the government to make sure that the health system in this state works. Secondly, we will also like to put on record that our governor Ekiti state governor is the first governor in the Southwest to implement this new hazard allowance that is being paid at federal institutions so that shows that he is committed but we still need to put more hands on deck, he said. Government reacts In reaction, the Ekiti State Commissioner for Health, Oyebanji Filani, who spoke through the Permanent Secretary of the states Ministry of Health & Human Services, Olabisi Arogundade, said the governor has approved the doctors demands except for the issue of pay disparity. Mrs Arogundada told PREMIUM TIMES Thursday that after meetings held with the top officials of the association, the governor had ordered a committee to look into the pay parity in order to take a decision. She said: In view of economic realities and the determination of the government to provide an enabling environment for improved service delivery, the governor graciously approved three of the four demands. Approval for payment of hazard allowances to doctors and all clinical health staff as the first state to do so in the country apart from the Federal government; the release of medical residency training fund; deployment of over ten doctors (with more to come) to hospitals in the state and filling of consequential vacancies for the replacement of doctors and health staff who have exited the service. The governor has also set up a committee with the Head of Service as chairman to holistically address the remaining one issue of pay parity as it affects other health professionals. After the committees assignment, the government will then take a decision. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The president-elect, Bola Tinubu, has stated that the presidential election was fair and credible and that he will not be confined by political consideration in assembling his government. Mr Tinubu, in a statement on Thursday, said he will go beyond forming a government of national unity, rather, he will form a government of national competence. There has been talk of a government of national unity. My aim is higher than that. I seek a government of national competence. In selecting my government, I shall not be weighed down by considerations extraneous to ability and performance, he said. The former Lagos State governor polled 8.7 million votes to defeat 17 other candidates in the 25 February presidential election. However, several opposition parties have opposed the outcome of the election and some have commenced the legal process to challenge the result. The candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party have commenced the process to challenge the outcome. Due to how divisive the 2023 electoral process has been, pundits have encouraged the president-elect to form a government of national unity in a bid to unite the country. Mr Tinubu, in his statement, reiterated that the election was fair and credible, noting that other candidates are within their rights to challenge the outcome in court. Barring no judicial intervention, Mr Tinubu is expected to be sworn in on 29 May. Here is the full statement A fair, credible election has been held and has been won. The honor of that victory and the steep responsibility it entails has fallen on me. I say this not to gloat or boast because there is no room for such behavior. I merely state the facts as they are. I realize many good and well-meaning Nigerians voted for other candidates. They are naturally disappointed that their favored candidate did not win. Other candidates have voiced their dissatisfaction, stating they will go to court to contest the election. This is inherent to the democratic process. We defend their right to seek legal recourse. While they exercise the legal rights afforded them in our democracy, I have set my course and mind on the leadership of this nation. We have important work to do and I am committed to getting that work done for the benefit of all the people, whether or not they voted for me or even voted at all. This is not the time for continued acrimony and partisan recrimination. These negative things can incite strong passions; but they are not the pathway to a better nation. Only unity and national commitment can serve that purpose.. Critics of Nigeria have been too quick to conclude that our political system is fragmented because of the impressive showing of new parties and their candidates. These critics are wrong. The emergence of the new parties and their candidates underscores the dynamic strength of our democracy. People want democracy to work and they want to have their voices heard and interests met within it. This is a good thing to be promoted, not something to be feared. What must concern us is not the growth of parties but the regrowth of old prejudices and bigotries such as ethnicity, creed and place of origin. As a nation and as individuals imbued with the love of God and of our fellow man, we are better than this. At some point we must decide whether we shall be enticed by the ills of the past or shall we more bravely and nobly be encouraged by the eminent prospect of a brighter future. There have been times in our past when our governing institutions created more questions than they answered. But the arc of our political history gives me confidence that we can overcome that past. We have walked through the thick of the night to emerge into the light of brighter days to come. There is no good reason to retreat into the darkness of years past. We must begin to repair and rebuild this national home of ours. There is time to complete the task, but time is also of the essence. We must not tarry or fret over the enormity of what we face. We are able of mind and body. Now, we must show the spirit and willpower to accomplish the historic things that lie within our grasp. As your incoming president, I accept the task before me. There has been talk of a government of national unity. My aim is higher than that. I seek a government of national competence. In selecting my government, I shall not be weighed down by considerations extraneous to abiilty and performance. The day for political gamesmanship is long gone. I shall assemble competent men and women and young people from across Nigeria to build a safer, more prosperous and just Nigeria. There shall be young people. Women shall be prominent. Whether your faith leads you to pray in a church or mosque will not determine your place in government. Character and competence will. To secure our nation and to make it prosperous must be our top priorities. We cannot sacrifice these goals to political expediencies. The whims of politics must take a backseat to the imperatives of governance. We have bridges and roads to build not just for commerce and travel but to connect people of different faiths, parties and different outlooks in harmonious dialogue and common purpose. We have families to feed not just to eliminate hunger but to nurture enlightenment, civic responsibility and compassion. We have jobs to create not merely to put people to work but to afford all a better standard of living by which families and communities are improved and democracy deepened. We have water to replenish not just to quench physical thirst but to ignite a thirst for creative and better solutions to societys challenges. We have a nation to protect such that we eliminate danger and even the fear of danger. May all of our people be able to live their lives in the light of peace and the glow of broadening prosperity. An important step toward restoring economic normalcy has been taken by the Supreme Courts decision on the parity of old and new notes . This restores both the rule of law and economic decency. But this is not the end of the story. It is merely the beginning of a more comprehensive solution to our economic challenges. Our Renewed Hope Action Plan outlines goals for greater economic growth in our cities and rural communities. We are committed to an economy of double-digit GDP growth, greater food security and one with a strengthened manufacturing base as well as an active digital economy where young people will have ample space to fulfill their dreams and aspirations. I realize that I am the servant of a larger purpose. As such, I have gone straight to work. My team and I have been daily engaged in discussions and meetings refining our ideas and policy solutions so that we can begin actively working toward the common good the very first day we assume office. This great project called Nigeria beckons to us all. I ask that we work together as Nigerians for Nigeria. Those who voted for me, I ask that you continue to believe in our policies and plans for the country. I also ask that you reach out to your brothers and sisters who did not vote as you did. Extend to them the hand of friendship, reconciliation and togetherness. To those of you who did not vote for me, I ask you to believe in Nigeria and in the capacity of your fellow citizens, even those who voted differently than you. The better Nigeria I seek is not just for me and my supporters. It is equally yours. I do not ask you to abandon your political preferences. That would be undemocratic. I do beseech you to answer the call of patriotic duty as the loyal opposition. Remain loyal to the cause of a greater, more tolerant and just Nigeria. I too shall keep faith with this objective. If we all play our proper roles, we shall begin the task of rebuilding our national home together, day by day, brick by brick notwithstanding our political differences. As such, the victory of national progress will belong to all of us. The triumph of our nations democracy shall cite all of you as its very authors. This is how things should be. Dear Nigerians, this is our country. This is our moment. We dare not waste it. Nor do we back away to accept a lesser version of ourselves and of our collective fate. We can no longer be satisfied with calling ourselves the giant of Africa. We must devote ourselves to doing those great and historic things only a giant can do. As your president elect, I shall do my utmost in this regard for this is my sworn duty. I call upon you to come bravely forth as well, not for me but out of abiding love of country and for the people who inhabit it with you. We are so much better than we have been. Now is the time to stand fast and have faith in what this nation can be. I, for one, am standing. But this time, i shall not be the last or only one standing. Imagine how great we can be if over 200 million other souls stand with me. Let the world see a Nigeria that nothing can stop. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu President -Elect, Federal Republic of Nigeria March 16, 2023 Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Perhaps one of the biggest concerns is voter turnout, which reached a record low of 26.7% on 25 February. Will voters who turned out in their numbers in defiance of threats and violence in some places still brave the odds and turn out to vote again on Saturday? Or will they be so disappointed and frustrated with the outcome of the presidential and National Assembly polls that they wont bother? For the third time since 1999, I voted at a general election on 25 February and did so without much hassle. I knew my candidates would lose at the unit where I voted, but that didnt matter. Voting mattered more to me. The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) processed me so quickly it was almost like magic. I had no reason to suspect my experience would not be the norm that day. As I walked away from the booth, a family friend who had just voted caught up with me. Thank God that I have voted, she said. What gives me even greater joy is that my vote has gone directly to the INEC server, unlike the last time. I was puzzled. How do you mean? I asked. She explained that the last time she voted in 2019, a manual register was used to accredit her. The process was so long and time-consuming, she said, it left her drained. Yet, even as I was voting on that day, she recalled, I knew that my vote could be tampered with very easily. But it was different today. My thumbprint went straight to the INEC server, as I pressed the ballot paper. I was even more puzzled now. Where did she get that from? The bimodal voting machine first used on a limited scale by Nigerias election management body (INEC) in a state election in 2021 is capable of fingerprint and facial identification. After capture, the information is then uploaded from the polling unit along with the result sheets to INECs server. Even with the bimodal machine, however, ballot papers will still have to be sorted, collated, counted and the results recorded manually, signed by agents and the polling unit officer, before the result sheet can be uploaded. This educated, middle-class female voter and friend had stretched INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubus promise of result upload and transmission to its elastic limits, confusing it with electronic or internet voting. Unfortunately, the trope has gained ground among the party faithful, as flame-throwing by politicians has worsened. One unintended consequence of the prolonged grieving is further loss of faith among voters who braved the odds to vote on 25 February. This is the last thing the opposition needs at a moment of promise and significant electoral gains. The anger, frustration and disappointment from the 25 February election appear rooted not only in the feeling that INEC had betrayed its promise, but also in the betrayal of the personal fantasies, which that promise had spawned in many. For the fourth time in 12 years, general elections have been postponed either mid-vote or just on the eve. This is the third time, however, when postponement on this scale would be as a result of unanticipated technical difficulties by the election management body. We had similar situations before in 2011 and 2019. Perhaps given the difficulty that INEC faced after the 25 February election, especially the multiple legal challenges by the political parties, postponing the governorship election earlier scheduled for 11 March, was the most practical thing. It might have been suicidal not to do so. Yet the jury is out on how this devils alternative might affect the outcome of Saturdays governorship and House of Assembly polls in 28 out of the countrys 36 states. Perhaps one of the biggest concerns is voter turnout, which reached a record low of 26.7% on 25 February. Will voters who turned out in their numbers in defiance of threats and violence in some places still brave the odds and turn out to vote again on Saturday? Or will they be so disappointed and frustrated with the outcome of the presidential and National Assembly polls that they wont bother? Theres still a lot to play for. The suffocating hold of state governors over Nigerias politics, for example, appears to have been broken. For the first time in decades, the ruling party lost nine states, while seven sitting governors failed to make the Senate, their new retirement home. Also, 20 winning candidates emerged from political parties other than those of the incumbent governor in the 25 February poll, significantly redrawing Nigerias electoral map. These gains weaken the argument of widespread rigging by the opposition. Unfortunately, the trope has gained ground among the party faithful, as flame-throwing by politicians has worsened. One unintended consequence of the prolonged grieving is further loss of faith among voters who braved the odds to vote on 25 February. This is the last thing the opposition needs at a moment of promise and significant electoral gains. Voters have sacrificed a lot for this moment and it would be a shame if politicians mismanage it. Two voters who symbolise the 25 February historic vote were Jennifer Efidi Bina, who defied beatings by thugs and knife stab wounds to vote at Surulere Local Government in Lagos; and Chiedu Francisca-Oye, mother of a three-month-old baby, who carried her baby on her shoulder and also dragged her husband around Abuja until she finally voted. These two voters and millions like them didnt turn out for an electoral one-night stand. Francisca-Oye, in fact, told me after going to three different wards without finding her name, that whatever the difficulties she encountered on that day, she was determined to vote. Neither technical glitches nor thugs nor even the blazing noonday sun would prevent her. The last straw that broke the camels back was not one stroke. It was, instead, a gradual accumulation of strokes, just before the final blow. Voting this Saturday, may well be one more strategic stroke that brings the back of this monstrous electoral camel near breaking point Its not a job to leave to politicians. I will not give up, she said, with beads of sweat forming on her brow and her baby on her left shoulder swaddled in a white linen. If either she or Jennifer or anyone of the millions of voters who turned out to vote on 25 February are reluctant to come out again on Saturday, it would not only be because INECs server let them down. It would also be because politicians who ought to help them deepen faith in the process have been clutching at straws. They have a right to seek redress and INEC should respond forthrightly. Yet its fair to say that these politicians have looked for scapegoats everywhere except in the mirror, where it would have been obvious that more than anything else, their own poor choices, especially internal divisions, have landed them in this misery. A viral joke described how in 2015, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) formed an alliance of four main parties to defeat the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the time. In 2023, however, instead of using the APCs playbook against it, the PDP waged a war against itself and splintered into four miserable parts, each part hoping to win. There have been challenges in this years election: Underperformance by the electoral management body; attacks by thugs and threats to life; bank note misery in the midst of an economy in chaos; severe petrol shortages; and on top of it, politicians who, after causing their own defeat, choose to look for catharsis in scapegoats! Yet, daunting as the odds may be, sometimes its useful to look back to remind ourselves how far we have come. In 19th century Britain, for example, politicians in cahoots with the church used to lock voters up in boroughs close to polling centres ahead of polls, after corning them, just to make sure they voted in a certain way. This election season gimmickry included a range of self-serving schemes intended to bend voters will. According to Susan C. Stokes and others in Brokers, Voters and Clientelism, politicians continued in this perversion for years until the material condition of voters began to improve. Nigerian voters may have left the 19th century voter detention camps, but our politicians are not significantly better than the brokers of that British era who will go to extremes to exact the electoral outcomes they to want to see. The worst thing voters can do on Saturday, is to surrender by staying away. The last straw that broke the camels back was not one stroke. It was, instead, a gradual accumulation of strokes, just before the final blow. Voting this Saturday, may well be one more strategic stroke that brings the back of this monstrous electoral camel near breaking point. Its not a job to leave to politicians. Azu Ishiekwene is Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Madiba Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutus views on Ubuntu are useful for the clarification on the term. Of course, such attempt to explain the concept of Ubuntu further should raise questions on the relevance of Ubuntu and Omoluabi to todays Africa that is throwing away virtues, values and cultures in the pursuit of foreign values and norms being presented as natural for all of mankind. I had titled the first part of my Zimbabwean experience as, Quick Visit to Zimbabwe: My Case for the Rekindling of the Ubuntu Spirit in Africa. I received diverse reactions on this, including on the meaning of Ubuntu. Before writing on the final version of my memorable short stay in Zimbabwe that will be located within a rich history and beautiful nature, I decided to share an interesting exchange that arose from my first write-up, including using the opportunity to explain a bit on the meaning of Ubuntu. For Madiba Nelson Mandela, Ubuntu represents the profound sense that we are human only through the humanity of others; that if we are to accomplish anything in this world, it will in equal measure be due to the work and achievements of others. In effect, individualism that is much cherished in some cultures as the natural state of the human being is not necessarily so in this conception. Some authors have defined Ubuntu more broadly by suggesting that it is African humanism, a philosophy, an ethic and a worldview. Desmond Tutu, loosely defined Ubuntu as I participate, I share. He drew on the principles of Ubuntu to guide South Africas reconciliatory approach to apartheid era crimes. For Tutu, We are different so that we can know our need for one another, for no one is ultimately self-sufficient The completely self-sufficient person would be sub-human. A good illustration of Ubuntu was related in a piece I once read. A group of children were running in a race. A number of them were neck to neck when they noticed that one of them was far behind. They all stopped, went back for the slower child and all ran happily together at her pace. Asked why they did that, they pointed out that happiness shared is far better than one person running to capture a price. Aside from other reactions on different aspects of my story, and about getting a visa to Zimbabwe with a Nigerian passport, the reaction from a good friend to the first account of my visit cryptically elaborates on the word Ubuntu and much more. Unlike many who, in their reactions, felt pity for me, with one promising to raise my experience with officials, I feel I should share the detailed exchange I had with Professor Peter Fogam of the University of Lagos (Unilag) to elicit, if possible, a wider debate on Ubuntu, especially in terms of if such a concept is still relevant in Africa. As I completed my Ph.D in Political Science at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), I had to drag a fraudulent Iranian to a small claims court. He hired the services of a lawyer. I felt I did not need one, after all I was a freshly minted Doctor of Philosophy. The lawyer made mincemeat of me before the judge. I still won though, on paper, and received a restitution that was much less than I had expected. I guess the Judge was convinced of the fact that I had been defrauded, despite the Lawyer countering most of my arguments with hearsay objections and the Judge agreeing with him, most of the times. American courts are not like their Nigerian counterparts. The situation is a little more relaxed, almost like in Judge Judys court. There are no intimidating colonial wigs in the hot African sun, for instance. Fela Anikulapo Kuti captured the situation best in his song: Gentleman, wherein he derided the African colonial mentality of suit and tie in the stifling African heat on an average day. I asked the judge the meaning of hearsay. He responded in English that did not make sense to me. I looked and felt daft. But he ruled in my favour, as he seemed to have decided not to allow technicalities to obstruct justice. However, the lawyer insisted on some stupid monthly payment arrangement that I did not have the capacity to oppose. In fact, I was never paid. With this experience, I realised I was not learned as lawyers readily claim to be. This was a major push for me. I went back to school to read law. Professor Fogam and I come a long way. He was (with the late Professor Adedokun Adeyemi, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and many others) my teacher in the pursuit of a Bachelors degree in Law at Unilag. Graduating with flying colours, as they say in English, I proceeded to the Nigerian Law School and was called to the Nigerian Bar over 32 years ago. In addition, Professor Fogam, Ms. Bella Okagbue and Professor Osinbajo accompanied Professor Adeyemi to Somalia as part of the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM II). In effect, we were co-sojourners for almost two years during UNOSOM IIs search for the peace that continues to elude Somalia in the large part. The depth of the exchange between Professor Fogam and I on Pan-Africanism, I thought, requires further discussions, including by others, not only on Ubuntu but many philosophical and practical issues that should be useful for an African Renaissance, if anything like that is still possible. As a fine lawyer should, Professor Fogam started by challenging my use of the word rekindle in my title that is restated above. He indicated that he had two concerns with my write-up. He wrote: First the word rekindle means revive. That presupposes that the spirit of Ubuntu had existed before within African countries. With respect sir, that is erroneous. The African colonial history teaches us that there was nothing in common with the colonial territories that needed or needs to be rekindled. This is even more so (and that is my second point) when you invoke the spirit of Ubuntu. Ubuntu is a term of South African origin meaning I am because we are and translates in real life to mean humanity towards others. Our colonial history was just the opposite: Nigerians v Ghanaians; Congolese v Cameroonians; Senegalese v Gambians etc etc. Where was the humanity that you are advocating for it to be rekindled? Professor Fogam felt that we should discuss further on another day. Definitely, those days when I was young, our humanity had not become commercialised and the emphasis was on being an Omoluabi; this could be a basis for several radio/television dialogues to exchange knowledge, educate, and build towards policies that could ameliorate the African situation. Memories of students sponsored educative exchanges at universities remain very fresh. The public spirited lecturers included names like fast talking-sense personalities like Dr Tai Solarin, Dr Bala Usman, Dr Opeyemi Ola, Professor Bade Onimode, Comerade Ola Oni, Dr Akin Oyebode, Edwin Madunagu, Obarogie Ohonbamu, Funsho Akingbade, Alao Aka-Bashorun, Comrade Hassan Sunmonu, and of course, Gani Fawehinmi, etc. They educated Nigerians at large at platforms provided by students and broadcasted by public and private media dedicated to a better Nigeria, as opposed to todays profits-oriented media houses, ready to collect advertisements and brown envelopes from exploitative interests. In fact, a roundtable or seminar could be a major avenue for additional knowledge-sharing on the major poser by Professor Fogam. My response to my friend was to pose a number of questions: What made Nigeria to be concerned about apartheid in South Africa? What made me happy to part with my one-month salary happily, as part of support towards decolonisation and eradication of apartheid in Southern Africa? What made me take my three-year-old daughter to demonstrate in front of Bank of America every Saturday morning while at UCLA, with many other peoples of African descent, pushing for American divestment from South Africa? Tanzania and Zambia sacrificed so much with human and material payments. I concluded that we may not have had enough of the spirit of Ubuntu. But we can surely rekindle that little that is dying or wake up the dead. His response was very apt. He wrote: We must not upgrade individual sympathies like you displayed to the spirit of non-existent humanity within us. After all, Ghanaians chased out Nigerians and vice-versa from their countries; even the South Africans that you risked your life and that of your daughter in the protests supporting them, see what they are doing to Nigerians and other nationals in their country today. Prof. why would you have to take a flight round Southern Africa before getting to Harare, why should it take you so long for a sister country to give you a visa, let alone the treatment at airports. Humanity implies the quality of being humane; kindness; benevolence. This was killed in us collectively. We look at each other with utter contempt and suspicion and one is worse off if you carry a Nigerian passport. My immediate response to these weighty points from my friend was to acknowledge that he had raised valid issues. However, I suggested that we can try to build, if not rebuild our humanity. How we could set about realising such conviction of mine I am unable to articulate in this piece. I hope we all can help towards such an effort. In sharing my exchange with Professor Fogam, I brought up the Yoruba term Omoluabi, which emphasises a human role model that empathises with others in society and an epitome of good character. Such excellent character in society is based on integrity and hard work. No short-cuts that refuse to care about what is left for others in society. It is the opposite of the egoistic self that the dog-eat-dog of a Western competition orientation has foisted on us. Corruption is anathema for an Omoluabi just as it is for Ubuntu. It is certain that corruption kills and eschews Ubuntu and Omoluabi, since a most crucial value for Omoluabi integrity is necessarily absent when corruption reins. Corruption is sadistic for it destroys much of the lives of many in society, even if the egoistic conscience-less individual appears to be happy. Madiba Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutus views on Ubuntu are useful for the clarification on the term. Of course, such attempt to explain the concept of Ubuntu further should raise questions on the relevance of Ubuntu and Omoluabi to todays Africa that is throwing away virtues, values and cultures in the pursuit of foreign values and norms being presented as natural for all of mankind. On Omoluabi, my son once asked me if he should preach about the significance of being an Omoluabi in society to a kidnapper facing him with an AK-47? Babafemi A. Badejo, author of a best-seller on politics in Kenya, is a former Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia, and currently a Legal Practitioner and Professor of Political Science/International Relations, Chrisland University, Abeokuta. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print An indigenous software development company Upperlink, licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as a Payment Solution Service Provider (PSSP) announced it has signed a partnership agreement with a global payment and financial service company as a Payment Facilitator, as it expands international market options for local merchants with UpperlinkPaygate a proprietary payment gateway collection platform. Managing Director of Upperlink, Mr Segun Akano said Paygate would address an apparent lack in the commercial sector pertaining to collections for merchants in both local and foreign currencies. It will meet the needs of businesses across Africa, as these businesses can now connect with a wider range of potential customers across the globe, he explained. He said this edge is what made the Paygate platform an invaluable tool for merchants in Sub-Saharan Africa, as it provides them with a better way of doing business and in the process improves the foreign exchange earnings of the country, he explained further. The collaboration with this global payment company has enabled the company to leverage the benefits of its services and led to the deployment of UpperlinkPaygate. UpperlinkPayGate is robust and has the capabilities to process payment across all card schemes including MasterCard, American Express, China UnionPay and others. The lack of accessibility to services such as this has resulted in the inability of merchants to expand their business into the international market due to the absence of a medium through which income can be received from foreign customers, Akano said. The partnership would provide Upperlink with the infrastructure, competence, and support necessary for businesses, sub-merchants, and aggregators to begin accepting card payments. By taking advantage of its partners unique capabilities, UpperlinkPaygate offers a platform for businesses across sub-Saharan Africa to receive payments from clients all over the world in both local and foreign currency, Akano stated further. According to him, with its simplified and secure services, Paygate provides self-onboarding services, fast settlements, competitive transaction rates and the flexibility to accommodate the needs of individuals, SMEs, and large corporations. In its over two decades of operation, the company has employed cutting-edge technologies to develop landmark solutions that cater to the enterprise needs of corporate and individuals with suitable long-term solutions that currently thrive in both the corporate and government sectors. With UpperlinkPaygate, the firm would be able to underwrite onboard merchants and businesses and then provide them with the technology required to process electronic payments and receive the funds from those payments. This will create a veritable alternative for the growth of the e-payment space in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa, he added. Upperlinks real-time, API-driven onboarding or hosted enrolment process allows for faster time to market and ensures a smoother payment enablement experience. There are developers sandbox and API to various e-commerce platforms. By becoming a payment facilitator, the company bears the risks and oversight inherent in payment processing. The company enables seamless payments by activating payment processing immediately upon signing up for an organizations core service or platform and statutory compliance and KYC checks. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print With a new executive director at its helm, the Platte Valley Literacy Association (PVLA) is looking to increase awareness about the programs it offers to the community. Jessica Wiig started as the PVLA executive director in February. Originally from Wyoming, she moved to Columbus in 2017 and has two children. She previously worked from home and as a paraeducator at an elementary school. Wiig, who has a masters degree in English, is also an adjunct instructor at Central Community College (CCC). In her new role at PVLA, she is mainly responsible for community outreach. Wiig noted their outreach English as a second language (ESL) program. We work with companies here in town to offer English classes to their employees, Wiig said. That usually runs for 12 weeks, two hours each week, and it just kind of gives them the chance to improve their English-speaking skills. PVLA also offers classes in conversational English, citizenship and employability skills. In conjunction with CCC, they offer other ESL classes and GED classes. A lot of my role is just making sure people know what we have to offer, the outreach, ESL and citizenship promoting the PVLA, Wiig added. PVLA and CCC work hand-in-hand to provide adult education services and share a space at the Columbus Family Resource Center, 3020 18th St. Just last year, their space was renovated to allow for much-needed increased space. Later this year, PVLA officials will be busy as the nonprofit has been named the 2023 partner of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerces Taste of Columbus event. Proceeds from the fundraiser, which is held in the fall, will be split between PVLA and the chamber. CCC Adult Education Coordinator Amy Mahoney, who covers the adult education programs for Columbus and Schuyler, noted they are glad Wiig has joined. I think were kind of starting to move in the right direction, Mahoney said. Its good to have somebody to bounce ideas off of and just collaborate with. Wiig and Mahoney are looking at how they can transform the program and build it back up, Mahoney added. Shes very proactive in reaching out to the community and reaching out to potential students, Mahoney said. Wiig said her new position has been going well so far, noting there have been learning curves. I really enjoy it. I think its a lot of fun, Wiig said. I enjoy getting information about the services out to the community and helping the clients. Wiig noted there are a large number of workers coming into the Columbus area who migrate here to find better lives for themselves and their families but dont have English as their first language. We offer them what they need to improve their English-speaking skills to help them find better jobs we also do employability skills and hopefully to help them get their citizenship if they want to live here permanently, she said. Wiig said she hopes to bring more awareness to what PVLA offers. She added she will be utilizing the groups Facebook page more facebook.com/plattevalleyliteracy and people can reach out to her with questions regarding available programming at pvlacolumbusne@yahoo.com. PVLA is also always in need of volunteers. The only requirement is a high school diploma or GED. Those interested can contact the previously mentioned email address. Wiig noted there are many programs that focus on youth education and youth literacy services, which she said is important, but having literacy services for adults is also needed. The more successful the adults are, then they can pass all of that on to their kids, Wiig said. If they have that foundation of success, then they can help build their childrens success as well. The senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Philip Aduda, says he lost his re-election bid during the recent elections because people voted based on emotion and not performance. Mr Aduda, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Senate minority leader, stated this on Thursday during a press briefing in Abuja. The senator was defeated by Ireti Kingibe of the Labour Party (LP) during the National Assembly election on 25 February. Mrs Kingibe, a non-indigene of the FCT, polled 202,175 votes to defeat Mr Aduda who got 100,544 votes. The defeat would end the senators 12 year stay in the upper legislative chamber having been first elected in 2011. Speaking for the first time since the result of the election was announced earlier in the month, Mr Aduda, an FCT indigene, said he was not defeated because he did not perform but because people rode on the glory of their principals. However, it is unfortunate that some people have allowed their emotions to becloud their judgement of our performance and thereby misleading the public with cheap utterances wrapped with ignorance even when it is clear that some of them are coming to public prominence through the glory of their principals, the senator said. Challenging the process in court Mr Aduda also hinted that he may approach the court to seek redress on the process of the election. Though the 2023 senatorial elections came with its challenges and concerns that we hope to address legally, we strongly believe that with your continuous support and prayers for a better FCT under our leadership, we will come out stronger, he said. READ ALSO: FCT is marginalised Mr Aduda also raised concerns about the status of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and called for the territory to be treated like a state. He lamented that while people in other states will get the opportunity to elect sub-national leaders on Saturday, the territory is left out. While other Nigerians will be going to their respective states on Saturday to elect their governors and state houses of assembly members, the FCT people will be at home watching them. This wouldnt have been so if the federal government had yielded to calls for the democratisation and second-tier government for the people of the FCT, he said. He also disclosed that his colleagues in the senate rejected the Mayor for the FCT bill. According to the senator, if the bill had passed, it would have given FCT the same administrative status as New York City in the US and London in the UK. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the nomination of Herman Hembe as the governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Benue State. The governorship and state House of Assembly elections hold this Saturday, 18 March across Nigeria. Delivering its judgement on Thursday, the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal filed by Benjamin Iorlumum, to challenge the nomination of Mr Hembe as the Labour Partys governorship candidate in Benue State. Mr Hembe is a former member of the Houses of Representatives. Mr Iorlumum had urged the court to disqualify him from the Benue State governorship race on the grounds that he participated in the primary election of another party the All Progressives Congress (APC). But a five-member panel of the Supreme Court in a unanimous verdict delivered by Helen Ogunwumiju dismissed the appeal for lacking in merit. Ms Ogunwumiju said the law did not prohibit participation in two primary elections once the participant was not in two political parties at the same time. Subsequently, the judge dismissed Mr Iorlumums suit for being unmeritorious. She affirmed Mr Hembes nomination as the duly chosen candidate of the Labour Party for Saturdays election Background The appellant had alleged that Mr Hembe was a member of the APC at the time he vied and won the Labour Partys governorship ticket in Benue. Mr Iorlumum had asked a Federal High Court in Makurdi, the Benue State capital and the Court of Appeal to set aside Mr Hembes candidacy over his dual membership of the APC and Labour Party. But the two courts dismissed the suit. The courts found that Mr Hembe resigned from the APC before defecting to Labour Party where he clinched its governorship ticket last year. READ ALSO: Dissatisfied with judgements of the two courts, Mr Iorlumum approached the Supreme Court. The appellant argued before the Supreme Court that the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal failed to consider all the issues he brought before concerning Mr Hembes dual membership of the political parties. Mr Iorlumum had asked the Supreme Court to void the judgment of the Court of Appeal delivered on February 10, 2023 and declare him the sole candidate that participated in the Labour Partys gubernatorial primary election held on 9 June, 2022. With the Supreme Courts decision, Mr Hembe squares up against two other major contenders in the contest APCs Hyacinth Alia and PDPs Titus Uba. Labour Partys presidential candidate Peter Obi came third in the presidential election which held on 25 February. PDPs Atiku Abubakar came second while APCs Bola Tinubu and president-elect won the poll in Benue. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Kano State police command has announced the resumption of duty of a new police commissioner of the state, Useini Gumel, after political parties rejected the deployment of at least five other commissioners earlier posted to the state ahead of the 18 March governorship election. The police spokesperson in Kano, Haruna Kiyawa, announced the development to reporters on Thursday. The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and the main opposition, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) had on various occasions protested against some of the commissioners posted to the state for being allegedly partisan. PREMIUM TIMES gathered that days before the presidential election the police high command deployed Muhammad Yakubu to the state. He took over from Mamman Dauda who was redeployed to Plateau State. Mr Yakubus posting was followed by that of Balarabe Sule, a former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to Governor Abdullahi Ganduje. However, Mr Sules posting was withdrawn after protests by the members of the NNPP. Another police commissioner, Faleye Olaleye, was reportedly posted to the state but he was withdrawn and replaced with another commissioner, Ahmed Kontagora, who was commissioner during the presidential and National Assembly elections. Mr Kontagora has now been replaced with Mr Gumel. The Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of North West election duties, Hafiz Inuwa, told reporters that the intermittent changes of the police commissioners were done across the country to show clearly that the police are neutral and to show that nobody can determine which way the Nigerian police will go. We are ready for the task ahead New police commissioner The new police commissioner, Mr Gumel, on Thursday said the police are battle ready for the possible challenges during and after the governorship and state assembly elections. To set the tone of my assignment and for purpose of mutual understanding by all stakeholders, let me emphasise that we have taken steps to achieve three major objectives towards providing the enabling ground for INEC and the good people of this state to conduct and have a free, fair, credible and transparent election. First, at the Nigeria Police FHQ level during the last IGP conference, we the senior police officers have evaluated police performance in the previous presidential elections nationwide with a view of drawing lessons by identifying critical operational challenges, ascertaining the performance gaps and working towards addressing them in the next planning process for the good of the upcoming elections. READ ALSO: It is in view of this development, the Inspector General of police deployed additional anti-riot personnel and additional state-of-the-earth crowd management equipment to augment the existing security architecture in the state to adequately secure the forthcoming election. Secondly, we have undertaken security threat analysis and upscale the level of preparation for the elections across all the polling units at the local government areas of the state and we are fully prepared to emplace the requisite strategies towards managing the identified threats. He said he was committed to providing security and that residents of the state should not listen to rumours of insecurity. He said the police are prepared for the expected large turnout of voters during the election. He said residents of the state should have confidence in the ability of the police to provide security on the day of the election and after. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The governorship candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Jigawa State, Aminu Ringim, has blamed security agencies in the state for the violent attacks and killings that took place during the campaign period Mr Ringim raised the concern during the signing of a peace accord by major contestants in the gubernatorial election to be held on Saturday at the Jigawa State Police Command on Thursday afternoon in Dutse, the states capital. He said four people were killed at campaign rallies during the period in different parts of the state while many sustained injuries. Mr Ringim blamed security agencies, including the police for dereliction of duties. He claimed that the police did not take the necessary measures expected of them against politicians that violated the Peace Accord signed in 2022 during the flag-off of campaign rallies. Before starting our campaign rallies in 2022, we all came here and signed the Peace Accord, and we all agreed that non of us would violate the agreement, but what happened after that was so many criminal activities followed. All my billboards, posters, and anything that has the sign of our party, the NNPP were broken. Innocent people were attacked and killed in about five local government areas in the state. Our people were attacked in Maigatari, Guri, Kazaure, Ronni, Hadejia and Dutse local government areas. In some of these attacks, people were killed while in the remaining places, people were maimed, Mr Ringim said. Mr Aminu said security agencies have failed to do anything about it, even after he made a complaint to the police. I wrote a special complaint letter to the state police command, but nothing has been done about it, no arrest, so the security men did nothing to enforce the compliance of the last peace accord, Mr Ringim said. Responding to the allegation, the commissioner of police in charge of the state, Emmanuel Effiom, said security agencies did the best they could. He said several miscreants were arrested. When we received the complaints, we sent our men to investigate the matter, and after that, all the perpetrators of the crimes were arrested and presently they are in the prison here in Dutse, Mr Effiom said. Also commenting on the peace accord, the Deputy Inspector General of police sent to monitor the governorship election in the state, Hafis Muhammad, said he and the CP will make sure the election is peaceful. The agreement on the peace accord means people should know that Nigeria is a country built on the established law and order, in which if anybody wants to test our will and cause trouble in Jigawa state, we will deal with that person, Mr Mohammad wanted. The political parties which signed the peace accord were the All Progressive Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP, The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), the African Democratic Congress (ADC) All Progressive Grant Alliance (APGA) and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP). Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Fire on Wednesday gutted the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPC) Mega Station along Ikot Ekpene Road in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. A mini-bus and four out of the 16 dispensing pumps at the station were destroyed by the fire which started around 5 p.m. The roof housing the pumps was also partially destroyed by the fire. An official of the Akwa Ibom State Fire Service, who identified himself as Officer Ekamba told PREMIUM TIMES no life was lost, and that the firefighters were able to put off the fire before it could spread. Mr Ekamba said the State Fire Service would commence investigation on Thursday to ascertain the cause of the fire. Residents of the area, including motorists who went to the station to buy fuel, were seen in clusters, discussing the incident, when a PREMIUM TIMES reporter visited the scene about an hour after the incident. A witness told our reporter that the fire started from the pump suction nozzle that was dispensing petrol to a mini-bus. The mini-bus owner, a commercial transport operator, PREMIUM TIMES learnt, fled for safety during the incident. READ ALSO: Filling station catches fire in Abuja Another witness said most of the fire extinguishers brought out by NNPC station workers had long expired. Some of them (fire extinguishers) were as old as the station itself, he said, adding that the damage would have been catastrophic if not for the speedy intervention of fire fighters from the state fire service. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has said he is leading the campaign for the ousting of the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed because the political stakeholders in the state have tested their strength and have emerged on top of the contests. Mr Dogara, who spoke on a Channels TV programme Politics Today on Wednesday night, also said the governor and not himself should be described as an unstable politician. The former speaker and other top members of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) including former minister Bello Kirfi, a former Bauchi Governor, Isa Yuguda and a former senator, Sulaiman Nazifi, are supporting the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate, Sadique Baba Abubakar against the governor and candidate of the PDP While responding to the questions raised by the anchor, Mr Dogara said he has not left the PDP or rejoined the APC but he is leading the fight to ensure the APC candidate wins He said the coalition against the incumbent has tested its strength against the sitting governor and they found out they are stronger than him through the peoples support. But the truth as I was telling you is that weve tested our political strength here in Bauchi. Weve two races. In the first place, there was a rerun election in Dass local government area. He came out and cast the narrative as a battle between himself and myself. The election was held and I can tell you my candidate came top. In this election (2023) he fielded a candidate to take over my seat (House of Representatives ticket), I fielded my own candidate (under APC) and we defeated him. His member from his local government (Alkaleri/Kirfi federal constituency) is from the APC. The Senator who will take over now is from the APC. We defeated him (Mr Mohammmed) For now, I must tell you Im supporting candidates. Im not doing any political party for now. Im supporting candidates. Everybody knows that I backed Atiku Abubakar (PDP) for the presidency, a reason I told the whole world. But in Bauchi state, before primaries weve concluded. Ive supported the aspiration of retired Air Marshal Sadiq who is the candidate of the APC and Ive my candidates for House of Assembly. I have a Senatorial candidate and House of Representatives candidates, me Dogara said. Speaking on Mr Mohammed earlier comment on Channels TV that Mr is an unstable politician jumping political parties for personal gain, the former speaker said the name fits the governor. He is unstable, when he ran for Senate, was he in the PDP? We saw what happened at the level of the national assembly when he moved the so-called motion and then later he moved across to PDP. So, if hes moving to the PDP from the party that took him to the Senate didnt qualify him to be called politically unstable, he cant now say that Im suffering from instability, he said. The duo of Messrs Dogara and Kirfi are considered the two most powerful godfathers in Bauchi state politics. In 2019, they led a coalition to oust then-governor Mohammed Abubakar and supported Mr Mohammed. Theyre now been at loggerheads, which has led to the sacking of Mr Kirfi as the Wazirin Bauchi, an influential traditional title in the state. Mr Dogara was also suspended as Jakadan Bauchi. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print DXC awarded contract to modernize applications at leading Spanish gas distribution company AI and robotic process automation help Nortegas detect and resolve IT issues MADRID, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- DXC Technology has announced that Spanish gas distribution company Nortegas has awarded it a contract to modernize its business applications and transform its IT systems. As part of a transformation aimed at streamlining processes and reducing costs, DXC will assess Nortegas's SAP system landscape, identify opportunities for innovation, and deliver improvements to customer experience. Gas piping (Credit: Adobe Stock) (CNW Group/DXC Technology Company) With more than 8,100 kilometers of natural gas and LPG distribution networks, Nortegas serves more than one million customers in the Basque Country, Asturias, and Cantabria regions of Spain. As part of the contract, DXC will use AI to increase robotic process automation, helping Nortegas to more rapidly detect and resolve IT issues and incidents across the business. Nortegas will benefit from DXC's 35+ years of SAP experience with 15,000+ SAP professionals worldwide offering deep industry expertise and agile project management methodologies. "The contract with Nortegas is based on a 360-degree service model that will allow us to demonstrate our expertise in the management and development of SAP systems especially in the manufacturing industry", said Manuel Acosta, head of SAP at DXC Technology Iberia. "Helping implement the latest project management methodologies, we will optimize and automate Nortegas's IT systems, improving customer experience while reducing costs." About DXC Technology DXC Technology (NYSE: DXC) helps global companies run their mission-critical systems and operations while modernizing IT, optimizing data architectures, and ensuring security and scalability across public, private and hybrid clouds. The world's largest companies and public sector organizations trust DXC to deploy services to drive new levels of performance, competitiveness, and customer experience across their IT estates. Learn more about how we deliver excellence for our customers and colleagues at DXC.com. About Nortegas For more information on Nortegas, please visit: https://www.nortegas.es/en/ Jonathan Davies, DXC Technology, Jonathan.davies@dxc.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2033949/DXC_Technology_Company_Nortegas_Spain_Taps_DXC_Technology_to_Del.jpg SOURCE DXC Technology Company In February, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) filed a major lawsuit in the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia against the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum for violating the First Amendment by harassing and then kicking out a group of Christian students for wearing pro-life hats. WASHINGTON, March 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) has announced a victory for their clients in their lawsuit against the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum for harassing and then kicking out a group of pro-life Christian students. As reported at ACLJ.org and major news outlets including Fox News , the students from a Catholic school in Greenville, South Carolina, had traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in the 50th Annual National March for Life . This victory follows on the heels of another victory for our other clients in the case against the National Archives. Just as in the National Archives case, the Smithsonian has agreed to enter into a consent order and preliminary injunction, which is a court order prohibiting the Smithsonian from targeting pro-lifers again. On January 20, 2023, following the March for Life, a group of young pro-life students, along with parents and chaperones, visited the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. While in the museum, the students were targeted and harassed, and eventually kicked out by employees simply because the students were wearing blue beanie hats that had "Rosary PRO-LIFE" written on them. We filed a lawsuit on behalf of those students. As we previously explained : When our clients initially entered the museum, they were told by at least two security officers to remove their hats as they were going through security. They complied, believing this to be a simple security protocol for screening. After passing through security and seeing other individuals wearing expressive attire, the students put their hats back on and viewed the museum exhibits. Thereafter, multiple museum personnel told the students they must remove their hats. Staff could be heard using expletives about the students, many of whom were minors.... Now, the Smithsonian has agreed not to engage in this kind of harassment of pro-lifers again at the National Air and Space Museum. In addition, it is also going to instruct security officers at all its museums not to target pro-life speech. According to the consent order that has just been approved by the court: Smithsonian shall further reiterate to all security officers stationed at all Smithsonian museums open to the public and the National Zoological Park, that Smithsonian policy does not prohibit visitors from wearing hats or other types of clothing with messages, including religious and political speech. While we are pleased to announce this victory for our clients, this case is far from over. As with our lawsuit against the National Archives, we will enter a period of mediation with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum to see if we can get to the bottom of why our clients were targeted. This is just one of many coordinated efforts to harass and abuse pro-lifers in federally funded institutions. That directive came from someone, and whoever it was must be held accountable, and we're going to do the work necessary to hold them accountable. About ACLJ: The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), focusing on the preservation and defense of constitutional rights, is based in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit ACLJ.org . Media Contact: Brian Mayes 615-771-2040 [email protected] SOURCE American Center for Law and Justice UNIONDALE, N.Y., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ACRES Capital Corp., a nationwide commercial real estate middle-market lender along with ACRES Commercial Realty Corp. (NYSE: ACR), a REIT which is externally managed by a subsidiary of ACRES Capital Corp., announced its partnership with Project Destined. ACRES' partnership will support Project Destined and its mission to provide training in financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and real estate to students from underserved communities. ACRES welcomed 15 students to work alongside six members of the staff to gain real-world experience and mentorship in the areas of commercial real estate lending, asset management, finance, and legal. The students attend a cross-section of colleges and universities across the country, including New York University, Baruch College, Cornell University, The City College of New York, St. Francis College, Brooklyn College, Stony Brook University, Hunter College, and University of Florida. "Partnering with Project Destined and collaborating with these exceptional students is a natural extension of ACRES' commitment to developing the next wave of real estate industry leaders," said ACRES Chief Executive Officer and President Mark Fogel. "We are honored to be a part of this exciting initiative and look forward to providing an enriching and rewarding experience for all involved." Project Destined leverages a work-based learning approach where students join executives to evaluate actual commercial real estate deals in their community and compete in a pitch competition to industry leaders to earn scholarships. ACRES' mentors will prepare, engage, and guide students one-on-one to help them develop a range of fundamentalsincluding financial, technical, presentation, and leadership skillsdesigned to aid them in obtaining internships, certifications, and full-time employment, launching their careers in commercial real estate. "We are excited to partner with ACRES to introduce this incredible group of students to potential careers in commercial real estate," said Project Destined Co-Founder Cedric Bobo. "Our industry provides a broad range of career alternatives that also enable you to impact your community. Our partnership with ACRES will ensure that these students are aware of these opportunities and ready to take on that challenge." About ACRES Commercial Realty Corp. ACRES Commercial Realty Corp. is a real estate investment trust that is primarily focused on originating, holding and managing commercial real estate ("CRE") mortgage loans and equity investments in commercial real estate property through direct ownership and joint ventures. The Company is externally managed by ACRES Capital, LLC, a subsidiary of ACRES Capital Corp., a private commercial real estate lender exclusively dedicated to nationwide middle market CRE lending with a focus on multifamily, student housing, hospitality, industrial and office property in top U.S. markets. For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.acresreit.com or contact investor relations at [email protected]. SOURCE ACRES Commercial Realty Corp. After largely staying stagnant for a few years, the elephant herd at Omahas Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium has grown a ton literally. With three new calves born in the last year and a fourth due late this summer, the baby boom led one national zoological official to trumpet the Omaha zoo as a model, both for its breeding program and for creating an environment where the threatened animals can thrive. But a recent report from animal activist group In Defense of Animals called out the Omaha zoo and 11 others for their elephant exhibits. The group, which broadly opposes zoos keeping and breeding elephants, described Omahas exhibit space as meager and called for the end of its breeding program. Zoo officials declined to comment specifically on the report, but they did offer a glimpse into daily elephant care and plans for the growing herds future. Our management philosophy here is to let elephants be elephants, said Sarah Armstrong, elephant manager at the Omaha zoo. Our goal in everything we do is to provide an environment and a life where they can be elephants and they dont really need us. Theyre not looking to us for things throughout the day and weve been very successful with that. Omahas elephants have access to about 4 acres outside as well as the 25,000-square-foot elephant barn. The animals typically have access to more than one area at all times, especially in summer, Armstrong said. Space was a chief source of criticism in the report from In Defense of Animals. Some elephant experts say urban zoos simply dont have the space that African elephants, which roam extensive distances in the wild to forage for hundreds of pounds of vegetation each day, need for a normal life. Elephants need miles to roam, not a few scant acres, the report states. The bodies and minds of Earths largest land mammals have developed over centuries to walk vast distances, seeking water and foraging from scores of varied plant species. Dan Ashe, president and CEO of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, is familiar with that argument. His organization, a nonprofit representing hundreds of facilities in the U.S. and abroad, has set standards for elephant care, including space requirements. To keep elephants, a facility needs to be able to accommodate a social grouping of at least three animals. Facilities in areas prone to cold weather also need a substantial indoor space. I know people want to make arguments about how far elephants move in nature. Thats a common criticism, Ashe said. Animals in nature, they move because they have to move to find food, to find a mate, to find water. Theyre not unlike human beings. They dont move if they dont have to. Ashe credited the Omaha zoo with creating an environment where elephants can thrive. We expect to be held to a high bar, and I think thats why people go to a place like Henry Doorly, he said. They have confidence that theyre seeing elephants that are receiving the highest level of care from people who put great professional pride in that. ... Youre seeing animals that are really thriving. Omahas zoo has adequate space for its herd of nine soon to be 10 elephants at varying ages and sizes, according to Armstrong. The future size of the herd hinges largely on social hierarchy, she said. So far, the social dynamics remain positive. Eventually, Armstrong said, theyll look for a natural cleavage point among the herd, adding that mothers and daughters or mothers and juvenile males will never be split up. We look for the elephant and her calves that choose to spend maybe a little more time off by themselves, she said. As herds in the wild grow, they will naturally begin to split down because resources only support so many animals. The Omaha zoo is no stranger to criticism from activists. The arrival of the zoos five female elephants Jayei, Omma, Kiki, Claire and Lolly and one male in 2016 from Swaziland drew disapproval from some animal rights organizations, including In Defense of Animals. The 36-hour journey from Swaziland to Omaha included stops in Senegal, Texas and Kansas, depositing some of the herds elephants at two other American zoos. Veterinarians accompanied the elephants along the way, and zoo staff met the elephants at Eppley Airfield. The herd moved into the zoos $73 million African Grasslands exhibit. In 2017, Warren, a bull elephant in the original herd, died during a procedure. He had been the herds lone male until the arrival of Louie that summer. Louie moved to the North Carolina Zoo in 2021. Callee, the herds current bull, arrived in 2019 from the Birmingham Zoo in Alabama. He has fathered the herds three calves and another due late this summer. For decades elephants were brought to U.S. zoos, but transfers of African elephants have become rare in recent years. African elephants are listed as threatened, said Ashe. In the wild, the animals face threats including habitat fragmentation, human-elephant conflict and poaching for ivory. The future of elephants which have relatively few offspring and a 22-month gestation period in zoos hinges largely on breeding. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which has a program aimed at sustaining the zoo population, said about 160 African elephants currently live in U.S. zoos. Breeding programs served as another point of criticism in the In Defense of Animals report, which said breeding elephants in captivity serves only to perpetuate the serious issues that elephants in zoos experience and often ends in miscarriages and death. Omahas zoo has avoided outcomes like miscarriage or death in recent pregnancies. Kikis pregnancy was a bit of a rollercoaster for zoo staff with hormone levels dropping before a zoo veterinarian heard a heartbeat. But she gave birth to a healthy calf Eugenia in January 2022. Claire, whose pregnancy was textbook, gave birth to calf Sonny weeks later. This month, Lolly gave birth to a male calf. Jayei, the herds matriarch, is due in August or September. Jayei has had at least one other calf before 11-year-old Omma. Females in the herd are able to choose if they want to stand for Callee when it comes time to breed, Armstrong said. Thats why were successful and why our herd is growing the way it is, she said. Theyre set up to be elephants and Callee engages with them so well. They have such positive relationships throughout the herd. The ability to see and experience elephants in person rather than on television or on another screen is important, Ashe said. Still, some larger zoos in recent years, including the Toronto Zoo and San Francisco Zoo, have phased out their elephant programs, sending their aging animals to sanctuaries in the U.S. that have far more space. Ashe said zoos arent doing away with elephant programs because it cant be done well. It requires great effort and expense in addition to the need for a large space, which can limit urban zoos. Theyre not managing a few elephants. Theyre managing a herd of elephants, Ashe said. We should be managing elephants as elephants. Theyre social animals. Theyre herd animals. Henry Doorly is a great example of what a modern accredited zoo can be and the kind of care they can provide for elephants. Keepers at Omahas zoo try to replicate the social structure that a herd would exhibit in the wild. Elephant life is about family, Armstrong said. Its just going to further strengthen the bonds of our herd and provide better experiences for the elephants. In the wild, elephants forage for food and eat for about 18 hours a day, Armstrong said. Keepers, who work nine-hour days, try to replicate that. The elephant enclosure has programmable hoists and hay drops to offer meals and snacks through the day. Food is presented at varying heights to mimic the wild. Keepers also bury root vegetables in the sand for elephants to dig up and eat. Truckloads of tree branches are delivered daily for elephants to munch on. Between the constant snacking and toys like balls, a fire hose cube and big tires, they dont really have time to get bored, Armstrong said. Were providing the environment that allows for them to express all of those natural behaviors, which is just huge. We could honestly be standing on the ground there in front of them and they would still be doing what theyre doing, Armstrong said. Theyre not looking to me knowing that Im one of their caregivers for attention or food because they have everything that they need in their environment. This report includes material from the Associated Press. Photos: Two baby elephants make their public debut at Omaha Zoo 021522-owh-new-elephants-pic-cm001 021522-owh-new-elephants-pic-cm002 021522-owh-new-elephants-pic-cm003 021522-owh-new-elephants-pic-cm004 021522-owh-new-elephants-pic-cm005 elephants-cm006 021522-owh-new-elephants-pic-cm007.jpg 021522-owh-new-elephants-pic-cm008 021522-owh-new-elephants-pic-cm009.jpg 021522-owh-new-elephants-pic-cm010.jpg 021522-owh-new-elephants-pic-cm012 021522-owh-new-elephants-pic-cm013 021522-owh-new-elephants-pic-cm014 021522-owh-new-elephants-pic-cm015 021522-owh-new-elephants-pic-cm016 LAVAL, QC, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. ("Couche-Tard" or the "Corporation") (TSX: ATD) announces today that it has agreed to a firm and irrevocable offer to acquire certain assets to be carved out from TotalEnergies and has entered into exclusive negotiations on this basis. The proposed acquisition would comprise 100% of TotalEnergies retail assets in Germany and the Netherlands as well as a 60% controlling interest in the Belgium and Luxembourg entities. The proposed acquisition will be submitted to the relevant employee representative bodies and remains subject to customary regulatory approvals. The retail assets included in the proposed acquisition, at the end of calendar 2022, cover 2,193 sites where 1,195 are located in Germany, 566 in Belgium, 387 in Netherlands and 45 in Luxembourg. The majority are company-owned (68%) with the balance being dealer-owned (32%). For calendar 2022, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, and impairment ("EBITDA")1 were at approximately 500 million2 for the entities covered by this proposed transaction, including the non-controlling interest, or approximately 455 million2 excluding the non-controlling interest. The purchase price for this proposed transaction, to be paid in cash, is approximately 3.1 billion on a cash-free, debt-free basis, subject to customary closing adjustments. The Corporation expects to finance this proposed acquisition using available cash, existing credit facilities, US Commercial Paper Program and a new term loan. An investor presentation will also be available on the Corporation's website at https://corpo.couche-tard.com and by clicking in the "Investors/Events & Presentations" section. "We are excited to welcome the TotalEnergies employees and stores into the Couche-Tard family. As we learned more about their business, it became clear that we share the same customer-centric approach, values, and focus on an engaged workforce. We have deep respect for its operations, management, and people as well as great confidence that by joining forces together, we will build a winning global retail operation in the region. We see this as a strong geographical fit with our existing European network, which will allow us to grow together in some of Europe's strongest economies and move forward in our vision to become the world's preferred destination for convenience and mobility," said Brian Hannasch, President and Chief Executive Officer of Alimentation Couche-Tard. Patrick Pouyanne, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, said : "In Europe, the transformation of mobility is changing the way customers use service stations. This deep trend means that new services and new activities need to be developed, notably in the stores. Service stations must expand from just selling fuel to become full-fledged service hubs. For this reason, TotalEnergies has decided to partner with Couche-Tard and tap into its recognized expertise in operating convenience stores in service stations. We are delighted that Couche-Tard will apply all of its know-how in these 2,200 service stations in Western Europe and join forces with us in Belgium and Luxembourg, where we are the market leader. I am certain that this win-win forward-looking move will be a great success." The transaction remains subject to an information and consultation process involving employee representative bodies and the approval of relevant authorities. There is no certainty that the firm offer will be accepted and that the transaction will be completed. If the firm offer is accepted by TotalEnergies, it is expected that the proposed transaction would be completed before the end of calendar year 2023. On the new term loan, National Bank Financial Markets, The Bank of Nova Scotia and RBC Capital Markets act as Co-Lead Arrangers and Joint Bookrunners. Couche-Tard invites analysts, investors, media and any individuals interested in listening to the webcast covering its results for the third quarter of its fiscal year 2023 as well as this proposed acquisition, which will take place online on Thursday March 16, 2023, at 8:00 A.M. (EDT). To do so, you may either access the Corporation's website at https://corpo.couche-tard.com and click in the "Investors/Events & Presentations" section or use the following link https://emportal.ink/3KmFSWM to join the conference call with the assistance of an operator. An automated system will automatically return the call to give access to the conference call. Another option could be to access the conference call through an operator by dialing 1-888-390-0549 or the international number 1-416-764-8682, followed by the access code 59090454#. For individuals who will not be able to listen to the live webcast, a recording of the webcast will be available on the Corporation's website for a period of 90 days. 1 EBITDA does not represent a performance measure under IFRS and does not have standardized meanings prescribed by IFRS. This non-IFRS measure should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for financial measures prepared in accordance with IFRS. In addition, the definitions of non-IFRS measures may differ from those of other public corporations, including Couche-Tard's. Any such modification or reformulation may be significant. 2 Based on unaudited financial information of the contemplated entities covered by this proposed transaction provided by TotalEnergies for the 2022 calendar year and before full pro forma adjustments to the scope of the transaction. Non-controlling interests represents 40% of the Belgium and Luxembourg entities' EBITDA. About Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. Couche-Tard is a global leader in convenience and mobility, operating in 24 countries and territories, with more than 14,300 stores, of which approximately 10,900 offer road transportation fuel. With its well-known Couche-Tard and Circle K banners, it is one of the largest independent convenience store operators in the United States and it is a leader in the convenience store industry and road transportation fuel retail in Canada, Scandinavia, the Baltics, as well as in Ireland. It also has an important presence in Poland and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of People's Republic of China. Approximately 122,000 people are employed throughout its network. For more information on Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. or to consult its annual Consolidated Financial Statements and Management Discussion and Analysis, please visit: https://corpo.couche-tard.com . Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release may constitute forward looking statements within the meaning of securities legislation, including those with respect to the potential transaction. Positive or negative verbs such as "believe", "can", "shall", "intend", "expect", "estimate", "assume" and other related expressions are used to identify such statements. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of Couche-Tard and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties outside of Couche-Tard's control. Couche-Tard would like to point out that, by their very nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties such that its results, or the measures it adopts, could differ materially from those indicated in or underlying these statements, or could have an impact on the degree of realization of a particular projection. Unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, Couche-Tard disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking information in this release is based on information available as of the date of the release. While the information contained in this press release is believed to be accurate, CoucheTard expressly disclaims any and all liability for any losses, claims or damages of whatsoever kind based upon the information contained in, or omissions from, this press release or any oral communication transmitted in connection therewith. In addition, none of the statements contained in this press release are intended to be, nor shall be deemed to be, representations or warranties of Couche-Tard and its affiliates. Where the information is from third-party sources, the information is from sources believed to be reliable, but Couche-Tard has not independently verified any of such information contained herein. SOURCE Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. The company adds seasoned leaders to its executive team, maintaining its considerable momentum through the first quarter of 2023 BROOMFIELD, Colo., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Alio, Inc., a medical technology company reinventing the management of chronic disease, announced its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Adarsh Parekh, in addition to a few other key leadership hires. He served as Alio's Vice President of Finance for the past year, helping to further reinforce the company's trajectory, strategic planning, and aid in the initial close of its Series C fundraising round. Parekh is a seasoned private equity and investment banking professional with over $2 billion of M&A, capital markets and direct investing experience as well as asset management experience across multiple sectors. Prior to joining Alio, Parekh served as Principal of a large, multinational private equity firm where he led acquisition, strategic planning, financial operations and divestiture efforts for several vertically integrated portfolio companies resulting in outsized returns to investors. Parekh's extensive on-the-ground asset management experience includes establishing and scaling organizations as well as transitioning conventional business models to recurring revenue-based operations. "We are at such an exciting point in our growth trajectory as a company," said Parekh. "Our technology has tremendous potential and I'm passionate about the impact we can have on those living with chronic conditions. It's truly a privilege to join an extraordinary, mission-driven team delivering life-changing innovation to an underserved and overlooked patient population." Alio continues to scale the organization to match growing demand including opening a second office in Broomfield, Colorado which now has more than 20 employees including Julia Quirk who was recently named as Alio's Vice President of Human Resources. Adding Parekh and Quirk further solidifies the senior leadership team as the company prepares for commercialization, expands upon the novel metrics its SmartPatch can deliver, while also growing and nurturing a robust network of strategic partners. "We have the opportunity to help so many people - to make better care possible, to avoid adverse health events, and reduce cost to the system," said David Kuraguntla, CEO and Co-Founder of Alio. "Adding seasoned leaders like Adarsh and Julia to our team will help us maintain our momentum and have the kind of impact we've always envisioned Alio would have. With millions of people around the world living with ESKD, we have an obligation to leverage our technology to improve their lives and I have never been more confident in our team's ability to deliver." About Alio Alio, Inc. is a medical technology company bringing peace of mind to people with chronic conditions through non-invasive, wireless remote patient monitoring. Currently, Alio uses its SmartPatch technology to monitor individuals with end stage kidney disease (ESKD) undergoing dialysis. Alio's platform uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze data and create actionable insights. These insights enable targeted interventions with the potential for improved health outcomes and reduced hospitalizations. Alio has built a team of seasoned leaders with diverse backgrounds spanning across industries and segments such as medical devices, wearable technology, government relations, commercialization, and reimbursement. Visit our website for more information: https://alio.ai. Contact: [email protected] SOURCE Alio PHOENIX, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Alliant International University today announced that it is expanding its professional practice offerings to include programs in nursing and health sciences. The Alliant School of Nursing and Health Sciences (SNHS), based in Phoenix, Arizona, will initially offer two programs: Pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Master of Science in Nursing: Direct-Entry (MSN- DE). Alliant's nursing students will be prepared through a model of scholarship paired with practice. They will gain expertise in the new state-of-the-art facility with various simulation labs, fully equipped classrooms, and the latest technological tools to help them develop the skills they need to succeed. Students will also be working with several partners including hospitals and leading healthcare institutions in Phoenix. Through these partnerships, they will gain hands-on experience in varied specialties including critical care, mental health care, long-term care, and pediatrics while serving their future patients and communities. "At Alliant, we are proud of our role as one of the nation's leading preparers of professional psychologists. Launching the School of Nursing and Health Sciences seemed a logical next step. These new programs will aid in our mission to bridge the gap between mental and physical health We believe they are both equally important and inextricably linked," said Andy Vaughn, President and CEO of the Alliant International University System. "We will be seeking opportunities for partnership between our new School of Nursing and Health Sciences and our longstanding schools of Professional Psychology and Education in order to prepare effective, culturally competent healthcare professionals who will serve in some of the most needed roles in our communities." "We are excited to be launching nursing programs that will prepare students for the changing healthcare landscape. By focusing on the development of clinical reasoning skills and clinical judgment through evidence-based practice alongside vital relational skills, we will help our students connect with their patients," said Sherrie Palmieri, Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences. "We expect to educate our students in the art and science of nursing, preparing them to be competent AND caring." The School of Nursing and Health Sciences will be joining Alliant's network of professional practice schools including the California School of Professional Psychology and the California School of Education. The Phoenix campus will be the ninth Alliant campus, joining locations like San Diego, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, CA. Alliant will be hosting a Grand Opening event for the new school and campus in Phoenix on Thursday, March 30 to include tours, medical simulations, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and reception. About Alliant International University Alliant is a private university accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) which offers programs in psychology, education, business management, forensic studies, law, and nursing. Alliant's mission is to prepare students for professional careers of service and leadership, and to promote the discovery and application of knowledge to improve the lives of people in diverse cultures and communities around the world. More information is available at www.alliant.edu. Cielo Villasenor [email protected] SOURCE Alliant International University SCHAUMBURG, Ill., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- North America's premier foundry event will feature many new faces when it comes to Cleveland on April 25-27. Over 225 exhibitors already have reserved their spots at Metalcasting Congress 2023, including more than 25 companies exhibiting for the first time. Exhibit sales are ongoing, so both numbers will rise. "The industry's positive response to the networking and marketing opportunities at Metalcasting Congress 2023 has been very strong," said Doug Kurkul, CEO of the American Foundry Society, which hosts the annual event. "We're seeing robust exhibit sales and expanded our show floor to accommodate more exhibits. We're also excited to welcome so many first-time exhibitors. Our attendees will certainly enjoy discovering what our new and longtime exhibitors have to offer." Metalcasting Congress exhibitors range from equipment dealers and raw materials suppliers to robotics experts and additive manufacturing service providers who network with thousands of decisionmakers from across the entire metalcasting supply chain. North American metalcasters have their own pavilion, Cast in North America, for doing business with casting designers and buyers. This group even has a custom slate of expert-led educational sessions, the Designers & Buyers Track, which is offered directly on the show floor at Metalcasting Congress. Only a few exhibit spaces remain, and once they're sold, the floorplan cannot be expanded any further. To reserve an exhibit at Metalcasting Congress 2023 before it sells out, click here. Interested in attending? To experience everything Metalcasting Congress 2023 has to offer, including all exhibits, 70 technical and management knowledge-transfer sessions, keynotes, and much more, click here and select the "Full Conference" option. To view the exhibits, plus Designers & Buyers sessions and keynotes, click here and select "Exhibits Only." Contact: Katelyn Stanek, [email protected] or (847) 803-2909 The American Foundry Society is a dynamic technical and advocacy organization that serves and represents the $44 billion metalcasting industry. AFS is the only association serving the entire industry, including all metals and processes, with a three-part focus on advocacy, education, and innovation. AFS also publishes Modern Casting and Casting Source magazines and presents Metalcasting Congress and CastExpo, the largest metalcasting trade events in North America. Founded in 1896, the organization is based in Schaumburg, Illinois, with an advocacy office in Washington, D.C. More information is available at afsinc.org. SOURCE American Foundry Society RENENS, Switzerland, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ASPIVIX SA, a medical technology company focused on improving gynecological and fertility care, today announced the publication of the results, in the international reproductive health journal Contraception, of the ADVANCE Women study (Atraumatic Device using VAcuum Technology for CErvical Procedures in WOMEN), a randomized controlled trial of Carevix, its novel non-traumatic cervical stabilizer. Carevix, soft cervical stabilizer, for IUD placement. Carevix soft cervical stabilizer in users hand. Zuzanna Adamczewska-Bolle Carevix soft cervical stabilizer in users hands Carevix soft cervical stabilizer versus traditional cervical tenaculum. Zuzanna Adamczewska-Bolle Carevix soft cervical stabilizer from multiple views ADVANCE Women, a single-blinded, randomized study, compared the use of Carevix to the standard-of-care surgical instrument, the cervical tenaculum, in 100 women undergoing Intrauterine Device (IUD) placement. Carevix utilizes a non-traumatic, gentle approach to reduce pain and bleeding in multiple transcervical procedures, including IUD insertions. The results of the study, which was conducted at the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG) and the University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV), demonstrate that: Women in the Carevix study group reported statistically and clinically significant lower pain scores at all relevant timepoints during the IUD placement, with pain scores 30-53% lower with Carevix compared to tenaculum use. Carevix was particularly beneficial for nulliparous women, with 88% fewer nulliparous women reporting severe pain during IUD insertion in the Carevix group compared to the tenaculum group. Carevix led to a 78% reduction in cervix bleeding occurrence rates compared to the tenaculum. "The IUD is more than 99% effective in preventing pregnancy and is considered the most cost-effective birth control method available, but because many women experience pain and bleeding during IUD placement, less-effective methods are chosen out of fear of procedural pain," said Dr. Michal Yaron, investigator of the ADVANCE Women study and Head of Outpatient Gynecology Consultations, University Hospitals of Geneva. "The highly compelling results from study demonstrate that Carevix is a promising and important alternative technology that has the potential to dramatically improve the IUD placement experience for women worldwide." "The publication of the ADVANCE study in Contraception reinforces our commitment to offering women with clinically proven gentle solutions for gynecological and fertility needs. This publication along with the FDA clearance for Carevix, brings us one step closer to revolutionizing century-old gynecological tools and procedures," said Mathieu Horras, Chief Executive Officer of ASPIVIX. "Our mission remains unwavering: to bring innovative technologies that prioritize women's health and improve their lives." About Carevix Carevix is an innovative, suction cervical stabilizer designed as a modern and gentler alternative to a cervical tenaculum. By leveraging suction technology to gently stabilize the cervix, Carevix delivers cervical engagement without the need to perforate the tissue. A semi-circular, anatomical pad is applied onto the delicate tissue during gynecological procedures, reducing significantly trauma associated with pain and bleeding. About ASPIVIX ASPIVIX SA is a privately held medical device company based in Switzerland, dedicated to developing modern and gentle gynecological solutions that advance women's healthcare. Visit www.aspivix.com or stay informed www.aspivix.com/stay-informed/. Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2033756/Aspivix_Carevix.mp4 Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2033757/Aspivix_Carevix_1.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2033758/Aspivix_Carevix_2.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2033761/Aspivix_Carevix_3.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2033760/Aspivix_Carevix_4.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1993199/Aspivix_Logo.jpg Media contact: Mathieu Horras [email protected] +41 79 103 22 06 SOURCE Aspivix SA MANILA, Philippines, March 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Global blockchain leader nChain and Ateneo De Manila University signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to promote and foster blockchain education within the University and define a framework for the future of the Philippines. This collaboration will be led by the University's research group, The Ateneo Blockchain Laboratory. It is set to provide an additional blockchain leadership unit to the University's course offering in the second semester of 2023. In addition, nChain will support PhD students with access to patented IP and several grants to further blockchain research in the Philippines. The Ateneo Blockchain Laboratory aims to conduct applied research and development projects focused on the practical applications of blockchain technologies. Ateneo and nChain share a common vision and goal to advance fintech and blockchain technology while achieving their social impact goals. Christian Pulmano, head for the Ateneo Blockchain Laboratory, shared, "Our collaboration with nChain aims to expand the University's blockchain programs through education, capacity-building, and research initiatives. Blockchain technology can potentially solve many of our society's problems. As a research institution, we want to explore the potential of blockchain for the ultimate goal of nation-building." nChain partners with educational institutions and world-class universities across the globe. It supports and promotes interdisciplinary research and education, as well as a wide range of academic programmes in information and communications technology, cryptology, economic theory, and data science. nChain provides policy recommendations and empirical evidence on blockchain uses and technology's social and economic benefits. Stefan Matthews, nChain Group Chairman, cited: "Our partnership with the University is the first of a series of educational and training initiatives being rolled out to support the broader government objective to enable blockchain adoption in the Philippines. Concurrently, we deliver seminars on leadership and advanced technical topics for business and government. We aim to highlight blockchain and transition from the Philippines to web 3 to the world." nChain is committed to advancing the global adoption of the BSV Blockchain, the largest public blockchain that has restored the original Bitcoin protocol and unlocked the ability to scale. This means that it can increase its block sizes and transaction capacity as needed while lowering fees to tiny fractions of a cent. This aligns with governments and institutions that process a high number of transactions on a daily basis. About nChain nChain is a leading provider of global blockchain technology, IP licensing and consulting services. The company serves clients globally to power several industries, including gaming, supply chain, and finance. nChain offers Web3 solutions in the digital payment space, along with professional services that assist enterprises of all types to benefit from blockchain technology. nChain currently has almost 2,800 registered active and pending patents and is the developer behind the Bitcoin SV Node software, Teranode, Kensei, and more. More information: www.nchain.com About Ateneo De Manila University Ateneo de Manila University is one of the world's most exciting communities of leaders and scholars. More than 160 years after the Jesuits returned to the Philippines in 1859, Ateneo has grown into a major Jesuit university whose schools include a college, graduate school, four professional schools, three basic education departments, and an array of research and development centers. The motto of the Ateneo de Manila University is Lux-in-Domino, "Light in the Lord." These words from the letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians call us to "live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness, righteousness, and truth." The Ateneo de Manila is more than an institution of higher learning. The Ateneo commitment is to become light in the world, seeking the truth to illuminate and to serve. This spirit lives in every aspect of our work as a Jesuit and Philippine university. More information: www.ateneo.edu Contact Haris Khan, +44 (0)7503 581563, [email protected] SOURCE nChain Daniel Hawkins, CEO of Avail Medsystems, and Frederic Moll, the "Father of Robotic Surgery," to Discuss the Evolution of the Digital Operating Room Keynote Panel Session, March 22, 2023, at 8:05am (Track 2) in Dana Point, California SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Avail, the digital hub of the operating room (OR) enabling the medical technology (MedTech) and healthcare industries to work smarter together to advance patient care, announced today that Daniel Hawkins, CEO of Avail Medsystems, will participate in a keynote panel session at Life Science Intelligence's (LSI) Emerging MedTech Summit USA 2023. Daniel will be alongside Frederic Moll, M.D., current Chief Development Officer at Johnson & Johnson and widely recognized as "the father of robotic surgery." The two will discuss the Evolution of the Digital Operating Room, and how a platform in the OR is needed to enable the digital transformation to extend beyond robotics. Presentation Information: Keynote Session Title: Evolution of the Digital Operating Room Evolution of the Digital Operating Room Speakers: Panelist Daniel Hawkins (CEO of Avail Medsystems); Panelist Frederic Moll (Chief Development Officer, Johnson & Johnson); Moderator Henry Peck (VP, Strategy & Growth, LSI) Panelist (CEO of Avail Medsystems); Panelist Frederic Moll (Chief Development Officer, Johnson & Johnson); Moderator (VP, Strategy & Growth, LSI) Session Information: Keynote event on March 22, 2023 , at 8:05am (Track 2) in Dana Point, California Keynote event on , at (Track 2) in Registration and more information: lifesciencemarketresearch.com/medtech-summit-2023 Hawkins was the first non-technical hire at Intuitive Surgical, the company that developed the most prominently available multipurpose robotic surgery system, and he worked closely with Moll as co-founder of the company. During the LSI panel discussion, the two will discuss the possibilities of enhanced clinical capabilities when the operating room digitizes beyond robotics. Topics will include how a computing platform for the OR can address limiting factors, such as costs and increased complexity, while enabling OR's to reach the enhanced capabilities possible through digitization. "Robotics introduces important clinical capability that often comes with substantial complexity necessitating increased collaboration to effectively manage procedural workflows," stated Moll. "This complexity can also require additional support from industry. The need for increased collaboration by clinical teams and industry can be facilitated today by telepresence." Avail is a complete telepresence system and is built on a foundation of purpose-built hardware placed in facilities without capital cost. The hardware is designed to be a computing platform in the OR, enabling remote physicians and the MedTech industry to be virtually present in operating or procedure rooms and serving as a host to an array of digital tools. Clinical teams can invite remote healthcare providers and medical device experts to learn, share knowledge, collaborate, and provide product expertise by joining live procedures audibly and visually and sharing access to the digital tools. "The MedTech industry is at a crossroads of sorts where it must reinvent legacy processes to better support the increased capability and complexity inherent in surgical robotics and digital OR enablement," stated Hawkins. "Avail connects a network of procedure rooms with remote medical professionals, enabling clinical teams to collaborate and therefore better leverage the latest digital tools. Fred and I look forward to sharing our thoughts and observations on these important topics at this year's Emerging MedTech Summit and appreciate LSI inviting us to participate in the event." About Life Science Intelligence (LSI) LSI helps MedTech leaders build businesses that save lives. With LSI's ecosystem of partnering events, market research products, and media services, MedTech businesses can access the community, capital, and insights that enable growth. LSI's Emerging MedTech Summits (LSI USA and LSI Europe) bring innovators, investors, strategics, and service providers together at world-class venues to facilitate personalized partnering. Hundreds of MedTech companies have trusted LSI to deliver more enjoyable and more effective partnering experiences that create relationships and accelerate growth. Based in Huntington Beach, California, LSI is building an enduring company to impact millions of people's health. About Avail Medsystems Avail enables the MedTech industry and healthcare providers to work together more often and more efficiently, harnessing expertise and technology in and out of the OR to accelerate the innovation, adoption, and reach of tools and techniques to improve patient care. Avail does this by placing a consistent, mobile, hardware platform with integrated software into operating rooms, audibly and visually connecting remote participants and serving as the hub for advanced digital capabilities including AI and machine learning, in a secure cloud-based digital telepresence network. Today, 50 MedTech organizations have contracted with Avail to rethink commercial models, reduce inefficiencies, and enhance the reach and timeliness of collaboration. Avail was founded in 2017 by MedTech veterans with a vision to leverage Silicon Valley technology expertise to evolve the industry and enable MedTech and healthcare to deliver the best care possible. Avail.io SOURCE Avail Medsystems Inc NEW YORK , March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The US has always been curious about British culture, but beneath the common perceptions - how well do Americans truly know Brits today? British Airways and VisitBritain have joined forces in a new campaign that gives an insider's view on modern Britain, with all its vibrancy and warmth, to inspire US visitors to book their next visit. The campaign 'Ask Britain Anything', created with Uncommon Creative Studio, takes a deep dive into 50 of Americans' most-searched online questions about the UK and puts them directly to British people for their view. 'Ask Britain Anything' sees British Airways' colleagues alongside people from across Britain answer some of Americans' top searched questions about Britain. Some of the most-searched questions by Americans included: What are British people like? Why do British people like queuing? Why travel to Britain? What do British people eat for breakfast? Is all British food beige? And, what do British people mean when they say 'hello love'? The new campaign, launching this week across the US via connected television, programmatic videos, banners, social media and a robust content partnership with DotDash Meredith, sees British Airways' colleagues alongside people from across Britain answer some of these burning questions. Behind the campaign's humor is a 'bird's-eye' view of modern British society, with its unique people, cultures and quirks that make Britain such a special place to live and visit. "The most surprising question was about British food being beige. I've been debating it among my friends ever since!" said British Airways Inflight Manager Jason Consiglio, who took part in the campaign. "Answering these questions gave me a chance to recognize how much I love being British, and the confidence to say how great we really are. We're a beautiful country that champions traditions, cultures and people. I could not be happier to represent Britain, and British Airways, in this campaign." British Airways Director of Marketing Hamish McVey said: "Everyone knows about Britain's vibrant cities, historical sites and beautiful landscapes. But there is a curiosity around British culture now more than ever. We're incredibly proud of this campaign, which dispels the stereotypes, sheds light on who we truly are and why you should visit to get to know us better. And what better place to immerse yourself in the British spirit than on a British Airways flight." VisitBritain Executive VP for The Americas, Australia and New Zealand Paul Gauger said: "We are delighted to launch this fun and engaging campaign, inviting our visitors to 'Ask Britain Anything' and extending a warm welcome to the US, Britain's largest and most valuable inbound visitor market. By telling the story of our dynamic destinations and diverse culture, we're inspiring visitors from the US to explore further, stay longer and discover the new and surprising experiences to be had in Britain all year-round." The campaign includes a series of 12 unique and original films. More than 70 individuals were interviewed to take part in the series from across the UK's nations and regions, including a Welsh rapper, an NHS neurosurgeon, Liverpudlian firefighters and a Scottish astrologer, as well as British Airways colleagues. A selection of the original films is available to view online through the campaign's landing page at BA.com/visitbritain. The British Airways and VisitBritain's 'Ask Britain Anything' campaign is part of the UK Government's GREAT Britain global campaign. EDITOR'S NOTES About British Airways' flight network As a global airline and the UK's flag carrier, British Airways has been flying customers to where they need to be for over 100 years. The airline connects Britain with the world and the world with Britain , serving more than 190 destinations across more than 65 countries, including routes with its partnership airlines. The airline proudly offers customers flights to more destinations from London than any other carrier. with the world and the world with , serving more than 190 destinations across more than 65 countries, including routes with its partnership airlines. The airline proudly offers customers flights to more destinations from than any other carrier. British Airways customers have access to one of the world's most extensive flight networks, both domestically and internationally, offering flights to and from central airports at convenient times. It operates out of three major London airports: London Heathrow, London Gatwick and London City, and serves 27 destinations in the US alone. airports: London Heathrow, London Gatwick and City, and serves 27 destinations in the US alone. The British Airways route network continues to be reviewed and updated, with recent additions including a daily year-round service to Portland, Oregon ; and direct flights from Cincinnati to London Heathrow launching in June. ; and direct flights from to London Heathrow launching in June. Contact the British Airways Americas press office at [email protected] . . To book visit BA.com and connect on Facebook @BritishAirways and Instagram @british_airways. About VisitBritain VisitBritain promotes the UK internationally as a visitor destination as part of the UK Government's global GREAT Britain campaign. campaign. Information about VisitBritain's latest tourism forecasts for 2023 is available on its website here: https://www.visitbritain.org/2023-tourism-forecast For further information on events in Britain in 2023, please see https://www.visitbritain.com/en/how-see-things-differently-britain-2023 in 2023, please see For more information about the UK Government's GREAT campaign see: https://www.greatcampaign.com/ SOURCE VISITBRITAIN MIAMI, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Cruise Line has 100 million reasons to celebrate after announcing today it achieved a major milestone for the industry as the first cruise line to embark 100 million guests since its first sailing. Carnival President Christine Duffy visited Carnival Sunrise today as guests boarded the ship at PortMiami, where the cruise line was founded, to thank them for choosing fun since 1972 and making Carnival the world's most popular cruise line. Carnival President Christine Duffy, the Clifford Family and Carnival Sunrise Captain Luca Cherchi The milestone was commemorated as Debi and David Clifford, who are vacationing from Ohio and representing Carnival guests everywhere as the 100 millionth, boarded the ship with their family. They were recognized with fanfare from Duffy and the ship's team members, who are led by Captain Luca Cherchi. Other guests embarking on the cruise were able to take part in the festivities as well and take special photos signifying how each is "One in 100 Million." "We're the first cruise line to meet this incredible mark of 100 million guests and I believe it is a testament to the fun, inclusive atmosphere our valued guests and our extraordinary team members have created together on board our ships for the past 51 years," said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. "There is certainly much more fun to come. We're continuing to grow our operations at a rapid pace with three ships joining our fleet by the spring of next year." The company's new Carnival Celebration is already proving popular with guests in its first few months of sailing from Miami, and now the cruise line is preparing for another ship to debut in May. Carnival Venezia will expand Carnival's New York offerings from seasonal to year-round and bring to life a host of all-new "Carnival Fun Italian Style" experiences. Later this year, Carnival Jubilee, a third sister ship to Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration, will join the fleet and sail from Galveston, Tex. In the spring of 2024, Carnival Firenze, sister ship to Carnival Venezia, will begin offering year-round cruises from Long Beach, Calif. For additional information on Carnival Cruise Line and to book a cruise vacation, call 1-800-CARNIVAL , visit www.carnival.com , or contact your favorite travel advisor or online travel site. ABOUT CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE Carnival Cruise Line, part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), is the first cruise line to sail over 100 million guests and is proud to be known as America's Cruise Line, for carrying more Americans and serving more U.S. homeports than any other. For over 50 years, Carnival has continually revolutionized the cruise industry and popularized the cruise vacation as an affordable and fun travel option. Carnival operates from 14 U.S. and two Australian homeports and employs more than 40,000 team members representing 120 nationalities. Carnival currently operates 24 ships and is in an exciting period of growth with the addition of three ships over the next two years. SOURCE Carnival Cruise Line NEW YORK, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Clayton, Dubilier & Rice ("CD&R" or "the Firm") today announced the appointment of John Hayes, former Chairman and CEO of Ball Corporation, as an Operating Advisor to CD&R funds with a focus across the industrials sector. Mr. Hayes brings nearly 25 years of experience and global perspective as a senior executive and leader in the industrials space. He joined Ball Corporation (NYSE: BALL), a supplier of aluminum packaging solutions as well as aerospace and other technologies and services, in 1999 and served in several leadership positions before assuming the role of CEO in 2011 and Chairman and CEO in 2013. Mr. Hayes was instrumental in advancing the company's strategy and vision and establishing Ball Corporation as a recognized industry leader. Under his leadership, Ball Corporation achieved strong financial, operational and cultural performance, generating approximately $15 billion in annual revenues and increasing the company's market capitalization from approximately $5 billion to nearly $30 billion during his tenure as CEO. Mr. Hayes also led the company's acquisition of Rexam Plc for $8.5 billion in 2016, successfully integrating Rexam's operations and global footprint, and overseeing the combined company's leading sustainability programs. As an Operating Advisor to CD&R funds, Mr. Hayes will support CD&R's investment teams and the management teams of the funds' portfolio companies, while leveraging his vast sector expertise and decades of leadership experience to promote strategic and operational initiatives across these businesses. "John has demonstrated a track record of driving growth and operational excellence, as well as a focus on team-building and culture, that we believe will be valuable to CD&R funds," said CD&R CEO Nate Sleeper. "We believe that our investments, portfolio companies and management teams will benefit from these capabilities." "CD&R has long been recognized for building and growing sustainable businesses," said Mr. Hayes. "I look forward to working with the talented CD&R team to strengthen the Firm's presence, establish trusted partnerships and deliver value to the CD&R funds and their portfolio companies." Mr. Hayes began his career in the investment banking division of Lehman Brothers. He led corporate planning and development, corporate strategy, marketing and new product development at Ball Corporation and prior to assuming the role of Chairman and CEO of Ball Corporation, he was President and Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, and President of Ball Packaging Europe. Mr. Hayes holds a B.A. in English and Economics from Colgate University. He was awarded an M.B.A. in Finance and Strategy from J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, where he was named the Ira J. Harris scholar in finance. Mr. Hayes currently serves on the Board of Directors at Kohler Co. and the Holderness School. He previously served on the board of Colgate University and the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado as well as numerous philanthropic and not-for-profit entities focused on access and opportunity for under-resourced individuals. About Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Clayton, Dubilier & Rice is a private investment firm with a strategy predicated on building stronger, more profitable businesses across a broad range of industries, including Industrials, Healthcare, Consumer, Technology and Financial Services. Since its inception in 1978, CD&R has managed the investment of more than $40 billion in over 100 companies with an aggregate transaction value of more than $175 billion. For more information on CD&R, please visit www.cdr-inc.com and follow the Firm's activities through LinkedIn and @CDRBuilds on Twitter. SOURCE Clayton, Dubilier & Rice " " In this article, get the full story on why the Galaxy Tab 10.1 Web page includes this disclaimer. Screen capture by Stephanie Crawford for HowStuffWorks It's hard to deny that the features of the Samsung Galaxy Tab are very similar to those of the Apple iPad. Starting with version 10.1, the Galaxy Tab hardware seems to be mimicking the appearance of the iPad. In addition, the Galaxy Tab runs Google's Android 3 mobile operating system, which Android developers redesigned specifically for tablet computing [source: Android.com]. Since the iPad led the way in expanding tablet computing, it's hard to imagine that any tablet on the market today wouldn't want to imitate the features that have made the iPad a success. However, are the similarities between the Galaxy Tab and the iPad strong enough to require legal action? A German court thought so -- it ruled in favor of Apple in a lawsuit accusing Samsung of infringing on Apple's patents in September 2011. This meant that several new Samsung devices, including the Galaxy Tab 10.1, could not be sold in Germany. So, how did all this come about, and how will this and other lawsuits impact the tablet market? Advertisement Apple made the first move in April 2011, when it filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung in the European Union countries. In its claim, Apple listed several Samsung devices which resemble Apple devices, naming the Galaxy Tab and several smartphones like the Galaxy S 4G and the Continuum. Two months later, Apple amended the suit to add even more devices, including the newest models of the Galaxy Tab and Galaxy S [source: Bagh]. This lawsuit joins a slew of intellectual property rights cases Apple has filed in countries where Samsung products are sold. These cases also target Motorola, HTC and other corporations who make and market devices that happen to feature Android. Apple's argument is that certain hardware and software features violate patent and trademark rights associated with its iPad and iPhone. The following are just some of the violations that Apple cites in its case filed April 15, 2011, in California: U.S. Trade Dress Registration 3,470,983 for the overall product design, including its rectangular shape, rounded corners and silver metallic edging U.S. Utility Patent 7,812,828, Ellipse Fitting for Multi-Touch Surfaces, better known as the multi-touch function in which two or more fingers moving on the touch-screen produce different results than just using a single finger U.S. Design Patents D602,016 and D618,677 including ornamental features such as the flat black face and the grid layout of application icons on the user interface Reading through the complaint documents, you might think that Apple has a sound case. There is extensive research behind each claimed violation with side-by-side comparisons of Apple and Samsung products. However, Samsung has some reasonable arguments in its defense. Next, let's hear how things played out in Germany leading up to the ban there. Community support, regional talent and local partnerships drive ongoing growth at global IT and business consulting firm's Acadiana location LAFAYETTE, La., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CGI (NYSE: GIB) (TSX: GIB.A) today announced the creation of more than 700 jobs at its U.S. Onshore Delivery Center in Lafayette, Louisiana. The Lafayette Center has provided quality technology employment opportunities for local graduates, former residents looking to return home, and new talent from across the country since its opening in 2014. CGI's skilled and highly motivated workforce in Acadiana supports federal and commercial clients across the nation undertaking critical digital transformation projects. "In the eight years since CGI announced it would establish a new base of operations in Lafayette, the company has nearly doubled its original estimate of 400 new direct jobs," Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson said. "CGI is a shining example of higher-education partnerships, business assistance programs and specialized workforce training combining to fuel technology sector expansion. The result is a rapidly diversifying state economy that is empowering our citizens with high-paying jobs, new skills and new opportunities for professional and personal success." "The 700-plus jobs created by CGI have had a transformative impact on the region's economy as we've continued efforts to diversify the local business base. CGI has provided quality employment opportunities for local graduates and new talent from across the country and the world," said Mandi Mitchell, President and CEO of the Lafayette Economic Development Authority. "CGI and its employees continue to engage with, and positively impact, the community through their participation and volunteerism with K-12 schools, local non-profits and service organizations, and University of Louisiana at Lafayette. I look forward to seeing CGI's positive impact grow in Lafayette and Acadiana for many years as they continue to invest and expand in the community." CGI continues to fill positions with Acadiana-area talent. Approximately 35 percent of recruits are hired through a college recruiting program, drawing candidates from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and other state institutions. More than 25 percent of CGI's workforce has relocated to Louisiana from out of state, with some former Lafayette residents returning to pursue technology careers after living outside the region. CGI currently lists more than 60 positions open in Lafayette where new payroll has exceeded projections for the eighth straight year, with annual salaries running 28 percent above expectations. CGI's Lafayette center has not only created hundreds of high-quality jobs but has also forged a close partnership with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Today, that partnership includes CGI's Project Based Learning Program, an initiative that offers real-world learning experiences for UL's Computer Science and Informatics students. Through the program, students are challenged with a business outcome, and must find their own technical solution. At its conclusion, program participants conduct an executive-level presentation demonstrating how a problem was fixed and what benefits were created. "The continued growth of CGI represents its commitment to being a steadfast and dynamic member of this community, and the University is proud of the partnership it has built with the company. For example, CGI's interdisciplinary Project Based Learning program provides mentorship and a pathway to academic success for our computer science and informatics students," said Dr. Joseph Savoie, President of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. "As CGI continues to expand its workforce, many of these students will join other University graduates who have found professional success with the company. Additional collaborations between the University and CGI have strengthened and advanced our mission of research and innovation and have created extraordinary opportunities and definite results for the broader region we are both fortunate to serve." Through Louisiana's first-ever software developer apprentice program, CGI graduates apprentices who learn tech skills by working alongside experienced IT professionals. Apprentices receive 3-5 months of technical instruction before joining CGI for 12 months of on-the-job training. After completing 2,000 apprenticeship hours, many graduates are given the opportunity to pursue consultant-level positions at CGI. "Through a productive collaboration with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, innovative partnerships in the community and the unwavering support of local leaders and officials, CGI in Lafayette continues to grow and attract top regional talent," said William LaBar, Vice President, Consulting Services for CGI. "We remain committed not only to job growth in Acadiana, but to building and maintaining a reputation as a great place for local students and professionals to build a fulfilling career." About CGI Founded in 1976, CGI is among the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world. With 90,250 consultants and professionals across the globe, CGI delivers an end-to-end portfolio of capabilities, from strategic IT and business consulting to systems integration, managed IT and business process services and intellectual property solutions. CGI works with clients through a local relationship model complemented by a global delivery network that helps clients digitally transform their organizations and accelerate results. CGI Fiscal 2022 reported revenue is $12.87 billion and CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Learn more at cgi. com . Stock Market Symbols GIB (NYSE) GIB.A (TSX) www.cgi.com/newsroom SOURCE CGI Technologies and Solutions, Inc. The DoD Qualified Products List (QPL/QPD) now includes eTCP Powder for Corrosion Protection and Superior Adhesion MINDEN, Nev., March 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CHEMEON Surface Technology eTCP Powder, a safe, robust, economical, and easy-to-ship corrosion protection has been approved for MIL-DTL-5541F per MIL-DTL-81706B for use as a conversion coating on all aluminum alloys and other light metals. CHEMEON's MIL-SPEC chemistries are REACH, RoHS, WEEE, and SVHC compliant. eTCP is the only MIL-DTL qualified replacement of the carcinogenic hexavalent chrome (CrVI, Cr6+) that includes visual verification that your parts are coated and protected. eTCP provides a violet hue to bare metal. This quality control (QC/QA) feature was previously unavailable in any MIL-DTL trivalent chrome chemistry and differentiates CHEMEON eTCP from the yellow/gold hue associated with hexavalent chrome. "eTCP is the only MIL-DTL qualified replacement of the carcinogenic hexavalent chrome (CrVI, Cr6+) that includes visual verification that your parts are coated and protected," said Dr. Madylon Meiling, CHEMEON CEO. Prior to the development of CHEMEON eTCP, there was a substantial quality control problem and waste of resources in re-running batches if applicators were unable to tell if a coating had been applied or a part was fully coated. In the past, the industry relied on training and spot tests to address this concern, and the lack of color has been a large barrier to the implementation of trivalent chrome as a replacement for the legacy chemical, hexavalent chrome. Dr. Meiling continued, " Our development of eTCP Powder and the recent MIL-DTL qualification is another clear example of our company's mission to innovative technology that achieves the asset sustainability goals of global aerospace, military, OEMs, prime contractors, and commercial metal finishers while providing both safety, and savings for our valued customers." CHEMEON's patented eTCP Powder can be found in the Qualified Products List/Database (QPL/QPD) Form II, Method C, and joins the company's suite of MIL-DTL chemistries that includes TCP-HF (Trivalent Chrome Process - Hexavalent Free), and eTCP RTU (Ready To Use) created for brush, spray, immersion use, Touch-Up Pens for OEM, MRO, Prime Contractor and field kit use, TCP-HF EPA (Extra Protection Additive). TCP-HF Spray (concentrate), and TCP-NP (No Prep). Dr. Sjon Westre, CHEMEON Senior VP of Technology, who was responsible for the initial commercialization of CHEMEON TCP-HF said, "The DoD and industry need a MIL-DTL approved trivalent chromium conversion coating that delivers robust performance on 2024 aluminum and provides a visual color indicator on coated parts. Historically this was only provided by hexavalent chrome conversion coatings. Finding a solution to this industry need led our R&D focus to develop and patent eTCP. CHEMEON's eTCP Powder is unique from all other MIL-DTL alternatives to hexavalent chrome with its proven performance on 2024 aluminum, no pH adjustment necessary, and a visual color indicator that parts are coated and protected." The Power of Protection You Can See is available globally. CHEMEON eTCP Powder (concentrate), Touch Up Pen, and eTCP RTU (Ready to Use) liquid, which provides a violet hue to bare metal. This quality control (QC/QA) feature was previously unavailable in any MIL-DTL trivalent chrome chemistry and differentiates CHEMEON eTCP from the yellow/gold hue associated with hexavalent chrome, a.k.a. sodium dichromate, or dilute chrome. Hexavalent chrome is mandated for removal and replacement by the US Government and the EU. For corrosion protection that meets or exceeds MIL-SPEC requirements and provides visual verification that parts are coated and protected, contact Shay Davis [email protected] to schedule complimentary parts testing with CHEMEON eTCP Powder. Visit https://chemeon.com/etcp ABOUT CHEMEON: CHEMEON Surface Technology is a HUBZone certified, global leader in advanced, environmentally responsible, surface engineering solutions, including patented MIL-SPEC chemistry CHEMEON eTCP Powder, Touch-Up Pen, RTU conversion coating that provides a distinct color for visual verification that your parts are coated and protected. CHEMEON is licensed by the US Navy to manufacture and provide the MIL-DTL Trivalent Chromium Process for conversion coatings and anodic seal, which includes CHEMEON TCP-HF (Hex Free), CHEMEON TCP-HF SP (Spray), and TCP-HF Touch-Up Pen. CHEMEON's licensed, patented, and proprietary chemistries consist of CHEMEON TCP-HF EPA (Extended Protection Additive), CHEMEON Cleaner 4100, CHEMEON TCP-NP (No Prep), Magnesium Cleaner and Activator, Anodizing Additives AA-200 and AA-230. CHEMEON also provides a full line of anodizing pre and post-treatments, additives, and dyes including the CHEMEON Deep Black MLW, custom R&D, consulting, and university-level metal surface finishing training. https://chemeon.com SOURCE CHEMEON Surface Technology Under Hartman's Leadership, City Wide has seen revenue grow from $392M to $609M LENEXA, Kan., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- City Wide Facility Solutions, the nation's leading management company in the building maintenance industry, announced the promotion of Troy Hartman to President as it aims to become a billion dollar company by the end of 2026. "City Wide already had a strong business model, so our focus has been driving growth and expansion to protect and position the company," said Hartman. "We saw an opportunity to invest heavily in technology and develop leaders with a strategic focus that continues to provide value and revenue opportunities for our franchisees. It was clear Jeff had set in motion a strong Mission, Vision and Values so we refined the strategy and set out to relentlessly execute while building great relationships with our growing franchise base." Hartman joined City Wide in 2020 as Chief Operating Officer and has guided the organization from $392 million in revenue to $609 million, and 67 franchise locations to 92 locations throughout North America. Prior to joining City Wide, Hartman was an entrepreneur in digital technology. He also spent 18 years in an executive leadership role at a Fortune 500 life sciences and medical services organization where he grew and managed revenues over $350 million. "When Troy joined us, it was at the beginning of the pandemic and I was hesitant to bring on another executive," said Jeff Oddo, CEO and owner of City Wide Franchise. "But Troy said he wanted to be a part of the solution and has been able to guide us to double-digit growth each year during his tenure. I look forward to continuing to work with him on shaping our long-term vision." City Wide has made a name for itself in major U.S. cities and Canada by streamlining facility solutions for more than 20 interior and exterior services for commercial facilities including janitorial, disinfecting, handyman services and parking lot maintenance. Taking the onus from building owners and property management businesses that typically choose separate companies for each task, City Wide eases the selection and management processes for its clients. About City Wide Founded in 1961, City Wide has a proven reputation for being the go-to resource for commercial facility solutions in its home Kansas City market and nearly 95 locations across the U.S. and Canada. By uniquely representing the client, professional management teams serve as a single-source solution by managing dozens of interior and exterior services through independent contractors. City Wide simplifies the janitorial, disinfecting and maintenance issues most critical to building owners, operators and management companies, saving them time, solving their problems and reducing stress typically associated with facility management. For more information about City Wide Facility Solutions or to find a location near you, please visit www.gocitywide.com. SOURCE City Wide Facility Solutions LOS ANGELES, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Initial findings of the Medical Board Enforcement Monitor, released this week, confirm that the Medical Board's investigations of doctors are hamstrung by funding shortfalls and that prosecutions are undermined by a crippling division between investigators and attorneys housed in different agencies. Lawmakers meet in Sacramento today for an oversight hearing to discuss the Medical Board's performance. Read the report: https://www.mbc.ca.gov/Resources/Publications/Enforcement-report.aspx Table 21 "The report confirms what injured patients have been shouting from the rooftops: The Medical Board is failing to protect the public from doctors who cause harm," said Carmen Balber, executive director of Consumer Watchdog. "Divorcing the investigators who obtain evidence from the attorneys who use it means meritorious cases, with real public safety implications, are not moving forward." Consumer Watchdog called on lawmakers today to move complaint investigators and prosecutors under the same roof, and to increase Board funding to reduce investigator workloads and retain staff. The group also called for reforms to ensure patients have a voice in the enforcement process, improve transparency of doctors' histories and strengthen accountability for serious harm. Read Consumer Watchdog's letter to lawmakers here. The Enforcement Monitor Initial Report finds: "Inadequate investigator workforce staffing, resulting in case delays, disruptions, and inconsistent investigations" "Lack of structured collaboration between HQIU and HQE during investigation and administrative action phases The elimination of a formal collaboration process has decreased investigator and prosecutor productivity and efficiency." *HQIU houses Board investigators in the Department of Consumer Affairs; HQE houses Board prosecutors in the Attorney General's Office Data presented in the Monitor's initial report show that the end of collaboration between investigators and prosecutors, known as vertical enforcement or "VE," in 2018 precipitated an increase in case delays and in the number of cases rejected. According to the report, some of this increase in case rejections can be attributed to investigations being forwarded to the Attorney General's office without needed evidence, and without enough time for additional investigation. Cases must be filed before a statute of limitations expires. Between 2017/18 when VE existed and 2021/22 when it was over, the number of cases rejected by the Attorney General's Office (HQE) increased 1300%: from 1.4% to 19.4%. The return of cases by HQE for additional investigation went up 450%: from 3.7% to 15.6%. See Table 21 Vertical enforcement was implemented most recently after the last Medical Board Enforcement Monitor's recommendations were published in 2004-05. Consumer Watchdog and patient advocates will call on lawmakers to enact additional reforms at today's oversight hearing, including a change in the law to mandate the Board interview patients before their complaint is closed. Last year, the Board closed 83% (8254) of pending cases at its triage unit without investigation or an interview of the complainant. Most complaints are submitted by members of the public. The stories of patients seeking greater transparency and accountability at the Board, after it failed to hold doctors accountable for harm to themselves and their loved ones, can be found here: https://consumerwatchdog.org/meet-the-advocates/ "Most public complaints to the Board about serious injury or deaths are closed without a single conversation with the patient or family member who submitted the complaint. That means the person who may know most about the care they received is shut out of the investigation completely. Patients must have the right to an interview before a case is closed," said Balber. More information on the Joint Sunset Review Hearing of the Senate Business, Professions & Economic Development and Assembly Business & Professions Committees, beginning at 1:30PM on Thursday March 16th, is here: https://sbp.senate.ca.gov/sunsetreviewhearings The Enforcement Monitor report was mandated as part of the last Sunset Review legislation in 2021. The Monitor's final report is due July 5th. SOURCE Consumer Watchdog VANCOUVER, BC, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Copper Mountain Mining Corporation (TSX: CMMC) (ASX: C6C) (the "Company" or "Copper Mountain") announces the appointment of Patrick Merrin as President and CEO effective April 24, 2023. Mr. Merrin has extensive experience in the mining industry including ten years of senior executive operational and technical experience. Mr. Merrin's leadership positions focused on North American mines and projects, including most recently acting Senior Vice President of Canadian Operations at Newcrest Mining. He was previously COO, Mining and interim CEO at Dominion Diamonds, Senior Vice President, Canadian Operations at Goldcorp and Vice President, Arizona Business Unit at Hudbay Minerals. Mr. Merrin holds a Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering from McGill University and an MBA from the University of Toronto, Rotman School of Business. Mr. Merrin is also a professional engineer. In addition, Mr. Merrin will serve as a member of the Board of Directors. "We are pleased to have Pat join the Copper Mountain team," said Ed Dowling, Copper Mountain's Chair of the Board of Directors. "His extensive operational experience, particularly in Canada and most recently at Newcrest, will be instrumental to the Company as we focus on operational excellence, exploration, and growth at Copper Mountain. We are looking forward to future value creation under Pat's leadership." Mr. Merrin succeeds the Company's current President and CEO, Gil Clausen, who will retire effective May 1, 2023, as previously announced. Mr. Clausen will be retained on an advisory basis until May 1, 2024 to ensure an orderly and effective transition. Mr. Clausen will remain on the Board as a non-independent director until the Company's 2023 Annual General Meeting, which is planned for June 8, 2023. Mr. Dowling added, "On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Gil for his dedicated service to Copper Mountain since taking on the CEO role in June 2018. Gil has provided exemplary and unwavering leadership over the last five years. He has created significant value for shareholders and has helped transform the Company. We are very grateful for his commitment and wish him the best in his upcoming retirement." Gil Clausen commented, "It has been an absolute pleasure working with the team at Copper Mountain over the past five years. We have an exceptionally talented group whose passion and commitment are evident every single day. I am very pleased with all that we have achieved so far at Copper Mountain, with plenty more to come." About Copper Mountain Mining Corporation Copper Mountain owns 75% of the Copper Mountain Mine, which is located in southern British Columbia near the town of Princeton. The Copper Mountain Mine produces approximately 100 million pounds of copper equivalent on average per year. Copper Mountain trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "CMMC" and Australian Stock Exchange under the symbol "C6C". Additional information is available on the Company's web page at www.CuMtn.com. On behalf of the Board of COPPER MOUNTAIN MINING CORPORATION "Edward Dowling" Edward Dowling Chair of the Board Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain "forward looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and Copper Mountain does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect Copper Mountain's expectations or beliefs regarding future events. In certain circumstances, forward-looking statements can be identified, but are not limited to, statements which use terminology such as "plans", "expects", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "forecasts", "guidance", scheduled", "target" or variations of such words, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative of these terms or comparable terminology. In this news release, certain forward-looking statements are identified, including the timing of Mr. Merrin's appointment as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, the timing of Mr. Clausen's retirement and continued role with the Company, anticipated production at the Copper Mountain Mine, and expectations for other economic, business and/or competitive factors. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, achievements and opportunities to differ materially from those implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include, among others, the successful exploration of the Company's property in Canada, market price, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions, the Company's ability to comply with its financial covenants under its bond terms and meet its future cash commitments, extreme weather events, material and labour shortages, the protection of the Company's IT systems or a component of such systems impacting the Company's reputation and results of operations, the reliability of the historical data referenced in this document and risks set out in Copper Mountain's public documents, including the management's discussion and analysis for the quarter ended September 30, 2022 and the annual information form dated March 29, 2022, each filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although Copper Mountain has attempted to identify important factors that could cause the Company's actual results, performance, achievements and opportunities to differ materially from those described in its forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause the Company's results, performance, achievements and opportunities not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. While the Company believes that the information and assumptions used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. SOURCE Copper Mountain Mining Corporation NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO OR TO ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN ANY JURISDICTION WHERE IT IS UNLAWFUL TO DISTRIBUTE THIS DOCUMENT (SEE "OFFER AND DISTRIBUTION RESTRICTIONS" BELOW) NEW YORK, March 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Credit Suisse International (the Offeror) announced today invitations to Holders of the outstanding securities described in the table below to tender such securities for purchase by the Offeror for cash for aggregate total consideration, excluding the Accrued Coupon Payment, of up to U.S.$2,500,000,000 (the Maximum Purchase Consideration), subject to increase or waiver of the Maximum Purchase Consideration as described in the Offer to Purchase, (each such invitation an Offer and together, the Offers). This announcement does not contain the full terms and conditions of the Offers which are contained in the offer to purchase dated March 15, 2023 (the Offer to Purchase) prepared by the Offeror, and are subject to the offer restrictions set out below and as more fully described in the Offer to Purchase. Holders of the outstanding debt securities listed in the table below (together the Notes and each of the listed series of the Notes a series) issued by Credit Suisse AG, acting through its New York Branch, are advised to read carefully the Offer to Purchase, copies of which are (subject to distribution restrictions) available from the Dealer Manager and the Information and Tender Agent as set out below. Capitalised terms used in this announcement but not defined have the meanings given to them in the Offer to Purchase. Details of the Offers Acceptance Priority Level(1) Title of Security CUSIP / ISIN Number Maturity Date Principal Amount Outstanding (millions) Fixed Price(2) 1 1.000% Notes due 2023 22550L2D2 / US22550L2D25 May 05, 2023 $1,917 $980.00 2 0.520% Notes due 2023 22550L2F7 / US22550L2F72 August 09, 2023 $1,232 $970.00 3 Floating Rate Notes due 2023 22550UAD3 / US22550UAD37 August 09, 2023 $591 $950.00 4 0.495% Notes due 2024 22550L2E0 / US22550L2E08 February 02, 2024 $923 $900.00 5 Floating Rate Notes due 2024 22550UAB7 / US22550UAB70 February 02, 2024 $946 $950.00 6 4.750% Notes due 2024 22550L2J9 / US22550L2J94 August 09, 2024 $1,121 $950.00 7 3.625% Notes due 2024 22546QAP2 / US22546QAP28 September 09, 2024 $2,882 $925.00 8 3.700% Notes due 2025 22550L2H3 / US22550L2H39 February 21, 2025 $1,991 $925.00 9 Floating Rate Notes due 2025 22550UAF8 / US22550UAF84 February 21, 2025 $333 $900.00 10 2.950% Notes due 2025 22550L2C4 / US22550L2C42 April 09, 2025 $1,266 $900.00 ________________________ (1) Subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions of the Offers described in the Offer to Purchase, if the Maximum Purchase Consideration Condition (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) is not satisfied with respect to every series of Notes, we will accept Notes for purchase in the order of their respective Acceptance Priority Level specified in the table above (each, an "Acceptance Priority Level," with 1 being the highest Acceptance Priority Level and 10 being the lowest Acceptance Priority Level); provided, however, the Offeror may (x) waive the Maximum Purchase Consideration Condition with respect to one or more Offers and accept all Notes of the series sought in such Offer, and of any series of Notes sought in Offers with a higher Acceptance Priority Level, validly tendered and not validly withdrawn; or (y) skip any Offer for Notes that would have caused the Maximum Purchase Consideration to be exceeded and purchase all Notes of the next sequential series with a lower Acceptance Priority Level that we are able to accept without exceeding the Maximum Purchase Consideration Condition. It is possible that a series of Notes with a particular Acceptance Priority Level will not be accepted for purchase even if one or more series with a higher or lower Acceptance Priority Level are accepted for purchase. If a given series of Notes is accepted for purchase pursuant to the Offers, all Notes of that series that are validly tendered will be accepted for purchase. No series of Notes will be subject to proration pursuant to the Offers. (2) The Total Consideration for each series of Notes (such consideration, the "Total Consideration") payable per each $1,000 principal amount of such series of Notes validly tendered for purchase will be the fixed price specified in the table above (the "Fixed Price") for such series of Notes. The Total Consideration does not include the applicable Accrued Coupon Payment, which will be payable in cash in addition to the applicable Total Consideration. Rationale for the Offers The Offers are consistent with the Credit Suisse Group AG's proactive approach to managing overall liability composition and optimising interest expense and allow us to take advantage of current trading levels to repurchase debt at attractive prices. The Offeror and Credit Suisse AG expect to retire and cancel any Notes tendered and purchased pursuant to the Offers. Total Consideration for the Offers Total Consideration for the Offers In respect of any Notes (i) validly tendered at or prior to the Expiration Date and not validly withdrawn at or prior to the Withdrawal Date, or (ii) validly tendered after the Expiration Date and at or prior to the Guaranteed Delivery Date pursuant to the Guaranteed Delivery Procedures and accepted for purchase by the Offeror, the Offeror will pay a cash purchase price per U.S.$1,000, in principal amount equal to the Total Consideration for the relevant series. The Total Consideration for each series will be the Fixed Price specified in the table above for such series of Notes. Accrued Interest In addition to the applicable Total Consideration, Holders whose Notes are accepted for purchase will receive a cash payment equal to the accrued and unpaid interest on such Notes from and including the immediately preceding interest payment date for such Notes to, but excluding, the Initial Settlement Date (the Accrued Interest, and the payment thereof, the Accrued Coupon Payment). Settlement of the Offers The Total Consideration and Accrued Coupon Payment for Notes of the relevant series validly tendered pursuant to an Offer at or prior to the Expiration Date, and accepted for purchase, will be paid to Holders on the applicable Settlement Date. The Initial Settlement Date with respect to an Offer (other than tenders pursuant to the Guaranteed Delivery Procedures) will be promptly following the Expiration Date and is expected to be March 24, 2023, which is the second business day after the Expiration Date. The Total Consideration and Accrued Coupon Payment for Notes validly tendered after the Expiration Date and at or prior to the Guaranteed Delivery Date pursuant to the Guaranteed Delivery Procedures, and accepted for purchase, will be paid to Holders on the applicable Settlement Date. The Guaranteed Delivery Settlement Date with respect to an Offer will be promptly following the Guaranteed Delivery Date and is expected to be March 28, 2023, which is the second business day after the Guaranteed Delivery Date. Total Purchase Funds Available and Priority of Acceptance The Offeror proposes to accept for purchase pursuant to the Offers an aggregate principal amount of Notes such that the total amount payable by the Offeror for all of the Notes accepted for purchase pursuant to the Offers (excluding all Accrued Coupon Payments payable in respect of such Notes) is no greater than U.S.$2,500,000,000, subject to increase or waiver by the Offeror as described in the Offer to Purchase (such amount, as the same may be increased or waived, the Maximum Purchase Consideration). Accordingly on each Settlement Date, subject to the terms and conditions of the Offers, the Offeror will accept for purchase Notes validly tendered in the Offers in the order of the related Acceptance Priority Level set out in the table above (each an Acceptance Priority Level), beginning with the lowest numerical value, and all Notes validly tendered for purchase having a higher Acceptance Priority Level (being a lower numerical value) will be accepted for purchase before any Notes having a lower Acceptance Priority Level (being a higher numerical value), so long as (1) the Total Consideration, excluding the Accrued Coupon Payment, for all validly tendered and not validly withdrawn Notes of such series, plus (2) the Total Consideration, excluding the Accrued Coupon Payment, for all validly tendered and not validly withdrawn Notes of all series having a higher Acceptance Priority Level than such series of Notes is equal to, or less than, the Maximum Purchase Consideration; provided, however, the Offeror may: (x) waive the Maximum Purchase Consideration Condition (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) with respect to one or more Offers and accept all Notes of the series sought in such Offer, and of any series of Notes sought in Offers with a higher Acceptance Priority Level, validly tendered and not validly withdrawn; or (y) skip any Offer for Notes that would have caused the Maximum Purchase Consideration to be exceeded and purchase all Notes of the next sequential series with a lower Acceptance Priority Level that the Offeror is able to accept without exceeding the Maximum Purchase Consideration Condition. It is possible that a series of Notes with a particular Acceptance Priority Level will not be accepted for purchase even if one or more series with a higher or lower Acceptance Priority Level are accepted for purchase. If a given series of Notes is accepted for purchase pursuant to the Offers, all Notes of that series that are validly tendered will be accepted for purchase. No series of Notes will be subject to proration pursuant to the Offers. Tender Instructions In order to participate in an Offer, and be eligible to receive the relevant Total Consideration and Accrued Coupon Payment pursuant to the relevant Offer, Holders must validly tender their Notes by delivering, or arranging to have delivered on their behalf (i) a valid Tender Instruction that is received by the Information and Tender Agent by the Expiration Deadline or (ii) a valid Notice of Guaranteed Delivery and all other required documentation to the Information and Tender Agent by the Guaranteed Delivery Date. Notes tendered in an Offer may be validly withdrawn at any time from the time of their submission until 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on March 22, 2023 (such time and date with respect to each series, as the same may be extended, the Withdrawal Date). Notes tendered after the applicable Withdrawal Date may not be withdrawn, except in limited circumstances described in the Offer to Purchase. Notes of a given series must be tendered only in respect of a minimum principal amount of Notes of the relevant series of no less than the minimum authorized denomination for such series, as set out in the table below, and may thereafter be submitted in integral multiples of the relevant amount set out in the Offer to Purchase. CUSIP / ISIN Number Title of Security Minimum Authorized Denominations Integral Multiples 22550L2D2 / US22550L2D25 1.000% Notes due 2023 $250,000 $1,000 22550L2F7 / US22550L2F72 0.520% Notes due 2023 $250,000 $1,000 22550UAD3 / US22550UAD37 Floating Rate Notes due 2023 $250,000 $1,000 22550L2E0 / US22550L2E08 0.495% Notes due 2024 $250,000 $1,000 22550UAB7 / US22550UAB70 Floating Rate Notes due 2024 $250,000 $1,000 22550L2J9 / US22550L2J94 4.750% Notes due 2024 $250,000 $1,000 22546QAP2 / US22546QAP28 3.625% Notes due 2024 $250,000 $1,000 22550L2H3 / US22550L2H39 3.700% Notes due 2025 $250,000 $1,000 22550UAF8 / US22550UAF84 Floating Rate Notes due 2025 $250,000 $1,000 22550L2C4 / US22550L2C42 2.950% Notes due 2025 $250,000 $1,000 Recent Developments The Offeror has launched, contemporaneously with the launch of the Offers, invitations to holders of certain series of euro-denominated debt securities to tender such securities for purchase by the Offeror for cash (the Euro Offers). The Euro Offers are (i) not open to any person located or resident in the United States, its territories and possessions (including Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Wake Island and the Northern Mariana Islands) and such persons are not eligible to participate in or tender any securities pursuant to the Euro Offers. The Euro Offers are described in a separate offer document, and are not the subject of, and shall not be deemed to be offered by, the Offer to Purchase Indicative Timetable for the Offers Events Times and Dates (All times are New York City time) Commencement of the Offers March 15, 2023. Withdrawal Date 5:00 p.m. on March 22, 2023 Expiration Date 5:00 p.m. on March 22, 2023 Initial Settlement Date March 24, 2023 Guaranteed Delivery Date 5:00 p.m. on the second business day after the Expiration Date, expected to be March 24, 2023 Guaranteed Delivery Settlement Date the second business day after the Guaranteed Delivery Date, expected to be March 28, 2023 The above times and dates are subject to the right of the Offeror to extend, re-open, amend and/or terminate the Offers (subject to applicable law and as provided in the Offer to Purchase) as described in Offer to Purchase. Holders are advised to check with any bank, securities broker or other intermediary through which they hold Notes when such intermediary would need to receive instructions from a Holder in order for that Holder to be able to participate in, or (in the circumstances in which withdrawal is permitted) withdraw their instruction to participate in, an Offer before the deadlines set out above. The deadlines set by any such intermediary and DTC for the submission and withdrawal of Tender Instructions may be earlier than the relevant deadlines set out above and in the Offer to Purchase. Unless stated otherwise, the Offeror may choose to make announcements in connection with the Offers in any reasonable manner (including on the relevant Reuters Insider Screen), but it will have no obligation to make announcements in any particular manner other than by issuing a press release to a Notifying News Service. Copies of all such announcements, press releases and notices can also be obtained from the Information and Tender Agent, the contact details for which are below. Significant delays may be experienced where notices are delivered to DTC and Holders are urged to contact the Information and Tender Agent for the relevant announcements during the course of the Offers. In addition, Holders may contact the Dealer Manager for information using the contact details below. Holders are advised to read carefully the Offer to Purchase for full details of, and information on the procedures for participating in, any Offer. Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC is acting as Dealer Manager and D.F. King & Co. Inc. is acting as Information and Tender Agent. Questions and requests for assistance in connection with the Offers may be directed to the Dealer Manager: The Dealer Manager Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC Eleven Madison Avenue, 4th Floor New York, New York 10010 United States Telephone: Within the United States: (800) 820-1653 (U.S. toll free) (212) 538-2147 (Collect) Outside the United States: +44 20 7883 8763 Attention: Liability Management Group Email: [email protected] Questions and requests for assistance in connection with the delivery of Tender Instructions may be directed to the Information and Tender Agent. Copies of the Offer to Purchase and the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery are available for Holders at the following web address: www.dfking.com/cs. The Information and Tender Agent D.F. King & Co. Inc. 48 Wall Street New York, NY 10005 United States Banks and Brokers (Collect): +1 (212) 269 5550 All others (U.S. toll free): +1 (800) 714 3311 Attention: Michael Horthman Email: [email protected] DISCLAIMER This announcement must be read in conjunction with the Offer to Purchase. The Offer to Purchase contains important information which should be read carefully before any decision is made with respect to any Offer. If any Holder is in any doubt as to the action it should take, it is recommended to seek its own financial advice, including in respect of any tax consequences, from its broker, bank manager, solicitor, accountant or other independent financial, tax or legal adviser. Any individual or company whose Notes are held on its behalf by a broker, dealer, bank, custodian, trust company or other nominee must contact such entity if it wishes to tender such Notes pursuant to the Offers. None of the Offeror, the Dealer Manager, the Information and Tender Agent or the Issuer makes any recommendation as to whether Holders should tender Notes pursuant to the Offers. OFFER AND DISTRIBUTION RESTRICTIONS The distribution of this announcement and the Offer to Purchase in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons into whose possession this announcement and/or the Offer to Purchase comes are required by each of the Offeror, the Dealer Manager, the Issuer and the Information and Tender Agent to inform themselves about and to observe any such restrictions. Neither this announcement nor the Offer to Purchase constitutes an offer to buy or a solicitation of an offer to sell Notes (and tenders of Notes in any Offer will not be accepted from Holders) in any circumstances in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. In any jurisdiction where the securities, blue sky or other laws require an Offer to be made by a licensed broker or dealer and any of the Offeror's affiliates is such a licensed broker or dealer in such jurisdiction, such Offer shall be deemed to be made by such affiliate on behalf of the Offeror in such jurisdiction. Italy. None of the Offers, this announcement, the Offer to Purchase or any other documents or materials relating to the Offers has been or will be submitted to the clearance procedure of the Commissione Nazionale per le Societa e la Borsa ("CONSOB"), pursuant to applicable Italian laws and regulations. The Offers are being carried out in the Republic of Italy ("Italy") as exempted offers pursuant to article 101-bis, paragraph 3-bis of the Legislative Decree No. 58 of February 24, 1998, as amended (the "Financial Services Act") and article 35-bis, paragraph 4 of CONSOB Regulation No. 11971 of May 14, 1999, as amended. Holders or beneficial owners of the Notes that are a resident of and/or located in Italy can tender the Notes for purchase through authorized persons (such as investment firms, banks or financial intermediaries permitted to conduct such activities in Italy in accordance with the Financial Services Act, CONSOB Regulation No. 20307 of February 15, 2018, as amended, and Legislative Decree No. 385 of September 1, 1993, as amended) and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations and with any requirements imposed by CONSOB or any other Italian authority. Each intermediary must comply with the applicable laws and regulations concerning information duties vis-a-vis its clients in connection with the Notes or the Offers. United Kingdom. This announcement and the Offer to Purchase have been issued by Credit Suisse International (the "Offeror") of One Cabot Square, London E14 4QJ, United Kingdom, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (the "FCA") of 12 Endeavour Square, London E20 1JN, United Kingdom. This announcement and the Offer to Purchase are being distributed only to existing holders of the Notes, and is only addressed to such existing Holders in the United Kingdom where they would (if they were clients of the Offeror) be per se professional clients or per se eligible counterparties of the Offeror within the meaning of the FCA rules. Neither this announcement nor the Offer to Purchase are addressed to or directed at any persons who would be retail clients within the meaning of the FCA rules and any such persons should not act or rely on it. Recipients of this announcement and the Offer to Purchase should note that the Offeror is acting on its own account in relation to the Offers and will not be responsible to any other person for providing the protections which would be afforded to clients of the Offeror or for providing advice in relation to the Offers. In addition, the communication of this announcement, the Offer to Purchase and any other documents or materials relating to the Offers have not been approved by an authorised person for the purposes of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. Accordingly, such documents and/or materials are not being distributed to, and must not be passed on to, the general public in the United Kingdom, and the communication of such documents and/or materials as a financial promotion is only being made to (i) persons who are outside the United Kingdom, (ii) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "Financial Promotion Order"), (iii) persons falling within Article 43(2) of the Financial Promotion Order, or (iv) other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated. France. The Offers are not being made, directly or indirectly, to the public in the Republic of France ("France"). This announcement, the Offer to Purchase and any other document or material relating to the Offers have only been and shall only be distributed in France to qualified investors as defined in Article 2(e) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129. Neither this announcement nor the Offer to Purchase have been or will be submitted for clearance to or approved by the Autorite des Marches Financiers. SOURCE Credit Suisse International DUBAI, UAE, March 16, 2023 On March 14th, 2023, Cummins Arabia and OWS Automotive signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on defense service applications. This collaboration follows the impressive participation of both firms at IDEX 2023 in Abu Dhabi and aims to explore powertrain solutions and technical support for defense end-users, with a focus on identifying viable and mutually beneficial business opportunities within the Middle East. From left to right: Amit Deshpande (MD, Cummins Arabia), Ian Norton (Operations Director, Cummins Arabia), Oweis Zahran (CEO, OWS Automotive), Anders Moeller (COO, OWS Automotive) during the signing ceremony. The partnership will leverage OWS's expertise in civilian and defense service solutions and Cummins Arabia's commitment to sustainability and innovation to develop high-quality solutions for defense end-users. The companies will work together to analyze available defense fleet information, develop feasibility studies, and plan exercises to jointly develop a business case for the establishment of powertrain product solutions and post-installation technical services. Mr. Oweis Zahran, CEO of OWS, stated, "We are excited to collaborate with Cummins Arabia in exploring opportunities to develop innovative solutions for defense service applications. Our joint efforts will support the region's evolving needs and reinforce our position as a leading provider of automotive solutions." Mr. Ian Norton, Operations Director at Cummins Arabia, commented, "As a company committed to sustainability and innovation that has been serving the defense industry for over a hundred years, we are eager to expand our operations in the Middle East. We'll closely work alongside OWS to identify opportunities to serve our defense users with high quality solutions leveraging Cummins' expertise in powertrain." Furthermore, this collaboration reinforces the importance of strategic partnerships in the automotive industry, particularly in the defense sector, where reliability and sustainability are critical. The MoU serves as a framework for the cooperation between the two companies, enabling them to work together to achieve common goals and explore new avenues for growth. About Cummins Arabia: Cummins Arabia is a joint venture between Cummins Inc. and the Olayan Group and consolidates Cummins distribution businesses in the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Our products range from diesel and natural gas engines and generators, along with parts, filtration, and service solutions, and the new power product (now Accelera) portfolio including hydrogen production and fuel cells. Comprising of 10 service branches, eight warehouses, a high horsepower (HHP) Master Rebuild Center and a service training center, Cummins Arabia is fully equipped to deliver the right capabilities and expertise to our customers. About OWS: OWS Automotive Solutions LLC is a leading automotive service provider in the region, founded in the USA over 30 years ago. OWS primarily focuses on Remanufacturing, Fleet Management and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul service solutions for governments and other entities in the Middle East and South East Asia Region. With a fully trained and qualified workforce and key strategic partnerships with governments, manufacturers and other key partners, OWS is fully positioned and has the core competencies to take the automotive sector in the region to the next level, providing its customers with sustainable, innovative solutions. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2033888/MoU_Signing.jpg SOURCE Cummins Arabia MILTON, Del., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Official Beer of Record Store Day for eight consecutive years, Dogfish Head will celebrate this year's holiday, slated for Saturday, April 22, with the release of a new, music-themed beer, Catchy Chorus . Brewed in collaboration with Record Store Day , an organization dedicated to showcasing the culture of independently owned record stores, Catchy Chorus is a double dry-hopped double IPA inspired by the four "magic chords" (E, B, C#m & A) that make up many of the world's most popular melodies. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery celebrates Record Store Day with the launch of a new, music-themed beer, Catchy Chorus. Tweet this The Official Beer of Record Store Day, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery celebrates this year's holiday with the launch of a new, music-themed beer, Catchy Chorus. Blending E ureka, B ravo, C alypso and A zacca hops, Catchy Chorus comes together in hop and grain harmony to build an unforgettable sensory song. Clocking in at 9.0% ABV, this symphonic sipper is bursting with citrusy and tropical aromas and flavors. Catchy Chorus is now making its way to taps and shelves in 4pk/16oz cans in the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions. Track some down using Dogfish Head's Fish Finder . "As a bunch of beer geeks with music problems, Record Store Day is always one of our favorite days of the year, here at Dogfish Head," said Dogfish Head Founder & Brewer, Sam Calagione. "We are honored to continue our partnership with Record Store Day, working alongside them to bring together independent beer and independent music stores, and what better way to do just that than by brewing a beer rooted in the notes that collectively create so many top hits!" To complement the launch of Catchy Chorus, Dogfish Head is teaming up Brooklyn Bowl to host Record Store Day-themed events in select cities across the country. Saturday, April 15 Record Store Fair at Brooklyn Bowl Brooklyn : Taking place from 12-3 p.m., this daytime record fair will serve as the official kickoff to the year's Record Store Day festivities. In addition to assembling an array of local, independently owned record stores ahead of their biggest sales day of the year, this event will offer on-site raffle and giveaway opportunities, DJs spinning vinyl tunes and of course, Dogfish Head beer specials. Beyond sipping and shopping, attendees can expect meet and greets with a myriad of beer and music legends, including: Sam Calagione , Founder & Brewer at Dogfish Head Craft Brewery , Founder & Brewer at Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Carrie Colliton , Co-Founder of Record Store Day , Co-Founder of Record Store Day Lenny Kaye , Guitarist for the Patti Smith Group & Curator of NUGGETS Compilation , Guitarist for the Patti Smith Group & Curator of NUGGETS Compilation Monte A. Melnick , Former Ramones Tour Manager , Former Ramones Tour Manager Richard Barone , Author, Recording Artist & Producer , Author, Recording Artist & Producer John Holmstrom , Founding Editor, Art Director & Production Manager at PUNK Magazine This event is free and open to the public. For more details, visit www.dogfish.com/events . But that's not all! Later that evening, Dogfish Head is proud to present a special live music show by psych-funk trailblazers, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong . The first 20 fans to arrive at the show and visit the Dogfish Head pop-up will receive a copy of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong's new Record Store Day vinyl signed by the band and Dogfish Head's Sam Calagione. The record, which officially drops on Saturday, April 22, features a live recording of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong's 2022 Record Store Day show at Brooklyn Bowl Nashville, a performance sponsored by Dogfish Head. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are available HERE for $30 each. Saturday, April 22 Official Record Store Day After-Parties at Brooklyn Bowl Locations Nationwide: After digging through record bins in the morning, beer and music enthusiasts can spend their evenings at one of the Official Record Store After-Parties. Presented by Dogfish Head, folks in Brooklyn , Philadelphia , Las Vegas and Nashville can keep the off-centered celebration going at their local Brooklyn Bowl location. From musical performances and giveaways to Happy Hours happenings and beer specials, there's a little something for everyone to enjoy! For more details, please visit www.brooklynbowl.com/shows/all. To learn more about Dogfish Head and Record Store Day, check out www.dogfish.com and www.recordstoreday.com , respectively. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery: Dogfish Head has focused on brewing beers with culinary ingredients outside the Reinheitsgebot since the day it opened as one of the smallest American craft breweries more than 27 years ago. A Delaware-based brand and supporter of the Independent Craft Brewing Seal, Dogfish consists of Brewings & Eats, an off-centered brewpub, Chesapeake & Maine, a seafood and cocktail spot, Dogfish Inn, a beer-themed hotel and Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, a production brewery and distillery featuring the Tasting Room & Kitchen and Dogfish Head Distilling Co. For more, visit www.dogfish.com . Record Store Day: Record Store Day, the organization, is managed by the Department of Record Stores and is organized in partnership with the Alliance of Independent Media Stores (AIMS), the Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS) and promotes independent record stores year-round with events, special releases and other fun things. Record Store Day, the global celebration of the culture of the record store, takes place annually. The 16th Record Store Day is coming up on April 22, 2023. SOURCE Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Alair expands the custom home building franchise with its first location in Washington KIRKLAND, Wash., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Alair, the largest and fastest-growing premium construction management franchise in North America, proudly welcomes Eakman Construction to its network of independently owned partner offices, making Alair Kirkland the 95th Alair location across North America, and the first in the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 2012 by Stacy Eakman, Eakman Construction became noted as a leader in residential construction servicing the Kirkland, Bellevue and Seattle communities with a mission to change the way people feel about residential construction companies. Stacy Eakman, President of Eakman Construction in Kirkland, WA shares why he made the decision to join the Alair network of independent partner offices. [L-R] Shane Duff, Director of Market Development (Alair), Darren Califano, VP Operations (Eakman Construction/Alair Kirkland), Stacy Eakman, President & Partner (Eakman Construction/Alair Kirkland), and Stu Hopewell, Chief Operations Officer (Alair) (CNW Group/Alair Homes) Earning a number of coveted construction and business awards along the way, Eakman and his team were committed to creating a better construction experience based on courage, communication and a customer-first philosophy. Today, Eakman is ready to scale this mission for growth and to bring this philosophy to more people in the Greater Seattle Area. With those same values as the foundation, Alair Kirkland carries the consistency of Eakman's legacy business while gaining more resources to expand. "Joining Alair is an exciting new chapter for our Kirkland team," said Stacy Eakman, founder and president of Eakman Construction and partner of Alair Kirkland. "We have an opportunity to collaborate with expert builders and receive additional operations support, services, and marketing, all while continuing to serve the Seattle area with the same talent and values that have propelled this business for the past decade." "We couldn't have asked for better people to help Alair expand to Washington than the team from Eakman Construction," said Shane Duff, director of market development at Alair. "Stacy and his team are wholly dedicated to the homeowner experience, giving people clear communication, honest expectations, and ease of mind while they build their home. Add in their innovative designs and high-quality craftsmanship, and they're an invaluable new partner for Alair." Eakman said his vision of client-first processes and Alair's philosophy that Living Better Starts Here were a perfect fit. "No matter how complicated the project is, we refuse to compromise on one thing: how the homeowner feels," said Eakman. "Alair always says they're not in the construction business they're in the business of improving lives. We want to create comfortable, modern homes for homeowners, and joining the vast network of resources at Alair gives us even more support to build better homes in our community." In 2020, the trade publication Pro Remodeler named Eakman one of the Forty Under 40 industry leaders. And in 2021, Eakman Construction won a 2021 Guildmaster with Distinction Award from GuildQuality, an Atlanta-based third-party customer satisfaction surveying company. The award recognizes companies demonstrating exceptional customer service within the residential construction industry. Among 2,000 eligible applicants from across the U.S. and Canada, GuildQuality recognized Eakman Construction as one of about 400 businesses with outstanding customer care. About Alair Founded in 2007, Alair began franchising in 2012 and continues to grow across Canada and the United States. Alair is in the business of helping individuals, families, and businesses overcome the obstacles they face to live a healthier, happier, more comfortable, and more productive lifestyle. Alair does this by attracting the most qualified custom home builders and remodelers who align with Alair's core values and mission and transform them into the most valuable, highest-reward, and lowest-risk construction companies in the world. For more information, visit www.alairhomes.com. SOURCE Alair Homes DALLAS, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on an initial assessment, Embold Health finds that the physicians in the SurgeryPlus network outperform market peers with respect to quality and cost of care. Embold Health is the gold standard in physician performance ratings. They have built and delivered to market an objective and best-in-class ratings engine built on the most robust, peer reviewed (JAMA) physician level performance analytics in the market. Their approach starts by measuring the clinical performance of individual physicians with scientific rigor, before turning these insights into actionable steps members can use to select high-quality physicians. Embold has found that SurgeryPlus succeeds at presenting members with high-quality providers who are higher performing relative to their peers on average across the dimensions of quality. Shared Principles Embold Health and SurgeryPlus share several important core beliefs. Our first shared belief is that patients shouldn't have to choose between affordable and excellent care. Another view Embold and SurgeryPlus share is that it is the quality of the physician not the name brand of a provider groups or hospital system that drives the quality of care. Because both companies understand that the single most important factor for determining quality of care is the decisions made by an individual provider, not the reputation of their facility or group, they both work to identify and direct members to the highest quality physicians in order to assure excellent and affordable care. These principles are exhibited in a recently released white paper exploring deep rooted issues in healthcare, solutions for increasing the utilization of high-quality providers, and Embold's data supporting those solutions. You can read that white paper online. Shared Solution When it comes to surgery, members face a host of barriers keeping them from ending up at the provider best suited to their needs. Patients deserve better and that is why Embold and SurgeryPlus are partnering to build a first of its kind solution. The new solution builds on the best parts of both SurgeryPlus and Embold Health's work -- identifying top-performing individual surgeons and physicians across the United States -- to offer a tiered network that ensures their members access to high-quality care in their local markets. Leadership of Embold Health and SurgeryPlus are enthusiastic and optimistic about the companies' ongoing partnership. "We are excited to partner with SurgeryPlus to bring visibility to the quality of the physicians in their network and to expand access to high-quality physicians for their members, making it easier for their members to access quality care in the local community without having to travel." Daniel Stein, CEO Embold Health "We have always been proud of the quality of our network, and we are excited to be working with Embold to broaden access to top-quality care though a novel, tiered-network offering. This joint solution will leverage Embold's at-scale understanding of provider-specific quality, along with our market-leading surgical and cancer solutions, helping millions of members nationwide access top-quality care, more affordably and accessibly." John Zutter, CEO of Employer Direct Healthcare There will be an upcoming opportunity to hear more about the SurgeryPlus and Embold solution. Join us at a webinar soon to learn more and provide your feedback. SurgeryPlus Employer Direct Healthcare is a market-leading healthcare services business providing high-quality and cost-efficient solutions for self-funded employers and their members. The company's solutions transform healthcare for its members, facilitating access to top-quality care at fair prices nationwide. Employer Direct Healthcare's first product, SurgeryPlus, is the market-leading surgical benefit, providing full-service concierge and network services to millions of covered members across hundreds of employers. In 2022, the company launched a first of its kind, comprehensive end-to-end oncology solution. For more information and the latest updates about Employer Direct Healthcare, visit EDHC.com and follow us on LinkedIn. Embold We are a doctor-led, doctor-founded group of healthcare advocates leading a community that wants to improve healthcare for all. Through rigorous data analytics, we have developed the gold standard in defensible and actionable doctor ratings that are completely visible to all healthcare stakeholders. The result is higher quality care from providers, more appropriate care for members, and lower overall costs for employers. Visit www.emboldhealth.com to learn more. Contact: Ben Sanders Vice President, Strategy 612-508-2297 [email protected] Contact: Laura MacDonald Vice President, Business Development 1-877-EMBOLD1 (877-362-6531) [email protected] SOURCE Employer Direct Healthcare CHEYENNE, Wyo. When officials in Wyoming faced public pressure to allow a citizen recount of election results, they reached out to the state attorney general for legal advice about how to proceed. But Attorney General Bridget Hill refuses to say what she told them. In fact, Hills office has yet to publicly release any advisory opinions she has provided to other governmental entities, saying that every one written during her four years in office has been privileged and confidential. Cheyenne-based news media attorney Bruce Moats calls it poor policy and questions whether it violates Wyomings public records law. Is it really just playing games with this whole process? Moats asked. Attorneys general serve as the top legal counsel for their respective states. Besides defending states in civil lawsuits or criminal appeals, they also occasionally provide written opinions to state or local officials who are unsure about how to interpret the law in particular instances. But like Wyoming, about one-fifth of the states havent publicly posted any attorney general opinions in the past several years, a review by the Associated Press found. The most recent opinions available online date from 2020 or earlier in Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Vermont. There are no legal opinions readily accessible online in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Utah. By contrast, the attorneys general in some states, including the two most-populous ones of California and Texas, post dozens of legal opinions online each year. Open government advocates say those legal opinions, which often have broader implications for public policy, generally should be available to the public. Records that exist ought to be shared openly and publicly as simply as possible, so people can see them, said Brooks Fuller, an assistant journalism professor at Elon University who is director of the North Carolina Open Government Coalition. Thats the promise, at least, in North Carolina, where the website for Attorney General Josh Stein states that copies of attorney generals opinions will be available online approximately one week after issuance. Yet none has been posted online since 2010. Steins office told AP that no legal opinions have been issued since the Democrat took office in 2017, and it couldnt speak for the previous administration, when Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper served as attorney general. There are a variety of explanations for the differing degrees of government transparency among states. Some attorneys general may no longer be getting asked for legal advice, or perhaps are declining to provide it. Some may be drawing a line between what types of advice to make public. In Wyoming, attorneys general have long distinguished between informal opinions they consider subject to attorney-client privilege and dont release, and formal opinions which the attorney general and those advised agree in advance to disclose. The Wyoming attorney generals office hasnt publicly posted a formal opinion since Dec. 11, 2018, when it concluded that some slot-machine-type games amount to illegal gambling devices. The attorney-client privilege belongs to our clients and only they can waive that privilege, Chief Deputy Attorney General Ryan Schelhaas wrote in denying an AP records request for all Wyoming attorney general opinions since 2019. He declined to look into whether attorney-client privilege had ever been waived to allow their release though it had been in at least one instance last year. Hill wrote at least two informal opinions in 2022 involving citizen ballot recounts similar to those in Arizona, Nevada and elsewhere since the 2020 election, when former President Donald Trump claimed without evidence that fraud cost him re-election. Both of those legal opinions cast doubt on an ultimately prohibited citizen effort to recount by hand the 2020 vote in Park County, Wyoming, a deeply conservative hub of agriculture and tourism at the eastern approach to Yellowstone National Park. We had no intention of trying to change the vote or change the election or anything. We simply had citizens in this county that did not believe that machines were being used properly. We asked simply for the opportunity to prove or disprove it, recount organizer Boone Tidwell said. In an Aug. 4 opinion requested by Secretary of State Ed Buchanan, Hill wrote that completed ballots werent subject to release under Wyomings public records law. In a Nov. 10 opinion for Park County Attorney Bryan Skoric, Hill said Wyoming law didnt allow outside-party recounts. Hill gave both opinions to Skoric, who in turn gave both to AP, saying he had waived attorney-client privilege and provided the documents at a county commission meeting covered by the Cody Enterprise. However, both Tidwell and Renee Tafoya with Wyoming Rising, a Cody-based good-governance advocacy group opposed to the recount, said they hadnt seen the documents since the issue died down last fall. Things happen and then you never hear about it again, Tafoya said. It creates kind of a sense of unease. Although Hill hasnt publicly posted any formal opinions since Republican Gov. Mark Gordon appointed her in 2019, her six predecessors used to average about one a year from 2000 to 2018. There is no change in policy, Gordon spokesman Michael Pearlman said in an email. Both Gov. Gordon and General Hill remain committed to transparent government and also respect attorney/client privilege as it relates to AG opinions. But Moats questioned whether theres any substantive difference between formal and informal opinions, suggesting the decision not to release them is arbitrary and reflexive, especially when involving policy matters affecting people statewide. He questioned the use of attorney-client privilege for a local official when the attorney general answers to a far wider population. The whole state is their constituents, Moats said. SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Embolx, Inc. - a medical device company developing microcatheters for arterial embolization procedures, today announced the signing of a distribution agreement with Cardiva Italia SRL. The partnership is expected to add great value to Embolx's impressive network of distribution partners across Europe. Cardiva Italia will distribute both the Sniper Balloon Occlusion Microcatheter and the Soldier 2.0 Fr and 2.5 Fr High Flow Microcatheters, each in three lengths and two tip shapes. The partnership is expected to add great value to Embolx's impressive network of distribution partners across Europe. Tweet this Cardiva is an industry leader in innovation and has spent more than 30 years delivering the right products, services, and solutions to improve patient care. Their commitment to healthcare and providing high-performance treatment alternatives are at the center of their organization. "We are extremely excited to partner with Cardiva Italia to expand our reach within the European market," said Michael Allen, President and CEO of Embolx Inc. "Embolx and Cardiva Italia share the same goal to transform lives using innovative technology. That, combined with their skilled and experienced team makes this partnership a no-brainer." About Embolx, Inc. Embolx is an emerging commercial-stage medical device company in Silicon Valley developing microcatheters for arterial embolization procedures. Embolx is committed to dramatically improving the treatment of various conditions, including cancerous tumors, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and uterine fibroids. For more information, please visit www.embolx.com. Media Contact: Haley McGregor [email protected] SOURCE Embolx Following 300% SightMap license growth in the past 2 years, real estate mapping software company will introduce pathfinding capabilities, leverage automation to reduce onboarding timelines and drive scale DENVER, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Engrain , the market leader in interactive mapping technology and data visualization software for the built environment, today announced that it has raised $12 million in Series A funding to drive platform enhancements across the company's suite of technology offerings. The round was led by RET Ventures , an industry-backed venture fund with a focus on technology solutions for the multifamily and single family rental industries. The company's product lines include TouchTour, Asset Intelligence, and its flagship product, SightMap, an interactive, content-rich property map that embeds seamlessly into property websites to enable renters to select their specific apartment. All products leverage Engrain's Unit Map technology, an open map API allowing any software application to use property maps to display unit-level data. With this capital in hand, Engrain will invest in a wide range of platform improvements, including an innovative marketplace with automated processes around license management and sharing property maps with vendors. Engrain will also add pathfinding capabilities for visitors to navigate the most efficient paths around the property and surrounding community a valuable tool for prospective residents, delivery personnel, contractors and maintenance staff. Since Engrain's inception in 2009, the company's proptech software and touchscreen touring solutions have been adopted by 8,000 multifamily and 3,000 self storage properties, comprising over 5 million units. Already a force within the multifamily space, Engrain is used by 75% of the country's 50 largest apartment owners. This Series A funding will enable Engrain to enhance the value it offers to owners and operators of regional and middle market properties of any size. "The multifamily technology landscape is undergoing a long overdue phase shift. We're moving toward a world in which the leasing process involves unit-level search across multiple properties, regardless of the staffing or touring scenario. At the same time, AI and machine learning applications are beginning to take shape, and the industry needs a map for people and machines to see what's happening on site," said Engrain CEO Brent Steiner. "Following several years of growth, we're looking forward to delivering a series of automated upgrades that improve our software's operation and efficiency to elevate the user experience. At the core of Engrain's ethos is an emphasis on creating convenient and accessible experiences to everyone who walks onto a property, and we're eager to continue modernizing and refining our platform to achieve this goal." Using Engrain's Maps-as-a-Service SDK and API library, the company has established integrations with an impressive ecosystem of dozens of tech platforms, including all major ILS, self touring and property management platforms. Through these integrations, Engrain's maps enhance the touring, wayfinding, leasing and business intelligence / data visualization processes at thousands of properties nationwide. On average, each Unit Map is shared with more than 3 external vendors, a metric that is steadily increasing as the ecosystem matures. To manage this rapid growth and the volume of integration activity, Engrain's new, automated map marketplace will allow users to request and share maps directly with one another. Future iterations of the API will also boast features that grant users more insight into usage specs and other relevant data collected through the platform. Engrain will also significantly improve license provisioning processes on its SightMap software to give users more control on license sharing and content. In the coming months, it will be rolling out a more streamlined way to transfer licenses, facilitating a smoother transition when a property is bought or sold, and launching a reseller program leveraging its network of over 200 website development partners. Enhancements to SightMap production will drive greater efficiency, halving the time it takes to launch a new map from four weeks to two. A leading real estate technology VC, RET Ventures has an investment strategy informed by its strategic investors, 40+ leading real estate firms, which own and operate approximately 2.5 million rental units. Recognizing the clear value Engrain provides to the real estate industry and its complementary nature with many other real estate tech providers, RET Ventures led Engrain's most recent funding round in 2020. "Part of what initially drew RET Ventures to Engrain is the team's dedication to consistently enhancing its suite of offerings, and we look forward to watching these continued upgrades elevate Engrain's value to our strategic investors and other users," said Christopher Yip, Partner at RET Ventures. "Owners and operators in the multifamily space are on a never-ending hunt to improve operational efficiencies while bettering the resident and leasing experience and Engrain's technology continues to deliver on both fronts. The spatial perspective on a property that Engrain provides simplifies property engagement for residents, leasing and asset management teams and vendors alike, and we're proud to double down on our investment and lead the Series A for this robust technology solution." About Engrain Engrain's mission is to fundamentally transform the way people find, lease and manage property. A recognized leader in next-generation interactive technology and map-based data visualization software, Engrain's advanced integrations and technical flexibility offer solutions for any real-estate technology stack. Clients use Engrain products to engage prospects and residents, analyze and improve operating performance and increase NOI through operational efficiency. The company is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. For more information, go to engrain.com . About RET Ventures A leading real estate technology venture capital firm, RET Ventures elevates real estate innovation by investing in cutting-edge technologies out of its core venture funds and a Housing Impact Fund. RET works in partnership with its base of more than 40 Strategic Investors who own and manage over $600 billion of real estate assets, with a particular focus on multifamily and single-family rental real estate. In these asset classes, the group includes some of the largest REITs and private real estate owners, operators and developers, who together control approximately 2.5 million rental units. Through its deep expertise and network, RET has created a unique real estate innovation ecosystem that delivers significant value to the companies it backs, providing them with access to thought leaders, development partners and ongoing strategic guidance. For more information, please visit www.ret.vc . SOURCE Engrain NEW YORK, March 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces that it is investigating potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) resulting from allegations that Rite Aid may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public. SO WHAT: If you purchased Rite Aid securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. The Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action seeking recovery of investor losses. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the prospective class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=9388 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action. WHAT IS THIS ABOUT: On March 13, 2023, the United States Depart of Justice ("DOJ") released a statement "alleging that Rite Aid Dispensed Controlled Substances in Violation of the False Claims Act and the Controlled Substances Act." The statement claims that "Rite Aid knowingly filled unlawful prescriptions for controlled substances." According to the Complaint, "Rite Aid's pharmacists repeatedly filled prescriptions for controlled substances with obvious red flags, and Rite Aid intentionally deleted internal notes about suspicious prescribers. These practices opened the floodgates for millions of opioid pills and other controlled substances to flow illegally out of Rite Aid's stores." On this news, the price of Rite Aid's stock fell $0.62, or 18.90%, to close at $2.66 per share on March 14, 2023. On March 15, 2023, Rite Aid's stock fell as much as $0.235, or 8.8%, before closing at $2.57, a 3.8% decline from the prior day's close. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] www.rosenlegal.com SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A. AMSTERDAM, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Praemium Erasmianum Foundation has awarded the Erasmus Prize 2023 to the South African comedian Trevor Noah (b. 1984). He receives the prize for his inspired contribution to the theme 'In Praise of Folly,' named after Erasmus's most famous book, which is filled with humour, social criticism and political satire. With his sharp-minded, mocking yet inclusive political comedy, Noah, in the eyes of the jury, upholds the 'Erasmian Spirit.' Trevor Noah is a South African comedian of international stature. As a humourist, television presenter, political commentator, philanthropist and author, he has staked his claim in the world of contemporary political satire. In his autobiography 'Born a Crime', Noah describes how, as a child with a black Xhosa mother and a white Swiss father during the Apartheid era, he was confronted early on in his life with institutionalized racism and violence. Instead of reacting to injustice with cynicism, Noah exposes its absurdities, and combats these struggles with the liberating power of laughter. Noah made his breakthrough with his stand-up comedy at a young age. His solo shows, among them The Daywalker (2009), Crazy Normal (2011), That's Racist (2012) and It's My Culture (2013), quickly became hugely popular in South Africa and beyond. After his early success, he proved himself to be an inspiration to budding talents and a curator of comedy shows in Africa. The emergence of a new generation of socially committed Black comedians in South Africa who explore racism and the legacy of colonialism was soon labelled the 'Trevor Noah effect'. Since 2011 Noah has been living in the United States, where his talent for challenging the establishment didn't go unnoticed. From 2015 on, he spent seven years presenting The Daily Show, the most popular satirical television programme in the world. Noah's time at The Daily Show coincided with the rise of fake news, the presidency of Donald Trump, the Covid-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter after the murder of George Floyd. With his astute reflections on such issues, he garnered a young, diverse and global audience and, in the process, infused a highly polarized media landscape with a breath of fresh air. Only once before in its 65-year history has a humourist won the Erasmus Prize: Charlie Chaplin received the award from His Highness Prince Bernhard in 1965. The quote "The function of comedy is to sharpen our sensitivity to the perversions of justice within the society in which we live," is famously attributed to Chaplin, and that observation applies equally to Noah and his work. The Erasmus Prize is awarded annually to a person or institution that has made an exceptional contribution to the humanities, the social sciences or the arts. His Majesty the King is Patron of the Foundation. The Erasmus Prize consists of a prize of 150,000. The prize will be presented in the autumn of 2023. SOURCE The Praemium Erasmianum Foundation The agreement will provide Impactful Intelligence and attack surface management solutions to protect etisalat by e&'s infrastructure, developed in collaboration with by Cyberint. DUBAI, UAE, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cyberint, the leader in Impactful Intelligence and etisalat by e&, the brand representing the UAE telecoms pillar of e&, announced a joint agreement today to enhance its cyber security infrastructure with real-time intelligence and monitoring solutions. The deal comes at a time when cyber threats to the telecom industry are rapidly increasing due to factors such as legacy technology, large attack surfaces, and the valuable information they handle. In addition, high-profile attacks that resulted in the theft of sensitive personal data have further underscored the dangers faced by the industry. Cyberint's Argos platform offers real-time threat intelligence and monitoring of external risk exposure tailored to etisalat by e&'s unique attack surface. Cyberint's expansive presence across the open, deep, and dark web bolsters the cyber security of etisalat by e& bringing top-tier impactful intelligence to stay ahead of emerging threats. Cyberint CEO Yochai Corem said: "No enterprise wants to wait until its information is compromised or its service impacted to take action against cyber criminals, yet many companies remain vulnerable. "We are proud to be selected by etisalat by e& and further support the digital transformation program. Our agreement with etisalat by e& shows that forward-looking companies, especially those in critical verticals such as telecom, are taking action and turning the tables on cybercriminals." Khalid Murshed, Chief Technology and Information Officer, etisalat by e& UAE said: "Working with Cyberint, a reputable cybersecurity partner, reflects our strategy to provide every means to fortify our company's assets, secure our customers' data and inspire confidence in all stakeholders in today's interconnected world. "At etisalat by e&, we remain committed to protecting our customers' connectivity through advanced cyber security technologies. Our investment in the latest cybersecurity measures provides a solid layer of protection against the ever-changing cyber threats of the digital age." Cyberint's will strengthen etisalat by e& capabilities to actively monitor its complex attack surface, prioritise risk factors, and take proactive measures against targeted attacks or campaigns before they occur. About Cyberint Cyberint's impactful intelligence solution fuses real-time threat intelligence with bespoke attack surface management, providing organizations with extensive integrated visibility into their external risk exposure. Leveraging autonomous discovery of all external-facing assets, coupled with open, deep & dark web intelligence, the solution allows cybersecurity teams to uncover their most relevant known and unknown digital risks - earlier. Global customers, including Fortune 500 leaders across all major market verticals, rely on Cyberint to prevent, detect, investigate, and remediate phishing, fraud, ransomware, brand abuse, data leaks, external vulnerabilities and more, ensuring continuous external protection from cyber threats. To learn more about Cyberint, please visit https://cyberint.com About etisalat by e&, UAE 'etisalat by e&' is the brand representing the UAE telecoms pillar of e& (formerly known as Etisalat Group), operated by Etisalat UAE in our home market. In line with its refreshed strategy, Etisalat UAE is on a mission to unlock shareholder value, deliver outstanding customer experiences and drive optimal business performance. Taking advantage of the age of 'connectivity renaissance', Etisalat UAE will grow core and digital services, by enriching consumers' value propositions with digital services that cater for consumers' new lifestyles and emerging demands beyond basic telecom services, including areas like gaming, health, and insurance. Etisalat UAE will also continue to act as the trusted partner and advisor of enterprises by enabling their connectivity and beyond connectivity requirements Bolstering its leadership position as the digital telco that is a customer champion in a hyper-connected digital world, Etisalat UAE will pivot new, sustainable demand in future-forward spaces like private networks, autonomous vehicles, and AI. To learn more about Etisalat UAE, please visit https://www.etisalat.ae Contact Details: Danny Miller, VP Marketing at Cyberint +972 54-520-9442 [email protected] SOURCE Cyberint; etisalat by e& Xerava approval marks the first product to be commercialized by Everest in China Everest plans to commercially launch Xerava in China in Q3, 2023 SHANGHAI, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Everest Medicines (HKEX 1952.HK, "Everest", or the "Company"), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacturing and commercialization of innovative medicines and vaccines, announced today that the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China has approved its New Drug Application (NDA) for Xerava (eravacycline) for the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAI) in adult patients. The Company plans to commercially launch Xerava in China in the third quarter this year. "We are very excited to receive NMPA approval for Xerava and launch the product as the first product Everest will commercialize in China," said Rogers Yongqing Luo, Chief Executive Officer of Everest Medicines. "This will lead Everest's transformation from a biotech to a fully-integrated biopharmaceutical company. We expect to have three or more product approvals in 2023-2024, including Nefecon to be approved and commercialized later this year. Together with Xerava, these products will help Everest develop into a full commercial-stage company." "The approval of Xerava by NMPA reinforces the importance of addressing the urgent need for innovative antibiotic treatment options in China as multidrug-resistant bacteria infection continues to pose clinical challenges in China," said Sunny Zhu, Chief Medical Officer for Infectious Diseases at Everest Medicines. "We are encouraged by the continued regulatory success of Xerava across our territories in Asia, demonstrating Everest's superior capabilities to effectively advance innovative treatment options on behalf of patients in need. In the infectious disease space, we have other best-in-class product candidates in the pipeline. We plan to file NDA for Taniborbactam in China this year for complicated urinary tract infection and we plan to initiate phase III clinical study in the second half of this year for EVER206, a novel polymyxin derivative with potentially better safety profile compared to current options. We hope to advance these two drug candidates quickly so that our portfolio of three innovative antibiotics could help address the significant unmet medical needs in China." Xerava has been approved and commercialized in Singapore. It was also approved in Hong Kong and is currently under regulatory review for cIAI in the Taiwan region. Since 2020, Xerava has been recommended in multiple global treatment guidelines issued by Infectious Disease Society of America's (IDSA) and European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) as a treatment choice for multi-drug resistant gram-negative bacterial infections including Carbapenem resistant organisms. In addition, it was included in an expert consensus on the multi-disciplinary management of intra-abdominal infections by the Chinese Society of Surgery of Chinese Medical Association, Infectious Diseases Society for Evidence-based and Translational Medicine of Chinese Research Hospital Association and the Editorial Board of Chinese Journal of Surgery. In Feb. 2023, Xerava was also recommended in the Guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control of infections caused by carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacilli. "Xerava, with a broad bacterial spectrum coverage, shows high antibacterial potency in vitro, and has strong antibacterial activity against major clinical resistant pathogens such as ESBLs, CRE, CRAB, VRE, MRSA, etc.," said Professor Wang Minggui, head of the Institute of Antibiotics at Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University. "Xerava has been recommended by many guidelines in China and abroad, and its domestic launch will definitely help the treatment of resistant pathogens' infections in China." Everest Medicines has exclusive rights to develop and commercialize Xerava in Greater China, South Korea, and certain markets of South East Asia, under a licensing agreement with Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Innoviva, Inc.). About Xerava (eravacycline) Xerava (eravacycline) is a novel, fully synthetic, broad-spectrum, fluorocycline, parenteral antibiotic of the tetracycline class that has shown broad in vitro activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens that have acquired multidrug resistance (MDR) and are prevalent in China. Xerava is currently approved for the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAI) in the US, EU, UK, Singapore and Hong Kong and the medicine is currently under review for cIAI in Taiwan region. Xerava was licensed from Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Innoviva, Inc. About Complicated Intra-Abdominal Infections Complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAI) are a type of major hospital- or community-acquired infection which extend beyond the source organ into the peritoneal space and can result from perforation of or damage to the gastrointestinal tract. cIAI diagnoses include intra-abdominal abscess, stomach or intestinal perforation, peritonitis, appendicitis, cholecystitis, or diverticulitis. cIAI is caused by different bacterial pathogens, including Gram-negative aerobic bacteria, Gram-positive bacteria, and anaerobic bacteria. In 2018, there were 2.9 million cIAI patients in China alone, with increasing rates of infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria, which limits the effectiveness of currently available antibiotics. About Everest Medicines Everest Medicines is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing transformative pharmaceutical products and vaccines that address critical unmet medical needs for patients in Asian markets. The management team of Everest Medicines has deep expertise and an extensive track record from both leading global pharmaceutical companies and local Chinese pharmaceutical companies in high-quality discovery, clinical development, regulatory affairs, CMC, business development and operations. Everest Medicines has built a portfolio of potentially global first-in-class or best-in-class molecules in the company's core therapeutic areas of renal diseases, infectious diseases and autoimmune disorders. For more information, please visit its website at www.everestmedicines.com. Forward-Looking Statements: This news release may make statements that constitute forward-looking statements, including descriptions regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of the Company or its officers with respect to the business operations and financial condition of the Company, which can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "confident" and similar statements. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, or other factors, some of which are beyond the control of the Company and are unforeseeable. Therefore, the actual results may differ from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors and assumptions, such as future changes and developments in our business, competitive environment, political, economic, legal and social conditions. The Company or any of its affiliates, directors, officers, advisors or representatives has no obligation and does not undertake to revise forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events or circumstances after the date of this news release, except as required by law. SOURCE Everest Medicines TULSA, Okla., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Exaeris Water Innovations, LLC has received three new patents that will open new doors for the company, its partners and collaborators to meaningfully participate in the global effort to address water scarcity and energy transition. These new patents in Israel, South Korea and Mexico allow Exaeris to apply its revolutionary technologies, which leverage advanced materials science, specifically nanotechnologies, to significantly increase the output of water and enhance the efficiency of large systems that utilize vapor-compression-based cooling methods. Testing of the patented Exaeris technologies, both internally and through independent third parties, indicates potentially significant energy efficiency and operational improvements in devices reliant on vapor-compression such as HVAC, refrigeration and dehumidification. Vapor-compression-based cooling methods have been in use for over a century and account for over 20% of the world's energy consumption. This level of consumption places an enormous burden on electric grids that are overstressed by a warming climate, growing global population and new reliance from emerging electrical technologies such as EVs. "Materials science-based advancements in AWG technologies offer a promising suite of solutions for many populations around the globe who are struggling with drought and a lack of adequate supply of safe and clean water. This is especially problematic in places such as Israel and other Middle Eastern countries," said Aaron Taylor, CEO of Exaeris. "Exaeris is extremely excited about the newly issued patents, as well as its allowed, issued and/or pending patents in over 50 countries most affected by the growing global water and energy crises. These advancements and what they mean for the application of our disruptive technologies across a spectrum of new and legacy products in the global marketplace positions Exaeris for long term success," said Michael Joyce, Chief Strategy Officer for Exaeris. Exaeris continues to lead the way in the application of materials science to leverage the utilization of AWG technologies that help people, businesses and governments adapt to climate volatility and live more securely. Water security and energy efficiency continue to be two of the most pressing issues of the day. Exaeris is currently seeking licensing, alliance, and collaboration opportunities to help expand the path forward in addressing these issues. Exaeris Water Innovations, LLC is a closely held Delaware limited liability company with primary offices located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. For more information about the company and its products, visit Exaeris.com or contact Aaron Taylor at [email protected] or Mike Joyce at [email protected]. SOURCE Exaeris Water Innovations New Series of Negative-Slope EQs Balances Excessive Loss on Long Cable Runs IRVINE, Calif., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fairview Microwave, an Infinite Electronics brand and a leading provider of on-demand RF, microwave and millimeter-wave components, has just introduced an innovative series of in-stock, negative-slope equalizers. They were designed for broadband applications including electronic countermeasures, electronic warfare, microwave radio and more. Fairview's new series of negative-slope EQs balances excessive loss on long cable runs. Fairview's new negative-slope equalizers feature superior performance with excellent linearity, high reliability and low VSWR. They offer reliability in hazardous conditions with military-grade, compact, coaxial package designs and boast operating temperatures ranging from 0 C (32 F) to +90 C (194 F). They provide wide coverage over octave bandwidths ranging from 1 GHz to 26.5 GHz and low insertion loss from 0.5 dB to 1.2 dB. With a maximum input power handling of 150 mW, users can securely transmit greater amounts of power without worrying about damaging antenna ports from overloading. "Our new negative-slope equalizers relieve performance issues in our customers' signal processing channels. The devices are ideal when compensating for an amplifier's broadband gain response that characteristically rolls off at the upper end of the frequency band," said Tim Galla, Product Line Manager. Fairview's new negative-slope equalizers are in-stock and available for same-day shipping. For inquiries, call +1-949-261-1920. About Fairview Microwave: A leading supplier of on-demand RF and microwave products since 1992, Fairview Microwave offers immediate delivery of RF components including attenuators, adapters, coaxial cable assemblies, connectors, terminations and much more. All products are shipped same-day from the company's ISO 9001:2015-certified production facilities in Lewisville, Texas. Fairview is an Infinite Electronics brand. About Infinite Electronics: Based in Irvine, Calif., Infinite Electronics offers a broad range of components, assemblies and wired/wireless connectivity solutions serving the aerospace/defense, industrial, government, consumer electronics, instrumentation, medical and telecommunications markets. Its brands are Pasternack, Fairview Microwave, L-com, MilesTek, ShowMeCables, NavePoint, INC Installs, Integra Optics, PolyPhaser, Transtector, KP Performance Antennas, RadioWaves and Aiconics. Infinite serves its global customer base with deep technical expertise and support. It has a broad inventory available for immediate shipment, fulfilling unplanned demand for engineers and technical buyers. Infinite is a Warburg Pincus portfolio company. Press Contact: Peter McNeil Fairview Microwave 17792 Fitch Irvine, Calif. 92614 (978) 682-6936 SOURCE Fairview Microwave Inc. MADISON, Wis., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp. continues its ongoing investment in its Reverse Lending Division by formalizing the new Regional Reverse SVP program. The Regional Reverse SVP role will focus on increasing the production of originators tied to the Processing center or centers in their territory. The company has named eight top industry professionals to serve in these SVP roles in their respective regions: Genie McGee, Christine Jensen, Rob Kanyur, Derek Helms, Steve Cox, Rick Rodriguez and Michael Inkman, as well as a new hire - 30-year reverse veteran Susan Pomfret. "I've been hooked on reverse since the beginning. I was part of the initial pilot program for the HECM in '89 and have been educating folks ever since about the potential benefits," said Pomfret. "Connecting with Fairway is an amazing and exciting next step, and it gives me goosebumps to help many more retirees!" Pomfret will serve as SVP for the Northeastern Region, and work alongside David Lazowski, one of Fairway's top producing managers, originating several billion in forward and reverse loans last year. Lazowski added, "Bringing Susan on was a no-brainer. She is reverse royalty, and I can't wait to see how she can help grow Fairway Reverse 2.0 in our region." Fairway Mortgage Reverse Team Announces New Hire Susan Pomfret Tweet this Lazowski's excitement is echoed across all of Fairway, as the company empowers its top regional producers to lead other Fairway originators to expand their reverse mortgage business. Rob Kanyur, leading reverse producer for the company, looks forward to the challenge as SVP for the Southern Southwestern Region: "We have so much talent here at Fairway, and if someone wants to work to double their business, and help twice as many aging Americans, we're building the platform for them to do that." Beyond growth, the new program also allows for expanded outreach to a broader base of borrowers. Genie McGee, SVP of the Southeastern Region explains: "Financial advisors are a key piece of Fairway's business model and will continue to be so. That being said, there is an enormous portion of our demographic who can benefit from our guidance and do not have a financial advisor. This is doubly true in populations with high need. We can be the reverse mortgage company that serves everyone." Christine Jensen, who will be SVP for the Central North Region, centered in Colorado, thinks that the build out of this new team is game-changing: "Steve Jacobson, Gregg Steinhaus, and the entire Exec Team have shown so much support for Reverse. They are totally behind us and have our backs that security allows for unprecedented creativity. Each member of this group has specific set of gifts, and building off those unique skillsets will diversify and grow our platform." Steve Cox, SVP for the PNW region agreed with Jensen: "What are our unique abilities, and how do they fit into the big-time goals for Fairway Reverse 2.0? That's how we crack the code." SVP's Inkman and Rodriguez, who will represent the Southern Central and Northern SW Regions respectively, look forward to the expansion of reverse support through this initiative. Inkman, top Texas producer, set the bar high: "Whether someone is brand new to reverse, closing one a month, or closing 10 a month, we'll have a support channel that fits their needs." Rodriguez agreed: "Fairway has never been, and will never be, a one-size-fits-all kind of company. People grow here by building their businesses their way, and with the SVP program, we can expand and vary our support to help that growth." Derek Helms, Mid-Atlantic SVP, succinctly summed up the energy around the SVP/Mentorship program and Fairway's focus on reverse as a key piece of their business: "These changes are igniting our growth Hard work is coming our way, but the results are limitless." About Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation (NMLS #2289) is a full-service mortgage lender with a wide array of innovative products that can help make homeownership more affordable with the speed and service their clients deserve. Fairway is dedicated to finding great mortgage options and providing some of the fastest turn times for its buyers. We strive to exceed expectations, guarantee satisfaction and earn trust. For more information, please visit www.fairwayindependentmc.com. SOURCE Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation BOCA RATON, Fla., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute has received $2.8 million from Builders Initiative to establish a queen conch hatchery in Grand Bahama. This support expands FAU Harbor Branch's extensive aquaculture and food security program focused on replenishing queen conch populations throughout the Caribbean. It also enables development of a conceptual master plan for a 25-acre innovation hub on Grand Bahama for researchers working to solve issues of island sustainability. The project is built on a network of collaborations to secure local support and participation. FAU Harbor Branch will partner with the Bahamian community of Grand Bahama on a pilot-scale queen conch aquaculture farm led by Megan Davis, Ph.D., a research professor, FAU Harbor Branch Aquaculture and Stock Enhancement, and the world's leading expert on queen conch aquaculture with 40 years of research in the field. Prized for its iconic spiral shell and meat, the species is considered the cornerstone of the Bahamian culture and economy. Through partnerships, the project leads envision developing new economic and environmental opportunities for the community, along with helping to replenish queen conch populations. "We're extremely grateful to Builders Initiative for their generous support of our queen conch restoration efforts," said FAU President Stacy Volnick. "FAU Harbor Branch's work in aquaculture is helping to meet the growing global demand for food, thanks to partners like Builders Initiative who share our belief in sustainable solutions to environmental challenges." This summer, the project will begin with a mobile queen conch lab where scientists, with assistance from Bahamian staff and interns, will grow queen conch from their egg stage to juveniles. It will be located at Coral Vita, a commercial coral farm working to restore coral reefs, which will share resources with FAU Harbor Branch. Blue Action Lab is a key strategic partner, assisting with permits, negotiations, and other collaborator relationships. Other partners include the Bahamas National Trust, the University of The Bahamas, the Perry Institute of Marine Science, and The Nature Conservancy, which will provide expertise on habitat mapping for conch breeding sites in seagrass beds. "Having a hatchery operating in the community with full participation from the community will be a great way to not only increase knowledge and awareness of the life cycle of the conch, but it will also allow the opportunity to build relationships, technical skills and solutions together," said Catherine Booker, program coordinator with the Bahamas National Trust. The project also will provide research internships for students at the University of The Bahamas and ecotourism opportunities. Similar opportunities would come about through the 25-acre innovation hub. Known as Conservation Cove, it will be located on 25 acres on Grand Bahama, and it is envisioned to include a tropical aquaculture park, an aquarium, research and education hub, co-working spaces, and a hospitality center. FAU's MetroLAB Design Collaborative, comprising FAU's School of Architecture and Harbor Branch, will work with Blue Action Lab on the master plan. The Grand Bahama queen conch hatchery is the fifth such FAU partnership project to restore the queen conch throughout the Caribbean. FAU Harbor Branch has been working on restoration efforts since 2016 and has established other queen conch farms in Puerto Rico, Curacao, and Great Exuma, Bahamas. "Our FAU Harbor Branch Queen Conch Lab team together with our partners are making strides to fulfill the vision of a conch farm in every Caribbean nation," said Davis. "There has never been a more important time to help communities grow queen conch for the sake of the species, ecosystem, and the people who depend on the fishery." This support from Builders Initiative, the philanthropic team of Builders Vision, is the largest gift from a private funder to FAU Harbor Branch's queen conch program. Builders Initiative invests and collaborates with people and organizations working toward sustainable solutions in the areas of food and agriculture, climate and energy, oceans, and community. "Builders Initiative is thrilled to be an anchor funder of Florida Atlantic University's innovative program to establish conch aquaculture hatchery facilities across the Caribbean," said Peter Bryant, oceans program director at Builders Initiative. "We're committed to accelerating restorative aquaculture solutions in The Bahamas, and this project is a cornerstone of our program, one that will restore conch populations in The Bahamas while also providing benefits to local communities." - FAU - About Florida Atlantic University: Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students across six campuses located along the southeast Florida coast. In recent years, the University has doubled its research expenditures and outpaced its peers in student achievement rates. Through the coexistence of access and excellence, FAU embodies an innovative model where traditional achievement gaps vanish. FAU is designated a Hispanic-serving institution, ranked as a top public university by U.S. News & World Report and a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information, visit www.fau.edu. About Builders Initiative Builders Initiative is the philanthropic team for Builders Vision, an impact platform dedicated to supporting people and organizations building a more humane and healthy planet through philanthropy, investment, and advocacy. Builders Initiative, through the Builders Initiative Foundation, DAFs, and an impact LLC, invests in and collaborates with non-profits, businesses, and others working toward sustainable solutions to societal and environmental problems across four primary impact areas: Food and Agriculture, Climate and Energy, Oceans, and Community. Learn more at buildersinitiative.org. This news release was issued on behalf of Newswise. For more information, visit http://www.newswise.com. Media Contacts: Kristine Gobbo [email protected] Phone: 561-297-0924 SOURCE Florida Atlantic University David Daniel knows his son needs help. The 8-year-old spent first grade in remote learning and several weeks of second grade in quarantine. The best way to catch him up, research suggests, is to tutor him several times a week during school. But his Indianapolis school offers Saturday or after-school tutoring programs that dont work for Daniel, a single father. The result is his son, now in third grade, isnt getting the tutoring he needs. I want him to have the help, Daniel said. Without it, next year is going to be really hard on him. As Americas schools confront dramatic learning setbacks caused by the pandemic, experts have held up intensive tutoring as the single best antidote. Yet even as schools wield billions of dollars in federal COVID relief, a small fraction of students have received school tutoring, according to a survey of the nations largest districts by the nonprofit news organization Chalkbeat and The Associated Press. In eight of 12 school systems that provided data, less than 10% of students received any type of district tutoring this fall. To compare, in a federal survey, school officials said half of all U.S. students started this school year behind grade level in at least one subject. A new tutoring corps in Chicago has served about 3% of students, officials said. The figure was less than 1% in three districts: Georgias Gwinnett County, Floridas Miami-Dade County, and Philadelphia, where the district reported only about 800 students were tutored. In those three systems alone, there were more than 600,000 students who spent no time in a district tutoring program this fall. The startlingly low tutoring figures point to several problems. Some parents said they didnt know tutoring was available or didnt think their children needed it. Some school systems have struggled to hire tutors. Other school systems said the small tutoring programs were intentional, part of an effort to focus on students with the greatest needs. Whatever the reason, the impact is clear: At a crucial time for students recovery, millions of children have not received the academic equivalent of powerful medication. It works, its effective, it gets students to improve in their learning and catch up, said Amie Rapaport, a University of Southern California researcher who has analyzed students access to intensive tutoring. So why isnt it reaching them? The Indianapolis school district last year launched two tutoring programs that connect students with certified teachers over video. One is available to all students after school, while the other is offered during the day at certain low-performing schools. District officials say a trial run boosted student test scores. Parents give it high marks. The progress that he made in just a couple months last semester working with his tutor was kind of far beyond what he was grasping and doing at school, said Jessica Blalack, whose 7-year-old, Phoenix, opted in to after-school tutoring. Still, the two programs combined served only about 3,200 students last fall, or roughly 17% of students in district-run schools. Two additional tutoring programs operate at a handful of schools. Only 35% of the students who registered for after-school tutoring last fall attended more than one session, according to district data. Indianapolis Public Schools spokesperson Marc Ransford said the district is working to improve attendance and hopes to enroll more students in tutoring next school year. Its also trying to accelerate student learning in other ways, including with a new curriculum and summer school. Nationwide, schools report that about 10% of students are receiving high-dosage tutoring multiple days a week, according to a federal survey from December. The real number could be even lower: Just 2% of U.S. households say their children are getting that kind of intensive tutoring, according to the USC analysis of a different nationally representative survey. Schools trying to ramp up tutoring have run into roadblocks, including staffing and scheduling. Experts say tutoring is most effective when provided three times a week for at least 30 minutes during school hours. Offering after-school or weekend tutoring is simpler, but turnout is often low. Harrison Tran, a 10th grader in Savannah, Georgia, struggled to make sense of algebra during remote learning. Last year, his high school offered after-school help. But that wasnt feasible for Harrison, who lives 30 minutes from school and couldnt afford to miss his ride home. Without tutoring help, he started this school year with gaps in his learning. When I got into my Algebra II class, I was entirely lost, he said. Relatively low family interest has been another challenge. Though test scores plunged during the pandemic, many parents do not believe their children experienced learning loss, or simply are unaware. The disconnect makes it more important to offer tutoring during school, experts say. Parents just arent as concerned as we need them to be, said USC education professor Morgan Polikoff, if were going to have to rely on parents opting their kids into interventions. Even when students want help, some have been let down. In Marylands Montgomery County, 12th grader Talia Bradley recently sought calculus help from a virtual tutoring company hired by the district. But the problem she was struggling with also stumped the tutor. After an hour trying to sort it out, Talia walked away frustrated. My daughter was no farther along, said Leah Bradley, her mother. Having an option for online tutoring makes sense, but it cant be the primary option if youre looking for good results. Repeated in-person tutoring tends to be more effective than on-demand online help, but its also harder to manage. District rules add complexity, with safeguards like tutor background checks and vendor bidding rules slowing the process. In Wake County, North Carolina, the school district began planning a reading tutoring program last summer. The program did not launch until November, and district officials last month said volunteers are tutoring fewer than 140 students far fewer than the 1,000 students the program was designed to reach. Were always looking to serve more students, said Amy Mattingly, director of K-12 programs at Helps Education Fund, the nonprofit managing that program and another serving about 400 students. But, she added, its important to see whats working and make tweaks before trying to scale up. Some districts defended their participation numbers, saying tutoring is most effective when targeted. In Georgias Fulton County, 3% of the districts 90,000 students participated in tutoring programs this fall. Most of the tutoring was offered by paraprofessionals during the school day, with one hired to give intense support in each elementary school. The district says time and staffing limit how many students can get frequent, intensive tutoring. We dont want to water it down, because then you dont get the impact that the research says is beneficial for kids, said Cliff Jones, chief academic officer for the system. Others worry too few are getting the help they need even as programs continue to grow. This school year, about 3,500 students are getting reading tutoring from the North Carolina Education Corps. Meanwhile, in fourth grade alone, more than 41,000 students statewide scored in the bottom level on a national reading test last year. Who we are serving, said Laura Bilbro-Berry, the programs senior director, is just a drop in the bucket. MELBOURNE, Australia, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX: TLX, Telix, the Company) today announces that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a supplementary New Drug Application (sNDA) for Illuccix (kit for the preparation of gallium Ga 68 gozetotide injection) to enable its use for the selection of patients with metastatic prostate cancer, for whom 177Lu 177 PSMA-directed therapy is indicated.[1] The label expansion means Illuccix is now approved in the U.S. to select patients who are candidates for the only FDA-approved prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)- directed radioligand therapy (Pluvicto),[2] providing doctors with critical information to help optimise and guide treatment decisions. To qualify for radioligand therapy, patients must be imaged with an approved gallium-based PSMA-PET agent.[3] As the only diagnostic agent for suspected metastatic and recurrent prostate cancer that combines the accuracy of gallium imaging with the reliability and flexibility of Telix's distribution network, the expanded indication for Illuccix has the potential to improve access to imaging for patients who are candidates for radioligand therapy. Kevin Richardson, Chief Executive Officer for Telix Americas said, "We welcome the FDA's decision to expand the label indication for Illuccix. This additional indication further demonstrates our continued commitment to support patients fighting prostate cancer and to empower the doctors who treat them. Clinicians now have the ability to use Illuccix in more stages of the patient journey, to confidently and accurately detect and help manage this disease." Use of Illuccix in the VISION Phase III study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03511664)[4] helped doctors detect prostate cancer and identify the appropriate patients for PSMA-based radioligand therapy. Telix wishes to acknowledge collaboration with Novartis to deliver this outcome to patients. Dr Oliver Sartor, Medical Director at Tulane Cancer Center, added, "As radioligand therapy for prostate cancer becomes more prevalent, it is critical for doctors to understand who may or may not respond to those treatments. There's no doubt that appropriate selection of patients for PSMA targeted radioligand therapy is dependent on appropriate imaging. Ga-68 PSMA-11 PET was used in the VISION trial and, when used in combination with contrast-enhanced CT, represents a powerful tool for detecting prostate cancer and helping guide patient management." It is estimated that 32,000 patients per year in the U.S. may be considered for PSMA-directed radioligand therapy.[5] About Illuccix Illuccix is a kit for the preparation of gallium-68 (68Ga) gozetotide (also known as PSMA-11) injection, a radioactive diagnostic agent indicated for positron emission tomography (PET) of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positive lesions in patients with prostate cancer: with suspected metastasis who are candidates for initial definitive therapy; with suspected recurrence based on elevated serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level; for whom lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan PSMA-directed therapy is indicated. About Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited Telix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialisation of diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. Telix is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia with international operations in the United States, Europe (Belgium and Switzerland), and Japan. Telix is developing a portfolio of clinical-stage products that aims to address significant unmet medical need in oncology and rare diseases. Telix is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: TLX). For more information visit www.telixpharma.com and follow Telix on Twitter (@TelixPharma) and LinkedIn. Telix's lead product, Illuccix, has been approved by the FDA,[6] and by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA),[7] and by Health Canada.[8] Telix Investor Relations Ms. Kyahn Williamson Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited SVP Corporate Communications and Investor Relations Email: [email protected] Legal Notices This announcement is not intended as promotion or advertising directed to any healthcare professional or other audience in any country worldwide (including Australia, United States and the United Kingdom). This announcement may include forward-looking statements that relate to anticipated future events, financial performance, plans, strategies or business developments. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of words such as "may", "expect", "intend", "plan", "estimate", "anticipate", "outlook", "forecast" and "guidance", or other similar words. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the Company's good-faith assumptions as to the financial, market, regulatory and other risks and considerations that exist and affect the Company's business and operations in the future and there can be no assurance that any of the assumptions will prove to be correct. In the context of Telix's business, forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about: the initiation, timing, progress and results of Telix's preclinical and clinical studies, and Telix's research and development programs; Telix's ability to advance product candidates into, enrol and successfully complete, clinical studies, including multi-national clinical trials; the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals, manufacturing activities and product marketing activities; the commercialisation of Telix's product candidates, if or when they have been approved; estimates of Telix's expenses, future revenues and capital requirements; Telix's financial performance; developments relating to Telix's competitors and industry; and the pricing and reimbursement of Telix's product candidates, if and after they have been approved. Telix's actual results, performance or achievements may be materially different from those which may be expressed or implied by such statements, and the differences may be adverse. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable laws or regulations, Telix does not undertake to publicly update or review any forward-looking statements. Past performance cannot be relied on as a guide to future performance. Readers should read this announcement together with our material risks, as disclosed in our most recently filed reports with the ASX and on our website. 2023 Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited. The Telix Pharmaceuticals and Illuccix name and logo are trademarks of Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited and its affiliates (all rights reserved). [1] Specifically, lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan PSMA-directed therapy. [2] Pluvicto is a registered trademark of Novartis AG and/or its affiliates. [3] Per the Pluvicto package insert. [4] VISION study sponsored by Endocyte, a Novartis company. Telix provided Illuccix (TLX591-CDx) for 68Ga-PSMA-11 Positron Emission Tomography (PET)/Computed Tomography (CT) imaging. [5] American Cancer Society (ACS). Key Statistics for Prostate Cancer | Prostate Cancer Facts. 2023. [6] ASX disclosure 20 December 2021. [7] ASX disclosure 2 November 2021. [8] ASX disclosure 14 October 2022. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1920208/Telix_Main_Logo_Logo.jpg SOURCE Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited STOCKTON, Calif. , March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Stockton is petitioning Marvel Studios to feature Stockton, California, the birthplace of the Fantastic Four, in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe's Fantastic Four film. Thanks to a campaign in 1986, Stan Lee (notable American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer) visited the steps of Stockton's City Hall and proclaimed Stockton, California as the birthplace of the Fantastic Four. Later that year, Stockton was featured in Volume 1 Issue 296 of The Fantastic Four as the origin story of the mighty foursome. As Marvel Studios prepares to produce an upcoming Fantastic Four movie, Visit Stockton believes it's only right to bring the Fantastic Four back to Stockton. "Stan Lee once said that Marvel is a home for all people, regardless of their race, gender, religion, or color of their skin," says Visit Stockton CEO Wes Rhea. "We believe Stockton, being the most diverse city in nation (US News), lives up to Marvel's stance. This is a way to honor Stan's legacy, and we can't wait to see the impact this could have on our community and residents." With Stockton's long filmmaking history, once being known as "Hollywood North," Visit Stockton welcomes the opportunity to work with Marvel Studios to highlight our city and assets. To learn more about the campaign and sign the petition, visit Fantastic4Stockton.com. Follow Visit Stockton on Facebook and Instagram for all our updates, and to hear more about the importance of this initiative, listen to the newest episode of the This is Stockton podcast. Visit Stockton is the official destination marketing organization for Stockton, California. Founded in 1979 as a 501(c)6, non-profit corporation, the organization is dedicated to enhancing the region's quality of life by collaboratively leading the promotion of our richly diverse community and advocating for initiatives that will enhance the city's quality of place. Visit Stockton is dedicated to positively impacting the local economy through its programming and elevating civic pride, highlighting the Stockton community as a positive place to work and live. Visit Stockton is funded in partnership with local hotel properties through the Stockton Tourism Business Improvement District. More information can be found at visitstockton.org. SOURCE Visit Stockton 420 Hippie Hill and Silicon Valley-based Streamer BLK PRIME Come Together to Live Stream the Historic Cannabis Event for the First Time in History SAN FRANCISCO, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- 420 Hippie Hill , the world's largest and most famous celebration of cannabis, is excited to announce its collaboration with BLK Prime . The Silicon Valley-based subscription video-on-demand company offers multicultural content to a diverse audience worldwide. Together, they will be celebrating 420 in style with the first-ever global live stream of a cannabis event on April 20, 2023, from 10:0am - 5:00 pm PST, at Robin Williams Meadow in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA. Blk Prime X 420 Hippie Hill The 420 Hippie Hill event has become a global celebration of cannabis culture for decades and attracts thousands of people worldwide who gather to celebrate the plant and its many uses and benefits. The live stream which enables viewers worldwide to experience the celebration which will feature live performances from world-renowned artists, interviews with cannabis industry leaders, educational seminars, and more in real time will be available via subscription at 420live.blkprime.com for $3.99. BLK Prime is excited to enter the multibillion-dollar annual cannabis business with 420 Hippie Hill, bringing this celebration to a worldwide audience. As a company that prides itself on providing diverse and inclusive content, BLK Prime recognizes the importance of celebrating and promoting cannabis culture positively and educationally. "We are thrilled to partner with BLK Prime to bring the 420 Hippie Hill event to an international audience," said event producer Alex Aquino. "This is an incredible opportunity to showcase the positive aspects of cannabis culture and share it with people worldwide. We look forward to providing an unforgettable experience for viewers and attendees alike." "For the first time ever, BLK Prime will be the exclusive platform to stream an event of this kind," said Kenneth Frith, Vice President of Production for BLK Prime. "In addition to Hippie Hill, BLK Prime has greenlit a series of cannabis-themed originally programmed shows. This is a monumental opportunity. Growers, manufacturers, and every industry now have a destination to advertise their products globally." To learn more about the event, please visit www.420hippiehill.com and to subscribe, go to 420live.blkprime.com. Media Contacts: Katrina Belda for Hippe Hill at [email protected] / 415-562-7223 Tiffany Cummins for BLK Prime at [email protected] / 925-212-4200 Andrew Fern for BLK Prime at: [email protected] / 612- 669-8103 Juaquin Serran for BLK Prime at [email protected] About BLK Prime BLK PRIME is a subscription video-on-demand company that offers multicultural content to a diverse audience worldwide. To learn more about the event, please visit 420hippiehill.com , and to subscribe go to 420live.blkprime.com . SOURCE BLK Prime Robotic Hair Transplant Starts As Low As $5 Per Graft RALEIGH, N.C., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Robotic hair transplant is the newest innovation in hair transplantation surgery. It uses artificial intelligence to identify the best hairs for harvesting. Robotic hair transplant technology creates a digital map of your scalp to avoid damaging healthy hairs in the transplantation site and also to avoid an unnatural looking result. The technology is physician-assisted but performs the transplant itself which prevents fatigue or other factors for more consistent results. Unlike hair transplant surgery of the past, robotic hair transplant requires no incisions or major downtime. Patients are not placed under general anesthesia and can remain fully awake for the procedure. Robotic hair transplant is significantly less painful than traditional hair transplant methods. Dr. Sumeet Jindal at JIYA is the first in Raleigh, North Carolina to offer robotic hair transplant technology. With reduced materials and staff necessary, this allows Dr. Jindal to offer robotic hair transplant surgery for as low as $5.00 per graft. The average cost for hair transplant surgery is around $7.00 per graft. Along with robotic technology, Dr. Jindal is an innovator in regenerative medicine and uses platelet rich plasma, stem cells, and nanofat as forms of non-surgical hair restoration. Some patients interested in hair transplantation may be good candidates for Dr. Jindal's non-surgical hair restoration. For more information about non-surgical hair restoration in Raleigh, visit the JIYA medical spa website . JIYA is highly rated and recommended by patients. One patient said, "I was in excellent hands with Dr. Jindal's expert care, attention to detail and surgical skills have given me results that were beyond my expectations! I highly recommend Dr. Jindal to everyone." About JIYA: The Jindal Institute for Youthful Aging is a leading facial plastic surgery practice and medical spa in Raleigh, North Carolina. Offering high-end surgical procedures such as eyelid lift , facelift , and hair restoration . Alongside their surgical services, patients can also find a full range of injectables and professional skincare such as UltraClear laser resurfacing. Contact: realdrseattle Phone: 206-787-0784 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Jindal Institute for Youthful Aging Fjallraven ranked highest in its category by consumers in Sweden, in Europe's largest brand study on sustainability. LOUISVILLE, Colo., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - For the fourth year in a row, consumers in Sweden have voted Fjallraven as the country's most sustainable brand in the category, 'Clothes and Fashion Brands' in the 2023 Sustainable Brand Index. With the help of 80,000 consumers across eight countries, the Sustainable Brand Index measures and analyses nearly 1,600 brands across 36 industries on sustainability. Carried out annually since 2011, the independent study examines how sustainable brands are perceived by consumers. Sustainable Brand Index (CNW Group/Fjallraven North America) "Strong outdoor brands cannot survive today without solid sustainability practices. It's extremely encouraging that the work Fjallraven is doing is seen and valued by consumers," said Martin Nordin, Executive Chairman at Fenix Outdoor. "I'm proud that Fjallraven is not the only brand within the Fenix Outdoor group that ranked on top of its category. Naturkompaniet took the top spot, too." "Acting responsibly towards nature has guided Fenix Outdoor since the very beginning, so this recognition for two brands in our group is important." Founded in 1960, Fjallraven has built its global reputation on creating outdoor clothing and equipment with a focus on durability, functionality, and sustainability. "Our vision is to be the most sustainable and premium outdoor brand in the world, so we're delighted that consumers trust the Fjallraven brand and our efforts in driving sustainable innovation and placing strict regulations on ourselves to set new sustainability standards," said Martin Axelhed, Fjallraven CEO. "Swedish consumers are known to place a particularly high value on sustainability, so to be acknowledged as an industry-leading brand in Sweden proves we're going in the right direction." "The focus of our sustainability efforts is to make a positive contribution or, as we call it, to leave basecamp in better shape than we found it. We're very pleased that the hard work Fjallraven is doing in everything from responsible sourcing of materials and transparent CSR reporting to eliminating forever chemicals is making an impact and is recognised by consumers," said Aiko Bode, Chief Sustainability Officer at Fenix Outdoor. How Fjallraven is leading the way in sustainability As the study suggests, being perceived as the most sustainable outdoor brand in Sweden is one thing, but leading the way in sustainability takes significant action and over the years, Fjallraven has led the way in minimising its environmental impact. One of the most underappreciated, but most important facets of sustainability is longevity. Fjallraven has become well known for designing timeless clothing and equipment for lifetimes of wear, using materials that are tough, durable and easy to repair. It also educates its global community of outdoor enthusiasts on how to look after their gear through 'care and repair', in-store events, which are becoming increasingly popular. PFCs By 2011, Fjallraven had already developed its first waterproof hardshell material, Eco-Shell, made without the use of harmful perfluorocarbons (PFCs) in the DWR impregnation and was educating its customers on how to re-impregnate shell garments using PFC-free solutions. By 2015, the company had phased out all PFC-impregnation across the whole Fjallraven range, from clothes to backpacks and tents. Creating PFC-free solutions and driving consumer awareness of the devastating effects of PFCs on the environment has been an important topic for Fjallraven. Today, it welcomes the new legal regulations on the horizon and is excited that more brands are joining the journey towards a PFC-free outdoor industry. Down When it comes to animal-derived materials, a key part of Fjallraven's sustainability big-picture approach is traceability. The company's Down Promise guarantees 100% traceability and ethically produced down, using a production chain with strict and repeated controls of its suppliers and sub-contractors. The birds' well-being is the top priority, followed closely by the high quality of the down. Prior to its implementation, long chains of production meant Fjallraven didn't know exactly where its down was coming from. So, to ensure the highest standard of animal welfare, Fjallraven decided to take a closer look at its down supply chain and develop its own strict standards instead of relying on third parties and certificates. After years of work, the result was the Fjallraven Down Promise, which has been in effect since 2014 and is regarded as the best and most transparent in the outdoor industry. Wool Wool is another preferred animal-derived material used by Fjallraven that has significant outdoor functionality. In the past, the global wool supply chain has lacked transparency. For Fjallraven, however, defining its own strict regulations with suppliers in a transparent way has been a crucial part of its sustainability approach. A pilot project in 2014 with a local farm in northern Sweden allowed it to identify improved production processes and set its own standards on animal welfare and environmental impact. Today, Fjallraven partners with New Zealand-based ZQ Wool which accredits and works with farms across New Zealand and Australia and ensures wool supply, quality and integrity. Above all, it ensures animal welfare, as well as environmental and economic sustainability, which are all in line with the high standards Fjallraven has defined. For ZQ Wool, Fjallraven is now the biggest buyer of ZQRX wool, the leading standard of ethically sourced wool. In comparison to ZQ-certified wool, ZQRX also creates a standard for holistically managed farming practices, which helps to improve soil quality and sequester carbon. Leftover fabrics Elsewhere, fabric waste is being tackled head-on with a limited collection of clothes and equipment created using leftover fabric gathered from Fjallraven's mills and factories. Titled Samlaren, or 'Gatherer' in English, the collection highlights how resources can be repurposed in a conscious and sustainable way to such a degree that what is first considered waste can be remade into a valued, collectible item. The next Samlaren collection will be available on April 18, 2023. For high-resolution images, please visit www.press.fjallraven.com. About Fjallraven In 1960, Ake Nordin founded Fjallraven in his basement in the town of Ornskoldsvik in northern Sweden. Today the company's timeless, functional and durable outdoor equipment enjoys a global presence and can be found in over 70 countries. Fjallraven's product range comprises outdoor clothing and accessories for men and women as well as backpacks, tents and sleeping bags. Fjallraven prioritises acting responsibly towards people, animals and nature and and encourages and sustains public interest in the outdoors. The company is the initiator of two popular outdoor events, Fjallraven Classic and Fjallraven Polar, which attract thousands of participants every year. SOURCE Fjallraven North America BOSTON, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Flare Brand will now join a portfolio of companies owned by Smart Alert Holdings, "Smart Alert" and will become part of Flare Safety, Inc. Smart Alert is a company specializing in safety communications systems and is a pioneer and producer of personal safety devices. Although the terms of the agreement are confidential, the transaction will enable Smart Alert to provide enhanced safety-related communication services to present Flare users, a vision and mission close to the hearts of Sara Dickhaus de Zarraga and Quinn Fitzgerald, who founded and launched Flare Jewelry in February 2020 with the ambition of redefining personal safety. Built by survivors, Flare's safety communication system consists of a smart bracelet and mobile app that allows you to discreetly get help when you need it via the push of a hidden button. Since launch, the digitally native brand has built a strong community around its award-winning technology and provided over 1.5 million days of protection to its customers. The innovation portfolio includes invisawear Technologies Corp., an industry leader producing smart jewelry for personal safety devices. "Flare is a company who has thoughtfully designed a product in service to the users' full spectrum of safety needs," said the Smart Alert leadership team. "When combined with Smart Alert's portfolio of companies, manufacturing expertise, and disruptive marketing, Flare's potential to grow its base and expand its offering to all people in need will be game-changing." "Smart Alert shares our vision around innovation in the personal safety space and working to create a world where products like Flare don't have to exist and every person can feel safe and confident to live the life they deserve. We are excited for what the future holds for Flare under the direction of Smart Alert," said de Zarraga and Fitzgerald. About Flare Jewelry Flare is a safety communications system that empowers people to safely and discreetly take action in dangerous and uncomfortable situations. The Bluetooth-enabled bracelet and mobile app provide the wearer with several options to get help including sending a text to 5 contacts with their GPS location, request an incoming call (to disrupt uncomfortable or potentially dangerous interactions), or sending their information and live location directly to 911. Flare was named one of TIME's Best Inventions and Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies. For more information about Flare, please visit www.getflare.com. About Smart Alert Holdings Smart Alert is a company whose mission is to provide solutions and services combining innovation and fashion to allow people to protect themselves and their loved ones. Statistics show that 1 out of every 6 American women has been a victim of an attempted or completed rape at some point in her lifetime. Smart Alert aims to decrease these awful statistics and positively empower people to feel safe, secure, and connected with its portfolio of safety products that are saving lives. The innovation portfolio includes wearable panic buttons, mobile application software connected with 24/7 security services, pepper spray, drink spiking prevention products, self-defense classes and free safety tips. SOURCE Flare IRVINE, Calif., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Many defendants who are charged with Federal tax crimes will ultimately enter into plea bargain agreements. According to an article by Allen Ellis and Mark H. Allenbaugh, 97% of all federal tax crime defendants plead guilty. This is not surprising when the IRS Criminal Investigation division has a 98% conviction rate. Why you should use an Attorney to represent you in an audit Generally, Criminal Tax Defense Attorneys have defendants plead guilty in a last-ditch effort to avoid facing tremendously more severe criminal tax penalties stemming from a potential criminal tax conviction at trial. It is not uncommon for the Income Tax Division of the U.S. Attorney's office to hang 30 + years of jail time over a defendant and plea bargain down the jail time to 2 years or so if the defendant will simply save the government the time, effort, expense and headache of going to trial in order to convict the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt. By way of example, I represented a tax preparer that was facing over 80 years of threatened & warranted jail time and I successfully plea bargained the jail time down to less than 1 year and a day. Of course, I believed the government would eventually prevail in obtaining a conviction at trial because of the overwhelming evidence they had gathered and shared with me, or I would not have advised to plea bargain in the first place. Defendants can enter open pleas or negotiated plea agreements. The question of whether you should plea bargain or commit to an open plea is something you should discuss with our dually licensed Criminal Tax Defense Attorneys & CPAs. Each case is unique. However, Ellis and Allenbaugh have concluded through their research that, on average, defendants who enter into open pleas receive lower sentences. If you are considering whether you should plead guilty to a federal tax crime, you should connect with our experienced Dual Licensed Criminal Tax Defense Attorneys and CPAs. Our legal team at the Tax Law Offices of David W. Klasing can evaluate your criminal tax case and explain the appropriate course of action. Call us today by dialing (800) 681-1295 or clicking on this link to schedule a reduced rate initial consultation online. Of course, we have the best opportunity and highest probability of preventing a criminal tax conviction in the first place when you bring us into your high-risk tax matter as early in the process as possible. To date we have only had one client ultimately serve jail time and a high percentage of our client's have had real world exposure to being charged with a tax crime for their actions before engaging us. Many of our client's that have faced this exposure have stayed with us long term to avoid having similar problems in the future. How our Dual Licensed Tax Attorneys & CPAs can help you Avoid a Criminal Tax Conviction in the First Place. If you have failed to file a tax return for one or more years or have taken a position on a tax return that could not be supported upon an IRS or state tax authority audit , eggshell audit , reverse eggshell audit , or criminal tax investigation , it is in your best interest to contact an experienced tax defense attorney to determine your best route back into federal or state tax compliance without facing criminal prosecution. Note: As long as a taxpayer that has willfully committed tax crimes (potentially including non-filed foreign information returns coupled with affirmative evasion of U.S. income t ax on offshore income) self-reports the tax fraud (including a pattern of non-filed returns) through a domestic or offshore voluntary disclosure before the IRS has started an audit or criminal tax investigation / prosecution, the taxpayer can ordinarily be successfully brought back into tax compliance and receive a nearly guaranteed pass on criminal tax prosecution and simultaneously often receive a break on the civil penalties that would otherwise apply. It is imperative that you hire an experienced and reputable criminal tax defense attorney to take you through the voluntary disclosure process. Only an Attorney has the Attorney Client Privilege and Work Product Privileges that will prevent the very professional that you hire from being potentially being forced to become a witness against you, especially where they prepared the returns that need to be amended, in a subsequent criminal tax audit, investigation or prosecution. Moreover, only an Attorney can enter you into a voluntary disclosure without engaging in the unauthorized practice of law (a crime in itself). Only an Attorney trained in Criminal Tax Defense fully understands the risks and rewards involved in voluntary disclosures and how to protect you if you do not qualify for a voluntary disclosure. As uniquely qualified and extensively experienced Criminal Tax Defense Tax Attorneys, Kovel CPAs and EAs, our firm provides a one stop shop to efficiently achieve the optimal and predictable results that simultaneously protect your liberty and your net worth. See our Testimonials to see what our clients have to say about us! Considering Open Pleas vs. Negotiated Plea Agreements for Federal Tax Crimes If you are at risk of being charged with a federal tax crime, you might ultimately have to decide whether or not to plead guilty. There are four ways that you may enter into a guilty plea: Through an oral or written plea agreement that may bind the court to a recommendation for sentencing Through a written conditional plea that preserves your chances to appeal adverse pretrial evidentiary rulings Through a plea of no contest Through an "open" or "straight up" plea to an indictment According to an article written by Allan Ellis and Mark H. Allenbaugh, approximately 97% of all federal defendants plead guilty. In doing so, the accused may generally avoid more serious penalties that could accompany their conviction at trial. If you enter into an "open" or "straight up" plea agreement, you will plead guilty without any promise from the prosecution as to what your sentence should be. You may wish to enter into an open plea agreement in hopes that you will receive a lighter sentence than was proposed by the prosecution. If you enter into a negotiated plea agreement, it means that you have reached an agreement with the prosecutor concerning your sentence. Typically, in a plea bargain, you will plead guilty to one or more of the charges you are facing. In exchange, you will receive a lighter sentence. Entering into a plea bargain to reduce the counts of conviction may not affect your sentence. For federal tax crimes, sentencing guidelines are typically calculated by analyzing defendants' "relevant conduct." Relevant conduct is the range of conduct used to determine an applicable offense level. Defendants who enter into open plea agreements typically are not required to admit any relevant conduct. Instead, those who enter into open pleas will preserve their right to challenge all relevant conduct as it applies to sentencing factors. Therefore, Ellis and Allenbaugh have concluded that, on average, defendants who enter into open pleas have received lower sentences. Still, if you are at risk of being charged with a federal tax crime, you should consult with our experienced Dual Licensed Criminal Tax Defense Attorneys and CPAs as early as possible & well before being forced to decide how to plead or entering a proffer agreement and avoid criminal tax prosecution all together where possible. How Long Do You Go to Jail for Tax Evasion? Many tax crimes do not result in jail time. If you simply made a mistake when filing your tax returns, then it is unlikely you will face criminal tax penalties. However, if it is determined that you intentionally evaded your federal tax obligations, you may face time in federal prison. In general, those who create larger amounts of tax loss for the government will face longer prison sentences. The amount of tax loss is the amount of taxes the defendant failed to pay through their illegal actions. However, many other factors may be analyzed when determining a prison sentence for a tax crime. For instance, a defendant's criminal record may factor into establishing their prison sentence. If you are worried that you may go to jail for tax evasion or other tax crime, you can contact our Dual Licensed Tax Defense Attorneys and CPAs for help with your case. Our legal team can help resolve any civil or criminal tax issues you are facing. What Are the Potential Defenses to Tax Evasion? If you are at risk of being charged with tax evasion, our defense counsel may effectively utilize several potential available defenses. During an assessment of your case, our Dual Licensed Tax Defense Attorneys and CPAs can help determine if any of the following defenses may apply: Non-Taxable Source You may defend against tax evasion charges by arguing that the money at issue came from a non-taxable source. For example, you may innocently obtain tax-free funds through loans, inheritances, or gifts. Honest Mistake Furthermore, a common defense to tax fraud is the assertion that the accused made an honest mistake. Theoretically, only intentional avoidance of your tax obligations can result in criminal tax penalties. If we can establish that your tax evasion stems from an honest mistake, you will not be convicted of a crime. Our Dual Licensed Tax Defense Attorneys and CPAs can help gather evidence to prove that an error on your tax returns occurred because of an honest mistake. Living Off Cash Federal laws do not prohibit you from holding cash in your home as opposed to storing it in a bank. If the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) uses expenditures, net worth methods, or bank deposits as ways of proving tax fraud in your case, then we can potentially defend you by asserting that you were living off of stored cash funds. However, the IRS is generally suspicious of those who hoard large amounts of cash. You can consult with our Dual Licensed Tax Defense Attorneys and CPAs for help deciding if you should mount this defense in your case. Those Who Are at Risk of Being Charged with Tax Crimes Can Call Our Law Firm for Support If you are at risk of being charged with a tax crime, seek assistance from our experienced Dual Licensed Tax Defense Attorneys and CPAs. Contact our team at the Tax Law Offices of David W. Klasing today by calling (800) 681-1295 or clicking on this link to schedule a reduced rate initial consultation online. Here is a link to our YouTube channel: click here . Public Contact: Dave Klasing Esq. M.S.-Tax CPA, [email protected] SOURCE Tax Law Offices of David W. Klasing, PC PHOENIX, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SinglePoint, Inc. (OTCQB: SING) ("SinglePoint" or "the Company") announced today that Frontline Power Solutions ("the Company") closed on a 3.1 million kWh energy services contract with a national property management firm, saving the client approximately $800,000 during the contract term. This recent success marks the second large energy contract procured by Frontline Power Solutions, demonstrating the company's promising future. Wil Ralston, CEO SinglePoint, said, "These early successes for FPS are exciting developments. The ability to close deals of this size with national firms continues to demonstrate the capability of our teams. The buildings we are working with to provide energy contracts are perfect examples of how our integrated approach will help drive additional business for our other Companies in solar, energy storage, and EV Charging solutions," Frontline Power Solutions is a licensed energy services company, or "ESCO," operating in fifteen (15) states and providing electric and gas contracts to commercial companies in deregulated states. With 20 years of energy experience, Frontline Power Solutions' deep relationships provide detailed energy procurement and curtailment strategies for commercial businesses. Frontline Power is dedicated to helping companies to navigate and obtain the best-available means to gain an energy supply across deregulated markets. About Frontline Power Solutions Frontline Power Solutions (FPS) is a comprehensive energy solutions company equipped with industry experts who have been on the "frontline" of energy procurement, sales, marketing, analysis, and information technology in the power industry since the dawn of deregulation. The combined intellectual and leveraged resources translate to unmatched value for their customers. FPS provides full-service power supply solutions, including supply, billing, auditing, renewable energy supply, efficiency consulting, and incentive coordination for large or small enterprises. About SinglePoint Inc (OTCQB: SING) SinglePoint is a sustainable lifestyle Company in the solar energy and air purification markets. The Company plans to build the largest renewable energy solutions network and modernize the traditional solar energy and energy storage business model. SinglePoint continues to execute its acquisition strategy by exploring future growth opportunities in air purification, electric vehicle charging, solar as a subscription service, and additional energy efficiencies and appliances that enhance sustainability and healthier life. For more information, visit the Company's websites: www.singlepoint.com , www.bostonsolar.us , and www.boxpureair.com . Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information within Rule 175 under the Securities Act of 1933 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and are subject to the safe harbor created by those rules. All statements, besides statements of fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding revenue projections, financing opportunities, potential plans and objectives of the Company, anticipated growth, and future expansion, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Technical and other complications, which may arise, could prevent the prompt implementation of any strategically significant plan(s) outlined above. The Company undertakes no duty to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release. Investor Contact: Tra-Digital IR [email protected] (212) 389 - 9782 ext. 107 SOURCE SinglePoint Inc. NEW YORK, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The frozen fish and seafood market size is forecast to grow by USD 28.58 billion between 2022 and 2027, and the growth momentum will be accelerating at a CAGR of 7.26% during the forecast period. The market is driven by the growing desire for convenience food. The increasingly hectic lifestyles are favoring ready-to-eat meals, which can reduce prep, cooking, and cleanup time. Convenience is often a key factor that frozen seafood suppliers consider to increase consumer relevance, as the majority of consumers look for convenience when choosing packaged products. Common whitefish species used as convenience food products are walleye, Alaskan pollock, and pangasius. Moreover, frozen fish and seafood vendors offer convenience in terms of handling and preparation and provide a broad range of options in terms of flavors and recipes and also in desired portions or sizes. Such factors will drive the growth of the market during the forecast period. Take action now and gain valuable insights into the impact of the US crisis with our comprehensive analysis report. Talk to us Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Frozen Fish and Seafood Market 2023-2027 Market Segmentation By end-user , the market is segmented into the food processing industry, food service provider, retail and household, and animal feed and pet food. The growth of the food processing industry segment will be significant over the forecast period. Food processors continue to adopt processing technologies, new product developments, and sustainability practices to meet the growing demand for high-quality, sustainable fish products. Such developments are driving the food processing industry segment and boosting market growth during the forecast period. , the market is segmented into the food processing industry, food service provider, retail and household, and animal feed and pet food. The growth of the will be significant over the forecast period. Food processors continue to adopt processing technologies, new product developments, and sustainability practices to meet the growing demand for high-quality, sustainable fish products. Such developments are driving the food processing industry segment and boosting market growth during the forecast period. By distribution channe l, the market is segmented into offline and online. The growth of the offline segment will be significant over the forecast period. Vendors are looking to boost offline sales by expanding their stores to multiple locations. Companies can increase revenue and serve all consumer categories through expansion in regions such as APAC and MEA. With the growth of retail channels in different regions, customers have become accustomed to different types of frozen food. This is expected to increase revenue during the forecast period. l, the market is segmented into offline and online. The growth of the will be significant over the forecast period. Vendors are looking to boost offline sales by expanding their stores to multiple locations. Companies can increase revenue and serve all consumer categories through expansion in regions such as APAC and MEA. With the growth of retail channels in different regions, customers have become accustomed to different types of frozen food. This is expected to increase revenue during the forecast period. By geography, the market is segmented into Europe , APAC, North America , South America , and Middle East and Africa. The growth of the Europe market will be significant over the forecast period. Increasing consumer health awareness and healthy lifestyle trends in Europe have increased the demand for frozen food in the region. Consumers across Europe are becoming increasingly aware of the many health benefits of seafood such as tuna and salmon. Such factors will drive market growth during the forecast period. Frozen fish and seafood market Vendor Analysis Technavio has extensively analyzed 15 major vendors, including Austevoll Seafood ASA, FaroeseSeafood.com, Freiremar SA, Grieg Seafood ASA, Lee Fish, Lee Fishing Company, Metro Seafood Ltd., Midseas Ltd., Mowi, Nutreco N.V., Ocean Fresh Seafood, Pescafresh, Seattle Fish Co., Tassal Group, Tesco Plc, Trident Seafoods Corp., Tropic Star Seafood Inc., True World Foods LLC, Wm Morrison Supermarkets Ltd., and Surapon Foods Public Co. Ltd. The frozen fish and seafood market report includes information on the key products and recent developments of leading vendors, including: Austevoll Seafood ASA - The company offers frozen fish and seafood such as salmon. - The company offers frozen fish and seafood such as salmon. FaroeseSeafood.com - The company offers frozen fish and seafood such as shellfish. The company offers frozen fish and seafood such as shellfish. Lee Fishing Company - The company offers frozen fish and seafood such as raw and cooked prawns. The company offers frozen fish and seafood such as raw and cooked prawns. Metro Seafood Ltd. - The company offers frozen fish and seafood such as white fish, Salmon, and Tuna. Market Dynamics The growth of the market is driven by including the growing desire for convenience. Another factor driving the growth of the market is the demand for processed seafood. In addition, the increasing prominence of land-based fish farming will also increase the market growth. However, stiff competition from fresh and canned fish and seafood will hinder the growth of the market. Competitive Analysis The competitive scenario provided in the frozen fish and seafood market report analyzes, evaluates, and positions companies based on various performance indicators. Some of the factors considered for this analysis include the financial performance of companies over the past few years, growth strategies, product innovations, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc. Request a Sample Why Buy Add credibility to strategy Analyzes competitor's offerings Get a holistic view of the market Grow your profit margin with Technavio Buy the Report! Related Reports: The crayfish market size growth is expected to progress at a CAGR of 6.48% and is estimated at USD 2,272.09 million from 2022 to 2027. The affordable aquaculture methods are notably driving the market growth, although factors such as lack of marketing and capital in the crayfish market may impede the growth. size growth is expected to progress at a CAGR of 6.48% and is estimated at from 2022 to 2027. The affordable aquaculture methods are notably driving the market growth, although factors such as lack of marketing and capital in the crayfish market may impede the growth. The Europe frozen food market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 6.8% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 48.81 billion . The growing inclination toward e-commerce is notably driving the market growth, although factors such as health risks associated with the consumption of frozen ready meals may impede the market growth. Technavio's library includes over 17,000+ reports, covering more than 2,000 emerging technologies. Subscribe to our "Basic Plan" at just USD 5,000 and get lifetime access to Technavio Insights What are the key data covered in this frozen fish and seafood market report CAGR of the market during the forecast period. Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the market between 2023 and 2027 Precise estimation of the size of the frozen fish and seafood market and its contribution to the parent market. Accurate predictions about upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior. Growth of the market across Europe , APAC, North America , South America , and Middle East and Africa . , APAC, , , and and . A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors. Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of frozen fish and seafood market vendors. Frozen Fish And Seafood Market Scope Report Coverage Details Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 7.26% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 28.58 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 7.17 Regional analysis Europe, APAC, North America, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution Europe at 48% Key countries US, China, France, Germany, and Spain Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Austevoll Seafood ASA, FaroeseSeafood.com, Freiremar SA, Grieg Seafood ASA, Lee Fish, Lee Fishing Company, Metro Seafood Ltd., Midseas Ltd., Mowi, Nutreco N.V., Ocean Fresh Seafood, Pescafresh, Seattle Fish Co., Tassal Group, Tesco Plc, Trident Seafoods Corp., Tropic Star Seafood Inc., True World Foods LLC, Wm Morrison Supermarkets Ltd., and Surapon Foods Public Co. Ltd. Market dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, Market condition analysis for forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized. Browse through Technavio's Consumer Staples Market Reports Table of contents: 1 Executive Summary 1.1 Market overview Exhibit 01: Executive Summary Chart on Market Overview Exhibit 02: Executive Summary Data Table on Market Overview Exhibit 03: Executive Summary Chart on Global Market Characteristics Exhibit 04: Executive Summary Chart on Market by Geography Exhibit 05: Executive Summary Chart on Market Segmentation by End-user Exhibit 06: Executive Summary Chart on Market Segmentation by Distribution Channel Exhibit 07: Executive Summary Chart on Incremental Growth Exhibit 08: Executive Summary Data Table on Incremental Growth Exhibit 09: Executive Summary Chart on Vendor Market Positioning 2 Market Landscape 2.1 Market ecosystem Exhibit 10: Parent market Exhibit 11: Market Characteristics 3 Market Sizing 3.1 Market definition Exhibit 12: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition 3.2 Market segment analysis Exhibit 13: Market segments 3.3 Market size 2022 3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027 Exhibit 14: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 15: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 16: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 17: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 4 Historic Market Size 4.1 Global frozen fish and seafood market 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size Data Table on Global frozen fish and seafood market 2017 - 2021 ($ billion) 4.2 End-user Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size End-user Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ billion) 4.3 Distribution channel Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 20: Historic Market Size Distribution channel Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ billion) 4.4 Geography Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 21: Historic Market Size Geography Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ billion) 4.5 Country Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 22: Historic Market Size Country Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ billion) 5 Five Forces Analysis 5.1 Five forces summary Exhibit 23: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2022 and 2027 5.2 Bargaining power of buyers Exhibit 24: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers Impact of key factors 2022 and 2027 5.3 Bargaining power of suppliers Exhibit 25: Bargaining power of suppliers Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.4 Threat of new entrants Exhibit 26: Threat of new entrants Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.5 Threat of substitutes Exhibit 27: Threat of substitutes Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.6 Threat of rivalry Exhibit 28: Threat of rivalry Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.7 Market condition Exhibit 29: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2022 and 2027 6 Market Segmentation by End-user 6.1 Market segments Exhibit 30: Chart on End-user - Market share 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 31: Data Table on End-user - Market share 2022-2027 (%) 6.2 Comparison by End-user Exhibit 32: Chart on Comparison by End-user Exhibit 33: Data Table on Comparison by End-user 6.3 Food processing industry - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 34: Chart on Food processing industry - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 35: Data Table on Food processing industry - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 36: Chart on Food processing industry - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 37: Data Table on Food processing industry - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.4 Food service provider - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 38: Chart on Food service provider - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 39: Data Table on Food service provider - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 40: Chart on Food service provider - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 41: Data Table on Food service provider - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.5 Retail and household - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 42: Chart on Retail and household - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 43: Data Table on Retail and household - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 44: Chart on Retail and household - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 45: Data Table on Retail and household - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.6 Animal feed and pet food - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 46: Chart on Animal feed and pet food - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 47: Data Table on Animal feed and pet food - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 48: Chart on Animal feed and pet food - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 49: Data Table on Animal feed and pet food - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.7 Market opportunity by End-user Exhibit 50: Market opportunity by End-user ($ billion) 7 Market Segmentation by Distribution Channel 7.1 Market segments Exhibit 51: Chart on Distribution Channel - Market share 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 52: Data Table on Distribution Channel - Market share 2022-2027 (%) 7.2 Comparison by Distribution Channel Exhibit 53: Chart on Comparison by Distribution Channel Exhibit 54: Data Table on Comparison by Distribution Channel 7.3 Offline - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 55: Chart on Offline - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 56: Data Table on Offline - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 57: Chart on Offline - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 58: Data Table on Offline - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 7.4 Online - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 59: Chart on Online - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 60: Data Table on Online - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 61: Chart on Online - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 62: Data Table on Online - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 7.5 Market opportunity by Distribution Channel Exhibit 63: Market opportunity by Distribution Channel ($ billion) 8 Customer Landscape 8.1 Customer landscape overview Exhibit 64: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria 9 Geographic Landscape 9.1 Geographic segmentation Exhibit 65: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 66: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%) 9.2 Geographic comparison Exhibit 67: Chart on Geographic comparison Exhibit 68: Data Table on Geographic comparison 9.3 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 69: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 70: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 71: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 72: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.4 APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 73: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 74: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 75: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 76: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.5 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 77: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 78: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 79: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 80: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 81: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 82: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 83: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 84: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 85: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 86: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 87: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) and - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 88: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.8 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 89: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 90: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 91: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 92: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.9 France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 93: Chart on France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 94: Data Table on France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 95: Chart on France - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 96: Data Table on France - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.10 Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 97: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 98: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 99: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 100: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.11 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 101: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 102: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 103: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 104: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.12 Spain - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 105: Chart on Spain - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 106: Data Table on Spain - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 107: Chart on Spain - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 108: Data Table on Spain - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.13 Market opportunity by geography Exhibit 109: Market opportunity by geography ($ billion) 10 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 10.1 Market drivers 10.2 Market challenges 10.3 Impact of drivers and challenges Exhibit 110: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027 10.4 Market trends 11 Vendor Landscape 11.1 Overview 11.2 Vendor landscape Exhibit 111: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation 11.3 Landscape disruption Exhibit 112: Overview on factors of disruption 11.4 Industry risks Exhibit 113: Impact of key risks on business 12 Vendor Analysis 12.1 Vendors covered Exhibit 114: Vendors covered 12.2 Market positioning of vendors Exhibit 115: Matrix on vendor position and classification 12.3 Austevoll Seafood ASA Exhibit 116: Austevoll Seafood ASA - Overview Exhibit 117: Austevoll Seafood ASA - Business segments Exhibit 118: Austevoll Seafood ASA - Key offerings Exhibit 119: Austevoll Seafood ASA - Segment focus 12.4 FaroeseSeafood.com Exhibit 120: FaroeseSeafood.com - Overview Exhibit 121: FaroeseSeafood.com - Product / Service Exhibit 122: FaroeseSeafood.com - Key offerings 12.5 Freiremar SA Exhibit 123: Freiremar SA - Overview Exhibit 124: Freiremar SA - Product / Service Exhibit 125: Freiremar SA - Key offerings 12.6 Grieg Seafood ASA Exhibit 126: Grieg Seafood ASA - Overview Exhibit 127: Grieg Seafood ASA - Business segments Exhibit 128: Grieg Seafood ASA - Key offerings Exhibit 129: Grieg Seafood ASA - Segment focus 12.7 Lee Fish Exhibit 130: Lee Fish - Overview - Overview Exhibit 131: Lee Fish - Product / Service - Product / Service Exhibit 132: Lee Fish - Key offerings 12.8 Lee Fishing Company Exhibit 133: Lee Fishing Company - Overview Exhibit 134: Lee Fishing Company - Product / Service Exhibit 135: Lee Fishing Company - Key offerings 12.9 Metro Seafood Ltd. Exhibit 136: Metro Seafood Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 137: Metro Seafood Ltd. - Product / Service Exhibit 138: Metro Seafood Ltd. - Key offerings 12.10 Midseas Ltd. Exhibit 139: Midseas Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 140: Midseas Ltd. - Product / Service Exhibit 141: Midseas Ltd. - Key offerings 12.11 Mowi Exhibit 142: Mowi - Overview Exhibit 143: Mowi - Business segments Exhibit 144: Mowi - Key news Exhibit 145: Mowi - Key offerings Exhibit 146: Mowi - Segment focus 12.12 Nutreco N.V. Exhibit 147: Nutreco N.V. - Overview Exhibit 148: Nutreco N.V. - Product / Service Exhibit 149: Nutreco N.V. - Key news Exhibit 150: Nutreco N.V. - Key offerings 12.13 Ocean Fresh Seafood Exhibit 151: Ocean Fresh Seafood - Overview Exhibit 152: Ocean Fresh Seafood - Product / Service Exhibit 153: Ocean Fresh Seafood - Key offerings 12.14 Seattle Fish Co. Exhibit 154: Seattle Fish Co. - Overview Exhibit 155: Seattle Fish Co. - Product / Service Exhibit 156: Seattle Fish Co. - Key offerings 12.15 Tesco Plc Exhibit 157: Tesco Plc - Overview Exhibit 158: Tesco Plc - Business segments Exhibit 159: Tesco Plc - Key offerings Exhibit 160: Tesco Plc - Segment focus 12.16 True World Foods LLC Exhibit 161: True World Foods LLC - Overview Exhibit 162: True World Foods LLC - Product / Service Exhibit 163: True World Foods LLC - Key offerings 12.17 Wm Morrison Supermarkets Ltd. Exhibit 164: Wm Morrison Supermarkets Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 165: Wm Morrison Supermarkets Ltd. - Product / Service Exhibit 166: Wm Morrison Supermarkets Ltd. - Key offerings 13 Appendix 13.1 Scope of the report 13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist Exhibit 167: Inclusions checklist Exhibit 168: Exclusions checklist 13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ Exhibit 169: Currency conversion rates for US$ 13.4 Research methodology Exhibit 170: Research methodology Exhibit 171: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 172: Information sources 13.5 List of abbreviations Exhibit 173: List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ SOURCE Technavio Funding will support GigaStar's goal of empowering YouTube creators with streamlined access to fan funding, innovative fan engagement, and potential long-term royalties CHICAGO, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GigaStar, a startup on a mission to fuel human creativity by empowering creators and fans to grow as partners in shared success, announced today that it has completed a $4.8M Seed funding round, which includes the conversion of a SAFE funding round raised in 2022. GigaStar gives creators streamlined access to fan funding, innovative fan engagement, and potential long-term royalties by leveraging blockchain technology; YouTube creators can monetize their future capital by offering fans rights to a percentage of their channel's potential future revenue, represented by Channel Revenue Tokens (CRTs). "This is what the democratization of the creator economy looks like" - Rick Tomsic, manager of Tomsic Holdings Tweet this Through Regulation Crowdfunding offerings listed by GigaStar Market, fans can invest in a creator's journey via revenue sharing securities to partner in their success and unlock perks. Investors can review the terms, features, and risks of loss on the creator's respective offering page. Participants in this funding round include DV Crypto VC, Tomsic Holdings, Nameless Ventures, and Belvedere Strategic Capital. GigaStar investor Jared Vegosen, Co-Founder of DV Group LLC, comments: "GigaStar is set to empower a new Web3 generation of YouTube creators to finance their ambitions, and do what they love all while transforming their fans into an army of promoters. We're excited to support GigaStar in its journey to disrupt the creator economy." "GigaStar has streamlined a traditionally complex process to support entrepreneurs in the creator economy," said GigaStar investor and entrepreneur Rick Tomsic, manager of Tomsic Holdings. "YouTube creators will be able to issue their own private revenue share offerings. This is what the democratization of the creator economy looks like and we believe in GigaStar's value creation model." Funding will support the development of GigaStar's flagship solutions: GigaStar Market, GigaStar Portfolio, and its planned secondary market platform. The company anticipates a soft launch in March, followed by a full-scale go-to-market in Q2 2023. GigaStar is the parent company of GigaStar Market, a member of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and registered as a Funding Portal with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). GigaStar's founding members include serial entrepreneurs who previously built trading technology firms, AI platforms, and YouTube creator agencies, and collectively operate with 50+ years of financial technology and creator agency experience. To learn more, visit GigaStar's website at https://gigastar.io About GigaStar GigaStar fuels human creativity by bringing YouTube Creators and Fans together as partners in revenue sharing securities. Fans can invest in YouTube Creators to support their channel's future, unlock special perks, and share in the Creator's journey. GigaStar leverages blockchain technology to give Creators streamlined access to funding, a new way to innovate Fan engagement, and the potential to bolster channel growth by transforming thousands of their fans into an army of promoters. Learn more at https://gigastar.io. Creator Networks, Inc.(dba GigaStar). GigaStar is the Parent Company of GigaStar Portal, LLC (dba GigaStar Market), an SEC registered funding portal member of FINRA, and GigaStar Technologies LLC, offering blockchain and smart contract solutions via GigaStar Portfolio. Investment offerings are speculative, illiquid, and involve a high degree of risk, including the risk of loss of your entire investment. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. SOURCE GigaStar The Missouri Department of Transportation is seeking public input regarding plans to improve Highway 21/72 in Iron County. Improvements will extend from Highway E near Arcadia to Highway 49 near Glover. Five curves will be improved along the project limits. As part of the project, Highway 21 through the Ketcherside Mountain area is proposed for an asphalt overlay, the addition of two-foot-wide paved shoulders with rumblestripes and inside of curve lane widening for various horizontal curves. The Royal Gorge area falls within the Ketcherside Mountain Conservation area. Within the Royal Gorge horizontal curve area, work will consist of an asphalt overlay, as well as widening the two 10-foot lanes with no shoulders to two 11-foot lanes with two-foot shoulders including rumblestripes. There is a rock bluff through this area that is currently a minimum of one to two feet from the existing edge of the pavement. The rock face will be excavated to a minimum distance of 12 feet from the new edge of the travel way. Pavement cross slope and ditch drainage will be improved adjacent to the rock bluff to minimize water draining across the roadway. The manmade rock wall on the east side is planned to be left in place. In order to make these improvements, a 0.92-acre permanent easement from the Ketcherside Mountain Conservation Area, which is overseen by the Missouri Department of Conservation, will be required. This project is currently scheduled to go out for contractor bids as part of MoDOTs August 2023 letting. Closure of Highway 21 at Royal Gorge is planned for a period of 30 to 45 days to complete the rock bluff excavation work. Other areas of Highway 21 will consist of flagging operations. Completion of the project is anticipated in the fall of 2024. Anyone wishing to comment on the project may do so by March 28 in the following ways: Online: modot.org/route21Iron E-mail: pete.berry@modot.mo.gov Mail (postmarked by March 28): Route 21/72 Iron County, Attn: Pete Berry, Missouri Department of Transportation, 3956 East Main Street, Willow Springs, MO 65793 MoDOT provides equal access for all participants. Anyone needing reasonable accommodation should contact Project Manager Pete Berry at (417) 469-6242, Area Engineer Chris Crocker at (573) 380-1658 or MoDOTs Customer Service Center at 1-888-ASK MODOT (275-6636) by Tuesday. More information about the project can be found at www.modot.org/route21Iron. DUBLIN, March 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global AI Training Dataset Market Size, Market Share, Application Analysis, Regional Outlook, Growth Trends, Key Players, Competitive Strategies and Forecasts; 2023 to 2031" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global market for AI training datasets is projected to expand at a CAGR of 22.5% during the forecast period 2023 and 2031. AI is gaining prominence in numerous industrial applications, including manufacturing, IT, BFSI, retail and e-commerce, and healthcare. In addition to creating opportunities for new entrants, the rising demand for application-specific training data is generating new business opportunities. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly important to big data, as the technology enables the extraction of high-level and complex abstractions through a hierarchical learning process, necessitating the mining and extraction of meaningful patterns from vast amounts of data. It has become essential to provide high-quality training datasets. This high-quality dataset improves the performance of artificial intelligence. It also reduces the time needed to prepare data and improves the precision of predictions. Thus, market vendors are also focusing on acquiring companies that can help them improve data quality. For example, in March 2020, Appen Limited, a provider of specialized datasets, announced the acquisition of Figure Eight Inc., a machine-learning platform provider. Using automated tools, the second company transforms unlabeled data into high-quality information. This acquisition will assist the former company in accelerating the production of high-quality data sets. It will also contribute to the improvement of data quality. Innovation and technological advancement in AI are accelerating the expansion of the market for AI training datasets. For instance, one of the most notable technological advancements is ChatGPT by Open AI, which can reduce the amount of time and resources needed to manually construct enormous datasets. ChatGPT can significantly reduce the time and resources required to generate a large dataset for NLP model training. As a large, unsupervised language model that was trained using GPT-3 technology, ChatGPT can generate human-like writing that can be used as training data for NLP applications. This enables it to rapidly and easily construct a vast and diverse dataset without requiring manual curation or the knowledge required to create a dataset that includes a wide variety of scenarios and situations. Rapid Development of AI and Learning Machines The emergence of big data, which necessitates the recording, storage, and analysis of voluminous amounts of data, is anticipated to stimulate the growth of the artificial intelligence market. End-users are more concerned with the need to monitor and improve big data-related computational models. This emphasis is accelerating their adoption of artificial intelligence solutions. Given that annotated data facilitates the training of AI models and machine learning systems in crucial domains such as speech recognition and image recognition, it is anticipated that the adoption of artificial intelligence will substantially increase demand for AI training datasets. Annotating data with essential information for predicting future outcomes and making decisions strengthens AI. Numerous public and private organizations collect domain-specific data, including data from numerous applications such as national intelligence, fraud detection, marketing, medical informatics, and cybersecurity. Data annotation enables the labeling of unstructured and unsupervised data by continuously improving the precision of each data item. Lack of Adoption of Technology in Developing Regions In the Asia-Pacific region, substantial restrictions on the protection of personal information are anticipated to limit data collection. In Japan, for example, the Act on the Protection of Personal Information prohibits the transmission of sensitive personal data to unapproved entities or locations. The inaccuracy of data classification hinders the market's growth. The main issue with data annotation tools is the precision of the output. Concerns about the output's quality, such as inaccurate data, should be minimized. In certain instances, manual labeling is performed incorrectly, and it can be time-consuming to locate these labels, thereby increasing the cost to the business. With the development of advanced algorithms, it is anticipated that the accuracy of automated AI data training dataset tools will improve, reducing the need for manual annotation and tool costs. Increasing Training Dataset Applications in Diverse Industry Verticals The amount of digital content in the form of photographs and videos has grown exponentially as a result of digital capturing devices, particularly smartphone cameras. Numerous applications, websites, social networks, and other digital channels are collecting and distributing a substantial amount of visual and digital information. Several businesses have used this freely available web content with data annotation to provide clients with more innovative and superior services. Unstructured text records collected as a result of the expanding use of Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems are now one of the most important resources for clinical research. Over the forecast period, these factors are anticipated to generate tremendous growth opportunities for the market. Text Segment Dominates the Market by Type In 2022, the text segment will account for a market share of 30%. This is due to the widespread use of text datasets in the IT industry for a variety of automation processes, including speech recognition, text classification, and caption generation, among others. Due to the availability of a wide variety of audio datasets, the audio segment is anticipated to have a moderate share. Among them are music datasets, speech datasets, a speech commands dataset, the Multimodal Emotion Lines Dataset (MELD), and environmental audio datasets. The image/video segment is anticipated to experience the highest CAGR over the forecast period. This is because key players are focusing more on launching new datasets with a growing number of applications. In May 2020, for example, Google LLC, a multinational technology company, announced the launch of a new AI training dataset titled Google-Landmarks-v2 that contains millions of images and thousands of landmarks. Additionally, the business issued two challenges on Kaggle: landmark retrieval 2020 and landmark recognition 2020. These datasets were introduced for image retrieval and instance recognition, as well as for training more robust and effective systems. The IT Segment remains the Dominant Vertical In 2022, the IT market segment will hold a market share of 33%. The market is segmented by vertical into it, automotive, government, healthcare, BFSI, retail e-commerce, and other segments. In therapy areas such as lifestyle and wellness management, diagnostics, virtual assistants, and wearables, AI in healthcare offers numerous opportunities. Aside from this, AI is utilized in voice-enabled symptom checkers and to enhance organizational workflow. All of these applications necessitate a large dataset to produce precise results. Consequently, the use of datasets will increase, resulting in a high CAGR over the forecast period. Various technology companies on the market are utilizing machine learning to enhance the user experience and develop innovative products. Machine learning technology requires high-quality training data to ensure that ML algorithms are continuously optimized in order to be effective. In addition, high-quality datasets enable IT companies to improve a variety of solutions, including computer vision, crowdsourcing, data analytics, and virtual assistants. These factors contribute to the sector's extensive use of training datasets. In June 2021, for instance, Amazon released a large-scale dataset called Amazon Berkeley Objects to facilitate the development of new AI models for image-based shopping. North America Remains as the Global Leader In 2022, North America will account for 35% of the market share. North American market vendors are focusing on the release of new datasets to expedite the adoption of artificial intelligence technology in emerging industries. In September 2020, for instance, Waymo LLC, a subsidiary of Google LLC, released a new dataset for autonomous vehicles. This dataset contains sensor data collected from camera sensors and LiDAR under a variety of driving conditions, including cyclists, pedestrians, and signage. Such developments are driving the market's adoption of datasets, thereby catering to a substantial market share. Asia-Pacific is the largest contributor to the global market for AI training datasets and is projected to expand at a CAGR of 21.5% over the forecast period. In order to modernize their businesses, businesses in developing nations such as India are significantly increasing their adoption of innovative technologies. In addition, a number of significant players are focusing on expanding their influence in Asia-Pacific. Microsoft, for instance, created the Indoor Location Dataset to collect various data from buildings in Chinese cities, such as the geomagnetic field and indoor Wi-Fi signature. These datasets contribute to the advancement and study of localization, indoor environments, and navigation. Key Topics Covered: 1. Preface 2. Executive Summary 3. AI Training Dataset Market: Competitive Analysis 4. AI Training Dataset Market: Macro Analysis & Market Dynamics 5. AI Training Dataset Market: By Type, 2021-2031, USD (Million) 6. AI Training Dataset Market: By End-use, 2021-2031, USD (Million) 7. North America AI Training Dataset Market, 2021-2031, USD (Million) 8. UK and European Union AI Training Dataset Market, 2021-2031, USD (Million) 9. Asia Pacific AI Training Dataset Market, 2021-2031, USD (Million) 10. Latin America AI Training Dataset Market, 2021-2031, USD (Million) 11. Middle East and Africa AI Training Dataset Market, 2021-2031, USD (Million) 12. Company Profile Companies Mentioned Google LLC (Kaggle) Appen Limited Cogito Tech LLC. Lionbridge Technologies Inc. Amazon.com Microsoft Corporation Scale AI Inc. Samasource Inc. Alegion Deep Vision Data For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/sdtq6v About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets JOHANNESBURG, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Gold Fields and AngloGold Ashanti ("The Parties") have agreed the key terms of a proposed joint venture in Ghana between Gold Fields' Tarkwa and AngloGold Ashanti's neighbouring Iduapriem mines (the "Proposed Joint Venture"). Full media release is available on the company website: www.goldfields.com Enquiries Gold Fields Limited Investors Avishkar Nagaser Tel: +27 11 562-9775/ +27 82 312 8692 Email : [email protected] Media Sven Lunsche Tel: +27 11 562-9763/ +27 83 260 9279 Email : [email protected] Emma Morrison Tel: +233 302 770189/ +233 241 391 466 Email : [email protected] AngloGold Ashanti Limited Investors Yatish Chowthee Tel: +27 11 637 6273 / +27 78 364 2080 Email: [email protected] Media Andrea Maxey Tel: +61 08 9425 4603 / +61 400 072 199 Email: [email protected] Eric Asubonteng Tel: +233 50 127 4388 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Gold Fields Limited LAKE OSWEGO, Ore., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. (NYSE: GBX) will host an Investor Day on Wednesday, April 12, 2023 in New York, NY. During the event, Lorie L. Tekorius, Greenbrier's Chief Executive Officer and President, and other executives will address the company's business strategy, leading market position and unique value proposition, as well as outline its future growth plans. Due to limited capacity, in-person attendance is by invitation only. Institutional investors wishing to attend may register by sending an email to [email protected]. Webcast registration details are available at Greenbrier's investor relations website at investors.gbrx.com. A live webcast of the Investor Day, including presentation materials, will be accessible through Greenbrier's website. A replay of the webcast will be available following the live presentations. About Greenbrier Greenbrier, headquartered in Lake Oswego, Oregon, is a leading international supplier of equipment and services to global freight transportation markets. Through its wholly-owned subsidiaries and joint ventures, Greenbrier designs, builds and markets freight railcars and marine barges in North America, Europe and Brazil. We are a leading provider of freight railcar wheel services, parts, maintenance and retrofitting services in North America through our maintenance services business unit. Greenbrier manages 408,000 railcars and offers railcar management, regulatory compliance services and leasing services to railroads and other railcars owners in North America. GBX Leasing (GBXL) is a special purpose subsidiary that owns and manages a portfolio of leased railcars that originate primarily from Greenbrier's manufacturing operations. GBXL and Greenbrier own a lease fleet of approximately 14,100 railcars. Learn more about Greenbrier at www.gbrx.com. SOURCE The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. CALGARY, AB, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - (TSXV: GRD) (OTCQB: GRDAF) - Grounded Lithium Corp. ("GLC" or the "Company") announces the closing of the previously disclosed acquisition of an additional 33 sections (8,498 hectares) of acreage contiguous to the Company's existing landholdings in the Kindersley Lithium Project ("KLP") in Western Saskatchewan pursuant to a purchase and sale agreement with Hub City Lithium Corp. The newly acquired lands will be integral to our future development plans at the KLP, which now stands at approximately 300 sections (77,477 hectares). The acquisition brings GLC's total corporate landholdings, both Crown and freehold, to 333 sections (86,229 hectares). In conjunction with the closing, the Company commissioned an updated National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects report effective March 15, 2023 by Sproule Associates Limited on the expanded KLP. Total lithium carbonate equivalent ("LCE") inferred resources for the KLP now equals 4.2 million tonnes. GLC's resource is of comparable scale to the resource base of certain other lithium from brine operators in the Province of Saskatchewan, which have been the subject of recent corporate activity. The incremental inferred resource base on the acquired sections is approximately 482,000 tonnes of LCE. With a purchase price of $425,000 (the "Purchase Price"), the transaction is highly accretive to the Company with an implied metric on the acquisition price of approximately $1.00/tonne of LCE and is substantially below the Company's current market metric of approximately $5.00/tonne of LCE, based on the Company's recent trading history. The Purchase Price was comprised of cash consideration of $175,000 and the issuance of 779,557 Shares based on the 10-day volume-weighted average trading price of the Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange as of the closing date. The Shares are subject to a contractual escrow, to be released in equal 1/3 tranches on the 4, 8 and 12 month anniversaries from closing. The Company will continue to assess prospective resource acquisitions provided they meet the Company's internal geological and economic thresholds and are accretive to the Company's valuation. In the meantime, the Company remains keenly focused on achieving our near-term milestones for the KLP which involve, but are not limited to, technology selection for direct lithium extraction, the filing of a preliminary economic assessment, both of which are anticipated in H1 2023, and the design and early construction efforts of a field demonstration project in H2 2023. Expanded Role for Chief Financial Officer With the Company advancing quickly on the development path, it was agreed to expand the role of Greg Phaneuf, the Company's Chief Financial Officer, to include corporate development activities. Mr. Phaneuf has held senior corporate development roles for international and domestic corporations in the energy and industrial service industries during his career. Mr. Phaneuf's title will change to Senior Vice President, Corporate Development & CFO. No changes to Mr. Phaneuf's compensation are associated with this change. About Grounded Lithium Corp. GLC is a publicly traded lithium brine exploration and development company that controls approximately 4.2 million metric tonnes of LCE of inferred resource over our focused land holdings in Southwest Saskatchewan. GLC's multi-faceted business model involves the consolidation, delineation, exploitation and ultimately development of our opportunity base to fulfill our vision to build a best-in-class, environmentally responsible, Canadian lithium producer supporting the global energy transition shift. U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the Company on https://www.otcmarkets.com/. Qualified Person Scientific and technical information contained in this press release has been prepared under the supervision of Doug Ashton, P.Eng, Suryanarayana Karri, P. Geoph., Alexey Romanov, P. Geo. and Meghan Klein, P. Eng., each of whom is a qualified person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. The opinions, forecasts, projections and statements about future events of results, are forward looking information, forward-looking statements or financial outlooks (collectively, "forward-looking statements") under the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. These statements are made as of the date of this press release and the fact that this press release remains available does not constitute a representation by GLC that the Company believes these forward-looking statements continue to be true as of any subsequent date. Although GLC believes that the assumptions underlying, and expectations reflected in, these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these assumptions and expectations will prove to be correct. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding near-term milestones for the KLP and the timing thereof, including technology selection for direct lithium extraction, the filing of a preliminary economic assessment and the design and early construction efforts of a field demonstration project , the ability of the Company to enhance shareholder value, and GLC's vision of becoming a best-in-class, environmentally responsible, Canadian lithium producer supporting the global energy transition. Among the important factors, risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are: GLC's expectation that our operations will be in Western Canada, unexpected problems can arise due to technical difficulties and operational difficulties which impact the production, transport or sale of our products; geographic and weather conditions can impact the production; the risk that current global economic and credit conditions may impact commodity prices and consumption more than GLC currently predicts; the failure to obtain financing on reasonable terms; the risk that unexpected delays and difficulties in developing currently owned properties may occur; the failure of drilling to result in commercial projects; unexpected delays due to the limited availability of drilling equipment and personnel; the failure to satisfy conditions precedent to Closing; and the other risk factors detailed from time to time in GLC's periodic reports. GLC's forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in any jurisdiction. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. SOURCE Grounded Lithium Corp TEMPE, Ariz., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GT Medical Technologies, Inc. has appointed Michael A. Garcia, MD, MS, as its Chief Medical Officer. In his new role, Dr. Garcia will expand the GammaTile Therapy clinical study pipeline, support research and development, lead medical affairs, and promote additional efforts for expanding the evidence-based use of GammaTile Therapy and its incorporation into oncology care guidelines. "I believe this company is going to make a big difference for patients, and I'm honored to become part of it." Tweet this Dr. Garcia holds a bachelor's and master's degree in Biological Sciences from Stanford University and earned his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. Prior to joining GT Medical Technologies, Dr. Garcia was an Associate Professor in Radiation Oncology at the Barrow Neurological Institute, a leading neurological disease treatment and research institution. "Caring for patients with brain tumors has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. While walking with patients and their families during their treatment journey, I've seen that they desperately need better treatment options," said Dr. Garcia. Dr. Garcia continued, "I'm so impressed with the work being done at GT Medical Technologies, especially for research and development, clinical trial design, and trial enrollment. I'm inspired by the shared purpose and dedication of the people here to improve the lives of patients with brain tumors. I believe this company is going to make a big difference for patients, and I'm honored to become part of it." GammaTile Therapy is FDA-cleared to deliver radiation therapy in patients with newly diagnosed malignant brain tumors as well as recurrent brain tumors. Approximately 200,000 patients in the U.S. are diagnosed with brain cancer each year. GammaTiles are bioresorbable collagen tiles embedded with radiation sources. This latest advancement in brain tumor treatment has shown favorable clinical outcomes in patients with glioblastomas, metastatic brain tumors, and aggressive meningiomas. "We're thrilled to have Dr. Garcia join our team and continue to build on our purpose of improving the lives of patients with brain tumors," said Matthew Likens, GT Medical Technologies president and CEO. "From his sterling educational and clinical background, including a medical residency at the University of California, San Francisco, to his practical experience at the world's largest neurological treatment institution, Dr. Garcia's commitment to improving patient care is consistent with our corporate purpose. He will help drive GammaTile Therapy to become a new standard of care for patients with operable brain tumors." About GT Medical Technologies, Inc. Driven to raise the standard of care and improve the lives of patients with brain tumors, a team of brain tumor specialists formed GT Medical Technologies with the purpose of improving the lives of patients with brain tumors. FDA-cleared GammaTile is Surgically Targeted Radiation Therapy (STaRT) that treats patients with all types of newly diagnosed malignant and recurrent brain tumors. This "one-and-done" treatment eliminates the need for one to six weeks of daily external beam radiation therapy, allowing patients to go about their daily lives without the burden of additional trips to the hospital or clinic for ongoing treatment. Since its full market release in the United States in March 2020, GammaTile has been offered in more than 80 hospitals, with more centers being added each month. For more information, visit www.gtmedtech.com and follow @GammaTile on Twitter and LinkedIn. Media contact: Lori Kagan [email protected] SOURCE GT Medical Technologies LONDON, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Award-winning metaverse startup, Hadean, are partnering with PixelMax to develop and power the critical infrastructure needed to dynamically stream content in the metaverse, opening up opportunities for leading global brands to connect with audiences in massive and immersive virtual worlds. Hadean and PixelMax partnering up to revolutionise metaverse content streaming (PRNewsfoto/Hadean) Focusing on making high-quality, low-cost and low-latency streaming a commercial reality, the collaboration will combine Hadean's proven tech expertise in enabling scalable, accessible and secure connected experiences, with PixelMax's platform for high-quality 3D environments. The team-up stands as the next chapter in Hadean's close business relationship with PixelMax, building on last year's announcement which saw the two Web 3.0 trailblazers coming together to create and deliver unique online 3D experiences. Laying down the digital "rails" to the metaverse, they aim to eliminate barriers to entry and democratise the metaverse to allow anyone to easily build and connect virtual worlds. Hadean CEO, Craig Beddis, said: "Our partnership with PixelMax is moving forward into a new and exciting chapter which will deepen our relationship and maximise Hadean's role as a proven metaverse tech enabler. Scalable streaming for the metaverse is a major industry pain point at the moment for high-volume brands. Working in lockstep with PixelMax we aim to deploy our combined expertise and help drive the experiences of users and partners in the metaverse." Andy Sands, PixelMax CEO and Co-founder said: "Pixelmax are the market leader in high quality metaverse streaming whilst Hadean have done the same in scalable and connected experiences, so the partnership is a natural progression. The combination of technology will provide enterprises with a world-class end-to-end solution as they evolve into metaverse presence." With the support of Hadean's metaverse technology solutions, PixelMax will create the valuable infrastructure needed to future-proof partners against streaming challenges, as the company continues to work with major brands including UEFA and Epic Games. About Hadean Founded in 2015, Hadean powers the creator economy, providing the infrastructure and computational power required to realise the full potential of the metaverse. Our web 3.0 technology allows you to build, run and monetise immersive virtual environments and experiences, dynamically connecting audiences across the world by providing scalability, security, and interoperability. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2034402/Hadean_PixelMax.jpg SOURCE Hadean NORWALK, Calif., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Los Angeles Community Hospital at Norwalk has been recognized by Healthgrades as a 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient. This distinction places Los Angeles Community Hospital at and Norwalk among the top 5% of all acute care hospitals as evaluated by Healthgrades, the leading marketplace connecting patients and providers. Los Angeles Community Hospital at Norwalk has received the Patient Safety Excellence Award for a second year in a row (2022-2023). "This award is an affirmation of the consistent focus the leadership, medical staff, clinical and non-clinical employees at our Norwalk campus have placed on quality of care and patient safety over the last five years, even during the COVID-19 pandemic," said Hector Hernandez, the hospital's CEO. "This commitment to improving our quality and patient safety metrics has also resulted in Los Angeles Community Hospital at Norwalk earning four stars in CMS's Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating system for two years in a row, placing us among the higher-rated hospitals in our community." During the 2019-2021 study period, 164,592 potentially preventable patient safety events occurred among Medicare patients in U.S. hospitals.* Healthgrades found that just four patient safety indicators accounted for 74% of all patient safety events: hip fracture due to an in-hospital fall, collapsed lung resulting from a procedure/surgery, pressure or bed sores acquired in the hospital, and catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired in-hospital. Healthgrades' analysis also revealed that patients treated in hospitals receiving the Healthgrades 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Award were, on average: 61.4%% less likely to experience an in-hospital fall resulting in hip fracture, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals* 52.7% less likely to experience a collapsed lung resulting from a procedure or surgery in or around the chest, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals* 66.1% less likely to experience pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals* 67.3% less likely to experience catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at nonrecipient hospitals* When it comes to choosing healthcare, quality saves lives, which is why Healthgrades is committed to delivering the most scientifically accurate and comprehensive information about doctors and hospitals with data insights not available anywhere else. To that end, it's important for consumers to know that if all hospitals, as a group, performed similarly to the 2023 Patient Safety Award recipients, on average, 95,880 patient safety events could have been avoided.* "Through our 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Awards, we seek to recognize hospitals that excel in providing top-quality care for their patients while preventing serious injuries during hospital stays," said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer and head of Data Science, Healthgrades. "We are proud to name Los Angeles Community Hospital at Norwalk as a 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient and look forward to their continued efforts to make patient safety a top priority." Consumers can visit healthgrades.com for more information on how Healthgrades measures hospital quality and access the complete methodology here . *Statistics are calculated from Healthgrades Patient Safety Ratings and Excellence Award methodology which is based primarily on AHRQ technical specifications (Version 2022.0.1) for MedPAR data years 2019 through 2021 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only. About Los Angeles Community Hospital at Norwalk Norwalk Community Hospital is a 50-bed acute care hospital offering a comprehensive range of medical services, including a paramedic-receiving emergency department. Serving Norwalk residents for generations, the hospital is named among the top 5% in the nation for Patient Safety Excellence (2023) and Pulmonary Care Excellence (2022) by Healthgrades. Los Angeles Community Hospitals include two acute care hospitals in Norwalk and East LA, and a behavioral health facility in Bellflower. Learn more at LACH-Norwalk.com or call (562) 863-4763. SOURCE Los Angeles Community Hospital at Norwalk CULVER CITY, Calif., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Hospital at Culver City has been recognized by Healthgrades as a 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient. This distinction places Southern California Hospital at Culver City among the top 5% of all short-term acute care hospitals as evaluated by Healthgrades, the leading marketplace connecting patients and providers. Southern California Hospital at Culver City has received the Patient Safety Excellence Award for six years in a row (2018-2023). "Improving quality of care and patient safety is one of our most important initiatives at Southern California Hospital at Culver City," said Omar Ramirez, Interim CEO at SCH-Culver City. "The results we have achieved are due to our increased use of data and metrics to drive improvements as well as the commitment of our medical staff, clinical care teams and other staff to effective communications. These accomplishments would not have been possible without the dedication of our outstanding physicians, nurses, and other clinical and non-clinical staff." During the 2019-2021 study period, 164,592 potentially preventable patient safety events occurred among Medicare patients in U.S. hospitals.* Healthgrades found that just four patient safety indicators accounted for 74% of all patient safety events: hip fracture due to an in-hospital fall, collapsed lung resulting from a procedure/surgery, pressure or bed sores acquired in the hospital, and catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired in-hospital. Healthgrades' analysis also revealed that patients treated in hospitals receiving the Healthgrades 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Award were, on average: 61.4% less likely to experience an in-hospital fall resulting in hip fracture, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals* 52.7% less likely to experience a collapsed lung resulting from a procedure or surgery in or around the chest, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals* 66.1% less likely to experience pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals* 67.3% less likely to experience catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at nonrecipient hospitals* When it comes to choosing healthcare, quality saves lives, which is why Healthgrades is committed to delivering the most scientifically accurate and comprehensive information about doctors and hospitals with data insights not available anywhere else. To that end, it's important for consumers to know that if all hospitals, as a group, performed similarly to the 2023 Patient Safety Award recipients, on average, 95,880 patient safety events could have been avoided.* "Through our 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Awards, we seek to recognize hospitals that excel in providing top-quality care for their patients while preventing serious injuries during hospital stays," said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer and head of Data Science, Healthgrades. "We are proud to name Southern California Hospital at Culver CIty as a 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient and look forward to their continued efforts to make patient safety a top priority." Consumers can visit healthgrades.com for more information on how Healthgrades measures hospital quality and access the complete methodology here . *Statistics are calculated from Healthgrades Patient Safety Ratings and Excellence Award methodology which is based primarily on AHRQ technical specifications (Version 2022.0.1) for MedPAR data years 2019 through 2021 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only. About Southern California Hospitals at Hollywood and Culver City Southern California Hospital at Culver City has dedicated itself to providing quality care to the culturally diverse populations of the Culver City and West Los Angeles communities. The hospital offers a wide range of inpatient and outpatient acute care services, including general and specialized surgery, orthopedic and spine program, emergency department, cardiovascular services, weight-loss surgery, acute rehabilitation, gender confirmation surgery, and behavioral health and chemical dependency programs. The hospital is named among the top 5% in the nation for Patient Safety Excellence by Healthgrades (2018-2023). Southern California Hospitals include locations in Culver City and Hollywood, as well as a behavioral health hospital in Van Nuys. Learn more at SCH-CulverCity.com or call (310) 836-7000. SOURCE Southern California Hospital at Culver City HOLLYWOOD, Calif., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Hospital at Hollywood has been recognized by Healthgrades as a 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient. This distinction places Southern California Hospital at Hollywood among the top 5% of all short-term acute care hospitals as evaluated by Healthgrades, the leading marketplace connecting patients and providers. Southern California Hospital at Hollywood has received the Patient Safety Excellence Award for six years in a row (2018-2023). "Patient safety is our primary focus at Southern California Hospital at Hollywood. It's something we have worked hard to engrain into our culture not just for our clinical staff but for everyone who works here," said Luis Angel, Administrator at SCH-Hollywood. "This award is a measure of our success in working effectively together to make sure our patients and their families feel safe and well cared for at our hospital. It has truly been a team effort and demonstrates the high quality of our people." During the 2019-2021 study period, 164,592 potentially preventable patient safety events occurred among Medicare patients in U.S. hospitals.* Healthgrades found that just four patient safety indicators accounted for 74% of all patient safety events: hip fracture due to an in-hospital fall, collapsed lung resulting from a procedure/surgery, pressure or bed sores acquired in the hospital, and catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired in-hospital. Healthgrades' analysis also revealed that patients treated in hospitals receiving the Healthgrades 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Award were, on average: 61.4% less likely to experience an in-hospital fall resulting in hip fracture, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals* 52.7% less likely to experience a collapsed lung resulting from a procedure or surgery in or around the chest, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals* 66.1% less likely to experience pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals* 67.3% less likely to experience catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at nonrecipient hospitals* When it comes to choosing healthcare, quality saves lives, which is why Healthgrades is committed to delivering the most scientifically accurate and comprehensive information about doctors and hospitals with data insights not available anywhere else. To that end, it's important for consumers to know that if all hospitals, as a group, performed similarly to the 2023 Patient Safety Award recipients, on average, 95,880 patient safety events could have been avoided.* "Through our 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Awards, we seek to recognize hospitals that excel in providing top-quality care for their patients while preventing serious injuries during hospital stays," said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer and head of Data Science, Healthgrades. "We are proud to name Southern California Hospital at Hollywood as a 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient and look forward to their continued efforts to make patient safety a top priority." Consumers can visit healthgrades.com for more information on how Healthgrades measures hospital quality and access the complete methodology here . *Statistics are calculated from Healthgrades Patient Safety Ratings and Excellence Award methodology which is based primarily on AHRQ technical specifications (Version 2022.0.1) for MedPAR data years 2019 through 2021 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only. About Southern California Hospital at Hollywood Southern California Hospital at Hollywood is a 100-bed acute care hospital serving a diverse Hollywood community. Located near Vine and Sunset, the hospital offers general and specialized surgery and 24/7 urgent care, as well as cardiology, pulmonology, internal medicine, psychiatry, orthopedics, hematology, endocrinology, podiatry, cardiothoracic vascular services and urology, among other services. The hospital is named among the top 5% in the nation for Patient Safety Excellence Award by Healthgrades (2018-2023). Southern California Hospitals include locations in Hollywood and Culver City, as well as a behavioral health hospital in Van Nuys. Learn more at SCH-Hollywood.com or call (323) 462-2271. SOURCE Southern California Hospital at Hollywood RICHMOND, Va., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hilb Group announced today that it has acquired Minnesota-based National Enrollment Partners, broadening its benefits capabilities. National Enrollment Partners specializes in benefits enrollment and administration through its network of partner agencies and associate members. The transaction became effective February 1, 2023. "We are excited to welcome National Enrollment Partners and grow our operations in additional key markets," Hilb Group CEO Ricky Spiro said. "This partnership allows us to expand our products and services to a greater number of communities and customers as we continue to build upon our proven strategy for success." About Hilb Group: The Hilb Group is a leading property and casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage and advisory firm headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. Hilb Group is a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, a global investment firm. Hilb Group seeks to grow through strategic acquisitions and by leveraging its resources and expertise to drive organic growth in its acquired agencies. The company has completed more than 150 acquisitions with over 125 offices in 27 states. Hilb Group is rated as one of the Fastest Growing Brokers by Business Insurance, a Top P/C Agency by Insurance Journal, and one of America's Fastest Growing Private Companies in the Inc. 5000. For more information on Hilb Group's growth as well as career opportunities, please visit our website at http://hilbgroup.com. Media Contact: Peter Lobred 804.548.4629 [email protected] M&A Contact: Ryan Havermann 804.414.6508 [email protected] SOURCE The Hilb Group, LLC The Iron County sheriff, two Iron County sheriff's deputies, and another man have been criminally charged in Washington County this week. Earlier this week, the Iron County Sheriff's Office had reported Sheriff Jeffery L. Burkett had just been released from the hospital having been treated for lingering effects of a serious case of COVID-19 contracted last year. Iron County Sheriff Burkett, 46, Deputy Matthew A. Cozad, 39, Deputy Major Chase R. Bresnahan, 31, and Donald R. Gaston, 62, were reportedly taken into custody Thursday afternoon on multiple felony charges. Iron County Sheriff Burkett has been charged with eight counts, including participating knowingly in criminal street gang activities, first-degree attempted kidnapping, first-degree stalking, second-degree stalking, obtaining criminal history record info under false pretense, misusing 911, making a false report, and conspiracy to commit a class a/b/c felony or unclassified felony exceeding 10 years. Iron County Deputy Major Bresnahan is charged with seven counts, including participating knowingly in criminal street gang activities, first-degree stalking, second-degree stalking, obtaining criminal history record info under false pretense, misusing 911, and two counts of conspiracy to commit a class a/b/c felony or unclassified felony exceeding 10 years. Iron County Deputy Cozad faces six counts, including participating knowingly in criminal street gang activities, first-degree stalking, second-degree stalking, misusing 911, and two counts of conspiracy to commit a class a/b/c felony or unclassified felony exceeding 10 years. Gaston has been charged with six counts, including participating knowingly in criminal street gang activities, attempted parental kidnapping, first-degree stalking, second-degree stalking, making a false report, and conspiracy to commit a class a/b/c felony or unclassified felony exceeding 10 years. All four men were booked at the Washington County Jail on Thursday. Burkett's bond was set at $500,000 cash-only. Cozad, Bresnahan, and Gaston are in custody, each with a $400,000 cash-only bond set in their cases. If released on bond, the men are required to comply with GPS monitoring and have been ordered not to have contact with or photograph any of the state's endorsed witnesses, alleged victims, or witnesses "who may be involved in future prosecutions in other jurisdictions," according to the bond text. Burkett, Cozad, and Bresnahan are further prohibited from serving as law enforcement officers in any capacity or possessing firearms if released on bail. Released from the hospital In a Wednesday update to the press release posted March 10 on the Iron County Sheriffs Office Facebook page, the sheriffs office reported Wednesday Iron County Sheriff Jeff Burkett was released from the hospital and was headed home for rest and immediate follow-up appointments. In the March 10 press release, the Iron County Sheriff's Office said earlier that day, Burkett had been hospitalized due to issues from his ongoing battle with lingering COVID-19 symptoms and complications. Burkett at the time was awake and alert, but the symptoms were severe. In January 2022, the Iron County Jail had an outbreak of COVID-19, during which Burkett had contracted the virus. Burkett was hospitalized for four months, undergoing eight surgical procedures and experiencing a month-long coma. In January 2023, Burkett was presented the Law Enforcement Purple Heart by Judge Michael Randazzo of the 42nd Judicial Circuit of Missouri. The designation is issued to any law enforcement officer who is injured, wounded or killed in the line of duty. Sheriff Burkett remains committed to providing the best level of service to the citizens of Iron County, the post said. He hopes to rejoin his already short-staffed Deputies and Civilian Employees as soon as possible. This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available from official sources. STERLING, Va., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CyberSolve is the premier solutions firm offering leadership, experience and comprehensive services across the complex Cyber Security and IAM spectrum. Virginia, March 16th. Identity And Access Solutions LLC, a leading provider of Identity Access Management (IAM) solutions, announced today that it has changed its name to CyberSolve. The company was originally founded as an IAM consulting firm in 2016, but quickly branched into providing a wide range of professional services to companies interested in IAM. The company made the switch to match the evolution of their business into a premier cyber security provider. These moves are a reflection of the company's transformation into an organization that can support clients with all of their identity and access management, cloud adoption and security, and managed services needs as well as provide them with a full suite of cyber security services. "CyberSolve is still dedicated as an Identity & Access Management (IAM) services organization that solves multifaceted challenges and offers a wide range of services to assist your organization in defining requirements, building solid architectures, implementing solutions, and providing holistic product & process support, for on-premises, cloud and hybrid implementations," said Todd Rossin, CEO & Chief Strategist at CyberSolve. "Our continued service expansion across the Cyber Security spectrum has allowed us to additionally solve complex design and remediation, implementation, vulnerability and post-operational issues that our customers are facing when trying to put all of the "equations" together with the myriad of vendor tools that must co-exist and benefit each other." Rossin continued, "It takes a partner that has the experience and know-how to achieve success while providing for the lowest Total Cost-of-Ownership (TCO) and the highest Return on Investment (ROI). We solve those equations; thus, we have rebranded ourselves as CyberSolve." About CyberSolve Since 2016, CyberSolve has helped our customers plan for growth, control escalating management costs, and solve the difficulties of implementing both Cyber Security and IAM solutions across a wide range of resources. We have unparalleled thought leadership and expertise, with hundreds of multi-disciplined, expert consultants across the North America and EMEA. Our team has experience across all core verticals including Financial Services, Healthcare, Retail, Utilities, Federal/State/Local Government, and Higher Education. SOURCE Identity and Access Solutions BEIJING, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from chinadaily.com.cn: China made marked progress in controlling water pollution last year, with discharges of major water pollutants continuing to decline, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. China saw 87.9 percent of its surface water rated as being of fairly good quality last year, up by 3 percentage points from 2021, said Huang Xiaozeng, head of the ministry's department of water ecology and environment. The quality of about 0.7 percent of the country's surface water remained below Grade V, the worst quality, down by 0.5 percentage points. Under China's six-tier quality system for surface water, the quality of water is considered as being fairly good if it reaches Grade III and above. The quality of water in the trunk of the Yangtze River, Asia's longest watercourse, has stayed at Grade II for three straight years, Huang continued. In the entire Yangtze basin, he said, 98.1 percent of national monitoring stations reported fairly good water quality last year, up by 1 percentage point year-on-year. The achievements occurred thanks to a series of actions the country has taken in the basin. The ministry has located over 60,000 sewage outlets that discharge into the Yangtze trunk, nine of its major tributaries and Taihu Lake, he said. To date, it has found the sources of sewage in 90 percent of the outlets and addressed violations in more than 20,000 of them. Measures were also rolled out to ramp up the treatment of wastewater in industrial parks, as well as to enhance the management of tailings ponds in mines and the phosphorus sector, he said. Rectification, for example, has been completed in 843 of the total 1,137 tailings ponds found with violations in the Yangtze basin. "We will keep a close eye on the rest of the ponds with violations to ensure that all of them will be adequately rectified," he said. Despite the progress, he said there are still some lingering problems in the Yangtze basin. Due to the lack of a sound cross-department coordination mechanism, for instance, little synergy has been created as different government bodies strive to beef up Yangtze conservation, he noted. Still troubled by the bloom of blue-green algae, he said, some key lakes in the Yangtze basin are yet to see the natural balance of their water ecosystems restored. Huang has also highlighted the ministry's efforts to address black and odorous water bodies as an environmental problem on people's doorsteps that affect their vital interests. In 2022, 40 percent of such water bodies in county-level cities across the country were improved, he said, without disclosing the total number of such water bodies in these cities. He said the ministry will resort to satellite remote sensing and unannounced visits to enhance its supervision over the treatment work of local governments. For those cities with poor performances in collecting wastewater for disposal or direct wastewater discharge, the ministry will notify them with warning letters and also ask local provincial authorities to better play their roles in guiding them in the treatment work. "We will also enhance information disclosure. We established a good mechanism to make public information concerning the treatment of black and odorous water bodies. We will further improve the mechanism to facilitate public supervision," he said. SOURCE chinadaily.com.cn TORONTO, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and a coalition of long-term investors (PIRC on behalf of pension fund clients, as well as Canadian responsible investing organization SHAREthe Shareholder Association for Research and Educationon behalf of The Catherine Donnelly Foundation, and Trillium Asset Management) welcomed reports that the two largest independent proxy advisors, Glass Lewis and Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), recommended investors support the coalition's shareholder proposal requesting Starbucks' board of directors oversee an independent workers' rights assessment. In its reasoning, Glass Lewis noted that shareholders would benefit from the company assessing its adherence to their existing workers' freedom of association and collective bargaining rights commitment. The advisor echoed the legal and financial risk concerns raised by the investor coalition. ISS noted that with implementation of the proposal, shareholders would be able to better assess the company's compliance with their freedom of association policy and federal laws in response to collective bargaining by their workforce and how it is managing the associated legal, reputational, and financial risks. The shareholder proposal requests an evaluation of management's adherence to Starbucks' stated commitments to workers' rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining. It would also assess management non-interference when employees exercise their right to form or join a trade union, as well as recommend steps to remedy any practices found to be inconsistent with Starbucks' stated commitments. Shareholders will have the opportunity to vote for the proposal leading up to and during the company's annual meeting on March 23. The proposal underscores the importance of board oversight and transparency regarding Starbucks management's adherence to the company's human rights policy. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued numerous substantiated complaints against Starbucks, which heightened investor concerns regarding interference with worker organizing. Despite the coalition's efforts to engage the company, Starbucks failed to respond sufficiently. "We are encouraged that both Glass Lewis and ISS have recommended that shareholders vote YES on our proposal to address the very real impacts that management's behavior has on their workforce and reputation," said New York City Comptroller Brad Lander. "As shareholders, we expect and demand better from a company that claims to promote a positive work environment. The onus is on Starbucks' board of directors to ensure that management is complying with applicable law as well as with company policy." "Whether the vote is in the 30 percent, 40 percent, or 50 percent range, an unignorably large group of investors will be sending a message to incoming CEO Laxman Narasimhan and Board Chair Mellody Hobson," said Trillium Chief Advocacy Officer Jonas D. Kron. "The board needs to take an active lead in examining, with the benefit of a third-party assessor, whether management is living up to its commitments to worker rights." "It is already clear that investors want to have confidence that Starbucks is walking the talk in respect of its commitment to ILO Core Labor Standards," said PIRC Head of Stewardship Tom Powdrill. "We urge the company to take the support for our proposal as an opportunity to get an independent assessment and to act on it." "Workers are at the heart of Starbucks' success and central to the company's reputation." said Anthony Schein, Director of Shareholder Advocacy at SHARE. "The incoming CEO and board chair need to wake up and smell the coffee their poor decisions have led to undeniable damage to the company's reputation. Shareholders expect the company to align with international standards and its own policies." SOURCE SHARE (The Shareholder Association for Research and Education) DUBLIN, March 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Innovations In Self-powered Sensors, Hydrogen Production, Nuclear Fusion, Vibration Energy Harvesting, Perovskite & Lithium-ion Battery" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This edition of the Energy & Power Systems (EPS) TOE features information about the magnetic microgenerators which work on piezoelectricity and are suitable for powering IoT sensors. The TOE covers innovations pertaining to low emission hydrogen production based on methane pyrolysis, palladium membranes and gallium-aluminum composite material. The TOE provides latest innovation in nuclear fusion based on inertial fusion technology. TOE provides key innovations pertaining to perovskite solar cell such as modifications in crystal structure, bifacial design, and better synthesis techniques. The TOE also covers recent progress in batteries for stationery and mobility applications including sodium-sulfur batteries, design improvements for short charging time & long driving range, cobalt-free cathode production and novel non-flammable electrolyte. Finally, the TOE covers infrared light energy harvesting based on the Scandium Nitride. The Energy and Power Systems TOE provides insights on the latest advances in the broad range of technology related to the energy industry. The topics regularly presented range from energy storage technologies (solid-state batteries, solar chemical storage and other advanced energy storage devices) to non-renewable energy such as oil and gas. Special emphasis is given to emerging areas in the renewable sector such as photovoltaics, wind energy, and geothermal energy, and emerging alternative fuels such as hydrogen, syngas, ethanol and biofuels. The EPS TOE keeps clients abreast of the latest R&D developments at major corporate and academic research centers, provides competitor intelligence and helps create strategic alliances. The Energy and Environment cluster provides global insights and intelligence on a wide variety of disruptive emerging technologies and platforms ranging from energy storage, advanced batteries, solar and wind energy, to unconventional oil, bioenergy, geothermal energy, and energy transmission. Key Topics Covered: Innovations In Self-powered Sensors, Hydrogen Production, Nuclear Fusion, and Vibration Energy Harvesting Piezoelectricity-fired Magnetic Microgenerators Power Internet of Things (IoT) Sensors Enerbee Technology's Value Proposition Enerbee Technology - Investor Dashboard Plasma-based Methane Pyrolysis for Cost-effective Hydrogen and Solid Carbon Production Plenesys' Value Proposition Plenesys - Investor Dashboard Simpler and Energy-efficient Projectile-based Inertial Nuclear Fusion Technology First Light Fusion's Value Proposition First Light Fusion - Investor Dashboard Palladium Membrane-based Cost-effective Hydrogen Production from Natural Gas Hydrogen Mem-Tech's Value Proposition Hydrogen Mem-Tech - Investor Dashboard Vibration Energy Harvesting (VEH) for Self-powered Sensors 8power's Value Proposition 8power - Investor Dashboard Novel Method to Produce Green Hydrogen Using Gallium-Aluminum Composite Material UC, Santa Cruz - Value Proposition - Value Proposition Crystal Structure Modifications Enhance the Perovskite Performance Monash University-Value Proposition Bifacial Perovskites Achieve High Energy Efficiency and Stability Rice University -Value Proposition -Value Proposition Ultrathin Solar Cells Offering High Power per Kilogram (kg) Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Value Proposition Value Proposition Superior Synthesis Technique for Perovskite Solar Cell Production ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science's Value Proposition Hydrothermal Synthesis-based Low-cost Cobalt-free Cathode Production Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Value Proposition Non-flammable Electrolyte Offering Superior Temperature Tolerance SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory's Value Proposition Single-crystalline Scandium Nitride (ScN) Enables Energy Absorption from Infrared Light JNCASR's Value Proposition Sodium-sulfur Battery Technology Offering Low-cost Energy Storage The University of Sydney's Value Proposition Value Proposition Improve Electric Vehicle Battery Design Offers Short Charging Times and Longer Driving Range The Pennsylvania State University's Value Proposition Value Proposition Key Contacts Appendix Criteria for Rating of Innovations - Explanation Legal Disclaimer A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes 8power ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science Enerbee Technology First Light Fusion Hydrogen Mem-Tech JNCASR Massachusetts Institute of Technology Monash University Oak Ridge National Laboratory Plenesys Rice University SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory The Pennsylvania State University The University of Sydney UC, Santa Cruz For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/qshcao About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets Jake's Tree Service, a Pennsylvania-based tree care company, reports a revenue increase of 1300 percent over the past five and a half years. The owner believes this growth is attributable to a customer-first approach and a proprietary marketing system that produces exceptional results. GLEN MILLS, Pa., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Jake's Tree Service, a leading provider of tree care in Delaware County, Chester County, Montgomery County, and throughout the Philadelphia suburbs, has seen an astonishing revenue increase of 1300% since 2017. During that time, the company has gone from about $500,000 per year in annual revenue to now over $7 million. The owner, Jacob Chmielowski, attributes the company's strong growth to quality work, dedication to his customers, and the implementation of an effective marketing system. Jakes Tree Service "We have been around for well over a decade and we have always provided quality service at a fair price, all we needed was a marketing system that works," Chmielowski says. "When we partnered with Tree Leads Today in 2017, things really started to take off. At that time, we had just one crew. Now we have five crews that stay busy all the time." Jake's Tree Service is a full-service tree care company that provides tree trimming, tree pruning, tree removal, stump grinding, cabling and bracing, crane services, and emergency tree care for both residential and commercial customers. They provide services to communities throughout the area, including Plymouth Meeting, Fort Washington, Ridley Township, Springfield Township, and Haverford Township. Don Dowd, founder of Tree Leads Today says that Jake's Tree Service is the exact type of company they were looking to do business with. "Tree Leads Today tries to partner with the best companies in every area since we only work with one company in each zip code," Dowd says. "We saw that Jake's had been here for a while, they had great reviews, they use state-of-the-art equipment, and they offer a wide range of services. They are an ideal company to work with because we know that they will do right by each customer we send them." Jake's Tree Service is proud to have earned a reputation for providing high-quality tree care services at reasonable prices, and they are committed to ensuring that each and every customer receives the best possible service. As the company's business continues to grow, it has not lost sight of these foundational principles. "We look forward to many more years of partnership with Tree Leads Today," Chmielowski continues. "And as we grow, we will continue to put our customers first and give them the same exceptional service that they have always come to expect from us." For more information about Jake's Tree Service and the services they offer, please visit https://jakestreeservices.com/.. This release was issued through Send2Press, a unit of Neotrope. For more information, visit Send2Press Newswire at https://www.Send2Press.com SOURCE Jakes Tree Service Newly launched cyber underwriter Intangic MGA has developed CyFi the industry's first parametric policy to offer public corporations fast recovery from the material impact of cyber threats. LONDON, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Intangic MGA, a data science-driven, London-based cyber Managing General Agent (MGA), has been launched with backing from AXA XL, offering innovative new cyber insurance cover for large public corporations headquartered in the UK. The company is led by an executive team with a unique combination of expertise from insurance, data science, financial markets, and cyber security to offer a new model for the cyber insurance market. "It really just comes down to thinking differently about the problem," said Ryan Dodd, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Intangic. "The security teams at large corporations have to manage cyber threats all day, every day. Our approach assesses cyber as a high-frequency risk. By accepting cyber attacks as 'constant', we can measure a link between how these attacks are managed and the financial impact they have on corporate operations. Our parametric triggers make this link visible, enabling fast recovery from covered material breaches and giving corporations a new type of insurance risk transfer. By doing this, we have converted cyber risk to a language the board understands." Intangic MGA has worked with AXA XL for its cyber policy, CyFi, which is underwritten by AXA XL Insurance Company UK Ltd. Intangic offers public corporations with cover of up to $15 million ( 12.5 million) in the UK market to cover losses from material cyber breaches. Plans are underway to extend this offering to the U.S. market. "This is a simple and innovative solution to a complex problem," said Luis Prato, Chief Underwriting Officer, UK & Lloyd's at AXA XL. "Intangic's policy and the mechanisms behind it create a different way to approach risk and unlock capacity for cyber for large public corporations, helping them to strengthen their cyber risk programme." "Companies are looking for a new approach from the market and a clear, fast recovery from their insurance protection our product offering provides this," said Mark Heath, Head of Insurance and Chief Underwriting Officer, Intangic MGA. The policy has two simple parametric triggers: the level of malicious activity targeting a company, and a subsequent loss in value. The triggers ensure that all parties have a transparent dashboard for the real-time monitoring of risk activity a first for an underwriter in the cyber insurance market. When both triggers have been met, the claim is quickly paid to get the business running efficiently again. Intangic MGA is bringing new capacity to the market to complement existing cyber indemnity cover. CyFi product provides smart parametric cyber cover that strengthens rather than replaces existing cyber indemnity policies. There is no claims adjustment. When both of the triggers are met, there is a fast payout in days, not months. By analysing thousands of corporations over several years, Intangic found that companies struggling to manage the financial impact of cyber attacks have, on average, a 250% higher probability of suffering material losses compared to peers who had better cyber attack management. CyFi was designed to address the problem of constant cyber threats as early as possible to lower the probability of customers suffering significant losses from attacks. "We brought multiple areas of risk expertise together to think about cyber differently and, through data science, we have converted what is considered an invisible risk into something more measurable and ultimately visible to large corporations," said Mr. Dodd. "We want to demystify cyber to anyone outside of our customers' cyber security team. We can, as a result, help risk managers improve the overall effectiveness of their cyber insurance programmes, including timely payouts." Ryan Dodd leads data science, technology and product vision at Intangic, bringing real-world cyber and financial modelling experience, including 20 years as hedge fund manager (inc. Man GLG) and structuring financial risk products. Joining Mr. Dodd at Intangic MGA is Mark Heath as Head of Insurance and Chief Underwriting Officer. Mr. Heath has 35 years of insurance experience, including senior executive roles in both underwriting and broking at AIG and Aon. Mr Heath has decades of experience across many different classes of insurance including innovative solutions with a background in risk financing and captive reinsurance. Mr Heath heads up the MGA. Debbie Durkan has joined Intangic MGA to lead growth and client distribution. Ms. Durkan was most recently Chief Client Officer at Marsh Commercial and prior to that Global Head of Development at Bowring Marsh. Debbie has over 25 years of client growth and development experience within major Broking houses. Dana Deasy was appointed as Chairman of Intangic and advisor to Intangic MGA. Mr. Deasy's previous roles include Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the US Department of Defence, CIO and MD at JP Morgan Chase, and CIO at BP. In addition, Chris Key will serve as a Director of Intangic and advisor to Intangic MGA. Mr. Key is a former Chief Product Officer at Mandiant, the market leader in threat intelligence and expertise gained on the frontlines of cyber security. Chris was also Founder and CEO of Verodin, Inc. (acquired by FireEye/Mandiant). Intangic is backed by Paladin Capital Group, with European General Manager and Principal Ken Pentimonti on Intangic MGA's Board. About Intangic MGA: Intangic MGA is a data science-driven London-based cyber underwriter, offering innovative new insurance capacity for large public corporations. Intangic MGA Ltd is a Joint Venture between Intangic and Acies Management Holdings Limited (Acies MGU) which is authorised and regulated by the FCA (FRN number 830581). Intangic MGA's cyber insurance policy, CyFi, provides cover to publicly listed corporations and is underwritten by AXA XL Insurance Company UK Ltd. For more information, please visit www.intangicmga.com. ABOUT AXA XL AXA XL, the property & casualty and specialty risk division of AXA, provides insurance and risk management products and services for mid-sized companies through to large multinationals, and reinsurance solutions to insurance companies globally. We partner with those who move the world forward. To learn more, visit www.axaxl.com ABOUT AXA XL INSURANCE AXA XL Insurance offers property, casualty, professional, financial lines and specialty insurance solutions to mid-sized companies through to large multinationals globally. We partner with those who move the world forward. To learn more, visit www.axaxl.com Contacts Media Caitlin Haynes, Junior Account Director, Rein4ce [email protected] +44 7568 572367 SOURCE Intangic Inwindow Paint Delivers Unique Brand Experiences Featuring Storefront Murals, Local Artists, and Digital Engagement Technology NEW YORK, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Inwindow Outdoor, an outdoor advertising agency providing interactive brand experiences on retail storefronts around the country, announced today the launch of Inwindow Paint. Inwindow Paint delivers bespoke, branded murals on eye-level retail space, creating a dramatic interpretive canvas that features the location's unique elements, local artists, and digital outdoor engagement technology. Inwindow, a multi-award-winning firm that invented the concept of using storefronts as a large-format out-of-home advertising medium, is partnering with Bacardi and OMG to launch the first outdoor advertising campaign featuring the new Inwindow Paint medium. Promoting Bacardi Reserva Ocho, the first Inwindow Paint murals debut this month in San Diego, CA and Miami, FL. The campaign showcases the unique artistic styles of local artists Gregory Siff and Rey Jaffet and delivers unforgettable local street art featuring the Bacardi brand. Inwindow worked directly with Bacardi and OMG to select the best locations and artists to take part in the campaign. "Inwindow, a multi-award-winning firm that invented the concept of using storefronts for advertising brands" Tweet this "We are proud to work with two of the most creative brands in the business, and two amazing street artists from Miami and San Diego, as we launch the first outdoor marketing campaign featuring our new Inwindow Paint product," said Jeff Cohen, co-founder and CEO, Inwindow. "We can't wait to see where this new medium goes next. And we look forward to engaging with artists around the country who might shy away from commercial work, but are eager to take on the challenge of using retail storefronts as their next canvas." Inwindow Paint works with digital as well as mural artists, combining new technology with old to deliver engaging outdoor advertising experiences. Featuring retail storefronts as their canvas, typically large, ground level, high-traffic locations, the company integrates digital artistry behind the retail windows, building an in-depth experience unique to each location, delivering endless creative possibilities. Digital engagement technology that can be incorporated in Inwindow Paint murals includes LED's, seamless projection, AR, camera feeds, photo capture, facial recognition, facial morphing, motion tracking, and gesture technology. "This is a special new medium for brands looking to create unique brand experiences for their customers," said Cohen. "Most digital and print ads are created on a computer screen, but through the Inwindow Paint product, clients can work with local artists to create one-of-kind works of art that are truly an original interpretation of the brand. This type of creative collaboration delivers an exciting new creative fusion, between art and commerce, and high-tech and original artistry." About Inwindow Outdoor Since 2002, Inwindow Outdoor has served as the premiere provider of vacant storefronts as an out-of-home advertising opportunity. The company's outdoor advertising campaigns feature interactive consumer experiences combining digital and print advertising on retail storefronts. Inwindow Outdoor's innovative Storescapes are billboard-sized ads at ground level, delivering face-to-face interactions with thousands of consumers around the country, every day. www.inwindowoutdoor.com Media Contact: Inwindow Outdoor Jeff Cohen 212-254-2250 [email protected] SOURCE Inwindow Outdoor INX Now Supports Polygon on its Regulated INX.One ATS for Secondary Listings NEW YORK and TORONTO, March. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The INX Digital Company, Inc. (NEO: INXD, INXATS: INX, OTCQB: INXDF ) ("INX"), a broker-dealer and inter-dealer broker, has announced today its full support of the Polygon Blockchain for secondary listings on INX.One - the world's first and only fully-regulated, end-to-end platform for listing and trading both SEC-registered security tokens and cryptocurrencies. The addition of Polygon to INX's ATS is another milestone in the shared vision to pioneer the new digital economy by bringing real world assets on chain. "As INX's global issuer and investor community expands in size and in requirements, we are responding by delivering access to multiple, high-performing blockchains," said Shy Datika, founder & CEO of INX. "Polygon is well-positioned among leading blockchain providers, supporting Web3 technology for millions of users, while enabling even greater choice for our robust line up of security token issuers on the INX.One platform." INX Now Supports Polygon on its Regulated INX.One ATS for Secondary Listings Tweet this The INX.One platform is a true Token-as-a-Service (TaaS) platform designed for capital raise purposes. The end-to-end hub streamlines the issuance process by providing everything needed to quickly and easily issue a digital security token to raise capital. INX.One is a multi-blockchain ecosystem that ensures greater choice and exceptional user experience - all on a regulated and fully-licensed platform. Polygon was designed to work in parallel with the Ethereum network to improve functionality by reducing transaction fees, increasing throughput, and promoting infrastructure development. The leading Ethereum scaling platform boasts just over 53,000 dapps, and has become the de facto platform for Web3. The network offers an array of blue-chip services ranging from decentralized finance (DeFi) dapps such as Aave, Curve, Balancer, and Uniswap, to the best gaming and metaverse platforms, including Decentraland, Somnium Space, Sandbox, Atari (multiverse), and Aavegotchi all of which are now easily accessible to INX users and issuers. INX's mission is to increase access for U.S. and international investors to the growing opportunities in the digital economy. INX.One platform sets a global standard for effectively achieving democratization in financial markets, while simultaneously providing the necessary regulatory guardrails through close collaboration with U.S. and global regulators. In 2021, INX became the first SEC-registered digital security IPO closing with $84 million in gross proceeds from over 7,250 retail and institutional investors. 92.9 million INX Tokens were sold in the IPO. INX continues to lead the industry in providing novel trading and capital raising financial instruments to enterprises and companies worldwide. For more information about INX, visit https://www.inx.co/ About INX: INX provides a regulated trading platform for digital securities and cryptocurrencies. With the combination of traditional markets expertise and a disruptive fintech approach, INX provides state-of-the-art solutions to modern financial problems. INX is led by an experienced and dedicated team of business, finance, and technology veterans with the shared vision of redefining the world of capital markets via blockchain technology and innovative regulatory approach. About The INX Digital Company, Inc. INX is the holding company for the INX Group, which includes regulated trading platforms for digital securities and cryptocurrencies, combining traditional markets expertise and an innovative fintech approach. The INX Group's vision is to be the preferred global regulated hub for digital assets on the blockchain. The INX Group's overall mission is to bring communities together and empower them with financial innovation. Our journey started with our initial public token offering of the INX Token in which we raised US$84 million. The INX Group is shaping the blockchain asset industry through its willingness to work in a regulated environment with oversight from regulators like the SEC and FINRA. In addition to operating two regulated trading platforms for blockchain assets, INX's interdealer broker, I.L.S. Brokers, plans to offer non-deliverable cryptocurrency forwards to Tier-1 banks in the future. For more information, please visit the INX Group website here . Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Other Disclosures This press release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking information" ("forward-looking information") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking information and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that discusses predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information. In disclosing the forward-looking information contained in this press release, INX has made certain assumptions, including with respect to, the continuous development of the INX trading platform, the offering of non-deliverable cryptocurrency forwards, and the development of the digital asset industry. Although INX believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations of any forward-looking information will prove to be correct. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include but are not limited to regulatory developments, the state of the digital securities and cryptocurrencies markets, and general economic conditions. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking information contained in this press release. Except as required by law, INX disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking information or otherwise. The NEO Exchange is not responsible for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. For further information, contact: The INX Digital Company, Inc. Investor Relations +1 855 657 2314 Email: investorrelations@inx.co For more information, contact: Liz Whelan liz@lwprconsulting.com (312) 315-0160 SOURCE The INX Digital Company, Inc. MUMBAI, India, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Alumni Association of N.C.E Bengal & Jadavpur University's Mumbai chapter hosted its 15th National Conference on 4th March 2023 in Mumbai. In addition to some distinguished guest speakers, various technical sessions were attended by luminaries from the worlds of Education, Science, Technology, and Business. Over 165 people from India, the US, Germany, and Norway participated in this event, including scientists, professors, industry leaders, business professionals, members of the German embassy, and PhD. Scholars. Padma Vibhushan Dr R Chidambaram inaugurating the National Conference by lighting the ceremonial lamp in the presence of Ms Marja Einig and Mr S S Mundra The day-long Conference titled 'New India @ 2030: Tailoring for Sustainable Growth: Reform, Perform, Transform' reviewed India's readiness to achieve sustainable growth and discussed transformative and accelerated actions needed to accomplish the intermediate target of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The day's proceedings were initiated by Mr Ashok Adhikary, Chairman of the Conference Committee and Dr Rajesh Singh, Joint Director & Head of the Department of banking and financial services of ASSOCHAM, on behalf of both the organisers. Padma Vibhushan Dr. R Chidambaram, the former principal scientific advisor to the Government of India and former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, inaugurated the event by lighting the ceremonial lamp. He was joined by the Guests of Honour, Ms. Marja Einig, Deputy Consulate General, German Consulate General Mumbai, and Mr. S S Mundra, Former Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India. A power-packed opening session featuring some of India's most prominent thinkers was followed by three technical sessions. Mr. K. Nandakumar, CMD of Chemtrols Industries, chaired the first panel titled '$10 trillion Economy - Challenges and Opportunities'. Caprihans India CEO Robin Banerjee, Blackstone India's former ED Gautam Chakravarti, Yes Bank's Senior Economist Radhika Piplani, and Power Gilt Treasuries' Director Vineet Nahata spoke at the session. Mr. Dibyendu Chakraborty, Convenor of the Conference Committee and alumnus of Jadavpur University chaired the second session, 'Climate Risk and Sustainable Finance'. Dr. Joy Mukhopadhyay, Education & Management Consultant, Dr. Easwaran Narassimhan, Assistant Professor of Centre for Policy Research, and Ms Anagha Deodhar, Senior Economist of ICICI Bank, participated in the session. Mr Alexy Thomas, Partner of EY, chaired the last session of the conference titled 'Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Growth'. Mr Aparup Sengupta, the former Global CEO of Aegis, Mr Shekhar Sanyal, Director & Country Head of Institution of the IET, and Mr Vivek Roy, Head of Digital Connectivity & Power at Siemens, participated in the panel discussion. Speaking at the Conference, Chief Guest Dr Chidambaram said, "Today, more than ever in history, Technology is Power and will continue to be so in the foreseeable future. Intellectual Property Rights and Technology Control regimes are therefore used to achieve technology dominance in fields as diverse as human genomics and nuclear weapons. Technology leadership is the best way to counter this. An equal system of science, technology, and innovation is essential for developing a knowledge economy in India. An advanced technology superstructure is also needed but requires a strong foundation of excellent higher education and basic research." "India has an independent Judicial System that has delivered several important judgments and decisions that have significantly impacted our society. However, our judicial process can be prolonged and expensive at times. Consequently, a large section of society cannot benefit from a well-functioning judicial process. To achieve our goal of being a fair society by 2030, India must address this issue," said Mr. S S Mundra during his inaugural address. "Climate change increases climate risk, which, in turn, requires immense sums of money for mitigations to recover the infrastructure. We urgently need new technologies to manage the dramatic effects of natural disasters like floods, droughts and storms. There are many sustainable development goals on which India and Germany already cooperate closely. Our technical agencies are collaborating on 104 projects in India in fields such as agriculture, solar, urban development, and mobility," said Ms. Marja Einig during her address. "I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate The Alumni Association of N.C.E Bengal & Jadavpur University's Mumbai chapter for their efforts to keep the alumni network active and alive by contributing your knowledge and experience to the discussions of the utmost relevant topics of the day," Ms Einig added further. Mr. Rajat Dasgupta, a distinguished alumnus of Jadavpur University and the former President & CEO of Chemtex Global Engineering India, said, "I would like to congratulate the Conference Management Committee for organising a national conference on a topic that is so relevant today. It was a learning experience for the participants, especially our young alumni, as they heard renowned dignitaries from various fields discuss their ideas and knowledge. I would like to thank our donors in particular. The conference would not have been possible without the generous support of our donors." In conjunction with the National Conference, the alums of Jadavpur University Mumbai published its 40th edition of AANCEB magazine. Edited under the guidance of Mr Ramani Iyer, a noted telecom expert who completed his graduation in Electronics & Telecommunications from Jadavpur University in 1965, the magazine features the views and ideas of the distinguished alumni, many of whom are thought leaders in their respective fields. Additionally, it provides information about the Jadavpur University Mumbai Alumni Association and the Mumbai Branch Trust. The Mumbai chapter of the Alumni also publishes a literary magazine titled Kaleidoscope, edited by Mrs Sumita Ghosh, an alumnus of Jadavpur University who completed her Masters in English literature in 1978. About the Alumni Association N.C.E. Bengal & Jadavpur University (Mumbai): The Mumbai branch of the Alumni Association, N.C.E Bengal and Jadavpur University was established in 1956 to provide an umbrella under which Alumni could meet, interact and socialise. Soon after, the objective was enlarged to include contributing to society through knowledge sharing and charitable activities. The Association Organized Seminars, with the active participation and support of Corporates, on topical themes of national interest and organised cultural events to raise funds for charitable activities. The Mumbai branch has over 500 active members connected with various core and knowledge-based industries, professional organisations and Government agencies in and around Mumbai. For more information, please contact: Mr Ashok Adhikary Chairman of the Conference Committee Email: [email protected] Tel: +91-9820190336 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2015401/3913086/Jadavpur_University_Logo.jpg Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2034393/JUAAM_National_Conference.jpg SOURCE The Alumni Association, N.C.E Bengal & Jadavpur University (Mumbai Branch) Residential Rates to Remain Lowest Among the State's Regulated Electric Utilities HOLMDEL, N.J., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Jersey Central Power and Light (JCP&L), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), today requested a review of its base electric rates by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU). The proposed rate adjustment supports an approximately $185 million investment that strengthens the energy grid, enhances the customer experience and funds new low-income and senior citizen customer assistance programs. Upon approval of the base rate adjustment, JCP&L customers would continue to pay the lowest residential electric rates among New Jersey's four regulated electric distribution companies. The typical JCP&L residential customer, using 780 kilowatt hours per month, would see a 7.5% percent overall rate increase or $8.45 monthly. "Our proposal balances our need to invest in a safe, reliable and modern grid while keeping rates affordable for our customers," said Jim Fakult, president of New Jersey operations for FirstEnergy. "This plan keeps JCP&L's rates the lowest in the state and offers additional assistance to our customers facing financial hardship." Since its last rate review in 2020, JCP&L has made more than $794 million in investments to modernize and strengthen its electric grid. These investments help to reduce the size and length of power outages. They include the installation of devices that can sense an outage and automatically transfer customers onto an adjacent circuit limiting the number of customers that experience a long-duration outage, upgrades to company substations in Monmouth, Ocean and Morris counties that provide for additional capacity and redundancy and expansion of a substation to accommodate significant growth in electric demand in Ocean County. Approval of the Company's proposal would help ensure investments that modernize and strengthen the grid continue. In addition, the rate review proposes the launch of two new customer assistance initiatives. A Senior Citizens Discount Program would provide income-eligible seniors with a discount on JCP&L's distribution charges averaging $15 monthly, applied as a credit on the monthly bill for their primary residence. In addition, an Energy Assistance Outreach Team will be created to enhance the Company's ongoing efforts to increase awareness, education and participation in energy assistance programs available to eligible customers. Because falling trees and tree limbs remain a leading cause of power outages, the proposal also includes an increase of more than $10 million per year in the Company's budget to maintain trees located outside of company rights-of-way that pose a threat to power lines. The funding would also allow removal of additional trees damaged by the emerald ash borer that are a potential threat to power lines. The filing also includes the recovery of costs incurred by JCP&L from the impact of major storms, including Tropical Storm Isaias, the remnants of Hurricane Ida, 2021's bow echo, Winter Storms Zeta and Elliott and other weather-related events. JCP&L has taken steps to reduce this balance, such as applying proceeds from its sale of the Yards Creek Pumped-Storage Generating Facility. Other items supported by the rate review include a program to begin transitioning streetlights from outdated, costly sodium vapor lights to energy efficient LED streetlights, with optional smart features that give municipalities more control of the fixtures. Costs associated with the transition to a new "smart electric meter" system and JCP&L's electric vehicle charging program, which are designed to support the state's clean energy goals, are also included in the submission. JCP&L serves 1.1 million customers in the counties of Burlington, Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren. Follow JCP&L on Twitter @JCP_L, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JCPandL or online at www.jcp-l.com. FirstEnergy Corp. is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability, and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland, and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp. SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp. Renowned Jazz Drummer and Composer ALLISON MILLER, a member of the critically acclaimed jazz supergroup ARTEMIS, brings her award-winning band BOOM TIC BOOM to Jimmy's Jazz & Blues Club in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on Friday April 7 at 7:30 P.M. Tickets for the ALLISON MILLER's BOOM TIC BOOM at Jimmy's Jazz & Blues Club., as well as the current list of 2023 shows, can be found on Ticketmaster.com and Jimmy's Online Event Calendar at: http://www.jimmysoncongress.com/events. PORTSMOUTH, N.H., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Jimmy's Jazz & Blues Club Features Renowned & Prolific Jazz Drummer and Composer ALLISON MILLER, and her Award-Winning Band BOOM TIC BOOM, on Friday April 7 at 7:30 P.M. Allison Miller's longtime band, BOOM TIC BOOM, won the 2019 Jazz Journalists Association's Award for "Best Mid-Sized Jazz Ensemble" and Miller won the 2019 Jazz Times Critic's Poll for "Best Jazz Drummer." "Ten years into the band's existence, these musicians are firing on all cylinders..." DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE (2019 Album Review of 'Glitter Wolf') "A powerhouse jazz drummer and composer..." Tweet this Renowned Drummer and Composer ALLISON MILLER brings her Award-Winning Band BOOM TIC BOOM to Jimmy's Jazz & Blues Club on Friday April 7 at 7:30 P.M. Tickets available on Ticketmaster.com and www.jimmysoncongress.com. "Modern Jazz Icon in the Making" ALL ABOUT JAZZ (on Allison Miller) "A powerhouse jazz drummer and composer..." LOS ANGELES TIMES Renowned Drummer and Composer ALLISON MILLER engages her deep roots in improvisation as a vehicle to explore all music. Miller has been named one of the "Top 20 Jazz Drummers" in Downbeat Magazine and her composition, "Otis Was a Polar Bear", is on NPR's list of "The 200 Greatest Songs by 21st Century Women". Miller is also a proud member of the critically acclaimed jazz supergroup ARTEMIS. Miller's band BOOM TIC BOOM celebrated their 10th anniversary with the release of their 5th critically acclaimed album, Glitter Wolf. NPR's Kevin Whitehead says, "All the parts fit together like clockwork on Allison Miller's new album Glitter Wolf." Previous album releases include 5am Stroll (2005), Boom Tic Boom (2010), Live at Willisau (2012), No Morphine No Lilies (2013), and Otis was a Polar Bear (2016). BOOM TIC BOOM has been met with critical acclaim, with albums making "Top 10 Jazz Albums" lists for Downbeat Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, and the Jazz Journalists Association. The band has been featured on NPR's Fresh Air, NPR's Tiny Desk, JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater, NPR's Jazz Night in America with Christian McBride, and jazz festivals across the world. As a side-musician, Miller has been the rhythmic force behind such mainstream artists as Ani DiFranco, Sara Bareilles, Natalie Merchant, Brandi Carlile, Toshi Reagon, the Meredith Vieira Show, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Pino Daniele, and Erin McKeown; and her jazz skills have been embraced by everyone from organ legend Dr. Lonnie Smith and vocalist Patricia Barber to instrumental trailblazers such as Marty Ehrlich, Myra Melford, Steven Bernstein, Renee Rosnes and Ben Allison. Allison Miller is on Yamaha's "Top 30 Clinicians List", conducting clinics and master classes throughout the world, and teaches at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in NYC, Stanford Jazz Workshop, and is the Artistic Director of Jazz Camp West. Her lessons and writings have been published in The Huffington Post, Modern Drummer, Jazz Times, DRUM, Tom Tom, and Drummer UK. BOOM TIC BOOM features Acclaimed Saxophonist NICOLE GLOVER, also a member of the jazz supergroup ARTEMIS, who recorded with 5x-GRAMMY Award-Winning Bassist and Vocalist Esperanza Spalding on her GRAMMY Award-Winning album, 'Radio Music Society', BOOM TIC BOOM also includes Award-Winning Trumpeter JASON PALMER who was named one of the "Top 25 Trumpeters of the Future" by Downbeat Magazine. Palmer has performed with many of the leading jazz musicians in the world, including Herbie Hancock, Roy Haynes, Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Roy Hargrove, among others. ALLISON MILLER's BOOM TIC BOOM Tickets & Current Schedule of Shows Jimmy's Jazz & Blues Club's 2022 Schedule of Shows included 9 NEA Jazz Masters, 52 GRAMMY Award-Winning Artists, 46 Blues Music Award-Winners, and a comprehensive list of talented musicians with 575+ GRAMMY Award Nominations amongst them. Tickets for ALLISON MILLER's BOOM TIC BOOM at Jimmy's Jazz & Blues Club on Friday April 7 at 7:30 P.M., as well as the current list of 2023 shows, can be found on Ticketmaster and Jimmy's Online Event Calendar at: http://www.jimmysoncongress.com/events. ABOUT JIMMY'S JAZZ & BLUES CLUB The mission of Jimmy's Jazz & Blues Club is to provide guests a one-of-a-kind, world-class experience featuring serious jazz and blues music served with exceptional cuisine. Jimmy's Jazz & Blues Club features a spectacular and visually breathtaking environment engineered to deliver the highest quality acoustics while utilizing state-of-the-art production, sound and lighting technologies. Jimmy's Jazz & Blues Club is located within a beautifully restored 1905 building at 135 Congress Street in the heart of historic downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire. For more information visit www.jimmysoncongress.com or follow us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/JimmysJazzBlues and on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/jimmysjazzblues/. Sign-up for Jimmy's Email Newsletter to stay informed on Upcoming Shows, New Artist Announcements, Promotional Offers, Ticket On-Sale Dates, Special Performances, and Jimmy's Sunday Jazz Brunch. PRIVATE EVENTS AT JIMMY'S An architecturally breathtaking center of arts and culture in the heart of historic Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Jimmy's Jazz & Blues Club offers a rare and spectacular venue to host important corporate functions, weddings, intimate or large-scale social gatherings, private parties, and memorable celebrations. The team at Jimmy's Jazz & Blues Club put heart and soul into creating a stunning full-service event space with new state-of-the-art production, sound & lighting technologies delivered with outstanding next-level culinary experiences. Our high-touch approach with professional and experienced event staff ensures that everything is tailored to exceed your expectations. To start a conversation about hosting your event at Jimmy's Jazz and Blues Club, please call us at 888-603-5299, or fill out Jimmy's Private Event Request Form. Website: http://www.jimmysoncongress.com Contact: Suzanne Bresette suzanne@jimmysoncongress.com 888-603-JAZZ SOURCE Jimmy's Jazz & Blues Club Adds four new healthcare attorneys NEW ORLEANS, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Jones Walker LLP announced today that the firm has welcomed two new special counsel attorneys, Anjali Dooley and Jude Bourque. Along with Anjali and Jude, the firm also added to its Healthcare Industry Team two associates, Keiana Palmer and Chino Onubogu. Anjali, Keiana, and Chino will join the firm's Corporate Practice Group in New Orleans, Washington, DC, and Miami, respectively, and Jude will join the firm's Litigation Practice Group in Baton Rouge. Anjali Dooley, Jude Bourque, Keiana Palmer, and Chino Onubogu "Jones Walker is committed to expanding our team to meet the needs of our clients in this increasingly complex and rapidly changing field. We are delighted to welcome these new attorneys who have a deep understanding of the evolving healthcare legal landscape," said Bill Hines, managing partner of Jones Walker. About Anjali Dooley With more than 20 years of experience in legal private practice and as a former healthcare executive and Chief Legal Officer, Anjali has a deep understanding of healthcare law and regulatory compliance, corporate governance, and private equity investments. She provides guidance on a broad range of complex legal matters, including business entity formation, 50-state provider licensing compliance, corporate practice of medicine issues, data privacy and security (HIPAA), multistate telehealth implementation, Medicare fraud and abuse prevention, False Claims Act disputes, employment law, and venture capital transactions. Anjali's clients represent the full spectrum of the US economy, from individual entrepreneurs and startups to midsize and privately held businesses, hospitals and health systems, investment firms, and technology companies in the United States and abroad. About Jude Bourque Jude is a highly experienced litigator who defends public and private hospitals as well as individual physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers in medical malpractice cases. He represents clients in administrative hearings and jury and bench trials and before appellate courts. For nearly three decades, as a former senior litigator in the Medical Malpractice Section of the Louisiana Department of Justice, Litigation Division, Jude defended public healthcare providers in a broad range of lawsuits. He draws on his experience with administrative and judicial procedures to mount effective defenses and negotiate favorable settlements on behalf of his clients. About Keiana Palmer Keiana represents private and public companies, institutional investors, and other clients in a wide range of corporate and commercial law matters. Before joining Jones Walker, she was associate counsel at a boutique corporate and healthcare regulatory law firm in Chicago. Keiana's practice focused on advising high-growth digital health and technology startups on entity formation and conversion, corporate governance, regulatory compliance, risk management, and strategic planning, among other matters. About Chino Onubogu Chino represents private and public companies, institutional investors, and other firm clients in a wide range of corporate and commercial law matters. She provides broad-ranging counsel to clients across the country with interests and operations in diverse industries, including healthcare and technology. Prior to joining Jones Walker, Chino drafted corporate agreements, technology transactions, and regulatory opinion letters for digital startups and healthcare practices and assisted clients with various corporate matters. About Jones Walker Jones Walker LLP (joneswalker.com) is among the largest 135 law firms in the United States. With offices in Alabama, Arizona, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, and Texas, we serve local, regional, national, and international business interests. The firm is committed to providing a comprehensive range of legal services to major multinational public and private corporations, Fortune 500 companies, money center banks, worldwide insurers, and emerging companies doing business in the United States and abroad. Contact : Savannah Kirk 225.248.3435 [email protected] SOURCE Jones Walker LLP BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Banco Macro S.A. (NYSE: BMA; BYMA: BMA) Banco Macro ("BMA" or the "Bank") informs that on the date hereof Jorge Brito took office as Chairman of the entity, replacing Delfin Jorge Ezequiel Carballo, who decided to anticipate the end of his term of office. Brito was acting as Vice Chairman of the Board of Banco Macro since November 30th 2020. He had already acted as vice chairman of the Board of Banco Macro from April 20th 2018 to April 30th 2020. In addition, he acted as CFO from April 2012 to November 2017. Jorge Brito shall replace Delfin Jorge Ezequiel Carballo, who had been designated Chairman of the Board on November 2020, and decided an early termination of his term of office for personal reasons as he explained today at the meeting of the Board. In a letter addressed to the members of the Board, Ezequiel Carballo explained that he decided to leave because "the Bank is currently in an increasingly good situation as shown by its solvency, liquidity and other indicators usually used by analysts and investors in order to determine the sustainability of a financial entity. Also because I feel proud of the professional capacity of my colleagues in the Board of Directors, as well as of that of those who compose the entity's Top Management; so I have no doubt of their capacity to lead the Bank's destinies with the same efficiency as that with which they have been managed up to date". Delfin Jorge Ezequiel Carballo thanked the support of all members of the Board during his administration. IR Contact in Buenos Aires: Jorge Scarinci | Chief Financial Officer Nicolas A. Torres | Investor Relations E-mail: [email protected] | Phone: (54 11) 5222 6682 About Banco Macro: Banco Macro employs 7,701 collaborators, features 1,808 ATMs, 932 self-service terminals and a structure composed of 500 customer service points, which means it is currently the private bank with the largest branch network throughout the country, placing itself as the number one among the Private Local Banks. For further information access www.macro.com.ar/relaciones-inversores SOURCE Banco Macro S.A. FRISCO, Texas, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- JPAR - Real Estate, Texas' leading full-service, 100% commission brokerage and franchise platform, is excited to announce its partnership with Bubble Insurance Solutions, a digital insurance broker, that makes it easy for JPAR customers to insure their homes, autos, families, and everything under their roof. JPAR Real Estate Partners with Digital Insurance Broker Bubble to Bring Seamless Embedded Insurance to Home Buyers Bubble is a technology and AI-powered insurtech company especially designed to help home buyers and home owners shop, compare, customize and purchase the best-fit insurance policy, with the right coverages, at the best price possible. As an insurance broker, Bubble works with many of the country's top-rated insurance companies to help shop and compare insurance policies. And as a technology company, Bubble removes much of the friction and hassle from the process, from accurate instant quotes and guided customization of various coverages and deductibles, to fast online applications and, in some cases, instant online approvals. Bubble also helps clients save money with discounts or by easily bundling multiple insurance products together like home, auto, umbrella, and life insurance. For home buyers and homeowners, having the right insurance with the right protections and coverages is important, especially now with the uncertainties of climate change. Bubble's digital platform integrates with several insurance companies and uses a proprietary AI-guided recommendation engine, Bubble HomePal, to quickly match customers and their properties with the best-fit policies and coverages to mitigate the most relevant hazards and risks, while lowering insurance claims and future premiums. JPAR real estate professionals can help their customers take advantage of the benefits of Bubble's data-driven integration through the JPAR transaction management system, Dotloop. Every time a new home buyer signs a purchase contract with a JPAR real estate agent, the integration combines data available from the transaction with Bubble's own extensive data assets and automatically sends a curated set of personalized insurance quotes to the buyer via email and/or SMS. This eliminates much of the friction and enables home buyers to easily customize and purchase the most appropriate policies, either with instant online approvals or with Bubble's licensed advisers. In turn, this speeds up the transaction process while enhancing the customer experience, removing stress for the buyer, and ensuring a timely close. "Insurance has long been an offline process in the real estate transaction that's rapidly moving towards end-to-end digitization," noted Avi Gupta, founder and CEO of Bubble. "By embedding and automating insurance within the real estate workflow, Bubble simplifies the insurance purchase experience and saves everyone time, while providing real estate companies like JPAR a turnkey one-stop insurance shop." Bubble's Agent Portal helps JPAR agents organize all their clients' insurance information on one platform. The platform gives agents instant visibility into the status of each client's insurance purchase along with the ability to send a Bubble-generated insurance quote to any client with one click. "Bubble Insurance is the right fit for JPAR given how complicated, confusing, and time-consuming home insurance can be and how it affects the home buying process," stressed Eric Flohr, Chief Operating Officer of Cairn RE Holdings, LLC which acquired JPAR - Real Estate and JPAR Franchising, LLC in 2021. "This partnership will provide our agents a seamless process that will expedite insurance purchases for their clients. Bubble's modern digital insurance platform is a great value-add all around." Cairn Real Estate Holdings and Bubble plan to expand the relationship to other brokerages owned by Cairn after the launch with JPAR. About JPAR Real Estate: JPAR - Real Estate is a full-service real estate brand and franchise platform offering a highly competitive transaction fee-based model and agent-centric culture. The JPAR platform provides agents seven (7) days-per-week support, a comprehensive tech stack, marketing, lead generation, training and mentoring. JPAR affiliated owners benefit from compliance review, 1-on-1 consulting, recruiting support and a peer network of influential industry leaders. The company boasts more than 4,500 agents operating in 70 office locations and closes more than $10B annually in sales volume. About Bubble Insurance Solutions: Founded by real estate experts, Bubble's mission is to help homeowners easily protect their homes, loved ones and everything under their roof with the right insurance coverages at the right time for the right price. By digitally embedding insurance into the path of a home or mortgage purchase, and within homeownership journeys, Bubble's sophisticated AI algorithms streamline the process of buying insurance, from accurate online quotes to personalized recommendations, simplified application and often, instant approval. See how Bubble integrates digital insurance into housing journeys, or get your own protective Bubble today at www.getmybubble.com Smart insurance for total assurance. Media Contacts: JPAR: Matt Gentile 412.477.3349 [email protected] Bubble: Avi Gupta 408.705.0211 [email protected] SOURCE JPAR Real Estate Free Music Lessons at 1,100 Locations in 16 Countries PHILADELPHIA, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The 9th Annual Teach Music Week will be celebrated Monday, March 20th through Sunday, March 26th. This annual week-long holiday invites musicians, music schools, music stores and other music organizations to offer a free lesson or class to new students (both kids & adults). Over 1,100 locations in sixteen countries will participate including the U.S., Canada, Australia, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malta, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Portugal and the United Kingdom. FREE music lessons for new students at over 1,100 locations for Teach Music Week from March 20-26. Music Brands partnering with Keep Music Alive include Alfred Music, Casio, Conn-Selmer, D'Addario Foundation, Guitar Center, Hungry for Music, Kala Brand Music, Music & Arts, Music Nomad, REMO Percussion, Spirit of Harmony Foundation. For more information, please visit www.TeachMusicWeek.org. Music Brands that believe in Keeping the Beat for Keep Music Alive, Teach Music Week and Kids Music Day include Alfred Music, Casio, Conn-Selmer, D'Addario Foundation, Guitar Center, Hungry for Music, Kala Brand Music, MakeMusic Music & Arts, Music Nomad, REMO Percussion, Spirit of Harmony Foundation. For more information, please visit www.KeepMusicAlive.org. This year, the Music & Arts will participate in Teach Music Week by offering a free trial lesson to new students at all 250 locations nationwide from Monday March 20 through Sunday March 26. To register please visit: https://www.musicarts.com/cms/free-trial-lesson?source=LPVBCCGBA All Guitar Center locations in the US will bookend Teach Music Week with a free group guitar lesson on both Saturday March 18 and March 25. Teach Music Week is celebrated annually during the 3rd week of March to coincide with national Music in Our Schools Month. Anyone interested in learning to play an instrument is encouraged to seek out a participating location or musician friend to help get them started. Teach Music Week also invites public, private and charter schools to schedule activities that will encourage more students to sign up for music, band and chorus classes. Participating locations can be found by entering a zip code or city/state on the www.TeachMusicWeek.org locator page. Vincent James, co-founder of Keep Music Alive states: "Sometimes the biggest hurdle to doing anything is just getting started. With Teach Music Week, we are hoping to inspire a new generation of music makers who will continue reaping the many benefits of playing music, long after the month of March is over." Keep Music Alive is honored to welcome the following music brands and organizations as partners for the 9th Annual Teach Music Week: Alfred Music, Casio, Conn-Selmer, D'Addario Foundation, Hungry for Music, Kala Brand Music, Music Nomad, REMO Percussion, Spirit of Harmony Foundation. Together, they are helping to share the Teach Music Week message, inspiring more children and adults to begin their musical journey. Individual locations from additional chains participating this year include Long & McQuade, Kindermusik, Gymboree Play & Music, Music Together and the legendary School of Rock. Keep Music Alive is also grateful for grant support received from the Les Paul Foundation and Music Nomad's "One for Music" Program. For more information or to find participating locations, please visit www.TeachMusicWeek.org or call or email (610) 874-6312, [email protected]. Keep Music Alive is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit on a mission to help more kids (and adults) reap the educational, therapeutic and social benefits of playing music. For more information, please visit www.KeepMusicAlive.org or call (610) 874-6312. Music in Our Schools Month is a registered trademark owned by the National Association for Music Education (www.NAfME.org). Media Contact: Vincent James 610-874-6312 [email protected] SOURCE Keep Music Alive The Klarna App now features enhanced sustainability insights with the introduction of 5 conscious badges highlighting electronics brands' environmental achievements Builds on Klarna's commitment to providing its 150M consumers with the insights and tools they need to make more informed purchasing decisions and enact positive change for the planet Follows the rollout of 'Conscious Collections' in the Klarna App, highlighting environmentally and ethically friendly apparel brands, as well as other features including upgrades to the Klarna Co2e tracker, 'Shop Circular' collections, and more NEW YORK, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Klarna, a leading global payments provider and shopping service, today announced the launch of conscious badges in the Klarna App in collaboration with Clarity AI, the leading global sustainability tech platform. Klarna continues to evolve beyond payments to become a starting point for every purchase for 150 million consumers and 26 million app users worldwide, whether they already know what they want or are looking for inspiration, all while prioritizing environmental impact. With this new feature, Klarna users worldwide can access even more comprehensive metrics about their electronics purchases at the touch of a button, including information on brands' greenhouse gas emissions, energy derived from renewable resources, and more. "We're thrilled to deepen our partnership with Klarna to develop conscious badges, the first-ever assessment of electronics brands' achievements providing transparency at scale for consumers around the world. We believe there should be nothing 'black-box' about metrics, and we're excited Klarna can leverage our AI capabilities to provide detailed information for Klarna shoppers who want to know more," said Angel Agudo, Board Director and Head of Product at Clarity AI. "There are multiple dimensions to ensuring a company is on the right path to net zero. Yes, reduction in emissions is of course key, but so is a commitment and a plan to reduce emissions to truly have an impact of appropriate size and so we wanted to provide consumers all of those dimensions within the conscious badge experience." Shoppers increasingly demand greater transparency about the environmental impact of their purchases, with over half (56%) of global consumers wanting more information about the environmental impact of their brands and products throughout their shopping experience. More than a third (37%) also consider it important for brands to act in an environmentally sustainable way. Responding to this demand, Klarna launched 'Conscious Collections' in the Klarna App in 2022 to provide shoppers with information about the sustainability performance for brands within the fashion and footwear space. Brands featured in the collections include Asket, Pangaia, Lucy & Yak, Mara Hoffman, Nudie Jeans and more. With the launch of conscious badges, Klarna is now celebrating businesses prioritizing more sustainable practices in the electronics space, further equipping shoppers with the insights needed to inform future purchasing decisions. Electronics brands can earn up to 5 badges: Lower direct greenhouse gas emissions: If the company is among the 10% of Clarity AI tested comparable companies with the lowest direct and energy-related greenhouse gas emissions Lower indirect greenhouse gas emissions: If the company is among the 10% of Clarity AI tested comparable companies with the lowest indirect greenhouse gas emissions Committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions: If the company has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in line with the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C Disclosing greenhouse gas emissions: If the company discloses direct, energy-related and indirect greenhouse gas emissions Using renewable energy: Over 90% of the energy used by this company comes from renewable sources "The rollout of conscious badges in the Klarna App marks a significant milestone in our continued effort to empower shoppers to vote with their wallets," said Salah Said, Head of Sustainability at Klarna. "Following the successful launch of 'Conscious Collections' in the Klarna App last year to bring greater awareness to environmentally and ethically friendly brands within the apparel and footwear verticals, we are thrilled to team up with Clarity AI to deliver the worlds' first unbiased, AI-driven environmental assessment for electronics brands." Conscious badges are currently accessible to consumers after they make an electronics purchase via the transactions details page of the Klarna App. In the coming weeks, the badges will also be visible to consumers through Klarna's CO2e tracker, regardless of whether they have made an electronics purchase. This new feature follows several recent initiatives by Klarna to promote brand's environmental achievements and provide consumers with the tools and insights they need to shop more consciously and enact positive change for the planet. In January this year, Klarna launched a resell feature enabling shoppers in Sweden to resell their previous purchases directly through the Klarna App. Klarna also recently introduced "Shop Circular'' Collections, spotlighting brands with circular services to reduce waste and maximize the use of products, and unveiled significant upgrades to its CO2e tracker in the Klarna App. Klarna's CO2e tracker now provides shoppers worldwide with emissions data at a product level for nearly 60 million items in every step of the product's lifecycle, bringing to life one of the largest awareness-raising efforts on carbon footprints ever to life. Over 324,000 consumers, on average, actively track their carbon footprint through Klarna each month (Dec '22). Conscious badges are available now to Klarna App users worldwide. To learn more about Klarna's conscious badges and other sustainability initiatives, click here. About Klarna Since 2005 Klarna has been on a mission to revolutionize the retail banking industry. With over 150 million global active users and 2 million transactions per day, Klarna is meeting the changing demands of consumers by saving them time and money while helping them be informed and in control. Over 500,000 global retail partners, including H&M, Saks, Sephora, Macys, IKEA, Expedia Group, and Nike have integrated Klarna's innovative technology to deliver a seamless shopping experience online and in-store. Klarna has over 5,000 employees and is active in 45 markets. For more information, visit Klarna.com. About Clarity AI Clarity AI is a sustainability technology platform that uses machine learning and big data to deliver environmental and social insights to investors, organizations, and consumers. As of November 2022, Clarity AI's platform analyzes more than 50,000 companies, 320,000 funds, 198 countries and 188 local governments two to thirteen times more than any other player in the market and delivers data and analytics for investing, consumer research, corporate research and reporting for sustainability regulations worldwide. Clarity AI has offices in North America, Europe and the Middle East, and its investor client network manages tens of trillions in assets under management, while its consumer partnerships allow it to be part of millions of daily ecommerce transactions and to reach hundreds of millions of consumers at over 400,000 merchants. clarity.ai CONTACT: Adaline Colton [email protected] (614) 687-9357 The following files are available for download: https://news.cision.com/klarna-bank-ab--publ-/i/conscious-collections-klarna,c3156524 Conscious Collections Klarna SOURCE Klarna Bank AB PITTSBURGH, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a comprehensive national search, Carnegie Mellon University has named Kristina Wong Davis, former vice provost for enrollment management at Purdue University, to be its inaugural vice provost for enrollment management. Kristina Wong Davis will join Carnegie Mellon University on June 1 as its inaugural vice provost for enrollment management. "Dr. Wong Davis is a national leader in higher education admissions and enrollment and we could not be more delighted to have her join our team as the university looks to the future of recruiting and engaging an exceptional student body," said Provost James H. Garrett Jr. "Her clear professional purpose and vision, as well as her deep understanding of enrollment trends, make her well suited to take on this newly developed role here at CMU." Wong Davis will join CMU on June 1. At Purdue, Wong Davis served as chief enrollment officer, providing leadership and oversight to the Office of Admissions, Office of the Registrar, Division of Financial Aid, Enrollment Management Analysis and Reporting, and Enrollment Management Strategic Communications and Initiatives. She led and managed all areas of enrollment management working across the campus to strategically plan and execute critical enrollment objectives. "It is with great excitement as I look toward joining the phenomenal team at Carnegie Mellon University. I am honored to be offered the opportunity to serve this great institution in this inaugural role," said Wong Davis. Before her role at Purdue, Wong Davis served as director of admissions for the University of California San Diego and as director of outreach and recruitment for Ohio State University. She was director of admissions with Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar and served in several roles overseeing and managing initiatives for transfer, international and undergraduate recruitment efforts at the University of Arizona. Wong Davis is a College Board Trustee and is a member of the College Board Admissions Research Consortium Advisory Committee, the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, the National Association for College Admissions Counseling, the International Association for College Admissions Counseling, NAFSA: Association of International Educators, and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. She earned a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics from the University of Arizona and a master's degree in elementary education and a doctoral degree in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University. As the inaugural vice provost for enrollment management, Wong Davis will report to the provost and chief academic officer and oversee the integration of the offices of Admission and Enrollment Services. This new role will enhance CMU's enrollment and admission strategies in a rapidly evolving higher education landscape. Wong Davis will play a critical role in shaping the university's approach to demographic shifts, access and affordability and the broader higher education market. "Dr. Wong Davis is a passionate leader in her field and an advocate for students. Her demonstrated values align with CMU's mission to provide an exceptional experience to all prospective and incoming students," said Garrett. "Her achievements make it clear that she is committed to excellence in every step of a student's educational life cycle, even before they step foot on campus. We are so excited for her to join the CMU community." SOURCE Carnegie Mellon University Deal marks the first time a minority-owned cannabis management company signs a recording artist to a multi-platform support arrangement CHICAGO, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- KVL International (www.kvlinternational.com), a leading minority-owned cannabis-centric brand management and production company founded and headquartered in Chicago, announced it has signed a sponsorship deal with well-known musical artist, Booman Forever. KVL will involve Booman in many aspects of the companies it owns and/or partners with, including: The 1937 Group, Kush League, The Open Stage Festival, and The Weed Label. Unlike many other "celebrity-endorsed" cannabis brands that are often nothing more than a licensing deal to use a famous person's name and image on a label, the KVL/Booman relationship will include concert promotions, clothing and apparel selections, a custom cannabis strain drop, and general artist support. Alex Al-Sabah, Co-Founder and CEO of KVL International, said that musical artists especially those of color have often been marginalized by traditional record labels. His goal with The Weed Label is to leverage the company's cannabis footprint, along with various other business ventures, to help empower artists and create greater collective platform nationally." "As the first minority-owned cannabis management company in Illinois, our mission is to make sure that the artist always comes first," Al-Sabah said. "We are an authentic partner, headquartered here on the South side of Chicago, doing things that traditional record labels would not attempt due to their corporate ownership," he added. "We are different. We aren't just a record label... we are a support system." Booman describes his journey as, "built from the ground up." He said Chicago is a tough place to break a record. "For a big city, we don't have a lot of support for our musical artists," he said. So Booman got resourceful. He makes his own tracks and does most of his own production. "The city left me no other choice but to be more than what I thought I was," Booman said. "I know a lot of people can relate to that feeling." Booman said he is excited about working with KVL because "they understand being the underdog." He also said he is looking forward to developing his own signature strain. "The right flower can make the artistic process soar," Booman said. "I want to develop a euphoric and energetic hybrid strain that will light up music whether you are creating, participating, or just listening." Al-Sabah, who has over 20-years experience in the cannabis industry, said he is grateful to be working with someone as talented as Booman. "Booman is an incredibly dynamic musical artist. We are going to do great things here in the city of Chicago," he said. "This is the first of many exciting developments to come." In celebration of this formal partnership, KVL will be hosting a Launch Party at the Open Stage Festival Season 2 Kick-off on March 21st. Tickets can be located here on Eventbrite. Connect Websites: www.kvlinternational.com www.the1937group.com www.boomanforever.com Instagram: @kvl_international @the1937group @boomanforever Media Contact: The Innovation Agency 310-571-5592 [email protected] www.inov8.us SOURCE KVL International LaGuardia Airport Terminal B is Among Just 22 Airports and Terminals Worldwide and the First Terminal in North America to Earn 5 Stars for Global Best Practices NEW YORK, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- LaGuardia Gateway Partners (LGP) today announced that LaGuardia Airport Terminal B is the world's best new terminal based on Global Passenger Survey1 conducted by Skytrax, an international transport rating organization. The Port Authority of NY and NJ partnered with LGP to deliver a world-class Terminal B. LGP is the project company that includes Meridiam, Skanska, Vantage Airport Group and JLC Infrastructure, responsible for development and management of the terminal. LaGuardia's Terminal B is the first terminal in North America and among just 22 airports and terminals worldwide to achieve the highest possible 5-Star Airport Terminal Rating2. Thierry Deau, Founder, Founder and CEO of Meridiam said, "Meridiam is proud that LaGuardia Terminal B is being recognized for providing a state-of-the-art customer experience3,4. More than ten years ago, we envisioned what the transformation of one of America's most iconic airports could be, and thanks to the hard work and steadfast commitment of LGP, the Port Authority of NY and NJ and Meridiam's team, that vision has become a reality. LaGuardia Terminal B is a shining example of the vast potential brought to bear when public and private entities work together and strive for excellence." Referred to as the Oscars of the airport industry5 , the World Airport Awards from Skytrax are considered a benchmark for the world airport industry, assessing customer service and facilities across more than 550 airports. These awards recognize those airports and terminals that are providing exceptional standards of facilities and staff service to customers across all front-line areas of the airport environment. To achieve the top 5-Star Airport Terminal rating, the staff service or product standards must be meeting or setting global best practice for the items under evaluation. Terminal B is a testament to Meridiam's mission as an impact investor focused on growth through sustainability, innovation, and partnership, facilitating one of the largest public private partnerships in U.S. aviation history. From a historically lacking airport terminal originally constructed in 1964, LaGuardia's Terminal B has been totally reimagined into a 21st century leader. Terminal B has been recognized for nation-leading environmental standards and in July 2021, then-completed portions of the terminal were awarded LEED v4 Gold certification6. "We're honored and proud to share the recognition and accolades with our partners, the New York Community, and all our guests choosing Terminal B for their travels. It was an honor working with Executive Director Rick Cotton and the rest of the Port Authority of NY and NJ team to get this done. The Skytrax designation and 5-star rating not only represents a huge milestone for the LaGuardia airport but is also a testament to the continued hard work of the entire LGP team to have developed and operated the airport terminal with immense dedication to ensure a best-in-class traveler experience," said Jane Garvey, Global Chairman, Meridiam and member of the Board of Directors, LaGuardia Gateway Partners. As a leader in sustainable investment and asset management, Meridiam has delivered over $80 billion in total investment across more than 110 assets worldwide. With this extensive experience and demonstrated track record, Meridiam has distinguished itself as an established partner of choice to the public sector throughout North America. In addition to the LaGuardia Airport Terminal B, Meridiam's global airport portfolio includes Bulgaria's Sofia Airport, Madagascar's Ivato and Nosy Be airports and Jordan's Queen Alia International Airport . About Meridiam Meridiam was founded in 2005 by Thierry Deau, with the belief that the alignment of interests between the public and private sector can provide critical solutions to the collective needs of communities. Meridiam is a Certified B Corporation ("B Corp"), meeting the international standards for social and environmental impact. The firm specializes in the development, financing, and long-term management of sustainable public infrastructure in three core sectors: sustainable mobility, critical public services and innovative low carbon solutions. With offices in Addis Ababa, Amman, Dakar, Istanbul, Johannesburg, Libreville, Luxembourg, New York, Paris, Toronto, and Vienna, Meridiam currently manages US$20 billion and more than 110 projects to date. Meridiam is certified ISO 9001: 2015, Advanced Sustainability Rating by VigeoEiris (Moody's), ISO 37001 Anti-Corruption certification by AFNOR and applies a proprietary methodology in relation to ESG and impact based on United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). https://www.meridiam.com/en/ https://www.instagram.com/meridiam_official/ https://twitter.com/Meridiam https://www.linkedin.com/company/meridiam/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaE7NKtiVh9OLXy1EgMOOJA Press Contact: FTI Consulting [email protected] Meridiam - Antoine Lenoir: +33 6 07 50 75 85 [email protected] 1 https://skytraxresearch.com/service/airport-of-the-year-awards/ 2 https://skytraxratings.com/the-worlds-5-star-airports 3 https://skytraxresearch.com/service/airport-of-the-year-awards/ 4 https://www.worldairportawards.com/ 5 https://www.worldairportawards.com/ 6 https://www.panynj.gov/port-authority/en/press-room/press-release-archives/2021-press-releases/laguardia-airports-terminal-b-is-worlds-first-to-earn-leed-v4-gold-certification.html SOURCE Meridiam LAS VEGAS, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the results of an annual test reported by the National Financial Educators Council (NFEC), levels of financial literacy among American youth and young adults remain low. The NFEC has been gathering financial literacy data across all 50 states since 2014, with more than 150,000 people participating in the quizzes to date. The most recent findings, from January 2023, indicate that 52% of the 45,916 participants aged 15 to 18 were unable to pass the NFEC's National Financial Literacy Test with a score of 70 or better. The 30-question quiz measures respondents' capability to earn, save, and grow their personal finances, using questions centered around the core topics defined in the NFEC's Financial Literacy Framework & Standards. Although the test was originally designed for 15- to 18-year-olds, everyone is welcome to participate and data from all age groups are reported. In this year's findings, the average test scores break down by age group as follows: 10 14 years old: 56.62% 15 18 years old: 63.84% 19 24 years old: 70.86% 25 35 years old: 76.04% 36 50 years old: 77.27% 51+ years old: 77.98% You can view the full results at this link: https://www.financialeducatorscouncil.org/national-financial-literacy-test/ If you're interested in taking the test yourself, visit: https://www.financialeducatorscouncil.org/financial-literacy-test/ As the results illustrate, the U.S. shows room for improvement in current financial literacy knowledge across all age segments, particularly among youth and young adults. And given that a score of 70% or higher represents the passing criterion, even a proportion of 16% of participants aged 51+ failed the test. In its standards, the NFEC lays out 10 core financial literacy topics that are essential to make informed personal finance decisions in today's economic landscape. The framework also provides benchmarks that define optimal teacher qualifications and learner outcomes for financial education. The annual test gauges content knowledge and people's attitudes toward money, motivation to learn, and understanding of the first action steps toward improving their finances. The organization takes advantage of this time to emphasize findings from three additional tests: Financial Foundation Test: This brief 8-question quiz measures capability to make basic-level financial decisions. Among a total 9131 respondents aged 15-18, the average score was 57.81% and 62.8 % failed to reach 70% or higher. https://www.financialeducatorscouncil.org/financial-foundation-test-results/ % failed to reach 70% or higher. https://www.financialeducatorscouncil.org/financial-foundation-test-results/ Advanced Financial Education Test: This test assesses advanced-level personal finance capabilities. The average score among the 5167 15- to 18-year-old participants was 46.16% and 68.14% scored lower than 70%. For 12,821 participants of all ages the average score was 58.14% See the full results: https://www.financialeducatorscouncil.org/advanced-financial-education-test-results/ Student Loan Test : This quiz focuses on the ability of college students and college-bound high school students to make informed decisions about taking on student loans. A total of 5564 youth and young adults participated, with an average score of 55.64% and a failure rate (below 70%) of 73.05%. Full results: https://www.financialeducatorscouncil.org/student-loans-financial-education-test-results/ The NFEC created its Financial Literacy Testing and Survey Center to field and report on these tests and more. The center offers more than 30 online tests and surveys that individuals and organizations may access complimentary. Test-takers receive their grades automatically upon completion, so they can leverage the learning to acquire more information and move closer to reaching their financial education goals. The National Financial Educators Council is a financial wellness organization with a mission to provide top-quality financial education. The NFEC's commitment to making positive social impact is highlighted by its recent designation as an IACET Accredited Provider Certified B Corporation. The organization conducts a variety of research initiatives to provide the latest data on financial literacy and financial education impact to stakeholders in the industry. Media Contact: Trevor Stoll 702.620.3059 [email protected] SOURCE National Financial Educators Council BOSTON, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Dechert LLP announced today that Michael McGrath has joined the firm as partner in the financial services group in the Boston office. Mr. McGrath is an asset management and investment funds lawyer with deep experience in the U.S. financial services regulatory environment. His focus is on counseling global asset managers on the formation and operation of investment funds and other investment products, and successfully navigating their associated commercial, regulatory, and compliance matters. Mr. McGrath also regularly advises investment managers and broker-dealers on marketing, advertising, and fundraising issues across all major asset classes and distribution channels. An author and frequent speaker on the practical implementation of securities laws in the asset management industry, Mr. McGrath is also a CFA charter holder and a member of the CFA Institute's U.S. Investment Performance Committee. He received a J.D. from Duke University School of Law and a B.A. from Stanford University. Prior to joining Dechert, Mr. McGrath was a partner and co-practice area leader of the asset management and investment funds practice at another international law firm. Christopher Harvey, global co-chair of Dechert's financial services group, said: "Mike is a highly regarded lawyer whose expertise will be a great asset to our team. His experience in managing complex regulatory issues for global asset managers will further strengthen our services and offerings to our clients, especially relating to the Advisers Act. We are delighted to welcome Mike to Dechert." Commenting on his arrival, Michael McGrath said: "I am thrilled to be working alongside such a well-regarded team at a firm that is renowned around the world for its expertise in financial services. I am excited to continue the growth of Dechert's asset management practice both in Boston and globally." With over 185 lawyers, Dechert has one of the largest investment management teams of any firm. It was the first law firm with a funds practice in all key European fund domiciles, including the UK, Ireland, Luxembourg, Germany and France, as well as the U.S., the Middle East and Asia. The firm is consistently recognized by independent experts as a leading law firm for investment funds. About Dechert Dechert is a leading global law firm with 21 offices around the world. We advise on matters and transactions of the greatest complexity, bringing energy, creativity and efficient management of legal issues to deliver commercial and practical advice for clients. SOURCE Dechert LLP BEIJING, March 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from chinadaily.com.cn: Highlighting the significance of advancing whole-process people's democracy, China's top legislator called for great efforts to ensure the full implementation of the Constitution, with sound legislation to promote growth and governance. Deputies to the 14th National People's Congress, China's national legislature, take photos after the third plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th NPC on March 10, 2023. [Photo by Zou Hong/chinadaily.com.cn] "We must uphold and make good use of the people's congress system to contribute to building a modern socialist country in all respects," said Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress, as the top legislature concluded its first session on Monday. At the session's closing meeting, NPC deputies voted to pass resolutions regarding the Government Work Report, the implementation of the national economic and social development plans for 2022 as well as the plans for 2023, and the implementation of the central and local budgets for 2022 as well as the budgets for 2023. The deputies approved the national economic and social development plan for 2023 and the central budget for 2023. They also adopted resolutions on the work reports of the 13th NPC Standing Committee, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate, as well as a revision to the Legislation Law. The revised law, which defines the national legislative system and standardizes legislative activities, highlights the principle of whole-process people's democracy in every step of the legislative process, in order for voices of the public to be heard. It also further safeguards the authority of the Constitution by strengthening the review of normative documents, such as judicial interpretations and administrative regulations, to ensure that they do not contradict the Constitution. Zhao said the 14th NPC and its Standing Committee will improve legislation to make the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics more complete, supporting deputies in serving as a bridge between the State and the people. The NPC deputies all vowed to fulfill their commitment. "I'll perform my duties in the next five years to visit grassroots-level areas, understand residents' demands and help them solve difficulties related to their livelihoods," said Xiao Wei, an NPC deputy and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Zheng Gongcheng, an NPC deputy who is head of the China Association of Social Security and a member of the NPC Standing Committee, said he also stays current on livelihood issues and legislation and submitted motions related to lawmaking during the session, including advancing the compilation of a labor code. At the first session of the 14th NPC, 271 motions made by deputies had been handed in as of noon on March 7. Of the motions, 268 are related to legislation and three focus on supervision. In addition, more than 8,000 suggestions were received as of noon on Friday. SOURCE chinadaily.com.cn Mission-driven affordable housing group's new construction projects will create quality, affordable homes for lower-income residents in Eastern Michigan. YPSILANTI, Mich., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Lincoln Avenue Capital ("LAC"), a mission-driven acquirer and developer of affordable housing, announced that it acquired and closed on the financing for construction of Huron Vista and Residences at Huron, marking LAC's fourth and fifth ground-up deals and its first new construction developments in Michigan. These new communities will provide 156 units of affordable housing for families and individuals and 152 units of senior housing, respectively. "Lincoln Avenue Capital is thrilled to continue expanding our nationwide portfolio to communities like Ypsilanti where quality, affordable homes are needed," said LAC CEO Jeremy Bronfman. "Our fast-growing ground-up development program represents a significant opportunity to deliver affordable housing to seniors, families, and individuals facing high rental costs in Michigan and across the country." Residents of Washtenaw County face a persistent housing crisis, with limited supply, long waiting lists for relief, and significant financial burden for residents whose wages have not kept pace with escalating rents across Michigan. In 2022, the local inventory of homes on market reached a record low , according to the Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors. "LAC's investment in Ypsilanti will directly create hundreds of high-quality, affordable and sustainable homes for generations of Michigan residents to come," said Kyle Brasser, LAC Vice President & Regional Project Partner. "We're proud to work with our financing partners and local leaders to bring this development to reality." The developments were separately financed through tax-exempt bonds and 4% tax credits from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA); a PILOT from the City of Ypsilanti; an equity investment from KeyBank Community Development Corporation; a construction loan from KeyBank; and a permanent loan from Freddie Mac, serviced by KeyBank. Construction on both communities is scheduled to begin in March, with initial units expected to be available for occupancy in fall 2024. Both properties will feature outdoor gathering spaces, a pool, and a fitness center. Huron Vista's amenities will also include a standalone clubhouse building with a community room and play area for children, while the Residences at Huron will include a pickleball court, clubroom, and underground parking. About LAC: Lincoln Avenue Capital is one of the nation's fastest-growing developers, investors, and operators of affordable and workforce housing, providing high-quality, sustainable homes for lower- and moderate-income individuals, seniors, and families nationwide. LAC is a mission-driven organization that serves residents across 22 states, with a portfolio of 119 properties comprising 20,000+ units. SOURCE Lincoln Avenue Capital The global loyalty provider will enable clients' customers to turn their points into shares of stock. NEW YORK, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Loylogic, the global leader in loyalty and incentivized engagement solutions has partnered with Bits of Stock, the fintech that powers stock rewards programs, to introduce a new and innovative reward offering designed to help customers build wealth and deepen their relationship with brand partners. Available across verticals, the Stock Rewards program will offer an innovative way for businesses to differentiate their rewards program from competitors and create a stickier user experience. Unlike transactional rewards offerings, Stock Rewards can increase in value over time and are notable for driving lasting engagement beyond the point of redemption. A recent study from NYU Stern found that a single dollar issued in Stock Rewards delivered over $16 in consumer spending back to the brand and that every Stock Reward issued led to as much as 3 months' worth of increased spending with the brand. For Loylogic, the partnership with Bits of Stock continues the loyalty program specialist's ongoing mission to deliver impactful loyalty programs. "Allowing our millions of end users to invest their points is one more way we're changing the industry for good," Piyush Khandelwal, COO of Loylogic said. "We believe rewards can be a powerful engine to get more people on the path to building wealth, and Bits of Stock is the perfect partner to help us do that." Globally, at least $48 trillion in loyalty points sit unredeemed, creating massive liabilities for businesses and highlighting consumer demand for redemption alternatives. "Loylogic has been a worldwide leader in tackling the problem of points liabilities," Arash Asady, CEO of Bits of Stock said. "Once again they're innovating the industry by offering a new reward type that delivers real value for both their clients and consumers." About Loylogic Swiss-based Loylogic Holdings is a global innovator in points commerce. Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Zurich, Loylogic operates across the globe as the trusted partner of the most visionary loyalty programs. For additional information, visit www.loylogic.com About Bits of Stock Bits of Stock enables financial institutions and brands to reward their customers in fractional shares of stock, crypto and more. Their embeddable APIs, brokerage services & merchant funded offers allow for fully customizable solutions. SOURCE Bits of Stock Groups Request Proposals for Research Grants Focused on Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs) NEW YORK, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) today announced a collaboration with Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca to fund up to three research grants focused on antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) to improve outcomes for people with lung cancer. Applications for these grants are being accepted through May 31, 2023. Lung cancer is currently the number one cause of cancer death both in the U.S. and globally among both men and women, with more than 652 new diagnoses per day in the United States. 1 In many cases, lung cancer is not detected until it is in advanced stages of the disease, when the disease is more aggressive, and patients' outcomes are significantly poorer than if the disease is treated early. Often, there is disease recurrence after initial treatment. Unlike conventional chemotherapy treatments, ADCs are designed to specifically target cancer cells and selectively deliver a highly potent payload, which may limit damage to healthy cells. An ADC comprises a monoclonal antibody that recognizes a protein present on the cancer cells, and is bound to a cytotoxic agent, known as the payload. The use of ADCs is already common practice in several cancers, thanks to their efficacy and potentially more manageable toxicity profile, resulting from the release of the cytostatic payload directly in the tumors.2 Currently, early phase trials of ADCs in non-small cell lung cancer are rapidly gaining ground, with promising results. This collaboration seeks to support research to study HER2 directed and TROP2 directed ADCs including mechanism of action, biomarkers, and resistance mechanisms. "LCRF is honored to continue its long legacy of identifying and supporting outstanding lung cancer research projects over the years. We are excited to collaborate with these generous supporters of our mission," said Katerina Politi, PhD, Chair, LCRF Scientific Advisory Board. "The specific focus of this grant program is to further study ADCs and how they might be applied to lung cancer treatment. It is an exciting and promising area in lung cancer research." The LCRF - Daiichi Sankyo - AstraZeneca Research Grant on Antibody Drug Conjugates will develop further understanding of the mechanism of action and biomarkers for TROP2 directed ADCs in lung cancer and HER2 directed ADCs in HER2 mutant NSCLC and primary and acquired resistance to TROP2 directed and HER2 directed ADCs. The deadline to submit proposals for this two-year $270,000 award is midnight on May 31, 2023, ET. More details about this Request for Proposal, along with eligibility, requirements, and deadlines can be found at LCRF.org/Funding. To learn more about LCRF and its grants program, visit www.lcrf.org. About the Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) The Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) is the leading nonprofit organization focused on funding innovative, high-reward research with the potential to extend survival and improve quality of life for people with lung cancer. LCRF's mission is to improve lung cancer outcomes by funding research for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of lung cancer. To date, LCRF has funded 409 research grants, totaling more than $42 million, the highest amount provided by a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding lung cancer research. For more information, visit lcrf.org. 1 https://www.cancer.org/cancer/lung-cancer/about/key-statistics.html 2 Merle, Geoffrey MD; Friedlaender, Alex MD; Desai, Aakash MD; Addeo, Alfredo MD. Antibody Drug Conjugates in Lung Cancer. The Cancer Journal 28(6):p 429-435, 11/12 2022. | DOI: 10.1097/PPO.0000000000000630 Contact: Sheila Sullivan Sr. Director, Marketing & Communications, LCRF [email protected] SOURCE Lung Cancer Research Foundation LONDON, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The machine tool manufacturing industry is facing a transformative decade, and as manufacturers' needs are more digitally focused, machine tool builders must evolve their products to meet changing market requirements. According to global technology intelligence firm ABI Research, the machine tool market will grow by a CAGR of 4.3% from 2022 to 2032 and reach US$245.2 billion in manufacturing value added. "This is driven by new product design facilitating the need for new machine tools, old equipment reaching the end of its lifecycle and requiring replacement, and new machine tool solutions being provided and incentivizing upgrades," explains James Prestwood, Industrial and Manufacturing Research Analyst at ABI Research. The overriding challenge for machine tool builders is the split attitude about digital transformation within the industry, with a climate of complacency being propagated by machine tool builders, particularly within the United States, who, due to their long histories with customers, have taken a reserved approach to innovation. In the long run, companies like Hardinge and Hurco will lose market share to more forward-thinking firms like EMAG and Makino. Machine tool manufacturers, such as DMG MORI, GROB, and Gleason Corporation, now realize that more than simply providing the hardware is needed to remain competitive. Prestwood points out that "Further challenges simmer under the surface with manufacturers struggling to manage legacy equipment lifecycles and overcome uncertainty around cloud usage on the factory floor, whereas machine tool builders have to contend with redesigning their go-to-market structure away from being product-oriented to a new solution-focused design." Digital transformation in the machine tool industry is manifesting in three mains ways: improved data coherence and availability for digital twin enablement, software integration and support for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) use cases, including Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) optimization, and faster time-to-value by providing turnkey solutions that scale up or down based on demand. "To keep driving digital transformation to machine tools in production processes, machine builders should be adopting solution-based business models, technology vendors must act as the technical bridge between the old and new forms of manufacturing, and manufacturers should invest in new machines and work with vendors championing open and connected ecosystems," Prestwood recommends. These findings are from ABI Research's Digital Transformation in the Metalworking and Machine Tool Industry technology analysis report. This report is part of the company's Industrial and Manufacturing Technologies research service, which includes research, data, and ABI Insights. Based on extensive primary interviews, Technology Analysis reports present in-depth analysis on key market trends and factors for a specific technology. About ABI Research ABI Research is a global technology intelligence firm delivering actionable research and strategic guidance to technology leaders, innovators, and decision makers around the world. Our research focuses on the transformative technologies that are dramatically reshaping industries, economies, and workforces today. ABI Research For more information about ABI Research's services, contact us at +1.516.624.2500 in the Americas, +44.203.326.0140 in Europe, +65.6592.0290 in Asia-Pacific, or visit www.abiresearch.com. Contact Info: Global Deborah Petrara Tel: +1.516.624.2558 [email protected] SOURCE ABI Research Major companies including American Airlines, Google, Hilton, Merck, Pfizer, and Starbucks join the Tent Partnership for Refugees' new Afghan Refugee Mentorship Program - an initiative aiming to mentor 1,500 Afghan refugees over the next three years NEW YORK, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Tent Partnership for Refugees (Tent) announced a new initiative alongside Hiring Our Heroes and the Afghan-American Foundation to help Afghan refugees in the United States enter the workforce and advance in their careers. The program will enlist military veterans employed at participating U.S. companies including through their veterans employee resource groups (ERGs) to serve as mentors, with the goal of providing mentorship to at least 1,500 Afghan refugees over the next three years. In an event that featured remarks from U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough, a first tranche of 16 companies announced their commitment to mentor Afghan refugees: American Airlines, Bain & Co., Chobani, Cisco, Google, HelloFresh, Hilton, Intuit, ISS, Merck, Micron, Pfizer, SAP, Sodexo, Softchoice, and Starbucks. Each company will mentor 50 Afghan refugees or more over three years, collectively reaching at least 800 of the initiative's 1,500 goal. "The United States has welcomed approximately 90,000 Afghan newcomers since the fall of Kabul in August of 2021, and U.S. Veterans in particular have been tireless in their efforts to support the Afghan allies they once stood shoulder to shoulder with," said U.S. Secretary of Veteran Affairs Denis McDonough. "Afghan refugee mentorship provides an invaluable opportunity for U.S. vets to foster meaningful relationships with their Afghan allies, all while playing a pivotal part in helping them secure the long-term stability they desire and deserve. I encourage many more American companies to join this effort, especially those at the forefront of employing our nation's Veterans." Complementing Tent's wider mission of connecting refugees to work including through employment by the more than 300 major companies in Tent's network the mentorship program will champion Afghan refugee mentees in their career growth. Each will be connected with a mentor who will provide 1:1 guidance on topics such as navigating the U.S. job market and workplace norms, how to craft an effective resume, job interview practice, professional network growth, and more. Critically, as many Afghans face steep career barriers despite their extensive professional and educational backgrounds, the program will support mid-to-high skilled Afghans as they look to bridge to roles more commensurate with their experience. "Finding a first job provides a hugely important sense of security and relief to many refugees; but it can also mean that refugees often take jobs that are not commensurate with their skills or expertise," said Gideon Maltz, CEO of Tent. "I am so proud of the vanguard of companies that have joined this initiative thanks to their support, and the many more companies to come, [thousands of] Afghans will have clear guidance and support from trusted mentors who can help them pursue opportunities that match their background and expertise." The program will be a win-win for Afghan refugees and veterans alike as the majority of U.S. veterans, and most veterans of Afghanistan, say opportunities to help resettle Afghan allies would improve their mental health or wellbeing, according to research by More in Common . Eric Eversole, President of Hiring Our Heroes said, "As veterans in the U.S. know all too well, the pathway to employment is not always a simple one. We are so proud to be partnering with Tent on this mentorship program to engage veterans at businesses across the U.S. so that they can continue to nurture the strong bonds that were forged with their Afghan allies overseas, and play a vital role in helping Afghan refugees to thrive in the U.S. workforce." "Pfizer's veterans colleague resource group has a deep commitment to leadership and service, and Tent's Afghan Mentorship Program is an incredible way that our CRG members can put these into practice," said Payal Sahni, Pfizer's Chief People Experience Officer. "By serving as mentors, they can play a critical role in the resettlement journey of Afghans in the U.S. and help ensure that Afghans have support and opportunity to grow professionally. We are proud to be a part of the first cohort of companies to pledge our participation in this unique initiative." Hamdi Ulukaya, founder of Tent and CEO of Chobani, said, "I am so proud of Chobani and the other companies that have pledged to step up for Afghan refugees. It is a beautiful thing to witness the deep bond between U.S. veterans and their Afghan allies, and this program will allow that to develop further. I urge even more businesses, especially ones already leading the way in hiring U.S. veterans, to join us." To help companies successfully implement their programs at scale, Tent, Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Service (LIRS) , and the Afghan-American Foundation have jointly developed a practical step-by-step mentorship guide which can be viewed here . Mustafa Babak, Executive Director of the Afghan-American Foundation, said, "For Afghans who are starting over in the U.S., a supportive network and trusted advisors are keys to success. We're proud to partner with Tent on this program and this guidebook to ensure that Afghan newcomers can access culturally relevant mentorship and be given the opportunity and support they need to successfully integrate into their new home and the U.S. workforce." This initiative builds on Tent's suite of mentorship programs around the world, including ones supporting LGBTQ refugees in North America, the UK and Germany, as well as those focused on refugee women in Europe, which collectively have mobilized more than 80 companies to mentor more than 4,300 refugees. Companies interested in joining the Afghan Refugee Mentorship Initiative in the U.S. can find out more by emailing [email protected] . Media Inquiries: [email protected] About the Tent Partnership for Refugees: With more and more refugees displaced for longer periods of time, businesses have a critical role to play in helping refugees integrate economically in their new communities. Tent was launched in 2016 by Hamdi Ulukaya, the CEO and founder of Chobani a multibillion dollar food company in the U.S. to mobilize global businesses to fill this gap by helping connect refugees to work. Today, we are a network of over 300 major companies committed to hiring, training, and mentoring refugees. Find out more at www.tent.org . About Hiring Our Heroes Hiring Our Heroes (HOH) is a 501(c)3 organization under the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. The non-profit launched in March 2011 as a nationwide initiative to help veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses find meaningful employment. Working with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's vast network of state and local chambers and other strategic partners from the public, private and nonprofit sectors, HOH has helped hundreds of thousands of veterans and military spouses find meaningful employment through its comprehensive training and hiring events, fellowship programs, and online tools. HOH programs and services are available in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and on military installations worldwide. Find our more at HiringOurHeroes.org About the Afghan-American Foundation: The Afghan-American Foundation (AAF) is a non-profit and non-partisan organization founded in January 2020 to advance and promote the interests of Afghan-Americans through thought leadership, policy advocacy, and public education and engagement. Our constituents are Afghans in the United States, a population which is expected to exceed half a million people at the conclusion of the current wave of resettlement. Over the past two years, AAF has focused primarily on a humane and dignified resettlement of evacuated Afghans through high-level advocacy. AAF seeks to serve, support, and represent Afghan-Americans through five main venues: principled advocacy; coalition building; civic engagement; education and enablement; and research and analysis. Find out more at www.afghanamericans.org . SOURCE Tent Partnership for Refugees DALLAS, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- MedGuard Protection Plans (MedGuard), announces that its CEO, Sean Stapleton, has been selected to speak at the 2023 Medtrade Conference. Since 1979, Medtrade has brought the Home Medical Equipment industry together to connect, share ideas, and experience the newest HME technology and personal health products. MedGuard, a subsidiary of USMEDIC, is dedicated to providing home medical equipment protection solutions through HME providers and manufacturers. Its CEO, Sean Stapleton, will speak at the upcoming conference and provide industry knowledge and expertise to the event's conference attendees on March 30, 2023. The educational session is titled, Driving Loyalty and Revenue Through Equipment Protection Plans. During this session, attendees will learn how adding an equipment protection program to their organization's offerings can deliver both an outstanding customer experience and additional revenue. Mr. Stapleton will share insights he has gained through developing and managing industry leading equipment protection programs for over 25 years. "It's an honor to speak with HME industry leaders about the power of protection plans to help enhance the post-sale experience for their patients." Said Sean Stapleton CEO of MedGuard. "HME providers are facing historic challenges to their business models which are impacting their revenues and could threaten their viability over the long haul. Increasing customer loyalty while maintaining overall margins will be essential to thriving in this rapidly evolving environment." MedGuard is proud to support the Home Medical Industry by attending this annual conference with our team. The new products discovered, education received, and connections we make will only allow us to better serve our customers. Medtrade is scheduled for March 28-30, 2023 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. About Medtrade Medtrade is the largest home medical equipment trade show and conference in the US. Originally launched as the National Home Healthcare Exhibition, Medtrade has been connecting the HME industry since 1979. Medtrade features a large expo floor filled with the leading home medical equipment manufacturers, HME technology, and personal health products. Thousands of HME providers come to Medtrade to find everything from the basics to the latest innovations in mobility, respiratory, sleep, rehab, and aids to daily living. Hundreds of HME manufacturers and thousands of HME providers join us each year for the largest annual sourcing opportunity for home medical equipment, and find the HME products to satisfy today's growing demand in an ever-changing environment. Learn tips from exhibitors on how to most successfully sell their products. More info about Medtrade can be found at www.medtrade.com Media Contact: Greg Thompson Medtrade Media Relations (970) 227-1002; [email protected] About MedGuard MedGuard Protection Plans is the only independent protection plan provider dedicated to the home medical equipment industry. As a subsidiary of USMEDIC, which has served the healthcare and laboratory equipment maintenance industry for over 28 years, MedGuard is a leader in healthcare equipment protection solutions. Please visit us at www.medguardplans.com to learn more about our protection plan solutions. Media Contact: Steven Knapp MedGuard Media Support 800-808-8742; [email protected] SOURCE MedGuard Protection Plans Former Apple and Disney Marketing Executive Michael Huntsman and Former MerchantWords President Mark Liu Join MeWe LOS ANGELES, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- MeWe, a global, privacy-first social media company that is adopting decentralized technology this year, announced the addition of Michael Huntsman as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Mark Liu as Head of Product. Huntsman will lead new efforts to bring users to the platform and Liu will work to enhance MeWe's product offerings as the social media platform grows and migrates its 20 million users to a decentralized infrastructure in the coming months. Huntsman joins MeWe with over twenty years of experience working at the intersection of technology and media, driving strategy and marketing for companies including Apple, Samsung, and 21st Century Fox. Most recently, he was Vice President of Multi-Platform Marketing at The Walt Disney Company, where he promoted their entire brand portfolio including Disney, Marvel, LucasFilms, Pixar, ESPN, ABC, and FX, and developed strategies and campaigns to reach underserved audiences. Huntsman is joined by Digital Strategist Bella Graham, who brings a background in influencer and events marketing as well as a creative director. By bringing on Graham, Huntsman is making a bet on influencer marketing for MeWe. "As someone who has worked in tech and media for decades, I am excited to join MeWe," said Michael Huntsman, MeWe Senior Vice President of Marketing. "By protecting the privacy of its users and pioneering new decentralized technology, MeWe is truly one of a kind in the social media space. I know more people are looking for a platform like MeWe and will join as they learn more about the unique value this platform offers." Liu comes to MeWe with over fifteen years of executive and product management experience with mobile and web products at startups and large companies. As President of MerchantWords, Mark oversaw day-to-day operations and developed new business lines for sales of large-scale transactions with Fortune 100 companies. Liu brings software development experience in building the TigerConnect app, which was featured by the Google Play Store as the Best Android Healthcare Messaging Application, and creating the platform for TrueCar. He brings skills in Blockchain analysis and Ethereum as the company moves its entire platform to a decentralized infrastructure this year. "The future of social media is decentralized, and I am thrilled to be a part of that with MeWe," said Mark Liu, MeWe Head of Product. "MeWe was founded as a social media company that prioritizes user privacy and control. Our products and offerings will continue to strengthen this commitment and ensure we create a better social media experience for users across the world." MeWe continues to see user growth and increased interest in social media models that allows users to find their community without giving up their privacy. About MeWe MeWe is a social network built to put privacy first and committed to giving users more control over their data and social media experience. The company offers a groundbreaking "Privacy Bill of Rights'' which guarantees users control of their data and news feeds. MeWe allows users to join groups, engage their friends, and puts them in complete control without ads or algorithms. With 20-million users worldwide, and unique features such as the MeWe 2-way camera, MeWe is host to over 600,000 user-driven interest groups. MeWe encourages authentic engagement between users by not manipulating or amplifying content and safeguards its users with strong Terms of Service. MeWe was named a 2020 Most Innovative Social Media Company by Fast Company and a 2019 Best Entrepreneurial Company in America by Entrepreneur Magazine. In 2016, MeWe was honored as Start-Up of the Year Finalist for "Innovative World Technology" at SXSW. Contact: [email protected] SOURCE MeWe Agreements to promote human capital development between Bahrain and Israel were signed MANAMA, Bahrain, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 500 Bahraini, Emirati and Israeli business leaders attended "Connect2Innovate" conference in Manama, Bahrain. The first-of-its-kind conference was organized by Start-Up Nation Central, a non-profit organization that connects governments, companies, and investors to the Israeli innovation ecosystem, in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Bahrain, the Bahrain Economic Development Board, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain in Israel, and the Embassy of Israel in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Opening ceremony of Connect2Innovate, this week in Bahrain (courtesy of Start-Up Nation Central) During the opening ceremony, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed to promote human capital development between Bahrain and Israel. SNC signed the MoU with Tamkeen, which plays a crucial role in Bahrain's Economic Vision 2030 to support the private sector and reinforce its role as a key player in national development, strengthening cooperation in human capital development between Bahrain and Israel. During the closing session, Israeli company AI and robotics solar panel maintenance company BladeRanger and Alpha Solar, one of Bahrain's leading energy providers, announced a new strategic partnership. Working together, the new partnership will assist solar site owners in the GCC region to maximize power generation of their solar assets through autonomous robotic cleaning and inspection on the panels, and monitoring and analysis on the cloud. The conference included countless B2B meetings and discussions on the future of banking and financial technology, water security and smart energy, startup ecosystem development, human capital challenges, and the establishment of a sustainable sea-air corridor. The conference was opened with a recorded speech by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who praised the initiative to host the first conference that gathers both nations, provides opportunities for entrepreneurs and companies to communicate and share expertise, and build a foundation for a prosperous future of cooperation and economic relations between the two countries. For his part, H.E. the Minister of Industry and Commerce Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro delivered a speech in which he stressed that Bahrain today represents a prominent investment center, while Israel is a famous center for research and development of modern technology. By combining both our strengths, we have the ability to transform the region and work together to meet today's challenges and build a bright future for all. "The relationship between Israel and Start-Up Nation Central and the Kingdom of Bahrain is true and honest, created by the desire to deepen the fruitful cooperation between both countries" said H.E. Khalid Yusuf Ahmed Al Jalahma, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to Israel. "I am proud to say that approximately three years after the signing of the Abraham Accords, collaborations, in all fields, are expanding and we always strive to grow them even more. I am confident that the technological tools and products developed by the Israeli startup companies will bring great benefit to the Bahraini economy and vice versa," "Taking the Accords from a vision to reality, relations between our two countries are moving forward as we harness both countries' added values- our human capital, mutual quest for peace, security and prosperity through innovation, economic cooperation and progress" said H.E. Eitan Na'eh, Ambassador of Israel to the Kingdom of Bahrain. "The conference allowed our business communities to explore ways to cooperate moving forward and together, by creating a model whereby close friendly relations plus cooperation in innovation equals opportunities for growth and prosperity." "As our region moves from being a resource-based economy to a knowledge-based one, Israel and Bahrain are prime to work together toward achieving this vision" said Avi Hasson, CEO of Start-Up Nation Central. "Together, we blazed a new path forward and this conference is just the beginning as long-lasting relationships form solutions to common challenges are identified". Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2034630/Opening_Ceremony_Conect2Innovate.jpg SOURCE Start-Up Nation Central (SNC) BETHESDA, Md., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nancy J. Mendelsohn, MD, FACMG has been elected as president of the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine. The ACMG Foundation is a national nonprofit foundation dedicated to improving health and patient care through the support of research, education and the safe, effective practice of genetic and genomic medicine. Dr. Mendelsohn, previously a member of the Foundation's board of directors, is the fourth person and first woman to serve as the organization's president. She succeeds Bruce R. Korf, MD, PhD, FACMG, who is stepping down on March 18, 2023 after 11 years at the Foundation's helm. "It has been a great joy to have served alongside of Dr. Mendelsohn as a Foundation Board member and I welcome her into this new role as president of the Foundation with unbridled enthusiasm and a sense of great expectation," said Robert G. Best, PhD, FACMG, interim chief executive officer of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) and the ACMG Foundation. "Nancy brings a wealth of knowledge and fresh perspective as a top executive leader with a deep understanding of the payor landscape, a seasoned clinical geneticist with particular mastery in the treatment of lysosomal storage disorders, an accomplished scholar and a person with longstanding commitments to governance within medical genetics as evidenced by her notable service to the College, Foundation, and our certifying board, the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ABMGG)." "I am delighted that Dr. Nancy Mendelsohn will succeed me as president of the ACMG Foundation. Dr. Mendelsohn is an accomplished medical geneticist with broad experience both in clinical practice and the administration and management of medical genetics services. She has been an outstanding member of the Foundation Board of Directors and will be an outstanding spokesperson for the Foundation and our field as president," said ACMG Foundation President Bruce R. Korf, MD, PhD, FACMG. Previously the chief medical officer for Complex Health Solutions at UnitedHealthcare and a clinical leader serving in both the Optum and UnitedHealth Group organizations, Dr. Mendelsohn is a clinical geneticist, physician-scientist, healthcare executive and researcher with leadership experience. Her role as chief of specialty pediatrics at Children's Minnesota, one of the largest children's hospital centers in the United States, included the strategy and development of the multi-specialty physician practice. She has more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters and presentations. Dr. Mendelsohn received a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology from Indiana University and an MD from the University of Missouri. She completed a residency in pediatrics and a fellowship in medical genetics at St. Louis Children's Hospital at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Early on as a general pediatrician and an Assistant Professor, Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, at the University of Minnesota Medical School, she established the first genetics service at Hennepin County Medical Center. Dr. Mendelsohn then would go on to build the genetics program at Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare and Children's Hospital Minnesota from as little as two clinicians to the largest genetics program in the upper Midwest. She has served broadly on national committees for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the ACMG, the ABMGG, and Children's Minnesota. "It is truly an honor to be elected by my peers to serve as president of the ACMG Foundation and I am humbled and privileged to follow the Foundation's three previous leaders: David L. Rimoin, MD, PhD, R. Rodney Howell, MD, FACMG and Dr. Bruce Korf. It is exciting to be elected at a time when the field of genetics and genomics is rapidly expanding and integral to clinical medicine," noted Dr. Mendelsohn. "As a believer in servant leadership, I am hopeful I can support the Foundation as we continue its role and grow, finding new ways to broaden our community and further the College's mission. I look forward to getting to know the members of the ACMG Foundation staff, the leadership of the Board and Foundation better, and to meeting many others in our community." About the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine The ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is a community of supporters and contributors who understand the importance of medical genetics and genomics in healthcare. Established in 1992, the ACMG Foundation supports the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) mission to "translate genes into health." Through its work, the ACMG Foundation fosters charitable giving, promotes training opportunities to attract future medical geneticists and genetic counselors to the field, shares information about medical genetics and genomics, and sponsors important research. To learn more and support the ACMG Foundation mission to create "Better Health through Genetics" visit www.acmgfoundation.org Barry Eisenberg, MS [email protected] SOURCE American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics The study, published in JAMA, is the first to assess provider directory data since the implementation of the No Surprises Act BETHESDA, Md., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Patients rely on health insurer provider directories to find a doctor in their plan's network. However, 81% of physicians in these directories had inconsistent entries, raising questions about their accuracy, according to a new analysis of health insurer provider directory data published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study from researchers at the University of Colorado and HiLabs , makers of an automated data quality platform for health plans, looked at listings for over 440,000 U.S. physicians (nearly half of all the nation's physicians). Titled "Consistency of Physician Data Across Health Insurer Directories," the study sought to determine if and how the state of provider directories has changed since the No Surprises Act went into effect on January 1, 2022. The Act established protections for patients related to surprise billing and transparency in healthcare. One of the Act's requirements is for health plans to maintain accurate, up-to-date provider directories. While previous studies have investigated provider directory error rates, none have examined the accuracy of provider directories on a national scale. This is also the first such study since the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Researchers evaluated provider directory data across five large national health plans using technology developed by HiLabs. They found that only 19% of physicians had consistent data on physician address and specialty information across all directories in which they were found. The significant number of inconsistencies was primarily driven by 72% of physicians whose practice location addresses differed from directory to directory. The directories also had inconsistent specialty information for 32% of physicians. The study did not establish which provider's directory had the correct data, only whether data for the same physician differed from directory to directory. "These findings indicate that there has been little progress in improving provider directory accuracy since implementation of the No Surprises Act," said Neel Butala, MD, Assistant Professor at University of Colorado, who was the lead author of the study. "Beyond surprise billing, inaccurate provider directories can lead to delays in care due to difficulty finding the correct physician, challenges in regulators assessing health plan network adequacy, and misrepresentation of network depth and breadth as consumers select health plans." "The scope of this problem affecting provider directories is tremendous. This is a long-standing, industry wide dirty data problem and no one actor is responsible for the state of provider directory accuracy" added Amit Garg, CEO of HiLabs "At HiLabs, we're glad to be part of the solution, proactively and rapidly cleaning dirty data in healthcare." Inefficient and redundant directory reporting mechanisms cost US physician practices a collective $2.76 billion annually . The JAMA study's findings highlight the magnitude of the challenge, and indicate the need to engage both physicians and health plans to address provider directory quality. HiLabs partners with the nation's leading health plans to help them refine dirty data and comply with the requirements of the No Surprises Act. HiLabs is the only player in the industry to collect and enhance provider directory information using automated ingestion. Its solutions have improved CMS secret shopper-type audits by greater than 25 percent. To learn more about HiLabs, please visit https://hilabs.com/ About HiLabs HiLabs was founded at Yale with the mission of refining dirty healthcare data. A team of healthcare professionals worked alongside data scientists and AI experts to perfect a platform capable of accurately discovering data patterns and errors in provider, claims, clinical, and value-based care data. HiLabs' AI platform, MCheck, has analyzed over 34 billion health data records covering 24% of the US healthcare population and serves 4 out of the 10 largest health plans and multiple regional plans across the US. For more information, visit http://www.hilabs.com . SOURCE HiLabs OSLO, Norway, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Multiconsult (Oslo: MULTI) Annual general meeting of Multiconsult ASA will be held on 13 April 2022 at 05:00 p.m. (17:00) CEST at the Company's head office, Nedre Skyen vei 2, 0276 Oslo, Norway. This is a physical meeting, and we encourage shareholders to either participate by advance votes, proxy or physically. If any shareholder enrolled prefer to attend electronically, please send an e-mail to [email protected] and we will facilitate for this. All the documents to be processed at the annual general meeting, including the 2022 annual report, are available on the company's website www.multiconsult-ir.com. Please find attached the following documents: Notice of the annual general meeting The notice of attendance/proxy form The statement of the nomination committee 2023 Remuneration report Annual report 2022 For further information, please contact: Investor relations: Pal-Sverre Jrgensen, Group Treasurer & Investor Relations Officer Phone: +47 416 11 161 E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected] Media contact: Cato A. Mrk, Communications Advisor Phone: +47 924 55 663 E-mail: [email protected] This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/12394/3734923/1919040.pdf Multiconsult notice AGM with attachments https://mb.cision.com/Public/12394/3734923/8329db20d0bd8155.pdf Multiconsult Annual report 2022 SOURCE Multiconsult PLATTSBURGH, NY, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Nova Bus, a member of the Volvo Group and a leading North American transit bus manufacturer, is proud to announce it has been awarded a contract for five LFSe+, the 40' long-range battery electric bus model of Nova Bus, by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro). These five LFSe+ buses will be assembled at the Nova Bus facility in Plattsburgh, New York State and will be part of Metro's Battery-Electric Bus Test and Evaluation program. This electric bus pilot program is a key milestone towards achieving Metro's zero-emission bus goals that include phased conversion of its fleet of over 1,500 buses to a 100% zero-emission bus fleet by 2045, with an interim goal of all new buses entering service being zero-emission by 2030. The five Nova Bus LFSe+ buses will allow Metro to collect data and build knowledge on electric bus operations to inform scaling of its transition plan. With an electric drive motor coupled with BAE Systems' next-generation power electronics focused on efficiency, the Nova Bus LFSe+ long-range electric bus provides reduced maintenance costs and improves air quality by eliminating all emission of pollutants and greenhouse gases. The LFSe+ is the perfect pairing of Nova Bus' proven expertise with the latest innovations in clean and sustainable technologies, making it a first-choice solution for the transition to sustainable public transport. "Every such order for the Nova Bus LFSE+ is a major strategic win, demonstrating the performance and quality of this innovative vehicle in yet another major metro region," said Garry Douglas, President of the North Country Chamber of Commerce. "It is especially welcome that these buses, crafted by our great workforce in Plattsburgh, New York, will be seen on the streets of our nation's capital. It's another step into a bright future for our region's transportation equipment makers. Congratulations to everyone at Nova Bus and to Metro for a great decision. Onward and upward!" "We are absolutely thrilled that Metro will be integrating the Nova Bus LFSe+ into its electric bus pilot program," said Ralph Acs, President of Nova Bus. "We are also happy that these buses will be operating in federal Opportunity Zones, as low-income communities are the ones that will benefit the most from this transition to clean, quiet, and reliable electric buses. We are excited for Metro to experience the LFSe+ and to work with the team to support the agency's successful transition to a zero-emission bus fleet." About Nova Bus Nova Bus, member of the Volvo Group, is a leading provider of sustainable transportation solutions in North America. Its portfolio includes electric, hybrid, CNG and clean diesel buses, high-capacity vehicles, as well as integrated intelligent transport systems. Nova Bus accompanies transit authorities and bus fleet operators in their transition to electromobility with its flagship LFSe+ long-range electric bus, combining the proven Nova Bus structure with the latest innovations in electric drive. Nova Bus is committed to helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions and positively contributing to a greener economy. For more information regarding Nova Bus products and services, please visit www.novabus.com. SOURCE Nova Bus Oppenheimer's Investment Banking, Asset Management, and Private Client Division Business Units Teamed Up to Put Together Series C Round as Part of Firm's Private Market Opportunities Initiative NEW YORK, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. (Oppenheimer) a leading investment bank, wealth manager and a subsidiary of Oppenheimer Holdings (NYSE: OPY) announced today the completion of a Series C funding round for Perspectum, a United Kingdom-based medical imaging and diagnostic technology provider. Oppenheimer led the $55 million round, investing $27 million through its Private Market Opportunities (PMO) initiative, an ongoing partnership between the firm's Investment Banking, Asset Management, and Private Client Division business units. The PMO initiative gives high-caliber institutional investors and the firm's qualified private clients the opportunity to invest in private emerging growth companies. The transaction is the PMO initiative's fifth deal since 2017. During that time, the firm has led fund raising rounds equaling approximately $250 million. Robert Lowenthal, President of Oppenheimer and Head of Investment Banking, said, "We congratulate our partner Perspectum on the completion of its Series C funding round and are thrilled to conduct another successful Private Market Opportunity. Medical imaging and diagnostic technology is a highly innovative field, with significant potential for long-term growth that appeals to many of our accredited private investors. This transaction reflects how the full capabilities of Oppenheimer can contribute to better patient care and the development of new therapeutic discoveries." Perspectum offers noninvasive tools for quantitative assessment and clinical and surgical decision support. Several major U.S. hospitals have adopted use of its LiverMultiScan product. Perspectum and Nuance Communications, a Microsoft company, recently announced a collaboration to deliver, at scale, Perspectum's integrated digital platform suite for metabolic disease care and management. Rajarshi Banerjee, MD, PhD, CEO of Perspectum, said, "We are excited to have Oppenheimer join our mission to create safer and more accurate imaging technologies that will help clinicians shorten patients' diagnostic and treatment journeys." He added, "This new funding will help us to continue innovating new products that will make healthcare safer by providing non-invasive alternatives to biopsy, totally changing how and when we can see and treat many diseases." Bryan McKigney, President, Oppenheimer Asset Management, said, "We take a rigorous and disciplined approach, in collaboration with our Investment Banking colleagues, to pursue Private Market Opportunities. Our research and due diligence consider a diverse array of factors, including the companies' product focus, management team, competitive dynamics, as well as technological progress and regulatory requirements. This enables us to advise on the appropriate funding structure and deal terms, and identify the proper investor pool, in order to pursue the best opportunities for our clients." Mr. Lowenthal concluded, "Our investment banking team's extensive experience in the healthcare sector and private market capital raising was essential to the successful completion of Perspectum's Series C funding round, as was the expertise of Oppenheimer Asset Management and the Private Client Division in working with investors who share our passion for investing in innovative companies that are developing technologies that will improve the lives of millions of people." Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. (Oppenheimer), a principal subsidiary of Oppenheimer Holdings Inc. (OPY on the New York Stock Exchange), and its affiliates provide a full range of wealth management, securities brokerage and investment banking services to high net-worth individuals, families, corporate executives, local governments, businesses and institutions. About Perspectum Perspectum, a global medical technology company with offices in the US, the UK, Portugal, and Singapore, delivers leading digital technologies that help clinicians provide better care for patients with chronic metabolic diseases, multi-organ pathology, and cancer. With a strong focus on precision medicine using advanced imaging and genetics, our vision is to empower patients and clinicians through quantitative assessments of health enabling early detection, diagnosis, and targeted treatment. With a diverse team of physicians, biomedical scientists, engineers, and technologists, Perspectum offers a way to manage complex health problems at scale. Media Contact: Joseph Kuo / Michael Dugan Haven Tower Group LLC 424 317 4851 or 424 317 4852 [email protected] or [email protected] SOURCE Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Feeding America turned to Partnership With Native Americans (PWNA) to help advance its Natives Prepared Project DALLAS, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 70 natural disasters have occurred on tribal lands in the last decade due to climate change and human activities, and food insecurity impacts one in four Native families the highest rate in the U.S. As part of its Natives Prepared Project, Feeding America turned to Partnership With Native Americans (PWNA), a Native-led nonprofit, to lend its expertise in providing services for both emergency preparedness and food sovereignty. Partnership With Native Americans and Feeding America join forces to improve food sovereignty and emergency preparedness The Natives Prepared Project will develop and deploy a multi-level, community-based training program to enhance community resilience in the face of large-scale disruptions such as natural and human-caused disasters, climate change and severe economic downturns. The project includes five pre-selected pilot sites, each comprised of Feeding America food banks and Native nation partners. As the lead partner for the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate and the Hualapai Tribe pilot sites, PWNA will address capacity and resource gaps in emergency preparedness and food sovereignty using their training models that have proven effective in other Tribal communities. "For nearly a decade, PWNA has conducted Native-led training on emergency preparedness and response team certification, as well as ancestral foods and food sovereignty," said Joshua Arce, president and CEO of PWNA. "We are proud to support Feeding America in their Natives Prepared Project, and we look forward to seeing the impact it makes on the selected tribes and nations." "Feeding America is delighted to collaborate with PWNA on this incredibly important project that merges disaster preparedness with food access and food sovereignty," said Mark Ford, Director of Native and Tribal Partnerships for Feeding America. "PWNA and Feeding America have shared an essential role in providing disaster relief and emergency food to Native communities impacted by disaster. The Natives Prepared project allows tribes to create a disaster preparedness plan with their local food bank to respond to the needs of their communities before, during and after any disaster. PWNA is an experienced first responder with a strong track record in helping tribes create their own disaster plans. We look forward to the technical expertise PWNA will bring to build capacity of Native nations to respond to disasters and partner with local food banks." Participants of the Natives Prepared Project will be provided with the resources and training necessary to achieve a clear, sustainable path toward disaster preparedness and food sovereignty. The project is underway and will conclude by yearend. About Partnership With Native Americans Partnership With Native Americans is a national, Native-led nonprofit championing hope for a brighter future for Native Americans living on remote, geographically isolated reservations. Established in 1990, PWNA collaborates with tribal programs to address immediate relief and long-term solutions such as education, emergency preparedness and food security, improving the lives of 250,000 tribal citizens annually. Follow PWNA on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn, or visit NativePartnership.org. About Feeding America Feeding America is the largest hunger-relief organization in the U.S. Through a network of more than 200 food banks, 21 statewide food bank associations, and over 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries and meal programs, we helped provide 5.2 billion meals to tens of millions of people in need last year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; brings attention to the social and systemic barriers that contribute to food insecurity in our nation; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. To learn more, visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. Media Contact: Helen Oliff [email protected] 540-825-5950 Ext 205 SOURCE Partnership With Native Americans A Kaiser Permanente study finds COVID-19 patients treated quickly with Paxlovid have a 90% lower risk of hospitalization and death PASADENA, Calif., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A Kaiser Permanente study confirms the benefit of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir, also known as Paxlovid, as an early-stage treatment to prevent hospitalization for people with mild to moderate COVID-19, regardless of prior immunity or age. The study was published March 15, 2023, in Lancet ID. "Among Kaiser Permanente members in Southern California who tested positive for coronavirus infection, receiving Paxlovid within 5 days of the start of COVID-19 symptoms was associated with substantial reductions in the risk of hospital admission or death," said Sara Tartof, PhD, the senior author of the study and an epidemiologist with the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation. "These findings are even more notable because in this population with high levels of vaccination, we still see additional benefits of this treatment." Paxlovid is an oral therapeutic drug aimed at reducing the risk for severe outcomes of coronavirus infection. It is manufactured by Pfizer Inc. It currently has emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for adults and children 12 and older who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19. The study analyses included patients with positive results from coronavirus tests undertaken in outpatient settings between April 8 and October 7, 2022. In the study population, 7,274 people had received Paxlovid, and 126,152 had not received Paxlovid. It was a time dominated by the omicron subvariants BA.2, BA.4, and BA.5. Overall, 86% of the 133,426 participants had received 2 COVID-19 vaccine doses, and 61% had received 3 or more. The study found: Effectiveness in preventing hospital admission or death within 30 days after a positive test was 80% for people who were dispensed Paxlovid within 5 days after symptom onset. Within the subgroup of patients who were dispensed Paxlovid on the day of their positive COVID-19 test, effectiveness was 90%. Effectiveness declined to 44% for patients who received Paxlovid 6 or more days after symptom onset or for cases not experiencing acute clinical symptoms. Overall, for patients who received Paxlovid at any time within their clinical course, effectiveness was 54%. Effectiveness in preventing intensive care unit admission, mechanical ventilation, or death within 60 days after a positive COVID-19 test was 89% for patients who were dispensed Paxlovid 0 to 5 days after symptom onset, and 84% for people who were dispensed Paxlovid treatment at any time. "Our data showed that the sooner people take Paxlovid upon symptom onset, the more effective the medication can be," Tartof said. "However, there is still some benefit to treatment 6 or more days after symptom onset. People should talk with their doctors about the best approach for them." About Kaiser Permanente Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve approximately 12.6 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations clinical research, health education, and the support of community health. For more information, go to about.kp.org. For more information, contact: Alex Yellin, [email protected] (973)-534-4584 Terry Kanakri, [email protected], 626-405-2652 SOURCE Kaiser Permanente SHENZHEN, China, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BOTINKIT has announced the launch of Petco, the world's first smart cooking appliance for pets, which can intelligently recommend recipes and prepare dishes according to a pet's breed, age, skeletal structure, and gender. Pet owners and caretakers can customize the food plan to help boost their pet's nutrition. Inspired by the Memphis style's bold colors and patterns, Petco mixes minimalist geometric shapes to create a playful feel, with a square for the viewing area, a triangle for the control area, and a circle for the cooking area. Its exterior is mainly made of 7-series aluminum alloy with a sandblasted and anodized mobile phone steel finish. When the mirror-polished buttons are pressed, the light ring under the sphere alternately brightens and dims. The upper part of the screen is a weighing scale, with the weight displayed on the screen, while the lower part features a polished shaft resembling a game joystick for interacting with the screen interface. The speaker is located in the rear. The sphere is large enough to provide two meals for a medium-sized dog. Petco will soon be available in many countries and regions worldwide. The development and marketing of this product are dedicated to solving the problem of a pet's unbalanced nutrition and enhancing the well-being of both owner and pet. SOURCE BOTINKIT SAN FRANCISCO, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global petrochemicals industry size was pegged at 566.5 million tons in 2021 and will witness around 5.1% CAGR during the forecast period 2023-2030, according to the "Petrochemicals Industry Data Book, 2023 2030," published by Grand View Research. Soaring demand for plastics and developments of new chemical feedstock and products will propel the market growth. Besides, the transport sector will exhibit strong demand for petrochemicals following the rising footprint of natural gas across advanced and emerging economies. Prominently, synthetic rubber has become highly sought-after as an essential component of truck, car and bicycle tires. Leading petrochemical companies have depicted an exponential demand for ethylene in food packaging, containers, toys, film, antifreeze, housewares, insulation, carpets and pipes. Chemicals made from ethylene, such as ethylene dichloride, polyethylene, ethylbenzene, ethylene oxide and vinyl acetate have gained ground across business verticals. Prominently, polyethylene has provided an impetus to make food packaging, bags, bottles and other plastic-based products. Furthermore, stakeholders have sought ethylene dichloride in medical devices, PVC pipes and clothing. The ethylene market size amassed 153.9 million tons in 2021 and could expand at a CAGR of 4.7% during the forecast period. Methanol has gained an uptick across industrial applications, including the production of synthetic fuels, antifreeze, solvent and building materials. Lately, green methanol has come to the fore on the heels of surging demand to reduce CO2 emissions and combat climate change. The applications of e-methanol and bio-methanol have unlocked opportunities for petrochemical manufacturers. The methanol market size was pegged at 153.8 million tons in 2021 and it is expected to observe a robust CAGR of 6.3% during the assessment period. Chemical and plastic companies are likely to seek renewable methanol to minimize their process emissions and, in some cases, to reduce harmful emissions, including nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides and particulate matter. Order your copy of the Free Sample of "Petrochemicals Industry Data Book - Ethylene, Propylene, Butadiene, Benzene, Xylene, Toluene and Methanol Market Size, Share, Trends Analysis, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030" Data Book, published by Grand View Research Some dynamics that are poised to have a notable influence on the global landscape are delineated below: Environmentally friendly and low-cost biomass feedstock will fuel the trend globally. Prominently, fossil methanol could make way for renewable methanol as a fuel for shipping, transport, cooking, heating and electricity production. Xylene will witness robust demand in the paints & coatings and automobile sectors. Para-xylene has received an uptake in synthetic textiles across South Asia , including Bangladesh , Sri Lanka , India and South East Asia . , including , , and . Asia Pacific could contribute significantly to the global petrochemicals industry on the back of strong demand from the construction, electronics and automotive industries. Middle East & Africa petrochemicals industry share will be pronounced in light of the growing footprint of the product in lubricant, rubber, drug, detergent and adhesives. Bullish construction projects across UAE, Qatar and Oman have added fillip to the regional market growth. Stakeholders and forward-looking companies are likely to explore opportunities in downstream expansion projects, flooring and insulation materials, automobile parts production, design of chemical plants and packaging. To illustrate, in December 2021, Abu Dhabi Chemicals Derivatives Company joined forces with Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) to inject USD 2 billion into a petroleum production facility in UAE. The facility will produce ethylene dichloride (EDC), chlor-alkali and polyvinyl chloride. Go through the table of content of Petrochemicals Industry Data Book to get a better understanding of the Coverage & Scope of the study The competitive scenario alludes to bullish investments in organic and inorganic strategies, including technology advancements, product rollouts, collaboration, R&D activities and innovation. In December 2022, TotalEnergies collaborated with Aramco to construct a petrochemical complex in Saudi Arabia. The construction is expected to start in 2023, while the commercial operation could be witnessed in 2027. The mixed feed cracker in the facility can produce 1.65 million tons of ethylene per annum. The complex will also be propelled by two bespoke polyethylene units using a butadiene extraction unit, advanced dual-loop technology and other units. Check out more Industry Data Books, published by Grand View Research About Grand View Research Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research Helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead. Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc. Phone: 1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: [email protected] Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/sector-reports-list Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/661327/Grand_View_Research_Logo.jpg SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc. Dynamic global sales leader will lead the company's future vision for sales and growth SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Plexus Worldwide (Plexus) has appointed Genevieve Skory to be the health and wellness company's new Chief Field Development Officer. The new executive role was created to amplify Plexus' future vision for growth and field development. With a rich history of motivating sales teams in the wellness industry, Skory will be responsible for leading and implementing global sales strategies to support Brand Ambassadors. Plexus Worldwide Promotes Genevieve Skory to Chief Field Development Officer Skory joined Plexus in 2018 as the Director of Ambassador Training. In 2019, she was promoted to Senior Director of Global Ambassador Training and East U.S. Sales. As a former independent distributor herself, Genevieve understands the perspectives of both new and established Brand Ambassadors and recognizes how to empower them to reach their goals. In 2021, Skory was promoted to Vice President of Sales and Training, allowing her to expand her role to encompass her award-winning training expertise and instructional design. She is also a noteworthy national speaker and presenter. In her new role as Chief Field Development Officer, Skory will oversee Global Sales as well as the Events and Ambassador Empowerment and Success departments. "Genevieve has been a driving force who inspires and empowers people at all levels of the company," says Gene Tipps, Plexus CEO. "She is a thought leader and innovator with a proven trajectory of sales and leadership success. We are confident the future of Plexus and the success of our Brand Ambassadors will take off with her in this new role." "I'm excited for this next phase in my Plexus journey," says Skory. "Plexus has already set the stage to create a greater impact through the life-changing results of our gut health products, our fiercely loyal Brand Ambassador community, and our incredible field and corporate leadership. It's a privilege to be a part of a team that's dedicated to inspiring and driving our next stage of growth." About Plexus Worldwide: Plexus Worldwide, LLC, is a leading health and wellness company featuring products that enable people to improve their lives and well-being. With hundreds of thousands of independent business owners ("Brand Ambassadors") worldwide, Plexus is among the top 25 largest direct sales companies globally, according to Direct Selling News. Plexus products and opportunities help individuals meet their health and financial goals. For more information about the company, visit www.plexusworldwide.com. For more information, contact: Joanne Sgro-Killworth 10 to 1 Public Relations 480-363-0403 [email protected] SOURCE Plexus Worldwide WASHINGTON, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Postal Service has received the Public Service Award for its Election Mail program from the nonpartisan Election Verification Network. The award is given every year to a public official or governmental unit for protecting and promoting election integrity and verifiable elections. "This award is further confirmation of the Postal Service's deep commitment and great success in delivering the nation's ballots securely and on time," said Postmaster General and CEO Louis DeJoy. "We take pride in the role our organization plays in the election process. The American people can continue to feel confident in using the U.S. Mail to fulfill their democratic duty to vote." The Election Verification Network is comprised of election officials, researchers and advocates focused on secure, transparent and verifiable elections. "The award is additional recognition of the Postal Service's successful processing and delivery of Election Mail, which has grown exponentially in recent years," said Adrienne Marshall, the Postal Service's director of election and government mail services. "Our 635,000 employees are proud to provide this service for customers who choose to use the U.S. Mail to participate in the democratic process." "The USPS is the only entity in the country that serves every single community, delivers to every voter, and serves every election office across the United States," said Amber McReynolds, a member of the USPS Board of Governors and current chairwoman of the Board's Election Mail Committee, in nominating the Postal Service for the award. "USPS has a vital role in the election process not only for delivering ballot mail but also for polling place notifications, voter registration mailings and election education mailings." The Postal Service's role in elections is to transport, process and deliver ballots mailed to and from election officials and voters. In 2022, the Postal Service formed the Election and Government Mail Services Team to focus year-round on the timely and secure delivery of Election Mail as interest and use of mail-in voting continues to grow. In January, the Postal Service issued its 2022 Post-Election Analysis Report on Election Mail during the 2022 midterm elections. The report highlights the Postal Service's successful delivery of 54.4 million ballots* to and from voters during the 2022 general election, with 98.96 percent of ballots delivered from voters to election officials within three days. On average, completed ballots were delivered from voters to election officials in under two days. *Data includes Dec. 6 U.S. Senate run-off election in Georgia. The total number of delivered ballots may greatly exceed 54.4 million. This figure includes only those ballots that were properly identified as ballots using the correct electronic identifiers and does not include many of the ballots that the Postal Service diverted from its processing network or otherwise handled outside of normal processes in an effort to accelerate delivery. Please Note: The United States Postal Service is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to nearly 165 million addresses six and often seven days a week. Overseen by a bipartisan Board of Governors, the Postal Service is implementing a 10-year transformation plan, Delivering for America, to modernize the postal network, restore long-term financial sustainability, dramatically improve service across all mail and shipping categories, and maintain the organization as one of America's most valued and trusted brands. The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. For USPS media resources, including broadcast quality video and audio and photo stills, visit the USPS Newsroom. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the USPS YouTube Channel and like us on Facebook. For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and facts.usps.com. Contact: Marti Johnson [email protected] usps.com/news SOURCE U.S. Postal Service One retail space remains available to lease in new mixed-use center in Research Triangle Park RALEIGH, N.C., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Thompson Thrift, a full-service nationally recognized real estate company, announced today that Publix Super Markets has opened a 46,791-square-foot grocery store at Marketplace at Ellis Crossing, a 30-acre mixed-use property under development in the Research Triangle Park area of Raleigh-Durham. "We bring a discerning eye to the retail mix at our developments and seek to work with tenants like Publix that align to our vision and expectation of quality," said Ryan Menard, vice president of development for Thompson Thrift. "Residents in this rapidly growing area will benefit from the arrival of this prominent grocer, and can look forward to additional retail, restaurant and service options in the coming months." Located at the northeast corner of Ellis Road and Watchorn Street, Marketplace at Ellis Crossing will include an additional 25,000 square feet of retail space and a mix of additional uses. Thompson Thrift has signed or is negotiating leases for approximately 90% of the commercial shop space and expects additional tenants including Sheetz, Heartland Dental, Lee Nails and It's a Southern Thing Kitchen & Bar to open this summer. Chipotle opened its doors earlier this year and First National Bank is slated to open in 2024. Only one retail space that is approximately 2,800 square feet remains available for lease. Marketplace at Ellis Crossing is ideally situated between two of North Carolina's fastest growing cities. The development sits in the heart of a biotech powerhouse known as Research Triangle Park, a collaborative innovation center set amidst three Tier-1 research universities that is home to more than 264 research companies and over 50,000 high-tech workers. The greater Raleigh area has an additional $1 billion in biotech laboratory construction underway, including Apple's plans to build a 1 million-square-foot campus in the area. This is Thompson Thrift's fourth development in North Carolina. They have developed retail centers in Concord and Wilson and a 276-unit multifamily community in Charlotte. Thompson Thrift is a full-service real estate development company focused on ground-up commercial and mixed-use development across the Midwest, Southeast and Southwest. Since its founding more than 30 years ago, Thompson Thrift has invested more than $4 billion into local communities and has become known as a trusted partner committed to developing high-quality, attractive commercial and multifamily communities. About Publix Publix, the largest employee-owned company in the U.S. with more than 240,000 associates, currently operates 1,332 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. For 25 consecutive years, the company has been recognized by Fortune as a great place to work. In addition, Publix's dedication to superior quality and customer service is recognized among the top in the grocery business. For more information, visit the company's newsroom at corporate.publix.com/newsroom. About Thompson Thrift Real Estate Company Thompson Thrift is an integrated full-service real estate company with offices in Indianapolis and Terre Haute, Indiana; Denver; Houston and Phoenix. Three business units drive Thompson Thrift's successThompson Thrift Residential which is focused on upscale Class A multifamily communities and luxury leased homes, Thompson Thrift Commercial which is focused on ground-up commercial development, and Thompson Thrift Construction, a full-service construction company. Through these business units, Thompson Thrift is engaged in all aspects of development, construction, leasing, and management of quality commercial real estate projects across the country. The company earned national recognition as a winner of a 2023 Top Workplaces USA award, the latest accolade that reflects the company's ongoing commitment to excellence in the community and workplace. For more information, please visit www.thompsonthrift.com Contact: Jennifer Franklin Spotlight Marketing Communications 949.427.1385 [email protected] SOURCE Thompson Thrift CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and BERKELEY, Calif., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Regel Therapeutics, a next generation gene therapy company utilizing proprietary technology to develop clinical products modulating gene expression, today announced that Jordane Dimidschstein, Ph.D., co-founder and COO, will present Regel's technology and pipeline at the Dravet Conference Meeting 2023 in Madrid on March 23rd and will discuss how Regel's proprietary T3 platform (Targeted Therapeutic Technology) is being leveraged to develop RT101, a novel therapeutics approach for the treatment of Dravet Syndrome. Dr. Dimidscshtein will also attend the European DS Advanced Therapies Meeting on March 24th 2023. "We are encouraged by the significant progress we made on the development of our proprietary technology and pipeline," says Navneet Matharu, co-founder and CSO. "As we continue to progress our lead program on Dravet towards clinical development, we think it is important to engage in dialogue with the community of patients and families suffering from this devastating disorder." About Regel Therapeutics. Derived from breakthrough technologies developed by co-founders Jordane Dimidschstein Ph.D and Navneet Matharu Ph.D at the Broad Institute and UCSF, respectively, Regel's T3 platform combines a deactivated Cas system, which precisely targets the epigenome without editing or damaging the DNA, and proprietary regulatory elements restricting the intervention exclusively to specific cell types. This approach allows for efficient and permanent restoration of normal gene expression exclusively to the cells affected by the disease. By providing three layers of specificity of intervention, this technology bears the promise of significantly increasing the efficiency while reducing potential off-target or side effects. Regel's approach is supported by years of discovery and innovation and is now poised to become the first-in-class therapeutic intervention to transform the lives of patients suffering from severe and life-threatening genetic diseases. More information here: https://regeltherapeutics.com. SOURCE Regel Therapeutics Inc. Apple Musni joins the co-op March 20; Chris Speyer and Isabelle Portilla promoted into new roles SEATTLE, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- REI Co-op announced today that it has hired Apple Musni as its new Chief People Officer and promoted two leaders to new positions. Musni joins the co-op March 20. Chris Speyer has been promoted to senior vice president, chief merchandising officer, and Isabelle Portilla has been promoted to vice president, Co-op Brands, both effective immediately. Apple Musni, REI Chief People Officer Chris Speyer, promoted to REI senior vice president, chief merchandising officer Isabelle Portilla, vice president, REI Co-op brands "As a values-led organization, we measure our success as a company by our positive impact on our employees, our members, society and our business. Apple brings a breadth of experience in retail and customer service, and a strong point of view about how a progressive company with a strong ethos infuses its values through its people strategy," said Eric Artz, REI president and CEO. "Chris and Isabelle are both experienced leaders who have driven massive impact for the co-op in their tenure here and are well-positioned to lead our merchandising and Co-op Brands teams into the future." Chief People Officer Musni will be responsible for the full expression of REI's people-first strategy, leading the teams that shape the co-op's industry-leading compensation and benefits offerings, progress the best-in-class experience for its employees, provide HR business partnership to teams across the company, design innovative talent strategies and advance the co-op's racial equity commitments. "It is a privilege to join the REI team and support amplifying how the mission of the co-op comes to life through its employee experience. I am passionate about the co-op's purpose of awakening a lifelong love of the outdoors for all and its belief that time outside is a human right," said Musni. "I have admired REI over the years as it continues to receive accolades for 'best places to work', lead with its values through statements and action, and launch offerings that focus on what matters most to its peoplelike the REI Access Plan. Anyone who works in HR knows that REI is the gold standard for how it invests in and cares for its employees." Musni was most recently vice president, field people experience and recruiting at Chipotle Mexican Grill, where she was responsible for the people strategy and initiatives that delivers best in class staffing, engagement, retention and development of field employees. She previously led HR and Operational functions at McDonald's and Target Corporation. Outside of work, Musni serves as a board member for the United Ways of California and as a member of the CNBC Workforce Executive Council. She loves to travel, explore new food and adventures, and spend time with her family. Senior Vice President, Chief Merchandising Officer As the co-op's chief merchandising officer, Speyer will continue REI's industry-leading efforts in innovation and sustainability to drive world-class offerings for REI's growing member base. He joined the co-op in 2017 as vice president of Co-op Brands, REI's private label known for innovative design and responsible manufacturing. Speyer's role expanded to include leadership of REI's merchandising teams in 2021. Speyer also serves as executive sponsor of PRISM, REI's inclusion network for LGBTQ+ employees and allies. "In my experience the co-op's two superpowers, and what I think make it unique, are its people and its values. I've never worked with a group of people who feel more invested in each other and in the purpose of their work," said Speyer. "I'm honored and excited to continue my journey with REI and to serve in this leadership role." Outside of work Speyer enjoys spending time with his family and in the mountains on the trails or deep in the snow. Vice President, Co-op Brands Portilla joined the co-op in 2017, leading product strategy and design for Co-op Brands, including ongoing product collaboration with Outdoor Afro Inc. In her new role, her mix of strategic and operational excellence will accelerate Co-op Brands' growth to the largest, most sustainable brand in our assortment. "My experience at the co-op has surpassed my expectations. Every day I feel inspired by our mission, our values, and most importantly our people," said Portilla. "We are truly a collective, working toward positive change, all in the name of sharing the love of life outside." Outside of work, Portilla enjoys outdoor adventures with her family, as well as yoga, climbing, strength training, cooking, and reading. About the REI Co-op REI is a specialty outdoor retailer, headquartered near Seattle. The nation's largest consumer co-op, REI is a growing community of 21.5 million members who expect and love the best quality gear, inspiring expert classes and trips, and outstanding customer service. REI has 181 locations in 42 states and the District of Columbia. If you can't visit a store, you can shop at REI.com , REI Outlet or the REI shopping app . REI isn't just about gear. Adventurers can take the trip of a lifetime with REI's active adventure travel company that runs more than 100 itineraries across the country. In many communities where REI has a presence, professionally trained instructors share their expertise by hosting beginner-to advanced-level classes and workshops about a wide range of activities. To build on the infrastructure that makes life outside possible, REI invests millions annually in hundreds of local and national nonprofits that create access toand stewardthe outdoor places that inspire us all. SOURCE REI Co-op CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Relativity6, a leading provider of artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions, is proud to announce the launch of new API endpoints for NCCI, ISO GL, and Cyber Codes. The new endpoints will provide customers with a more efficient and streamlined experience, enabling them to access critical industry classification information and data in real-time. With the launch of these new API endpoints, Relativity6 is expanding its capabilities and offering customers even more value. The NCCI, ISO GL, and Cyber Codes APIs will allow customers to easily access and analyze data related to workers' compensation, general liability, and cyber risk. The data can be used to make better-informed decisions, reduce risk, and improve overall business outcomes. "We are excited to offer these new API endpoints to our customers," said Abraham Rodriguez, CEO of Relativity6. "By providing access to critical data in real-time, we are empowering our customers to make informed decisions and improve their risk management processes. Our team has worked hard to develop these new endpoints, and we are confident that they will be a valuable asset to our customers." Relativity6's new API endpoints are part of the company's ongoing commitment to innovation and providing customers with cutting-edge solutions. With its expertise in artificial intelligence and machine learning, Relativity6 is uniquely positioned to help customers leverage data and analytics to drive better business outcomes. About Relativity6: Relativity6 is a leading provider of artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions for the financial industry. The company's solutions enable organizations to leverage data and analytics to drive better business outcomes. With its deep expertise in AI and machine learning, Relativity6 is uniquely positioned to help customers solve complex business challenges and achieve their goals. For more information, please visit www.relativity6.com. Contact: Media Relations Relativity6 [email protected] (617) 835-6096 SOURCE Relativity6 Foundation leadership to meet with grantees, private sector, and government officials in support of India's renewable energy initiatives, and G20 leadership to help reform international financial institutions NEW YORK, March 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Rockefeller Foundation announced today that President Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, along with leaders of the Foundation's Power & Climate and Asia Regional Office teams, will meet with senior government and private sector officials in New Delhi and Mumbai. The Rockefeller Foundation team will reinforce their support for India's renewable energy innovation efforts and leadership on international financial institutions reforms, which can unlock much-needed investment into climate and sustainable development solutions in India and the world. They will also travel to witness a range of efforts being undertaken to build climate resilience around the country. Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation, visits the site of a solar mini-grid installation in a village in Bihar, India on Nov 11, 2019. "For more than 100 years, The Rockefeller Foundation has stood with the people of India as they sought to make opportunity universal and sustainable," said Dr. Shah. "The last time I was in India, in November 2019, we were celebrating the launch of an ambitious new partnership with Tata Power to develop 10,000 rural microgrids. I also had the opportunity to visit a solar micro-grid installation in Derni, Bihar, which was developed with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, where I saw how affordable, reliable, renewable electricity can empower people and transform communities." Investing in India's Renewable Energy Solutions The Rockefeller Foundation first invested in solar microgrids in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in 2009 to test, adapt, and ultimately, scale this renewable energy solution across India and the world. In 2015, the Foundation announced a USD 75 million commitment to support rural electrification. Then in November 2019, the Foundation partnered with Tata Power to develop 10,000 rural microgrids across the country in order to reach up to 25 million people, and ultimately help drive down the costs of solar power to 15 cents per kilowatt hour. This work has included government, businesses, community organizations, and energy service companies creating a new and holistic ecosystem that drives solar microgrid installations in rural villages. "Over the last decade, India has become a leader in large-scale solar projects that have in turn spurred growth and investment in local manufacturing and small businesses," said Ashvin Dayal, Senior Vice President for Power & Climate at The Rockefeller Foundation. "As India's leadership in renewable technologies particularly green hydrogen, battery storage solutions, PV and wind continues to advance, we expect the country to become a central player in the global renewable energy supply chain." "At The Rockefeller Foundation, we are committed to making opportunity universal and sustainable. India is a priority for the Foundation, and the leadership's timely visit to India is a testament to our support for the country's ambitious goals and unparalleled leadership on the sustainable development agenda," said Deepali Khanna, Vice President, Asia Regional Office, The Rockefeller Foundation. "India's renewable electrification initiatives are proof of what is possible by harnessing innovation in service of humanity," said Dr. Shah. "As host of the G20 and a rising power global power, India is in a unique position to push for international action to address this era's challenges. With India's leadership, the world can ensure today's international finance institutions are positioned to better serve the lives of the most vulnerable around the world tomorrow." About The Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation that enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. We work to promote the well-being of humanity and make opportunity universal and sustainable. Our focus is on scaling renewable energy for all, stimulating economic mobility, and ensuring equitable access to health care and nutritious food. For more information, sign up for our newsletter at rockefellerfoundation.org and follow us on Twitter @RockefellerFdn. SOURCE The Rockefeller Foundation WADSWORTH, Ohio, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Rohrer Corporation is pleased to announce the appointment of Tim Swanson as its new Chief Executive Officer effective immediately. Tim Swanson brings broad business experience and a proven track record of success across multiple industries. He has held various senior executive positions at leading companies where he has been instrumental in driving growth, innovation, and value creation. Tim will serve on the Rohrer Corporation board. Tim Swanson Tim Swanson stated, "Rohrer has been built on a legacy of packaging innovation and customer service, and those differentiators continue to be the cornerstone of our business. As we now focus the enterprise on extending our leadership position, key investments in product technology and best in class manufacturing capabilities, will enable Rohrer to help customers be successful with the most innovative and sustainable packaging platform." Tim comes to Rohrer from Bettcher Industries, a global protein processing platform, where he served as CEO implementing an acquisitive growth framework while accelerating the core business, resulting in a successful sale to KKR. Prior to that, Tim served as President with Barnes Group, leading their global force and motion systems platform. Tim has held various leadership roles at Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Whirlpool Corporation in his career. Tim and his wife Sue will continue to reside in suburban Cleveland. "Tim brings a stellar track record across both public and private companies. His background shows an ability to drive growth and simplify business processes across a broad range of manufacturing companies, most recently as CEO of Bettcher, a successful private equity-backed business. We believe he is a uniquely qualified choice to lead Rohrer," said Matt Harrison, Managing Partner at Wellspring Capital Management Group. Rohrer Corporation thanks former CEO Steve Wirrig for his leadership and contributions to the company and wishes him all the best in his future endeavors. About Rohrer Corporation: Rohrer believes true partners make the perfect package. Our award-winning team uses state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies to provide innovative retail packaging solutions for our partners. Our partners enjoy industry-leading speed, quality, and value through our ezCombo program, and beautiful design and inventive solutions in our custom packaging programs. Rohrer's packaging solutions help build brands and bottom lines. For additional information, please visit Rohrer.com. Media Contact: Jeremy Selin, Marketing Manager // [email protected] SOURCE Rohrer Corporation PenFed Credit Union named presenting sponsor of Military Appreciation Night at Snapdragon Stadium SAN DIEGO and TYSONS, Va., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- San Diego Wave Futbol Club announced today a multi-year partnership with PenFed as the Official Credit Union of Wave FC. PenFed Credit Union, the nation's second-largest federal credit union, will serve as the presenting partner of the Wave's Military Appreciation Night on Saturday, May 26. San Diego Wave FC and PenFed Credit Union Announce Multi-Year Partnership (PRNewsfoto/PenFed Credit Union) "We are thrilled to welcome PenFed Credit Union to the Wave FC family," said Jill Ellis, President of San Diego Wave FC. "This partnership highlights our shared values of our club and PenFed Credit Union in honoring those who serve or have served our country." The partnership also incorporates PenFed Credit Union with digital LED signage at Wave FC home matches and a pre-game activation on May 26 at Snapdragon Stadium. "PenFed is proud to support the national military and defense community every day for over 88 years," said PenFed President/CEO James Schenck. "We are especially excited for the opportunity to show appreciation for veterans and active-duty service members and their families in the San Diego region as they cheer for the Wave at Snapdragon stadium." Single game tickets for all matches, including Military Appreciation Night, are now on sale here. More details regarding Military Appreciation Night will be released. About PenFed Established in 1935, Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PenFed) is America's second-largest federal credit union, serving over 2.8 million members worldwide with $35.5 billion in assets. PenFed Credit Union offers market-leading certificates, checking, credit cards, personal loans, mortgages, auto loans, student loans, and a wide range of other financial services. Our mission is to empower members of our community to achieve their financial well-being. PenFed Credit Union is federally insured by the NCUA and is an Equal Housing Lender. To learn more about PenFed Credit Union, visit PenFed.org, like us on Facebook and follow us @PenFed on Twitter. About San Diego Wave Futbol Club San Diego Wave FC enters its second season as a club after historic success in 2022. In its inaugural 2022 season, San Diego broke the record for both the NWSL Playoff attendance record and the NWSL regular-season record, with 26,215 and 32,000 fans. Wave FC also made history in 2022 as the first expansion team to make the playoffs before advancing to the NWSL Semi-Final. Don't miss a moment of Wave FC's 2023 campaign by securing your 2023 Season Tickets today. Season Ticket members enjoy a one-of-a-kind game day experience at the new Snapdragon Stadium with an array of benefits like exclusive events, gifts, discounts and more. Supporters should stay tuned on club social media and at sandiegowavefc.com for additional player updates and information on the upcoming season. SOURCE PenFed Credit Union By signing an agreement with Medosome Biotec By providing support for clinical trial treatment of GBM at the University of Florida By starting a collaborative research project in rare pediatric cancers with a leading cancer center ROSWELL, Ga, DUBLIN and HAMILTON, Bermuda, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Saol Therapeutics ("Saol"), a privately held, clinical-stage pharmaceutical company, announced today the signing of an agreement with Medosome Biotec to provide Saol the rights to use their patented genotype test for all potential indications where SL-1009 might be used as a therapy. The test is performed to identify potential mutations at GSTZ1 (glutathione S-transferase zeta 1 human enzyme) that categorize individuals as fast or slow metabolizers of DCA (SL-1009). Utilization of the genotype testing enables individual dosing, potentially reducing the incidence of treatment related adverse events. Prior to this agreement Saol only had rights to the patented genotype test for the indication of Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex Deficiency (PDCD). As part of the agreement Saol will aid patient recruitment efforts for the Phase IIA Trial of DCA in Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) by providing additional funding and resource support. Glioblastoma is aggressive and the most common type of primary brain cancer in adults. GBM is difficult to treat and there is no known cure. This study, sponsored by the University of Florida and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (NCT05120284), is further supported in partnership with Medosome Biotec and Saol. "We are pleased to have executed these agreements to support our pursuit of expanded opportunities beyond PDCD" Tweet this Dr. Peter Stacpoole is Principal Investigator for the PDCD trial and the GBM trial and is Professor of Medicine at University of Florida. Dr. Stacpoole stated, "We are pleased to expand our partnership with Saol Therapeutics. Our partnership has led to over-enrollment of our Phase III study in PDCD (NCT02616484) and we mutually see the broader potential application of DCA as the prototypic inhibitor of Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Kinases (PDKs) that, in turn, inhibit PDC enzymatic activity. We look forward to collaborating with Saol on potential additional indications for DCA. Expansion of our collaboration on the GBM trial will result in the addition of more study sites, allowing for quicker recruitment of patients. We are hopeful that DCA will be an important addition to the treatment of GBM." Saol also recently signed a sponsored research agreement with a leading cancer center to evaluate DCA in rare pediatric solid tumors. The preclinical research will investigate DCA alone and in combination with chemotherapy in several different pediatric tumor models, such as Wilms, Neuroblastoma, Rhabdoid Tumor, Osteosarcoma, Ewing Sarcoma, and Rhabdomyosarcoma. Literature suggests that DCA could be effective in several rare, pediatric, solid tumors. The rationale for the pediatric tumor screening includes the fact that DCA has been widely studied in animals and humans and has a mechanism of action that might override the Warburg effect seen in cancer cells1,2,3,4. Saol is currently studying this medicine in children using a proprietary formulation developed for pediatric use (NCT02616484). "If the pre-clinical assessment provides encouraging data, the work already conducted in pediatric patients may allow us to quickly transition toward clinical investigation", commented Dr. Virinder Nohria, Chairman and Chief Medical Officer at Saol. These agreements, and the additional investments behind them, represent an important next step in the evolution of Saol Therapeutics as an emerging pharmaceutical company. "Now that we have completed enrollment in the PDCD trial we are rapidly transitioning to other important therapeutic areas, and are evaluating the utility of DCA (SL-1009) in adult and pediatric oncology indications with limited treatment options", said Saol CEO David Penake. "We are pleased to have executed these agreements to support our pursuit of expanded opportunities beyond PDCD". Saol expects to have topline data in the PDCD trial in the 3rd quarter of 2023. Should the results of the trial support a subsequent FDA approval, it will be the first and only medicine approved for this rare, pediatric indication. References Aminzadeh S, Vidali S, Sperl W, Kofler B, Feichtinger RG. Energy metabolism in neuroblastoma and Wilms tumor. Transl Pediatr. 2015 Jan;4(1):20-32. doi: 10.3978/j.issn.2224-4336.2015.01.04. Guo JQ, Tang HY, Wang CD, Sang BT, Liu X, Yi FP, Liu GL, Wu XM. Influence of Dichloroacetate on Wilms' Tumor in vitro. Ann Clin Lab Sci . 2022 Jan;52(1):101-108. PMID: 35181623. Kankotia S, Stacpoole PW. Dichloroacetate and cancer: new home for an orphan drug? Biochim Biophys Acta. 2014 Dec;1846(2):617-29. doi: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2014.08.005. Tataranni T, Piccoli C. Dichloroacetate (DCA) and Cancer: An Overview towards Clinical Applications. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2019 Nov 14;2019:8201079. doi: 10.1155/2019/8201079. PMID: 31827705. About Dichloroacetate (DCA; SL-1009) DCA, a pan- PDK inhibitor, has the potential to be the 1st approved medication for the mitochondrial disease PDCD and will be available as an oral solution. Gene mutations in the mitochondrial Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex (PDC) lead to congenital PDCD. However, PDC is also inhibited by PDKs, that may be over-expressed in PDCD. DCA inhibits PDKs to stimulate residual PDC activity and increase energy (ATP) production by mitochondria. DCA dosing is based on a proprietary genetic test that dichotomizes subjects into "fast" and "slow" drug metabolizers, providing individualized dosing. About Saol Therapeutics Saol Therapeutics (pronounced "Sail") is a privately held, clinical-stage, pharmaceutical company with operations in Roswell, GA, Dublin, Ireland and Hamilton, Bermuda. Saol is focused on development activity in CNS disorders such as spasticity and pain management, and orphan diseases. Saol is committed to providing and advancing therapeutic options for patients and the physicians treating these populations. For more information, visit www.saolrx.com. About Medosome Biotec Medosome Biotec, LLC is a privately held, preclinical and early-stage clinical pharmaceutical company with operations in Alachua, FL and Bloomington, IN. The Company focuses on pediatric diseases with an emphasis on developing and offering genetic tests for diagnosing rare diseases and providing personalized dosing of pharmaceutical drugs. For more information, visit www.mdbiotec.com Media contact: Brian Nappi, Senior Vice President Strategy, [email protected] SOURCE Saol Therapeutics SAN FRANCISCO, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SaveChain, a fintech startup, is closer to launching its Web3 bank accounts after being accepted into Plug n Play's prestigious Digital Assets Accelerator. Using blockchain technology, the platform offers secure and transparent banking services that are faster, cheaper, and more accessible than its competitors. SaveChain in Plug and Play SaveChain's presentation was voted as one of the best by 30+ Plug n Play's corporate partners. Financial institutions, such as Visa, Charles Schwab, Wells Fargo, Sumitomo attended the Digital Asset Selection Day at Plug n Play HQ in Sunnyvale, California. As the blockchain, crypto, and Web3 markets continue to grow, SaveChain's platform is a game-changer for the banking industry, providing secure and transparent transactions that are free from any government or institutional control. According to a recent report by MarketsandMarkets, the global blockchain market is expected to grow from $3.0 billion in 2020 to $39.7 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 67.3% during the forecast period. The demand for digital banking is also expected to grow over 30% annually, and traditional banks must embrace innovation to stay competitive. SaveChain's platform will provide a broader range of financial services, including savings accounts, loans, and investment opportunities, all within a decentralized environment. SaveChain's platform also gives users complete control over their funds, enabling faster and cheaper banking services without intermediaries. With its acceptance into the new cohort at Plug and Play , they validate their investment thesis, and get closer to revenue and potential proof of concept or licensing deals with banks. "SaveChain's non-custodial architecture supports a new type of banking. Users have segregated accounts and are in full control of their funds. This makes their funds safe and helps to avoid problems that happen to Centralized Finance institutions. Recent examples are crypto companies like FTX, Celsius and banks like SVB, Silvergate, and Signature. We are excited about the opportunity to make Proof of Concepts and Pilots with the leading banks that we meet in Plug n Play," said SaveChain's CEO, Igor Khmel. SaveChain is already gaining attention from traditional banks and financial institutions, actively seeking partnerships to expand its services and reach a broader audience. About Plug and Play Plug and Play Tech Center is early stage investor, accelerator and corporate innovation platform with global headquarters in Sunnyvale, California in the Silicon Valley. Plug and Play runs two programs per year in each industry and location and has 300 corporate partners and 200 venture capitalists in its ecosystem. Plug and Play connects the best technology startups and the world's largest corporations. https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com About SaveChain SaveChain is a fintech startup that provides Web3 bank accounts. The company uses blockchain technology to provide secure and transparent banking services that are faster, cheaper, and more accessible than its competitors. SaveChain's platform will offer a range of financial services, including savings accounts, loans, and investment opportunities, all within a decentralized environment. https://www.savechain.com For media inquiries, please contact: Igor Khmel Title CEO Email: [email protected] Phone: 669.221.9988 SOURCE SaveChain For sledders and shredders, this has already been a painfully snowless winter, but Charlottesville seemed to have a consolation prize. It was hurtling toward the record books with a no-measurable-snow winter, but something happened Tuesday to upset this perfect non-storm: a major weather office altered its data for Sundays flurries. Originally, that was measured as a trace, meteorologist Travis Koshko of CBS19 told the Daily Progress. But then the correction was made to two tenths of an inch. Goodbye, zero-snow winter. Koshko takes some solace in the fact that Charlottesville has already broken the record for having a snowless meteorological winter. But he concedes that the usually chilly months that constitute meteorological winter December, January and February are not the official time-frame of astronomers, who dont declare spring until 5:24 p.m. on March 20. This is the first meteorological winter on record without any missing data at McCormick Observatory without any measurable snow since records began, Koshko tweeted on the last day of February with this hashtag: #TheWinterThatWasNot Koshko enjoys tracking weather history via a listserv email from the University of Virginias McCormick Observatory, which began record-keeping in January 1893, according to Ricky Patterson, UVas longtime weather watcher and a research director at the University of Virginia Library. Patterson has overseen the listserv, which initially measured the snowfall on Jan. 8 and the one on March 12 as a trace, a designation that doesnt constitute a measurable snowfall. But in an afternoon email on Tuesday, that second trace was upgraded to .2 inches. What precipitated that? The original observation was typed into the recording form for the National Weather Service incorrectly, Patterson told the Daily Progress. Weather data is supposed to be sacrosant, but Patterson contends that theres nothing nefarious about this altered number. A team of observers have been recording the observations until a new, permanent, volunteer is in place, Patterson wrote in an email. This team-based approach isnt ideal of course, because its easier to introduce errors when you dont have someone consistently carrying out the observations. Patterson says that he was formerly the lead volunteer weather observer but stepped down in July, and the state climatologist, Jerry Stenger, who Patterson says would readily pitch in, has retired and his position left unfilled by the state. Patterson notes that this could still become the winter with the lowest total record snowfall at the observatory. The previous low in a year with complete records was 1918-19, with just one inch of snow. But he warns that March may still upset this race to the bottom. Charlottesville saw a one-foot snowfall March 26-27 back in 1971 and reminds that mid- and late-March snowfalls are not uncommon. For Koshko, a nearly snowless winter is slightly frustrating. I like Central Virginia because we normally have four distinct seasons, said Koshko, and I do like a decent snow or two every winter. 2023 SeekHer Shift data highlights the need for safety, trust & belonging in our community environments to support women's mental health SAN DIEGO, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SeekHer Foundation, a non-profit organization that advocates for women's mental well-being, today announced its latest research findings published in the 2023 SeekHer Shift Report on 'Bridging The Gap in Women's Mental Health'. Insights from the second annual report were gathered from 1,612 survey respondents across the United States, with support from leading brands and organizations including OLLY, RoC Skincare, and Pure Leaf to identify the barriers negatively impacting women's mental well-being and the need to create safety, trust, and belonging within our home, work, and community environments. Throughout the majority of survey responses, women voiced their needs for reclaiming their time, emotional connection, and access to non-judgmental spaces where they can speak up and live authentically. A lack of emotional safety and security in their sense of identity led women to feel isolated, even within their social circles, the report showed. The findings also highlighted the external pressures that women internalize as a personal responsibility to 'do it all' without an adequate support system as they carry the invisible load in their households. Most alarming, women are constantly measuring their self-worth based on their ability to meet family expectations, body and beauty standards, and workplace demands. While 71% of women report emotional support as what they most desire, 58% still struggle to feel connected... Tweet this "OLLY supports the work of SeekHer because women deserve to be seen and heard, and many times our voices are just whispers," said Andrea Ronzani, VP Social Impact of OLLY PBC. "The Shift report amplifies the themes learned post-pandemic about the importance of community, safety, and belonging, especially in the workplace. If we care about equity, companies need to look at work design differentlyconsider adopting flexible working, role sharing, build trust and encourage individuals to show up as their true selves without consequence." The SeekHer Shift findings showed: 62% of women say they'll wait a week or longer to take time for self-care, with nearly half of them indicating they rarely make time and often forget their own needs. While 71% of women report emotional support as what they most desire, 58% still struggle to feel connected or have no support within their existing social environment. Despite 82% of women surveyed saying they want to live in a world where they can show up as their true selves to feel seen and accepted, over one-third (39%) report challenges around their social identity and worry their social circles won't accept who they truly are. 62% of working women report lacking safe spaces at work where they can routinely open up about juggling their personal and professional lives, with nearly (30%) having experienced or witnessed biased treatment in the workplace because of their identity. 59% of women who identify as mothers or domestic partners say they often don't feel supported through their feelings of overwhelm within those roles. "There are too many external factors limiting womens' ability to have a positive outlook on the futurefrom societal pressures to unrealistic beauty standards to perfectionismwhich is why it's so important to support the work that SeekHer is doing to shift the cultural narrative," said Hillary Hutcheson, CMO of RoC Skincare. These and other findings point to the urgent cultural shifts needed to break down the barriers that keep us isolated in our struggles, and build bridges that create cultures of care where we can learn to see each other and be truly seen. In response to the findings, SeekHer is planning a Spring 2023 release of resources and programming to promote wellness and equity in the workplace with organizations serving as influential environments that initiate the shift to empower more women to thrive in their work and life. "Women have long internalized their mental health struggles as their own, when in reality, wellness is influenced by the environments we interact with on a daily basis," said Dr. Monica Mo, founder and Executive Director of SeekHer Foundation. "The fact that we spend on average one-third of our lives at work makes it clear that employers have both an opportunity and responsibility to activate cultures of care that truly value us as the human beings we are." Download and view the full 2023 SeekHer Shift Report at www.seekher.org/seekher-shift. For more information about SeekHer Foundation's initiatives, visit www.seekher.org . About SeekHer Foundation SeekHer Foundation is a non-profit organization on a mission to power more women for the greater good. By partnering with advocates and allied organizations, we're bridging the gender gap of mental health through advocacy, research, and support for women-led communities to shift cultural norms holding women back from their well-being and success. SeekHer is an advocacy project powered by WellSeek, a social impact collective that's reimagining women's wellness in our workplaces and communities. SOURCE SeekHer Foundation Vice President of Engineering Recognized as Up-and-Coming Business Leader by 'In Business' Madison Magazine JANESVILLE, Wis., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SHINE Technologies, LLC, a next-generation fusion technology company, is proud to announce that Tracy Radel, Vice President of Engineering, has been selected as one of In Business Madison Magazine's 40 Under 40 honorees. The annual award honors the most successful and civic-minded emerging leaders in the Greater Madison, Wisconsin area. In her role, Radel has been an important leader in the building of The Chrysalis, SHINE's large-scale medical isotope production facility in Janesville. In her role, she has served as the design authority of The Chrysalis, where she has been responsible for the design of the facility and serves as one of the primary representatives for interactions with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Her team provides the designs needed for licensing, procurement, installation, testing, and operation of all process equipment. "Tracy has been a strong leader in our mission to use fusion to deliver life-saving medicine to patients across the United States and around the world," said Greg Piefer, founder and CEO of SHINE. "She has made many important contributions to the technical community over the course of her career, which is still ramping up. She's a key leader in our fusion technology development journey, and while I know she doesn't do it for the recognition, she's truly deserving of this honor. I'm thankful for her efforts and am excited to see what Tracy accomplishes next." Last month, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued its final Safety Evaluation Report related to the Operating License Application of the production facility. The report concluded that the technical requirements for issuing an operating license have been met. It was a milestone not seen with the NRC in more than 35 years, and a first-ever accomplishment for a growth-stage company like SHINE. "I'm humbled and honored to be chosen by In Business as part of this year's 40 Under 40 class," Radel said. "While building a nuclear facility as a startup company has been a huge challenge, it has also been extremely rewarding to see our team successfully overcome those challenges and achieve our goals. I look forward to bringing The Chrysalis online and improving patient access to medicine that is used thousands of times every day to diagnose heart disease and cancer." Radel was recognized for her achievement of being part of the 2023 class during an event held Wednesday, March 15, at the Overture Center for the Arts in Madison. About SHINE SHINE deploys its safe, cost-effective and environmentally friendly fusion technology in a stepwise approach. Its systems are used to inspect industrial components in aerospace, defense, energy and other sectors. SHINE's proprietary medical isotope production processes are expected to create molybdenum-99 once its medical isotope production facility, The Chrysalis, is operational, and currently create non-carrier-added lutetium-177. These important medicines are used in tens of thousands of daily procedures to diagnose and treat heart disease, late-stage cancer, and other serious illnesses. In the future, SHINE plans to scale its fusion technology to help solve one of energy's toughest hurdles by recycling nuclear waste. Through a purpose-driven and phased approach, SHINE aims to generate fusion power to deliver clean, abundant energy that could transform life on Earth. Learn more at shinefusion.com and follow us @shinefusion SOURCE SHINE Technologies, LLC SOCAR Mobility Malaysia, majority owned by SK Inc., to expand its market dominance in Southeast Asia as SK Inc. integrates business know-how acquired from the US market as SK Inc. integrates business know-how acquired from the US market SK Inc. sees its return on investment double from its investment in Turo, a leading P2P car sharing company in the US SK Inc. to reinforce its investment cycle of integrating investment know-hows from advance markets into fast-growing markets SEOUL, South Korea, March 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SK Inc., the strategic investment holding company of South Korea's SK Group, announced on Thursday that it has agreed to sell its entire stake in Turo, a peer-to-peer (P2P) vehicle car-sharing company, for USD 67.5 million (approximately KRW 88.1 billion). The transaction is expected to be completed in the first half of this year with SK Inc. selling its stake in Turo to existing shareholder G Squared. SOCAR Malaysia "We are pleased to collaborate with SK Inc., strengthening our relationship and providing liquidity to a fellow long-standing Turo shareholder", said Larry Aschebrook, Founder & Managing Partner of G Squared. "With the purchase of these shares, G Squared will become the second-largest shareholder in Turo, reaffirming our commitment to this promising peer-to-peer car-sharing marketplace." As a result, SK Inc. will gain a rate of return of about 121% (in terms of KRW) of its initial investment of USD 35 million (approximately KRW 39.8 billion then) in 2017. Launched in 2009 and headquartered in San Francisco, USA, Turo operates a peer-to-peer car sharing marketplace that connects hosts and guests and is designed to enable guests to book the perfect vehicle for any occasion. Today, Turo provides services in over 10,000 cities in the US, UK, Canada, France and Australia. The company has grown to become the world's largest car sharing marketplace. Turo pioneered a new category of transportation by allowing guests to choose from a wide selection of privately owned vehicles. Compared to existing business-to-customer (B2C) car-sharing model, Turo streamlined processes for vehicle pick up and return at a cost-competitive price. SK Inc. has been building up its portfolio in the fast-growing mobility sector by investing about KRW 100 billion in Korea's SOCAR in 2015. SK Inc. has been leading the global market for vehicle sharing and mobility technology with its investment in Grab and Turo. With its global success, SK Inc. plans to bolster its investments in car-sharing, EV charging platforms and self-driving solutions in Korea and Southeast Asia. In particular, the company plans to promote SOCAR Malaysia, of which SK Inc., is the largest shareholder, as Southeast Asia's representative mobility platform. SK Inc. entered the Southeast Asian mobility market in 2017 by forging a joint venture with Korea's SOCAR in Malaysia. SK Inc. secured management rights by acquiring an additional stake in SOCAR Malaysia in 2020. Currently, SOCAR Malaysia is Malaysia's the No.1 car-sharing platform, dominating over 90% of market share, with 1.9 million members. In particular, the number of users soared to 20,000 per day in the recent months, compared to an average of 5,000 per day during the COVID-19 pandemic period. SK Inc. was able to develop SOCAR Malaysia into an integrated mobility platform by combining the existing B2C car-sharing business model of SOCAR Korea with P2P car sharing model TREVO and personal driver service of Buddy Driver of Korea. In 2020, SOCAR Malaysia entered the Indonesian market with a differentiated business model. In 2021, EastBridge Partners, a global private equity firm of Korea, and Sime Darby Berhad, a multinational company of Malaysia, invested a combined KRW 65 billion. With a population of nearly 300 million, the Indonesian market is recognized for its growth potential. "Over the past few years, SK Inc. has integrated the business know-hows acquired from the advanced mobility markets in the U.S. and South Korea to SOCAR Malaysia, a subsidiary of SK Inc., and built it into the No. 1 company in Malaysia within two years of launching the service," said Kyungsang Yu, the Head of Digital Investment Center at SK Inc. "By focusing on the Southeast Asian mobility market, which is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years, SK Inc. will build a leading car-sharing company in Southeast Asia while reinforcing the virtuous cycle of reinvesting our funds into new mobility businesses." About SK Inc. Established in 2007, SK Inc. is the investment holding company of SK Group, South Korea's second largest conglomerate by asset size. Headquartered in Seoul, SK Inc. ranks 129th on the Fortune Global 500 list. The company's investment principles and strategies target environmental, social and governance (ESG) priorities alongside financial returns to drive sustainable growth for its stakeholders and society. The strategic investment areas of SK Inc. include advanced materials, biopharmaceutical, green energy, and digital technologies. It invests in and nurtures the Group's future growth engines. SK Group seeks to drive innovation and create financial as well as social value for the communities and industries in which it operates. SK Group has over 180 operating companies with a combined KRW 159 trillion in annual revenue as of 2021. For more information on SK Inc., visit www.sk-inc.com/en/. About G Squared G Squared is a global venture capital firm that partners with dynamic companies throughout their life cycles as a complete capital solutions provider, working to create value for companies, investors, employees, and other stakeholders. The firm focuses on investments in growth-stage technology companies and has invested in over 100 portfolio companies since it was founded in 2011. For more information on G Squared and its portfolio, visit: www.gsquared.com. SOURCE SK Inc. The growing need for a well-established infrastructure for proper traffic management, an increase in the use of connected devices and cutting-edge technologies, and the growing demand for lessening traffic congestion and energy-efficient lighting drive the global smart poles market. PORTLAND, Ore., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Smart Poles Market by Type of Hardware (Lighting Lamp, Pole Bracket and Pole Body, Communication Device, Controller, Others), by Products (Hardware, Software, Services), by Installation (New Installation, Retrofit), by Application (Highways and Roadways, Public Places, Railways and Harbors): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031"According to the report, the global smart poles industry was valued at $7.1 billion in 2021 and is estimated to generate $35.9 billion by 2031, witnessing a CAGR of 17.9% from 2022 to 2031. The report offers a detailed analysis of changing market trends, top segments, key investment pockets, value chain, regional landscape, and competitive scenario. Request PDF Brochure: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/8824 Drivers, Restraints, and Opportunities The rise in the need for a well-established and resilient infrastructure for proper traffic management, an increase in the use of connected devices and cutting-edge technologies, the ability of smart poles to lessen collisions and traffic congestion, and the rising demand for energy-efficient lighting propel the smart poles market. However, privacy concerns and the high cost of installation and maintenance associated with smart poles are likely to hinder the market growth during the forecast period. On the other hand, an increase in smart city initiatives will present new growth opportunities for the global market in the coming years. Covid-19 Scenario The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic caused several issues in the smart pole market. The shutdown of businesses, supply chain disruptions, the closing of manufacturing facilities, and a global economic recession ultimately reduced the need for smart poles. For instance, many construction projects were delayed or cancelled due to a lack of workforce and availability of raw materials. However, the market has gained momentum with the easing of restrictions and the pandemic situation improving. The Lighting Lamp Segment to Dominate the Market during the Forecast Period Based on type of hardware, the lighting lamp segment contributed to the largest share of more than one-third of the global smart poles market in 2021 and is expected to maintain its dominance during the forecast period. This is owing to the growing need for smart city infrastructure and energy-efficient and environmentally friendly lighting solutions. The communication device segment, on the other hand, is projected to witness the fastest CAGR of 18.4% from 2022 to 2031. The operations of a smart pole may be observed and remotely managed through various communication devices. The Hardware Segment to Maintain its Leadership During the Forecast Period Based on products, the hardware segment grabbed the highest share of nearly half of the overall smart poles market in 2021 and is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period. Many smart poles are equipped with hardware such as air quality sensors to track rising pollution levels. In addition, the CCTV cameras can also be attached to smart poles. However, the software segment is projected to witness the fastest CAGR of 18.4% from 2022 to 2031. Real-time data from smart poles software can enhance parking and traffic management, resulting in less traffic and pollution. Buy This Report (280 Pages PDF with Insights, Charts, Tables, and Figures) @ https://bit.ly/3LphLXO The Highways and Roadways Segment to Maintain A Progressive Growth during the Forecast Period Based on application, the highways and roadways segment grabbed the highest share of nearly half of the overall smart poles market in 2021 and is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period. One of the key drivers projected to fuel the segment's growth is the rise in the number of smart roads being constructed globally. However, the public places segment is projected to witness the fastest CAGR of 18.4% from 2022 to 2031. Smart poles can help wireless operators rapidly and easily densify their network coverage and enhance capacity in congested public spaces. North America to Achieve the Largest Revenue by 2031 Based on region, the market in North America was the largest in 2021, accounting for nearly two-fifths of the global smart poles market and is likely to maintain its dominance during the forecast timeframe. This is owing to the demand for smart city solutions, increased urbanization, and rising investments in clean energy and smart grid technology in the region. However, the market in LAMEA is likely to show the fastest CAGR of 19.9% during the forecast period. This is because many countries in this region are focusing on the enhancement of their existing lighting infrastructure by implementing energy-efficient lighting systems. Leading Market Players Acuity Brands, Inc. Philips Lighting Holding B.V. GE Lighting Co. Ltd. Hubbell Incorporated Cree, Inc. Eaton Corporation Sunna Design Mobile Pro Systems Goldspar Australia Pty. Ltd. Virtual Extension Ltd. The report analyzes these key players of the global smart poles market. These players have adopted various strategies such as expansion, new product launches, partnerships, and others to increase their market penetration and strengthen their position in the industry. The report is helpful in determining the business performance, operating segments, product portfolio, and developments by every market player. Want to Access the Statistical Data and Graphs, Key Players' Strategies: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/smart-poles-market/purchase-options Key Benefits For Stakeholders: This report provides a quantitative analysis of the market segments, current trends, estimations, and dynamics of the smart poles market analysis and smart poles market outlook from 2021 to 2031 to identify the prevailing market opportunity. The market research is offered along with information related to key drivers, restraints, and opportunities. Porter's five forces analysis highlights the potency of buyers and suppliers to enable stakeholders make profit-oriented business decisions and strengthen their supplier-buyer network. In-depth analysis of the market segmentation assists to determine the prevailing market opportunities. Major countries in each region are mapped according to their revenue contribution to the global market. Market player positioning facilitates benchmarking and provides a clear understanding of the present position of the market players. The report includes the analysis of the regional as well as global smart poles market trends, key players, market segments, application areas, and market growth strategies. Smart Poles Market Key Segments: Type of Hardware Lighting Lamp Pole Bracket and Pole Body Communication Device Controller Others Installation New Installation Retrofit Products Hardware Software Services Application Highways and Roadways Public Places Railways and Harbors By Region North America (U.S., Canada , Mexico ) (U.S., , ) Europe (UK, Germany , France , Rest of Europe ) (UK, , , Rest of ) Asia-Pacific ( China , Japan , India , South Korea , Rest of Asia-Pacific ) ( , , , , Rest of ) LAMEA ( Latin America , Middle East , Africa ) Buy this Research Report @ https://bit.ly/42f30g9 Trending Reports in Semiconductor Industry (Book Now with 10% Discount): Intelligent Lighting Controls Market Trends, Analytics and Statistics Europe and Middle East Industrial & Commercial LED Lighting Market Manufacturer, Report to 2031 Planar Lightwave Circuit Splitter Market Size, Share | Industry Trends Electroluminscent Display Market Insight and Trends 2031 About Us Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States USA/Canada (Toll Free): +1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1(855)550-5975 [email protected] Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/reports-store/semiconductor-and-electronics Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg SOURCE Allied Market Research CEO of the natural foods retailer will accept the award from ASU's W. P. Carey School of Business on April 5 TEMPE, Ariz., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Since joining Sprouts Farmers Market in 2019, Jack Sinclair has focused on providing a curated, attribute-based product assortment that has helped the specialty foods retailer grow through dynamic changes in the food industry, resulting in the planned opening of 30 new stores in 2023. For his leadership in making Sprouts a more efficient, profitable, and innovative retailer, the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University will honor Sinclair with its annual Executive of the Year Award. With more than 35 years of experience in the retail and grocery industries, Sinclair previously served as CEO of 99 Cents Only Stores; as executive vice president in charge of Walmart's U.S. grocery division, the largest grocer in the United States; and Safeway PLC in London. At Sprouts, Sinclair has advanced a "doing well by doing good" long-term strategy rooted in initiatives that grow business while caring for the health of communities and the environment. "It is a pleasure to award Jack Sinclair this year's Executive of the Year honor," said Ohad Kadan, Charles J. Robel Dean, Professor of Finance, and W. P. Carey Distinguished Chair. "Jack has grown Sprouts Farmers Market through a tumultuous time in the grocery retail industry while advancing initiatives that benefit customers, communities, and the planet. That commitment to integrity in leadership is exactly what this award celebrates." Sinclair becomes the 40th annual Executive of the Year chosen by the W. P. Carey Dean's Council, a national group of prominent executives who advise the W. P. Carey School of Business. Previous honorees include Steve Sanghi, executive chairman of Microchip Technology; Sheryl Palmer, chairman and CEO of Taylor Morrison; and Chris Koch, chairman, president, and CEO of Carlisle Cos. Event details Sinclair will be honored at a luncheon at the JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa on Wednesday, April 5. The event, which begins at 11:30 a.m., is part of the Economic Club of Phoenix speaker series. Tickets are $100. For more information about the club or to reserve seats, visit wpcarey.asu.edu/ecp. About the W. P. Carey School of Business The W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University is the largest and one of the top-ranked business schools in the United States. The school is internationally regarded for its research productivity and distinguished faculty members. Students come from more than 100 countries, and W. P. Carey is represented by alumni in over 160 countries. Visit wpcarey.asu.edu. For more information Shay Moser, W. P. Carey School of Business [email protected] 480-965-3963 SOURCE W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University BOSTON, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- STAG Industrial, Inc. (NYSE: STAG) (the "Company") today announced that its Board of Directors had appointed Steven T. Kimball as Executive Vice PresidentReal Estate Operations, effective when Mr. Kimball joins the Company this spring. Mr. Kimball will lead the Company's asset management and construction departments. He will concentrate his efforts on maximizing returns from the Company's existing assets and guide its development program. "We look forward to Steve Kimball joining STAG and maintaining our focus on same store performance and portfolio operations," said Bill Crooker, the Company's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Steve will be a great addition to senior management and will help us unlock further value from our properties." The Company also announced that Mr. Butcher's employment agreement would expire at the end of its current one-year term on June 30, 2023, when he will retire as Executive Chairman of the Board. Mr. Butcher will continue to serve on the Board as a director. Effective July 1, 2023, the Company appointed Larry T. Guillemette as independent Chairman of the Board. Mr. Guillemette currently serves as Lead Independent Director of the Board. "Our multi-year management succession plan, which included the retirement of Steve Mecke, our Chief Operating Officer, at the end of 2022, will conclude with Mr. Kimball's assumption of Mr. Mecke's former responsibility for asset management and Ben's full retirement from management this summer. Ben will of course remain a valued resource as a director, for which I am grateful," said Bill Crooker. "I would like to thank Steve Mecke for his dedicated service to the Company and its predecessor. STAG's success, including achievement of the succession plan, depended on the many contributions of Mr. Mecke." Steven T. Kimball Mr. Kimball currently serves as Executive Director at PGIM Real Estate, where he oversees asset management of a Northeastern industrial property portfolio, including active joint venture development projects. Before joining PGIM in 2021, Mr. Kimball worked for Prologis, Inc. (formerly AMB Property Corporation) for more than 25 years (1995 to 2021). He served as Managing Director, Head of Operations, East Region (2014 to 2021) and in a similar role as Senior Vice President, Head of Operations, East Region (2005 to 2014). Mr. Kimball held other asset management positions with AMB, including Senior Vice President, Regional Manager, Chicago. Before 1995, Mr. Kimball held positions with financial and insurance companies involving real estate assets. Mr. Kimball holds a Bachelor of Science degree from University of Vermont and a Master of Business Administration from University Colorado Boulder. About STAG Industrial, Inc. STAG Industrial, Inc. is a real estate investment trust focused on the acquisition, ownership, and operation of industrial properties throughout the United States. As of December 31, 2022, the Company's portfolio consists of 562 buildings in 41 states with approximately 111.7 million rentable square feet. For additional information, please visit the Company's website at www.stagindustrial.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release, together with other statements and information publicly disseminated by the Company, contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Company intends such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and includes this statement for purposes of complying with these safe harbor provisions. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe the Company's future plans, strategies and expectations, are generally identifiable by use of the words "believe," "will," "expect," "intend," "anticipate," "estimate," "should," "project" or similar expressions. You should not rely on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are, in some cases, beyond the Company's control and which could materially affect actual results, performances or achievements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to, the risk factors discussed in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, as updated by the Company's quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Accordingly, there is no assurance that the Company's expectations will be realized. Except as otherwise required by the federal securities laws, the Company disclaims any obligation or undertaking to publicly release any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained herein (or elsewhere) to reflect any change in the Company's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based. SOURCE STAG Industrial, Inc. Engineered for strength, reach and measuring control, CONTROL-LOCK tapes provide maximum durability on the jobsite TOWSON, Md., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- STANLEY, the leading tapes manufacturer in the world and a Stanley Black & Decker brand, today announced the launch of CONTROL-LOCK tape measures designed for strength, reach and measuring control. STANLEY CONTROL-LOCK tapes range from 12-Ft. to 30-Ft. and feature a rugged, yet lightweight compact design equipped with an integrated finger brake,* providing users with maximum control and protection when extending and retracting the blade. "STANLEY CONTROL-LOCK tapes are engineered to strike the perfect balance between size, performance and comfort" Tweet this New STANLEY CONTROL-LOCK Tape Measures put you in total charge from tape blade reach through retraction. "As the leading tapes manufacturer, we know that professionals demand tapes they can trust. That is why we are consistently innovating STANLEY tapes to enhance the user experience," said Peter Gabriele, Group Product Manager of Tapes at Stanley Black & Decker. "STANLEY CONTROL-LOCK tapes are engineered to strike the perfect balance between size, performance and comfort - empowering tradespeople to tackle any job with confidence and ease." STANLEY CONTROL-LOCK tapes are ideal for use on professional jobsites and include the following features: A lightweight, compact and ergonomic design for maximum comfort and usability An integrated finger brake that provides improved control of the blade when measuring and retracting* Pro-grade performance 1-In. blade width and 12-Ft. max reach** Protective rubber over-molded casing BladeArmor coating treated to the first 3-In. for durability and abrasion resistance The STANLEY CONTROL-LOCK line-up comprises of 12-Ft., 16-Ft., 25-Ft., 8M/26-Ft and 30-Ft., tapes sold in recyclable packaging, marking an important step forward in minimizing single use plastic from this packaging style. The STANLEY CONTROL-LOCK range is available on www.homedepot.com and at other independent retailers where STANLEY products are sold. Additional product information follows below. * Finger brake is included on all STANLEY CONTROL-LOCK tapes except for 12-Ft. model. **Max reach based on maximum extension of an average end user. About STANLEY STANLEY has set the precedent for quality tools and engineered solutions for professionals around the globe for more than 175 years. With a legacy of reliability, STANLEY is the No. 1 tapes manufacturer in the world and continues to drive the industry forward with innovations including the STANLEY FATMAX product line as well as hand tools, power tools, storage and accessories that make life easier. For more information visit www.stanleytools.com or follow STANLEY on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. About Stanley Black & Decker Headquartered in the USA, Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK) is a worldwide leader in tools and outdoor operating manufacturing facilities worldwide. Guided by its purpose for those who make the world the company's more than 50,000 diverse and high-performing employees produce innovative, award-winning power tools, hand tools, storage, digital tool solutions, lifestyle products, outdoor products, engineered fasteners and other industrial equipment to support the world's makers, creators, tradespeople and builders. The company's iconic brands include DEWALT, BLACK+DECKER, CRAFTSMAN, STANLEY, CUB CADET, HUSTLER and TROY-BILT. Recognized for its leadership in environmental, social and governance (ESG), Stanley Black & Decker strives to be a force for good in support of its communities, employees, customers and other stakeholders. To learn more visit: www.stanleyblackanddecker.com Media Contact: Lindsay Fennell Senior Public Relations Manager [email protected] (724) 205-0640 SOURCE STANLEY PALO ALTO, Calif., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond is working together with nonprofit Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF) and its network of California educators to combat inequities in access to financial education in the California public school system. Across the U.S., 70% of students have access to a personal finance course, but only 26% of students in California do. Across the U.S., 70% of students have access to a personal finance course, but only 26% of students in California do. Tweet this Thurmond, who began his second term as State Superintendent in January, addressed nearly 100 California personal finance educators in San Francisco on March 11 at the Closing the Gap Conference hosted by NGPF, a California-based nonprofit committed to guaranteeing that all high school students receive a personal finance course prior to graduating. "Given the high cost of living in California, why wouldn't we help our young people understand personal finance?" said Thurmond. "This is a matter that requires urgency." Thurmond is co-sponsoring AB 984 , which would add the completion of a one-semester course in personal finance to the graduation requirements commencing with pupils graduating in the 202829 school year, including for pupils enrolled in a charter school. The bill would require local educational agencies, including charter schools, to offer a personal finance course commencing with the 202526 school year "We're going to have to be thoughtful about how we introduce a new opportunity," said Thurmond, adding that implementing it as an elective first would help pave the way to implement a course guarantee. "I think it should be a requirement because this is an issue of equity." Many teachers at the conference agree. "As educators we have a duty to give our students the tools that they need to be successful in life," said Kathy Mangelsdorf, who has taught personal finance in the Rocklin Unified School District for more than three years. "These are life skills that students need. Their financial well-being depends on it." "There is a huge lack of knowledge around financial literacy and it is unfair to assume our students will figure it out or learn on their own," said educator Paige Leon of Fresno Unified. "We need to make it a regular part of our educational process so our students grow up to be more financially responsible than those who came before them." In August, Thurmond and NGPF announced $1.4 million in financial literacy grants for California public high schools to help deliver personal finance courses. The grants provide stipends for teachers who complete NGPF professional development. Additionally, the grant also provides matching funds to hire a personal finance specialist within five of the largest school districts in the state. "We commend Superintendent Thurmond for his vision, leadership, and advocacy around this important issue of ensuring the next generation of Californians have the knowledge they need to have a better financial future," said Tim Ranzetta, co-founder of NGPF. About Next Gen Personal Finance Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF) is a nonprofit committed to guaranteeing that all high school students receive a personal finance course prior to graduating. NGPF has become the "one-stop shop" for more than 75,000 educators looking for high-quality, engaging personal finance curriculum to equip students with the skills they need to thrive in the future. NGPF invests in teacher professional development with live Virtual PD workshops , 10 Certification courses and 40+ asynchronous On-Demand modules . NGPF has been recognized by Common Sense Education as a "Selection for Learning" as well as "Top Website for Teachers to Find Lesson Plans" and "Best Business and Finance Games." Media Contact: Hannah Rael Marketing Communications Manager Next Gen Personal Finance [email protected] SOURCE Next Gen Personal Finance SHAOXING, China, March 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The 7th Design Intelligence Award (DIA) Global Ceremony - 2022 Award Ceremony & 2023 Call for Entry was held in Zhejiang province, China on the evening of March 12. The winners of the highest award - the Gold Award were IFBOT X3 Solar Panel Cleaning Robot from Suzhou Ifbot Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. and the Pangu Drug Molecule Model to Accelerate Drug Discovery with AI from Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. At the ceremony, the China Academy of Art (CAA), the international designer organizations connected by DIA, Chinese and foreign art academies and digital technology and advanced manufacturing firms jointly launched the International Design Intelligence Union (DIU). On April 9, 2022, the 7th DIA kicked off globally. Themed "Design Collaboration", the award aimed to break the barriers to the growth of people, things and the world and establish a new international integration relationship, attracting considerable attention and numerous participants in the design sector and beyond. The 7th DIA received 8,010 entries from 70 countries and regions worldwide. In particular, the DIA focuses on implementing the "DIA Design United Nations Program". Now, it has international work offices in 13 countries and 12 sub-contest areas, which have pooled 600 experts in many fields from nearly 37 countries/regions in its innovative talent bank. At the Award Ceremony, 322 award-winning works were announced, and the top 29 design works competing for the Gold Award, Silver Award, and Copper Award from the Product Group as well as the Future Talent Award and Young Talents Award from the Concept Group were highlighted. On the occasion of the 8th Anniversary of DIA, the China Academy of Art, the international designer organizations connected by DIA, Chinese and foreign art academies and digital technology and advanced manufacturing companies jointly launched the DIU. Adopting a vision on high-quality innovation and development in the new era and upholding the principles of "openness, innovation, collaboration and sharing", DIU pursues the ultimate goal of "focusing on the industry, embracing the world and shaping the future". Driven by smart and information technologies for the integration of art, technology and business, DIU promotes the integration and innovation of smart designs and attracts diverse participation in collaborative innovation between "governments, enterprises, universities research institutes and end-users", thus creating an exchange and synergy platform with global influence, building a cross-sectoral network that deeply integrates design innovation into intelligent manufacturing, advancing industrial upgrades and social progress. Ifbot, the developer of the Gold Award winner IFBOT X3 Solar Panel Cleaning Robot, pioneers the concept of "PV intelligent cleaning robot". It includes the design of a "crawler-type" mobile sucker for the cleaning of PV arrays. The vacuum PV cleaning robot is free of the many demerits of traditional cleaning equipment, such as heavy weight, poor portability, inconvenient deployment and short battery life. This product has broken the constraints of established concepts and redefined the portable PV cleaning robot. Being small in size, light in weight, smart and eco-friendly, it is capable of waterless cleaning. It is a PV cleaning robot accessible to thousands of households. Pangu Drug Molecule Model to Accelerate Drug Discovery with AI, another Gold Award winner, is a platform to assist researchers in accelerating drug research and development with AI. With the strong computing power supported by the cloud and AI model, it makes the whole process of drug R&D visible and perceptible. Its multi-dimensional visual designs improve the readability of complex medical data. Powered by computer simulation technology and molecular dynamics, the product can minimize the knowledge and skills required for researchers. The intelligent recommendation of medical knowledge map and path record design enable scientific research and exploration to be more efficient, and the saved path records of research become visual and traceable. The 2023 Call for Entry of the 8th DIA concurrently commenced with the core theme of "Design Evolution". The evolution of design represents the evolution of human life, and design evolution is not only the qualitative change of practices but also the evolution of values and design thinking patterns. With the ongoing interconnection of tech and design concepts, design has shifted from satisfying basic needs to creating new needs and from independent existence to integration. In an ever-changing era, the 8th DIA invites designers around the world to explore and reveal new forms of design evolution amidst the ongoing evolution of the world. Design firms, design teams, employed designers, independent designers and young designers can submit their entries before the deadline of June 30, 2023 (24:00, UTC+8) at DIA website (www.di-award.org ). Participants will have an opportunity to grab a share of the RMB 5 million award fund. Winners will receive a prize of up to RMB1 million. In an ever-changing era, the 8th DIA invites designers around the world to explore and reveal new forms of design evolution amidst the ongoing evolution of the world. SOURCE China Academy of Art The launch of the DAO Governance marks a significant milestone in the decentralization of the Arbitrum One and Arbitrum Nova networks, becoming the first EVM rollup technology to achieve Stage 1 decentralization NEW YORK, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Arbitrum Foundation today announced the launch of DAO governance for the Arbitrum One and Arbitrum Nova networks, a massive leap forward in the decentralization of the two networks. Alongside the DAO governance structure, The Arbitrum Foundation also announced an upcoming drop of $ARB to users of the Arbitrum ecosystem on Thursday, March 23. Late last year, Vitalik Buterin proposed a 3 stage schema for decentralizing rollups, and with today's announcement Arbitrum has now become the first EVM rollup ever to achieve Stage 1. The milestone signifies an important achievement for both Arbitrum networks and for the state of Ethereum scaling more broadly. The $ARB token will facilitate the decentralization of the Arbirum network, and the $ARB airdrop will place the governance token in the hands of the users who are actively participating in the Arbitrum ecosystem. Users can visit gov.arbitrum.foundation and follow the prompts for eligibility details and to claim their share in governance. The majority of the $ARB supply will be under the control of the Arbitrum community via The Arbitrum Foundation, accelerating growth of the ecosystem organically. $ARB token holders will govern The Arbitrum Foundation through the Arbitrum DAO. Steven Goldfeder, CEO and Co-Founder of Offchain Labs commented: "We are extraordinarily excited for the official launch of The Arbitrum Foundation and DAO governance and to see Arbitrum One become the first EVM rollup to advance to Stage 1 decentralization, a tremendous milestone for both Arbitrum and Ethereum. Through the community airdrop, the delegation process, and the introduction of the Security Council, community participation and control is at the forefront of today's announcement, and the requirements for receiving a share of Arbitrum governance have been crafted meticulously, optimizing for the longevity of the ecosystem and community. Looking ahead, we're moving closer and closer toward a decentralized financial system, with the Arbitrum technology at the very forefront of that.." To facilitate effective community governance, users will be able to delegate voting power to individuals they view as effective stewards of their values. Delegates will be expected to vote on proposals that pass through the Arbitrum DAO in a way that represents the token-holders who have assigned their voting power to them. The Arbitrum DAO will have the power to control key decisions at the core protocol level, from how the chain's technology is upgraded to how the revenue from the chain can be used to support the ecosystem. Those interested in becoming a delegate are encouraged to visit the governance forum and apply. Crucially, Arbitrum's governance will be self-executing, meaning that the DAO's votes will directly have the power to effect and execute its on-chain decisions, and not rely on an intermediary to carry out those decisions. Self-executing governance is a critical milestone for decentralization and giving the community the power to govern the chain, and Arbitrum is leading the way as the first L2 to launch self-executing governance. The Arbitrum Foundation also announced the creation of the Arbitrum Security Council, a 12-member multisig of highly regarded community members designed to ensure the security of the chains and be able to act quickly in the event of a security vulnerability. The decision-making powers of the Security Council are determined by a smart contract that will require multiple secure signatures by its members in order to implement any changes to the protocol. In case of emergency, the Arbitrum Security Council will be able to act quickly but this will require participation from 9 of the 12 members. The Arbitrum DAO will be the ultimate governing body over the Arbitrum Security Council, with elections for the Council being held twice annually. The introduction further reinforces Arbitrum's focus on decentralization by giving the community the ability to play a more active role in Arbitrum governance and have a say over what occurs within the ecosystem. Arbitrum is the leading Layer 2 (L2) scaling solution for Ethereum, boasting the highest Total Value Locked (TVL) across all L2 networks with approximately $3.61B, 55% market share across all rollups, and the Arbitrum One network recently surpassed Ethereum daily transactions on two occasions. For more information, please visit the Arbitrum blog: http://arbitrumfoundation.medium.com/ About Offchain Labs Offchain Labs is a venture-backed and Princeton-founded company that was the initial developers of Arbitrum, a suite of secure scaling solutions for Ethereum. Arbitrum's technologies instantly scale dApps, significantly reducing costs and increasing speed, without sacrificing Ethereum's security. Porting contracts to Arbitrum requires no code changes or downloads as Arbitrum is fully EVM compatible. Offchain Labs also maintains Prsym, the leading Ethereum consensus client. About The Arbitrum Foundation The Arbitrum Foundation has a mission to help support and grow the Arbitrum network and its community while remaining at the forefront of blockchain adoption. The Foundation oversees the $ARB token and governance structure as well as the Arbitrum Security Council, a 12-member multisig of well regarded community members designed to ensure the security of the chains. Media contact: Dillon Arace, [email protected] SOURCE Arbitrum Foundation The Linn County Sheriff's Office has arrested a pair of Lebanon residents after the duo allegedly burglarized a property in Crabtree on Tuesday, March 14. Deputies arrested Aaron Barger, 37, and Ashley Waters, 34, on suspicion of first-degree burglary, criminal trespass and warrants for previous offenses. According to an agency news release, at around 7:15 p.m., deputies responded to the property at the 36000 block of Cold Springs Road for a burglary in progress. The property had been burglarized multiple time before, the news release said. Deputies discovered the homeowner was gone during Tuesday's incident. When deputies arrived at the scene, they found Barger and Waters in the house and they attempted to communicate with them so they would surrender. When the two were uncooperative, deputies utilized K9 Thunder and found the pair hiding in the house. Medics transported Barger to Albany General Hospital for injuries to his left forearm from the apprehension with Thunder, according to LCSO. The two were booked into Linn County Jail. "Burglaries often cause victims to feel violated and unsecure in their most private areas of life and we take that violation seriously," the news release said. "The use of a K9 gave our deputies the ability to apprehend these suspects in a manner that is safest for all involved." According to Oregon's online court database, Barger was arraigned in Linn County Circuit Court on Wednesday, March 15 on charges of first-degree burglary and possession of a burglary tool or theft device. Water was arraigned on one count of first-degree burglary. Findings reinforce growth in independent contract work in IT field service is not a fleeting trend but an attractive and sustainable way of working for experienced technicians while labor platforms and diversified projects make it easier to find and love their work. MINNEAPOLIS, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Field Nation, the leading on-demand labor platform for IT field service work, today released results from its "State of Independent Contracting in Field Services" report. The landmark study conducted by independent research firm Radius found that 62% of technicians prefer independent contracting, and 36% prefer a hybrid of independent contracting and traditional employment highlighting a dynamic shift in how work gets done. 67% of independent contractors choosing on-demand labor platforms have been doing on-site IT work for over a decade. Tweet this Mynul Khan, Founder and CEO of Field Nation 4 out of 5 IT field service independent contractors are satisfied, finding it easier to align their work with their top priorities -- including flexibility and autonomy. Many IT field service technicians prefer independent contracting, from retirees lending their skills to side hustles to professionals choosing to contract as their full-time career. Why are they making this shift? 36% of technicians cited flexibility, and 27% cited autonomy and control as top reasons, according to the newly-released report. Flexibility is a key reason why Tamika Fields chose to contract. "The standard workday model doesn't always accommodate work-life balance and balance is important to me," she says. "There were times that I had to leave the industry to go to school full-time or to be more present as a parent. With independent contracting, there is flexibility to select the type of work that helps you maintain a high-quality lifestyle without sacrifices." "Growth in independent contracting is taking hold in the field service industry as more technicians look for greater flexibility, autonomy, and control over their work and time," says Field Nation Founder and CEO Mynul Khan. "At the same time, field service leaders are searching outside the box for a strategic edge to combat competitive pressures and labor shortages. It is a win-win opportunity for those willing to embrace this shift and leverage a blended workforce." According to the report, 67% of independent contractors choosing on-demand labor platforms have been doing on-site IT work for over a decade. Moreover, 3 out of 4 independent contractors that use platforms have formal IT-related training and education, and 3 in 5 have an IT-related certification. "For technicians, these findings illustrate the engagement and satisfaction of working as an independent contractor," says Khan, "and for field service leaders, they are a testament to the highly-skilled, experienced professionals ready to support new and emerging technologies and who care about working with great companies and doing great work." Additional key findings: Independent contractors are satisfied with their work . 4 out of 5 IT field service independent contractors are satisfied, finding it easier to align their work with their top priorities, leading to increased job engagement and a willingness to continue their work. Over 70% stated their work-life balance has improved. . 4 out of 5 IT field service independent contractors are satisfied, finding it easier to align their work with their top priorities, leading to increased job engagement and a willingness to continue their work. Over 70% stated their work-life balance has improved. Here to stay. Contractors are committed to growth and new opportunities. 39% of IT field service contractors cited retirement as their main reason for not continuing with contracting, indicating an "all-in" attitude for many contractors. To read the full report, visit "State of Independent Contracting in Field Services" About State of Independent Contracting in Field Services: The report reviews current contractors' perceptions of field service contracting, including assessing the barriers and benefits. This report also incorporates secondary research on current workforce market status, trends, and the impact of recent economic events on the workforce and independent contract work. The study was conducted by independent research firm Radius during Q4 2022. In total, 889 respondents out of 9,015 technicians were invited to take the survey. Eligible survey participants included independent technicians who logged into Field Nation platform within the previous six weeks and completed a work order in the last six months. This response rate puts our confidence level at 95% with a ~3.1% margin of error. About Radius: Radius is a full-service marketing research company and consultancy that focuses on understanding the critical points of a brand's growth journey to help drive long-term success. Learn more at radiusinsights.com About Field Nation Field Nation connects businesses with a nationwide network of contract IT pros to get on-site work done. Businesses can build their flexible workforce in geographies across the U.S. and Canada and technicians can find work that fits their schedule and skill set. Our mission is to match every technician with the right job, and connect every service team to professionals who are invested in getting the job done right the first time. Learn more at fieldnation.com About Field Intel: Field Intel covers both the market at large and specific trends within the space. As the only analysis dedicated exclusively to on-site service trends, it aims to provide thoughtful intelligence and insight leaders can use to manage for today while planning for tomorrow. Field Intel's latest, The Definitive Guide To Field Service in 2023 , covers trends and predictions across verticals, services and technology. Tara Johnson Field Nation [email protected] SOURCE Field Nation BOCA RATON, Fla., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pulte Family, the founding family of Fortune 500 PulteGroup Inc, recently invested in Topline Heating and Air, a leading home services company in Lancaster Pennsylvania. "Led by founders Lyle Horst and Sam Matsuk, Topline is thriving in the Lancaster market and ready to take the company to the next level. With the addition of parts of the Pulte Plan, the brainchild of Pulte Homes Founder and Patriarch of The Pulte Family, William J. Pulte (1932-2018), The Pulte Family feels confident that Topline will dominate Lancaster and surrounding markets with their superior service," said a spokesperson for The Pulte Family "When The Pulte Family is looking to invest in companies, we are not just looking at the company, but at the founders and their vision as well. My grandfather William J. Pulte, founder of Pulte Homes, taught me that it takes a certain kind of person to be able to grow their company. Lyle and Sam are the type of people who can stomach the hard work and dedication it takes to grow this company. I look forward to seeing the continued success of Topline," said Bill Pulte, CEO of Pulte Capital and a former PulteGroup Director. "Partnering with William J. Pulte and The Pulte Family just makes sense. My team and I are excited to learn from the best and grow Topline to become Pennsylvania's best HVAC company," said Sam Matsuk, Co-Founder of Topline Heating and Air. The Pulte Family may or may not disclose its sale of these securities and reserves the right to acquire more or dispose of said securities without notification. The Pulte Family William J. "Bill" Pulte founded Pulte Homes, today PulteGroup Inc, in 1950 at age 18. Over the decades, Bill Pulte built Pulte Homes into The #1 USA Homebuilder. In 2016, after retiring the first time, William J. Pulte (1932-2018) and Bill Pulte (b. 1988), his grandson, successfully turned PulteGroup Inc around, even when non-business family members supported the failed Dugas Management Team versus the Pulte Homes Founder William J. Pulte. Mr. Pulte (b. 1988) was a PulteGroup Director from 2016-2020. Bill Pulte's Twitter Philanthropy became a giant success starting in June 2019, helping thousands of people and inspiring millions of people worldwide. Even after the passing of William J. Pulte (1932-2018), their work together continues through a collection of Pulte founded organizations, including The Bill Pulte Foundation. The Pulte Family has multiple companies and investment vehicles. See disclaimers for affiliated and unaffiliated organizations: PulteDisclaimers.com SOURCE The Pulte Family ThriveDX Forms Strategic Partnership With Nation's Leading Coalition Committed To Hiring And Advancing Black Individuals Without Four-Year Degrees MIAMI, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ThriveDX , the global leader in cybersecurity and digital skills training, today announced that they have joined forces with OneTen , a coalition designed to close the opportunity gap for Black talent in the United States by working with America's leading executives, companies and talent developers to hire and advance one million Black individuals without four-year degrees into sustainable roles over ten years. As an endorsed talent accelerator, ThriveDX joins OneTen's growing portfolio of leading educators, upskillers and career training providers committed to providing in-demand skills for sought-after jobs at the country's top employers. This collaboration will open up many potential opportunities to place Black talent into technology and cybersecurity B2B training programs. As part of OneTen's network of talent development partners, ThriveDX will join a robust network of leading local, regional, and national education and skill-building organizations that help diverse talent identify, develop, and build the skills needed to land lucrative careers that do not require college degrees. Through this partnership, ThriveDX will be able to connect OneTen employer members with talented, job-ready African American students in ThriveDX-powered programs. "At ThriveDX, not only is our purpose is to create generational impact, but also to change the face of the global workforce to close the digital skills gap and protect society against the biggest threat the world is seeing the cybersecurity threat," said Desiree Young, executive vice president of global partnership & strategic innovation at ThriveDX. "Through collaboration with prestigious organizations like OneTen, we'll develop more equitable access to opportunity and advancement for the students in ThriveDX-powered programs and help create more sustainable talent pipelines that will allow employees and employers to create a more digitally-safe economy." This partnership is more important than ever. The racial wealth gap in America remains vast, largely due to the lack of access to quality, well-paying jobs that do not require college degrees: 79% of jobs paying more than $50,000 require a four-year college degree, which automatically excludes the 76% of Black talent over age 25 with relevant experience who don't have baccalaureate degrees. In an economy where Black people only own 1.5% of America's wealth, the alarming racial wealth gap still exists. "We recognize that an individual with a four-year degree unrelated to technology is no more qualified for a cybersecurity role than another candidate who does not have a bachelor's degree, but who has done an intensive program in preparation for that exact position," said Maurice Jones, CEO of OneTen. "In partnering with ThriveDX to upskill more candidates in this burgeoning field, we are enabling Black talent to earn success and enjoy economic opportunity and mobility." ThriveDX and OneTen plan to empower and support the need for a diverse workforce through placement of Black talent into jobs that companies sorely need. By addressing unmet business needs, helping candidates find fulfilling employment and allowing more individuals to transition into careers with family-sustaining wages, an inclusive workforce is within reach. For more information about the ThriveDX and OneTen partnership, visit https://thrivedx.com/one-ten . About ThriveDX ThriveDX is the global leader in cybersecurity education, and an expert in providing cybersecurity training to upskill and reskill lifelong learners. Our teams are made up of military trained cyber experts, industry veterans and seasoned educators united to close the worldwide skills and talent gap in cybersecurity. Operating in two divisions education and enterprise ThriveDX's award-winning solutions exist to bridge the skills gap and impact the talent shortage in the cybersecurity and overall tech industry. The Education sector partners with top-tier academic institutions, enterprises, and government branches globally to offer advanced, professional development programs in cybersecurity and digital technology. The Enterprise branch (formulated by companies formerly known as Cybint Solutions, Kontra Application Security, Lucy Security, ThriveDX Labs, and HackerU Pro), is a suite of products and services that cater to non-technical employees, developers, IT professionals and anyone in between. For more information, visit https://thrivedx.com/ About OneTen Founded in 2020, OneTen is a coalition of leading chief executives and their companies who are coming together to upskill, hire and promote one million Black individuals who do not yet have a four-year degree into family-sustaining jobs with opportunities for advancement over ten years. OneTen connects employers with talent developers and other skill-credentialing organizations, leading nonprofits and community-based partners who support the development of diverse talent. By creating more equitable and inclusive workforces, we believe we can reach our full potential as a nation of united citizens. OneTen recognizes the unique potential in everyone every individual, every business, every community to change the arc of America's story with Black talent. Join us at OneTen.org, where one can be the difference. SOURCE ThriveDX VENICE, Fla. , March 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The America Project (TAP) proudly announces Mr. Thomas D. Homan as our Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Homan is a 34-year veteran of law enforcement, with 33 years dedicated to the enforcement of our nation's border and immigration law. In his new role as CEO, Mr. Homan assumes leadership of an organization on a national scale defending Rights & Freedoms, Election Integrity, and Border Security for all Americans. The America Project welcomes Tom Homan as CEO! Tweet this Ceo of The America Project Prior to assuming the CEO position at TAP, Tom Homan was appointed by President Donald J. Trump as the Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Under his outstanding leadership, the U.S. enjoyed the most secure border s in our nation's history. From Special Agent to Director, Mr. Homan improved ICE at every level. ICE grew into the largest investigative arm within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and became the second largest investigative agency in the federal government. Mr. Homan led the organization with more than 20,000 Special Agents, Officers, Attorneys, and support staff, with an annual budget of more than $8 billion while providing America with the most secure border s on record. Tom Homan remained the Director of ICE until his retirement on June 30th, 2018. Since retirement, he has tirelessly advocated for the Border Security community and for immigration reform measures that will restore border integrity. In 2022, the 5th United States District Court officially declared Homan to be a Recognized Expert in immigration enforcement and border security. Tom is universally recognized as the most important national leader defending our Nation's borders. His proven track record of selfless service, lifelong commitment to defending Rights and Freedoms, his unwavering faith in God and Country make him the exact leader that The America Project needs to continue defending the American people. To read Mr. Homan's biography and his extraordinary service to our country go to https://americaproject.com/about/ For more information contact: [email protected] "As someone who has been deeply involved in border security from the front line to the highest levels for nearly 35 years, I am excited about leading the professionals at The America Project to relaunch our new focus on Border Security. Through our Border911 program, we will educate the American people on the dangers of an open border to include criminals, gang members, child trafficking, massive drug flow and those that are known or suspected terrorists taking advantage of a vulnerable border. No country has good national security if they do not have good border security. It's past time to get the truth about our nation's vulnerable borders to the American People." -Thomas Homan "I am a serial entrepreneur I have started numerous businesses in various industries, but no business will prove as historically significant as The America Project, and in no business has it been such an honor to be involved. From the start I have seen my role as designing and building this extraordinary enterprise, knowing someday it would need a real National Security professional to lead it. Tom Homan is that professional. The Nation's top lawman will CEO the organization whose mission is to defend our borders, protect our rights and freedoms, and secure election integrity." -Dr. Patrick Byrne March 1, 2023 Founder of The America Project http://americaproject.com/ SOURCE The America Project Beloved underwear brand continues to provide comfort and support during challenging times. NEW YORK, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tommy John, a premium comfort-focused lifestyle brand, has announced its Emergency Underwear Replacement Act in response to the stress and uncertainty of current financial news. With their tongue firmly in their cheek, Tommy John is hosting a Buy 2 Get 1 Free offer on all their underwear, supporting customers who may have experienced a turbulent week given the recent news cycle. Using the code REFRESH at checkout customers can get a free pair of underwear with every two pairs purchased. "There's not much we can do to alleviate stress and concern during these challenging economic times," says Tom Patterson, CEO and Co-Founder of Tommy John. "What we can do is provide more comfortable solutions to our customers, and hopefully offer a little support in the process." Through the use of premium fabrics, innovative fit and problem solving functionality, Tommy John has created the world's most comfortable Men's and Women's Underwear. Tommy John's Men's Underwear assortment includes six silhouettes in seven fabric collections. Tommy John's Women's Underwear assortment includes five silhouettes in six fabric collections. The brand offers this wide variety of styles so that customers can best customize their preferred wearing experience. Underwear prices range from $15-$48. Tommy John's Emergency Underwear Replacement Act is in effect as of today through Monday. To purchase: please visit www.tommyjohn.com or follow @tommyjohn to learn more. For more information please contact: [email protected] About Tommy John: Tommy John is a comfort-focused lifestyle brand committed to addressing the real problems that men and women have with their clothing. Each product contains proprietary fabrics, innovative fit, and functionality that eliminates unnecessary discomfort and adjustments. Tommy John launched in 2008 with the world's first patented undershirt with a stay-tucked guarantee and has since expanded into underwear, bras, loungewear, and apparel. Tommy John products can be found in over 3,000 retail locations including Nordstrom, Dillard's, Dick's Sporting Goods, and in Tommy John stores in SouthPark Mall in Charlotte, North Carolina, Scottsdale Fashion Square in Scottsdale, Arizona, The Houston Galleria in Houston, Texas, The Mall at Green Hills in Nashville, Tennessee, Southlake Town Square just outside of Dallas, Texas, and online at tommyjohn.com. SOURCE Tommy John PRINCE GEORGE, Va., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Touchstone Bankshares, Inc. (the "Company") (OTC Pink: TSBA), parent company of Touchstone Bank (the "Bank"), is providing an update on its financial condition given recent market turmoil. James Black, President and CEO, stated, "Touchstone Bank is strong, diversified, and well-capitalized. Our capital strength is well above what is required by federal regulation. For over 117 years, we have made decisions that support our communities. We are proud to be a community bank with a well-diversified deposit base and loan portfolio that meet the unique needs of our community. We also hold a Superior 5-Star rating from Bauer Financial, an independent financial rating company for financial strength and performance amongst banks nationwide. Given the concerns in the market associated with the recent failures of Signature Bank and Silicon Valley Bank, we wanted to reassure our customers and shareholders that our conservative operating philosophy and relationship banking model make us significantly different from those banks. In fact, our net deposits have grown during the first quarter of 2023 and have grown further since the announced failures of Signature Bank and Silicon Valley Bank. We are monitoring the status of the Bank's $1.0 million subordinated debt investment with Signature Bank. We may be forced to recognize an impairment charge on this security, which would adversely impact the Bank's earnings in the period in which the charge is recognized. Regardless of the outcome of this investment, Touchstone Bank will continue to hold capital well in excess of regulatory standards for well-capitalized status and will have ample liquidity to ensure our customers have the financial resources to meet their obligations and grow their businesses. We have no other direct exposures to Signature Bank or Silicon Valley Bank." About Touchstone Bankshares, Inc. Touchstone Bankshares, Inc. is the bank holding company for Touchstone Bank. Most the Company's business activities are conducted through Touchstone Bank. Touchstone Bank is a full-service community bank headquartered in Prince George, Virginia. The Bank has ten branches serving Southern and Central Virginia and two branches and two loan centers serving Northern North Carolina. Visit www.touchstone.bank for more information. Forward-Looking Statements In addition to historical information, this press release may contain certain forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For this purpose, any statement that is not a statement of historical fact may be deemed to be a forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, and actual results could differ materially from historical results or those anticipated by such statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, changes in interest rates and general economic conditions; the legislative/regulatory climate; monetary and fiscal policies of the U.S. Government; the quality or composition of the loan or investment portfolios; demand for loan products; deposit flows; competition; demand for financial services in the Company's market area; mergers, acquisitions and dispositions; implementation of new technologies and the ability to develop and maintain secure and reliable electronic systems; and tax and accounting rules, principles, policies and guidelines. SOURCE Touchstone Bankshares, Inc. CHICAGO, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Trala, the innovative online music school, is excited to announce the closing of its $8M Series A funding round, led by Seven Seven Six, with participation from Lachy Groom Fund, Altman Capital, Next Play Ventures, and Concrete Rose Ventures. This latest investment brings Trala's total funding to $15M, supporting its mission to make world-class music education accessible to every single person on Earth. Trala's unique platform combines cutting-edge technology that listens to users play their instruments and provides instant feedback, with personalized 1-on-1 lessons from diverse and talented teachers. By doing so, Trala aims to create opportunities for a new generation of musicians who may not have had access to music education otherwise. The online music school has already attracted a diverse group of 1,000 students, including truck drivers, politicians, firefighters, grandmothers, surgeons, construction workers, and more. The company welcomes everyone and eagerly anticipates its growing community. Cristina Georgoulakis, Partner at Seven Seven Six, praised Trala's potential impact: "By making great music education so widely accessible, especially to those who haven't typically had access to it before, Trala is going to create a new generation of musicians from all walks of life." Alexis Ohanian, Founder of Seven Seven Six, also expressed his enthusiasm for Trala: "I didn't get far in my childhood piano or saxophone lessons, but that's probably because I didn't have Trala," added Alexis Ohanian, Founder of Seven Seven Six. "Now I'm 39 and hungry to finally learn to play an instrument and excited that I have Trala to help me." In 2022, Trala experienced 14X growth and added 30 new music teachers to its roster. The new funding will allow Trala to continue expanding its core offering for learning the violin while also exploring additional instrument options. The company anticipates creating up to 300 new jobs for musicians over the next two years, further bolstering its vibrant community of music teachers and learners. Trala envisions a future where global access to high-quality music education enables hundreds of millions of new people to learn an instrument for the first time, ultimately leading to an "all-ships-rise" moment for the music industry. This growth will result in more musicians, increased instrument sales, and a wealth of new music, sparking a virtuous cycle of learning and teaching. To join Trala's mission and explore career opportunities, visit https://trala.com/careers. About Trala: Trala is an online music school dedicated to making world-class music education accessible to everyone, regardless of age, location, or genre preference. By combining cutting-edge technology with personalized lessons from diverse, talented teachers, Trala empowers a new generation of musicians who may not have had access to music education before. For more information, visit https://trala.com. Media contact: Jeremy von Halle [email protected] SOURCE Trala The India-based robotics company aims to revolutionise intralogistics through efficient package sorting and order consolidation CHICAGO, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Unbox Robotics , a global plug & play robotics technology company for intralogistics, plans to expand its footprint in the international markets starting with the United States. With proven success within the domestic 3PL industry, the company is looking to make its tech available to meet the current demand for innovative plug & play automation solutions in the US. Unbox Robotics currently supports several leading e-commerce, retail and logistics companies across the globe to automate their fulfilment operations through its UnboxSort system. By vertically sorting parcels, the system helps customers achieve 3x productivity, sorting accuracy of 99.99% and space efficiency of 50 to 70%. The company announced that it is showcasing its breakthrough intralogistics automation technology at ProMat 2023 happening in Chicago from March 20-23 at booth N9513 and kicking off its entry into the US market. Commenting on the upcoming showcase, Pramod Ghadge , Co-Founder & CEO of Unbox Robotics, said, "We are excited to present our revolutionary parcel sorting & order consolidation robotics tech, UnboxSort at ProMat 2023 and demonstrate its benefits for companies of all sizes seeking automation. Powered by a swarm intelligence-based sorting mechanism, the UnboxSort system empowers customers to process parcel sortation efficiently and helps them scale up their operations and transition to Industry 4.0 with ease. Our participation at this industry event is our commitment to expand Unbox Robotics' footprint in the international markets in the coming months." Pramod added, "The system can be installed in less than two weeks and can sort items/parcels ranging from 1,000 to 20,000 per hour on demand, making it valuable for both small e-commerce startups to large multinational corporations." Unbox Robotics is backed by reputed global investors from US, India, UK and Singapore. Unbox Robotics has also been recognised as a sample vendor in the 2022 Gartner Hype Cycle for Mobile Robots and Drones, the 2022 Gartner Hype Cycle for Supply Chain Execution Technologies and the 2022 Gartner report for 'Emerging Tech Impact Radar: Smart Robots and Drones' and has also won several awards globally. To know more about Unbox Robotics, visit www.unboxrobotics.com Media inquiries: Verbly Integrated Communications Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] SOURCE Unbox Robotics Combined with its Anderson Project, UEC now controls more than 32 million pounds of measured and indicated resources and about 4.5 million pounds of Inferred resources in Arizona CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Uranium Energy Corp (NYSE American: UEC, the "Company" or "UEC") is pleased to announce that it has filed a Technical Report Summary ("TRS") on EDGAR disclosing mineral resources for the Company's Workman Creek Project in Arizona (the "Project"). Background: As a U.S. domestic and domiciled company, UEC is now reporting all mineral resources in accordance with Item 1302 of Regulation S-K ("S-K 1300"); S-K 1300 was adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") to modernize mineral property disclosure requirements for mining registrants and to align U.S. disclosure requirements more closely for mineral properties with current industry and global regulatory standards; The mineral resource estimates set forth in this TRS have not previously been reported under the S-K 1300 format; and Total disclosed Inferred resources for the Workman Creek Project is stated at 4,459,000 lbs. eU 3 O 8 with 1,981,000 tons grading 0.113% eU 3 O 8 . Drill data from 446 drill holes was used in the current mineral resource estimate. Amir Adnani, President and CEO stated: "We are pleased with this update of the Company's former NI-43 101 resources into fully compliant S-K 1300 resources for our Workman Creek Project. America's uranium resources are becoming increasingly important for utility and government buyers looking for reliable supplies from stable U.S. jurisdictions. Combined with our Anderson Project, UEC now controls more than 32 million pounds of measured and indicated resources and about 4.5 million pounds of Inferred resources in Arizona, a mining friendly state and home to the Palo Verde Nuclear Plant, the largest power producer in the U.S. The Workman Creek and Anderson Projects provide UEC's project pipeline with additional supply assurance for the longer-term requirements of utilities and the Federal government needs for U.S. unobligated uranium supply." The TRS was prepared under S-K 1300 and was filed on March 14, 2023 with the SEC through EDGAR on Form 8-K and is also available on SEDAR as a "Material Document" filed on March 14, 2023. The TRS was prepared on behalf of the Company by Douglas L. Beahm, P.E., P.G., Principal Engineer, and Carl Warren, P.E., P.G., Project Engineer, of BRS Engineering, and by Clyde L. Yancey, P.G., consulting geologist. About the Workman Creek Project The Workman Creek Project is located in Gila County, central Arizona, approximately 70 miles northeast of Phoenix and about 31 miles northwest of Globe, an historic mining center. The Project is located within the Tonto National Forest on either side of Workman Creek, approximately 3,000 ft east of State highway #288. The Project is located within portions of townships 5N, 6N and 7N; range 14E, Gila-Salt River Meridian. The Workman Creek Project consists of three claim blocks, the main contiguous claim block along Workman Creek and two non-contiguous claim blocks (Pendleton and Oak Creek), totaling 198 unpatented mining claims comprising approximately 3,871 acres. The Project and the surrounding area of the Sierra Ancha region are underlain by igneous and sedimentary rocks of Precambrian age. The sedimentary rocks are nearly flat-lying except for minor undulations near regional-scale monoclines. The Dripping Spring Quartzite is the host rock for uranium mineralization throughout the Sierra Ancha Region. Uranium mineralization in the Dripping Spring Quartzite consists of low-grade disseminations and concentrations in fine-grained strata and along bedding planes and higher-grade layers and veinlets. The area was previously partially mined. The Sierra Ancha region is host to 18 historic uranium mines which were in operation between 1953 and 1960. During that period, over 122,000 pounds of U3O8 concentrate was produced with an average grade of 0.20% U3O8. Within the Project area, drill data from 446 drillholes was used in the current mineral resource estimate, including hole location and ore grade data. The Company has not completed any drilling on the Project. Mineral Resources The mineral resource estimation described in the TRS utilizes geological interpretation methodologies, which have been employed by the authors for similar projects. The primary method utilized in estimating the uranium mineral resources is the Grade x Thickness ("GT") contour method. Although the Dripping Spring Quartzite is a metamorphosed sedimentary body, its tabular mineralization style bounded macroscopically by stratigraphy makes it amenable to the GT contouring method. The resource estimate was generated using drillhole sample results and the interpretation of a geologic model that relates and constrains the spatial distribution of eU 3 O 8 Mineral resources were estimated separately for each resource zone. First, the total contained mineralized material was estimated. Then, reasonable prospects for economic extraction were applied as described in the TRS. The results of the estimation of inferred mineral resources for the Project are reported in the following table. Workman Creek Project Inferred Mineral Resources Mineral Resource Estimates (0.3% Sum GT Cutoff) Tons (millions) Average Sum Thickness (ft) Average Grade (%eU3O8) Pounds eU3O8 (millions) North Resource Zone Inferred Mineral Resource 1.079 10.9 0.091 1.954 South Resource Zone Inferred Mineral Resource .902 8.9 0.139 2.505 ALL ZONES GRAND TOTALS Inferred Mineral Resource 1.981 9.9 0.113 4.459 Notes : 1. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. 2. Economic factors have been applied to the estimates in consideration of reasonable prospects for economic extraction. 3. Totals may not sum due to rounding. The technical information in this news release has been reviewed by each of Douglas L. Beahm, P.E., P.G., Principal Engineer, of BRS Engineering, and Clyde L. Yancey, P.G., consulting geologist, being Qualified Persons under Item 1302 of Regulation S-K. About Uranium Energy Corp Uranium Energy Corp is the fastest growing supplier of the fuel for green energy transition to a low carbon future. UEC is the largest, diversified North American focused uranium company, advancing the next generation of low-cost, environmentally friendly In-Situ Recovery (ISR) mining uranium projects in the United States and high-grade conventional projects in Canada. The Company has two production-ready ISR hub and spoke platforms in South Texas and Wyoming, anchored by fully licensed and operational central processing plants. UEC also has seven U.S. ISR uranium projects with all their major permits in place. Additionally, the Company has diversified uranium holdings including: (1) one of the largest physical uranium portfolios of U.S. warehoused U3O8; (2) a major equity stake in Uranium Royalty Corp., the only royalty company in the sector; and (3) a pipeline of resource stage uranium projects. The Company's operations are managed by professionals with decades of hands-on experience in the key facets of uranium exploration, development and mining. Stock Exchange Information: NYSE American: UEC Frankfurt Stock Exchange Symbol: U6Z WKN: AJDRR ISN: US916896103 Safe Harbor Statement Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented in this news release constitutes "forward-looking statements" as such term is used in applicable United States and Canadian securities laws. These statements relate to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. Any other statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans, "estimates" or "intends", or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and should be viewed as "forward-looking statements". Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, the actual results of exploration activities, variations in the underlying assumptions associated with the estimation or realization of mineral resources, the availability of capital to fund programs and the resulting dilution caused by the raising of capital through the sale of shares, accidents, labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry including, without limitation, those associated with the environment, delays in obtaining governmental approvals, permits or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, title disputes or claims limitations on insurance coverage. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Many of these factors are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this news release and in any document referred to in this news release. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially and that could impact the Company and the statements contained in this news release can be found in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company assumes no obligation to update or supplement any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities. SOURCE Uranium Energy Corp DUBLIN, March 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "US Army Primary Combat Systems Growth Opportunities" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This study examines the US Army's modernization efforts by analyzing official strategy documents, the 2023 Nation Defense Authorization Act, public statements made by senior decision makers, development programs, and contractual trends that comprise the Army's modernization efforts. Thirty-six months ago, the Army established a four-star command in Austin, Texas, named the US Army Futures Command. By incentivizing future technologies and capabilities, the Command will allow the Army to maintain a competitive edge on the battlefield. Futures Command established cross-functional teams of experts (military, civilian, and contractor) from each warfighting function to accomplish the Army's modernization objectives. General officers who lead the cross-functional teams are subject matter experts and C-suite executive leaders in their respective fields. During the last year, the US Army has made considerable progress in identifying and refining future requirements. By examining related public statements, reviewing documents, and assessing the operational environment, this report discusses several opportunities to pursue continued growth. Key Topics Covered: 1. Strategic Imperatives Why is it Increasingly Difficult to Grow? The Strategic Imperative 8T The Impact of the Top 3 Strategic Imperatives on the US Army Primary Combat Systems Growth Opportunities Fuel the Growth Pipeline EngineT 2. Growth Opportunity Analysis Purpose and Overview Primary Growth Drivers Restraints Related Contracts and Programs Long-Range Precision Fires Air and Missile Defense Future Vertical Lift Soldier Lethality Next-generation Combat Vehicles Networking Technologies Assured Positioning Navigation and Timing Synthetic Training Environments 3. Growth Opportunity Universe Growth Opportunity 1: Long-Range Precision Fires Growth Opportunity 2: Air and Missile Defense Growth Opportunity 3: Future Vertical Lift Growth Opportunity 4: Soldier Lethality Growth Opportunity 5: Next-Generation Combat Vehicle Growth Opportunity 6: Networking Technologies Growth Opportunity 7: Assured Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Growth Opportunity 8: Synthetic Training Environments Key Takeaways Legal Disclaimer For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/i9kzj8 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets New legal action filed Wednesday, March 15 over Oregon's beleaguered public defense system calls on the Marion County court to let overwhelmed public defenders withdraw from their cases and to dismiss those cases where no attorney is available. Broken defense: Peoples right to counsel routinely violated across West Across the West, public defense systems face crushing caseloads, historic underfunding, structural problems and staffing shortages, imperiling criminal defendants lives and denying them their constitutional right to counsel. "It is currently impossible for (Public Defender of Marion County, Inc.,) attorneys to provide constitutionally adequate representation to PDMC clients," Marion County Chief Public Defender Shannon Wilson said in a 35-page motion to withdraw public defenders from cases, starting with nonviolent misdemeanors, and decline future appointments. The motion comes days after a separate but similar class-action lawsuit against the state over its failing public defense system hit a setback. A judge accepted Friday, March 10 the state's motion to dismiss the case due to problems determining who is legally responsible for the crisis and who has the authority to fix it. The dismissal could get appealed. "We are certainly not going home and giving up," said Jason Williamson, executive director of NYUs Center on Race, Inequality and the Law, which helped file the class action last year. "Theres still work to do for sure." Both Wilson's motion and the class-action lawsuit seek case dismissals for the hundreds of low-income people each day in Oregon who are waiting for public defenders to represent them. As of Thursday, March 16, more than 800 people statewide were unable to get attorneys on their cases, including 76 of whom were in jail, according to the Oregon Judicial Department. Marion County had 52 unrepresented people Thursday, and Linn County had 147. Benton County is not listed as having unrepresented individuals. Although they have similar end goals, the motion to withdraw takes a different legal approach than the lawsuit. The motion isn't actually a lawsuit. It relies on Oregon and American Bar Association rules of professional conduct to argue Marion County's public defenders have so many cases they can't perform their work effectively. That means their clients get ineffective assistance of counsel a constitutional violation that the courts need to remedy, the motion argues. Longtime civil rights attorney and national public defense reform advocate Stephen Hanlon expects the motion to have statewide implications because those professional conduct rules apply to the entire state. Furthermore, if the judge denies the motion, it would get appealed to the Oregon Supreme Court. "The Supreme Court is in charge of the integrity of the Oregon criminal justice system, and the integrity of the Oregon criminal justice system has been brought into serious question in this case," Hanlon said. Hanlon said in a declaration of support for the motion that the workload in Wilson's office is "excessive, unethical and unconstitutional." Wilson's office has 18.5 full-time attorneys but needs 29 full-time attorneys to handle current caseloads, according to the motion. Because of "grossly excessive workloads," the office's public defenders cannot conduct case investigations, build relationships with clients, find expert witnesses, review documents or complete basic legal research, Wilson said in the motion. The other public defense provider in the county, the Marion County Association of Defenders, is also at capacity and can't take on new cases, according to the motion. The Sixth Amendment guarantees those accused of a crime but who cannot afford their own attorney have a constitutional right to an effective public defender. The Supreme Court has ruled that the American Bar Association's conduct rules and other "prevailing professional norms," such as the Oregon Rules of Professional Conduct for attorneys, can be used as a guide to determine whether an attorney is performing effectively. Those rules state public defenders should never take on more clients than they can competently represent nor recommend a plea before they complete the case investigation. Attorneys also must communicate regularly with their clients, stay informed on all legal options and remain conflict free. Wilson said attorneys often cannot meet these ethical responsibilities, resulting in Sixth Amendment violations. By a conservative estimate, the public defenders would have to spend 13 hours each working day on client representation alone to provide adequate representation, according to the motion. That time crunch forces public defenders to "'pick and choose between clients who will receive their limited time and attention, and others who will necessarily be neglected,'" creating "unconstitutional conflicts of interest" between their clients, Wilson states. The motion seeks a declaration from the court stating that the public defenders in Wilson's office have caseloads exceeding the maximum, which violates the Oregon Constitution. Wilson says the court is obligated to let attorneys withdraw from cases and deny new case assignments until their workload decreases and they have time to provide constitutionally adequate legal representation again. "Public defenders cannot be ordered to violate the law," Hanlon said. Wilson also argues the court must provide relief to those defendants who cannot get attorneys by ordering dismissal of their cases, starting with nonviolent misdemeanors. Wilson said there's no other constitutional option. "This court has no choice but to dismiss appropriate cases until workloads comport with constitutional requirements and public defenders ethical duties," Wilson states. Wilson requests an evidentiary hearing for the motion. Dismissal difficulties Williamson's class-action lawsuit also sought case dismissals, but the request ran into a legal snag. Filed on behalf of unrepresented Oregonians, the lawsuit demanded that the state either provide public defenders immediately to those without attorneys or dismiss their cases. The lawsuit also asked the court to declare the current public defense system unconstitutional and unlawful. Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Eric Dahlin dismissed the latest version of the class-action lawsuit Friday in part because he said he doesn't have the authority to force other circuit court judges to dismiss the criminal cases they are overseeing. He said it might be more appropriate for a higher judge, such as an appeals judge, to order the lower courts to make dismissals. Dahlin said the unrepresented people named in the suit should seek relief for the denial of their constitutional right to counsel in their individual criminal cases instead of in a class action lawsuit. The first version of the lawsuit was dismissed for similar reasons in September. Williamson said it doesn't make sense for unrepresented people "to make some complicated constitutional arguments by themselves in their criminal case." He noted some circuit courts have already started to temporarily dismiss cases when no public defender is available, suggesting that's a viable remedy. But Dahlin said the fact that dismissals are happening shows this problem is already being addressed on an individualized basis. Multnomah County dismissed nearly 300 felony and misdemeanor cases last year because no defense attorney was available, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney. Charges dismissed include 80 car thefts, 26 felon in possession of a firearm cases, 25 eluding police cases, nine assaults, six burglaries and three felony hit-and-runs. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Albany Democrat-Herald. Judges are dismissing most cases without prejudice, meaning they can be refiled at a later date. Prosecutors opposed each one of the dismissals, arguing that victims have a right to get restitution and have laws enforced, said Elisabeth Shepard, former spokesperson for the district attorney's office. For nearly every defendant without counsel, there are one or more victims awaiting justice," Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt said in a statement. "Months into this crisis, many are still waiting for their day in court while others have seen their cases dismissed altogether. This sends a message to crime victims in our community that justice is unavailable and their harm will go unaddressed." Aliza Kaplan, Lewis & Clark Law School professor and director of the Criminal Justice Reform Clinic, said when multiple laws are in conflict with each other like victims' right to have laws enforced, public defenders' professional obligations and defendants' right to counsel "the constitutional rights always trump." Lawyers' professional conduct rules are part of the right to counsel, though, so those need to be followed too, she said. To me, they're all connected in some way," Kaplan said. "I mean, what is the right to counsel if the lawyer isnt capable of actually providing the right to counsel?" In civil rights lawsuits, Kaplan said judges have a lot of leeway in crafting solutions to remedy the constitutional violations. Kaplan said she doesn't see an issue with judges dismissing some cases to ease workloads, especially if those cases can still be prosecuted at a later date. But she noted it's up to the judge to determine the right solution. Hanlon said cases without counsel should be dismissed permanently so the defendants aren't waiting around, wondering if the state will file charges against them. He's not sure whether the Marion County Circuit Court judge who ends up taking the case will have the same issues with case dismissals as Dahlin had. "If the state isnt ready to provide a competent lawyer to the defendant, then it needs to leave the defendant alone," Hanlon said. "Thats it." Whom to sue? Williamson and civil rights attorneys with the Oregon Justice Resource Center have also had trouble determining the right person to sue over the state's failing public defense system. Wilson's motion might not run into that problem because no one is being sued in that case. The first version of the class action was dismissed in part because the judge said the Oregon governor was not the right person to sue because the governor doesn't have the power to fix the problem. In the latest version, the civil rights attorneys sued the state as a whole, the executive director of the Office of Public Defense Service and members of the Public Defense Commission. Dahlin threw out the charges against the state when he accepted the dismissal. Williamson said the commissioners and executive director might be the right officials to hold accountable for the crisis, and they're still technically being sued. That part of the lawsuit hasn't been dismissed yet. But, like the governor, they don't have the means to fix the problem because they can't dismiss cases without counsel, and they don't have the power to allocate funding. That's up to the Legislature. "Because this is an issue of resources, ultimately, its a matter for the Legislature to figure out a way to fund the public defense system and to encourage people to join as public defenders," Dahlin said. Williamson said they can't sue the Legislature to provide more funding because that would raise separation of powers concerns. The judiciary can't tell the legislative branch how to spend taxpayer dollars. Legislative work Meanwhile, lawmakers are at work to drum up long-term solutions to the public defense crisis. A workgroup of lawmakers, judicial system members and public defense group representatives plans to release by April 4 a bill that would restructure Oregon's public defense system, said Rep. Paul Evans, D-Monmouth, co-chair of the workgroup. Oregon is the only state in the nation that relies solely on fixed-fee contracts with attorneys to provide defense services. Instead of paying its own staff an hourly wage, the state outsources its public defense to nonprofit organizations, private law firms, groups of attorneys and some individual attorneys. Jon Mosher, deputy director of the Sixth Amendment Center, said fixed-fee contracts are "universally banned by national standards" because they incentivize lawyers to take too many cases and do as little work as possible on each. Evans said the forthcoming bill will include plans for hiring some public defenders as state employees under a phased approach. A draft bill has a state-run public defender office providing 25% of public defense services by 2030, but Evans said that timeline is not finalized. We are going to try to stabilize the workforce and stabilize it by emphasizing hiring in the future of state employees," Evans said. "We are going to be going in that direction." A final draft will be released sometime in the next few weeks. Also on the table are two bills introduced by Sen. Chris Gorsek, D-Gresham, that would provide more funding for public defense and create a statewide pathway to dismissal for people accused of low-level crimes. The bills are supported by the In Defense of Humanity Coalition, which includes the ACLU of Oregon, the Urban League of Portland and local union AFSCME. The funding proposal would create a state student-loan forgiveness program and a state-run public defense services pilot where lawyers would be deployed to the areas hardest hit by public defender shortages. The other bill would make pre-plea diversion from jail a possibility in all misdemeanor cases, non-person class C felonies and intoxicated driving cases. The charges could be dismissed if the accused follows a judge's orders while released from jail. Jennifer Parrish Taylor, Urban League of Portland director of advocacy and public policy, said people would still take responsibility for their actions but get a chance at redemption. Cases might resolve quicker, easing burdens on public defenders. "Its an additional pathway of diversion that shrinks that system, so folks arent automatically getting a record for something that theyve done," Parrish Taylor said. "Especially for communities of color, specifically Black communities, this is important for us. Were really disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system. ... Anything we can do to interrupt that kind of cycle of folks going into the system, were looking to do." Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene, the other workgroup co-chair, said the panel plans to look at the student-loan forgiveness and funding bill, but he's not sure if anything will move forward with the diversion program proposal. Kaplan said she hopes lawmakers will improve the system, rather than just throwing money at a problem. "Were in a moment," Kaplan said. "It could be that in three years we have one of the best public defense systems in the country. We have the opportunity right now to create something. Theres money. Theres support. Theres interest. Theres understanding. The only question really is, are we going to rise to the occasion?" Related stories: Integration of prefilled VIN data from third-party partner increases accuracy and speed quoting for commercial auto insurance DENVER, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Vertafore, the leader in modern insurance technology, today announced it has added commercial auto insurance to the lines of business available for small commercial rating and quoting on Commercial Submissions. With access to commercial auto quotingalong with the platform's other lines of business for workers comp, BOP and general liabilityindependent agencies can provide clients with competitive, real-time choices to secure their most essential business insurance coverage needs. S&P Global Market Intelligence reported that more than $44 billion in U.S. commercial auto direct premiums were written in the first three quarters of 2022. To further speed up the quoting process for commercial auto coverage, Commercial Submissions includes third-party data from VINtelligence from S&P Global Mobility. This integration automatically prefills up to nine key data fields per vehicle, including make, model, gross weight and the vehicle identification number (VIN)saving agents time and improving data quality for carriers. S&P Global Mobility VIN decoding solutions are used by nearly 90% of U.S. state DMVs and 50% of the top 100 insurance carriers. "Adding commercial auto quoting to Commercial Submissions is another milestone in Vertafore's commitment to simplify and automate insurance distribution so our customers can focus on what matters most to them," said Jess Butler, vice president of product management at Vertafore. "The ability to quickly access multiple quotes, while reducing manual data entry, enables independent agents to provide their clients with better coverage options in less time." "Commercial insurance clients often have to cover multiple risks to fully protect their business, from workers comp to commercial auto," said Kathy Gregerson of Greater Insurance Service in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. "As an agent who works exclusively on commercial accounts, it's a huge advantage to be able to quickly uncover multiple quotes across key lines of business to get clients the best coverage for their needs." Commercial Submissions named Product of the Year for Insurance Since the platform's general availability release in 2022, user data demonstrates 3050% time savings in quoting small commercial risks, earning Commercial Submissions multiple insurance industry awards. Most recently, Commercial Submissions was recognized by the 2023 BIG Innovation Awards as Product of the Year in the insurance category. Awardees are judged by recognizable leaders with extensive business expertise. The award reinforces the value Commercial Submissions brings to the insurance industry by simplifying and automating the commercial insurance quoting and rating process. About Vertafore As North America's InsurTech leader for more than 50 years, Vertafore is modernizing and simplifying the insurance life cycle so that our customers can focus on what matters most. Vertafore's solutions provide end-to-end connectivity across the distribution channel, improve the client and agent experience, unlock the power of data, and streamline essential workflows to drive efficiency, productivity, and profitability for independent agencies, MGAs and carriers. For more information about Vertafore, visit www.vertafore.com. 2023 Vertafore and the Vertafore logo are registered trademarks of Vertafore. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. MEDIA CONTACT: Liz Reilly, Next PR [email protected] SOURCE Vertafore MIAMI and RICHMOND, Va., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has chosen ClassWallet to track, report and facilitate the distribution of up to $30 million in Emergency Assistance for Non-Public Schools (EANS) Funds for K-12 Learning Recovery Grants to families to offset the effects of student learning loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Approved funds will be allocated in $3,000 and $1,500 microgrants. Qualifying students whose family income doesn't exceed 300% of the Federal Poverty Level will receive a $3,000 K-12 Learning Recovery Grant; all other qualifying students will receive a $1,500 grant. The monies are designated for in-person, virtual or hybrid general and/or special education tutoring in one-on-one, small group or large group settings. Families approved for the microgrants will receive a digital wallet account from ClassWallet which they can access from any device. They can then purchase program-compliant educational materials and services through the program's portal. "ClassWallet's leading digital wallet technology provides confidence that the funds are helping Virginia families and making the impact for children the program is designed to have. It's the heartbeat of our brand," said Jamie Rosenberg, CEO and founder, ClassWallet. "We are eager to support the Virginia Department of Education by implementing digital wallets to unlock the full potential of these public funds toward maximizing opportunity for student success." For more information about ClassWallet, send an email to [email protected] or call 877-969-5536. About ClassWallet Founded in 2014, ClassWallet (www.classwallet.com) is the leading digital wallet technology platform for federal, state and local education and government agencies. Saving valuable time and overhead costs to track, pay and facilitate rules-based purchases and reimbursements. ClassWallet is used in 27 states and by 20 state agencies across 6,200 schools serving 6.1 million students. ClassWallet's integrated marketplace of leading suppliers and learning curricula includes top retailers like Office Depot, Staples, Scholastic, School Specialty, Lakeshore Learning, and more. Headquartered in Miami, ClassWallet has been ranked number 779 on the prestigious Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. in 2022 and the 56th fastest growing financial services company. It also ranks as the 155th fastest growing company in North America according to the Deloitte Technology Fast 500. CONTACTS: Doug Wright / Henry Feintuch Feintuch Communications 646-753-5711 / 646-753-5710 [email protected] Media room SOURCE ClassWallet SEATTLE, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Washington Poison Center is pleased to announce the winner of its 17th annual Poison Prevention Poster Contest : Aarav Pillay, a 6th grade student at Kent Laboratory Academy in Kent, Washington. Washington's official poster for National Poison Prevention Week 2023. Artwork by Aarav Pillay, a 6th grade student at Kent Laboratory Academy in Kent, WA. Over seventy Washington students in kindergarten through 6th grade submitted posters showing how Mr. Yuk and the Washington Poison Center help keep everyone safe from harmful substances. The Washington Poison Center partnered with Seattle Children's for a second consecutive year to promote the poster contest and provide an online poison safety curriculum for elementary-aged students. A panel of judges from Seattle Children's selected Aarav's poster as the winner: "Aarav did a wonderful job showing us many of the places that Mr. Yuk is stuck!" stated Isabell Sakamoto, Suicide and Injury Prevention Program Manager at Seattle Children's. "We see that poisonous substances come in many forms and could be all around the home and places we visit throughout the community. We thank Aarav for sharing his wisdom and creativity, and the Washington Poison Center for being an incredible resource for the community!" Aarav's artwork was transformed into the official Washington State Poison Prevention Poster for National Poison Prevention Week, March 19-25, 2023. Organizations may download the poster here to print, or here to post on social media. Mr. Yuk and Aarav will also virtually meet with Washington state legislators to discuss his artwork, poison prevention, and how legislators help keep Washingtonians safe. The Washington Poison Center encourages organizations and communities to participate in National Poison Prevention Week. Download the partner toolkit, order free materials, and visit the Washington Poison Center's Facebook page for educational events and activities. Media contact: [email protected] About the Washington Poison Center: The Washington Poison Center, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, has assisted Washingtonians for over 65 years with information and expert treatment advice on poisonings, drug overdoses, and toxic exposures. Through its emergency telephone helpline, staffed 24/7/365 by nurses and pharmacists with expert-level training in toxicology, the Washington Poison Center helped over 53,000 patients in 2021. In addition, as part of its core mission and services, the Washington Poison Center provides public education, community outreach, and assistance with emergency preparedness and response. SOURCE Washington Poison Center BENTON HARBOR, Mich., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) today announced that it achieved Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWtL) Gold or Platinum status (self-certification) at its large manufacturing sites worldwide1, as part of the company's ambitious and long-standing commitment to sustainable operations. Whirlpool Corporation first set its goal to reach Zero Waste to Landfill in 2012 and has continued to invest in plant efficiency and waste reductionworking closely with recyclers and sustainability vendors to find new, innovative ways to eliminate waste and contribute to the circular economy. This goal is aligned with the UL ECVP 2799 Zero Waste to Landfill standard, which requires at least 95 percent diversion from landfills. "Sustainability is central to Whirlpool Corporation's culture. We are relentless in our efforts to improve the way we produce and manufacture our products to deliver on our social and environmental sustainability goals while not compromising product performance," said Marc Bitzer, CEO and chairman, Whirlpool Corporation. "Our Zero Waste to Landfill achievement is a significant milestone that underscores the commendable dedication and collective commitment from our team to drive meaningful change. We will continue to unite our sustainable practices with our corporate purpose to support our communities and grow our business." Zero Waste to Landfill is part of Whirlpool Corporation's ongoing commitment to World Class Manufacturing ( WCM ), which sets the highest standards for manufacturing excellence and is the foundation for the company's sustainable manufacturing journey. The company continues to score higher along the WCM Environmental criteria and has led several key initiatives besides ZWtL, including in biodiversity, green buildings, renewable energy, and energy retrofits. To achieve the Zero Waste to Landfill goal, Whirlpool Corporation has maintained an unwavering commitment to do the right thing for consumers and the planet while not compromising product performance. Recognizing its climate impact, in 2021 the company also announced a commitment to reach a net zero emissions target (scope 1 and 2) in its global plants and operations by 2030, spanning all direct (Scope 1) and power-related (Scope 2) emissions. Several actions have already been implemented towards this goal: The company has reduced its carbon footprint by accelerating energy-saving plant retrofits and entering two wind Virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs) that will generate wind energy equivalent to 100% of Whirlpool Corp.'s U.S. manufacturing plant energy consumption. The company also issued its inaugural $300 million sustainability bond in April of 2021 to finance social and environmental projects across the organization. in April of 2021 to finance social and environmental projects across the organization. In February of 2022, Whirlpool Corporation joined the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Better Climate Challenge which targets a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent within 10 years and collaborating with the DOE and other organizations to cut carbon and save energy. "For more than 50 years, Whirlpool Corporation has prioritized social and environmental sustainability to support its people, the communities where we live and operate, and the planet," said Sr. VP of Community Relations and Sustainability Pam Klyn. "This accomplishment is a testament to the meaningful work of our employees around the globe and we look forward to building on this momentum through our sustainability efforts in 2023 and beyond." Zero Waste to Landfill goal reached for all large global manufacturing facilities owned by Whirlpool at December 31, 2022 with the exception of a new manufacturing facility in Argentina that opened Oct. 28, 2022 and the InSinkErator business which was acquired on Oct. 31, 2022 . About Whirlpool Corporation Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is committed to being the best global kitchen and laundry company, in constant pursuit of improving life at home. In an increasingly digital world, the company is driving purposeful innovation to meet the evolving needs of consumers through its iconic brand portfolio, including Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, Consul, Brastemp, Amana, Bauknecht, JennAir, Indesit, Yummly and InSinkErator. In 2022, the company reported approximately $20 billion in annual sales, 61,000 employees and 56 manufacturing and technology research centers. Additional information about the company can be found at WhirlpoolCorp.com. SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation BOSTON, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Zus Health , (pronounced "Zoose"), a next-generation shared health data platform bringing distributed patient data directly to the point of care, announced today that the company has closed a $40 million financing. Investors include JAZZ Venture Partners, F-Prime Capital, Maverick Ventures, and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). Zus will use this funding to continue growing its platform with additional unique data sources, workflow and referral solutions, and integration pathways to empower healthcare providers to leverage external patient data in their care and collaborate around a shared patient record. In addition, Elation Health , the fastest-growing technology platform for high-value primary care currently supporting millions of patients, is enhancing its own data collaboration systems by integrating the Zus Aggregated Profile. Clinicians will be able to access expanded patient records from hospitals, clinics, labs, and pharmacies in real-time that help ensure the highest-quality care. "The Zus partnership will drastically accelerate Elation's ability to build out market-leading EHR solutions to support population health and value-based care initiatives," said Kyna Fong, CEO and co-founder of Elation Health. "Together, Elation and Zus are optimizing how external health data is synthesized within the EHR platform, which will support many of our key goals, such as reducing clinician burden, strengthening the patient-physician relationship, and driving primary care success." Healthcare data today remains highly fragmented, with providers frequently spending more time gathering patient data and entering it into their EMR than with their patients delivering care. The industry desperately lacks information fluidity, and with that a shared, consistent understanding across providers of how and when their patients are interacting with the healthcare system. Zus is building a healthcare common ground. In order for healthcare technology to deliver on the promise of transforming care delivery, patient data must be rapidly, accurately, and securely moving through the healthcare system to the right place at the right time. With its connected data platform, Zus is uniquely positioned to address these needs and enable the long-awaited collaborative healthcare ecosystem. "We have found a critically important role for Zus as the common information ground behind the many great electronic medical records, CRMs, and patient care technologies that healthcare works with," said Zus CEO Jonathan Bush. "What has been long overdue is a vision of digestible, comprehensive patient information at the point of care, which Zus is uniquely situated to bring about." The Zus platform is centered around the Zus Aggregated Profile , or ZAP, which represents a single, comprehensive, and actionable view of a patient's healthcare information. Alongside the ZAP, the Zus platform includes a FHIR-native data store and is built on common patient record technology to facilitate real-time, cross-provider insights into every patient, which saves customers a significant amount of time in their daily operations. The companies succeeding in healthcare today are those that have proven they can truly scale, and the ZAP enables provider scalability by empowering customers to serve a higher volume of patients without compromising on care quality or drastically increasing personnel. Along with providing physician, clinical staff, and developer time-savings, patient data access can also lead to improved health outcomes, higher patient satisfaction, and greater cost savings for healthcare organizations by facilitating more informed, holistic care and fewer duplicated tests and procedures. Ultimately, Zus plans to scale its platform to become the go-to source of aggregated health records for Americans, replacing pages of unstructured data from PDFs and faxes with an always-on network of healthcare insights. "Zus's ability in this market to secure the capital and support they need to really scale their platform is a testament to the potential of the company to create the connective tissue for healthcare," said Andrew Firlik, Managing Partner at JAZZ Venture Partners and newly added Zus board member. "Healthcare has needed a shared patient record for decades at this point, and we believe Zus is our best hope to achieve this vision and help deliver on the promise of technology-enabled care." About Zus Health Zus Health is a shared health data platform designed to accelerate healthcare data interoperability by providing easy-to-use patient data at the point of care via API, embedded components, and direct EHR integrations. Founded in 2020 by Jonathan Bush, co-founder and former CEO of athenahealth, Zus partners with HIEs and other data networks to aggregate patient clinical history and then translates that history into user-friendly information at the point of care. Their networks provide access to data across 70K+ provider sites and 270M+ patients. Zus's mission is to catalyze healthcare's greatest innovators by maximizing the value of patient insights - so that they can build up, not around. To learn more, visit www.zushealth.com . SOURCE Zus Health Muzaffarnagar : , March 16 (IANS) A member of a gang of motorcycle thieves surrendered at the Mansoorpur police station in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar, carrying a placard in his hand. The accused has been identified as Ankur. The placard read, "Forgive me, Yogi, I made a mistake." Station House Officer, Rajat Tyagi, said, "The accused reached the police station on Wednesday with the village chief and members of his family, fearing an encounter. He also sought forgiveness and pledged that he would never commit any crime again. He has been taken into custody and sent to jail. He is wanted in several cases, including attempted murder (IPC section 307) and loot (IPC section 390)." This comes a day after an encounter between the police and his gang. Deputy Superintendent of Police (Khatauli), Ravi Shankar Mishra, said, "While two members of the notorious gang were arrested on Tuesday, one of them had managed to escape. We have recovered three bikes and illegal weapons from the accused. Further investigation is underway in the matter." There have been more than 9,000 encounters in Uttar Pradesh since Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath came to power, with nearly 160 suspected criminals being killed in them, as per police records. Nicosia, March 16 : The UN is committed to a resolution of the Cyprus problem, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary A. DiCarlo said here. DiCarlo made the statement on Wednesday after separate meetings with leaders of the estranged Turkish and Greek Cypriot Communities in the divided capital Nicosia. In a statement to reporters, the UN official said she made clear to Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar the commitment of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to a solution of the Cyprus problem, and discussed with him the prospects of resuming negotiations to that end, Xinhua news agency reported. After meeting DiCarlo, the Turkish Cypriot leader said that his "vision" for two separate Cypriot sovereign states must be accepted before negotiations could restart. "We discussed at length the Cyprus issue and we just want to reiterate the commitment of the Secretary-General to supporting a resolution of the Cyprus issue," she said after meeting with Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides, who assumed office as new Cyprus President nearly two weeks ago. Christodoulides said he requested a meeting with Guterres to explain a plan for a close involvement of the European Union in solving the Cyprus issue. The UN has been involved in the Cyprus peace negotiations for almost half a century. The process, which was aimed at a solution on the basis of a UN-brokered blueprint for a federal Cyprus state and power sharing between the two Cypriot communities, has been stalled since the collapse of a UN-led international conference in Switzerland in 2017. United Nations, March 16 : The world body is ramping up support for government response in Malawi and Mozambique after Tropical Cyclone Freddy's second landfall over the weekend, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). According to the authorities of Malawi, at least 225 people have been killed and 700 others injured. The cyclone has displaced 88,000 people and affected 186,000 in the country, OCHA added on Wednesday. The UN and its humanitarian partners are ramping up the response in support of the government-led relief efforts. Authorities say there is a risk of further flooding, and many people are still stranded, said the office. The government's immediate priority is search and rescue. OCHA is coordinating with authorities to mobilise additional teams. But difficult weather conditions have hampered rescue efforts. In the past two days, at least 178 people have been rescued, including with the support of boats from the World Food Programme, it added. Despite inclement weather, OCHA is moving vital supplies to the second-largest city of Blantyre and toward the hardest-hit districts. These supplies include food, shelter, bedding, kitchen sets, mobile latrines, medical supplies, and dignity and hygiene kits, said OCHA. "We are looking to expand operations as soon as the rains clear." Humanitarian workers are supporting Malawi's Emergency Operations Centre on coordination and assessments, and experts from the UN Satellite Centre are examining the storm's impact, it added as quoted by Xinhua news agency report. In Mozambique, where both landfalls took place, the authorities said the cyclone's second landfall has affected nearly 94,000 people in five provinces -- in addition to more than 239,000 people affected by flooding in southern and central Mozambique when the storm first struck on February 24, said OCHA. The impact of heavy rains and flooding is concerning, particularly as cholera spreads to more areas of the country. The number of cases is rising. As of Tuesday, 54 deaths and nearly 8,700 cases had been reported, it added. In Zambezia province, more than 9,000 homes have been partially or completely destroyed. Large swathes of land are under water, and roads are not passable, making it difficult for aid workers to carry out assessments, it said. Still, humanitarian partners there have dispatched enough medical kits for 150,000 people for three months, as well as rapid cholera tests, and tents and fuel to support the General Hospital in Quelimane, it added. While the full humanitarian impact of the crisis will only be known in the coming days, it is clear that investments in government-led early-warning and early-action initiatives have resulted in fewer fatalities. However, the immediate humanitarian impact and longer-term economic implications for Mozambique are enormous, said OCHA. Jerusalem, March 16 : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a mediating proposal suggested by President Issac Herzog, saying his government will continue to push through the controversial and divisive judicial reform. Herzog put forward his proposal on Wednesday night after weeks of talks with ministers from the coalition government, opposition lawmakers, and legal experts. Warning that Israel is "on the verge of civil war," Herzog said his plan suggests a compromise that reflects the stance of wide sections of Israeli society, Xinhua news agency reported. "We are at a crossroads: a historical crisis or a defining constitutional moment," he warned. Nearly an hour later, Netanyahu rejected the proposal in a statement at the airport before embarking on a trip to Berlin. He said the president's outline is not agreed upon by his coalition. "Key sections of the outline he presented only perpetuate the existing situation and do not bring the required balance to the Israeli authorities," he said. The overhaul, pushed ahead by Netanyahu's new governing coalition, would give him and his coalition allies the power to override Supreme Court decisions and to decide all judicial appointments. According to Netanyahu, the overhaul is needed to curb the "overly activist" Supreme Court. However, the plan sparked a huge uproar and some of the largest rallies seen in the country in the past decades. Legal experts, business leaders, and senior security officials have warned that it will ruin the separation of power mechanism in the government. They also argue that Netanyahu, on trial over graft charges, has a conflict of interest. Ottawa, March 16 : Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand has announced additional military assistance to Ukraine. Canada will donate nearly 8,000 rounds of 155mm ammunition, as well as 12 air defence missiles sourced from Canadian Armed Forces' (CAF) inventory, to sustain the air defence systems currently deployed in Ukraine, Anand said in a statement issued by the Defence Ministry on Wednesday. Canada will also donate more than 1,800 rounds of 105mm tank training ammunition, to support the donation of Leopard 1 tanks announced by Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands, she added. She also confirmed that the CAF started the shipments of the additional Leopard 2 main battle tanks pledged by Canada at the end of February, Xinhua news agency reported. Canada has committed eight Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine in total. All eight tanks, and the previously announced armoured recovery vehicle, ancillary equipment, and ammunition donated by Canada, are expected to be in Ukraine in the coming weeks, the statement said. Since February 2022, Canada has committed other military assistance donations to Ukraine, including more than 200 Senator commercial pattern armoured vehicles, a National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System with associated munitions, 39 armoured combat support vehicles, and anti-tank weapons. CAF personnel are currently deployed to both the UK and Poland to assist with training members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces under Operation UNIFIER, Canada's military training and capacity building mission in support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Since the start of Operation UNIFIER in 2015, the CAF has trained more than 35,000 members of the Security Forces of Ukraine, according to the Canadian Defence Ministry. Helsinki, March 16 : Finnish President Sauli Niinisto has said that during his upcoming visit to Turkey he would acknowledge reception of the Turkish response to the ratification of Finland's NATO membership. Contact with the Turkish presidential administration has been frequent since last spring, Niinisto added on Wednesday, and has accelerated in recent days. The Finnish President also said he has been in contact with the Swedish Prime Minister, adding that it is very important to Finland that NATO membership both for his country and Sweden should materialise as soon as possible. Niinisto's working visit to Turkey this Thursday and Friday was announced by the Finnish presidential office earlier on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported. Niinisto will meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Friday. In addition to NATO membership and post-earthquake reconstruction, topics on the agenda include the geopolitical situation, and bilateral relations between Finland and Turkey, the presidential office said. Finland and Sweden submitted applications to join NATO on May 18, 2022. So far, 28 of NATO's member countries have ratified the applications, but Turkey and Hungary have not yet approved the Scandinavian countries' memberships. Kiskoros : , March 16 (IANS) Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has called for peace and independence while hailing the country's well-known poet and national hero Sandor Petofi. "We see Petofi, who would have written the word 'Peace' at the top of the twelve points," Orban said on Wednesday here on the 175th anniversary of Hungary's 1848 revolution and freedom fight, referring to the 12-point demand of Hungarian rebels given to the Austrians ruling over Hungary in 1848. In front of the house where Petofi was born 200 years ago, the Prime Minister made a very swift allusion to the Russian-Ukrainian war, in which Hungary shares China's call for an immediate cease-fire and the beginning of peace talks, Xinhua news agency reported. Orban underlined that the 1848 revolution against the Austrian Empire can also be interpreted as Hungarians rebelling when "foreigners wanted to tell the Hungarians how to live, and also when the world powers wanted to merge Hungary into a European superstate". The Prime Minister's speech served as a rallying call for Hungarian independence and resilience, drawing upon the country's historical legacy to inspire a sense of national pride and solidarity. Seoul, March 16 : North Korea fired a long-range ballistic missile towards the East Sea on Thursday, just hours before summit talks between the leaders of South Korea and Japan on pending bilateral issues and regional security. South Korean's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch from the Sunan area in Pyongyang at 7.10 a.m., and the missile, fired at a lofted angle, flew some 1,000 km before hitting the waters, reports Yonhap NewsAgency. A month earlier, the North test-fired a Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Observers have raised the possibility of Pyongyang launching a solid-fuel ICBM, which is faster to fire and harder to spot in advance of take-off. "The intelligence authorities of South Korea and the US are conducting a comprehensive analysis in consideration of recent movements related to the North's missile development program," the JCS said in a statement. "We strongly condemn the North's series of ballistic missile launches as an act of significant provocation that harms peace and stability not only on the Korean Peninsula, but also in the international community, and a clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions," the JCS said, urging the North to immediately stop such launches. Later in the day, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plan to hold a summit in Tokyo, in which the North's nuclear and missile threats are expected to be high on the agenda. The North's growing nuclear and missile threats have created fresh momentum for Seoul and Tokyo to move beyond their historical feuds and work together to confront the security challenge. The latest launch came amid the ongoing South Korea-US Freedom Shield (FS) exercise. The North has decried the exercise as "preparations for a war of aggression" and threatened to take "overwhelming" action against military activities by the allies. The North fired two short-range ballistic missiles Tuesday and what it claimed to be two "strategic cruise missiles" from a submarine two days earlier. The launches were seen as a response to the FS exercise. Lucknow, March 16 : Ashfaq Saifi, the chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh State Minorities Commission, has written a letter to the state government, urging the latter to not bring down loudspeakers from mosques that follow the decibel limit. In his letter ahead of Ramzan, he pointed out that there have been complaints that loudspeakers are being removed from mosques despite clerics adhering to the prescribed volume limits. He has also asked the state to ensure civic amenities like water, electricity, and better approach roads around mosques during Ramzan. Saifi further urged for better security around Eidgah and mosques and a better street-light arrangement. He said that many people come to mosques to offer prayers as Taraweeh prayers are offered every night during Ramzan. Lucknow, March 16 : The principal and staff of a private school have been booked for abetment to suicide after a girl student ended her life by hanging. In his complaint, the father of the Class 11 girl stated that he got a call from a female teacher. "The teacher said that my daughter was caught copying and asked me to visit the school in Sarvodaya Nagar," he said. The father, who is employed with UP Police's Radio Wireless department, said he could not go as DGP Uttar Pradesh was to visit the Radio headquarters and he asked his wife to go instead. "My wife was not allowed to enter the school and was told that all students had left," he said. He said he reached home for lunch and his wife looked nervous and shocked and told him that our daughter was not found at the school. "I immediately reached the school and found my daughter sitting on a stool and taking the exam all alone. I tried to console her, but a staff member stopped me and told me to meet the principal. The principal humiliated me for not paying attention to my daughter's studies and made us sit for over 50 minutes at a separate place," the complaint said. He alleged his daughter was tortured mentally and physically by the principal, class teacher and other staff and he tried to console her but she ended her life following the torture. SHO Mahanagar, K.K. Tiwari said, "The girl locked herself in a room. When her parents got no response on knocking the door, they broke it open to find her hanging. " DCP Central Zone, Aparna Rajat Kaushik said an FIR under IPC 306 (abetment to suicide) has been registered. "The girl was taking an English exam and had never been scolded by the teachers earlier. We will probe the sequence of events and check the CCTVs," Kaushik said. School director Nirmal Tandon told reporters that the girl was a commerce student and was taking her English exam when caught copying. "We did not scold her, rather counselled her and her parents. All is recorded in CCTVs which we have shared with police," she said. Kanpur : , March 16 (IANS) An Air Force sergeant, posted at Kanpur's Chakeri Air Force base, has been arrested for murder over a love affair with the victim's wife, said police. A dentist, Gaurav Pratap Singh, 42, was brutally murdered in Maharajpur police station area of Kanpur. The police detained dentist's friend, Sergeant Mudit Srivastava, on the basis of suspicion. During interrogation, Mudit confessed to his crime. He admitted that he was having an affair with Gaurav's wife. ACP Chakeri, Amar Nath, told reporters, "During questioning, Mudit claimed that he killed his doctor friend Gaurav because he was in a relationship with the former's wife Priyanka, and suspected that Gaurav had come to know about their affair. Mudit felt that now Gaurav might kill him, so he killed him first." He added, "On the basis of the clues provided by Mudit, police recovered Gaurav's body in the Ruma industrial area. San Francisco, March 16 : Tech giant Google has announced that it will no longer sell its eye-wearable device 'Glass Enterprise Edition'. Until September 15, 2023, the tech giant will continue supporting the eye-wearable device. "After September 15, 2023, you will continue to be able to use the Glass Enterprise Edition device and existing software. No software updates from Google are planned," the company said in a support page on Wednesday. Also, the pre-installed 'Meet on Glass' application will not receive any support from the company after September 15 and the application might stop working at any time after that date. "Google will continue to replace devices under the existing process until September 15, 2023. Please contact your distributor / reseller to submit a replacement request on your behalf," it added. The first Google Glass was introduced with much fanfare in 2014. At $1,500, it had promised a new, bold era for information. People, however, realised that the device was not yet ready to be part of their lives. There were safety and health concerns. The built-in camera raised privacy issues too. Later, in 2019, the tech giant had launched the second edition of its eye-wearable device 'Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2', with improved camera, USB-C type port and safety frames. Ankara, March 16 : At least five people were killed, and five others went missing in floods that hit Turkey's southern provinces, as the region is still struggling to recover from the effects of massive February 6 earthquakes. At least four people were killed and two firefighters were missing in Sanliurfa province, Xinhua news agency quoted Governor Salih Ayhan as saying in a statement on Wednesday. In Adiyaman province, a container that served as a temporary home for a family of four was swept away by the floods. "Unfortunately, we found the body of one of the four people. The search for three others continues," Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told reporters. The two provinces were among the 11 that were badly hit by the earthquakes that killed more than 55,700 people in Turkey and neighbouring Syria. Tens of thousands of people are currently taking shelter in tents and containers. San Francisco, March 16 : Microsoft appears to have removed the waitlist for its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered new Bing Chat, which means that now anyone can sign up and use the chatbot. Until now, users had to add their names to a waitlist to try the new Bing, but it appears to no longer be necessary, reports Windows Central. However, the tech giant has not released any official information regarding a policy change. Microsoft Edge's stable version recently added Bing to the Sidebar, but accessing Bing Chat and other new Bing services required joining the waiting list. Last week, Corporate Vice President and Consumer Chief Marketing Officer at Microsoft, Yusuf Mehdi, had announced that the AI-powered Bing search engine has surpassed 100 million daily active users. For comparison, its rival Google Search engine has more than 1 billion daily active users. Available today, Chat, Create and Compose with the new Bing in the Edge sidebar. Now in the latest version of Edge and rolling out to Bing preview users. Enjoy! https://t.co/PBJ8LLe9Mz pic.twitter.com/No3NCXBncU Yusuf Mehdi (@yusuf_i_mehdi) March 14, 2023 Roughly one-third of daily Bing preview users are using AI chat daily, he had mentioned. The company first announced its new Bing AI last month and also opened up its waitlist on that same day. -- Syndicated from IANS New Delhi, March 16 : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will attend the Parliament session as the government is demanding an apology for his statement in the house. He is expected to address the media as the impasse between the opposition and government is unlikely to end. Opposition MPs from both the houses have given adjournment notices on demand of JPC in Hindenburg Adani row. The opposition parties will meet at LoP Mallikarjun Kharge's office to work up a strategy as the house's proceedings have been washed out for three days in a row. Congress has said that the opposition is united on the demand of JPC on the issue of Hindenburg Adani row, and on Thursday, the opposition is planning to March towards CBI and handover the complaint to the agency. The opposition led by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has kept the opposition flock together barring TMC which has charted its own route. Kharge has been reaching out to like minded parties over misuse of agencies against political leaders have made bete noire like AAP and BRS to stand with it. The two political parties have not been in sync with the Congress but the pressure from the agencies on the Liquor policy have made BRS and AAP join ranks. Kharge, ceasing the opportunity, said: "The opposition parties are united on the issue of JPC." Bengaluru, March 16 : The Railways on Thursday suspended a Ticket Examiner (TTE) for misbehaving with a young woman passenger who was headed for Lucknow from Bengaluru. The Divisional Railway Manager, Bengaluru stated that the TTE has been placed under suspension from March 15 and also assured that further necessary action will be taken. The incident took place at K.R. Puram Railway Station in Bengaluru on Tuesday. Drunk TTE pulled the young woman who was boarding the train, while she was telling him that she had the ticket and was showing it to him. The TTE, however, didn't listen to anything and misbehaved with her. The young woman, shocked by his behaviour, started crying loudly at the platform. The fellow passengers came to her rescue and questioned the TTE. When the TTE continued his rude behaviour with the woman, the fellow passengers and local people held him and dragged him to the platform. The TTE tried to escape from the scene but he was caught by the locals. The videos of the incident have gone viral on social media and people demanded stern action against the TTE. The people have alleged that the TTE, a young man, was drunk and was trying to misbehave with the victim, who was alone. He allegedly touched her face and held her hand. When the issue was raised, the Railways responded to the posts and initiated a probe after getting information online. The appreciation has also been poured in for the local people and fellow passengers who stood by the victim and even complained to Railways on her behalf. Thiruvananthapuram, March 16 : The day's proceedings in the Kerala Assembly on Thursday ended in 15 minutes time, after the Congress-led Opposition demanded action against two treasury legislators and a few Watch and Ward staff who had misbehaved with the opposition women MLAs. On Wednesday, the opposition legislators staged a siege at the Speaker's office located next door to the floor of the Assembly, to protest against him. Following this the Watch and Ward staff were called to disperse the protesting MLAs. In the melee a few opposition legislators were injured, which included K.K. Rema. On Thursday morning just before the Assembly proceedings began, Speaker A.N. Shamseer held a meeting of the party leaders and requested both sides to ensure things are brought under control. In the meeting, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan were engaged in a war of words with each taking on one another, leaving others amused. Satheesan said the right of the opposition to present leave for adjournment motion is being rejected outrightly to which Vijayan said it was not possible to allow the presentation of adjournment motion for anything and everything and the two continued to take on one another for some more time. When the House assembled, Shamseer said what happened in the House complex and before the office of the Speaker was something unheard and unseen before in the history of the Kerala Legislative Assembly. "Such things should have never happened and the happenings were shot on mobile phones and that was not acceptable. We could have used technology which is available to jam recordings in the mobile, but we did not use it. So I request all should cooperate," said Shamseer. Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan said, "It was true that things might have gone out of hand, but all we did was to stage a democratic protest before the office of the Speaker. "But the peaceful democratic protests were spoiled by two treasury bench legislators and a few Watch and Ward staff. We demand action against them." And, when the Question hour began, the opposition legislators trooped into the well and then shouted slogans before the dais of the Speaker. Unable to proceed, the Speaker then suspended question hour and rushed through the proceedings of the House before adjourning the House for the day. New Delhi, March 16 : Omnichannel eyewear unicorn Lenskart has signed a definitive agreement with Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) to raise $500 million from the authority. The investment is an extension to last year's funding round, helping Lenskart maintain its $4.5 billion valuation. The company said that the capital will be deployed to deepen its presence in Asia and the Middle East. ADIA's investment includes some secondary purchase of shares from some early backers of Lenskart. The eyewear company has so far raised $1.5 billion in primary and secondary rounds, according to reports. Founded in 2010, Lenskart ships over 10 million pairs of eyewear every year and has over 20 million app downloads, 300 home eye test representatives as well as over 1,100 stores across India, Singapore, and Dubai, the company said last year. Lenskart is backed by Falcon Edge Capital, SoftBank, KKR, Temasek, Premji Invest and Kedaara Capital, among others. In June last year, the eyewear unicorn took a majority stake in Japanese eyewear brand Owndays in a deal that was reportedly around $400 million. This took the merged firm to reach 13 markets in Asia including India, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan. The company said it will continue its rapid expansion in India and South East Asia to serve the mass to mid-premium segments. Los Angeles, March 16 : Rege-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor both had "horrendous coffee breath" during their 'Bridgerton' sex scenes. The 34-year-old actor has revealed that he and his 27-year-old co-star had strict rules in place before shooting their intimate scenes, but they're also huge fans of drinking coffee early in the morning, reports aceshowbiz.com. During an appearance on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert', Rege-Jean explained: "What no one knows about 'Bridgerton', (was that) Phoebe and I had horrendous coffee breath the whole way through." The actor said that he and Phoebe struck-up an agreement before shooting their sex scenes. He shared: "You approach your other actor and go, 'Hey, so the scenes after lunch, what are our rules? Are we no onions? Are we no garlic? Do I have to get the coffee in early?' We both are like, 'I actually really like coffee so I don't mind.'" Meanwhile, Phoebe previously admitted that they "both drink a lot of coffee". The actress also revealed that her co-star smells "really, really nice". "Why have so many people asked me that? He smells really, really nice. He never, ever had bad breath, and he doesn't smoke or anything like that. We both drink a lot of coffee, so sometimes we both smell like that, which was fine. He's unscented in a good way," she said What's more, Phoebe admitted that she loved working with Rege-Jean on the Netflix show. She said: "I think we worked really well together, and I learned a lot from him. We have different acting styles, so we bounced off each other in that respect. We both were on the same page about the characters and what their relationship was. I loved working with him." Damascus, March 16 : The ongoing Syrian conflict is entering its 13th year with some positive signs that the deadlocked political settlement could see a nudge this year. The first three months of 2023 witnessed some crucial developments that raised hopes about a possible detente in the 13th year of the crisis, reports Xinhua news agency. The main headline was the success of the Russian and Iranian efforts to break the ice between Syria and Turkey as the relations between the two neighbouring countries have seen much tension over the past 12 years. Deputy foreign ministers of Syria, Turkey, Russia, and Iran are set to meet soon to pave the way for the meetings of Syrian and Turkish foreign ministers for the first time since the beginning of the conflict. In December last year, the Defence Ministers of the two rivals met in Moscow. A possible rapprochement between Syria and Turkey is crucial for peacefully defusing the crisis. Turkey enjoys considerable sway over key rebel groups in northern Syria as it's one of the opposition backers. Another unexpected positive development was the China-backed reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Both are regional powerhouses and key players in the Syrian war, with Iran supporting the government of President Bashar al-Assad while Saudi is a key opposition backer. On top of that, the devastating earthquakes, which jolted Syria and Turkey on February 6, have pushed Arab countries to shelve former policies toward Damascus, creating the so-called "disaster diplomacy". For the first time in more than a decade, Saudi planes landed in Syrian airports delivering relief aid to the earthquake victims. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry also made an "ice-breaking" visit to Syria after the quake, expressing the most populous Arab country's support for Syria. On Wednesday, the 12th anniversary of the Syrian war, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted his Syrian counterpart for talks that are believed to touch upon Syrian-Turkish reconciliation. Positive signals can be felt domestically, regionally, and globally, said Mohammad Al-Omari, a Syrian political observer and writer. "Moscow and Tehran exert efforts to find a mediation formula between Syria and Turkey and reflect that on the political track in Syria. The earthquake's devastating impact on Syria has provided chances for some countries to communicate and cooperate with Syria," he told Xinhua. The analyst pointed out that the current positive vibe could push the stalemated political talk forward, noting that a comprehensive political solution demands a broader international and regional alignment based on cooperation and stability. According to Unicef estimates, 90 per cent of people in Syria live in poverty, most are unable to make ends meet or bring food to the table. Families have had their resources depleted, with limited employment opportunities, skyrocketing prices, and a shortage of basic supplies. Lahore, March 16 : Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz said she was saddened by the way Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers "lashed out" at the police, and it felt like the government is "fighting a terrorist group". Maryam took PTI Chairman Imran Khan to task, saying that his actions and "terrorism" were extremely dangerous, reports The Express Tribune. "I felt hurt when PTI workers lashed out at the police, it feels like we are fighting a terrorist group," she remarked, adding that "this is a battle between right and wrong". She also said that PML-N is currently focusing on the country's youth since young workers are the capital of the party. "God-willing, PML-N will bring the youth forward," she added. Speaking on the occasion, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that today one person has pushed the country back under a "conspiracy"The Express Tribune. "The entire country is suffering the punishment of the wrong agreement with the IMF (International Monetary Fund)," he said, adding that PML-N will take Pakistan out of this serious crisis. New Delhi, March 16 : Amid sloganeering by the ruling and opposition benches, proceedings in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday were adjourned till 2 p.m. The treasury benches were demanding an apology from Rahul Gandhi and the opposition demanded the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) in the Adani-Hindenburg row. MPs from both sides were in the well as the chairman arrived. He tried to calm the members, but sloganeering continued and the House was adjourned till 2 p.m. Earlier in the day, the Congress President and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge held a meeting with the leaders of like-minded Opposition parties in his chamber in Parliament premises. Besides the Congress, the DMK, NCP, SP, RJD, BRS, CPI(M), CPI, SS (Uddhav), JD(U), JMM, MDMK, AAP, VCK and IUML attended the meeting. The opposition has decided to press for the demand of JPC in the Adani row. The Opposition MPs from both the Houses have given adjournment notices in support of their demand of JPC in the Hindenburg-Adani row. Islamabad, March 16 : A Pakistani judge on Thursday said that he would stop the Islamabad police from arresting former Prime Minister Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case if the latter surrendered in court. Additional District and Sessions (ADSJ) Judge Zafar Iqbal made the remarks while hearing the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) reference seeking criminal proceedings against Khan for concealing details of the state gifts, Dawn reported. The sessions court was set to indict the PTI chairman in the reference on February 28, but his lawyer had requested the judge that he be exempted from the hearing because he had to appear in several other courts. His indictment was deferred multiple times before. The judge had subsequently issued non-bailable warrants for Khan and instructed the police to present him in court by March 7. The former premier managed to dodge the arrest and later approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for the cancellation of the warrants, Dawn reported. The IHC, while granting some relief to the PTI chief, had told him to appear in sessions court by March 13, but the former prime minister once again skipped the hearing. Resultantly, ADSJ Iqbal had on Monday re-issued non-bailable warrants for Khan and directed the police to bring him to court by March 18. However, when the police reached his Zaman Park residence in Lahore to arrest him on Tuesday, they were met with resistance, leading to two-way pitched battles between PTI supporters and law enforcement agencies, Dawn reported. The clashes ultimately subsided after the courts intervened on Wednesday. New Delhi, March 16 : Delhi Police have registered a case against a man for allegedly hitting his daughter-in-law on her head with a brick, an official said on Thursday. A video of the incident which occurred in Prem Nagar area on Tuesday, has gone viral on social media. In the video, the woman is seen walking in a street when a man comes with a brick in his hand and threatens her. Following a brief conversation between the two, the man hits the woman on head with the brick when she tries to leave. Another person can be seen in the video near the spot, but he did not come to the woman's rescue. Meanwhile, a person comes out of a nearby house and hits the alleged accused. Later, a man comes there and takes the woman along with him. Several people also gather at the spot. A senior police official said that the accused has been identified and a case has been registered. London, March 16 : Troubled banking giant Credit Suisse says it will borrow up to $54 billion from the Swiss central bank to shore up its finances. The lender said it was taking decisive action to strengthen its liquidity as it looked to become a simpler bank, the BBC reported. Shares in Credit Suisse fell 24 per cent on Wednesday after it said it had found "weakness" in its financial reporting. This prompted a general sell off on European markets, and fears of a wider financial crisis. Credit Suisse said its borrowing measures demonstrated "decisive action to strengthen (the bank)". "My team and I are resolved to move forward rapidly to deliver a simpler and more focused bank built around client needs," Credit Suisse's chief executive Ulrich Koerner said in a statement. Problems in the banking sector surfaced in the US last week with the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, the country's 16th-largest bank, followed two days later by the collapse of Signature Bank, the BBC reported. After Credit Suisse shares plunged on Wednesday, a major investor, the Saudi National Bank, said it would not inject further funds into the Swiss lender. The worries spread across financial markets with all major indexes falling sharply. "The problems in Credit Suisse once more raise the question whether this is the beginning of a global crisis or just another 'idiosyncratic' case," wrote Andrew Kenningham of Capital Economics. The Swiss National Bank, which is Switzerland's central bank, and the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority sought to calm investor fears, saying they were ready to help Credit Suisse if necessary, the BBC reported. Strict rules apply to Swiss financial institutions to "ensure their stability" and Credit Suisse meets the requirements for banks considered systemically important, the regulators said. "There are no indications of a direct risk of contagion for Swiss institutions due to the current turmoil in the US banking market," they said in a joint statement. Hong Kong, March 16 : Stock markets across Asia fell on Thursday as troubles at international banking giant Credit Suisse intensified fears of a wider bank crisis. Major indexes in Japan, Hong Kong and Australia fell by over 1 per cent amid heavier losses in bank shares, the BBC reported. This comes as Credit Suisse said it would borrow up to $54 billion to shore up its finances. Shares in the bank plunged after it found "weakness" in its financial reporting. As a result, Japan's Nikkei 225 index fell by 1.1 per cent at mid-day Asian trading. The Topix Banks share index fell by more than 4 per cent after recording its worst day in three years earlier this week. Shares in Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, the country's largest lender by assets, were down by 3 per cent. This was in line with losses at counterparts Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and Mizuho Financial Group, the BBC reported. Indexes in Hong Kong and Sydney fell by over 1.5 per cent, while the Shanghai Composite was 0.5 per cent lower. Problems in the banking sector surfaced in the US last week with the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, the country's 16th-largest bank, followed two days later by the collapse of Signature Bank, the BBC reported. Developments at Credit Suisse were "amplified" by problems at the smaller banks, Sayuri Shirai, an economics professor at the Keio University in Tokyo said. "Investors and creditors are concerned about risk. Banks may suffer from raising funds, which in turn will affect the cost of funding for SMEs and start-ups globally," she added. "Markets could return to normal quickly once the US centric episode fades to the back burner. Broader contagion fears at this stage are limited as banks are so much better capitalised in Asia," said Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management. New Delhi, March 16 : Parliament was adjourned till 2 p.m. on Thursday amid ruckus by the treasury and opposition members in both Houses. As soon as the Lok Sabha was convened for the day at 11 a.m., the opposition members rushed into the well of the House shouting slogans and showing placards, seeking a JPC probe in the Adani matter. Treasury benches on their part, also were seen shouting slogans, seeking Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's apology for his remarks during his speech in London last week, where he had said that democratic values were under threat in India. Amid chaotic scenes, Speaker Om Birla adjourned the Lower House till 2 p.m. Similar scenes played out in the Rajya Sabha too, as the opposition members rushed into the well of the House, protesting over the Adani matter, as soon as the Upper House convened for the day. Treasury benches also began protesting over Gandhi's remarks. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar adjourned the House till 2 p.m. amid noisy scenes. This is the fourth consecutive day when both Houses have faced adjournments without transacting any business. Earlier in the morning, the opposition parties held parleys in leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge's chamber in Parliament, to chalk out the strategy for the day. The meeting was attended by the Congress, DMK, NCP, SP, RJD, BRS, CPI(M), CPI, Shiv Sena (Udhhav Thackeray faction), JD(U), JMM, MDMK, AAP, VCK and IUML. Trinamool Congress didn't attend the meeting. Meanwhile speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said that "India is not Congress' fiefdom anymore and they can't digest it". He was reacting to Gandhi's remarks in London. Opposition parties plan to form a human chain outside Parliament building to protest over the Adani matter. On Wednesday, they had tried to undertake a march from Parliament till the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) office, to lodge a complaint with the agency in the matter. Warsaw, March 16 : Poland aims to become an energy hub and energy security provider for Central Europe, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said. "Our plan is to become an energy hub, a gas hub in particular, for Central Europe," Xinhua news agency quoted Morawiecki as saying at a conference here on Polish-Ukrainian partnership to make the future energy system secure. According to the Polish Press Agency (PAP), the conference was attended by representatives of governments and leading energy companies from both countries. Morawiecki said his government's plan is based on already existing inter-connectors and gas pipelines, as well as the country's future investments in nuclear energy. He noted that Poland has already invested in a floating terminal for receiving, storing and regasifying liquefied natural gas (LNG) and is expanding the crude oil handling facilities of Naftoport company in Gdansk on the Baltic coast. "This infrastructure can be used in the future by recipients from Poland, but also our partners from Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and ... Hungary." Poland and the Czech Republic are planning to return to a joint project of building the Stork II gas interconnector and other cross-border energy bridges between the two countries, he added. Energy cooperation with Ukraine and neighbouring countries "is also an element of Poland's national interest", Morawiecki said, expecting the plan to make Poland a provider of regional energy security, which will thus strengthen its political position in Central Europe. San Francisco, March 16 : Professional networking platform LinkedIn has added AI-powered writing suggestions and job descriptions to its services, becoming the latest platform to join the generative AI bandwagon. LinkedIn Premium subscribers can now generate descriptions based on their experience using the new "enhance" tool, reports Engadget. According to the company, the tool, which uses the same OpenAI models as ChatGPT, is intended to preserve "users' unique voice and style" and will draw from their job experience and skills, as well as LinkedIn's own "insights" into what makes a good profile. Moreover, the professional networking platform also said that it is starting to test AI-written job descriptions. In such cases, hiring managers will only need to enter the job title, company name, and a few other basic details, and LinkedIn will generate a detailed draft of a relevant job description, the report said. Meanwhile, LinkedIn has introduced a new feature called -- "collaborative articles", which will use "AI-powered conversation starters" to begin discussions between "experts" on the platform. The company will match articles with relevant members based on its skills graph, inviting them to contribute context, extra information, and advice for the articles. The company believes that the system will make it easier for people to contribute their perspectives because "starting a conversation is harder than joining one". -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Amaravati, March 16 : Andhra Pradesh Governor S. Abdul Nazeer and Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday paid rich tributes to Amarajeevi Potti Sriramulu on his birth anniversary. The governor said Potti Sriramulu made supreme sacrifice by laying down his life for the cause of a separate state Andhra and the dreams of Andhra people became a reality after he achieved martyrdom. The Chief Minister paid floral tributes to Amarajeevi Potti Sriramulu on his birth anniversary at Secretariat here. State Finance Minister B Rajendranath and Chief Secretary K. S. Jawahar Reddy were also present. Meanwhile, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) celebrated the birth anniversary of Potti Sriramulu at the Party central office by paying tributes to the freedom fighter. Assembly Deputy Speaker K Veerabhadra Swamy, former minister V Srinivasa Rao, MLA M Giridhar, YSRCP leader L Appi Reddy and other party leaders were present on the occasion. Leader of opposition and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N. Chandrababu Naidu also paid tributes to Potti Sriraulu. He stated that the sacrifice made by Potti Sriramulu for the self-respect of the Telugu people is exceptional. "The self-sacrifice of Sriramulu garu will be valued only when the Andhra people achieve development and make the state the leader in the country. Tributes to the immortal memory on the occasion of Sriramulu's birth anniversary," tweeted the former chief minister. Potti Sriramulu died in 1952 after a 56-day hunger strike in Madras demanding a separate state for Telugu people. In 1953, Andhra State with Kurnool as the capital was carved out of then Madras State. Following re-organisation of states on linguistic basis, Andhra State was merged with Telugu-speaking Telangana to form Andhra Pradesh in 1956. Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh as a separate state in 2014. Ankara, March 16 : Turkey will continue its contacts with relevant parties for extending the Black Sea Grain Initiative for 120 days, Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said. "We started negotiations in line with the initial version of the agreement, with the idea of extending it for another 120 days ... we will continue our contacts over extending the grain corridor deal for 120 days, instead of two months," he told reporters in Ankara following a parliamentary group meeting of the ruling Justice and Development party. Akar added that parties to the deal will evaluate and make their decision on a further extension of the agreement. On Monday, Russia agreed to extend the deal only by 60 days after talks with UN representatives in Geneva. Since March, the UN and Turkey have been facilitating the negotiations for extending the deal one more time. The deal was reached in July 2022 and was extended by 120 days on November 17 to allow Ukrainian and Russian food and fertilizer to be shipped safely from three key Black Sea ports despite the ongoing war between Moscow and Kiev. The agreement has allowed the exports of more than 24 million metric tonness of grain and over 1,600 secure vessel voyages through the Black Sea, with 55 per cent of food exports going to developing countries. According to the Turkish Defence Ministry, at least 790 ships have left Ukrainian ports so far carrying nearly 23.5 million tonnes of grains since the initiative came into being. Nearly 40 per cent of the grain passing through the corridor was transported to Europe, 30 per cent to Asia, 13 per cent to Turkey, 12 per cent to Africa and 5 per cent to the Middle East. Indian Wells : , March 16 (IANS) Daniil Medvedev entered the Indian Wells Masters semifinal under an injury cloud, battling past Davidovich Fokina of Spain, 6-3, 7-5 and booked a last-eight clash with 14th-seeded American Frances Tiafoe, here. Less than 24 hours ago, after injuring his ankle in the backcourt of his round of 16 match on Tuesday afternoon, Medvedev had limped into the press room after his three-set victory over Alexander Zverev and told reporters that he would try his best to take the court on Wednesday. In a 6-3, 7-5 victory against the 23rd seed on Wednesday -- his 18th straight match win -- Medvedev moved well in a fast start to alleviate any concerns. He added a new worry late in the second set when another fall required treatment on a bloody right thumb, but after escaping 0/40 at 3-4, the four-time ATP Masters 1000 champion did just enough in windy conditions to finish the job in straight sets. "I'm actually happy the ankle didn't hurt much because when I warmed up, it was hurting pretty bad," Medvedev was quoted as saying by the ATP Tour. "I knew I was going to play, I knew I was going to try. But I couldn't move well during the warm-up. I tried to warm it up as long as possible, took one painkiller so that probably helped. I was actually feeling better and better during the match. The match was absolutely crazy. I could talk about this for 15 minutes, but I'm just really happy to go through such a tough match with such tough conditions with the wind," he added. Medvedev is now 36-5 in sets during his winning run, which began with a comeback win against Davidovich Fokina in Rotterdam last month. He is seeking his fourth straight tour-level title after triumphs in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai. The 27-year-old's extended run has lifted him from outside the Top 10 last month up to No. 5 this week in the ATP Live Rankings, though he cannot move any higher even with a title in Indian Wells. He will have two days off before he faces Tiafoe in Saturday's semifinals. He owns a 4-0 ATP Head-to-Head record against the American, who has not lost a set in reaching the last four, including a 6-4, 6-4 quarterfinal win against Cameron Norrie earlier on Wednesday. Earlier, Tiafoe overcame Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-4 to end the Briton's eight-match winning run and sealed his first ATP Masters 1000 semifinal berth in seven appearances. Mumbai, March 16 : After an inconclusive round of talks between the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) and two ministers late on Wednesday, the state government will hold further discussions with the farmer's body as their 174-km "long march" from Nashik to Mumbai entered the fourth day on Thursday. Following pleas by Shiv Sena (UBT) President and ex-CM Uddhav Thackeray, Nationalist Congress Party's Leader of Opposition and state Congress President Nana Patole and others, the state government rushed Ministers Dada Bhuse and Atul Save to meet the farmers in Thane. Later, the AIKS leaders Jiva Pandu Gavit, Ajit Nawale and others said that the government has responded to "40 per cent" of the farmers' 17-point charter of demands. This afternoon, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, concerned Ministers and officials will hold a second round of talks with the AIKS to resolve the issues. Gavit made it clear that though they would attend the meeting with the Chief Minister, the 'long march' will continue if the state's response is unsatisfactory. The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi of Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena (UBT) and other parties have thrown their weight behind the 20,000 farmers who embarked on the walkathon - the third in five years - to press for the implementation of their 17-point charter by the government. Srinagar, March 16 : A woman from Rajasthan was arrested on Thursday in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam district for child-lifting. Police said that a woman identified as Chidi Devi, wife of Khana Ram of Dhannasar, Rajasthan was arrested after she picked up a 4-year old child from Dalwash village in Khag area of Budgam district. "After some local women became suspicious, they raised hue and cry. The accused was hiding the child under her scarf. The child was recovered from her possession. "The accused has been booked for the crime and the child restored to parents after completion of legal formalities", police said. Chennai, March 16 : Senior Congress leader and Erode East MLA EVKS Elangovan, who was admitted to a private hospital at Porur, Chennai after he complained of breathlessness, is stable since Thursday morning. He was admitted to the hospital late Wednesday night. Sources told IANS that Elangovan's health condition is stable and not to be worried about. Elangovan will be shifted to general ward and oxygen level in his blood has returned to normal, the sources added. The hospital authorities told IANS that the ailing leader will be discharged from the hospital in a couple of days. The hospital authorities also said that a medical bulletin is likely to be issued later in the day. Elangovan defeated his nearest rival K.S. Thenarasu of the AIADMK by a margin of 66,087 votes in the recently-held Erode East Assembly polls. The by-election was necessitated following the sudden demise of Elangovan's son and sitting legislator E. Thirumahan Everaa on January 4, 2023. Bengaluru/Thiruvananthapuram, March 16 : Reacting to a Rs one crore defamation notice from the counsel of CPI(M) state secretary M.V. Govindan, the prime accused in the gold smuggling and Life Mission bribery case, Swapna Suresh said on Thursday that she will not apologise to him. Speaking to the media soon after giving her statement to the Bengaluru Police on Thursday in a case that she has filed against Vijesh Pillai, who according to her met her under the pretext of doing a web series. She says that he threatened her stating that Govindan has said that he will eliminate her if she does not withdraw all the allegations levelled against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his family by accepting Rs 30 crore and they will help her to move to Malaysia. "Though I am unable to reveal what happened with the police statements that were taken from me, one thing I will make very clear, I am not going to apologise to Govindan. Once I get his notice, my lawyer will reply to it," said Swapna. "It's a pity for the Kerala Police to have registered a case against me on the complaint given by Pillai. All will know that last year a similar thing happened when another person, Shaj Kiran, who said he was sent by the Chief Minister, and now comes another one, Pillai. Let me make another thing very clear, even if the Kerala Police are going to register cases from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasargod, I am not going to go back and I will bring out everything against Vijayan, his wife, son and daughter," said Swapna. "I do not know how a defamation case filed by Govindan against me has been made into a criminal case against me," added Swapna. Now all eyes are on the Kerala Police, which have registered the case against Swapna as it is a matter of time the police will be sending her a notice to appear before them, as she is now residing in Bengaluru. "I know very well that the Kerala Police are trying their best to put me behind bars for at least three years," added Swapna. Meanwhile, Pillai, who has been served a notice to appear before the Karnataka Police on Thursday said he will appear on Friday along with his lawyer. Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday outlined an ambitious goal to cut nitrogen oxide emissions from Colorado's oil and gas industry by half by 2030. An industry leader called the plan challenging and hinted that oil and gas companies prefer to deploy technological innovations, rather than regulations, to curb emissions. In a letter, Polis directed state agencies in charge of oil and gas operations and air quality to develop rules by the end of 2024 to require oil and gas operators in the Front Range northeast ozone nonattainment area to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides, a group of gasses that contributes to producing ozone during the summer. Polis wants the emissions cut by at least 30% by 2025 and at least 50% by 2030. Despite passing meaningful and effective legislation to reduce emissions from oil and gas operations, the sector still has a significant impact on our states air quality and greenhouse gas emissions, Polis said in a letter to Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and the Department of Public Health and Environment. The governor said breathing air with a high concentration of NOx can harm breathing, and exposures over short periods can aggravate respiratory diseases, particularly asthma, leading to respiratory symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing, or difficulty breathing, hospital admissions, and visits to emergency rooms. In a statement, Dan Haley, President and CEO of the Colorado Oil & Gas Association, said Colorados oil and natural gas producers are "committed to clean air and reducing our emissions, and were appreciative the governor has acknowledged that our industry leads the nation in clean operations. But, he said, the governor's NOx targets as outlined are very ambitious and will be a challenge to achieve. This industry has proven time and again it is most successful when it leans into technology and innovation and engineers its way toward solutions, Haley said. The governors letter raises questions for us, but were committed to being at the table for the rulemaking and finding commonsense ways to continue reducing our emissions along the Front Range. Sign Up For Free: Denver Gazette Business Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Lynn Granger, Midwest/Mountain West Director for American Petroleum Institute, said Polis' plan is aggressive and highly ambitious, necessitating an "all-hands approach from regulators, industry and stakeholders. Ground-level ozone is a persistent issue along the Front Range, owing in large part to the unique topography of the region," Granger said. "In fact, nearly two-thirds of our daily ozone is attributable to naturally occurring ozone and out-of-state precursors. Kirsten Schatz of CoPIRG said emissions from the oil and gas sector needs to be addressed. No single solution will bring ozone pollution in our region down below unsafe levels, but we clearly need to address emissions from the oil and gas sector in order to get there since it is the largest source of ozone-forming NOx in the region," Schatz said. Industry experts have said Colorados rules governing oil and natural gas development are already the most rigorous in the country. Haley said the Polis administration needs to slow down and let operators adapt to the new rules already in place. Its time for the state, including the state legislature, to let the rules work and let our operators get to work producing the vital resources our country and the world need, Haley said. Any legislation that aims to curb local production will only require our state to import more oil and gas from other states or countries and, as even the governor acknowledges, delay progress toward cleaner air. Polis defended his administration's greenhouse gas reduction plans. When it comes to air pollution, my administration prioritizes legislation, unprecedented statewide investments, and administrative actions that address greenhouse gas and ozone pollution on a sector-by-sector basis aligned with the states statutory emissions goals, Polis said. Lucknow, March 16 : The Lucknow University (LU) plans to revive its distance learning courses almost after over two decades and will also offer full-time online degree courses. The decision has been taken to meet a deficit of Rs 132.70 crore in its annual budget. The finance committee approved the university's annual budget for 2023-24 during a meeting held on Wednesday. As per the budget approved by the committee, LU's estimated revenue is Rs 223.32 crore, far short of the Rs 356.02 crore expenditure. The main source of income in LU budget are self-financed courses, examination fees, government and other grants. Self-financed courses, alone, help LU in pooling Rs 86 crore, while earnings from examinations, grants and others are estimated to be over Rs 50 crore and government grants bring in around Rs 50 crore. In comparison, expenditure is pegged at Rs 356.02 crore, including a whopping Rs 239.36 crore being salary expenses, while the remaining expenditure of Rs 116.66 (32. 77 per cent) crore has been made for infrastructure construction and annual maintenance, payment of electricity bills, water tax, house tax, library, admission and examination operations, student facilities and other expenses. An LU official said: "Our highest expenditure is mainly on the salaries of staff which is 67. 23 per cent alone of the total budget. The state government gives only Rs 48 crore to the university for paying salaries." e said that there is an issue with the grants received from the government. "While on paper, we get Rs 48 crore for paying salaries, but the grant released by the government is Rs 38 crore only. We have raised this issue with the government several times, but it is yet to be addressed," he said. LU's cash crunch started two decades ago when the state government froze salary grants at the 1998 level (Rs 16 crore). The increase in salary expenses in the following years was met by starting new self-financed courses and granting affiliation to self-financed colleges. The government increased the grant to Rs 48 crore, but expenses increased by five times in two decades. To resolve the crunch, the state government increased the university's jurisdiction in the year 2020 by affiliating colleges in Hardoi, Rae Bareli, Sitapur, and Lakhimpur districts with LU taking the total number of affiliated colleges from 180 to 545. LU Vice Chancellor Prof A.K. Rai said" "For the last three years we have been facing a deficit of around Rs 115 crore in our budget. We will try and reduce our expenses by adopting austerity measures and exploring more sources of revenues." Gurugram, March 16 : A Nigerian national has been arrested after he was caught running naked on a busy road in Gurugram, police said. According to the police, the man was seen running naked near Tulip Chowk in sector 69 at around 6 p.m. on Wednesday. When police reached the spot, he ran towards a nearby village where local residents caught him and tied him to a tree. The police immediately took the man into custody and rushed him to a civil hospital for check-up. "We have arrested the Nigerian national and are investigating the matter. His mental health is found to be stable, we will register a case against him," Badshahpur SHO Madan Lal said. "We are trying to establish the reason behind the behaviour. We are probing whether he was under the influence of any drugs or alcohol," he added. New Delhi, March 16 : At the centre of target of the government over his statement in London, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said that he will speak inside the House if allowed to and that he has not spoken anything which is anti-India. Gandhi was smiling when asked by the reporters in Parliament whether he will apologise for his UK speech. He said, "I haven't spoken anything anti-India," he said. Rahul Gandhi attended the second part of the Budget Session for the first time after it started on March 13. Earlier in the day, both Houses were adjourned till 2 p.m. amid ruckus by the treasury and opposition members. As soon as the Lok Sabha convened for the day at 11 a.m., the opposition members rushed into the well shouting slogans and showing placards, seeking a JPC probe in the Adani matter. Treasury benches on their part, also were seen shouting slogans, seeking Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's apology for his remarks during his speech in London last week, where he had said that democratic values were under threat in India. Amid chaotic scenes, Speaker Om Birla adjourned the lower house till 2 p.m. Similar scenes played out in the Rajya Sabha too, as the opposition members rushed into the well, protesting over the Adani matter, as soon as the Upper House was convened for the day. New Delhi, March 16: The recent instance of violence between the police and a group of people protesting against an Ahmadiyya community event that left 2 dead and at least 50 others, including policemen injured, is only the latest in the slew of extremist violence targeting minorities in Bangladesh in the last decade. Throughout 2014-15, members of religious minorities, prominent activists, intellectuals, members of the LGBTQ community as well as atheist social media activists were targeted in a series of machete murders. In 2016, there was a 6 hour hostage situation in the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka that left 24 non- Muslims and an Indian national dead. 2021 saw more than 100 temples, a Buddhist monastery, homes and shops of non-Muslims being attacked, vandalised and set on fire because malicious rumours had been spread that the holy book of Muslims, the Quran, was desecrated at a Durga puja pandal. These instances point to the rise of radical Islamist groups and their exclusivist doctrine in the Bangladesh polity. Yet their existence is not new, nor have they emerged into the scene overnight. Since independence in 1971, the Bangladesh polity has been dominated by two broad, opposing strands of nationalist thought. One is a secular ethno-linguistic identity built around the Bengali language, and the other is a religious nationalism that gives precedence to the Muslim identity of the Bangladeshi people over all else. The former is the nationalism of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and is enshrined in the founding principles of the Bangladeshi Constitution. The influence of the second kind of nationalism spread after the death of Sheikh Mujib, during the military regimes of 1975-1990. It is especially apparent in the chequered history of amendments to the constitution during this time, the most significant of which was the 8th amendment of June 1988, when Islam was recognised as state religion. This is a significant event in the political history of Bangladesh because it undermined one of the founding principles and therefore the basic structure of the constitution- secularism. Since that time, the position of radical religious groups representing an orthodox section of the majority Sunni Muslims, was consolidated in the Bangladesh political scene, with them having ties to the main opposition party BNP and therefore wielding enormous political influence. They have also posed a big challenge to the Sheikh Hasina led Awami League government that is its ideological antithesis. Sheikh Hasina's secular policies, strong opposition to anti-minority violence, zero tolerance approach to terrorism and her conviction to uphold the constitutional guarantee of religious equality have elicited vehement opposition from these groups, resulting in violence instances and the death of innocent civilians. And though the Bangladeshi government has been resolute in asserting that these groups operate without any outside assistance and influence, it has long been speculated that the local extremist outfits have now become and operate as a part of the global terror network, spearheaded by ISIS and Al-Qaeda. The increasingly sophisticated and organised nature of such attacks in the last decade has only strengthened this conviction. The Islamic state has even claimed responsibility for a number of attacks, like the 2016 Dhaka attack on the Bakery. Ideologically too, groups like the Hizbut Tahrir (HuT), Jamaat-Ul-Mujahideen-Bangladesh and Ansarulla Bangla Team (ABT) have links to ISIS and Al-Qaeda. Other groups like Hefazat-E-Islam- an overarching collective of radical Islamist groups - came up in 2010 in Chittagong, following the 2009 Women development policy draft that advocated for equal inheritance rights for women. It sought to fight secularism and protect Islam from anti-Islamic policies. But the Jamaat-e-Islami remains of course, the most influential radical outfit in Bangladesh and the majority of extremist groups in Bangladesh receive indoctrination and operational assistance from it. This indoctrination is believed to take place in religious schools or Madrassas, where radical ideologies in variance with the teachings of Islam are imparted. These schools have unfortunately turned into a recruitment facility for these terror outfits. More than a million children attend these schools which are controlled by the Hefazat-E-Islam and have been financed by Saudi Arabia since the 1970's. International support in infrastructural funding and operational assistance then, is one of the main reasons for the strengthening presence and increasingly large scope of their attacks. Radicalism has also found a space to thrive due to the contentious and polarised nature of the Bangladesh polity. Fierce rivalry between the two main political parties has allowed them space to exist, as the parties employ these extremist groups to counter the other party and their affiliates' influence. The liberation of Bangladesh was the victory of secular, democratic values over parochial religious fundamentalism. The radical Islamist elements wish to preserve, what they consider, the 'true' Islamic culture of Bangladesh. They have no regard or respect for the syncretic nature of Bangladeshi society and religious practice, the very culture that the leaders of its liberation movement had fought to preserve and protect. The people of Bangladesh share with their west Bengali counterparts many rituals and festivals. For example Mongol Shubhojatra is a procession to celebrate the Bengali New Year where people wear masks representing motifs like birds, owls, fishes and other animals. It is an assertion of the people of Bangladesh's pride in the Bengali folk history and a sign of resistance against extremists forces because the radical groups consider this procession to be un-Islamic and blasphemous. Their idea of an ideal society, just like every religious nationalist's, is an extremely narrow, intolerant and exclusivist one that allows no space for the vibrant, pluralist ethos that are the foundation of Bangladesh. Everything that doesn't conform to their narrow worldview then, is a threat to them and must be done away with. The growing extremism in Bangladesh could also create more security concerns in the north-eastern border states of India. It could also affect India's strategies to counter Chinese designs in the east of India. The political influence these radical groups wield in Bangladesh is unquestionable, but what is heartening and a source of great hope, is that the biggest political force against such violence and extremism, is the government of Bangladesh itself led by Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League. They are the carriers of the legacy of a more benevolent and secular nationalism and are therefore the biggest threat to extremist groups that if unwatched, could tear the very fabric of Bangladeshi society. (The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative Kolkata, March 16 : The West Bengal government on Thursday submitted a report to a division bench of the Calcutta High Court on the attack on convoy of Union minister of state for home affairs Nisith Pramanik allegedly by Trinamool Congress activists last month. However, the Union government counsel requested the division bench of Calcutta High Courts Chief Justice Prakash Srivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj an additional two-day time to file a counter affidavit in the matter incorporating its arguments. Accepting the Union government plea, the division bench scheduled the next day of hearing the matter on March 21. On February 25, the vehicle of Paramanik was attacked allegedly by Trinamool Congress activists at Burihat under Dinhata Assembly constituency in Cooch Behar while it was passing through the area. The situation got tense as Trinamool and BJP supporters clashed with each other, throwing brickbats and stones, smashing the glass window of Pramanik's car in the process. The minister, however, did not sustain any injury as his security personnel safely escorted him out of the area, which by then had turned into a virtual battlefield. Pramanik alleged that besides stones and bricks, the ruling party workers also hurled crude bombs targeting his convoy, his security personnel and local BJP supporters. On February 27, West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose issued a strongly worded statement condemning the attack where he said that following "confidential inquiries" made by him in the matter of the attack on Nisith Pramanik's convoy, he feels that it is shocking that such incidents happened in a land which is known for its refined culture and enviable history of civilised conduct. On the same day, the division bench of the Calcutta High Court cleared BJP's plea to file a PIL over the attack. On March 1, the division bench sought the report of the state government on this count, which it filed on Thursday. Mumbai, March 16 : Popular TV actress Shivangi Joshi is admitted to the hospital because of a kidney infection and has expressed gratitude towards the doctors, family members, and friends for supporting her so that she recovers well. She also asked her fans to be careful about health issues and never ignore them. The 24-year-old actress, who made her acting debut with 'Khelti Hai Zindagi Aankh Micholi' and is best known for her role in 'Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai', posted a picture of her in which she can be seen lying on a hospital bed with her closed eyes and a smile on her face and coconut water in front of her. She wrote in the caption: "Hi everyone, been a rough couple of days, I have had a kidney infection, but want to let you know that with the support of my family, friends, the doctors, the hospital staff & grace of God, I'm feeling better." Shivangi urged her fans to take proper care of their health and mentioned: "This is also to remind you'll to take care of your body, mind and soul and most importantly stay hydrated guys. Love you all and I will be back in action very soon. Recovering & healing. Lots of love Shivangi." Many of her industry friends and fans wished for her early recovery and expressed their concern about her health. 'Kundali Bhagya' actress Shraddha Arya commented: "Oh Noooo..Get well soon Princess! Really! Lots of love and healing to you." Dheeraj Dhoopar also wished her an early recovery and wrote: "Hey take care n get well soon..sending all the love n care to you." Rubina Dilaik added: "Heal faster." Shweta Tiwari wrote: "Get well soon my love." Shivangi will be seen making a cameo appearance in the upcoming fantasy show 'Bekaboo'. New Delhi, March 16 : With the arrest of nine persons, Delhi Police on Thursday claimed to have busted a gang of cyber cheats who indulged in allegedly duping youths on the pretext of providing them jobs in private airlines. The accused were identified as Manvendra Singh Rajawat, Vinit Singh Bhadauriya, Ajeet Singh Rajawat, Deepak Singh Chauhan, Surendra Pratap Singh, Rajat Sengar, Abhay Yadav, Satyam Singh and Shivam Singh Rajawat. According to the police, a complaint from Burari resident Sumit Singh was received at the Cyber North police station via the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) wherein. The complainant alleged that he posted his resume on the Shine.com job portal and after a few days he received a call from a person posing to be a representative of IndiGo airlines, informing that he had been selected for a job. "Thereafter, he was made to speak with another person impersonating as an HR Manager and his tele-interview was conducted. After his interview, he was directed to deposit Rs 1,37,500 as fees for uniform, salary account activation, passport etc. Following this inducement, the complainant deposited the amount in a bank account provided by the accused," said Sagar Singh Kalsi, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (North). After a while when the complainant persisted with the job offer, he was informed that due to some internal emergency, the company had stopped hiring and when he asked to return his money, the accused switched off his phone. During investigation, the police team tasked with the probe zeroed in on the accused persons location at Sector 49 Noida. "Raids were conducted but the accused had left the premises just a day before the team reached there. However, after sustained technical analysis, their location traced at a flat in Nawada, Uttam Nagar. But on reaching there, it was found that they had already moved towards the Bundelkhand area of Uttar Pradesh," said the DCP. However on March 14, the police team managed to nab all nine accused from Faridabad. On interrogation, the accused told the police that they came to Delhi in search of jobs. "It was revealed that absconding co-accused, Amir and Shivam, were already cheating people through the same modus operandi and had been earning quick money. This sudden increase in their financial status of lured Manvendra Singh and he started doing this fraud on a large scale," said the official. "Therefore, he along with the other accused hatched a plan to dupe job aspirants in the same manner to earn quick money. To execute his plans, he brought together his relatives, friends and started a call centre. Fear of being caught by police or to not create any suspicion in the eyes of neighbours, the accused persons kept on changing their location. "Amir works for Shine.com and he used to provide data to the accused, who would call job aspirants for jobs in various private airlines based on their qualifications and experience. Fake tele-interviews were conducted on phones after which forged appointment letters were also transmitted to victims. Money in lieu of fee for uniform, opening of salary account, passport, security etc. were asked from victims on different pretexts in different bank accounts," the official added. New Delhi, March 16: The political turmoil brought about by former prime minister Imran Khan's wranglings with Pakistan's two big parties - Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) - in an economically unstable nation is finally impacting its diplomatic dealings. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday issued a terse statement through his office's media wing saying that Khan's antics have created hurdles in the way of the country's efforts to acquire a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). His Finance Minister, Ishaq Dar, too has blamed Khan's mismanagement for the country's dire economic situation many times in recent days, also insinuating that the IMF is holding back on the bailout loan because of political instability. It is not just Imran Khan. Also on the political horizon are the provincial elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, both of which have recently witnessed an upsurge in violence. These will be followed by general elections towards the end of the year - making it very difficult for the IMF to decide on releasing a loan in unpredictable conditions. Pakistani media is reporting that the IMF agreement with Pakistan, which has been on the verge of materialising for the past many days, is not happening simply because of political instability. Reportedly, the IMF wants an assurance from the country that any future dispensation in the country will respect the agreement signed now for a $7 billion fund. With rancour between various political parties being displayed in the open, the IMF is unlikely to get an assurance from different politicians, particularly Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), that they will abide by the IMF conditions. Another possible reason for the delay in the IMF loan is the international lender's condition that Pakistan's bilateral lenders should provide pledges to restructure its existing loans. China, the main lender and a staunch economic partner to Pakistan, remains non-committal about restructuring Pakistan's debt. Beijing is showing the same indifference toward Pakistan that it has shown with its other strategic friend in South Asia - Sri Lanka. Despite signing a staff-level agreement with the IMF in September 2022, the Indian Ocean island nation is still waiting for the IMF loan as Beijing has not supported Colombo in restructuring its bilateral debt. Rising violence in border areas with Afghanistan, increasing nationalism in Balochistan and Sindh, as well as its politics of attrition, Pakistan's friends with deep pockets in the Gulf are not keen to commit more support. Over the last many months, friendly countries have instead made noises that they are looking at investing in Pakistan but not providing easy money. The Gulf nations, including Saudi Arabia and also Qatar, have taken notice of the powerful nationalist movement in Balochistan where the Baloch fighters have pinned down Pakistan's security forces in an ever-lasting conflict. The nationalist movement in Balochistan has ensured that Islamabad's relations with Beijing have touched rock bottom as attacks have mounted on Chinese nationals working to implement the grand $64 billion vision of Chinese President Xi Jinping through the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The CPEC is a grand economic and diplomatic failure for Pakistan as well as China as both stare at economic losses and unfulfilled dreams. The US is the other friendly nation that has been approached by the ruling dispensation. It is being reported that Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto on his visit to New York on the International Women's Day sought Washington's intervention in persuading the IMF for an early loan. Back home in Islamabad, the finance ministry has reportedly reached out to US officials for ending the stalemate with the IMF. Just yesterday American ambassador to Pakistan, Donald Blome too assured Islamabad that the US is keen to help the country get the IMF loan. As friendly countries play safe with Pakistan, and its own politicians pave the way for the nation with good intentions, the IMF seems to be waiting and playing safe with a country that has already taken at least 22 IMF loans and is eagerly awaiting its 23rd amidst political turmoil, bad governance, rising violence and economic uncertainty. (The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative Gaza, March 16 : As the Muslim holy month of Ramzan is approaching, Hamas has warned Israel against any change in the status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, saying any change "would turn the area into an earthquake". Marwan Issa, deputy chief of staff of Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, made the remarks amid warnings of increased tensions between Israel and Palestine, especially in Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, reports Xinhua news agency. "There is no political process, and the enemy (Israel) has annulled Oslo treaties (signed between Israel and the Palestinians in 1993), so that the coming days will be full of events and incidents," Issa said. He called for "igniting and supporting resistance action in all Palestine, mainly in the West Bank and Jerusalem," adding: "We will defend the Palestinian people with all force when direct intervention is required." In April 2022, the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound witnessed violent clashes between Palestinian worshipers and Israeli police forces when Jews visited the holy s ite. Dozens of Palestinian worshipers were injured. The Hamas threats also came amid escalating tensions in the West Bank which flared up in January. Since January, 84 Palestinians and 14 Israelis have been killed in the ensuing violence. The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known to Jews as the most sacred site, is regarded by Muslims as their third holiest site. The holy site has been administered by the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, a Jordanian body, since 1948. Under a 1967 agreement between Israel and Jordan, non-Muslim worshippers can visit the compound but are prohibited from praying there. Lakhimpur Kheri, March 16 : An Asian king vulture (Sarcogyps calvus), a critically-endangered species, has been sighted in the Sonaripur range of the Dudhwa National Park. B. Prabhakar, Dudhwa field director, said: "The sighting assumes significance as the bird has been found here almost after a decade. It encourages our wildlife conservation and habitat management efforts." Biologist Vipin Kumar during his visit in the south Sonaripur range came across the red-headed vulture sitting on a tree-top at the base camp. Surprised over this chance discovery, he recorded the sighting on his camera and informed park authorities. The red-headed vulture or Asian king vulture is listed as a critically endangered species in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list. A Jatayu breeding centre was also set up in Maharajganj to protect and conserve the species. The bird weighs in the range of 3.5 to 6.3 kg. Its wings are about 1.99-to-2.6-metre long. Vultures are natural scavengers, feeding on animal carcasses and thereby, saving the environment from pollution. Notably, the sighting of several griffon vultures was reported from Katarniaghat wildlife sanctuary and in some other areas. This is a healthy sign for the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve's ecology, said Prabhakar. In the most combative debate of the Denver mayor's race yet, candidates sharply criticized their rivals' positions on a host of issues, notably on public safety and homelessness, with Lisa Calderon and Andy Rougeot finding themselves in a testy exchange over policing. Calderon said Rougeot doesn't know what he is talking about when it comes to policing. Rougeot refused to back down. Rougeot, the only Republican in the crowded field of mayoral aspirants, wants to add 400 police officers and "fight for Denver's future." Calderon insists more police officers do not lead to greater public safety, insisting the city should explore options to "avoid violent policing." Denver is struggling to fill vacancies in its police ranks, which led current Mayor Michael Hancock to include enough money in his final adopted budget to hire more police officers. Eleven of the 17 candidates participated in Wednesday night's debate, where the candidates pressed each other on their positions on the city's most pressing challenges. A recent poll shows the race is completely up for grabs, with three candidates in a three-way tie. Mike Johnston, Lisa Calderon and Kelly Brough each have the support of 5% of respondents, though this is just outside the polls margin of error. Of those surveyed, 58% say theyre undecided. The debate was testy. Rougeot interrupted Calderon several times as she attempted to respond to his points, leading 9News moderators Kyle Clark, Anusha Roy and Marshall Zelinger to step in. "Nobody can hear either of you when you talk over each other or when people clap," Clark said, quieting the crowd and the candidates. Rougeot, in an attempt to defend his position, highlighted a 2009 Obama-era stimulus package that increased funding to police departments nationwide. He said this led to noticeable drops in violent and property crimes, hailing it as a "clear example of more police making the city safer." Former President Barack Obama introduced a $787 billion stimulus package after he won the presidency in 2008, including $2 billion in grant money to increase police forces. In Columbus, Ohio, where a $1.2 million grant provided money for only a year, the results were mixed. The department had to make cuts to its workforce anyway. Obama began his presidency at the height of the Great Recession, when the housing bubble burst, leading to a global financial crisis. Calderon pushed back against Rougeot's narrative. "Look up Vera Institute, she said. Look up Sentencing Project. Look up other studies that show particularly for communities of color more policing does not equal more safety." She insisted that intervention programs such as a social safety net, affordable housing, good jobs and unionized jobs are the things that bring down the crime rate. So again, you don't know what you're talking about." Rougeot did not have a chance to respond, and the debate went rolling along. Trinidad Rodriguez defends "field hospitals," pushes back against notion of "internment camp" Other candidates criticized Trinidad Rodriguez over his plan to house homeless people in a "field hospital" of sorts. Prior to the forum, former legislator Joe Salazar called the idea "an internment camp." Roy, one of the moderator, cited a tweet from RTD Director JoyAnn Ruscha, who called Rodriguez a "fascist." Rodriguez quipped back that state law allows it. "Under Title 27 of the state's Colorado Revised Statutes, there is the power for governments and certain organizations to actually intervene when people are a danger to themselves and others," he said. "I respectfully disagree with those two individuals you mentioned. This is not an internment camp. It's a place where we can provide care for people who are suffering and dying today." Title 27 of the Colorado Revised Statutes allows people to be imprisoned against their will, but it requires a court or jury decision. "This is why people with a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous," Calderon said. "A mayor is not an emperor. You have to go through a legal process." Rodriguez countered by citing his 25 years of experience working with homeless people. His plan, he said, is a balancing act of keeping people protected from drugs and homelessness, while also protecting their rights. "It's a fantasy to talk about drugs not being a severe part of the problem, so I'm asking you why won't you help somebody through a severe crisis like this?" he asked Calderon. "I've done that work, and that's not how the work gets done," Calderon replied. Al Gardner, an IT executive and Civil Service Commission member, said the country already tried internment, referencing the United States' internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. President Franklin Roosevelt's executive order was deemed unconstitutional in 1944 and repealed. Rodriguez rejected claims that his plans call for an internment camp. He said he took "severe offense" to candidates likening those with a severe mental illness or health crisis to Japanese people. Later in the debate, he expressed interest in working with the national guard and U.S. military to explore how the organizations treat mental health issues. "The U.S. military right now is innovating on mental health struggles among enlisted people," he said. "I believe we have an opportunity to build a best-in-class standard for how we actually care for people, keep everyone safe and get them into the kind of treatment they actually need." When state Rep. Leslie Herod expressed concerns that Rodriguez wants to use the Colorado National Guard to "forcibly remove people" from Denver's streets, Rodriguez clarified he wants to work with the two organizations to develop care processes for people in his "field hospital" not that he wants to deploy the National Guard or the U.S. Army to round up people, something he never, in fact, said. Mike Johnston is at center of attention The candidates peppered Mike Johnston with questions during a portion of the debate where they could directly pose a query to each other. In particular, they pressed Johnston about three-figure contributions by wealthy California and Connecticut businessmen to an independent expenditure group supporting his campaign. Thomas Wolf, for example, asked a rhetorical question: Why are millionaires and billionaires "in this election" and why should they hold sway? "I don't have people funding that entity who have interests before the city," Johnston replied. "So, I don't raise for it, I don't know who gives to it, but I think what I've seen is those are people who want to see politics that work." Candidates have no control over these outside groups, which operate independently from campaigns. Colorado's laws expressly prohibit coordination with independent expenditure groups. Wolf also alleged Michael Bloomberg made a contribution. SearchLight records the city's campaign finance tracking system shows this is incorrect. The last time Bloomberg engaged in a Denver campaign occurred in 2015, when he gave $150,000 to group campaigning on a ballot measure, the records show. Sen. Chris Hansen wanted to know what Johnston's independent expenditure contributors will expect if he won the race. "I think that's nothing because they've not had any conversation with me on what they do expect," Johnston said. "There's no expectation ... I think people are looking for leaders in a time when politics are broken." At one point, Johnston raised more money than the entire field of candidates, drawing the most campaign contributions for the month of January. Calderon and Terrance Roberts also grilled Johnston on his homelessness plan, which includes the construction of 1,400 "micro-communities" using $138 million in one-time federal stimulus funding for supportive housing. Roberts said he worries the conditions in the micro-communities or "Tuff Sheds," would not be sufficient for living. Johnston said they have heating and access to showers. He added the shelters would be "tiny homes," not Tuff Sheds. Calderon said his plan doesn't address the short or long-term wishes of homeless people. Johnston said his plan, indeed, addresses the city's long-term housing needs. The city can't build everyone a single family home which takes "three years and $500,000," he said, adding people don't have that kind of money and time. "What we want is to begin building the capacity for long-term housing. That's why my plan has called for building 25,000 affordable units," Johnston said. "What we know is right now people need access to safe, stable protected housing and that does not mean living in a tent or encampment." Patna, March 16 : Begusarai police briefly detained Padma Shri and social worker Sudha Verghese along with her six-member team in connection with allegedly influencing minor rape survivor. The district police also deleted the recorded statement of the victim from their mobile phones and then released them. Sudha Verghese along with her team members and Patna High Court lawyer Ashok Kumar went to Sadar hospital and met the victim. Awanti Kumari, the SHO of women police station of Begusarai said that Sudha and her team were influencing the rape victim to give wrong statement. "We have deployed cops for the protection of the victim. When Sudha Verghese and her team reached the Sadar hospital and started taking her statement, they were asking the victim to give a video statement according to what they were instructing her. The cops present there objected to the act of Sudha Verghese and informed the senior officers of Sahebpur Kamal police station of the district," Kumari said. "A team of Sahebpur Kamal police station reached there and detained them. They handed it over to us. During the detention, they were involved in creating ruckus with police officials as well as local journalists," Kumari said. Ashok Kumar, the lawyer of Patna High Court, who was also a part of the team of Sudha Verghese, said: "The local police detained us and took our mobile phones. They have deleted the videos from our phones and also abused us." Amit Kumar, DSP of Begusarai (Sadar) said: "Sudha Verghese and her team members were detained and released late on Wednesday night. They tried to influence the victim to give a wrong statement." The 7-year-old girl was raped by a person on the day of Holi in Begusarai. Since then, she has been admitted in the Sadar hospital. Mumbai, March 16 : The shooting of 'Gadar 2' has been wrapped up. The film will follow the timeline from 1954 to 1971 and will carry the story forward from where the first part left. The film, which stars Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel in lead roles, is a sequel to the 2001 blockbuster film 'Gadar'. The film, which told the story of a truck driver, Tara Singh and his fight to get back his Pakistani wife, clashed at the box-office with the Oscar nominated film 'Lagaan'. Actor Rohit Choudhary, who plays Pakistani Major Malik, 'Gadar 2' shared pictures from the wrap up on his Twitter. The pictures show the crew smiling for the camera after the wrap up. He tweeted: "It's a wrap! Shoot for the most awaited film #Gadar2 has been completed.. feeling so special to be part of it. Can't wait for 11.08.2023 now all set." Talking about the film, Rohit said: "Jahan 'Gadar' ki story khatam hui thi, wahin se 'Gadar 2' ki story shuru hogi ('Gadar 2' will start from where 'Gadar' ended). While the first film told the story from the time of 1947 to 1954, the second installment will follow the timeline between 1954 to 1971." He further mentioned: "The writer of the story Shaktimaan Talvar, who wrote 'Gadar' has penned the script for this one as well. After the wrap up, the film has now entered into post-production. The audience will soon get to see the film on August 11, 2023." As per the film's synopsis on IMDb, the story is set in the 1971 war of India and Pakistan and this time Tara Singh will go to Pakistan to bring his son Charanjeet back to India. 'Gadar 2', directed by Anil Sharma, also stars Gaurav Chopra, Anil George, Simrat Kaur, Utkarsh Sharma and Mir Sarwar. Kabul, March 16 : A total of 4,986 Afghan refugees have returned to their homeland from neighbouring Iran over the past two days, the Ministry for Refugees and Repatriation Affairs in Kabul said on Thursday. According to the Ministry, the returning process continues, and about 280,000 Afghan refugees have returned over the past six months, reports Xinhua news agency. According to the UN, Afghans make up one of the largest refugee populations worldwide. There are 2.6 million registered Afghan refugees in the world, of whom 2.2 million are registered in Iran and Pakistan alone. Another 3.5 million people are internally displaced, having fled their homes searching for refuge within the country. Kolkata, March 16 : A division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Thursday informed senior advocate and CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya that it will take some time to consider the latter's plea for beginning a contempt of court case against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. A day earlier, Bhattacharya had approached the bench of the court's Chief Justice Prakash Srivastava and Justice Rajarshi Srivastava to the petition against Banerjee over her comments made from a public meeting through which she issued an appeal to the judiciary to consider how those whose services have been terminated can be reinstated. The bench then asked Bhattacharya to file an affidavit in the matter before the court by Thursday following which it would decide whether the contempt petition will be allowed or not. On Thursday, Bhattacharya submitted his affidavit where he pleaded the court to start a suo motu contempt of court case against the Chief Minister. In his affidavit, Bhattacharya claimed that the Chief Minister issued the appeal on Tuesday at a public programme which was attended by Justice Subrata Talukdar of the Calcutta High Court. "Calcutta High Court had ordered for the termination of illegally appointed teachers and non-teaching staff after examining the necessary documents relating to the investigation in the matter.AThrough her comments at a public forum, she had tried to mislead people about the verdict of the court by unnecessarily holding the court and a section of advocates responsible for the termination. Such comments are deliberate attempts to influence the ongoing judicial process in a matter," Bhattacharya had argued in his affidavit. Thereafter, the division bench ruled that it will need some time to decide on the matter. Suva, March 16 : Fiji and New Zealand on Thursday pledged to further strengthen bilateral relations and to work together on issues of common interest. Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and visiting New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta made the remarks during a bilateral meeting held in Nadi, Fiji's third largest city, reports Xinhua news agency. While describing Mahuta's visit as the symbol of warm relations and strengthened collaboration between Fiji and New Zealand, Rabuka also showed his appreciation to New Zealand for its continued support, including finance for climate action initiatives and general budget support, which was announced on Thursday. "Fiji and New Zealand are traditional partners, (and) our friendship and cooperation continues to grow from strength to strength," he said. "This timely assistance demonstrates New Zealand's unwavering support and commitment towards Fiji's national priorities." The Prime Minister said that they are more resolved now than ever to build a sustainable and stronger future for their people in Fiji, New Zealand, the Pacific and beyond. According to the statement by the Fijian government, Mahuta described Thursday's meeting as fruitful, saying New Zealand will provide finance worth around $10 million for flexible climate action initiatives in Fiji. She said that the two sides discussed their countries' areas of joint ambition, both in terms of their direct country-to-country cooperation and as a unified Pacific family. "New Zealand remains committed to doing its fair share in the global race to tackle climate change by assisting partner countries to protect lives, livelihoods and infrastructure from the impacts of climate change," Mahuta added. Mahuta is currently in Fiji for a two-day visit, her first to the island nation since Rabuka's new coalition government came to power last December. Mumbai, March 16 : A video of Suniel Shetty shaking a leg with a Norwegian dance group called Quick Style on the Bollywood actor's song 'Aankhon Mein Base Ho Tum' is doing the rounds on social media. Quick Style took to Instagram, where they shared the video. In the clip, the group is seen dancing around in their signature hip-hop style and then Suniel is seen joining them in a white shirt paired with blue jeans. "Felt like we have known him for years, Suniel Shetty," the clip was captioned. The track is from the 1995 film 'Takkar' and is originally picturised on Suniel and actress Sonali Bendre. On the work front, Suniel is all set to share screen space with actors Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal for the third instalment of the 'Hera Pheri' franchise. Quick Style, who are currently in India, had earlier gained the spotlight for dancing to Katrina Kaif and Sidharth Malhotra's 'Kala Chashma' from their 2016 film 'Baar Baar Dekho'. New Delhi, March 16 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has made former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia as the accused number one in the snooping case. Apart from Sisodia, the CBI has booked Sukesh Kumar Jain (IRS-1992), the then Secretary Vigilance; Rakesh Kumar Sinha (Retired DIG, CISF), working as Special Advisor to the CM; Pradeep Kumar Punj (Retired Jt. Deputy Director, IB); Satish Khetrapal (Retired Assistant Commandant, CISF); Gopal Mohan, Advisor Anti-corruption to the Chief Minister and others. The FIR was lodged on March 14 under the Prevention of Corruption Act read with several sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC). The AAP wanted to create a Feedback Unit (FBU) in 2015. Sukesh Jain, the Secretary (Vigilance) was directed to submit a detailed proposal for setting up FBU. It has been alleged that Jain deliberately and willfully avoided referring the matter of creation of 20 posts in FBU to the Administrative Reforms Department. The CBI's preliminary inquiry established that a proposal was made by Jain, which was approved by Sisodia, that 20 posts in FBU be adjusted against 88 posts created in the Anti-Corruption Branch. These 88 posts were created in 2015. The proposal for the creation of these 88 posts had not been sent for approval to the competent authority. The FBU didn't frame any Recruitment Rules to appoint people on the posts. Yet, 17 posts in FBU were filled up. And Rs 20,59,474 were sought for operationalization of FBU from the Finance Department. The CBI's FIR said that bogus bills of lakhs of rupees were also raised by the accused persons. Hyderabad, March 16 : Telangana police have arrested two absconding accused in bank fraud and cyber fraud cases. Special teams of the Crime Investigation Department (CID) arrested the accused from Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. One of the accused was wanted for the last 13 years. Garandkar Parameshwar, who was absconding since 2010, was traced and apprehended from Jivati Mandal of Chandrapur district of Maharashtra. He had allegedly defrauded the State Bank of Hyderabad to the tune of Rs 19 lakh. A case was booked against him in 2013 in Jainoor police station and it was later transferred to the CID. Another CID team arrested Kota Rajesh from Proddatur of Kadapa district in Andhra Pradesh. He had been absconding since last year. Cyber Crimes, CID had registered a cyber fraud case against him under various sections of the IPC and IT Act, 2008. According to police, the accused had developed a special software and by using the same he was stealing databases from the leading companies and selling them to other interested companies. San Francisco, March 16 : Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, has rolled out a new feature for Family Center, called "Content Controls", which will allow parents to limit the type of content their teens watch on the application. Last year, the company introduced "Family Center" on Snapchat to offer parents a way to gain insight into who their teens are communicating with on the app, and now it has added a new Content Controls feature to help parents customise their teens' individual experiences and needs. "Our new Content Controls in Family Center will allow parents to filter out Stories from publishers or creators that may have been identified as sensitive or suggestive. To enable Content Controls, parents will need to have an existing Family Center set up with their teen," Snapchat said in a blogpost. Parents can enable the feature by turning on the "Restrict Sensitive Content" filter in Snapchat's Family Center. Teens will no longer be able to see the blocked content on Stories and Spotlight, the platform's short video section, once enabled. Meanwhile, Snap has introduced its new artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot for Snapchat, powered by the latest version of OpenAI's GPT technology. The "My AI" chatbot is available as an experimental feature for Snapchat+ subscribers and will be rolling out this week, the company said in a blogpost. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed Lucknow, March 16 : The Design Museum of London, in an attempt to celebrate the movement of rural women's empowerment, has decided to exhibit the 'pink sari' in an exhibition on Indian fashion "Offbeat Sari" that will open in May. The 'pink sari' is a symbol of women sisterhood, popularised by the vigilante group of Bundelkhand known as 'Gulabi Gang'. The Gulabi Gang members, wearing pink saris, fight against oppression, beating pink sticks on the ground. This extraordinary women's movement started by Sampat Pal in 2006 has drawn global attention. Sampat Pal said: "Gulabi Gang's fight has reached foreign lands. I was happy when called to France for the first time in 2008. We have now grown to 11 lakh members. I am sending my sari along with blouse, petticoat and stick to London by a courier to be displayed there." The Gulabi Gang was launched to seek justice against those accused of "committing atrocities against women" or indulging in corruption. Priya Khanchandani, the curator of the exhibition, in an email sent to Sampat Pal said: "Dear Gulabi Gang, I have followed your incredible work for up to a decade now and hope you don't mind me getting in touch. I would love to include a pink sari belonging to the Gulabi Gang in the exhibition as an example of the sari as an object of resistance and wondered if you might be able to lend a pink sari worn by one of your members to us. Would you be willing to lend us a sari worn by Sampat Pal or another key member of the group?" She wrote, "I would be honoured to tell the story of the Gulabi Gang's work to audiences here in the UK and to display the sari among a carefully chosen selection of saris reflecting the story of contemporary India today." The exhibition, titled 'The Offbeat Sari', focusses on the sari as a contemporary fashion garment. It celebrates the sari as an innovative, forward-thinking object which has been absorbent of cultural influences and been a vessel for the expression of identity. Colorado lawmakers on Wednesday spent their afternoon working on a trio of bills tied to abortion, the Democrats' response to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last year that overturned a nearly 50-year old decision legalizing abortion. The Senate Health and Human Services Committee tackled Senate Bill 189, which would require health insurance carriers that serve large employers those with more than 100 employees to pay for abortion coverage without deductibles, copays or coinsurance. Witnesses claimed the bill will help provide reproductive healthcare at a time when it is threatened nationwide, while opponents argued it would result in taxpayer funding for abortions or interfere with parental rights. Also under the measure, health insurance for the small group and individual market would provide that coverage depending on how the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which regulates the Affordable Care Act, views those services. Under the Affordable Care Act and this pertains more to individual health insurance than to the small group market any state insurance mandate would be reviewed under the lens of how it affects premiums. If the mandate has the potential to increase premiums, the state would technically be required to defray those extra costs, although that scenario is rare and has never happened in Colorado. SB 189 was one of the first bills to get an actuarial review under a 2022 law that looks at the effect of health insurance mandates on premium costs. That review, done by a third party contracted by the Division of Insurance, reported the bill's effect on health insurance premiums would be a minimal decrease in costs, around 15 cents per member, instead of an increase. It would also improve health "equity," the review said. "Fewer unintended pregnancies will reduce medical costs that would otherwise result from pre/post-natal care, deliveries, and potential pregnancy complications. Reduced medical costs result in lower out-of-pocket costs for the member and lower costs to the carrier, which could be passed on to the members by way of lower premiums," the review said. SB 189 gives employers the option of refusing to offer abortion services if it conflicts with their religious beliefs, so long as the decision is in line with federal court decisions. The measure's insurance mandate also applies to treatment for HIV and other sexually-transmitted diseases. The bill prohibits health insurance carriers to require HIV patients use step therapy, a requirement that a patient use a lower-cost drug before moving on to a more expensive one, even if the patient has been on the more expensive one before or it's the drug preferred by the doctor. For other care, the bill prohibits a carrier from requiring deductibles, copays, coinsurance, or impose a lifetime maximum benefit for treating a sexually transmitted disease or for sterilization services. Finally, the bill expands the kinds of health care providers than can give contraception, including procedures, supplies or information to a minor without first needing to obtain parental consent or provide notification. Currently, the law allows only for physicians to provide those services; the bill would add, for example, nurse practitioners. That section of the bill strikes language the sponsors consider to be outdated: Current law requires notification to parents or legal guardians or to someone who makes a referral for those services, such as a member of the clergy, family planning clinics, or schools or colleges. The bill was amended to set up a grant program for those under the age of 19 who want to pay for their own contraception and don't want to go through their parents' insurance to keep the matter confidential. Those grants would to go health care providers, not the patients. What the bill doesn't do according to sponsor Sen. Lisa Cutter, D-LIttleton is apply to gender-affirming care. It also doesn't lift the state law requiring parental notification for abortions, she said. Colorado voters passed a ballot measure, later affirmed in state law in 2003, known as the Parental Notification Act, that requires parents or legal guardians be notified 48 hours in advance of a minor child obtaining an abortion. That law, however, does not require parental consent. SB 189 also does not allow for public funding for abortions, which is banned in the state Constitution. Despite that insistence from the sponsors, those opposed to the bill claimed it would do the exact opposite. That included Brittany Vessely, executive director of the Colorado Catholic Conference, who said the bill would violate the constitutional prohibition against using public funds for abortion. It's ridiculous to assume that premiums are all covered by private funding, she said. The bill's religious exemption is not guaranteed, either, she told the committee, given that it relies on a federal court ruling, which she called "illusionary." She also insisted the bill would expand state-run reproductive healthcare programs that allow minors to apply for and enroll themselves in state-funded family planning and related services, which include access to contraception and abortion referrals and without parental consent. That, she said, erodes parental authority. State law already allows minors to obtain abortions without parental consent. Dr. Catherine Wheeler, an ob-gyn who used to practice in Utah but never in Colorado, told the committee that Colorado is a state with high suicide rates and a lot of human trafficking, which she blamed on the ability to get abortions and "early sex." Wheeler also said the bill would apply to gender-affirming care. "When young people have gender affirming care, they're committed to a lifelong change of needing medical care" and medication, Wheeler said. "When you hear the people who have de-transitioned, they tell you of an incredibly difficult and sick life of constantly being ill and not well." De-transitioning is the process of stopping or reversing a gender transition. "Abortion is not health care," no matter how many times it's repeated, said Christine Neely, who also claimed studies show 20% of women that use the abortion pill end up in the ER with excessive bleeding. "That doesn't sound like healthcare to me." A 2015 report that looked at 20 studies, including those from the National Institutes of Health, involving 33,846 women who used medication abortions said severe adverse events, such as "blood transfusions (0.03-0.6%) and hospitalization (0.04-0.9%) are uncommon." Tom Perille of Democrats for Life said SB 189 is fatally flawed because it characterizes abortion as essential reproductive healthcare, "which is patently false." The bill tips the scale toward abortion and away from prenatal care, he said. Brandon Arnold with the Colorado Association of Health Plans also insisted that when the state increases insurance mandates and coverage requirements, that "inherently will increase the cost for premiums." Those who support the bill cited a pending federal ruling expected any day from Texas that could affect access to contraceptive services, notably the abortion pill. Erin Miller from the Colorado Children's Campaign said the bill will secure access to critical preventive services that are already included in the Affordable Care Act but that are threatened in pending federal legislation. The campaign, Miller said, supports expanded access to abortion care because of its belief in personal bodily autonomy, including whether to have children or not. Ali Altman, a resident of Capitol Hill, said she knows firsthand "the crippling anxiety of taking a pregnancy test in a grocery store bathroom and seeing my entire life flash before my eyes." She had a financial safety net to lean on but said many young people do not. She added the Supreme Court's ruling last year pushed access to sexual and reproductive healthcare out of the reach for many and the bill will expand critical coverage for people and communities that have been falling through the cracks for generations, even for those with insurance, because most coverage doesn't pay for essential sexual and reproductive healthcare. Angie Harold, a survivor of child sexual abuse, recounted how she attempted suicide after being raped and found out she was pregnant in Wyoming, where abortions weren't available. She over-exercised and stopped eating, and eventually had a miscarriage, which she called "wonderful, because I got to live." She said she would have preferred an abortion because it would have been less stressful, safer, and made her feel like she was cared for, and would be able to decide what happened to her body. "Increasing access to abortion care is vital to creating equity," she said. "Access to reproductive healthcare is a human right and not only saves life, but enhances life quality." SB 189 won a 6-3 party-line vote and now heads to Senate Appropriations. Editor's note: This story has been clarified to include other health practitioners who, under the proposal, can provide family planning services to minors. Also, at the request of the Children's Campaign, the testimony by Erin Miller has been clarified to accurately reflect its position. London, March 16 : Europe's main markets have opened higher after moves from the Swiss Central Bank reassured investors over the financial health of Credit Suisse, the media reported. In the opening minutes of trade, the UK's FTSE 100 was up more than 1 per cent and the French CAC 40 was up 1.5 per cent, CNN reported. Switzerland's second largest bank has agreed a $53 billion loan from the Swiss Central Bank, saying it was a "decisive action to pre-emptively strengthen its liquidity." Shares in Credit Suisse have surged in the opening minutes of trading after it agreed a $53 billion loan from the Swiss Central Bank, CNN reported. Switzerland's second largest bank was up more than 30 per cent in early trade. On Wednesday the bank plunged more than 24 per cent to a record low after its biggest shareholder said it had no plans to give any more funds to Credit Suisse. Overnight the Swiss Central Bank and the Swiss regulator said they were ready to provide financial support to Credit Suisse, and the bank took up the offer, saying the loan was a "decisive action to pre-emptively strengthen its liquidity." Some analysts are calling China a "safe harbor." In Shanghai, the nation's biggest state-owned lenders all rallied. Bank of China was up 2.7 per cent. Agricultural Bank of China and ICBC both gained 1.6 per cent. China Construction Bank and Bank of Communications added 1.3 per cent and 0.6 per cent, respectively, CNN reported. Kochi: President Droupadi Murmu being welcomed by Governor of Kerala Arif Mohammed Khan and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan upon her arrival,at Kochi on Thursday, March 16, 2023.(Photo:IANS/Twitter) Image Source: IANS News Kochi: President Droupadi Murmu being welcomed by Governor of Kerala Arif Mohammed Khan upon her arrival,at Kochi on Thursday, March 16, 2023.(Photo:IANS/Twitter) Image Source: IANS News Kochi, March 16 : President Droupadi Murmu arrived in Kerala on Thursday, her maiden visit to the state after taking over the new post. She was received by Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and other top officials. Soon after her arrival, all the three left for naval air station INS Garuda. She is slated to visit the indigenous Aircraft carrier INS Vikrant and would later award the President's Colour to INS Dhrnocharya, after which she will leave for the state capital city. On Friday, she has multiple programmes lined up and after that she will return to Kochi and from there leave for Lakshadweep. New York, March 16 : Indian-American Ravi Chaudhary was confirmed by the US Senate as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Energy, Installations, and the Environment by a bipartisan vote of 65-29. With this appointment, Minneapolis native Chaudhary becomes the first Indian-American to become part of one of the top civilian leadership positions in the Pentagon. His nomination was advanced by Senator Amy Klobuchar, who said that Chaudhary has the qualifications and experience needed for this critical role. "Growing up as the son of immigrant parents in Minnesota, Dr Ravi Chaudhary dreamed of serving our country as an Air Force pilot. From his more than two decades of service as an active duty Air Force officer to his tenure at the Federal Aviation Administration, Dr Chaudhary has dedicated his career to public service," Klobuchar said in a statement released on Wednesday. "I am confident that Dr Chaudhary has the qualifications and experience needed for this critical role. Now that he has been confirmed by the Senate, I look forward to working with him to support the men and women of the Air Force," she added. The Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Energy, Installations, and the Environment is responsible for the Air Force's sustainability and operational readiness, including installations and basing strategy, as well as ensuring the quality of military housing. Chaudhary served as an active duty Air Force pilot between 1993 and 2015, conducting numerous combat missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Following his retirement from military service, he served for five years as a senior official within the Regions and Center Operations and Office of Commercial Space at the Federal Aviation Administration. He was also appointed by then President Barack Obama to serve on the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Chennai, March 16 : AIADMK interim general secretary and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) has filed a counter affidavit in the Madras High Court in the case filed by party MLA P.H. Pandian against the General Council meeting held on July 11, 2022. Madras High Court is likely to hear the case on Friday (March 17). Pandian in the petition before the court wanted an injunction against the functioning of EPS as the interim general secretary of the party. In the AIADMK general council meeting held in July 2022, a resolution was passed to abolish the posts of coordinator and joint coordinator and create the post of interim general secretary. The legislator wanted the court to intervene and maintain the status quo before the main suit is disposed of. In the counter affidavit, EPS said, "The AIADMK is represented by its interim general secretary and not by the coordinator or joint coordinator as claimed by the petitioner, P.H. Manoj Pandian. The fourth respondent (Edappadi K. Palaniswami) is the interim general secretary of the AIADMK and not its joint coordinator as wrongly claimed in the petition. The petitioner Manoj Pandian is not even a member of the AIADMK; his description is also erroneous." He also said that the presence of PH Manoj Pandian at the party's headquarters on July 11, 2022 has been termed as 'trespass' by the Madras High Court. EPS in the counter affidavit also said that the High Court has stated that the petitioner, Manoj Pandian providing party headquarters address as his address was mischievous and misleading. EPS in the affidavit said, "The reliefs sought for in the application have become infructuous. The applicant can maintain only the reliefs that are causing him a personal injury. The applicant has suppressed the material facts and misstated the facts and as such disentitled to any relief. The decision of the majority cannot be stifled by a minuscule minority." The former Chief Minister in his affidavit also requested the court to dismiss the petition filed by P.H. Manoj Pandian with a penalty. Guwahati, March 16 : The Assam government on Thursday unveiled a deficit budget of Rs 935 crore for the fiscal year 2023-2024 with the intention of expanding the state's youth population's options for self-employment. Ajanta Neog, the finance minister for Assam, pledged financial support for 2 lakh unemployed youths in this year's budget. According to Neog, a sum of Rs 5000 crore has been set aside in the current budget to help 2 lakh unemployed youths start businesses and create jobs. "The total revenue for 2022-23 was estimated at Rs 321,742 crore, while total expenses came in at Rs 321,081 crore, leaving a surplus of around Rs 661 crore for the fiscal year 2023-24," she said while presenting the budget. While stating that there will be no new taxes added in the budget, Ajanta Neog suggested exempting renewable energy producers from electricity taxes and extending the tax vacation for agricultural income taxes for a further three years. She also reiterated the poll promise of BJP to give jobs to 1 lakh youths in Assam. "42,000 have already received employment. By May 10, when the state government completes its second year, another 40,000 youths would have work," the finance minister mentioned. Neog further stated that the process to hire 18,000 more people is already under way. Mumbai, March 16 : 'Bigg Boss OTT' fame and social media influencer Uorfi Javed spoke about her latest track 'Dooriyan' and her working experience with producer Mohsin Khan. Uorfi, who often makes headlines for her unique dressing, and recently her song 'Haye Haye Yeh Majboori' became a hit with over 21 million views, shared her experience of being part of the song and said: "'Dooriyan' is going to touch everyone's heart, it is a beautiful song." "I am so happy to be a part of this song. I hope people keep watching the song and keep showering love each day. The moment I heard about the song, I knew that I would surely do it. Working with Mohsin was really smooth. The shoot took place very steadily," added Uorfi. Mohsin, who is the producer of the song spoke about working with Uorfi: "Uorfi is an extremely easy-going person, humble and down to earth. She gave 18 different expressions in just one minute. That was mind-blowing. My entire team calls her 'One Take Artist'." He also praised her efforts during the shoot and added: "Uorfi is currently the most hardworking and fearless individual in the industry. During the shoot, we faced unexpected rain which led to the delay of the shoot for many hours but Uorfi never hesitated to put in extra hours just to complete the shoot on time." Mohsin expressed gratitude to Uorfi for being a part of the project and said: "She is the sensation in India now and it will definitely help boost our project." Chennai, March 16 : Pharma major Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd on Thursday said it is selling its nine non-core dermatology brands in India to Eris Lifesciences Ltd for Rs 275 crore. According to Dr. Reddy's, as per the agreement, Eris Lifesciences will be assigned the trademarks of the divested brands that logged sales of Rs 60 crore in India. "India is a focus market for us. We aspire to break into the top five in India. Today's announcement is in line with our stated intention of pursuing a strategy that involves growing brands organically combined with acquisitions that are a strategic fit and divestment of non-core brands," M.V. Ramana, CEO - Branded Markets (India & Emerging Markets) said. According to Eris Lifesciences, the company will acquire nine trademarks and applicable line extensions from Dr. Reddy's for Rs 275 crore for India business alone. "The transaction helps augment and expand the cosmetic dermatology business of the Company by way of expansion in the product offerings," Eris Lifesciences said. The transaction is expected to be completed on or before 31.3.2023. Lucknow, March 16 : The Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) management has made elaborate arrangements to deal with power employees' proposed 72-hour token strike from midnight on Thursday. The strike is in response to the call given by the UP Power Employees Joint Action Committee (JAC) to press its demand for implementation of the December 3, 2022 agreement. UP Energy Minister A.K. Sharma, while adopting a tough stance on the strike, said the power employees found disrupting power supply would face the consequences. Power employees are demanding the removal of the UPPCL Chairman, rollback plan for privatisation of the power sector, and restoration of the old pension scheme. Over 50,000 power employees, mostly contractual employees, have staged protest demonstrations at district headquarters across the state. Joint Action Committee convener Shailendra Dubey said the Energy Minister had entered into a written agreement with the JAC on December 3 last year and had assured to fulfil all the demands. He said no action had been taken by the UPPCL for accepting the demands during the last three months. Dubey said that all the employees and engineers of the power corporation would proceed on a 72-hour token strike on the night of March 16 as the talks with the Energy Minister had failed on Tuesday. He said that the UPPCL was not honouring the agreement signed on December 3. The agreement, according to him, promised, among other things, time-bound pay scales, widening of the scope of cashless treatment and brake on any action regarding privatisation. The agreement that the employees signed with the UPPCL management before ending the strike then, promises employee welfare and discourages any action related to privatisation. Dubey said that there was no further scope for talks now. "More than one lakh power employees will participate in the strike in the state. The UPPCL management alone will be responsible for any untoward incident during the strike," he warned. Meanwhile, UPPCL officials said that the power corporation had made preparations to deal with the strike. A senior UPPLC official said that Commissioners and District Magistrates had been alerted and asked to regularly review power supply situation in districts under them in close coordination with Power Department officials. "Control rooms have also been set up in Shakti Bhawan and in each discom so that consumers may lodge their complaint regarding power supply and the corporation would also seek services of retired personnel as well as the NTPC to run power plants," the spokesman said. New Delhi, March 16 : A 70-year-old man opened fire at a legal rival outside the Delhi Finance Commissioner's office here on Thursday, police said. According to police, at around 11.15 a.m., K.K. Sharma opened fire with his licenced firearm at Pradeep Behel outside the office. "An arbitration matter was underway regarding PanchDeep Housing Society, Vikas Puri and today Sharma, a resident of the society, lost the case against Behel and others," said a senior police official. "When Behel was sitting outside having tea from a tea stall, suddenly, Sharma appeared and fired 2-3 shots. Behel is safe and out of danger," said the official. Police said that legal action has been initiated and the accused has been apprehended. New Delhi, March 16 : Patrick French, the biographer of Sir Vidia Naipaul and Francis Younghusband, and Dean of the School of Art and Sciences at Ahmedabad University, passed away on Thursday in London, leaving behind his wife Meru Gokhale and four children. He was 57 and suffering from cancer. Reacting to the shocking news, fellow writer and Indophile William Dalrymple tweeted: "Heartbroken to hear about the death of Patrick French, who I have loved and admired since we were both thirteen, and who was the Best Man at my wedding. He was funny & clever & charming, always full of enthusiasm & energy. He was also the greatest biographer of our generation." At the time of his death, French was writing a biography of British-Zimbabwean Nobel laureate Doris Lessing. He first attracted the attention of the world with his authoritative account of the life and adventures of Sir Francis Younghusband, the British explorer and diplomatist who revealed, as it were, Tibet to the western world after his historic 1904 expedition. French, however, will be remembered in India, apart from his work to put together Ahmedabad University, for his insightful book on Partition -- "Liberty or Death: India's Journey to Independence and Division" -- which offered a revisionist view of the respective roles of Mahatma Gandhi and M.A. Jinnah in India's independence movement. His biography of Naipaul, "The World is What It Is", made Ian Buruma in 'The New York Times' declare him as the inventor of a new genre -- "the confessional biography". Apart from writing and setting up an academic institution of note, French also unsuccessfully contested the 1992 parliamentary elections in the UK as a Green Party candidate, actively crusaded for a 'Free Tibet', and in 2003, politely declined the Order of the British Empire, which the Queen wished to bestow upon him. Tributes have been pouring in from the friends and admirers of French, who remembered him as a warm and kind person. Author Aatish Taseer described him as "a wonderful biographer, historian, essayist and teacher". He added in his tweet: "His Naipaul biography is a classic. And we had many funny times telling Naipaul stories." Looking back at their last public event together (a "delightful conversation" at a lit fest), Thiruvananthapuram MP and author Shashi Tharoor tweeted: "Though he looked forbiddingly serious (as in this pic), he had a delightful sense of humour. The cliche 'witty and wise' could have been devised for him." Indian ISP Netplus Broadband has tapped Nokia for its Multi-Access Gateway Broadband Network Gateway (BNG) application. The application, hosted on the FP5-based 7750 SR, and the 7250 IXR, offers access management with high-density aggregation, and will allow Netplus to scale its broadband services throughout Northern India. The ISP operates across over 400 cities and towns in several states across the region. The 7750 SR is based on Nokias industry leading FP5 silicon, which helps enable world-class broadband services with highly scalable subscriber management, granular bandwidth management and per-subscriber policy control, as well as deterministic performance and a 75% reduction in power consumption over FP4 silicon. In addition, Netplus will also deploy Nokias 7750 SR Extended Services Appliance (ESA) to scale support of Carrier Grade Network Address Translation (CGNAT), helping it solve the challenges faced by increasing demand for connected endpoints. Netplus will partner with Nokias IP Networks services team to support the deployment of the Nokia products and applications to deliver the new, quad-play residential broadband services to its subscriber base of one million plus across the state of Punjab. Arshdeep Singh Mundi, Executive Director at Netplus, said: Our partnership with Nokia will help us achieve our goals of a world-class broadband experience for our customers and last-mile broadband expansion with the benefit of added capacity. The expanded coverage will leverage Nokias state of the art broadband access infrastructure and help Netplus cater to our customers increasing demand, helping drive the Digital India vision. Vach Kompella, Vice President, IP Networks Division at Nokia, said: Our Multi-Access Gateway BNG, hosted on our 7750 SR platform, and 7250 IXR offers a scalable and high-capacity infrastructure to enable ISPs like Netplus to build a foundation for rapid broadband access growth across India. Jaipur, March 16 : Rajasthan education minister B.D. Kalla on Thursday said that the process to give status of official language to Rajasthani language has started in the desert state. The concerned ministry has approved the formation of a committee in connection with declaring Rajasthani language as the second official language of Rajasthan, said Kalla adding that after studying the model of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, this committee will submit a report regarding recognition of Rajasthani language on the lines of those there. The Education Minister was replying to the calling of attention motion brought by Member Rajendra Rathore during Zero Hour in the Vidhansabha on Thursday regarding making Rajasthani language the official language of the state and adding it to the Board of Secondary Education as a third language. He said that at present Rajasthani language is included as a literary subject in the syllabus under the Board of Secondary Education. He said that it would be possible to include it as a third language after approval from the competent level. Kalla said that on August 25, 2003, a resolution was unanimously passed by all the members of the State Legislative Assembly regarding recognition of Rajasthani language and its inclusion in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The Central Government has been urged from time to time to include Rajasthani language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. In this regard, requests have been made to the Central Government by the chief ministers in the years 2009, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2023. He informed that at present the matter is under consideration at the level of the Central Government. Chandigarh, March 16 : Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday said metro connectivity should be extended to Panchkula district's Pinjore and Kalka towns from Chandigarh and Zirakpur town in Punjab under the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP). These routes should be included in the first phase of the metro project, he said at a meeting of the Comprehensive Mobility Plan, chaired by Punjab Governor and UT Administrator, Banwarilal Purohit, here. Punjab Tourism Minister Anmol Gagan Mann, Chandigarh Mayor Anup Gupta, Haryana Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal, along with senior officers from Chandigarh and Punjab, were present at the meeting. A detailed presentation on the comprehensive mobility plan for the tricity which includes Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali was given by officials of the Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES). Various proposals for mass rapid transport system to tackle tricity's growing traffic congestion was discussed. During the meeting, the Chief Minister suggested that important places like PGIMER, the Punjab and Haryana High Court and Punjab and Haryana's joint secretariats and Vidhan Sabha should also be added in the first phase of the metro. "Pinjore and Kalka should be connected with Chandigarh under the metro plan as it the gateway of Himachal Pradesh and movement of a large number of people takes places towards Panchkula and Chandigarh on a daily basis. This will further strengthen the Panchkula-Chandigarh connectivity, ensuring smooth flow of traffic," Khattar said. He also suggested that the airport connectivity to Panchkula should be considered under the plan. "The metro should aim to improve and facilitate airport connectivity. A timeline in this regard should be prepared and it should be included under the mobility plan," he added. Besides, the Chief Minister also suggested that the area of the Ghaggar river and new Panchkula extension should also be included in the expansion of the metro. Chandigarh, March 16 : Atul Fulzele on Thursday assumed charge of BSF Punjab Frontier's Inspector General, replacing Asif Jalal, who played a key role in controlling the smuggling of drugs on India-Pakistan border, besides effectively checking the movement of drones. Fulzele is a 2001 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre. Born in Neri village in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra, Fulzele has done his MBBS from Vasantrao Naik Government Medical College, Yavatmal, and MD in Forensic Medicine and Toxicology from Topiwala National Medical College and Nair Hospital Mumbai. He is alumni of Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore, and Harvard Kennedy School of Governance, Harvard University, the US. Fulzele has worked in various prestigious positions in Himachal Pradesh, notably the Superintendent of Police in Kangra district for three years and in Una district for two years. He also served as the Superintendent of Police and Deputy Inspector General of Police with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Mumbai from year 2010 to 2017. While working in the CBI, he investigated various high-level bank fraud cases and investigated Adarsh Housing scam. He was assigned to lead the team in Lima in Peru for the extradition of international drug smuggler and fugitive Yaniv Benaim, wanted in the Goa drug case. Fulzele got him extradited to India in 2011 and brought him to justice. He was also posted as Inspector General of Police and Principal-cum-Director, Himachal Pradesh Police Training Academy and College in Daroh. New Delhi, March 16 : The Ministry of Ayush and the Ministry of Rural Development on Thursday signed an MoU to transform the rural youth into economically independent and globally relevant workforce. The MoU was signed at Transport Bhawan by Manoj Nesari, Advisor, Ministry of Ayush, and Karma Zimpa Bhutia, Joint Secretary, Rural Skills, Ministry of Rural Development in the presence of Union Minister of Ayush Sarbananda Sonowal and Giriraj Singh, Union Minister of Panchayati Raj. Minister of State for Ayush, Munjapara Mahendrabhai Kalubhai, Secretary Ayush, Rajesh Kotecha, Pramod Kumar Pathak, Special Secretary Ministry of Ayush and Shailesh Kumar Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, Prof. (Dr) Tanuja Manoj Nesari, Chairperson of Ayush Sub Sector Skill Council and Director, All India institute of Ayurveda were also present at the occasion. Sarbananda Sonowal welcomed the Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh and said that both the ministries will collaborate in boosting the spirit of self-employment. Singh in his speech praised the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ayush Ministry for the growth seen in the Ayush sector, which scaled from $3 billion in 2014 to $19 billion in the year 2022. The minister also thanked PM Modi for scaling and giving the opportunity. Talking about DDU-GKY (Deen Dayal Upadhyay-Grameen Kaushal Yojana, he said that he would empower self help groups of women and the collaboration with the Ministry of Ayush will help the achieving growth in self-employment and skill development. Speaking on the occasion, Director of All India Institute of Ayurveda Prof (Dr) Tanuja Manoj Nesari said that the collaboration between both the ministries will play an important role in enhancing the skill and service sector related to Ayurveda. Training to Rural Poor Youth will be provided in collaboration with the Ayush Ministry in the following courses on a pilot basis:- Panchakarma Technician Panchakarma Assistant Ayurvedic Masseur Kshara Karma Technician Cupping Therapy Assistant To be a milestone in the history of skill development The purpose of this collaboration is to help in developing skilled personnel for AYUSH Healthcare system and AYUSH management sectors, training will be benchmarked to global standards, to enable growth of skilled human resources in such sectors, to serve both national and international demand. The association between the two Ministries will help in providing training to Rural Poor Youth in the National Skills Qualification Framework aligned courses available on National Qualification Register under DDU-GKY Scheme. Mission of the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) to skill rural youth from the humble background will combine with the Ministry of Ayush (MoA) through Deen Dayal Upadhyaya-Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDUGKY) it will open new doors in the horizon of opportunities and development empowering rural youth. Mumbai, March 16 : Enthused by the winning formula in last month's Kasa Peth (Pune) by-polls, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) have agreed in principle to contest all future elections -- civic, assembly and parliament -- unitedly, party officials said here on Thursday. The decision came after a series of meetings held among the top leaders of Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena (UBT) in the past few days. The final seal came at a meeting of the MVA top brass and their district and state leaders held here on Wednesday night, with a call to go out and work in tandem before the elections. However, Congress Chief Spokesperson Atul Londhe said that "no seat-sharing formula" has been finalised either for the 2024 Lok Sabha (48 seats) or Assembly (288 seats) elections, and it will be taken up later. Londhe flatly discounted certain television reports claiming that a seat-sharing figure had been agreed upon for next year's Lok Sabha elections with Sena (UBT) purportedly contesting the highest number 21 seats, followed by NCP's 19 and Congress' 08. The move to go to the hustings together follows a similar understanding to hold joint rallies across the state over the next few months for the upcoming civic elections. The first of these rallies shall be held in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on April 2, Nagpur on April 16, and Mumbai on May 1 -- coinciding with the Maharashtra Day celebrations -- Pune on May 14, Kolhapur on May 28 and Nashik on June 3. NCP president Sharad Pawar and state unit president Jayant Patil, Sena (UBT) president and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and Congress state President Nana Patole have individually appealed several times on the need to pose a united Opposition challenge to unseat the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre and in states. New Delhi, March 16 : A man strangled his 65-year-old mother in Delhi's Dwarka after a suicide pact between them went awry, an official said on Thursday. The official said that the mother and her son were in extreme financial distress since the death of her husband. As per the son, they both planned to commit suicide but it turned out differently. According to the police, an incident of alleged suicide was reported from Himalaya Apartment, Sector-22, Dwarka on March 14, at around 6.33 p.m., following which a police team rushed to the spot. "A woman was lying dead on the bed with bruises on her neck and bleeding nose. Seven empty packets of tablets were also found in the drawing room and a suicide note was found on the drawing room wall," said a senior police official. The deceased was identified as Basabi Biswas. "As the circumstances were suspicious, a detailed investigation was undertaken. Her son Anirban Biswas stated that on March 13 at around 10 p.m, his mother took 70 tablets of hypertension and on March 14, in the morning his mother was alive and in agony," said the official. "Then he took a neck tie and strangulated his mother. He allegedly then attempted suicide by hanging himself but could not succeed. A case of murder was registered on the same day and accused Anirban was arrested," said the official. Chennai, March 16 : Pro-Dravidian outfit, Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (TPDK) has sent packets of ash to Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi as a symbolic protest against him not giving assent to the bill passed by the state assembly to ban online gambling. A party member on Thursday said that this was a symbolic protest to bring to the notice of society that 42 people had lost their lives due to losses from online gambling, adding "ash packets were sent to the Governor to make him realise the gravity of the issue". Governor R.N. Ravi had returned the bill passed by the state legislative assembly four months after it was lying dormant on his table. The Governor had rejected the bill, citing the legal competence of the legislative assembly to pass such a bill. The TPDK cadres said that they had mixed the ashes of a few of the 42 who committed suicide due to losses in online gambling while sending them to the Governor. The state government led by the Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi has been at loggerheads, and the Governor had even walked out of the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly during the last session. New Delhi, March 16 : Patrick French, the biographer of Sir Vidia Naipaul and Francis Younghusband, and Dean of the School of Art and Sciences at Ahmedabad University, passed away on Thursday in London, leaving behind his wife Meru Gokhale and four children. He was 57 and suffering from cancer. Reacting to the shocking news, fellow writer and Indophile William Dalrymple tweeted: "Heartbroken to hear about the death of Patrick French, who I have loved and admired since we were both thirteen, and who was the Best Man at my wedding. He was funny & clever & charming, always full of enthusiasm & energy. He was also the greatest biographer of our generation." At the time of his death, French was writing a biography of British-Zimbabwean Nobel laureate Doris Lessing. He first attracted the attention of the world with his authoritative account of the life and adventures of Sir Francis Younghusband, the British explorer and diplomatist who revealed, as it were, Tibet to the western world after his historic 1904 expedition. French, however, will be remembered in India, apart from his work to put together Ahmedabad University, for his insightful book on Partition -- "Liberty or Death: India's Journey to Independence and Division" -- which offered a revisionist view of the respective roles of Mahatma Gandhi and M.A. Jinnah in India's independence movement. His biography of Naipaul, "The World is What It Is", made Ian Buruma in 'The New York Times' declare him as the inventor of a new genre -- "the confessional biography". Apart from writing and setting up an academic institution of note, French also unsuccessfully contested the 1992 parliamentary elections in the UK as a Green Party candidate, actively crusaded for a 'Free Tibet', and in 2003, politely declined the Order of the British Empire, which the Queen wished to bestow upon him. Tributes have been pouring in from the friends and admirers of French, who remembered him as a warm and kind person. Author Aatish Taseer described him as "a wonderful biographer, historian, essayist and teacher". He added in his tweet: "His Naipaul biography is a classic. And we had many funny times telling Naipaul stories." Looking back at their last public event together (a "delightful conversation" at a lit fest), Thiruvananthapuram MP and author Shashi Tharoor tweeted: "Though he looked forbiddingly serious (as in this pic), he had a delightful sense of humour. The cliche 'witty and wise' could have been devised for him." Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, said he had "profited hugely from my conversations with him on Tibet" and noted in his tweet: "Patrick French was a wonderful writer, two of his books particularly are scholarly and riveting: his biography of Francis Younghusband and his account of events leading up to Partition." The author of "Slumdog Millionaire" and India's former High Commissioner to Canada, Vikas Swarup, said: "I had met him for the first time during my posting in London and he was always a source of inspiration, for his writing, his intellect and his passion for India." On a more personal note, and summing up the feeling of those whom French knew well, Alex von Tunzelmann, author of "Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire", tweeted: "Patrick French was brilliant company, so witty and charming, as well as an extraordinarily gifted writer and scholar. This is a huge loss." Chennai, March 16 : The Madras High Court directed the Tamil Nadu Prisons Department to produce the details of the treatment provided to Coimbatore car blast case accused, Mohammed Asaruddin. Asaruddin's father Mohamed Yousuf had moved the Court stating that his son was brutally beaten up by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under its custody and wanted the court to pass an order on appropriate medical treatment to him. A division bench of Justices M. Sundar and Nirmal Kumar directed the Central Prison, Puzhal, Chennai to provide the details of the treatment given to the accused in jail. The court also directed the NIA to respond within a week on the petition filed by Yousuf that his son was brutally beaten up in the elite agency custody and bears injury marks. A car blast occured on October 23, 2022, near the Sangameswarar temple, Ukkadam, Coimbatore in which 29-year-old Jamsheen Mubin was charred to death. The car blast took place on the eve of Deepavali and the police and NIA commenced an investigation, which revealed the presence of a conspiracy and the agency arrested several people from across Tamil Nadu, including Asaruddin. Chennai, March 16 : In a brutal assault, a 53-year-old woman professor of Anna University here was hit on the head with a wooden plank, dragged into a bylane and robbed. The teacher has been identified as Sitalakshmi. The incident that occurred on Sunday, was captured on a CCTV camera and has gone viral on social media, raising concerns about public safety and security. The accused, identified as Senthil, has been arrested and has been admitted in a local hospital after he injured himself after falling from the professor's two-wheeler, while committing the act. Several people took to the social media to protest against the attack on Sitalakshmi. Maya Sundaram, a private school teacher wrote in a post: "Police have to be more vigilant. The robber had the guts to attack a woman with a plank and drag her into a bylane and steal her belongings including her two-wheeler and her mobile phone. At least the police acted after the incident and arrested the culprit." New Delhi, March 16 : Franklin Templeton Asset Management (India) Pvt Ltd on Thursday said that they are cooperating the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in their search operations being conducted at an official's residential premises in connection with a Prevention of Money Laundering case. A company official told IANS that that the ED, as of now, didn't seek information about any three years business transactions and the raid was also happening at residential premises, not the business premises. The places where the ED was conducting searches are said to be belonging ti Santosh Kamath, Chief Investing Officer-Fixed Income at Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund, Vivek Kudva, former head of Asia-Pacific (APAC) distribution, and his wife Roopa Kudva. According to information, she is the head of Omidyar Network, India. The firm has said that they will support the investigation agency in the probe and were willing to provide all the datas and information sought by the agency. "We continue to cooperate with all regulatory and statutory authorities and provide all data and information required by them. Franklin Templeton places great emphasis on compliance with regulations, and we have appropriate policies in place, consistent with Indian regulations and global best practices," a company spokesperson said. They also issued a press note saying they were cooperating in the matter. Srinagar, March 16 : A man, posing as a top official of the Prime Minister's Office, was arrested in Srinagar city on Thursday, police said. Kiran Patel, belonging to Gujarat, was picked up by J&K Police from a 5-star hotel in Srinagar where he had been staying. "Police got suspicious and started gathering information about the accused who turned out to be an imposter posing as Additional Director (Strategy and Campaign) in the PMO at New Delhi. "The imposter had forged documents to deceive people in the security who provided him security cover during his stay here," a source said, adding that an FIR was registered against him and he was immediately arrested. "Preliminary investigation reveals that he has managed to dupe gullible people for monetary and other material benefits. The FIR has been registered in Nishat Police Station of Srinagar and further investigation is going on," the source said. New Delhi, March 16 : Trinamool Congress on Thursday urged all opposition parties to stand united in the face of the BJP-led Central government's efforts to subjugate the Parliament, even as it has stayed away from protesting with the Congress on Adani issue, saying that the largest opposition party attacks and contests against it in West Bengal and other states. Addressing a press conference, Trinamool Rajya Sabha member Derek O'Brien said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, who are the face of the BJP, have turned the Parliament into a "deep, dark chamber" as they are disrupting it and undermining it. He said that since the past four days, the government has been disrupting the Parliament and it does not want to be accountable to the people of the country. Senior Trinamool Lok Sabha member Saugata Roy, who was also present during the press conference, said that in his 45 years career as a lawmaker, he had never seen a ruling party disrupting the Parliament's proceedings. However when asked as to why the Trinamool was not supporting the Congress-led opposition in its protests inside or outside Parliament on the Adani Enterprises issue, O'Brien said that the Congress needs to make up its mind, as it attacks and contests against his party in West Bengal and aligns against it in other states like Kerala and the Northeast. Meanwhile, citing several instances of the government not following Parliamentary conventions, O'Brien said that the Prime Minister has not answered a single question in Rajya Sabha since 2016 and even in the Lok Sabha, no deputy Speaker has been appointed since 2019, while only one out of every 10 bills are scrutinised in Parliament. He further said that four out of every 10 bills are ordinances and the average time taken for passing a bill is 10 to 12 minutes. O'Brien also sought to know why the Enforcement Directorate was not probing the Adani issue as SBI and LIC's funds were invested in Adani Enterprises' follow-on public offer (FPO) and they are now at risk. He called upon all states to launch their own probes in the matter. The party leader however refused to comment on Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra's tweet earlier in the day, where she had attacked Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, alleging that only BJP leaders are allowed to speak in Parliament and then the House is adjourned. "We have not seen the tweet," O'Brien said. New Delhi, March 16 : A Delhi court on Thursday extended Hyderabad-based businessman Arun Ramchandra Pillai's Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody till March 20 in the excise policy case. Special Judge M. K. Nagpal of the Rouse Avenue Courts noted that the ED has gathered some new details after a confrontation with Butchi Babu Gorantla, Hyderabad-based chartered accountant, on March 15. The court further noted the ED's submissions that these confrontations are not yet over as the same person has been re-summoned on March 17. Gorantla is the former auditor of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's daughter MLC K Kavitha, who was also summoned by the ED on Thursday. Magunta Reddy was also summoned on March 18. Pillai needs to be confronted with him, said the probe agency. The ED informed the court that Kavitha has been called on March 20. The agency's request for prolonged remand was contested by Pillai's lawyer, Manu Sharma, who argued that such confrontations between the accused are a never-ending process. The court had extended Pillai's ED custody by three days in the case on March 13. The ED had arrested him late night on March 6 post questioning him for hours in the case. On March 10, Pillai moved an application before the same court seeking to retract his statements given to the probe agency in the case. This led to issuing a notice to the ED by the court. His arrest marks the 11th arrest in the matter by the ED. The probe agency has alleged that Pillai was involved in forming a cartel (now called South Group) of manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers which controlled more than 30 per cent of the liquor business in the national capital. The ED named the cartel, South Group, which includes BRS leader K. Kavitha, Sarath Reddy, the promoter of Aurobindo Pharma, YSRCP MP from Ongole, Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, his son Raghav Magunta and others. The South Group was represented by Arun Pillai, Abhishek Boinpalli and Butchi Babu, the agency has claimed. Pillai is a partner in Indo Spirits with a 32.5 per cent stake and he represented K. Kavitha's interests, said the ED. Pillai and another person have revealed the same in their statements. Pillai on paper invested Rs 3.40 crore in Indo Spirits. As revealed in the investigation, out of this amount Rs 1 crore was given to Pillai on the instructions of Kavitha. In exchange for kickbacks given by the South Group to Vijay Nair and AAP, Indo Spirits was made the wholesaler of Pernod Ricard which made it one of the most profitable L1. Thus the fund of Rs 3.40 crore which was used to show investment in Indo Spirits (a special purpose vehicle to recoup the kickbacks paid by the South Group and channel the illegal gains) is proceeds of crime, the ED added. Kavitha is a member of the Telangana Legislative Council. Kolkata, March 16 : Former West Bengal Education Minister and ex-Trinamool Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee on Thursday told a special CBI court that he had "absolutely no role in the recruitment process" of teachers and non-teaching staff in the state-run schools in his capacity as the education minister. He also said the onus for the irregularities lies with West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC), West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) and West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE). "I was not the appointing authority. I was just the minister. I do not support such irregularities... and won't support them in future as well. The commission and boards have their own set of rules that they follow," he said. Even as the WBSSC is the selection authority for teaching and non-teaching staff in state-run schools, it is not the appointing authority. After completion of the selection process, the commission sends recommendation letters to the board, who then appoint candidates as per the recommendations and as per the number of vacancies. On Thursday, Chatterjee sought "five minutes of time to speak about something". However, he was not granted the time to do so. He will be presented at the same court again on March 23, when he will be allowed to speak. Bhopal, March 16 : Former BJP MLA Ranjana Baghel on Thursday warned 'Vyapam' scam whistleblower Dr Anand Rai to delete a video that he had uploaded on social media with the caption that Baghel would support Jay Yuva Adivasi Shakti (JAYS) in the next Assembly elections in the state. Baghel, in a video stated that she would lodge an FIR against Rai if he did not apologise for his act. According to sources, furious over Rai's post, Baghel had reached his Indore residence on Wednesday night, however he was not home. Soon after Baghel expressed her disappointment over the post, Rai deleted it and tendered his apology on his account, which was later deleted. Baghel accused Rai of misleading tribal youths and ruining their future. "He has been misleading tribal youths since 2013. He would often ask tribals not to do 'murti puja', and his act is against the belief of a particular community and the society. He uploaded a video which has no authenticity. Though he has apologised for his act, I will not leave him," Baghel added. Rai, while speaking to IANS over phone said that the matter has been sorted out. Gurugram, March 16 : The Haryana real estate regulatory authority (HARERA), Gurugram, has directed the real estate promoter Splendor Landbase Limited to pay delayed possession charges (DPC) to its allottees, after it failed to complete the project and deliver units timely as per the agreement, while setting its unit cancellation notice on February 7. The matter referred to as the Shri Parasram Industries Private Limited versus Splendor Landbase Limited stands, thus, has been disposed of by the authority. "The respondent promoter is directed to pay the delayed possession charges at the prescribed rate of interest 10.60 per cent p.a. for every month of a delay from the due date of possession till the obtaining of the occupation certificate (OC) plus two months to the complainant(s) as per section 19 (10) of the RERA Act," the order said. The decision of the full bench comprising Ashok Sangwan, Vijay Kumar Goyal and Sanjeev Kumar Arora will benefit as many as 20 allottees involved in the matter. The authority also directed the promoter to pay to allottees the arrears of such interest accrued from the due date of possession till its admissibility. "And the arrears of such interest accrued from the due date of possession till its admissibility shall be paid by the promoters to the allottees within 90 days from the date of this order as per rule 16(2) of the rules 2017," the order said. The Authority directed the allottees also to pay the promoter the outstanding dues, if any, within 30 days. The Authority has disposed of the matter under Section 31 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 - in which the complainants had sought relief of DPC with interest and also the quashing of unit cancellation notices sent to them by the promoter. "The complainants are allottees of the above-mentioned units agreed to be sold to it vide buyers' agreements May/June 2010. The due date for completion of the project and handing over possession of the allotted units was agreed to be 3 years from the date of the buyer's agreements and which comes to May/June 2013. It is pleaded by the complainants that against the allotted units they had already paid a substantial amount, but the respondent-builder failed to complete the project and offer them the possession of the allotted units," noted the order. The promoter, however, argued after receipt of the OC of the project, it offered the possession of the units to the allottees but despite repeated reminders/ notices, the allottees failed to take possessions and when despite several reminders and notices, the complainants failed to clear the dues and take possession, the respondent promoter issued a notice for cancellation of the allotted units. However, the allottees were unhappy with the incomplete project. "It is pertinent to mention here that when the allottees visited the project site, they found several variations and alterations in the building plan besides some common areas being encroached upon," the order said. Splendor Trade Tower is a commercial project being developed by Splendor Landbase Limited at Sector-65, Gurugram since 2008. New Delhi, March 16 : The government informed Parliament on Thursday that there has been a reduction of 38 per cent in the budgetary allocation of the minority affairs ministry for 2023-24 compared to the current fiscal. This was owing to the adoption of a new mechanism for release of central funds and changes made in the pre-matric scholarship programme. Minister for minority affairs Smriti Irani in response to a question in the Lok Sabha, seeking to know the reasons behind the huge cut in budgetary allocation for the ministry, said that the budget was reduced from Rs 5,020.50 crore for 2022-23 to Rs 3,097.60 crore for 2023-24. The Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) and pre-matric scholarship schemes consist of around 80 per cent of the ministry's budget. Several opposition MPs had raised the issue of pre-matric scholarships having been stopped by the government, during the Winter session of Parliament last year. Replying to the question, which was posed by BSP MP Danish Ali, Irani said that the reduction in the ministry's budget was effected due to the adoption of a new mechanism for release of the Central share of funds under the Centrally sponsored schemes and Central sector schemes, for which the state nodal agencies (SNA) and the Central nodal agencies (CNA) were required to be appointed. As per the revised procedure of the finance ministry's expenditure department, the release of funds under PMJVK is not tied to the individual projects and the amount available in the account of the SNA forms a common pool. As on March 1, 2023, the unspent amount with the states in their SNA account was Rs 2,466.48 crore, and the states are required to first incur expenditure from the SNA account, to complete the ongoing projects, the minister informed. Secondly, she said that the scholarship schemes of the minority affairs ministry were to be aligned with the pattern followed by the education ministry as well as the tribal affairs and social justice ministries. However, since the verification of the institutions is being carried out, funds under the scholarship schemes are not being released. Further, the minister informed that the Centre has taken the decision to limit the coverage under the pre-matric scholarship scheme for minorities to only classes ninth and 10th, as it was observed that the participation of students from the minority communities is at par with the national average at the primary and elementary level. Also, the students at these levels are already covered under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, Irani said. A need was felt to harmonise the coverage under the pre-matric scheme for minorities with similar schemes implemented for other target groups like SCs, STs and OBCs, she said in her reply. New Delhi, March 16 : The price of the Indian crude oil basket, in rupee per barrel terms, rose by 23 per cent from December 2021 to March 2023, but compared to this, the increase in retail selling price of petrol and diesel in Delhi has only been 1.08 per cent and 3.40 per cent, the Parliament was told on Thursday. Prices of petrol and diesel have not been increased by public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs) since April 6, 2022, despite record high international prices, Minister of State for Petroleum Rameswar Teli told the Lok Sabha in a written reply. The three OMCs, namely Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, have booked a combined loss of Rs 18,622 crore between April 2022 and December 2022, it said. The three OMCs have also suffered huge losses on sale of domestic LPG where the price is moniotored by Government. To compensate these losses, the Centre has recently paid a one-time compensation of Rs 22,000 crore to them. Prices of petrol and diesel in the country have been market-determined with effect from June 26, 2010 and October 19, 2014 respectively. Since then, the OMCs take appropriate decision on pricing of petrol and diesel, the minister said. Washington, March 16 : The bruising confirmation that played out over two years might have left Eric Garcetti, incoming US Ambassador to India, looking like "damaged goods". But it will be helpful to step back a little and note that he has had the unwavering support and backing of US President Joe Biden all through this process. And that's all that will matter to New Delhi. The Modi government had given its nod to Garcetti's nomination before it was announced through a diplomatic process called "Agrement", by which a country formally agrees to receive a representative from a foreign country. To avoid an unsavory after-the-fact situation, countries tend to get the Agrement from the host country before announcing the nominee. Garcetti's confirmation was delayed because of his failure to address allegations of sexual harassment against a senior aide when he was Mayor of Los Angeles. Opposition came from senators from both the Democratic and Republican parties - and some of the toughest grilling he got for it during his confirmation hearing came from Democrats. In fact, some Democratic Senators remained opposed to his nomination to the last and three of them voted against confirming him on the Senate floor on Wednesday -- Sherrod Brown, Mazie Hirono, and Mark Kelly. US Presidents are known to withdraw nominations in the face of stubborn opposition from the Senators of their own party and that was chiefly the reason why the Biden White House took back Neera Tanden's nomination to head the powerful Office of Management and Budget, which would have made her the first Indian-American ever to hold a federal cabinet position. Though it was made to look like Tanden had herself offered to have her nomination withdrawn. Tanden's nomination was opposed by Democrat Joe Manchin and Bernie Sanders, an Independent senator who caucuses with Democrats, over, chiefly, her caustic comments on them on social media platforms. Tanden's nomination was pronounced dead-on-arrival and was withdrawn in a few weeks. But Biden stood with Garcetti for nearly two years. The first nomination, which was announced in July 2021. After a confirmation hearing, the nomination stalled and it was deemed returned to the White House in January 2022, technically giving the President a chance to either re-send it or rescind it and nominate someone else. Biden did neither and left one of America's key missions abroad with a regular head for possibly the longest time yet - the last incumbent Keneth Jester, an appointee of President Donald Trump, had returned to the US in January 2021, just a few days after Biden took office. A year later, in January 2023, Biden renominated Garcetti, which, some congressional observers said, was an odd decision because there had not been any change of hearts in the Senate over Garcetti. "The only reason I can see is that the White House is somehow convinced it has the numbers this time," one observer said then. The change in Senate math may have contributed to this new confidence in the White House - the Democrats had increased their tally in the Senate by one in the October mid-term elections, giving them somewhat more room for manoeuvre than in the previous Congress, when they had held the 50-50 Senate with the Vice P+resident's tie-breaker vote. They lost that edge soon after as a Democratic senator switched her affiliation to Independent. Garcetti scraped by in a 52-42 vote, with 6 Senators not voting. Beirut, March 16 : The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Thursday said it had not observed any crossing of the Blue Line in recent days on Lebanon's southern border after Israel claimed that a roadside bomber had probably smuggled into Israel from Lebanon, the media reported. On Wednesday, the Israeli military said that it had shot dead a person suspected of planting a roadside bomb that seriously injured one Israeli citizen earlier this week, adding that they believed the man had crossed the heavily guarded Blue Line into Israel. "An extensive investigation is underway to determine if Hezbollah is involved in the operation," the Israeli military was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency. The Blue Line is a 120-kilometre line drawn by the United Nations between Lebanon and Israel in 2000 to verify the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon. The line is temporary until the two countries demarcate their land borders. UNIFIL Commander Aroldo Lazaro urged "the Lebanese and Israeli parties to exercise restraint, maintain stability, and use UNIFIL mechanisms for coordination and liaison to avoid misunderstandings and reduce tensions," according to Lebanon's National News Agency. Dhaka, March 16 : Killing in the name of Islam is not acceptable, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on Thursday, stressing that no one gives authority to anyone to punish or kill another person for not following a particular religion. "Allah gives us lives, and He has the supreme authority to give lives and take lives, killing is against the Quran," she said, adding that those who believe in Islam genuinely must have tolerance towards other religions. "In Bangladesh, all religions have the same rights, people will perform their respective religious rituals, Allah will judge everything (on the Doomsday). He does not give that right to any human, all have to remember that," she said. Hasina also slammed the businessmen who hike prices of commodities during Ramadan. "It's very much regretful, this is happening just for few people, why we will accept that? During Ramadan, profit-mongers increase the prices, making people suffer. This should not happen. Holy Ramadan is coming, we know that during this month, some businesspeople try to hike prices of the essentials," she said during the inauguration of 50 model mosques along with Islamic cultural centres in parts of the country in the third phase of the programme. Inaugurating the mosques joining virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban, Hasina said that the holy month of Ramadan is the time for austerity and all have to pay attention to ensure people can do their religious activities properly during the month. She also said that her government has already distributed special cards for the low-income group people, and is providing rice at lower price (TK 30 per kg) after buying that at higher price. "Keeping the holy Ramadan in mind, the government will provide Tk 15 per kg of rice to additional one crore people," she said, adding that for those who are not eligible for work, the government is providing 20 kg of rice each month. "Like this way we are giving people rice, edible oil, lentil, sugar and other necessary items at fair price through fair price cards," she said. The Prime Minister also urged the affluent people to extend their assistance towards the needy people during Ramadan. She requested all to remain vigil so that none can adulterate food, resort to hoarding, black marketeering and create an artificial crisis of essentials items. In this connection, she urged Imams to speak about this during their sermons after Friday prayers. "Food adulteration, hoarding, and black marketeering are illegal and unnecessary give sufferings to people. You should speak on these matters more to the people, and you can say during the Khutba to make people aware regarding this," she said. Later, she exchanged views with a cross-section of people of Agoiljhara of Barishal, Fulbaria of Mymensingh and Tetulia of Panchagarh. A documentary on the model mosques was screened at the programme. PM Hasina inaugurated 100 model mosques in the first and second phases, on June 10, 2021 and January 16, 2023, respectively, out of total 564 across the country. The project aims at spreading the true messages of Islam for removing misconceptions about religion. New Delhi, March 16 : The Delhi BJP has decided to bring a no-confidence motion against the Kejriwal government in the upcoming budget session of assembly starting on March 17. The BJP has also given the notice to extend the budget session by 10 days and discuss 10 different issues. BJP Legislature Party meeting was held on Thursday under the chairmanship of Leader of Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri. Party MLAs Mohan Singh Bisht, Vijender Gupta, Omprakash Sharma, Jitendra Mahajan, Anil Kumar Bajpai, Abhay Verma and Ajay Mahawar took part in the meeting. The party in the meeting said that two ministers of the Kejriwal government are behind the bars and the government is accused of many scams including liquor, hawala, espionage, classroom, Delhi Jal Board, advertisement, electricity subsidy, construction workers, DTC, and hospital scams. In such a situation, this government has no moral or constitutional right to be in office. That's why a no-confidence motion is being brought against the government. Bidhuri expressed dissatisfaction over the short duration of the budget session. "The budget session of the Delhi Legislative Assembly has been called only for five days, out of which the provision of question hour has been kept for only two days. This is killing the rights of the legislators and this government is continuously robbing the rights of the legislators," he said. The BJP leader reminded that the first budget session of the first Vidhan Sabha in 1994 lasted for a month and four days and had 19 sittings. On the one hand, it was the historical era of democracy and on the other hand, it is the era of dictatorship in which even question hour is not being held. BJP MLAs have demanded that the budget session must be of at least 15 days and there should be a provision for question hour every day. Bidhuri said that the BJP MLAs have given notices to discuss the serious problems of Delhi in the Assembly and "We want that all issues should be discussed so that the truth can come before the public. The topics for which notices have been given include discussions on the activities of the government steeped in corruption, the serious situation of air pollution, the drinking water crisis, the collapse of the transport system, non-opening of new school colleges, and lack of teachers in schools, non-supply of ration, irregularities in Mohalla clinics, non-cleaning of Yamuna, acquisition of farmers' land on very cheap rate for the construction of Barapullah bridge and continuous neglect of rural areas and farmers," he stated. Bidhuri said that ever since the Aam Aadmi Party government came to power, the right of the opposition to speak has been snatched away but the BJP will continue to struggle to raise its voice in a democracy. Panaji, March 16 : With a view to marking the completion of nine years of Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre and four years of Pramod Sawant-led government in Goa, the state government will hold a two-day programme "Prashasan Tumchya Dari" (governance at doorstep) on March 17 and 18 to interact with the people and stakeholders. The Cabinet Ministers will make a day-long visit to the allotted talukas and listen to the grievances and distribute sanctioned letters to the beneficiaries, the Information and Publicity Department stated. The ministers will also interact with local MLA, Zilla Panchayat members, Village Panchayat members and representatives of social organisations during these two days. However, the Congress Party has criticised the move of the government, calling it as 'Election Jumla Darbar'. Congress leader Vijay Bhike said that it is a self-promotion organised by the BJP in yet another attempt to cover up the reality and brainwash the people in an election season. He urged the people to attend the programme and seek answers from the Ministers to very crucial questions pertaining to several issues grappled with the state. "The people of Goa need to know why the promises made by the BJP before elections like giving three gas cylinders free and pensioners medical insurance schemes, schemes for widows and many others have not been implemented by this government as per its election promises," Bhike said. "It also needs to be explained why under the BJP dispensation, petrol and other prices of essential commodities have skyrocketed. Why has no Minister or BJP government functionaries made and statement whatsoever on the Mhadei river diversion," Bhike further said. "Organising self-propagating 'jumla darbars' attended only by its own members to congratulate itself for its dismal failures in governance, will not fool the people anymore. The people need answers and they need the answers now," he said. Jaipur, March 16 : Taking a dig at Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot over six Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislators joining the Congress, state unit BJP president Satish Poonia on Thursday said the veteran Congress leader has "swallowed six elephants". Six BSP MLAs had joined Congress soon after the formation of the government and extended full support to Gehlot. The elephant is the party symbol of the BSP. On Thursday, a protest -- 'Halla Bol' programme, was organised by the Rajasthan BJP in Bharatpur against the "Congress' policies". Bharatpur district unit BJP president Jagat Singh said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi should be put in a mental asylum. "Rahul Gandhi should be put in a mental asylum. Next time, when the BJP comes to power, the 'entire Congress party' will be put in jail," Jagat Singh said. Meanwhile, Poonia said: "No one can eat an elephant but Gehlot is a magician. This time, BSP - 'Bijli, Sadak aur Pani' - will become the reason of the Congress' downfall." He further said that Rahul Gandhi and his mother -- the former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, will be sent to their maternal grandparents. "There is a state of complete anarchy in Rajasthan... farmers, young women, Dalit, etc., are deprived of their rights. They are upset as well," he said. Poonia said that Rahul Gandhi had promised that if the Congress comes to power in Rajasthan, it would waive the entire loan of the farmers. "... but even after 1,500 days, 200 farmers of Rajasthan committed suicide," he said. He claimed that Rajasthan has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country at 28 per cent. He also said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a BJP-led government will be formed in Rajasthan in 2023 and for the third time in 2024, Modi will become the Prime Minister with another historic victory. After the meeting, an attempt was made to gherao the Bharatpur collectorate under the leadership of Poonia. The workers broke the barricades and tried to enter the collectorate. Later, the BJP workers, including Poonia, were arrested and they were dropped in the BJP office in 3 buses. Patna, March 16 : A Kashmiri youth was detained in Bihar's Katihar on Thursday for "roaming suspiciously" in the city, an official said. The youth was identified as Nasir Waja, son of suspected terrorist Yousuf Waja, killed in an encounter with security forces in the Kashmir Valley. An officer of Katihar's town police station confirmed the development did not shared any details about the accused. Waja was roaming around the Shahid Chowk area of Katihar city and his activities were deemed suspicious by local residents who informed the police. The Katihar police detained him and questioning is underway. The police said that Waja, after his father's death, went to Finland and stayed there till 2021. After that, he returned to Kashmir. "The motive of Waja's Katihar visit is not ascertained yet. As he has also visited foreign countries, the other security agencies will also question him. We are scanning the CCTV cameras of the city to find which other places he has visited. He confessed that he stayed in Katihar railway station for a few hours as well," a police official, who did not want to be named, said. New Delhi, March 16 : The Delhi Police on Thursday issued a notice to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to provide details about the victims of sexual harassment who had approached him seeking security. A senior police officer said the notice was issued after the police took cognisance of social media posts and sent a list of questionnaires. "Delhi Police has issued a notice to Rahul Gandhi to give details about those victims who approached him regarding their sexual harassment. Police have asked him to give details of these victims so that security can be provided to them," said the official. " ... in one particular case, I asked a girl (who had been raped) if we should call the police? She said 'don't call the police... I will be shamed'," Rahul Gandhi had said during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Srinagar. Reacting to the notice, the Congress in a statement said: "A government rattled by Rahul Gandhi's questions on Prime Minister Narenrda Modi and Gautam Adani's relationship hides behind its police. After 45 days of Bharat Jodo Yatra was completed, Delhi Police has, via a notice, sought details of women who met him and spoke about harassment and violence they may have faced. "We will respond to the notice in due course in accordance with law. This notice is yet another proof of a government n panic and their latest salvo to weaken democracy, women empowerment, freedom of expression and role of the opposition," the statement added. Patna, March 16 : As Bihar Police cracks down on people who are playing vulgar Bhojpuri songs on loudspeakers, RJD MLC Sunil Singh accused that BJP of being responsible for promoting those actors singing such Bhojpuri songs. Speaking in the Legislative Council, Sunil Singh, who is very close to Lalu Prasad Yadav family, noted that Bhojpuri is a very sweet language. "Over 6 crore people in the country speak Bhojpuri language and overall 25 crore across the world. Many countries like Mauritius, Fiji and West Indies have Bhojpuri as a dominant language but here in our country, people are making vulgar songs. Interestingly, actors like Ravi Kishan, Manoj Tiwari and Dinesh Lal Yadav alias Nirahua sang many vulgar Bhojpuri songs and the BJP gave them tickets for the Lok Sabha. They are representing Gorakhpur, North East Delhi and Azamgarh Lok Sabha constituency," Singh said. Following his statement, BJP MLC Nawal Kishore Yadav objected, saying Singh is expressing his view in Question Hour. He should ask questions and not wasre the precious time of the house, he added. Following the objection, the presiding officer interrupted the RJD leader and directed him to ask only a question. Interacting with media persons outside the legislature later, Singh said: "The youths of Bhojpuri origin follow those actors and if the latter produce vulgarity, then how could we expect good behaviour from our youths." Singh, in the house, had also demanded a censor board for Bhojpuri songs and movies to stop vulgarity from coming out in public domain. Hyderabad, March 16 : Several people were feared trapped in a huge fire that broke out in a multi-storey building in Secunderabad here on Thursday night. Fire fighting personnel were battling to douse the fire which started from the third floor of Swapnalok Complex and spread to the upper floors of the eight-storey building, which houses offices. Four fire tenders rushed to the scene and were engaged in the fire fighting operation. More vehicles were being rushed there along with other equipment. Huge flames were leaping out of the building, causing panic among people in the area. Police were vacating residents staying in adjoining buildings. A police official said seven people have so far been rescued by fire services personnel with the help of a ladder. Omega Computers MD Sudheer Reddy was among those rescued. According to locals, the fire broke out between 7.30 and 8 p.m. The cause of the fire was not known. State minister T. Srinivas Yadav rushed to the spot and was monitoring rescue and relief work. He said there was still no clarity on the number of people trapped inside. This is the second major fire accident in Secunderabad, the twin city of Hyderabad, in less than two months. Three persons were killed in a huge fire at a multi-storey commercial complex on January 28. The building was completely gutted in the fire and it was later demolished by the authorities as the structure had become weak. New Delhi: BJP senior leader Ravi Shankar Prasad addresses a press conference at BJP Headquarter in New Delhi on Tuesday, March 07, 2023. (Photo: Anupam Gautam/IANS) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi: BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad addresses a press conference at BJP Headquarter in New Delhi on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. (Photo: Anupam Gautam/IANS) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, March 16 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday said it will run a nationwide campaign to seek Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's apology over his remarks on the country's democracy in London, if the Wayanad MP does not apologise. Speaking at a press conference, former Union minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said: "Rahul Gandhi has insulted India on foreign soil for which he should apologise. The BJP will run a campaign for his apology." Prasad said that it has become Rahul Gandhi's habit to insult the people of India and democracy on foreign soil. "How long will he mislead the country?" he questioned. He said Rahul Gandhi does not apologise, the BJP will run a campaign against him in which the Congress leader will be exposed. The BJP leader further said that "Rahul Gandhi has not expressed regret for his statement yet". Addressing the former Congress president, Prasad said: "Your ego is not bigger than the country." Patna, March 16 : Police in Bihar's Begusarai had registered an FIR against a 2-year-old toddler in 2021! The incident came to light when the toddler's mother Priyanka Devi, holding her son in her lap, reached the district court to seek bail for him. When people learnt about this case, they assembled at the place to see the toddler, who was booked under the Pandemic act for breaching police barricades during the second wave of Covid-19. "The Begusarai police registered an FIR (Case number 224/2021) against 8 persons including the toddler under the relevant sections of the Pandemic act on April 10, 2021 in Mufassil police station. At that time, police had barricaded a place in my village named Suja. The barricades were broken by the other seven persons but Begusarai police booked my son as well who was just 2 years old at that time. The current age of my son is 3 and half years now," Priyanka said. "I came here to seek bail for my son in this case," she added. A senior lawyer, however, convinced her to return to the village, telling her that a case cannot be lodged against a child who is less than 7 years old. The act of Begusarai police was illegal and an application was filed in the court to dismiss the FIR against him. Under section 82 of Indian Penal Code, there is a provision that police cannot register FIR against a child having less than 7 years old, as children of such age are deemed to not commit crimes and are not liable to be punished. Bengaluru, March 16 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday called upon Hindus to take pride in their identity. Addressing a gathering at the inaugural function of Shiva Charitra programme at Belagavi in Karnataka, Sarma said: "Every Muslim will claim that they are one. Likewise, Hindus must also tell say they are Hindus with all pride. Only then will the Sanatana dharma (religion) survive. The thoughts of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj could be found everywhere." Sarma, a prominent face of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said: "This land has tolerated rulers like Aurangzeb. This land had given birth to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who could stand up to him. The communist historians claim that the entire India was under the control of Aurangzeb. That story is false. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was hundred times braver than him." He further said that "modern India is under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi". "Modern India manufactures its own vaccines," he said while also praising the Army of 'modern India'. "PM Modi has dreamt of Nav Bharat where it will stand with its poor. All of us should stand with him," he said, adding: "India will emerge as Vishwa Guru under PM Modi. India can't be Nav Bharat with the madrasas. New thoughts and pro-development thinking are needed." New Delhi, March 16 : A Delhi court has directed police to conduct a proper investigation into a case pertaining to looting during the 2020 riots while rejecting the anticipatory bail of an accused. Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala was hearing the the pre-arrest bail plea of Sunder, accused in various offences, including rioting and arson during riots in the Bhajanpura area. "The Investigating officer's report shows that till the time of moving the bail application, the applicant remained untraceable by the police. His name has been taken by several eyewitnesses and he is also reported to be appearing in the video footage and in these circumstances, I do not find the applicant entitled to pre-arrest bail," the court said, while rejecting the bail. "At the same time, I am not very much satisfied with the kind of investigation done in the case, wherein no attempt has been made to recover any looted materials. Hence, the matter is referred to the station house officer (SHO) to ensure that a proper investigation is done in this case... IO shall hand over a copy of this order to SHO for compliance," the court said in its order passed on Wednesday. The Investigation Officer's reply was noted by the court in which it was stated that on March 6, Sunder, after joining the probe, confessed to having looted and vandalised several stores, including mobile phone shops. "Neither anything has been said about an attempt made to recover the looted articles, nor the requirement of further investigation or interrogation of the applicant and on the contrary has been said, the IO reports that custodial interrogation is not required," the court said. Guwahati, March 16 : With an allocation of Rs 200 crore in the Budget, the Assam government on Thursday announced launching the Mission for Prevention of Child Marriage. While presenting the budget in the assembly, Assam Finance Minister Ajanta Neog said that high maternal and infant mortality rates are major health care issues in this part of the country. "Child marriage has been one of the prominent reasons for these. The state government has launched a mass drive against the violators of Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA) 2006 earlier this year. The government is committed to launch this state mission with a target of making Assam free of incidents of child marriage by the end of 2026," she said. All Gram Panchayat Secretaries in Assam are being designated as Child Marriage Prevention Officers. They will ensure prohibition of child marriages, the protection of the victims as well as prosecution of the offenders by lodging FIRs. "Our district police forces will continue to conduct intensive drives every six months to take necessary action against offenders. The Mission will work in a time-bound manner and will link all programs and services that are working for women and children," Neog added. Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said: "Every six months, at least 4,000-6,000 people will be arrested. After that, we're going to launch a mission for the victims' rehabilitation." He also said that a 24-hour phone centre will be established, and several NGOs will promote "positive action against child marriage". Sarma made it clear that the state government's action against child marriage will continue with more vigour. "This is not communal and we want to approach the issue completely from a humanitarian point of view," he added. However, the Opposition was critical about state government's mission with the Congress leader Debabrata Saikia saying: "The conviction rate on child marriage act is just five per cent." New Delhi, March 17 : User fee collection at toll plazas on National Highways (NHs) during the financial year 2021-22 was at Rs 34,742.56 crore, the government informed the Parliament on Thursday. Among the states, Uttar Pradesh witnessed the toll collection of Rs 4,183.74 crore while Rajasthan and Gujarat recorded Rs 3,933 and Rs 3,642.40 crore user fee collection on NHs respectively during the year 2021-22, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said in a written reply to Parliament. On a question, whether the government or the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has set any target of toll collection in current financial year 2023-24 and next three years, the ministry said that there is no such target set for current financial year as well for next three years. However, user fee collection is expected to increase by 5 per cent due to annual traffic growth and by 3 per cent due to change in Wholesale Price Index (WPI) every year. Further, new fee plazas are put for commercial operation upon completion of NHs Stretch adding additional revenue every year, the ministry added. Bengaluru, March 17 : Union Minister of State for Rural Development Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti suffered minor injuries after her car met an accident with a truck in Karnataka's Vijayapura district on Thursday night. The minister was immediately rushed to a hospital, where she was treated for minor injuries, the police stated. According to the police, the truck driver was drunk and has been arrested. The minister's car was severely damaged after the fully loaded truck overturned in front of it. The minister was in Karnataka to attend a Mahila Samellan organised by the ruling BJP, in the runup to assembly polls. Speaking to reporters, she said, "By the grace of God, I am totally safe after a vehicle mishap in Karnataka. My driver has suffered some injuries in the accident. Please pray for his speedy recovery." Varanasi, March 17 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Varanasi, his parliamentary constituency, on March 24 to inaugurate the 'World TB Day summit' at Rudraksh International Convention Centre. According to official sources, the Prime Minister will also inaugurate ready projects worth Rs 200 crore and lay foundation of Rs 1,200 crore including ropeway for first public transport use in any city, at a public meeting at Sampurnanand Sanskrit University ground. Divisional Commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma said, "Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will reach Varanasi on Friday to take stock of the projects and arrangements for the Prime Minister's visit." Prime Minister Modi, who in March 2018 had chaired the 'Delhi End TB Summit' and gave the clarion call to end TB in India by 2025, five years ahead of the TB-related SDG targets of 2030, will be addressing the proposed summit on the occasion of World TB Day on March 24 at Rudraksh ICC ahead of two-day 36th board meeting of the "Stop TB Partnership" slated on March 25 and 26, he said. Lucknow, March 17 : The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has claimed that more than 10,000 encounters have taken place between police and criminals in the state in the past six years during which 63 criminals had been killed. A police personnel had also been martyred, according to a data released by the state government. "In terms of number of encounters, Meerut is at the top in the state with the highest number of 3,152 encounters taking place since 2017, in which 63 criminals were killed and 1708 criminals were injured," the official release said. During the same period, besides, a policeman was also martyred while 401 cops were injured during the police encounters. A total of 5,967 criminals were nabbed during the action of the Uttar Pradesh Police. "The Uttar Pradesh Police has conducted 10,713 encounters since 2017 of which the highest 3,152 were conducted by the Meerut police, followed by the Agra Police, which carried out 1844 encounters in which 4654 criminals were arrested while 14 dreaded criminals were killed and 55 cops were injured, and Bareilly where as many as 1497 encounters were conducted in which 3410 criminals were arrested while 7 died. During the encounters in Bareilly, 437 criminals were injured. In these operations, 296 brave police personnel were injured while one was martyred," the statement said. It further read, "As soon as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took over the reins of the state, improving the law-and-order situation in the state became his priority. The government adopted zero tolerance policy against mafia and criminals and intensified crackdown on such elements to strengthen the state's law and order." The statement added that the state which was once "known for poor law and order situation and atrocities of mafias on innocent people, today, is being known not only in the country but abroad as a 'crime and fear-free state'". Clay is an early identification platform that provides a comprehensive suite of behavioral and developmental tools for school communities that serve children ages 0-5. In order to better support children and set them up for success, early education centers need tools to identify potential risk factors such as behavioral and developmental delays," said Lee Rotenberg, Co-founder and CEO, Clay. Clay, the behavioral health solution for early childhood education centers, today released new data from its early screening and identification platform, indicating that 40% of children ages 3-5 who were flagged with behavioral issues also showed signs of anxiety. Clay is an early identification platform that provides a comprehensive suite of behavioral and developmental tools for school communities that serve children ages 0-5. For this particular data effort, Clay considered more than 250,000 anonymized data points on 2,726 children ages 3-5, collected via well-validated standardized screening tools recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Of this sample of participants, nearly one third (778 children, or 30.8%) showed some indication of a behavioral concern. Within this subset, 40% showed an indicator for anxiety. Clays data also indicates that there may be a strong correlation between parental anxiety and child anxiety, with up to 65% of the children flagged for behavioral issues displaying signs of anxiety when a parent also showed signs of anxiety. It also signals a strong correlation between behavioral issues and developmental issues, with 51% of the children who were flagged for behavioral issues showing indications of developmental delays. Early education centers are increasingly on the front lines of the mental health crisis, said Lee Rotenberg, Co-founder and CEO, Clay. In order to better support children and set them up for success, early education centers need tools to identify potential risk factors such as behavioral and developmental delays. As this data indicates, behavioral issues often correlate with other types of mental health concerns that can and should be addressed as early as possible. With a comprehensive suite of best-in-class tools, Clay empowers early education centers to create a better classroom environment by identifying potential behavioral and developmental health concerns, and provides training and strategic support to help teachers address them more effectively. Clay also provides personalized information for families, with the goal of aligning parents and educators on how best to support the child and ensure they are on the same page. The Clay platform includes: Ongoing developmental and behavioral screening and monitoring tools to support children and educators in the classroom AI-powered assistant for teachers to get instant answers and support for behavioral health Peer support chat groups for educators on behavioral topics and knowledge exchange Interactive professional development and support for teachers around behavioral and developmental health Evidenced-based, personalized interventions and strategies for parents and educators Psychoeducational content for families and educators According to a recent study published by The U.S. Surgeon Generals Advisory (2021), one in three high school students and more than half of female students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, an overall increase of 40% from 2009. The typical delay between the first onset of a mental health issue or disorder and the first treatment contact is 11 years, said Robin Maddox, LMFT and Director of Behavioral Health, Clay. For children, this means that issues such as anxiety arent being addressed until their teenage years, even though they may have first surfaced in early childhood as behavioral concerns. This highlights the critical need for early identification and intervention, and reinforces the role of tools like Clay in supporting educators and parents. What Early Education Centers are Saying About Clay In our current climate we have seen more children struggling with mental health and anxiety than before, said Sasha Vinson, Chief Operating Officer, Kids R Kids Corporate. As early educators we are constantly looking for innovative ways of connecting with our children and helping families cope with challenging behaviors. This is why we are so excited to be partnering with Clay. Early intervention in the preschool setting is key to helping families and teachers form a support system to help children build confidence, curb challenging behaviors, and develop a lifelong love of learning. Our partnership with CLAY is particularly advantageous for our parents and teachers however, the winners in this efficient yet thorough process are the children, said Kate Sherrard, Creative Director, O2B Kids. CLAY offers us a window into the world of each student from the perspective of both the teacher and the parent. Early identification of areas where a student excels or may need help will benefit that child dramatically in their future success. We feel that CLAY will give each student and family a leg up on their academic and developmental success. Weve seen firsthand the impact that early identification can have on our classrooms, said Spencer Kushner, Founder of Otter Learning, a multi-state leading early childhood operator Clays platform has been an invaluable tool in helping us to identify and address behavioral and emotional issues early on, and we view this new data as a validation of the importance of this work. At The Malvern School, we are committed to developing the whole child during their crucial early childhood years from infancy to pre-kindergarten and beyond, said Kristen Waterfield, Founder & CEO, The Malvern School. Our Program focuses on the physical, cognitive and emotional growth of the child and that is why partnering with CLAY is perfect for our school communities. We are excited to offer our parents resources outside of the classroom that will be customized to their childs own developmental needs and provide all caregivers with the tools to navigate the early childhood years. For more information about Clay, or how to participate in Clays early education pilot program, please contact us at hello@carebyclay.com. About Clay Clay is a behavioral and developmental health platform for early education centers. With a comprehensive suite of best-in-class tools, Clay empowers teachers to create a better classroom environment by identifying potential behavioral and developmental health concerns, and provides training and strategic support to help teachers address them more effectively. With a seasoned executive team and a list of premiere customers and partners in early education including O2B Kids, The Malvern School, Kids R Kids, and Otter Learning, and many others, Clay supports children, families and educators at hundreds of early education centers across the country, in order to produce better health outcomes. For more information, please visit https://carebyclay.com/. # # # We commend our hardworking and dedicated employees for their tremendous efforts in helping us achieve this distinction. We wouldnt be here without our clients, and express gratitude to them for putting their trust in us. - Ampsight CEO and Founder Andrew Heifetz Ampsight was named an Inc. 5000 Honoree for 2022, the company recently announced. This annual distinction from Inc. Magazine showcases 5000 of the fastest growing privately held U.S. companies. Ampsight provides high-performance cloud, cyber security, and machine learning consulting services to the highly regulated industries including defense, financial services, and healthcare. Created by combining the words Amplify and Insight, the companys name reflects its guiding principles of innovating and acclimating solutions to each mission. We are honored and grateful to have been named part of Inc. Magazines 5000 list of Americas fastest growing private companies, said Ampsight CEO and Founder Andrew Heifetz. We commend our hardworking and dedicated employees for their tremendous efforts in helping us achieve this distinction. We wouldnt be here without our clients, and express gratitude to them for putting their trust in us, Heifetz added. Inc. Magazine first introduced the Inc. 500 list of the fastest growing privately held companies in the United States in 1982. The list ranks companies by overall revenue growth over a three-year period. A prestigious honor to be included among the nations most successful private companies, the list was expanded to 5000 in 2007 to capture a broader spectrum of success. Ampsight is ranked 7th out of the 18 Loudoun County-based tech companies on the 2022 list and boasts a 459% 3-Year Growth. Ampsight prides itself on an agile and innovative environment where employees can accelerate with fellow like-minded individuals. The company is currently hiring talented individuals, including veterans, to join their team as they continue on a fast growth trajectory. About Ampsight: Ampsight specializes in enabling cloud integration, securing data, and navigating complications that drive critical-mission success. Our cloud-based solutions leverage our expertise to develop, deploy and support strategic objectives that offer enriched solutions to government agencies, system integrators, and civilian firms. While we focus on our clients needs, we continue to strengthen our fields of practice in cloud integration, cyber security, and machine learning. For more information on Ampsight, visit http://www.Ampsight.com or Linkedin.com/company/Ampsight. Career opportunities can be found at http://www.Ampsight.com/Careers. Cracking the Code: Unlock the Next Level of New Charter New Charter Technologies, a portfolio company of Palo Alto-based private equity firm Oval Partners, hosted its third annual Kick-Off event on February 21-22. The event, held at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, AZ, was an opportunity to collaborate on best practices and strategic initiatives, and to plan for the year ahead and beyond. The event, under the banner, Cracking the Code: Unlock the Next Level of New Charter, brought together Operating Company teams, prominent vendor partners, and investment partners, all in the spirit of beginning or continuing the entrepreneurial journey. Partners collaborated and engaged in conversations surrounding selling centralized services, sharing resources, transforming organizations digitally, and deploying advanced cybersecurity. Mitch Morgan, CEO of New Charter Technologies, began the conference by sharing his vision and overarching goal for company: to build a caliber of business that the IT industry hasnt yet seen and to be better tomorrow than yesterday. Operational maturity and strategic advancement is what were after, and we want our businesses to be refined, efficient and forward-looking. This event really brought these core themes to life, said Morgan. These are designed to bring together partners and peers in an environment where they can learn from each other, and gain a deeper understanding of best-in-class approaches to their businesses. This years event did exactly that, and was filled with copious amounts of collaboration and networking that points to future growth. The kick-off also focused on harnessing successes across the platform of New Charters existing Operating Companies, and homing in on how to help clients (both current and future) align technology to business goals and create effective partnerships. Announcements As part of the event, New Charter announced several new initiatives and updates: New Charters Digital Transformation Framework Our clients ask us to lead their digital transformation journey through deployment of a standardized methodology. This framework allows us to partner with clients and align their technology with their business goals. The implementation of the New Charter Maturity Model Inspired by industry maturity models, this is meant to assist New Charter Operating Companies in defining internal alignment strategies. Our companies are best in class the maturity model allows us to define what good looks like and [raise the tide for all boats]. Security Essentials Platform This is an integrated platform of best-in-class offerings that enables a truly customized and differentiated approach to keeping clients secure. New Charters initial group of strategic vendors, Stellar Cyber, ThreatLocker and SentinelOne are participating in strategic ways to customize these offerings. Keynote Speaker International speaker and thought leader Scott Klososky hosted a keynote, highlighting the powerful influence managed service providers have in applying transformative technologies to assist clients in moving their businesses forward, and how to flourish through evolution. Klososky, who specializes in helping leaders gain insight into technologys impact on the industry and humanity, shared his vision for the future and how it relates to cybersecurity, digital transformation, and New Charters ability to unlock unparalleled achievements in the industry. Technology is going to have a wonderful impact on humanity, said Klososky. The digital transformation isnt about just installing more technology, it is changing the integration of humans and technology in ways we never have before. New Charter is uniquely positioned to succeed in this realm. Providers are, and will continue to be the ones managing digital risk, Klososky continued. That means that theres also a lot of pressure on them to be good at what they do because people are becoming more and more dependent on them. So, New Charter and all MSPs have got to be good at offense and defense for their customers. Here are the five pillars that make up the foundation of New Charter: The platform partners with business owners who are not sellers but rather looking for an opportunity to continue what theyre doing and having a financial partner for further investment. A team of business owners to partner with for the sharing of new ideas and industry best practices to accelerate their business forward. The foundation of the model is centered around the idea that the Managed IT industry is a people-business requiring a local touch and should not be consolidated in order to build upon success and reach new growth and service delivery levels. The partners who make up the New Charter banner are high growth and high margin businesses who share a common set of cultural and business objectives. The owners are the Leadership team and are collaborating and strategizing in a way that has never been seen in the industry. ABOUT NEW CHARTER TECHNOLOGIES New Charter Technologies is building a caliber of business the IT industry hasnt yet seen. Serving small-to-medium sized businesses in 10+ industries across North America, we deliver best-in-class technology solutions to propel our clients into the digital world. Learn more here: https://newchartertech.com/ ABOUT OVAL PARTNERS Oval Partners is a multi-family office investment firm designed to provide liquidity, growth, capital and acquisition funding to founders of growing businesses across North America. Ovals capital base is permanentit is committed, unencumbered and unconstrained in terms of holding period. Oval offers the capabilities and capital of a private equity fund, but the mentality, partner orientation and investment time frame of a private holding company. Ovals principals have completed more than 100 transactions involving platform investments, acquisitions, exits, and re-financings. Oval focuses on making investments in the tech-enabled services, information services, internet, software/SAAS, and industrial technology markets. New Charter embodies the essence of Ovals targeted buy and build strategy in attractive, service-oriented, niche end markets. For additional information, please visit https://www.ovalpartners.com/ or contact Dan Escovitz at mailto:descovitz@ovalpartners.com [descovitz@ovalpartners.com __title__ null]. Vitreoretinal Consultants of New York (VRC) is excited to announce the addition of Retina Consultations in Bronxville, NY, as well as welcome Dr. Charles Mango and Dr. Steven Bodine to the VRC family. The new location will allow VRC to now provide advanced retinal and macular care to patients in Westchester County and throughout the entire tri-state area. Dr. Mango and Dr. Bodine are board-certified ophthalmologists who specialize in the medical and surgical management of vitreoretinal disorders. Patients from around the world come to visit them for treatment. They are leaders in their field and active members of multiple educational societies. They hold academic affiliations with world-class medical centers and dedicate their time to teaching the next generation of eye doctors. They have both been recognized for many years as Top Doctors by Castle Connolly. Dr. Mango is a Clinical Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Weill Cornell Medical College - New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York. He has published in major scientific journals, authored multiple textbook chapters, and is actively involved in research projects. He is the co-founder and board member of the Vit-Buckle Society, a professional non-profit organization for vitreoretinal surgeons and students. In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Bodine teaches and lectures resident physicians at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine Medical Center as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology. He has published in major scientific journals and is involved in retinal research. Were very excited to bring Dr. Mango and Dr. Bodine into the fold, while also providing the highest quality vitreoretinal care available to even more patients in the tri-state area, says Michael Wiley of VRC. Their combination of clinical, research, academic, and organizational experience will make them an excellent addition to our team of national thought leaders.Dr. Mango and Dr. Bodine use the latest equipment to diagnose and treat retinal disorders, including, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein and artery occlusions, retinal tears and detachments, and more. Our newest office is located at 915 Palmer Rd, Bronxville, NY 10708. Patients can schedule appointments Monday through Friday from 8 am to 4 pm. If you have any questions or would like to make an appointment with Dr. Mango and Dr. Bodine in Bronxville, NY, call (914) 793-6900.About Vitreoretinal Consultants of New York Vitreoretinal Consultants of NY is the premier retinal care destination for patients across Long Island, Queens, NYC, and beyond. Founded in 1981, their team of nationally-recognized retina specialists and surgeons have established themselves as distinguished physicians, compassionate providers, and key thought leaders in the retina care community. Individuals looking to learn more about VRCs state-of-the-art retina services and/or the participation requirements for various clinical trials are invited to call Rosa Bastone at 914-793-6900 or email rbastone@vrcny.com. NYC Navigator and Diafano have joined in a strategic partnership to help employees and their families learn a new language when they relocate. Diafano is an award-winning language learning hub that helps organizations improve their work culture, champion DEIA, support limited English proficient employees, and provide professional development opportunities to other staff, all through the lens of language. Aside from language group classes within organizations, they provide 1:1 personalized studies and a self-paced, pre-recorded subscription program. NYC Navigator is an award-winning, woman-owned relocation settling services company headquartered in Manhattan. They are the relocatees advocate in helping them to recreate their home. They also provide resources to ease the relocation process, including neighborhood familiarization, home-finding assistance, and top-notch social events. Moving to a new city is exciting yet daunting. Learning a new language offers a distinct competitive advantage in the workplace, especially in a city like New York, where nearly 20% of the population is Spanish-speaking. Additional benefits include improved workplace wellness, improved workplace community, and the satisfaction of tackling a new way to connect with peoplewhich are all reasons for learning a new language with Diafano. The partnership not only offers employees a chance to learn a language through Diafanos learning hub, but it also gives them access to over 20 languages at a discounted price. Their spouses and children can also partake in Diafanos language programs, which include ASL, ESL, Spanish, Mandarin, and many more! Im beyond excited to partner with NYC Navigator, an organization that is fully committed to giving comprehensive relocation assistance to families, says Irma Cedeno Verdon, Founder & CEO of Diafano. The mission for both our companies is to improve peoples lives. For us at Diafano, whether someone wants to practice their English conversation skills to achieve greater work opportunities, or pick up Spanish to interact with the Hispanic community in New York City, bettering peoples lives through language is something that we constantly strive to achieve. And for NYC Navigator, its about making a new city feel like home for those relocating here. Our vision is highly aligned. As a serial language learner, who is passionate about the benefits of being multilingual, I am absolutely thrilled to be able to offer Diafanos programs to NYC Navigators clients, says Brenda Levis, President of NYC Navigator. Whether its for a transferring employee interested in learning local colloquialisms or for a partner ready to learn that new language theyve been wanting to try, Diafano offers practical solutions for all. Our organizations share the same belief that learning a new language offers you the possibility to experience the world through new eyes. This is an incredible opportunity for our relocating employees. For more information, you can visit Diafano at http://www.diafanomethod.com and NYC Navigator at http://www.nycnavigator.com. Demos for Diafano can be scheduled at https://diafanomethod.com/contact/ About Diafano: Using an immersive methodology focused on social learning, Diafano is the language platform of choice for organizations, schools, and individuals that want to create meaningful change through language. They offer over 20 languages and classes that range from industry-specific corporate programs to individualized training, as well as a language membership. About NYC Navigator: Founded in 2005, NYC Navigator is an internationally recognized, award-winning, woman-owned Destination Services Provider based in New York City. They walk alongside the expatriate and their family throughout the entire relocation experience. FirstBoard.io Network The new Firstboard.io founding partners are all leaders in the technology space with investment, consulting, legal and GTM expertise who are active in building businesses. The representation of women in the tech industry still hovers at less than 30% and in the boardrooms of privately held companies the number of female board members is much lower. Only 14% of board director seats for private companies are held by women, and 56% of early-stage private companies had zero-woman directors, according to a 2022 report by the Women Business Collaborative in partnership with 50/50 Women on Boards. We all have a part to play in creating a diverse workplace, including at the board-level, and we applaud our partners for taking an active role in increasing the number of women on tech company boards, says Rita Scroggin, Founder of Firstboard.io. Working with our partners we want to make visible for consideration highly qualified women ready to serve on boards. The new Firstboard.io founding partners are all leaders in the technology space with investment, consulting, legal and GTM expertise who are active in building businesses. Firstboard.io invites corporate partners who want to support efforts to increase the representation of women on private company boards to contact Firstboard.io and join the Partner Network. The new founding partners of Firstboard.io are: Monica Nayar Monica Nayar is the office managing partner for PwCs Silicon Valley practice serving as the face of the firm to the local community and businesses. With almost 20 years of experience, she has held responsibilities across market, solutions, and service teams, with a primary focus in the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications and Private Equity sector. Natasha Allen Natasha Allen is a partner based in the Silicon Valley and San Francisco offices of Foley & Lardner LLP, where she serves as Co-Chair for Artificial Intelligence within our Innovative Technology sector, Co-Chair of the Venture Capital Committee, and is a member of the Venture Capital, M&A and Transactions Practices. Natasha is a strategic advisor, supporting her clients in complex decision making. Ally Millar Ally Millar is a partner with PwCs consulting business based in Silicon Valley. She partners with clients on mission critical business transformations to launch and scale new as a service business models that drive revenue growth and forward valuation multiples. Ally has spent her career leading large scale digital transformations and technology implementations which put the customer at the very heart of the business. She leads PwCs Anything as a service within PwCs Cloud and Digital practice and specializes in the Technology industry where she helps hyper growth and fortune 500 clients alike remake the Customer experience and operations across all channels, routes to market and offering types. Gorka Sadowski Gorka Sadowski has spent the last 30 years in cybersecurity, both in established as well as emerging market categories. Most recently he was a Gartner analyst where he was covering mature categories such as SIEM,and helped create new categories such as UEBA and SOAR. Now as Chief Strategy Officer at Exabeam, he is the driving force behind the XDR Alliance, an alliance of thought-leading cybersecurity vendors that band together to bring clarity on the confusing XDR market category. Apoorva Pandhi "Apoorva loves the complexity and thrill of the 0 to 1 startup phase and feels fortunate to work with deeply technical and product-centric founders. He finds them tackling the hardest challenges in AI/ML, data infrastructure and cloud-native infra. As a Managing Director at Zetta, he is excited to partner with founders who are ready to push through and beyond the complex chaos of this early stage to unleash greater potential and market impact.Over the years, Apoorva has experienced this frenzied energy, firsthand. He has been in the trenches with early-stage engineering-first startups in different modalities. He has partnered with several AI/ML and engineering-first companies as an investor at Lightspeed Ventures and then Foundation Capital." Rahul Kannan Rahul Kannan is a Business Builder and Operator with deep GTM expertise and in running Global Sales and Marketing, Strategy, Product Management teams. He has a proven track record of driving consistent high double-digit growth and experience scaling businesses from $10M to $300M+ ARR. Vertical areas of focus across B2B SaaS include IoT, Sales and Marketing Tech, Quote to Cash, Business Applications. He was most recently at Zuora leading their Multiproduct GTM and prior to that at Jasper (acquired by Cisco) where he transformed Jaspers business model and helped Jasper achieve market leadership in the IoT space. He is extremely passionate about GTM, in building diverse teams and in enabling people to succeed. Alidad Vakili Alidad is Of Counsel and a business lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP, based in the firms San Francisco office where he is a member of the Transactions Practice Group. Alidad regularly advises his clients at all stages of company growth from formation to exit. Alidad provides business and legal advice to entrepreneurs, founders, startups, emerging growth companies, and investors. Alidad regularly advises startups, emerging growth companies, and investors on a wide range of issues, including general corporate matters such as formations, corporate governance, as well as debt and equity financing, venture capital financing, and commercial matters across a number of industries, including technology, health care, clean energy, as well as other industries. Alidads experience also includes project finance for renewable energy development and cross-border transactions. Prior to joining Foley, Alidad was counsel in the San Francisco office of a global law firm in the corporate M&A and emerging growth and venture capital practice groups. Chris Hillock Chris leads the portfolio development function for Dell Technologies Capital globally. His team provides business development services and go to market support to help portfolio companies validate product market fit, establish, and then execute their scaling strategies. He appreciates how the DTC investment team combines deep domain expertise and diverse perspectives on the enterprise to offer portfolio companies informed, actionable points of view. An operating executive with a background in sales leadership and general management, Chris brings more than 20 years of experience in leading cross functional global sales teams and scaling emerging startup technologies, cloud infrastructure and software solutions.About Firstboard.io FirstBoard.io is a curated collective of diverse technology leaders who have been in key operating roles at startups and private and public technology companies. FirstBoard.io is an invite-only community of highly qualified women ready to serve on corporate boards, who have been selected based on criteria including technical depth, operational leadership, and go-to-market experience, amongst other criteria. FirstBoard.io does not charge its members a fee. Learn more about FirstBoard.io and its mission at https://www.firstboard.io. Recharged, a company building the future of electric vehicle commerce, has announced that it has secured its first delivery center location in Richmond, Virginia. This marks a major milestone for the company as it gears up for its much-anticipated launch later this spring. With this new delivery center, Recharged will be positioned to serve its customers and partners in Virginia and nationwide. Recharged is revolutionizing the used EV buying and selling process through its end-to-end marketplace and securing its first delivery center is a major milestone in achieving the companys mission of accelerating EV adoption. John Foley, President of Recharged, expressed excitement about the new delivery center location, saying, "We are thrilled to announce the opening of our first center in Virginia. This is a significant milestone for our company and an important step in our mission to make electric vehicles more accessible to everyone. We will now be able to better serve our consumers and partners across the country." The delivery center is positioned in the heart of Richmond, Virginia and will support Rechargeds omnichannel consumer experience. Not only will the center add significant distribution capabilities to Recharged, but also will serve as a technology and EV education hub for consumers and partners in the region. With its revolutionary approach to rethinking the used EV experience, Recharged continues to make strides to position itself as a market leader. About Recharged: Recharged is on a mission to accelerate electric vehicle adoption with the first end-to-end ecommerce marketplace designed specifically for used EV buyers and sellers. Recharged is committed to making electric vehicles more accessible and affordable to consumers, while also serving dealers, fleets and other companies navigating the transition to electric vehicles. Contact: pr@recharged.com ChannelMix's Revenue Optimization Dashboard "Marketers have been struggling with traditional media mix modeling solutions for too long. It's time to take control of their data and finally achieve the ROI they deserve. That's why we created ChannelMix AI." - CEO and Co-Founder Matt Hertig. Marketers' growing frustration with the slow, expensive, inaccurate traditional media mix modeling solutions led to the development of ChannelMix AI, the latest disruptive feature of the ChannelMix marketing revenue generation platform. ChannelMix AI helps marketers take control of their data, improve ROI, and maximize revenue growth. The platform's advanced machine learning algorithms analyze data in real time from multiple channels, including tv, social media, email marketing, search engine marketing, direct mail and more, to deliver scenarios that predict optimal media mix and budget with a 93% accuracy rate. Marketers simply select the presented scenario on their dashboard that most closely aligns with their goals to instantly view the recommended media mix, with projected leads, sales and budgets by channel and source. Top Predictions are highlighted in orange, indicating the most efficient ways to generate new customers. Built by marketers, for marketers, ChannelMixs user-friendly platform reduces the time to get answers from months to seconds, eliminating waste from marketing budgets and helping clients improve their ROI by 10% in under 60 days. ChannelMix AI combines sales and marketing performance data at any level of granularity with sophisticated artificial intelligence to predict source-level results, without the need for person-level data or third-party cookies, to protect marketing budgets, reduce waste and drive more revenue. "Marketers have been struggling with traditional media mix modeling solutions for too long. It's time to take control of their data and finally achieve the ROI they deserve. That's why we created ChannelMix AI - a game-changing platform designed to empower marketers with the insights and capabilities needed to drive revenue growth and outperform their competition. With ChannelMix AI, marketers can finally say goodbye to outdated and slow solutions from expensive providers and hello to a brighter, more profitable future." - CEO and Co-Founder Matt Hertig. In times of financial uncertainty and budget cuts, marketers are often left with the challenge of doing more with less. With ChannelMix AI, marketers can identify inefficiencies and reduce wasted spend, protecting their budgets while achieving their revenue goals, empowering marketers to do more with less, even in challenging economic conditions. ChannelMix AIs robust recommendation engine is driven by machine learning to help build and activate optimized media plans, predict outcomes, and eliminate waste an average of 10% from annual marketing budgets, said President and Co-Founder Michelle Jacobs. Our platform helps marketers take a unified approach to media planning and measurement, allowing them to simulate time-bound media plans driven by their data, budgets, and goals. Now more than ever, marketers need ammunition to protect their budgets from cuts while simultaneously driving more revenue for the organization quickly. ChannelMix AI solves that need. ChannelMix currently analyzes over $6B in media spend across 1,500+ global brands and agencies. "4SIGHT provided valuable feedback and guidance during the initial scope and strategy definition phases. Thanks to our partnership with 4SIGHT, we feel much more confident and clearheaded about what we need to do to accomplish our project goals." 4SIGHT Supply Chain Group, a leading supply chain consulting, engineering, and IT services provider, today announced it has enabled ABC Stores to execute on a new vision and operational enterprise-wide strategy to propel growth and long-term success. Once a small chain of convenience stores, Honolulu-based ABC Stores now serves a retail network of 82 outlets through two distribution centers. The growth in business scope and types of products offered led the company to engage 4SIGHT to develop an enhanced, technology-driven strategy for supplier collaboration and logistics. This centered on the need for stronger collaboration with ABCs expanding supplier network, many of which are small local entities. Our supply chain/enterprise resource project is expected to be the most significant initiative we have ever undertaken, said Paul Kosasa, CEO, ABC Stores. 4SIGHT provided valuable feedback and guidance during the initial scope and strategy definition phases. Thanks to our partnership with 4SIGHT, we feel much more confident and clearheaded about what we need to do to accomplish our project goals. The 4SIGHT team worked closely with ABC to envision an advanced retail supply chain strategy that considered all relevant processes as well as organizational and technology implications. Because ABC anticipates a much higher percentage of its overall retail volume to include sales from groceries in the near future, 4SIGHT worked with ABC to evaluate all aspects of inventory planning and accounting, supplier collaboration, data integration and synchronization, and the use of mobility and edge solutions in its assessment and recommendations. 4SIGHT also worked closely with ABC to identify and vet their implementation partner for the initial financial phase of the project. 4SIGHT worked closely with the ABC Stores team to identify the optimal vision for its retail supply chain operations and technology, said Hal Feuchtwanger, Senior Director of Transportation and Strategy, 4SIGHT. We devised a multi-phased approach to layer ongoing value and new processes into ABCs operations and build on the success of each phase. In this way, ABC can accomplish key goals such as automating paper-based processes, improving inventory visibility, and collaborating more effectively with its network of hundreds of suppliers so it can deliver a superior customer experience. About ABC Stores ABC Stores has progressed from a 'mom & pop store' to one of the most recognizable brands in the Hawaii tourism industry. Through their vision, the founders paved the road for this success with a belief in two fundamental tenets: convenience and service. Today there are ABC Stores on every major island in the State of Hawaii, and the ABC concept has been exported to Guam, Saipan, and Las Vegas. It has also grown to include the fresh and wholesome Island Gourmet Markets, Island Country Markets, Honolua General Store (Kapalua Resort, Maui) and Sueoka Market (Koloa, Kauai). About 4SIGHT Supply Chain Group 4SIGHT specializes in supply chain consulting, engineering and information technology. Our seasoned professionals average more than 19 years of experience helping companies across all industries solve their distribution, fulfillment and transportation challenges. As a testament to the value our clients place on our expertise, experience and integrity, 4SIGHT has received multiple industry awards. For more information, please visit http://www.4sight.com or email us at in4mation@4sight.com. Evans Park at Newton Corner, a Benchmark assisted living and Mind & Memory Care community "We are excited to honor such an important landmark by investing further in beautiful new living spaces and expanding amenities for our residents and their families to enjoy for years to come. -Tom Grape, founder, chairman and CEO of Benchmark Evans Park at Newton Corner, a Benchmark Senior Living assisted living and Mind & Memory Care community, today announced a $13-million renovation project to modernize the 30-year-old assisted living with memory care community in Newton, MA. The project will create more spaces for residents to connect with one another, focus on their overall health and relaxation, as well as provide more modern apartments. The project is also honoring the buildings rich history, which dates to 1905, by adding external lighting to highlight unique architectural features. Built by famed developer, Warren Evans, The Evans, as it was first known, was considered to be the most beautiful apartment complex in the city. Every convenience and luxury were offered, including fine dining by an acclaimed chef. By transforming our resident dining experience, modernizing apartments and introducing more communal spaces, we want to honor the great history of this community, which has been a fixture in many of our residents lives. The renovation will uniquely blend historic charm with modern design, said Susan Cohen Cwieka, regional director of operations for Benchmark. Residents and their families will enjoy new spaces in which they can stay connected to who and what matters most. Some of the many extended living spaces that residents and their loved ones will be able to enjoy include: Restaurant-style formal dining prepared in an open kitchen and a new casual bistro. New solarium designed to bring the vibrant outdoors in. Modern hair salon providing nail services and massage therapy. Wellness Suite offering the convenience of on-site medical visits. Fitness Center featuring specialized equipment and exercise classes. Recreation room for events, including parties, art therapy and concerts. Independent assisted living apartments will include amenities like upgraded kitchenettes with new appliances, newly appointed bathrooms, granite countertops, new flooring and lighting. The communities fourth floor memory care assisted living apartments will be enlarged and bathrooms that can accommodate wheelchairs and with other safety features added. All spaces will feature interior design by Boston-based Stefura Associates, creators of award-winning transitional design for places like the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Massachusetts State House. At Evans Park, clean, earth tones, including vibrant greens, rich browns and warm grays, will adorn all shared spaces and corridors. Evans Park at Newton Corner was one of the first communities I developed almost 30 years ago, said Tom Grape, founder, chairman and CEO of Benchmark. It was the first in Massachusetts created for assisted living, and its been a beloved part of Newton Corner ever since. We are excited to honor such an important landmark by investing further in beautiful new living spaces and expanding amenities for our residents and their families to enjoy for years to come. Over the past couple of years, Benchmark has invested heavily in the Newton area. In 2020, Benchmark transformed another Newton historical landmark, the former Andover Newton Theological School, which dates to the 1700s, to open Adelaide of Newton Centre. Last year, Benchmark also completed an $11-million renovation of The Falls at Cordingly Dam in Newton Lower Falls, Mass. Evans Park at Newton Corner was designed by Lexington, Mass.-based Bechtel Frank Erickson. The general contractor is South Coast Improvement in Marion, Mass. The complete renovation is expected to debut in early 2024. Click here for more information. # # # About Benchmark Senior Living Benchmark is New Englands largest senior living provider with 64 independent living, assisted living, memory care and continuing care communities and over 5,000 dedicated associates providing compassionate care and outstanding experiences throughout the Northeast. The Waltham, Mass.-based company was founded over 25 years ago by Tom Grape with the purpose of Transforming Lives Through Human Connection. Since then, Benchmark has continued to set the industry standard, having won over a hundred local, regional and national awards for its care, programs and as a top workplace. Benchmark has been named one of the Top Places to Work for 15 straight years in The Boston Globes annual employee-based survey and received repeated recognition in FORTUNEs Best Workplaces for Aging Services list. For more information, visit BenchmarkSeniorLiving.com. Teen social entrepreneur Mikaila Ulmer is back on Shark Tank on March 17 to give an update on her national lemonade company she started when she was just four years old. "I am proud to take this celebratory moment of being back on Shark Tank to update all of our stakeholders and bee-lievers on just how far Me & the Bees has come since our humble beginnings and initial big dreams." Teen social entrepreneur, Mikaila Ulmer, will make her third appearance on Shark Tank on ABC on Friday, March 17 at 7 PM CT/8 PM ET to update the world on her purpose-based brands tremendous growth as the all-natural lemonade company forges ahead with its goal of becoming Americas favorite lemonade. Mikaila and her dad, Theo Ulmer who serves as the companys chief operating officer, first appeared on Shark Tank 8 years ago when Mikaila was just 10 years old. She explained then that her lemonade, which was inspired by her Great Granny Helens 1940s flaxseed lemonade recipe, was not only good, but good for you. They struck a deal with Daymond John who has continued to be a mentor and resource for Me & the Bees. Im proud to take this celebratory moment of being back on Shark Tank to update all of our stakeholders and bee-lievers on just how far we have come since our humble beginnings and initial big dreams, said Mikaila Ulmer, founder and CEO, Me & the Bees Lemonade. I hope my story inspires viewers thinking of starting their own businesses to find their passion for becoming the next generation of changemakers. Mikaila and her hive have grown the family- and minority-owned business since its founding in days in 2009 as a single lemonade stand, to sales of more than $10 million today and have: Grown to nearly 6,000 points of distribution in all 50 states including major retailers like Target, Whole Foods Market, World Market, H-E-B and Publix. Secured food service deals including Sysco, Sodexo/Sodexo Magic, and Compass, and even at airports, thanks to a partnership with Delaware North. Scaled manufacturing capabilities to produce over 12,000 cases per day. Grown the companys compound annual growth rate to over 10 times the industry average for the category over the past 5 years alone. Donated over a quarter of million dollars to helping save the bees and promoting youth social entrepreneurship. The company did all of this while staying true to its mission to save pollinators and inspire the next generation of youth social entrepreneurs. With its Buy a Bottle. Save a Bee. approach, Me & the Bees Lemonade donates a percentage of net sales to the Healthy Hive Foundation, Mikailas non-profit organization is dedicated to saving all bees through education, research, and protection, and to inspiring social entrepreneurship. "From running a multi-million dollar business to making time for her schoolwork, Mikaila awakens the go-getter in us and inspires us all to dream like kids and pair our passions with our purpose, said brand consultant and the peoples shark, Daymond John. The continuous growth of her company has been so impressive and has become an inspiration to other budding entrepreneurs out there. Me & the Bees Lemonade continues to outperform in the beverage category while meeting the needs of todays health-conscious consumers. Me & the Bees Lemonade offers five flavors Classic, Black Cherry, Prickly Pear, Ginger and Mint with two new flavors launching later this year. More about the 12-ounce ready-to-drink lemonades, Mikaila, and the company can be found at http://www.meandthebees.com or by reading Mikailas book Bee Fearless, Dream Like a Kid, published by Penguin Random House, which made bestseller lists. ### About Me & the Bees Lemonade In 2009, when Mikaila Ulmer found her Great Granny Helens flaxseed lemonade recipe in a 1940s family cookbook, she was excited to give it a try. In 14 years, what started as a lemonade stand in a front yard in Austin, Texas, has quickly grown to a national brand with distribution to all 50 U.S. states. The all-natural shelf-stable lemonades contain no high-fructose corn syrup, no preservatives or additives. They are made with premium ingredients including U.S. Grade-A honey, real lemon juice, and flaxseed, which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. Me & the Bees Lemonade can be found nationally at Target, World Market, Whole Foods Market, The Fresh Market and also at regional and local grocers such as H-E-B in Texas and Meijer in the Midwest. It can also be purchased online via Instacart, GoPuff, and at http://www.meandthebees.com. Follow @mikailasbees on social channels and see photos here to accompany stories: https://www.flickr.com/gp/189215295@N02/T81AV207hj. Aragon Research Report: The Shift to Communications Automation Platforms "Enterprises that leverage Communications Automation Platforms should gain significant advantages in revenue growth, time to market, and the overall customer experience that is delivered. Aragon Research, a business and technology-focused firm committed to providing thought leading strategic research and trusted advisory services, announces the publication of its latest research report: The Shift to Communications Automation Platforms. In this report, Aragon identifies a new market: Communications Automation Platforms (CAP). CAPs are about making communications integral to all business processes. Their goal is to automate the way that communication is enabled and delivered, all in a low-code, low effort way. CAPs are poised to disrupt the legacy of the Communications Platforms as a Service (CPaaS) market. Aragon Research predicts that by 2025, 60% of enterprises will look to speed up their business processes by leveraging CAP. Furthermore, Aragon predicts that the CAP market will grow to over $27 billion by 2027 from $8 billion in 2021a $19 billion increase in just a couple of years. CAP is the new way of creating applications that leverage communications and collaboration capabilities. Communications Automation Platforms (CAP) will power a new generation of communications enabled business applications, said Jim Lundy, CEO and Lead Analyst at Aragon Research. "Enterprises that leverage CAP should gain significant advantages in revenue growth, time to market, and the overall customer experience that is delivered. Communications Automation Platforms are making a difference in next-generation applications, going beyond the static capabilities of an Application Performance Interface (API). One key benefit of CAPs is that organizations can now quickly and easily build and automate their applications without programmers. Without a doubt, the shift to CAP is putting pressure on traditional developer-centric application platforms to level up. The research report examines the benefits and key elements of Communications Automation Platforms (CAP), the markets where CAP will be critical, and serves as a guide for how enterprises can get started with communication automation. Individuals interested in reading the full Aragon Research report on Communications Automation Platforms may visit: The Shift to Communications Automation Platforms. About Aragon Research Aragon Research delivers high-impact visual research, consulting, and advisory services to provide enterprises the insight they need to make better technology and strategy decisions. Aragon Research serves business and IT leaders and has a proven team of veteran analysts. For more information, visit https://www.aragonresearch.com/. Enterprise native Jeffrey Smith is the featured guest at the Elba Public Librarys Author visit and book talk Friday at 2 p.m. in the Charlotte Clark Community Room in the library located at 406 Simmons St. in Elba. Smith is the author of A Pea River Progeny: Alabamas Colorful and Controversial Governor James E. Big Jim Folsom. The event will include a visit to the birthplace of Jim Folsom, which is an historic landmark in Elba, located on Putnam Street. The event is free and open to the public. A native of Enterprise, Smith is a physician and writer who earned his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Alabama. After completing his residency at the William S. Hall Psychiatric Institute, Smith entered private practice in Upstate South Carolina. He resides in Greer, South Carolina, with his wife, Anne. They are the parents of two grown sons, Andy and Ben. A Pea River Progeny is Smiths 21st overall book and the 17th non-fiction publication in his Bringing History Alive series. The historical narratives, extensively researched, prove fact is often stranger and more compelling than fiction. Folsom forever changed the Alabama political scene, Smith said. The man who served as Alabamas 43rd and 45th governor revolutionized gubernatorial campaign strategies, leaving a memorable legacy in his wake. Bypassing the states powerful Big Mule political machine and local Courthouse Rings, Big Jim took his Populist campaigns directly to the people. His determination to help the needy and disenfranchised resonated with Alabamas overlooked common folks, said Smith. Folsoms vow to pave farm-to-market dirt roads, construct new highways and bridges, improve educational facilities, and increase old-age pensions were welcome tonics to Alabamas farmers, day-laborers, and small business owners. Literally and figuratively a giant, Folsom was 6-feet, 8-inches and weighing 275 pounds. His charisma and folksy charm readily appealed to less affluent Alabamians who understood his plain talk, colloquialisms, and use of concrete imagery during campaign rallies, Smith said. Big Jims repeated outrageous antics and copious consumption of alcohol, while repeatedly condemned by seasoned politicos and Alabamas major daily newspapers seldom troubled his core constituency. The common folks were willing to overlook Folsoms vices because the Little Mans Big Friend was the only political leader who truly held their best interests close to heart. In the end, Folsoms Populist political career was doomed by two major factors: his descent into full-blown alcoholism and his unwillingness to walk in lock step with white supremacists, Smith said. Big Jims one-time political protege, George C. Wallace, soon eclipsed his mentor to become one of the 20th centurys most vitriolic segregationists. At the same time as Wallaces statewide and national political careers soared, Folsom drifted into oblivion. Big Jim, however, refused to quit. Even when his chances of victory were nil, Folsom continued to seek elective office. Over the course of 40 years, Big Jim ran for governor nine times. Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the class action lawsuit against Mobile-Med Work Health Solutions, LLC call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today. The San Francisco employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a class action complaint alleging that Mobile-Med Work Health Solutions, LLC violated the California Labor Code. The Mobile-Med Work Health Solutions, LLC class action lawsuit, Case No. 23CV411830, is currently pending in the Santa Clara County Superior Court of the State of California. A copy of the Complaint can be read here. According to the Complaint, the company's non-exempt employees were allegedly unable to take off-duty meal breaks due to their rigorous work schedules. California labor laws require an employer to provide an employee required to perform work for more than five (5) hours during a shift with, a thirty (30) minute uninterrupted meal break prior to the end of the employee's fifth (5th) hour of work and a second uninterrupted meal break when employees are required to work ten (10) hours. The Complaint claims that the company did not provide their employees who forfeited meal breaks additional compensation. The Complaint further claims Mobile-Med Work Health Solutions, LLC failed to pay employees their accurate sick pay wages, which violates California Labor Code Section 246. Employees routinely earned non-discretionary incentive wages which increased their regular rate of pay. However, when paid sick pay wages, it was allegedly paid at the base rate of pay rather than the higher regular rate of pay. For more information about the class action lawsuit against Mobile-Med Work Health Solutions, LLC call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today. Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is an employment law firm with offices located in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside and Chicago that dedicates its practice to helping employees, investors and consumers fight back against unfair business practices, including violations of the California Labor Code and Fair Labor Standards Act. If you need help in collecting unpaid overtime wages, unpaid commissions, being wrongfully terminated from work, and other employment law claims, contact one of their attorneys today. ***THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT*** Chang Dental Group We want to provide our patients with all the information they need to make the best decisions about their oral health. The new website is an extension of our commitment to providing the best care possible and making it easy for our patients to find that care. Chang Dental Group is pleased to announce the launch of its newly redesigned website, https://www.changdentalgroup.com. The newly redesigned site is more accessible, with a clean, user-friendly interface that puts patients first as well as offers more information and resources to potential patients. The site also includes helpful videos and articles that explain treatments in plain English. Chang Dental Group offers options for patients who are looking for greater comfort and convenience in the dental experience. A new feature of the website is an online appointment request form, which allows those who want to schedule an appointment with Chang Dental to do so quickly and easily. Chang Dental Group is a Massachusetts-based dental practice with offices in Natick and Framingham. Chang Dental Group has been rated highly on Google by its patients, and the practice prides itself on offering compassionate, gentle, and top-of-the-line dental care. Chang Dental Group is led by Founder and CEO Dr. Jenny Chang, a prosthodontist who specializes in the aesthetic rejuvenation of teeth. Dr. Chang graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard Dental School of Dental Medicine and then continued her studies, receiving her degree in Prosthodontics also from Harvard School of Dental Medicine. Nationally recognized for her skill and expertise, Dr. Chang was awarded the Dentist Scientist Award from the National Institute of Health. "We want to provide our patients with all the information they need to make the best decisions about their oral health," said Dr. Jenny Changer, owner and founder of Chang Dental Group. "The new website is an extension of our commitment to providing the best care possible and making it easy for our patients to find that care." Dr. Chang is joined by a team of dedicated dental health professionals including fellow prosthodontists, periodontists, dentists, orthodontists, endodontists, and hygienists who are committed to providing the highest level of care. Chang Dental Group offers over 50 services throughout its two locations. Services offered at Chang Dental Groups two locations include: General dentistry: General dentistry refers to preventative care like cleanings, exams, x-rays, and more. Laser cleaning: Laser cleaning is used to deeply clean the gums and bone to avoid tooth loss or extraction. Orthodontics: Invisalign straightens the teeth without the need for traditional braces Pediatric dentistry: Chang Dental Group can make sure children are set up for a lifetime of good oral hygiene Dental implants: Dental implants are a permanent solution to replace missing or damaged teeth and improve the appearance of the teeth. Teeth whitening: Chang Dental Group uses Glo Whitening to safely and effectively whiten the teeth Chang Dental Group strives to make quality dental care affordable and accessible to all patients by offering comprehensive dental care memberships for $149 a year. The yearly membership includes two cleanings, two oral exams, two x-rays, and 20% off other additional procedures. With the membership, there are no yearly maximums, waiting periods, deductibles, or surprise copayments. About Chang Dental Group Chang Dental Group is a top-rated dentist in Massachusetts and has two locations: 220 N. Main Street, Suite 203, Natick MA 01760 and 1671 Worcester Rd., Suite 401, Framingham MA 01701. For the Framingham location, call (508) 405-1100. For the Natick location, call (508) 653-0444. To schedule an appointment online, visit https://www.changdentalgroup.com. Through understanding the Tabernacle, we may understand who we are in Christ, Holmes said. Christ encourages us to become a kingdom of priests to share the teachings and love of God with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. At 21, author Bobby Holmes was introduced to the Tabernacle. Decades later, the author is now teaching the Tabernacle to fellow followers of Christ. Understanding that the study may be known to very few, Holmes desired to share his teachings by writing his new book, Into His Presence: Tabernacle & the Priesthood. In the book, readers may learn how to live according to Gods word and grow in his presence. The Tabernacle shows Gods depth of his love for his children through the building and teachings within it. Holmes hopes the insights he reveals in his book will equip others with the knowledge to teach it themselves. Through understanding the Tabernacle, we may understand who we are in Christ, Holmes said. Christ encourages us to become a kingdom of priests to share the teachings and love of God with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Introduced as the first of Holmes three-part series, the addition of an Instructors Study Guide, and Students Question Book, offers an interactive environment where Gods divine truths are discussed, through an in-depth study of the original Hebrew and Greek language. He hopes this helps to inspire the formation of study groups that result in engaged discussions. I want my readers to walk through the Tabernacle, see it, touch it, and experience the very presence of God, said Holmes. The Tabernacle is Gods design of worship and praise. When we allow ourselves to be saved in Christ, we become part of the priesthood. Into His Presence: Tabernacle & the Priesthood By Bobby Holmes ISBN: 9781664235441 (softcover); 9781664235434 (hardcover); 9781664235458 (electronic) Available at Intotheholyofholies.com, Amazon and Barnes & Noble About the author Bobby Holmes began taking an interest in the Tabernacle at the age of 21, by hearing it briefly taught during adult Sunday School class at church. After ten years, he continues teaching the Tabernacle to fellow followers of Christ. He hopes to share his book with as many people as possible so they may grow in their faith in God. He currently resides in Charles Town, W.Va. To learn more, please visit Intotheholyofholies.com. General Inquiries: LAVIDGE Phoenix Taylor Moralez 480-306-6597 Tmoralez@lavidge.com Churchill Stateside Group Closes $16M in Construction and Provides $11.28M in Permanent Financing for a New Apartment Community in Knoxville, Tennessee In working with our developer client and other members of the development team we were able to overcome several challenges and ensure the financing was in place and the tax-exempt bonds were allocated in under 95 days to meet a strict deadline. Churchill Stateside Group, LLC (CSG), a real estate and renewable energy financial services company, is pleased to provide the financing for a new-construction affordable housing community in Knoxville, Tennessee. The apartment community will consist of 112 units catering to family tenancy. The improvements will be constructed utilizing equity from the sale of 4% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits; issuance of private activity bonds; and CSGs Private Tax-Exempt Loan Program. CSG is providing a $16M Construction Loan during the Initial Funding Phase, which shall convert to a $11.28M Permanent Loan upon stabilization. Michael Spain, Vice President of the Southeast region for CSG, said, we are proud to partner with a repeat client to finance this 112-unit new construction 4% bond deal located in the City of Knoxville, Tennessee through our Private Tax-Exempt Loan Program (P-TEL). In working with our developer client and other members of the development team we were able to overcome several challenges and ensure the financing was in place and the tax-exempt bonds were allocated in under 95 days to meet a strict deadline. Keith Gloeckl (GLEK-el), Chief Executive Officer of CSG, added, Central Terrace had a 95-day time frame to close. We are very pleased to be part of getting this transaction closed on time." For more information about CSGs multifamily finance programs and services, please contact Dan Duda, SVP and National Director of Originations and Acquisitions, at (727) 269-5198 or via email at dduda@csgfirst.com. About Churchill Stateside Group Churchill Stateside Group (CSG) and its wholly owned affiliates serve the affordable housing and commercial renewable energy industries. CSG sponsors tax credit equity investment funds for institutional investors and provides a variety of construction, permanent, and bond financing solutions. With over $3 Billion of assets under management, CSG has long-standing and successful investment relationships with numerous corporate investors and pension funds. The companys investor and developer clients benefit from our experienced staff, prominent and proactive senior leadership, and attractive debt and equity platforms. The company, through its subsidiary Churchill Mortgage Investment LLC, is an approved USDA Rural Development and HUD/FHA MAP and LEAN lender and Ginnie Mae Issuer. For more information, please visit http://www.CSGfirst.com. Contentsquare, the global leader in digital experience analytics, today announced it has signed The Climate Pledge, committing to reach net-zero carbon by 2040. Co-founded in 2019 by Amazon and Global Optimism, The Climate Pledge is a commitment by companies to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 a decade ahead of the Paris Agreements goal of 2050. By signing The Climate Pledge, Contentsquare agrees to: Measure and report greenhouse gas emissions on a regular basis. Implement decarbonization strategies in line with the Paris Agreement through real business changes and innovations, including efficiency improvements, renewable energy, materials reductions, and other carbon emission elimination strategies. Neutralize any remaining emissions with additional, quantifiable, real, permanent, and socially-beneficial offsets to achieve net-zero annual carbon emissions by 2040. According to the International Energy Agency, digital technology accounts for 2.5% of electricity consumption worldwide. Moreover, a report published by Paris-based think tank The Shift Project estimates that digital technology is responsible for 3.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions a figure that is rising rapidly. Contentsquare has been tracking its emissions and has started to implement solutions to lower its carbon footprint. Some of the initiatives launched in the past year include: Optimizing our products to reduce their energy consumption Progressively shifting the energy supply of our facilities to renewables Extending the life of our IT equipment Limiting business travel and empowering our employees to understand and manage their environmental footprint through an individual carbon budget As a committed SaaS company, we are constantly looking for ways to optimize our products, said Patrick Chatain, Contentsquares Chief Technology Officer. Signing The Climate Pledge cements our commitment to helping tackle climate change through solution-based innovation. "As we have scaled and developed our product and market leadership, we have also embraced our responsibility to lower our environmental impact as much as possible. We are committed to leveraging our position to promote a more sustainable Web, and The Climate Pledge offers a unique opportunity to fuel collective action, said Jonathan Cherki, CEO and founder of Contentsquare. About Contentsquare Contentsquare moves beyond traditional analytics to enable an unprecedented understanding of the customer experience that transforms business. With intuitive technology that reveals the behavior, intent and feelings of any and every user, Contentsquare allows businesses to deliver more human experiences quickly, while ensuring privacy and accessibility. About The Climate Pledge In 2019, Amazon and Global Optimism co-founded The Climate Pledge, a commitment to reach the Paris Agreement 10 years early and be net-zero carbon by 2040. Over 400 organizations have now signed The Climate Pledge, sending an important signal that there will be rapid growth in demand for products and services that help reduce carbon emissions. For more information visit https://www.theclimatepledge.com. Elite Endodontics of New Hampshire We are dedicated to providing our patients with gentle and compassionate endodontic care. We take the time to listen and educate our patients about their oral health so they can make educated decisions about their treatment options. Elite Endodontics of New Hampshire (https://www.eliteendodonticsnh.com) is pleased to announce the grand opening of two state-of-the-art new offices in Hooksett and Hudson, New Hampshire. The Hooksett office is located at 1310 Hooksett Road, while the Hudson office is located at 182 Central Street. Elite Endodontics of New Hampshire is excited about the addition of these offices, which will help them better serve their patients throughout New Hampshire with faster service times and more advanced technology. Both offices will offer a full range of services to meet the dental needs of patients throughout the region, including root canal therapy, surgical endodontics, cosmetic dentistry, and more. The practice is led by a team of dedicated professionals committed to providing high-quality endodontic and dental services. Dr. Lily Hu is a board-certified dentist and anesthesiologist and is the Director of Anesthesia and Pain Control at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Tadros M. Tadros, an endodontic specialist, is a Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics and is currently an instructor at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Anika Solanki is a board-eligible endodontist and an active member of the American Association of Endodontists (AAE) and the American Dental Association (ADA). "We are dedicated to providing our patients with gentle and compassionate endodontic care," said Dr. Tadros. "We take the time to listen and educate our patients about their oral health so they can make educated decisions about their treatment options." The highly committed dental professionals of Elite Endodontics of New Hampshire are committed to providing their patients with the highest quality of care and education. They are joined by a team of experienced and friendly dental assistants who strive to provide patients with the best possible experience. In addition, the qualified staff will work closely with you to ensure that all your questions are answered, helping you feel comfortable and confident in your treatment plan. Elite Endodontics of New Hampshire is equipped with the latest in dental and endodontic technology, including cone beam scanner 3D imaging, intraoral cameras, electronic apex locators, and more. Both offices offer a range of services, including: Root canal therapy, including GentleWave root canal treatment Endodontic retreatment for past root canals Endodontic or apical microsurgery Cracked teeth treatment Dental trauma treatment for teeth that have been knocked out, chipped, cracked, or fractured Pulpotomies to treat infected baby teeth To help patients feel more comfortable during their visits, Elite Endodontics of New Hampshire offers a range of sedation options. Patients can choose from nitrous oxide, otherwise known as laughing gas, conscious oral sedation, or IV sedation. About Elite Endodontics of New Hampshire Elite Endodontics of New Hampshire is a premier endodontics practice with offices in Hooksett and Hudson, NH. To make an appointment at the Hooksett office, call 603-628-2891. For the Hudson office, call 603-882-5455. Or, request an appointment online at https://www.eliteendodonticsnh.com. We deeply appreciate the continued partnership and commitment of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation," said Dawn Murdock, Director, Strategic Learning & Program Resources, Episcopal Relief & Development. Episcopal Relief & Development has been awarded a research grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to study an adaptation to the organizations Moments That Matter (MTM) early childhood development program partnership in Kenya. We deeply appreciate the continued partnership of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and its commitment to research, learning and adaptation with Moments That Matter," said Dawn Murdock, Director, Strategic Learning & Program Resources, Episcopal Relief & Development. "This grant supports testing and learning from the 18-month program adaptation carried out by our partner, Anglican Development Services-Nyanza, in Kenya. If found impactful, the 18-month program would enable MTM to reach many more families and increase the impact on young children across Africa. Since 2012, MTM has been mobilizing communities and empowering caregivers in Africa so vulnerable children up to age 3 reach their full developmental potential. The program, which is Episcopal Relief & Developments flagship integrated early childhood development partnership, is a community-led approach aligned with the Nurturing Care Framework. Local partners, such as Anglican Development Services-Nyanza, equip volunteers, faith leaders and local stakeholders to encourage, support and monitor caregivers. These community members become key facilitators in caregivers empowering themselves with parenting knowledge and skills that help children reach their cognitive, language, social, emotional and physical developmental milestones. Earlier investments from the Hilton Foundation contributed to the programs growth through monitoring, evaluation and research combined with learning and adaptation processes between 2012-2021. The Foundation is also currently supporting the expansion of MTM in Kenya and its start-up in a new area of Mozambique. This new research grant, of $530,000 over three years, will use a randomized control trial design to measure the programs impact by comparing child development and primary caregiver outcomes in MTM participants with those in communities that do not yet have MTM. The study will provide critical learnings on the effectiveness of the 18-month adaptation to MTM, which has traditionally spanned 24 months, as Episcopal Relief & Development seeks to respond to the many communities and families who would like to participate in MTM. Evidence has demonstrated how parenting programs are one of the most effective strategies for supporting healthy brain and emotional development of infants and young children globally, said Dr. Joshua Jeong, a leading ECD researcher and Assistant Professor at Emory Universitys Rollins School of Public Health, who is the Principal Investigator of the study. Im excited about this MTM study and the new findings that well add to the field regarding the potential of a community-led parenting program for reducing the burden of children at risk of poor development in western Kenya. Learn more about Episcopal Relief & Developments integrated early childhood development programs. ABOUT EPISCOPAL RELIEF & DEVELOPMENT For over 80 years, Episcopal Relief & Development has been working together with supporters and partners for lasting change around the world. Each year the organization facilitates healthier, more fulfilling lives for close to 3 million people struggling with hunger, poverty, disaster and disease. Inspired by Jesus words in Matthew 25, Episcopal Relief & Development leverages the expertise and resources of Anglican and other partners to deliver measurable and sustainable change in three signature program areas: Women, Children and Climate. ABOUT THE CONRAD N. HILTON FOUNDATION International hotelier Conrad N. Hilton established the grantmaking foundation that bears his name in 1944 to help people living in poverty and experiencing disadvantage worldwide. Today, the work continues, concentrating on efforts to ensure healthy early childhood development and sustainable livelihoods for youth, support young people transitioning out of foster care, improve access to housing and support services for people experiencing homelessness, identify solutions to safe water access, and lift the work of Catholic sisters. Additionally, following selection by an independent, international jury, the Foundation annually awards the $2.5 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize to an organization doing extraordinary work to reduce human suffering. The Foundation is one of the worlds largest, with approximately $8.5 billion in assets. It has awarded grants to date totaling more than $2.4 billion, $339 million worldwide in 2021. Please visit http://www.hiltonfoundation.org for more information. With this new funding, the company is well-positioned to further disrupt the news industry with its innovative approach. Foresight News, one of the top eastern news outlets covering the world of Blockchain and Web3, announced today that it has raised $2 million in a new seed funding round. This latest round of funding will be used to further develop its platform's capabilities, expand the news team, and accelerate its product UX. Foresight News is also building an open-source developer community aimed at bringing Web2 developers into Web3. The seed round was led by Foresight Ventures, with participation from several prominent investors such as Hashkey and Arcane Group. The funding will allow Foresight News to continue to improve its AI technology, hire new talent, and expand its offerings beyond just delivering news. Vincent Yu, founder of Foresight News, has served as the chief editor of XCong Blockchain under WallStreetCN and executive editor of ChainNews. He shared, Foresight News has already attracted a growing number of partners, including prominent crypto founders, exchanges, investment institutions and Web3 communities. With this new funding, the company is well-positioned to further disrupt the news industry with its innovative approach. Forest Bai, co-founder of Foresight Ventures, continued, The team at Foresight News demonstrates a long-term vision and execution ability, with their biggest goal being to provide a one-stop platform for creators and builders. I see great potential for them to grow into the world's most influential media platform. Foresight News has already made significant strides in transforming the way people access news and has become the most influential news and data platform in the Chinese-speaking region. The platform's news section includes over 75% industry news debuts and 80% major news leading feeds, following nearly 4,000 Twitter, blog, medium, mirror, and traditional media sources. In addition to its news offerings, Foresight News has launched a "Public Chain Ecological Panorama" and an "Investment Institution Investment Map," along with other tools. Sunny He, Investment Director of HashKey Capital, illustrated why the firm believes in Foresight News and decided to invest in the seed round, expressing, Foresight News is not only one of the most influential media outlets in the Chinese community, but also dedicated its efforts to bridge the conceptual gaps across different communities in the world. Beyond the media, the flash news and in-depth analysis, their commitment to filling the gap and building the knowledge database for the Web3 community is impactful. It is a great honor to back such a strong and visionary team. Neil Su, Managing Partner of Arcane Group, also shared, Building the knowledge stack for Web3 is especially crucial for global mainstream adoption. As such, Arcane Group believes that the values and plans laid out by Foresight News will help fill in the gaps. We are thrilled to be supporting the companys efforts to create a much-needed Web3 data intelligence platform. For media inquiries, please contact Jonathan Duran at (310) 260-7901 or Jonathan(at)Melrosepr(dot)com About Foresight News Foresight News is committed to presenting valuable industry information in multi-structural forms, with a focus on becoming the preferred platform for information and voting governance inquiries in the Chinese blockchain world. Its future planning includes becoming the Web3 Bloomberg for "the next era" by integrating into an intelligent information platform, Wiki data tools, and a global creator and founder community. About Foresight Ventures Foresight Ventures is a crypto fund with $400M AUM focused on backing Web3 projects that embody an ethos of decentralization while moving crypto towards long-term, mainstream adoption. Foresight Ventures manages multiple funds: a VC fund, an actively-managed secondary fund, a multi-strategy FOF, and a private market secondary fund. As a one-stop shop for crypto projects, Foresight Ventures provides incubation, investment, and advisory throughout the project life cycle. MCI USAs Creative Services department does an amazing job of communicating our clients messages with clean design, compelling text, and innovative technologies. MCI USA is proud to announce its strategic and digital communications work won three 2023 Muse Creative Awards. The US Creative Services department of MCI, a global marketing and engagement agency, was recognized for a broad range of outstanding projects in branding, video, and print design. MCI USAs Creative Services department does an amazing job of communicating our clients messages with clean design, compelling text, and innovative technologies, said Carrie Hartin, President, Association Solutions, MCI USA. Im so proud of Stephanie Donnelly, Tom Radde, and Kelsy McCarthy for being recognized with the prestigious Muse Creative Awards. Hosted by the International Awards Associate (IAA), the Muse Creative Awards is an international competition for creative professionals who inspire others to greater heights. MCI USA joins an impressive list of 2023 winners that includes Apple, Adidas, Disney, and Airbus. MCI USAs 2023 Muse Creative Awards are: Gold Muse Award for Corporate Identity: Stephanie Donnelly, MCI USA Graphic Designer, designed a new brand identity and brand guidelines for the Quantum World Congress. Silver Muse Award for Event Video: Tom Radde, MCI USA Digital Strategist, and Kelsy McCarthy, Associate Vice President, Creative Services, produced an engaging promotional video in support of the Channel Fusion event. Silver Muse Award for Advertising Flyer: MCI USA Graphic Designer Stephanie Donnellys second winning piece was a Save the Date flyer used to promote the National Association of Biology Teachers 2023 Annual Conference. MCI USAs Creative Services department is comprised of 20 talented professionals delivering over 300 design, editorial, publication, branding, marketing, video, and content projects for dozens of association and nonprofit, as well as internal clients annually. Im beyond thrilled for the team to receive this well-deserved recognition. The degree to which they continuously deliver top-tier creative is truly astounding, and Im always impressed by how they collaborate with each other and respond to feedback, said Jemilah Senter, Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Creative Services. They are a tenacious and talented team, and I couldnt be more proud of each of them. # # # ABOUT MCI MCI is a global engagement and marketing agency. We design human-centric solutions that unleash the power of people to deliver innovation and growth for our clients. Our offering includes live & virtual events, strategic & digital communications, consulting & community solutions. We help brands, companies, associations, and not-for-profits solve their challenges, bringing their people together to shape their tomorrow. MCI is an independently owned company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, with a global presence in 60 offices across 31 countries. http://www.wearemci.com MCIs US headquarters is in the Washington, DC area with offices in New York, Baltimore, Dallas, and Chicago. http://www.wearemci.com/en-us 2022 Leopard Law Firm Index Top 200 Law Firms "A law firm's health, stability, and success can change in a single quarter. That data should be and can be available if you use metrics that are informed in 'real time' as the firm itself changes," said Laura Leopard, CEO, Leopard Solutions Legal Intelligence provider Leopard Solutions announced today its 2022 Leopard Law Firm Index (LLFI), ranking the top 200 law firms within the Leopard Solutions database by key indicators of legal industry success, profitability, viability, growth, and potential opportunity. Traditional rankings in the legal industry have sought to evaluate law firms against their peers in a variety of categories, with financial performance being the top-ranked metric. Those rankings are nearly obsolete by their release and rarely accurately measure a law firm's health, stability, and success by using key self-reported financial data. Since 2020, the Leopard Law Firm Index has been providing legal leaders with an invaluable tool for measuring law firm growth and stability. Having real-time data analytics and analysis that look beyond financials has never been more important, especially in current volatile economic times. Law firms can better measure their true performance, diagnose potential issues threatening the health of their organization and proactively plan their recruiting and growth strategies, while in-house counsel can get a more accurate sense of how law firms are performing in the present day and identify and engage the right law firm for the legal services they need. "Real time data analytics and analysis are more critical than ever," says Laura Leopard, Founder and CEO of Leopard Solutions. "A law firm's health, stability, and success can change in a single quarter. That data should be and can be available if you use metrics that are informed in 'real time' as the firm itself changes." Every law firm that Leopard Solutions tracks, currently over 5,300 law firms, is listed on the Leopard Law Firm Index. Leopard Solutions customers can access and run the firm index report through the Leopard Business Intelligence platform for more in-depth analysis and comparison of the firm rankings. The Leopard Law Firm Index gives each firm a score from 0 to 500, with 500 being the highest possible score. There are four distinct statuses in the scoring system: 0 to 124 Poor 125 to 249 Fair 250 to 374 Good 375 to 500 Very Good These are the firms that most consistently finished in the top 10 in 2022: 1. Kirkland & Ellis LLP 2. Greenberg Traurig LLP 3. Latham & Watkins LLP 4. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP 5. Goodwin 6. Holland & Knight LLP 7. Ropes & Gray LLP 8. Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP 9. DLA Piper 10. Sidley Austin LLP The complete list of the 2022 top 200 firms is available here: https://www.leopardsolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/LLFI-2022-Top-200.pdf We congratulate these firms on their consistent, superb performance throughout the year. The Leopard Law Firm Index Report is available on Leopard Solutions Business Intelligence (BI) platform for more in-depth and on-time analysis. To view the most up-to-date rankings and learn more about Leopard Law Firm Index, click here: https://www.leopardsolutions.com/index.php/leopard-law-firm-index-list/ About Leopard Solutions: Leopard Solutions is a leading legal market intelligence provider for professionals seeking to build an analytical understanding for better business and recruiting strategies within the legal industry. Our diverse data solutions are designed to fulfill a wide variety of intelligence needs, from job searches to recruitment to competitive intelligence in the legal industry serving law firms, legal service providers, recruiters, law schools, and corporations. Leopard's data and technology are continuously updated to ensure market relevance and a competitive edge. Established in 2002, Leopard Solutions has grown into one of the most recognized and trusted legal market data providers in the United States. We are proud to be a diverse employer and a certified Womens Business Enterprise. For more information, visit https://www.leopardsolutions.com/ and follow us on LinkedIn. OZARK Judge Bill Filmore of the 33rd Judicial Circuit set an April 13 hearing date for remaining defense motions filed in connection with capital murder charges against the suspect in the 1999 deaths of two Dothan teenagers after a 45-minute court hearing for Coley Lewis McCraney here Thursday morning. Filmore said he would take the remaining motions, including two electronically filed at 5:45 and 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, at the hearing set for one week before McCraneys April 17 trial date. McCraney has been in Dale County Jail on no bond since his March 17, 2019, arrest. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and Assistant Attorney General Jimmy Thomas will prosecute McCraney, charged with five counts of capital murder and one count first-degree rape in connection with the 1999 death of two Dothan teens. The attorney generals office took the case at the request of the 33rd Judicial Circuit District Attorney Kirke Adams, who has declined comment about the reason, citing a judicial gag order in connection with the case. At Thursdays hearing, Filmore took under advisement one of McCraneys attorneys Andrew Scarboroughs request to prohibit the death penalty if McCraney is convicted, unless the jury verdict is unanimous. The law that previously defined a jurys decision as a recommendation, has been changed to define the jurys decision as a verdict, which by that definition would require a unanimous decision of the jury, Scarborough said. Citing a 1975 law, Thomas said the state objected to the requirement to have a unanimous jury decision because it puts an unnecessary burden on the state. The state did not contest a defense motion to require court recordings of all proceedings. The judge granted that motion noting that all circuit court proceedings are recorded by an official court reporter and would continue to be recorded. Filmore noted that in this case, even the district court proceedings had been recorded. Marshall was among law officers present at the 2019 press conference held at the Ozark City Hall announcing McCraneys arrest in the 20-year-old cold case shooting deaths of J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett, whose bodies were found in the trunk of Beasleys car parked on Herring Avenue in Ozark. The teens were last heard from on the evening of July 31 when Hawlett called her mother from Ozark to let her know they were on their way home after getting lost on the way to a party. Today, all who have sought justice for Tracie Hawlett and J.B. Beasley including all the residents of the Wiregrass are finally near closure in this long and painful case, said Marshall in a written statement after McCraneys arrest in 2019. For two decades the families of Tracie Hawlett and J.B. Beasley have sought answers and a suspect in the unsolved brutal murders of their 17-year-old girls. DNA evidence recovered from Beasleys body and clothing helped to create a profile of the suspect, but despite our best combined efforts law enforcement were never able to find a genetic match until now, Marshall said at that time. McCraney, then a resident of Dothan, had no prior criminal record which would have previously provided his DNA profile to law enforcement in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) run by the FBI, Marshall said. McCraney has remained anonymous to investigators until new DNA testing of forensic evidence utilizing family genetic analysis finally led law enforcement to McCraney as a suspect. McCraney was arrested and indicted on five counts of capital murder in 2019, including one count for the rape of Beasley. He was identified as a suspect after DNA from the crime scene was submitted for genetic genealogy testing. McCraneys trial was to be held in August 2022 but was continued due to a lack of available jurors. When jury selection began only 75 of the 250 people summoned showed up at the Dale County Courthouse. As a result, Filmore continued the trial. Two top cancer experts have been named to lead Mount Sinais new Tisch Cancer Hospital, which is under development and due to open in 2027. Cardinale B. Smith, MD, PhD, has been appointed Chief Medical Officer for the Tisch Cancer Hospital and Vice President of Cancer Clinical Affairs, and Ash Tewari, MBBS, MCh, has been appointed Surgeon-in-Chief of the Tisch Cancer Hospital. The Tisch Cancer Hospital will be a state-of-the-art cancer facility at The Mount Sinai Hospital, thanks to a generous $60 million gift from James S. and Merryl H. Tisch. Under the leadership of Dr. Smith and Dr. Tewari, the Hospital, which is part of the Tisch Cancer Center launched last year, will transform oncologic care, expand access to life-saving breakthroughs, and promote Mount Sinai as a leader in cancer treatment and research. Mount Sinais vision for the Tisch Cancer Hospital was bold, said Mr. Tisch, Co-Chairman of the Boards of Trustees of the Mount Sinai Health System. We knew that we needed exceptional leaders to create a transformational cancer care experience under one roof, and we feel confident that Dr. Smith and Dr. Tewari are those leaders. Dr. Smith will oversee clinical operations and quality of the new inpatient oncology units at the Tisch Cancer Hospital and inpatient cancer care elsewhere throughout the Health System. In addition, she will integrate oncology clinical care within the ambulatory and inpatient settings across the Health System with The Tisch Cancer Institutes research and teaching missions. I see my role as Chief Medical Officer as the person who's responsible for the patient's journey from start to finish, Dr. Smith said. When I first heard the news that I was appointed to this role I was elated, and then I really took some time to reflect on what brought me to Mount Sinai 20 years agothe commitment that Mount Sinai has always had to community and how that has always aligned with my own personal values around social justice, equity and engaging with communities. And it is beyond thrilling to think that I'm now in a place where I'm able to really align all of those values together to really lead and impact and effect change. Dr. Tewari will be responsible for provider aspects of daily operations for surgical oncology inpatients at the Tisch Cancer Hospital. He will ensure integration among inpatient surgical oncology, the Tisch Cancer Hospital, and departmental research and teaching missions. The Tisch Cancer Hospital will be a hospital within the hospital that is supported by experts from various areas of medicine, Dr. Tewari said. We have the best cardiologists, the best endocrinologists, the best transplant experts, the best nephrologists, and that is what will differentiate our cancer care because cancer doesn't come in isolation, it comes in a whole body that has many other issues going on at the same time. The best patient outcomes depend on not just taking care of one thing, but one thing with respect to the others. Dr. Smith, whose other roles at Mount Sinai Health System have included Chief Quality Officer for Oncology, has demonstrated continued excellence in leadership, research and patient outcomes since her appointment to the faculty in 2010. A highly regarded research scientist with a robust grant portfolio supported by the National Institutes of Health and the American Cancer Society, Dr. Smith works with her interdisciplinary research team to improve the quality of care for patients with cancer with a focus on underrepresented populations and developing novel models of equitable cancer care delivery. A pioneer in robotic surgery, Dr. Tewari has been involved in developing robotic prostatectomy from its inception. Dr. Tewari, who is Chair of the Milton and Carroll Petrie Department of Urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, is one of only a few robotic surgeons to be awarded research grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense, including an R01 grant for which he served as the Principal Investigator, researching the utility of multiphoton microscopy during prostate cancer treatment. The new Tisch Cancer Hospital will be located at 1440 Madison Avenue and will consist of four floors with approximately 18 single-bed rooms on each floor. There will also be a series of innovative clinical spaces designed to ease transitions between various stages of treatment. The hospital will contribute to the overall mission of The Tisch Cancer Center by expanding Mount Sinais clinical cancer research at a time when many of the newest cancer care drugs and treatments require inpatient monitoring. When completed, the hospital will have calming, warm environments and respite spaces for patients, their loved ones, and staff, offering a holistic approach to care of patients and their loved ones. The Tisch Cancer Center, established in 2022 as part of the landmark gift from the Tisch family, broadens access to breakthrough therapies, diagnostics, and clinical trials and will further Mount Sinais mission to provide advanced, personalized treatment and holistic care for patients in all communities. Ramon Parsons, MD, PhD, was named as director of the Center in addition to his role as director of The Tisch Cancer Institute, a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center. We're already known for having an excellent cancer center, but the new cancer hospital is really going to put us on a new level where we'll be able to offer our patients the specialty care they need when they need to be hospitalized, said Dr. Parsons. This new hospital requires bold visionaries at the helm, and we have that with Dr. Smith and Dr. Tewari. Both of them are experts in their fields, and they're committed to not only high-quality care but making sure that we provide access to care and equity of care to all of our patients. Luis Isola, MD, Director of Cancer Clinical Programs and Medical Director of Mount Sinai Cancer Network, added, we have 300,000 ambulatory visits a year and 10,000 hospital visits a year. And the breadth of our faculty, our nursing, and our staff really speak for themselves as to why New York City wants Mount Sinai to be the newest and the best cancer center for this city. The Mount Sinai Health System The Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with more than 43,000 employees working across eight hospitals, over 400 outpatient practices, over 300 labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it. Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Diplomat latest to be caught up in Covid repatriation flights scandal Passengers of a Covid-19 repatriation flight wait to be taken to quarantine camps after returning to Vietnam in 2020. Photo by VNA A former official at the Vietnamese embassy in Malaysia is the latest to be investigated for involvement in the bribery scandal surrounding repatriation of people during the Covid outbreak. Dang Minh Phuong, 38, is suspected of "abuse of position and power while performing official duties," by investigators under the Ministry of Public Security. The bureau is also investigating 49 others in the corruption scam including seven for "giving bribes," six of them bosses of travel companies and a woman who acted as an intermediary between them and the officials. After the Covid outbreak began, Vietnam organized around 2,000 flights to ferry home more citizens, according to the Ministry of Public Security. Many travel companies allegedly bribed officials to get sanction to organize those flights and sold stranded people very expensive tickets. Each flight fetched profits of several billion dong (VND1 billion = $42,580), according to the ministry. The arrestees include high-ranking officials like To Anh Dung, deputy foreign minister until last April, and Nguyen Quang Linh, an assistant to former Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh. Former head of the Government Office, Mai Tien Dung, received a warning from the Communist Party Secretariat on March 9 for "violating democratic centralism principles" and Party regulations and the law, being negligent with regard to the organization of Covid repatriation flights and allowing people from the government office to give and take bribes. In Hidden Systems: Water, Electricity, the Internet, and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Every Day, comics creator Dan Nott looks under the ground and behind cinderblock walls to detect the wires behind our wi-fi and the pipes connecting our plumbing. An MFA graduate-turned-instructor at the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vt., Nott maps and makes sense of the cloud where we store our data and the energy that keeps our refrigerators running. Nott spoke with PW about the information superhighway and other metaphors, the fiber-optic pathways that follow old telegraph routes, and a research field trip inside the New England electrical grid. How did you get into making nonfiction, explanatory comics? My thesis at the Center for Cartoon Studies was a self-published book project, and one of the comics, Lines of Light, became the first chapter of Hidden Systems. It began as a very short comic about how we describe the internet as a cloud, and a superhighway, and a series of tubes. I thought it would be fun to draw these mismatched metaphors. What got you from thinking about abstract metaphors to thinking about literal systems like cables, routers, and transformers? I didnt necessarily plan to do that at the outset. It came from starting to draw these metaphors and then feeling this curiosity like, Waitthis is how we think about it, but how does it actually work? In so many ways, the internet emerged out of the telephone network from the past century, and the telegraph network before that. Once I realized that our systems are physical things all around us, it seemed natural to explain what we have now. How did you develop the original comic into a book-length project? Lines of Light was only about 50 pages long, and publishers told me it needed to be closer to 200 to be a trade book. In 2018, I talked to [former Random House Graphic publishing director] Gina Gaglianothere was a lot of excitement around new imprints for middle grade and young adult comicsand she ended up being my primary editor. She gave great feedback throughout, and she trusted that I had a vision. She gave me a lot of leeway and time as well. How do you organize information and illustrate these complex systems? I always think of it as a comics puzzle. A topic as broad as the electric grid or water systems involves a lot of initial research, so I take notesI do lots of drawing while Im taking notesand I come up with a flow of concepts. Then I set it up modularly, with a nine-panel grid on every page. I put the scraps of information and drawings into the gridthats the puzzle aspect of it, where I fit all these pieces together and set up a rhythm that propels the reader. I refine the pages until Im ready to approach finished art, which I do with ink on Bristol board and color digitally in Photoshop. Word choice is important too. I like to write three-part sentences that sort of move you across the page. It often feels like Im writing brief comics poems about infrastructure. What surprising facts did you discover while learning about hidden systems? It was fun to go on field trips as an adult. I got to visit the New England Independent System Operator, which runs the New England portion of the electric grid. This was something that I hadnt known existed, and its a big control room like out of a spy movie, where they have the entire grid for the Northeast laid out. You can see all the different power plants and watch them coordinating this marketplace for how energy is bought and sold, to make sure close to the exact amount of electricity being used by people is being generated at the same time. To be in the room and see this balancing act happening was so eye-opening. Now that youve gotten a behind-the-scenes look, how resilient are our hidden systems? Especially with electricity and the internet, theres a lot of redundancy built in. If something breaks, usually theres a way the network can adapt. I tried not to focus on disasters, because this book is about the things working; when something does go wrong, the book gives context for understanding how its set up. But freak events make you realize just how precarious a lot of this is and how much these systems rely on each other. If the power goes out in Texas due to a weather event, it affects peoples ability to get clean water, and it can be hard to restart these systems once they go down. You also explain the ways our infrastructures determine access to safe water, reliable electricity, and internet service. Why was this important to share with young readers? I wanted to highlight that even when these systems are working right, theyre not working for a lot of people. We end up having to live with decisions that got made a long time ago, and they reinforce structural inequalities. It can be hard to correct for that once theyre already established. This book is providing the context for understanding the inequalities present in each of the three systems, whether its related to environmental harm or access. What other childrens creators and comics makers influenced your work in this book? I teach comics history at the Center for Cartoon Studies, and Im interested in how people working in comics can draw from visual storytelling. [In my imagery,] I reference Virginia Lee Burton and her books The Little House, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, and Life Story. I think shes one of the most brilliant visual communicators of the past century, and her imagination and creativity and way of approaching big concepts with beautiful page design were inspiring to me. I reference David Macaulay as wellhe has such a love for drawing that comes through his illustrations. Whats next for you? Im working on a comic for The Nib about artificial intelligence that draws on what I learned about computing history. I also did a [zine-size comic] book recently called Freedom and Unity about civics and democracy in Vermont specifically, commissioned by the Secretary of States office. I like that short format; you can hand them out and pass them around. I would be excited to go into classrooms and libraries and talk about Hidden Systems, too. Comics are a great launching point for conversations with young people about how they want to imagine the future and how we can get from Point A to Point B. There are aspects of hidden systems that I still want to get tolike waste, or supply chains, or a book about making, moving, and reusing materials, the life cycle of what happens to things once were done. Hidden Systems: Water, Electricity, the Internet, and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Every Day by Dan Nott. Random House Graphic, $17.99 Mar. ISBN 978-1-9848-9604-9 On a day when for no particular reason, nothing was going right, a young narrator packs up his worries, fears, and frustrations and decides to go left, leaving his heavy burdens by the side of the road. The consequence of this wise decision play out in When Things Arent Going Right, Go Left, a picture book by debut author Marc Colagiovanni, featuring art by celebrated picture book creator Peter H. Reynolds, whose collaboration sprung from a family members fortuitous introductionand an immediate sense of camaraderie. Published this month by Orchard Books with a 150,000-copy first printing, the story about optimism, overcoming adversity, and forging your own path grew out of Colagiovannis personal experience during the pandemic. With schools shuttered, his three daughtersthe eldest then 10 and eight-year-old twinswere relegated to distance learning, which he called absolutely brutal. When the computer came on in the morning, there were lots of tears. I never before realized that children could experience those feelings so deeply and it broke my heart as a parent. Yet witnessing his kids reactions to the lockdown was eye-opening in a positive way, Colagiovanni said. Ive come to see it as almost a blessing, since I have become hyper-focused on their emotions, which was the inspiration for a story I told them in those challenging times, and that in turn inspired Go Left. But Where to Go Next? A Rhode Island-based film producer and attorney, Colagiovanni has always loved to write but, he explained, when I graduated college, I couldnt figure out how to get started as a writer, so I went to law school and put my writing dream in the back seat. When his first daughter was born in 2010, he decided it was time to pursue his dream and, he said, that road led me to Peter. Connecting with Reynolds, Colagiovanni explained, involved serendipity and following the most organic, beautifully crooked path. Reynolds is a longtime resident of Dedham, Mass., where he has owned The Blue Bunny childrens bookstore for almost two decades. Dedham is also home to Colagiovannis aunt, who one day in 2016 approached the author at his store and asked if he would meet with her writer nephew. In keeping with his generous spirit, Reynolds agreed. I love meeting my readers, teachers, and writers, he said. The message of all my books is, Be brave and share your voice with the world. I love giving writers tips and pointing them in the right direction. When he met with Reynolds, Colagiovanni shared his manuscript for The Reflection in Me, a picture book he wrote before Go Left, in which a child gains much-needed self-confidence after befriending their supportive refection in a mirror. Every so often, a manuscript by a new author stops me in my tracks, and that is what happened with The Reflection in Me, Reynolds told PW. Written by Colagiovanni for his young daughters, who were beginning to wrestle with self-image issues, the story spotlights the themes of love, acceptance, and having a positive self-image. I just melted when I read it, Reynolds said. It was just so authenticI told Marc that this is a story the world needs. A Door Opens Wide Recognizing the potential of an adaptation of The Reflection in Me as a short, animated film, Reynolds showed the staff at FableVision Studios, the Boston-based media firm he founded in 1996 with his twin brother, Paul. The FableVision team loved it, he noted, and in 2017, the firm released the short, with art by Reynolds, who also served as executive producer. The film found its audience and was very well received, Reynolds added. It has been featured in film festivals worldwide and has attracted more than 1.5 million views on YouTube. The collaborators efforts also caught the attention of Liza Baker, Scholastics v-p and publisher of picture books, Cartwheel, Acorn, and Branches, in 2021, when she received the manuscript of Go Left from agent Holly McGhee at Pippin Properties, who represents both Reynolds and Colagiovanni. I was spellbound by Marcs text the moment it crossed my desk, she said. It struck me as so simple in concept and yet so deeply, profoundly moving in its healing and empowering message of resilience. It was clear from the very beginning that his and Peters creative spirits were a match and that this was a book that Peter had to illustrate. Reynolds, who has worked with Baker on six of his own picture books, agreed with her observation. After he signed on as illustrator of Go Left, he recalled, I told Marc that I would have been very jealous if anyone else had illustrated this story! Baker signed a two-book deal with Colagiovanni and Reynolds for Go Left and The Reflection in Me, which Orchard will publish in spring 2024. And FableVision is currently creating an animated short of Go Left, for release this fall. Content Collaborators Reynolds and Colagiovanni, who are now promoting Go Left on a TV satellite and road tour, both credited their genial collaborative relationship to their similar thinking. It has been a delight to be able to work with Marc so closely, Reynolds said. Early on I realized we were kindred spirits, and we both wanted to create meaningful stories that would help peoplegrownups as well as childrenon their journeys. We also both believe that teachers are instrumental in activating a story. They take that important deep dive into a book, create projects based on it, and get conversations started. The illustrator added, Its my deep hope that Go Left will help inspire all of us all, no matter what our age, to deal with our stress and burdens in more creative ways and allow us to move forward toward our dreams and goals. Colagiovanni, who expressed gratitude to Reynolds for his pivotal role in helping him to break into childrens publishing, also emphasized the value of their similar priorities and compatibility. Peter and I have a lot in common personally and creatively, he noted. He is so easy to talk to, and we both believe that kids books should be something that children and adults can connect with. It is so important to find creative ways to initiate conversations and get kids talking in a constructive environment, with their parents and teachers, to help them find coping strategies and let go of their trauma. Or, in Colagiovanni-Reynolds speak, to urge children to go left when nothing is going right. When Things Arent Going Right, Go Left by Marc Colagiovanni, illus. by Peter H. Reynolds. Orchard, $18.99 Mar. ISBN 978-1-338-83118-4 The Reflection in Me by Marc Colagiovanni, illus. by Peter H. Reynolds. Orchard, $18.99 spring 2024 ISBN 978-1-338-81048-6 It started with an unforgettable photothe legendary Maya Angelou, in a sparkly top and satin shoesdancing with Amiri Baraka, their hands entwined, their bodies exuding joy and celebration. A crowd circles them, smiling and clapping. Under their feet, a brass cosmograma representation of the universewith lines that look like rivers and symbols that harken back to African traditions. Lines from Langston Hughess poetry are interspersed with the visuals. And beneath that, Hughess ashes are scattered. Taken in 1991 by New York Times photographer Chester Higgins Jr. at the New York Public Librarys Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, the photo is so extraordinary that author Jason Reynolds knew he wanted to craft a narrative from it. Its been a point of intrigue for me for years, he said. The former National Ambassador for Young Peoples Literature grew up idolizing the two poets, met Baraka when he was 16 and later when he was 21, and went to see Angelou speak when he was young. When he investigated the context, he found out the photo was taken at the opening of the librarys Langston Hughes Auditorium. [The poets were dancing] on the shoulders of their heroes, he said. Starting from that understanding, he was able to pull the frame back and see everything happening in the scenario, realizing that the moment was both a celebration of the legacies of Angelou, Baraka, and Hughes, and an invitation for young people to understand that the library is where the party is he said. The photo became the basis for Reynoldss first picture book, There Was a Party for Langston, which is illustrated by Jerome and Jarrett Pumphrey, and due out from Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books on October 3. Reynolds acknowledges that partying might not be the first thing that comes to mind for kids when they think of the library. We think of libraries as sacred spaces, Reynolds said. For me at least, I dont know whats more sacred than people paying tribute to one of the greatest word-makers of our time, but also people enjoying themselves. Kids having fun is sacred. They should be able to do that at the playground or in the library. That sense of joy, play, and reverence for words floods every page of the book. Patrons flock to the library in their finest party clothes. In one scene, as the party-goers dance, authors including Zora Neale Hurston and Octavia Butler look on from the frames of their books. The text and images explore the way words and those who make art from them inspire the next generation of writers. The exuberance in both the words and images make it clear that this book has read-aloud written all over it, and indeed thats one of Reynoldss hopes for the book. Although he has worked with illustrators on graphic novels, picture books are a true collaboration, he said, and the process of creating this book was a new experience. You write enough to lob the ball so that the illustrator has just enough space to do their dance. For the Pumphreys, the book is the first time theyve illustrated a text that was not their own. Jarrett Pumphrey said the project presented challenges. One of those challenges was finding the space in Jasons text for the visuals. The way he uses wordsits just incredible, and it conjures all sorts of images. This is Jason Reynoldss first picture book were talking about, and its about Langston Hughes! We so badly wanted to do right by him and Langston. Jerome added, It was connecting those dots for ourselves that led to us including Langstons words in the art. With the support of Caitlyn [Dlouhy, Reynoldss editor] and our art director, Sonia Chaghatzbanian, we ended up making a visual celebration of word-makers. Its one big party where we hope readers have a blast. The words themselves are integral to the art, providing shape for the music, the landscape, and the people in the book. Its always a relief when a project comes together, but especially so in this case, Jarrett said. Come together it did. What I made, I think, was a beautiful thing, Reynolds said. But what they turned it into, is a masterpiece. I might be more proud of this book than any of them. Describing the book, Dlouhy said, The reader cant resist moving with, being carried by, that river of words, movement sometimes fluid, swaying, other times staccato, rocks in rapids. It all makes you feel that you too are there at that partyyoure invited, after all!because you are there moving, shimmying, nodding, fiercing, beaming with Maya and Amiri and the authors peeking from their books. While he said he never wants to be imitative, Reynolds tried to figure out how to cast that same spell as books like Where the Wild Things Are. Theres nothing like the way kids react when they hear that its rumpus time. With There Was a Party for Langston he tries to generate that. I want it to feel like rumpus time, he said. It feels electric. New York-based independent bookseller McNally Jackson Books announced on March 15 that it will be moving its original Manhattan location to a "larger" and "sturdier" building down the street. Established in 2014, McNally Jackson Books has five brick and mortar stores in New York, including one in Downtown Brooklyn, Williamsburg, Seaport and at Rockefeller Center. It has occupied the space at 52 Prince St. in Manhattan's NoLita neighborhood for 19 years. Moving just a few blocks down, the address of its new store is 134 Prince St., and owner Sarah McNally says the rent is the same. "In the Rockefeller Center bookstore, we expanded and changed the way we sell nonfiction. The new NoLita store will do the same, with vastly more history, politics, essay, and memoir," says McNally about what changes visitors to its new location can expect. Feeling sentimental, store owners have invited its frequent patrons to bid adieu to its old store by sharing their favorite memories made on social media. According to McNally's announcement, the last day of operation at its old address will be March 21. An endangered sea turtle is released back to the ocean in Thua Thien-Hue Province, central Vietnam. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Binh An endangered turtle weighing over 100 kg was caught in the net of fishermen and eventually released back to the sea. Pham Thanh, 58, found the turtle stuck in his net at around 3:30 a.m. Thursday. He and his neighbors then brought the turtle into the shore and informed local authorities. Rangers of Phu Loc District said the turtle is the heaviest one ever found by fishermen in Thua Thien-Hue. The turtle was eventually released back to the sea. Sea turtles are listed among endangered species in Vietnam, meaning their sale and transportation are banned by law. Scammers are tricking people in Hanoi into sending them money by telling them their children are hospitalized and require surgery. Dao Thi Cuc, deputy headmistress of the Nguyen Truong To secondary school in Hanois Dong Da District, said Tuesday the parents of a ninth grader received a call saying their child was hospitalized at the Viet Duc hospital, and that money was required for a surgery. The caller provided the students name and class accurately, and so the parents called the homeroom teacher for verification. It turned out that the child was safe and in class, and so the scam failed. The school informed all homeroom teachers about the attempt and instructed them to keep in touch with students parents and inform them about it. "We also suggest parents should not share their personal information and photos of their children online," Cuc said. The same day the parents of two students at Chu Van An high school in Tay Ho District received similar phone calls saying their children were in hospital. The caller claimed to be a teacher from the school, but both childrens parents were able to contact the actual teachers and escaped being conned, headmistress Nguyen Thi Nhiep said. Screenshot of a text message telling a person to "urgently" send money to a bank account. Photo by Hoang Anh Tu The Hanoi Department of Education and Training Tuesday issued warnings about the scam, and instructed schools to inform parents about it. In HCMC, since the beginning of this month, the parents of seven children have been relieved of a total of VND310 million ($13,148) by scammers using the same modus operandi. The scam has also been reported in other localities like Gia Lai and Da Nang in central Vietnam. The Ministry of Public Security is investigating the scam, deputy minister Tran Quoc To said Wednesday. ABC/Craig Sjodin By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 03/16/2023 ADVERTISEMENT FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. star Zach Shallcross has revealed how he "failed" one of his bachelorettes and also explained why he came up short.Zach opened up about how he believes he had "failed" Jess Girod with their breakup conversation in Estonia during Week 6 of his journey."When the last thing you could ever imagine happens, of [Jess] feeling so upset and she goes home, that whole situation just kind of felt like a weird dream-like state," Zach told Becca Kufrin and Michelle Young during his March 7 appearance on the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast."It could've gone, like, 50 other different ways. Maybe we could've taken a step back and both tried to understand each other's perspective -- and I failed on that. But it was just a weird, tough night."During the February 27 episode of , Zach criticized Jess' fixation on not having been asked on a one-on-one date yet.When Jess attempted to express how she felt frustrated about her string of group dates and was losing confidence in herself and their relationship, Zach snapped at her and complained, "That shouldn't be a thing."The tense exchange led to Zach dumping Jess. star later suggested the breakup was mutual, but Jess left in an extremely emotional state, feeling confused and blindsided "Looking back on it, before I even watch the episode, I had left that entire conversation at that time confused as well... The conversation was long and had to be condensed, but Jess coming to me and expressing these concerns about the one-on-one, I took it out of context," Zach said."I'm seeing Jess show all of this, like, emotion and anger with me about this when all the time, in the weeks leading up to this, we had a very strong [connection]. And I wasn't necessarily [aware] she was worried about not having a one-on-one."Zach said he was "caught off-guard" by how "upset" Jess was with him at the cocktail party in Estonia.Other than Greer Blitzer -- who was diagnosed with COVID-19 after visiting London and had to quarantine -- Jess was the only woman who had yet to accompany Zach on a solo date by the time they traveled to Estonia.But Zach admitted that before that conversation, there was "zero" chance he was going to deny Jess a rose that night."I was not expecting [that outburst] because with Jess, in [preceding] weeks, I was confident with her... The nerves played a huge factor with her, and I wanted her to feel very comfortable with me. And I felt very comfortable with her, from a very early point," Zach recalled.Zach said, for instance, he had shared something very personal with Jess in Week 2 of the process and she made him feel at ease."That was awesome. I was like, 'There's something really strong about Jess that I'm digging," Zach said, adding that Jess struggled to let loose, feel comfortable, and open up in subsequent weeks."That put a fear in me. Because once you do a one-on-one date, you spend all day with someone. It's important, and I can see why she really, really wants one. Everyone wants one. I guess in me saying, 'I feel so confident,' I didn't really have any doubts, other than the nerves."Zach said their lack of a one-on-one date "all of a sudden [hit] this boiling point" with "emotion and anger.""I was caught off-guard because I never knew she was feeling this strongly about not having a one-on-one, and she was thinking it was me not wanting to take her or me not liking her -- and that was the furthest thing from the truth," Zach said."It was just a shocking moment where we didn't say anything; we both stood up and walked out. And I still look back at it and it is a confusing, tough thing that I know I could've handled better."Zach could tell that Jess was frustrated, but he said they had "talked since" -- an apparent reference to their participation in season's The Women Tell All special, which aired on ABC on March 14."It was one of those moments, even watching it back, I don't agree with the way I handled it, but there was never any bad intention behind it," Zach insisted."It was shocking for me, but also completely understanding where she was coming from. She wanted to just spend that one-on-one time and I took it as, 'It's not just about one-on-ones, it's about everything.' Yet it totally makes sense that's what she needed and I didn't give that to her."Zach said he and Jess essentially got caught up "in the heat of the moment" and he wasn't able to think through his reaction and response.Zach said he didn't have any down time to process what Jess was telling him and that the breakup didn't even make sense to him weeks later."For weeks, I tried to mentally wrap my head around what had happened. And now watching it back and talking with her... I understand where I missed the line, and I wanted her to know that that's not what I wanted for us, and that's not how I wanted her to feel," Zach explained."[I wanted] the furthest thing from it, but my actions showed [otherwise]. So I apologized for that, and I think we're on good terms."During Jess and Zach's breakup conversation in Estonia, Jess explained how she had been waiting for a one-on-one in order to spend a whole day with Zach and be more vulnerable with him.Instead of comforting Jess and validating her concerns, Zach seemed bothered and surprised by Jess' emotion. She thought the lack of quality time with Zach was "a big deal," but Zach couldn't seem to understand why."I never want you to think of this as a process, where you can only open up on a one-on-one," Zach told the bachelorette.Zach ultimately realized he and Jess had "a disconnect" and were "butting heads." At that moment, he no longer felt confident in their future together.Jess, seemingly offended by Zach's sudden lack of confidence, told Zach that she wasn't going to fight for him because she deserves and needs a man -- after painful failed relationships in her past -- who will fight for her, and so she got up and left.Jess left the show angry and in tears, venting in a confessional, "This doesn't feel fair... I have done everything that he has asked, and... all I needed was quality time, and he wasn't processing that."Jess continued, "Is it the craziest thing to want to go on a date with somebody I could potentially marry? Like, it's the craziest thing that I'm upset that I'm the last one [without a solo date]?"Jess complained in her final words about how she wanted to feel chosen and it was "crazy" that Zach was so "shocked" by her hurt.And Zach, for his part, told the cameras that he never expected their romance would end that way.Jess told Us Weekly after the episode aired that she and Zach simply had a misunderstanding and she respected the Bachelor for speaking his truth. She said no one was right or wrong in the situation and she didn't think Zach had treated her poorly or too harshly.Season 21 star Nick Viall , on the other hand, slammed Zach on Twitter for being "a total d-ck" to women on the show."It's literally all about the one on one. Zach knows that. He made Jess feel like she messed up for expressing a valid concern," Nick tweeted.He later added, "Zach is acting like the guy who gets mad at his girlfriend for not letting him know she wanted validation on her birthday."Zach has also been criticized for scolding Greer during their videochat chat in London and for eliminating Kat Izzo in Budapest, Hungary because their romance felt "off" during one group date.Nick took another jab at Zach when he tweeted on March 6, "Every time Zach hears any of the [women] express an insecurity, instead of showing an ounce of empathy, his face just drowns in disappointment."Nick also wrote, "Zach is now fully in 'I'm the Bachelor, and it's your job to prove to me you're worthy' Mode."Coming up on 's 27th season, Zach will be shown narrowing his group of Final 3 bachelorettes to his Final 2 women.Zach gave roses to Ariel Frenkel Gabi Elnicki , and Kaity Biggar following his round of hometown dates with his Final 4 bachelorettes, eliminating Charity Lawson Several Chinese tour groups arrived in Vietnam Wednesday, the day China resumed outbound tours to the country, including a large one of 124 people. The large group came through the Huu Nghi border gate in Lang Son Province. Earlier that day the first group with 38 people arrived through the Mong Cai border gate in Quang Ninh Province. Four other groups also came through Quang Ninh during the day. A group of Chinese tourists arrive at the Huu Nghi border gate in Lang Son Province in northern Vietnam on March 15, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Thuy Ha Vuong Trinh Quoc, head of the Lao Cai Economic Zones management, said a group of 79 people arrived at the Lao Cai border gate, and would visit Hanoi and Ha Long. After completing visa procedures, Liu Hui, a teacher in her 40s expressed excitement at being able to return to Vietnam after more than three years because of the Covid pandemic. Vietnam is the first country she is visiting though China allowed outbound travel from Jan. 8, she said. "We chose Vietnam because this country has many beautiful attractions, unique cuisine and especially convenient transportation. As soon as tours resumed, we booked a tour to come here." She plans to visit Vietnam repeatedly in future, she said. Liu Hiu visits Vietnam after three years of Covid-19, March 15, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Anh Tu Lius friend Chen Wen Jie visits Vietnam whenever she has free time, and said when she could finally travel again she immediately thought of Vietnam. They will be in the country for three days and visit Ha Long and Hanoi. This year Vietnam hopes to receive eight million foreign visitors after failing to reach five million last year. Ha Van Sieu, deputy general director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, is hopeful since 1.8 million have come in just the first two months. "With China resuming outbound tours to Vietnam, we are confident of exceeding the target of eight million." Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. On March 17, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department arrested and charged 20-year-old Jaden Appling, of Athens, with murder, for his involvement in a fatal shooting that occurred on March 5 on Northview Drive, according to an ACCPD press release. This is the third arrest related to this shooting, according to the press release. Walking through the front door of Sunny Day Therapeutics, most can immediately sense that it is not the average therapists office. In addition to the warm, calm and inviting atmosphere, there are lively colors, sensory decor, swings to sit on and cloud-covered sheets over the LED lights. Each element allows Sunny Days to provide care for people of all ages and abilities in both the neurodivergent and neurotypical communities. The United States is deeply concerned by reports of a court order to investigate nine Guatemalan journalists for obstruction of justice, declared State Department spokesperson Ned Price in a statement. These individuals include journalists from El Periodico and its president, Jose Ruben Zamora, who has been held in pre-trial detention since his arrest in July 2022. It was the governments latest move against El Periodico, the newspaper known for investigative reporting on public officials and government corruption. In December, a judge ordered that Zamora stand trial on charges of money laundering, influence peddling and blackmail. In a February hearing, a judge, acting on a request by prosecutor Cinthya Monterroso of the Guatemalan Prosecutors Office, ordered an investigation into journalists and columnists of El Periodico newspaper as part of a new criminal case against Zamora. She alleged these reporters had obstructed justice by criticizing the prosecutors office for its actions against Zamora and not telling the truth about the charges against him. Mario Recinos, president of the Guatemalan Association of Journalists, said were seeing a deterioration in rights. The Constitution establishes that criticism of officials is not a crime, he said. It also protects freedom of the press and opinion. The Committee to Protect Journalists joined the call for an immediate halt to any investigation into the columnists and employees of El Periodico and any further prosecution of its president, Jose Ruben Zamora. Carlos Martinez de la Serna, CPJs program director, in New York, said, Authorities targeting of the publications staff after Zamoras arrest on dubious financial charges is a clear attempt by the prosecutors to intimidate and harass an investigative outlet and journalists working tirelessly to expose corruption. Peaceful, prosperous, and inclusive societies depend on the free flow of information and ideas, including the freedom to seek, receive, and impart information both online and offline, said spokesperson Price. Criminalizing the work of journalists and civil society undermines democratic norms and respect for freedom of expression. Spokesperson Price urge(d) the Guatemalan justice system to reject the criminalization of independent journalists and support independent journalism as one of the foundations of a secure and prosperous democratic society. From November 1, 1955 to April 30, 1975, the United States and Vietnam were at war. During the 1960s and early 1970s, American forces used millions of liters of chemicals to destroy jungle cover used by enemy troops to hide their movements. One of the more commonly used defoliants was Agent Orange, a compound that included dioxin, a chemical that weve since learned causes adverse health and environmental consequences. Over the next 20 years, the acrimony between the two nations diminished, and in 1995, the United States and Vietnam established diplomatic relations. Today, in addition to cooperation in numerous fields across the board, the two countries work together to resolve some of the issues stemming from the war. One of these is environmental clean-up of the areas that were most heavily contaminated with Agent Orange. At the request of the Government of Vietnam, the U.S. Government, working through USAID in partnership with the Department of Defense, collaborated with Vietnam to complete cleanup of the a Nang Airport, which had high dioxin concentrations in the soil left over from the war. That project was finished in 2018. Next, the U.S. Government and Government of Vietnam continued cooperation on dioxin remediation at the Bien Hoa airbase area, the largest remaining dioxin hotspot in Vietnam. An assessment of dioxin contamination there, completed in 2016, found that nearly 500,000 cubic meters of soil needed remediation. The project, which was launched in April 2019, is expected to take ten years and cost around $450 million to complete. In early March this year, USAID Administrator Samantha Power, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper, and Vietnams Vice Minister of the Ministry of National Defense, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, announced a new contract worth $73 million over five years to treat and clean soil at Bien Hoa airbase. Under the contract, Nelson Environmental Remediation USA, an American company, will design and build a treatment facility to decontaminate soil and sediment on and around the Bien Hoa airbase. The United States is committed to working with the Government of Vietnam to address the legacies of war while continuing to strengthen the economic, cultural, and security ties between the two countries. USAIDs efforts to clean up dioxin at Bien Hoa and a Nang have been critical to building mutual trust and cooperation while deepening the U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership. Venerable Soy Sat marched across the country, calling for the restoration of social ethics. Buddhist monk Soy Sat (2nd from L) is seen during his march across Cambodia in early February. A Buddhist monk arrested and defrocked while peacefully marching across Cambodia has fled the country, citing concerns over his security, and moved to neighboring Thailand where he has resumed his religious duties. Venerable Soy Sat, 72, began marching across Cambodia earlier this year to urge the government to restore social ethics and resolve national issues. Police in Battambang province arrested him on March 9 and took him to a local temple where he was defrocked for allegedly being affiliated with the opposition Candlelight Party. After they released him, he made his way across the border to resume his religious life as a monk at a Thai Buddhist temple. Soy Sat told Radio Free Asia on Thursday that he wanted to stay in Cambodia, but he no longer felt safe there because authorities from Battambang to the countrys capital, Phnom Penh, were still surveilling his movements and activities. I received many threats, so I left Cambodia so that the world knows that Cambodia is restricting freedom of expression, he said. Once he believes it is safe, Soy Sat said he would continue his campaign via social media. As a monk, I will fight for social ethic restoration that is declining to become an acceptable society, he said. Earlier, Soy Sat walked with Rong Chhun, a labor leader and vice president of the opposition Candlelight Party, and other demonstrators from Phnom Penh to Pursat province, prompting accusations that he was tied to the political party. The monk also had been expelled from his pagoda in Kampong Speu province on accusations of incitement and of trying to destroy peace, which he denied. He later was detained by police when he arrived in Pursat. An unusual move Defrockings of Buddhist monks who participate in demonstrations are highly unusual in Cambodia where monks occupy their own social class and are given a great deal of respect by the public. But in the run-up to Julys election showdown between the Candlelight Party and Prime Minister Hun Sens ruling Cambodian Peoples Party, or CPP, authorities have been arresting opposition figures on what critics say are politically motivated charges. Support for the CPP has dropped in the past decade amid chronic corruption within the party and the government, which opponents say has led to human rights violations, deteriorating social ethics and a culture of impunity. CPP spokesman Sok Eysan denied that authorities were intimidating Soy Sat and accused him of being biased toward the Candlelight Party. No one arrested him, Sok Ey told RFA. They only questioned him and then set him free. If he doesn't commit a crime, no one will do anything against him. Ny Sokha, director of the human rights organization Adhoc, said Soy Sat did nothing wrong and that his defrocking and surveillance by authorities violated his freedom. This action had caused him to fear for his safety, he said. Authorities have also filed a court case against the monk for allegedly encroaching on protected forestland, though Soy Sat has denied the charge. Translated by Samean Yun for RFA Khmer. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster. Foreigners who say China is building a military base in Cambodia are engaging in slander, premier says. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen speaks at the graduation ceremony for Build Bright University in Phnom Penh on Thursday, March 16, 2023. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen accused unnamed foreigners of a campaign to slander his country amid claims a Chinese-funded expansion of a prominent southern naval base is in fact establishing a foreign base for Chinese forces. A report by The Wall Street Journal in 2019 said that Phnom Penh and Beijing had signed a pact to allow the Chinese military to use the Ream Naval Base, which lies on the northern stretch of the Gulf of Thailand and provides ready access to the South China Sea. Such a move would be in violation of Cambodias 1993 Constitution, which prohibits the construction of foreign bases in the country. Hun Sen said at a graduation ceremony at Build Bright University in Phnom Penh on Thursday that such reports are part of a campaign to slander Cambodia by foreigners and politicians. Unless you want to cause us harm, is it wrong that we are strengthening our military ports? Its Cambodian territory Cambodia has a right to expand Cambodias naval capabilities, Hun Sen said, explaining that Ream desperately needed deepening. We want to build a complete navy base, he said, denying the base would be used to wage war. Its not a threat against anyone. Critics of Beijings alleged plans for Ream point to Article 53 of Cambodias Constitution, which says the country shall not permit any foreign military base on its territory and must maintain a policy of permanent neutrality. American officials have repeatedly called for Cambodia to be transparent about the true plans for Ream. Birds eye view A comparison of satellite photos of Cambodias Ream Naval Base shows significant development between July 1, 2022 [left] and March 8, 2023. New buildings and two new piers have been built; large areas of land have been cleared; and a piece of land has been reclaimed from the sea. Credit: Left: Maxar Technologies. Right: Planet Labs with RFA analysis The initial report in The Wall Street Journal has been followed by a spate of reports quoting U.S. officials saying they believe the base is intended for use by Chinas Peoples Liberation Army Navy, including in The Washington Post. Satellite imagery of the construction has also shown extensive development of the site already completed. Radio Free Asia on Feb. 22 published satellite images from Planet Labs that show land clearance and new construction at the base. On Tuesday, Naval Technology, an industry news website, published more images from geospatial intelligence firm BlackSky. During his speech on Thursday, Hun Sen reiterated that he appreciated Chinas help with expanding the base despite the widespread criticism, and added that he did not care if foreigners obtained satellite images of Reams ongoing development. Criticism from foreigners about the expansion is fine, he said, so long as the critics in turn accept the explanations he provides. Cambodia accepts that [criticism], but when we explain to them that it is important to develop our military sector to prevent crimes and our [protect our] sovereignty, they refuse to accept it, he said. American animus Hun Sen has long been a critic of both the United States and foreign media, having cut his political teeth in two wars involving America. In the 1970s, he fought for the Khmer Rouge against the U.S.-backed Lon Nol regime in Cambodias first civil war, and was then foreign minister and prime minister of the Vietnamese-backed regime that ousted Pol Pot from power and fought another civil war against a U.S.-backed coalition of forces in the 1980s. The United States has also been one of Hun Sens most vocal critics since Cambodias 1990s peace, with Republican lawmakers in particular calling for administrations to oppose his continued rule. Em Sovannara, an independent political commentator, told Radio Free Asia he believed Hun Sen was bringing up Ream now due to the U.S. governments criticism of his treatment of opposition leader Kem Sokha, who was this month sentenced to 27 years of house arrest for treason over an alleged U.S.-backed coup plot. Sovannara said he feared an escalation in tensions between the United States and Cambodia to the point of five years ago, when American lawmakers threatened to remove Cambodias trade privileges. The U.S. market accounts for more than a third of Cambodian exports. "Cambodia is a small country. It relies on trade from the West, especially with the United States, he said. If the two countries don't have a good relationship, it will affect Cambodias foreign policy and economy. It will make things difficult for the country's development. Another political commentator, Seng Sary, told RFA he believed Hun Sen needed to find a better way to get his message across, and that accusing critics of a conspiracy was not helping the premiers case. Cambodia needs to find a good way to explain to the international community that Cambodia wants to strengthen its naval capabilities and its trade, rather than mocking and insulting people, he said. Translated by Yun Samean. Edited by Alex Willemyns and Malcolm Foster. Lais London lawyer tells U.N. human rights experts that anything can be deemed a threat to national security. A supporter is taken away by police outside the West Kowloon Magistrates Courts building during the hearing of the 47 pro-democracy activists charged with conspiracy to commit subversion under the national security law in Hong Kong, China, on Feb. 6, 2023. An international rights group that monitors civil society around the world has downgraded Hong Kong in its global monitor citing a systematic crackdown on dissent under a draconian national security law imposed on the city by the ruling Chinese Communist Party in 2020. Civicus Monitor said in its annual survey of civil survey that crimes under the law are vaguely defined and have become catch-all offenses to prosecute activists and critics with heavy penalties. More than 200 people have been arrested under the security law and dozens of civil society groups and trade unions have disbanded or relocated since the law came into place, the report said. Activists have also been criminalized for sedition, while around 3,000 protesters have been prosecuted for their participation in peaceful gatherings and protests, such as Tiananmen Square vigils which until recently were held annually, it said. Independent and pro-democracy media outlets have been targeted with raids and forced to close and journalists have been criminalized. Media mogul Jimmy Lai, founder of Apple Daily, leaves the Court of Final Appeal by prison van in Hong Kong, on Feb. 9, 2021. Credit: Reuters Testimony in Geneva The report came as witnesses testified to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva over ongoing criticisms and concerns about the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities treatment of jailed pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai, whose Next Digital media empire and its flagship Apple Daily newspaper were forced to close amid a national security investigation that saw several senior editors and Lai arrested for collusion with a foreign power. Lais London-based lawyer, Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, told the council that the law has been used to target and imprison journalists, writers, lawyers, and peaceful pro-democracy campaigners, her law firm, Doughty Street Chambers, said in a statement on its website. The National Security Law (NSL) is breathtakingly broad: virtually anything could be deemed a threat to national security under its provisions, and it can apply to anyone on the planet, even if they have never stepped foot in Hong Kong or China, Gallagher said. Mr Lai has already been imprisoned for over two years for peaceful pro-democracy activities. He now faces life in prison under the NSL for his writings and for Apple Dailys writings about the protection of democracy, she said. Lais son Sebastian called on United Nations human rights experts to call out Hong Kongs abuse of the law to persecute my father and his colleagues and others for exercising their rights to free speech and a free press, according to the statement. It is time for the United Nations to condemn those actions, and do everything in its power to secure my fathers release, and restore hope to Hong Kong, he said. Criminalized for expression Another member of Lais London legal team, Jennifer Robinson, said journalists working for the Apple Daily and other media outlets had faced unlawful detention and prosecution under the crackdown. They are being criminalized for exercising their internationally protected right to freedom of expression, she told the council. The International Federation of Journalists called on the Hong Kong government to drop all charges against Lai, and other journalists and media workers facing prosecution for their work. Journalism is not a crime, the group said, calling on the United Nations to put pressure on Hong Kong and China over press freedom in the city. The Hong Kong government said it strongly opposed foreign interference with judicial proceedings in national security cases. The government ... is firmly opposed to the acts of the so-called international legal team for Lai Chee-ying and his son Sebastian Lai ... to scandalize the Hong Kong National Security Law and the judicial system of [Hong Kong], it said in a statement dated March 15. Making a statement with the intent to interfere with or obstruct the course of justice, or engaging in conduct with the same intent, is very likely to constitute the offense of criminal contempt of court or the offense of perverting the course of justice, it said. Sebastian Lai called on United Nations human rights experts to call out Hong Kongs abuse of the law to persecute my father and his colleagues and others. Credit: Lu Xi file photo Attempt to beleaguer China The Communist Party-backed English-language Global Times newspaper said anti-China forces and countries were using the United Nations to attack China. Some anti-China forces and countries are abusing the platform ... to spread disinformation about China ... in an attempt to beleaguer China by hyping human rights violation topics, it said, citing testimony given by victims of human rights abuses from Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong. Are these victims credible or just actors hired by anti-China forces to orchestrate stunts to smear China? Have their stories ... been fabricated to amplify the anti-China narrative?" the paper said in a March 15 article. Former pro-democracy lawmaker Ted Hui, who is now in exile in Australia, said it was important for victims of the law to be heard internationally. Jimmy Lais case is unusual in that one of his family members came forward, Hui said. Breaking the international silence of victims ... is more important than the views of advocates, scholars or experts. The international community is more likely to listen to what family members [of victims] say, so this is of great significance, he said. Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Matt Reed. Official records show that the stations are run by German citizens with close ties to the Chinese Embassy. China has two "overseas police stations" on German soil, wrote Parliamentary state secretary Rita Schwarzeluehr-Sutte in response to a question from a German lawmaker. China has yet to shut down its much-criticized overseas police stations in Germany, despite Berlin's insistence they are a violation of German sovereignty, according to a German newspaper and publicly available parliamentary records. Parliamentary State Secretary Rita Schwarzeluehr-Sutter said in a written reply to a question from lawmaker Joana Cotar that China currently has two "overseas police stations" on German soil, neither of which is covered by existing bilateral agreements on diplomatic institutions. Rather, they are "informal outposts of local Chinese police units from typical emigrant regions of China, such as the coastal provinces Fujian, Jiangsu and Zhejiang," Schwarzeluehr-Sutter said in a written reply to a lawmakers question carried in publicly available federal government archives highlighted in a March 15 report by the Handelsblatt newspaper. "[They] are not managed by Chinese police officers, but by Chinese-born so-called 'community leaders' who have German citizenship," the March 2 written reply said. "These are people who have good contacts with the diplomatic missions of the People's Republic of China and who enjoy the trust of the Chinese security authorities. They are also involved in Chinese United Front organizations," Schwarzeluehr-Sutter wrote in a reference to the Chinese Communist Party's outreach and influence arm. China has denied that it runs overseas police operations, claiming that the "service stations" are purely for the administrative convenience of its nationals overseas. But it has shut down a number of them after a September 2022 report from the Spain-based Safeguard Defenders group listed dozens of such operations, sparking investigations and orders to shut down from governments around the world. Spying on the Chinese diaspora The Interior Ministry said the police stations do offer administrative services, but also engage in espionage among members of the Chinese diaspora, including influential figures, as well as the "propagation of ideological and political guidelines, with responsible community leaders acting as 'propagandists'." Foreign Ministry official Andreas Michaelis said in a written reply to a parliamentary question in December that the federal government had "made it clear to the Embassy that it would not tolerate violations of its sovereignty, and remains in contact with the Chinese side," the Handelsblatt reported. German Green Member of the European Parliament Reinhard Butikofer called via his Twitter account for a pause on the next bilateral summit between Germany and China. "The German government can no longer tolerate the Chinese violation of German sovereignty by operating illegal 'police stations'," Butikofer tweeted. "As long as such institutions exist, the preparation of the next GER-CN Summit will have to wait." Via Twitter, German Green MEP Reinhard Butikofer called for a pause on the next bilateral summit between Germany and China. Credit: AFP file photo The federal Foreign Ministry requested that China shut down the offices in a note verbale on Nov. 3, 2022, the Handelsblatt reported. It said the Chinese Embassy had replied saying that there were "no relevant activities" going on at the service stations. According to the article, which cited China expert Mareike Ohlberg, the persecution and intimidation of Chinese people in Germany has also taken place "by phone or text directly from China." Harassed and intimidated Politicians from both major parties told the paper that there should be zero tolerance for the service stations, and called on the foreign ministry to escalate the matter diplomatically, it said. Aniessa Andresen, chairman of the advocacy group Hongkonger in Deutschland, said some of the group's members had received threatening messages from people believed to be working for the Chinese state security services. She said group members had also been photographed at protests across Germany, threatened with being "reported," as well as being stalked, harassed and intimidated. Andresen said the Chinese government is blatantly violating international law, and the German government's lackluster response had encouraged the persecution of Chinese dissidents living in what should be a free country. She said the unofficial police activity was a threat to national security, and called for the immediate shutdown of all overseas police stations or service stations on German soil. "Germany should stand firm on this, says Ray Wong of the German campaign group Freiheit fur Hongkong. Credit: AFP file photo Ray Wong of the German campaign group Freiheit fur Hongkong agreed. "What this shows us is that China thinks Germany is weak, and won't dare to do anything even if they don't shut down the two police stations, for fear of countermeasures from China," Wong said. "Germany should stand firm on this, and be prepared to take necessary measures to force China to respect its sovereignty, and to protect the personal freedom of Hong Kongers, and of all anti-communists [in Germany]," he said. Confident about opening up The furor over Chinese police stations in Germany came as Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for better ties with political parties overseas, as a complement to diplomacy with foreign states. Conducting dialogues with other countries' political parties and organizations shows that the Chinese Communist Party is confident about opening up, communication and exchanges with the rest of the world, Xi was quoted as saying by the Global Times newspaper. The uproar over Chinese police stations in Germany comes as Chinese leader Xi Jinping has called for better ties with political parties overseas. Credit: AFP file photo It also demonstrates the party's sincere desire to have all political groups around the world gain a better understanding of the Chinese Communist Party's ideology, and its determination to promote world peace and development, the paper paraphrased him as saying. "As the ruling party of China, the [CCP] is ready to take responsibility and play a greater role in the international arena," the paper quoted international relations expert Li Haidong as saying. But academic Li Xinjiang said there was scant room for acceptance of the way Western democracies work in China's plan, which is more about exporting Beijing's model of totalitarian rule around the world. "There is a global trend right now in which we are seeing barbaric, totalitarian regimes on the rise, not on the decline," Li told Radio Free Asia. "This is because China acts as a model and a kind of big brother, who takes the lead." He said the emergence of more authoritarian governments in southeast Asia had Chinese influence behind it. Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster. Kiwis Kids believes that comprehensive early education may be vital to a child's overall development speak. This program boosts children's self-esteem and creativity.The program is barefoot to activate pressure points and let children bend and move their feet easily. The school has everyday yoga for 20 minutes. Also, the school does not allow junk food and plastic only steel products so that children can learn about healthy food and the environment.Furthermore, in Kiwis Junior Program emphasizes child development. Activities foster social-emotional development. Freehand drawing is taught. The youngster learns to write, paste, label, and take care of their items on their own. Alongside, Kiwis Nursery's warm, child friendly atmosphere promotes active learning. Kids start writing. Safety scissors assist kids to learn pencil holding. Sorting, matching, counting, and board games are planned. Additionally, the Kiwis senior program holistically teaches reading and writing to prepare children for primary school. Pre-math and literacy are prioritized. These kids learn freehand drawing at school. Focus on neat, errorfree handwriting. Indoor games teach throwing, catching, and balancing. Although, the 1st 5th grade curriculum improves communication, problem-solving, and conflict resolution. Every child has creative places, resources, and student-centered classrooms. And lastly, the after school activities include music, dance, yoga, handwriting, phonics, abacus, and more.Kiwis Kids uses engaging learning approaches to offer such exceptional programs. Learning with fun is ideal for interested young minds. To do so, Kiwis Kids has experienced and qualified teachers. Their teaching technique focuses on self-esteem and communication. They teach children phonological awareness by introducing phonic sounds. They also have extracurricular/ co-curricular activities that help kids develop creative, imaginative, linguistic, and other skills.Kiwis Kids' curriculum combines the Waldorf method, the Montessori approach, and team cooperation. Waldorf Method emphasizes mastery over exam scores. The school encourages peer connections and teamwork to help youngsters become kind and cooperative. These skills are crucial for their future success.Effective early education can change a child's life. Our Waldorf-Montessori curriculum instills ideals and ideas that will help your kid succeed in life. Recognizing, identifying, and developing each student's abilities are the following ideas. Conceptual comprehension, creativity, and critical thinking for rational decision making and innovation. Empathy, respect, and cleanliness are moral and constitutional virtues, added Vijaya Lakshmi.Kiwis Kids believes that comprehensive early education may be vital to a child's overall development. Kiwis Kids upholds beliefs, concepts, and ideals that inspire them to recognize and foster each child's uniqueness from an early age. Under the leadership of competent and well-trained teachers, the school enables students to develop their own ideas and abilities. And with this vision, Kiwis Kids is planning to open new franchises of the school in different parts of India. We acknowledge that there are numerous aspects involved in child development. At Kiwis Kids, they recognize that every child has unique strengths, skills, and preferences for various activities. Our goal is to ensure that each child's individuality is nurtured and developed. At Kiwis Kids, we ensure that the child gets access to the most effective educational programs, concludes Vijaya Lakshmi. Biden administration called for the company to sell its social media platform or be banned. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin, shown in this file photo, says no evidence has been presented that TikTok threatens U.S. national security. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin accused the Biden administration of targeting foreign-owned companies with unfair standards after it called for the Chinese owners of the popular social media platform TikTok to sell their stake or face a ban on the app. Wang said no evidence has been presented that TikTok threatens U.S. national security. His comments follow reports that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a multi-agency federal taskforce that reviews the national security implications of foreign investments, had appealed to TikTok for the ownership divestiture. The dispute also comes as a growing chorus of U.S. leaders and lawmakers say they want the popular app banned to prevent Beijing using it to track American citizens and propagandize to them. The U.S. should stop spreading disinformation about data security, stop suppressing the relevant company, and provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory environment for foreign businesses to invest and operate in the U.S., Wang said at a press conference on Thursday. Data security issues should not be used as a tool for some countries to overstretch the concept of national security, abuse state power, and unjustifiably suppress other countries enterprises, he said. Former U.S. President Donald Trump previously signed an order to ban TikTok in 2020, but TikTok appealed and the order was blocked by a federal judge. (Associated Press file photo) Reuters reported on Wednesday that CFIUS, which is led by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and has been investigating the Beijing-based TikTok owner ByteDance since it purchased the American-owned service musical.ly in 2017, told TikTok it could be banned if ByteDance does not sell its controlling stake to U.S.-based owners. Growing bipartisanship Former U.S. President Donald Trump previously signed an order to ban TikTok in 2020, but TikTok appealed and the order was blocked by a federal judge, who ruled Trump had overstepped his powers. Proponents of a ban have since focussed on CFIUSs efforts, which have been criticized for tardiness, and, increasingly, on Congress. The burgeoning movement to ban TikTok, which is currently the fifth-most downloaded free app on the Apples App Store and the third-most popular in the Google Play App Store, has in turn become a rare area of bipartisan policy agreement in the U.S. Congress this year. Just last week, senators from both parties introduced a bill that would explicitly allow the executive branch to ban any foreign-owned technology deemed a threat to national security, with the White House issuing a statement in support of the bill as it was being announced. Led by Sen. Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia who chairs the Senate intelligence committee, the group of lawmakers stressed the bill was not aimed solely at TikTok but also had trouble speaking about anything other than the Chinese-owned app at a press conference. I've long been concerned about how every social media company uses the data it collects on users, Sen. John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota and a co-sponsor, said at the time. But I'm particularly concerned about TikToks connections to the Chinese Communist Party, which repeatedly repeatedly spies on American citizens. Congressional hearing TikTok did not respond to a request for comment from Radio Free Asia. But amid such threats from lawmakers, spokespeople for TikTok have regularly referred back to its cooperation in the CFIUS investigation as evidence of its cooperation with U.S. authorities on the issue of privacy. They have said TikTok has made a number of proposals to CFIUS to silo its data on U.S. users from its Chinese-owned parent, including allowing audits of its technology. But U.S. lawmakers like Warner and Thune have rejected the trustworthiness of any such proposal. The Chinese Communist Party has proven over the last few years that it is willing to lie about just about everything, Thune said last week. TiKTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is set to testify next Thursday before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which is chaired by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican from Washington. McMorris Rogers said in a press release earlier this year that she believes thar TikTok has knowingly allowed the ability for the Chinese Communist Party to access American user data and called for Shou to provide complete and honest answers for people in her testimony. Edited by Malcolm Foster. Smoke and steam rise from a coal processing plant in Hejin in central Chinas Shanxi Province on Nov. 28, 2019. China rapidly accelerated plans for new coal power plants in the second half of last year, derailing the overall progress made in the global efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, a group of environmental analysts said this week. In a bid to increase its energy security, Beijing approved the highest new coal capacity in eight years, increasing coal power project by 45%, or 77 gigawatts (GW), climate change think-tank E3G said in a report released on March 14. It means Chinas total pre-construction pipeline is 250 GW. The worlds largest carbon emitter currently has another 115 coal power projects under construction. The second half of 2022 saw the largest-ever increase in pre-construction capacity in China The scale of Chinas renewed coal boom has reversed some of the gains made globally, the group said in its report. As of July 2022, global new coal proposals had fallen by 75% since the Paris Agreement in 2015. This was reduced to 72% by the end of 2022. This aerial photo taken on Nov. 28, 2022 shows a cargo ship loaded with coal berthing at a port in Lianyungang, in Chinas eastern Jiangsu province. Credit: AFP Coal is the most polluting fossil fuel and the single largest source of global carbon emissions. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), it supplies just over a third of global electricity generation. E3G said China alone accounts for 72% of the worlds future projects, up from 66% in July 2022. The next five largest countries India, Indonesia, Laos, Mongolia and Turkey accounted for 18%, while 27 countries made up the last 10%. Almost every country and region in the world has stopped planning new coal power stations, and many have now canceled all remaining projects, said Leo Roberts, a program lead at E3G. This is a huge step towards keeping global heating below 1.5c. Unfortunately, a renewed coal boom in China is sending it off on a diverging pathway from the rest of the world, at potentially massive cost to the climate and China itself. In Southeast Asia, Indonesia and Laos fare poorly Apart from China, only seven new coal projects were proposed worldwide in the last six months of 2022, including six reactivated projects in India and one new industrial coal project in Indonesia. Jakarta canceled or shelved several coal projects last year while agreeing to a U.S.$20 billion dollar financing package for its Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) with G7 countries to transition from coal to clean power. Vietnam, also a recipient of JETP, saw more than four-fifths, or 7 GW, of its planned coal capacity shelved or canceled since July, E3G said. It currently has six projects under construction. Southeast Asia, seen as a coal power hub outside China, has experienced a shift away from such new projects in recent years. Total planned capacity in the region has contracted by 86% since 2015, including a 5% decline in the second half of 2022, E3G noted. This aerial photo taken on Nov. 28, 2022 shows excavators transferring coal at a port in Lianyungang, in Chinas eastern Jiangsu province. Credit: AFP According to No New Coal Progress Tracker, Indonesia has seven coal power projects in the pipeline and 19 under construction. Similarly, Laos has seven in the pipeline, but none under construction, with a total capacity under consideration of 7 GW. Neighboring Cambodia and Thailand have one proposed coal project each in the pipeline. The Philippines introduced a moratorium on new permits to pre-construction coal power plants in 2020. It still has two in the pipeline and one under construction. Malaysia announced an end to new coal in its national energy plan in 2021, while Myanmar has no new coal power project planned. As of January, 65 nations had made a clear commitment to No New Coal, while 33 others have no new projects under consideration. China and 32 other countries, including Australia and Japan, have active planned projects for new coal power plants. China loses its leadership role in climate action In 2015, countries committed to taking action to restrict the rise in global temperature to no more than 1.5C from pre-industrial levels. According to the IEA, achieving this objective would require a halt to constructing new unabated coal-fired power plants. Chinas proposed new coal capacity declined by 88% over 2015-2018 following Beijings successful introduction of controls to restrict runaway permits by provinces. By January 2019, pre-construction capacity had fallen to 76 GW, just 21% share of the global total. Coal supplies more than half of Chinas total energy consumption, even though it is also the worlds leader in renewables, with the largest manufacturing and consumption of solar panels, wind turbines and hydropower dams. A coal barge berthing is seen at Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta in 2011. Credit: Reuters. During the 2021 Climate Summit, President Xi Jinping committed to strictly control coal-fired power generation projects, and strictly limit the increase in coal consumption and phasing them down by 2030 to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2060. However, since the power shortages in 2021 and last years record heatwave, energy security concerns have haunted Beijing, forcing them to increase reliance on coal. The country imported 290 million metric tons of coal, according to Xinhua news agency. Last week, outgoing Premier Li Keqiang said in his final National Peoples Congress report that China must unleash the role of coal as the main energy source, increase coal production capacity and ensure a normal supply of energy. Chinas coal relapse has seen it lose its leadership position, E3G said. The coal resurgence across the country is a direct challenge to President Xis promise to rein in coal, said Byford Tsang, a senior policy adviser at E3G. Ending the coal plant building spree should be a priority for Chinas new cabinet. Doing so will save China from a costly detour on its energy transition and position China as a front-runner on climate. A delegation from Myanmar has arrived in Bangladesh to begin interviewing possible returnees. Rohingya refugees wait to be interviewed by Myanmar officials in Teknaf, Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh, March 15, 2023. The United Nations refugee agency said Wednesday that conditions in Myanmars Rakhine state were not favorable for the safe return of 1,000 Rohingya from Bangladesh whom Myanmar wants to repatriate under a China-mediated program. A delegation from Myanmar arrived in the Bangladeshi border town of Teknaf on Wednesday to begin interviewing Rohingya in an effort to clear their return to Rakhine, from where they fled following a brutal 2017 military crackdown. U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said it was not involved in this so-called pilot project. In UNHCRs assessment, conditions in Rakhine State are currently not conducive to the sustainable return of Rohingya refugees, UNHCR spokeswoman Regina De La Portilla said in an email to BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated news service. The process is being coordinated by authorities of the two countries. Rakhine, a state in western Myanmar bordering Bangladesh, was the site of months of intense fighting between Burmese junta forces and Arakan Army rebels. It is also the state where most of Myanmars persecuted Rohingya lived before the 2017 military crackdown. The Myanmar military and the Arakan Army in November announced a ceasefire, but news reports have said returnees face a high risk of being hurt or killed by landmines and many areas of the state are in a shambles with no access to food and shelter. UNHCR maintained that every refugee has a right to return to his or her home country and some may choose to do so even under current conditions. Still, it added that any return to Myanmar should be voluntary, in safety and dignity, and allow for sustainable reintegration in Myanmar. No refugee should be forced to return against his or her will, UNHCR said. Coxs Bazar, a southeastern district in Bangladesh, houses about 1 million Rohingya, including about 740,000 who fled since August 2017. Along with the U.N., activists and refugees themselves have expressed skepticism about the pilot project proposed in 2020, but has seemingly gained momentum in recent months. On Wednesday, the 17-member Myanmar delegation which arrived in Teknaf, interviewed 90 Rohingya men and women listed for repatriation by Bangladesh. The purpose was to verify their identities and determine whether they lived in Rakhine state before fleeing to Bangladesh. The Myanmar delegation is scheduled to be in Teknaf for seven days. Rohingya Khaled Hossain said he and his wife, Imtiaz, were questioned for three hours and asked to provide residency records. We handed them old records and photos. We want to go back to our country of origin. But we will only return when we will be given our civil rights and recognition as Rohingya community, Hossain told BenarNews. We want the same citizenship status as Mogh [Rakhine Buddhists], Burmese and other communities. Apart from that, they must assure our security through the U.N. After that, we decide whether to return or not, he said. Khaleds wife, Imtiaz, said four family members were interviewed. Maybe theyll bring us back to Myanmar. But we seek peace, she told BenarNews. Wed be willing to return to Myanmar if they provided the opportunity to live like the rest of the population. Otherwise, how do we return? Imtiaz is one of the 90 Rohingya interviewed by a Myanmar delegation in Teknaf, Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh, for a pilot repatriation project, March 15, 2023. [BenarNews] China-pressure No Bangladesh or Myanmar junta official who spoke to BenarNews or Radio Free Asia (RFA), an affiliated news service, mentioned what the returnees citizenship status would be. The Rohingya, whose ethnicity is not recognized by the government, have faced decades of discrimination in Myanmar and are effectively stateless, denied citizenship. Myanmar authorities previously denied Rohingya freedom of movement, access to jobs, health care and education. Successive administrations have refused to call them Rohingya and instead use the term Bengali. The 2017 atrocities against the Rohingya were committed during the tenure of the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi, who in December 2019 defended the military against allegations of genocide at the International Court of Justice. The Nobel Peace Prize winner and one-time democracy icon languishes in prison toppled by the same military in its 2021 coup. Now, the Myanmar military is responding to Chinas diplomatic coercion in promoting the pilot repatriation project, Nay San Lwin, an activist and co-founder of the Free Rohingya Coalition told RFA. The junta is implementing the repatriation program just to look good in the international community, as there was some China-pressure as well, he said. The returnees will likely end up staying in the centers for years, he said. The project envisages bringing returnees through two reentry centers in Ngar Khu Ya and Hla Pho Khaung in Rakhine, according to a report last month in the junta-controlled state newspaper Myanmar Alinn. Myanmar military officials gave tours of the centers to the heads of embassies from China, Bangladesh, India and eight ASEAN countries on March 8, Hla Thein, the juntas attorney general and spokesman for Rakhine state, told RFA. The returnees would receive assistance through education, livelihood and health programs at the two centers, he said, adding they would be accepted based on five points. The points include requiring a returnee to come back of his or her own volition. China has mediated repatriation discussions between Bangladesh and Myanmar officials. True good will? In addition to safety and Rohingya citizenship issues, there are other problems in repatriation, noted Bangladesh Foreign Minister A. K. Abdul Momen. The Chinese government had built new houses in some protected areas there for Rohingya. [But] They want to go to their original homes, Momen told BenarNews. [T]he Myanmar authorities say their homesteads have been occupied by the Arakan Army. The places are unsafe. They cannot guarantee their return to their original homesteads, said the minister, adding Bangladesh would not forcefully send refugees to Rakhine. Additionally, the junta needs to say how many weeks or months returnees would have to stay in one of the two centers and where they would be sent afterward, said Khin Maung, director of the Rohingya Youth Association who lives in Coxs Bazar. We are not sure if the military junta is implementing the repatriation program out of its true good will. A lot of things depend on that answer, he told RFA. Former Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Md. Touhid Hossain told BenarNews on Monday that the pilot project wasnt a workable idea. A sustainable repatriation can only be achieved when the 1.1 million refugees would voluntarily return to Myanmar, he said Settling the Rohingya crisis lies in Myanmar. The responsibility to improve the situation in Rakhine also goes on them. If they do so, the Rohingya would voluntarily return to their homeland. Abdur Rahman in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh, and Kamran Reza Chowdhury in Dhaka contributed to this report. BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated news service. The militia group has been guilty of some of the worst atrocities committed since the coup. It was a lucky lottery, the men assembled were told. Flanked by recent soldier recruits, the local administrator told them that eight lucky men from each of the towns wards would be chosen to join a pro-junta militia group that had terrorized villages across the country following the 2021 coup. Those who werent selected would be required to contribute money to support the so-called Pyu Saw Htee (PU-SAW-TEE) bands fighting the Peoples Defense Force, or PDF, or other rebel groups opposed to the military rulers. They forced us to join the Pyu Saw Htee militia, a resident of Kyun Hla, in Kanbalu township in the northern Sagaing region, told Radio Free Asia, insisting on not being identified for security concerns. They said that any of us who would like to join are welcomed but if no one wanted to join them, they would hold a lucky draw and those who won would have to join their training, while those who did not would have to pay, he said. Similar meetings were held in the towns eight other wards, residents said. When asked about the meeting, nearly all of the residents RFA spoke with said that they were being forcibly recruited and wanted nothing to do with the Pyu Saw Htee a militia group formed by the junta in 2022 under the pretext of maintaining peace and stability in rural areas. In reality, the bands have been responsible for some of the juntas worst atrocities in its scorched earth offensive against the PDF and armed ethnic groups. The proxy groups regularly torch villages, loot property, and torture and kill residents, allowing the military to claim that its regular troops do not target civilians. Surrounding villages targeted Another resident of Kyun Hla told RFA that junta administrators of the nearby villages of Shan Su and Tat Kone also announced that they would be entered into a lottery if they did not join Pyu Saw Htee training of their own accord. At least 10 villages in the area reported forced recruitment. The ones who win the lucky draw will have to join the Pyu Saw Htee training without fail, the resident said. They are forcing them to do it against their will. Residents in Kyun Hla and its surrounding villages are living in fear as they are under the control of the military junta and they have no choice. The same resident said that Pyu Saw Htee training started in Kyun Hla at the end of 2021. He said those who do not want to join are forced by the junta authorities to substitute someone for them or pay a fine. Some residents have even fled their villages in fear. Training increasingly brief One of the heads of the District 5 Kyun Hla Peoples Defense Force told RFA that while Pyu Saw Htee training courses lasted for at least a week in the past, they have become increasingly brief. Trainees are now taught a general overview in just one day, he said. Villagers in Mya Kan Tha village, Kanbalu township, Sagaing region, hold a graduation ceremony for Pyu Saw Htee militia members who completed training, Nov. 26, 2023. Credit: Myanmar National Post They taught several basics [in the past], but their recent training is not like that anymore, the PDF leader said. Im not sure if the reason is that they are scared they might be raided by resistance forces while providing training, but they now teach how to assemble and disassemble weapons in a day and give the trainees carbine rifles and shotguns. He said that local defense groups are only focused on fighting against the military and have no interest in attacking fellow villagers. Security training on offer Junta Social Affairs Minister Aye Hlaing, who is also the regimes spokesman for Sagaing region, told RFA that authorities do not recruit residents for military training, but are willing to provide it for their own safety if they request help. We do not draft them or recruit them for training we never dictate how many people must join. But if they want the training in their village or ward, we make it happen for them, he said. Security forces such as police and military forces provide the training. Not just in Kyun Hla and Kanbalu, but in many places, residents are working to defend their own areas. However, the juntas head of public administration in Kyun Hla confirmed that military training was mandatory for residents of villages within a eight-kilometer (five-mile) radius of the town. We can only give military training to residents of villages in a five-mile radius of the town by holding lucky draws to make them join, he said. If we look at all the remaining areas [of the township], we can say that four out of five are under our control. I see no way for the resistance groups to succeed. According to Thailands Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), authorities in Myanmar have killed at least 3,317 civilians and arrested more than 20,000 others since the military seized power in a Feb. 1, 2021 coup detat mostly during peaceful anti-junta demonstrations. Translated by Myo Min Aung. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster. A 2,600-ton Chinese survey vessel was also seen inside Vietnams EEZ, a local research organization said. China Coast Guard vessels sail in waters claimed by China and Vietnam in the South China Sea, May 15, 2014. Chinas deployment of an oil rig off Vietnams coast prompted a tense sea standoff and touched off deadly anti-China rioting. After finishing with the Philippines, Chinese maritime militia and fishing boats apparently swarmed inside Vietnams exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea, according to a Vietnamese research organization citing vessel-tracking data. A 2,600-ton Chinese survey vessel, the Haiyang Dizhi Si Hao, had lingered inside Hanois EEZ as well, signaling a possible operation there, the South China Sea Chronicle Initiative also reported. According to the SCSCI, the number of Chinese vessels in the economic zone increased measurably in the first two weeks of March, almost tripling the number observed at the end of February. An EEZ gives a state exclusive access to natural resources in the waters and in the seabed. The data was collected using automatic identification system (AIS) signals transmitted by the ships. The Chinese vessels have also been operating deep inside Vietnams EEZ, up to just 60 nautical miles (111km) from the Quang Ngai coast, Van Pham, SCSCIs manager, told Radio Free Asia, referring to a province in central Vietnam. The fishing and militia vessels often are accompanied by the China Coast Guard. Chinese survey vessel Meanwhile on Wednesday, the Chinese research and survey ship, also known as the Haiyang Dizhi 4, spent hours in Vietnamese-controlled waters before entering an area of overlapping claims in the South China Sea. Vietnam, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and China all claim parts of the strategic waterway, but the area claimed by Beijing is by far the largest. China and neighboring countries have been at loggerheads over Beijings oil and gas exploration in the sea. Chinese survey vessel Haiyang Dizhi 4s past track shows incursion into Vietnams EEZ, March 15, 2023. Credit: Marine Traffic According to the ship tracker Marine Traffic, the Haiyang Dizhi 4 was in Vietnams EEZ for more than 17 hours on March 15. It looks like the ship was conducting an operation here, the SCSCI alleged. The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry was not immediately available for comment. Hanoi has repeatedly complained about the activities of Chinese survey vessels in its EEZ, calling them a violation of Vietnams sovereignty. In 2019, a protest broke out in front of the Chinese embassy in Hanoi over the Haiyang Dizhi 8, a survey ship which had operated for months in Vietnam-controlled waters. The next year, the same ship was involved in a month-long standoff with a Malaysian oil exploration vessel. The biggest confrontation to date between Vietnam and China over oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea was in 2014, when China moved a drilling platform the Hai Yang Shi You 981 into Vietnamese waters. The incident involved dozens of law enforcement ships from both sides and led to anti-China protests in Vietnam. In the end, China withdrew the oil rig after two and a half months. Gray zone operations China has been conducting so-called gray zone operations, with nontraditional forces such as maritime militia being used to achieve security and economic objectives. Another claimant in the South China Sea, the Philippines, recently accused Chinese maritime militia ships of swarming inside its EEZ. In the latest development, Chinas maritime militia ships off the Philippines-controlled Thitu island were scattering after swarming there earlier this month, according to Ray Powell, Project Myoushu (South China Sea) lead at Stanford University in California. On March 4, the Philippine Coast Guard said over 40 suspected Chinese maritime militia vessels were spotted within 4.5 to 8 nautical miles off the shores of the island, which is known in the Philippines as Pag-asa. By periodically dispersing its forces, Chinas militia fleet seems intent on making it more difficult for Philippine law enforcement agencies to track and document its swarm tactics, Powell told RFA. Chinas maritime militia is mostly organized by the countrys large fishing companies. Research by Andrew Erickson and Conor Kennedy in 2016 found that the only estimate of the size of the Chinese maritime militia was from a source published in 1978, which put the number of personnel at 750,000 on approximately 140,000 vessels. This number has likely grown substantially since. In its 2010 Defense White Paper, China stated that it had eight million militia members nationwide, including maritime militia. Edited by Imran Vittachi. Smarting from mass protests that led to a government climbdown last week, the Georgian ruling party found a culprit: what it said was a group of anarchists and satanists, operating with a $100 million budget. That was a surprise for the teenagers -- and their parents -- who are members of the Franklin Club, an organization "dedicated to promoting classical liberal/libertarian values," which offers lectures and workshops at the University of Georgia. The club found itself in the crosshairs of the ruling Georgian Dream party, after tens of thousands of people took to the streets of the capital, Tbilisi, on March 7-9 to demand that parliament drop a controversial "foreign agents" law. The law would have required media and nongovernmental organizations that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from foreign sources to register as "agents of foreign influence." Critics said the bill, which was similar to controversial legislation in Russia, would enable billionaire and former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili and his Georgian Dream allies to establish government control over media and civil society organizations. That, critics argued, could damage Georgia's chances of eventually joining the European Union, which last June decided not to grant the country candidate status, citing the need for further reforms. In the face of the mass protests -- sometimes violent with demonstrators facing tear gas and water cannons -- the Georgian government dropped the controversial bill on March 10. That policy setback was chalked up in part to the role played in the protests by Georgian youth, so-called Generation Z or zoomers, who are keen to see their country remain on a Westward trajectory. After the demonstrators had gone home, on March 12, Prime Minister Irakli Gharibishvili told the pro-government Imedi TV that extremist forces were trying to destabilize the country, referring to the Franklin Club (and not only them) as an anarchist group. "They had a direct task to enter into confrontation with the special forces, the police, to provoke them with Molotov cocktails," Gharibishvili said, according to the news site Civil Georgia. "[They] were wearing the uniforms of satanists. I do not want to show their faces, but it is disturbing what is happening here." Then, two days later, the chairman of Georgian Dream, Irakli Kobakhidze, also said that "extremist youth political groups emerged" at the March rallies. Speaking at a press conference in Tbilisi on March 14, Kobakhidze said that among the groups he mentioned as being "agents of foreign influence" was the Franklin Club, which he said received funding from the U.S.-based Atlas Network. Rezi Topuria, one of the founders of the Franklin Club, told RFE/RL's Georgian Service that the smears against the organization began to appear in the media back in November 2022. He said that the Georgian tabloid Asaval Dasavali referred to the club as a Masonic Lodge. After that, he recalled, the pro-government Imedi TV claimed the group had a budget of $100 million. "It is clear that we do not have millions of dollars in funding, and we are not an anarcho-satanist organization," the bearded and mustachioed Topuria said, laughing. The Franklin Club was founded about a year and a half ago, Topuria said, with the goal of promoting freedom and other classic liberal values. "In short, the ideas that Benjamin Franklin defended in America and Ilia Chavchavadze in Georgia," Topuria said, referring to one of the founders of American democracy as well as the Georgian writer and poet who led Georgia's national revival in the 19th century. To spread the word, the Franklin Club offers 10th, 11th, and 12th graders lectures and workshops on the meaning of freedom, economics, and fundamental rights, among other things, at an auditorium provided by the University of Georgia, which has extended a helping hand to the Franklin Club as a sponsor. 'A Generation That Is Not Afraid Of Anything' While 30 students were present at the Franklin Group's first lecture, today the club boasts it has to turn away interested individuals, flooded as they are with requests to attend their workshops and lectures. Some 2,000 young people are now associated with the club, according to Topuria. The Franklin Group isn't the only thing the ruling party in Georgia are worried about. Legislators in the 150-member parliament have spoken about anti-Western books being circulated in the chamber, including one called: Exposing Lucifer, the cover of which depicts the Statue of Liberty with a red, demonic face. Regarding their funding, Topuria told RFE/RL's Georgian Service that the club had received two grants from the Atlas Network, which says on its website that it "increases global prosperity by strengthening a network of independent partner organizations that promote individual freedom and are committed to identifying and removing barriers to human flourishing." Topuria said those grants amount to "about 10-15 percent" of the Franklin Club's budget. Atlas Network did not respond to a request from RFE/RL for comment. Georgian Dream chairman Kobakhidze has also tarred the University of Georgia, and another private university in Tbilisi, the Free University, for providing support to the Franklin Club, contending that unwitting Georgian youth are being recruited for political activism. Taking umbrage, Koka Tofuria, the rector of the University of Georgia, said the government merely wanted to "discredit their university and its students." Parents of children who have attended Franklin Club workshops and classes have launched a social media campaign, mocking the notion it was a subversive group. "This is my son, 15 years old, a graduate of the Franklin Club...[and] according to the country's prime minister, an anarchist and a satanist," wrote Keti Bojgua, posting a photo on Facebook of her son Lasha with a certificate clutched in his hand. Giorgi Saitidze is another of the so-called Franklinites, as they jokingly refer to themselves. He posted that he and his friends had learned to think, analyze, and ask questions at the club. "We get informal education, which includes all the subjects that we don't even come into contact with at school," he said. The protests proved the power younger Georgians can wield, said Topuria, in what is still a largely conservative country with many politicians still looking towards Moscow. "They saw in action the power of Generation Z, a generation that is not afraid of anything, doesn't have a closed mind and, most importantly, they don't need a messiah to lead them. They think freely," he said. Written by features writer Tony Wesolowsky based on reporting by RFE/RL Georgian Service's Eka Kevanishvili The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. Current Time's Borys Sachalko watches as a drone operator from Ukraine's 1st Tank Brigade targets Russian positions in the country's eastern Donbas region. He's also shown a Russian tank which Ukrainian forces say they seized after it was abandoned by its crew. Welcome back to The Farda Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that tracks the key issues in Iran and explains why they matter. To subscribe, click here. www.rferl.org/a/31793259.html I'm RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari. Here's what I've been following during the past week and what I'm watching for in the days ahead. The Big Issue Iran appears to be making headway toward renewing official ties with Saudi Arabia and Persian Gulf states that in some cases have been publicly avoiding Tehran for decades. The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia held talks in Beijing on April 6 in a significant step toward restoring diplomatic relations, which were cut in 2016 after protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran following Riyadhs execution of prominent Saudi Shi'ite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. Iran also accepted an invitation from Saudi King Salman for President Ebrahim Raisi to visit Riyadh, while Tehran said it will send a similar invitation to the Saudi king. Meanwhile, a Saudi delegation traveled to Iran on April 9 to discuss the reopening of the embassy in Tehran and a consulate in Mashhad. The trip came as Iranian media reported on April 8 that a street sign near the Saudi consulate in Mashhad provocatively named after Sheikh al-Nimr had been quietly removed. An Iranian delegation also arrived in Saudi Arabia on April 12 to pave the way for the reopening of Iranian diplomatic missions there. Iran is meanwhile taking steps to improve ties with other countries in the region, naming an ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) and working to decrease tensions with Egypt and Bahrain. Why It Matters: Iran and Saudi Arabia appear to be pursuing implementation of last months Chinese-brokered agreement, possibly clearing the way for Tehran to de-escalate tensions with other countries that followed Riyadhs lead on a rupture seven years ago. What's Next: Tehran and Riyadh could move surprisingly swiftly toward normalization, but its no sure thing. Abdolrasool Divsallar, a visiting professor at the Catholic University of Milan (UCSC), told me that the political environment between the two regional rivals could encourage the start of military and security talks within months. But Divsallar also warned that opponents at home and abroad could still undermine the agreement. Hard-liners in Iran may act as a spoiler rather than as a supporter of the deal, he said, adding that Israel could do the same. The regional tensions between Israel and Iran, on one side, andbetween Iran, Saudi [Arabia] and the United States, on the other side, are two dynamics that make this process very fragile, he said. Divsallar also suggested that any normalization between Iran and countries with less appetite for a quick restoration of ties, for instance Bahrain, could take longer. They feel more secure under the current status quo rather than immediately normalizing their ties with the Islamic republic and losing their leverage, he said, adding, They may wait to see a major change of policies. Stories You Might Have Missed Irans civil aviation sector has for years been under Western sanctions that prevent it from purchasing new aircraft or spare parts for repairs. Now, Russia's oldest airline, Aeroflot, has sent one of its passenger planes to Iran for repairs for the first time ever. Aeroflot reportedly ran into obstacles at home stemming from Western sanctions over Russias ongoing, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The RBK media group cited an Aeroflot representative and sources close to the company on April 11 as saying that an Airbus A330-300 had been sent to Tehran on April 5 to be repaired by specialists from Iran's Mahan Air. Iranian pensioners staged protests in more than a dozen cities across Iran, demanding higher pensions amid soaring prices. Protests were reported on April 9 in Tehran, Ahvaz, Mashhad, Isfahan, Arak, Qom, Shush, Tabriz, and several other cities where retirees complained of poor living conditions and chanted anti-government slogans. Labor protests in Iran have swelled as the economy deteriorates following years of mismanagement compounded by crippling U.S. sanctions. What We're Watching Prominent Iranian female religious scholar Sedigheh Vasmaghi has challenged Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over the Islamic republics mandatory hijab law. In a letter published online, Vasmaghi asked about the reasoning behind Irans strict model for womens dress and said the Koran does not specify the need for women to cover their hair in public. There is no evidence to show that during the time of the Prophet Muhammad women were harassed and punished for not covering their hair or even their bodies, Vasmaghi, who has published several books on Islamic jurisprudence, wrote. Why It Matters: Vasmaghis letter is significant for its timing -- just days after Khamenei asserted that the removal of the hijab in public was religiously banned. But it is also important because it comes from a religious woman who wears the veil while opposing the mandatory hijab, which is seemingly being defied by a growing number of women. That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. Until next time, Golnaz Esfandiari If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Wednesday. Ukrainian forces repelled several waves of Russian assaults in the eastern Donetsk region over the last day, the military said on April 17, as Moscow's forces launched scores of missile and air strikes on urban settlements in two southern regions, causing deaths among civilians and damaging infrastructure. Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensives, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here. Over the past 24 hours, the Russian military launched 25 missile strikes from S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems and 42 air strikes on the cities of Zaporizhzhya and Komyshuvakha in the Zaporizhzhya region, and the town of Snihurivka in the Mykolayiv region, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in its daily report. "There are dead and wounded among the civilian population, high-rise and private residential buildings have been damaged, and education institutions, hospitals, churches, and other civilian infrastructure objectives have been destroyed and damaged," the military said, without specifying the number of casualties. Zaporizhzhya administration chief Yuriy Malashko said on Telegram that at least one civilian was wounded in the city as a result of Russian shelling. Ukrainian defenders repelled more than 60 attacks by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine during the day on April 16, where Russian forces, despite significant losses, continue to concentrate their offensive actions on the cities and towns of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, and Maryinka in Donetsk region. Bakhmut, where heavy fighting has been going on for months, and Avdiyivka remain the epicenter of the battle for Ukraine's industrial east, the military said. Separately, Russia's Defense Ministry said fighters from the Wagner mercenary group have captured two more city blocks in Bakhmut. The claim could not be independently verified. Ukraine has indicated it will soon launch a counteroffensive to take back more territory. Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry claims seven British mercenaries were killed in fighting in Ukraine. The ministry gave no further details, nor did it give details on the location of the battle. Neither British Defense Ministry officials or the British government have commented on the statement by Russia. On April 17, Ukraine's agriculture minister said Kyiv would aim to secure the reopening of food and grain transit via Poland as a "first step" at talks in Warsaw after Poland and Hungary announced bans on some imports from Ukraine. A senior EU official said on April 17 that member countries' envoys in Brussels will discuss the issue. The official, speaking under condition of anonymity, said low global prices and demand meant the grain was staying in the bloc rather than being sold. "We expect Poland and Hungary to offer some explanation and there will also be reaction by the European Commission," said the official. On April 16, the day Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter, Russia and Ukraine completed a prisoner exchange that resulted in the return of 130 Ukrainian prisoners, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiys chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said. Yermak did not say how many Russians were released in what he called a great Easter exchange. Last week, 106 Russian prisoners were swapped for 100 Ukrainians, the two governments reported. Zelenskiy congratulated Orthodox Christian Ukrainians on the occasion of Easter, saying that despite 417 days of war with Russia, the country retains an unshakeable faith in victory. We are not only waiting and asking, but we are winning and creating this victory ourselves, Zelenskiy said in a video address on April 16. With all our strength, we fight for our land and ask for the help of heavenly forces. In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin attended an Easter service at Moscows Cathedral of Christ the Savior with Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, both of whom have been outspoken supporters of Russias massive February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. During the service, Patriarch Kirill described the Russian invasion and the war, which has killed tens of thousands and left millions of people displaced, as sad events that may be described as an internal feud that are now taking place on our historic Russian land. With reporting by Reuters BISHKEK -- Just hours after completing a dizzying rise to the presidency from a prison cell amid political turmoil, Sadyr Japarov pledged to get to the bottom of one of Kyrgyzstans most notorious corruption schemes. Most importantly we will draw a line under the case of the transfer of $700 million out of Kyrgyzstan, and the main suspect Matraimov and other corruptionists will be punished before our country under the full strictness of the law, Japarov said in his first formal address to the country on October 16, 2020. The new acting head of state was referring to the former deputy chief of the Kyrgyz Customs Service, Raimbek Matraimov, a reputed powerbroker in national politics that a joint media investigation had described as the gatekeeper of contraband and money-laundering schemes worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Matraimov would later be arrested and convicted of corruption by a Kyrgyz court. But he spent very little time in pretrial detention and was allowed to walk free in lieu of what authorities said was his cooperation with the investigation and a reimbursement to the state of around $24 million in illicitly obtained funds. That seemed well short of the full strictness of the law that could have seen him serve a jail term of 10 to 15 years for the crime he was found guilty of and others he has been accused of. Yet Matraimov, sanctioned under the Magnitsky Act by the United States in December 2020, was at best only half of the story told by journalists from RFE/RL, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), and the Kyrgyz outlet Kloop in late 2019. Equally prominent in the investigation was Khabibula Abdukadyr, a Chinese-born, ethnic Uyghur businessman whom the journalists described as the head of an underground cargo empire that sent smuggled Chinese goods to markets in Kyrgyzstan and countries like Russia and Uzbekistan. On March 10 of this year, Abdukadyr made his first known public appearance in Kyrgyzstan since the investigation put a spotlight on his name, and he did so alongside President Japarov at a ground-laying ceremony for a giant mosque in a village near Bishkek. The images sparked anger in Kyrgyzstan, but the president brushed off these concerns in a now familiar manner in an interview with the state information agency Kabar. Describing Abdukadyr as part of a group of investors preparing to invest $1.5 billion into projects in Bishkek, Japarov noted that Abdukadyr had not been convicted of a crime nor was there a warrant for his arrest. Im not afraid of the opinions of various intriguer-journalists or other people, he said, after claiming there was no longer any corruption along Kyrgyzstans border with China. The most important thing is that I havent become corrupt, right? The people and God see everything. Is All Money Good Money? The connections between Abdukadyr and Matraimov were first affirmed by a man called Aierken Saimaiti, the media investigations key witness, who told journalists that he served the Abdukadyrs as their main money launderer before falling foul of the family. It was Saimaiti that oversaw the $700 million in international cash and wire transfers out of Kyrgyzstan, and who showed proof to journalists that he had made payments on behalf of the Abdukadyr family into the Matraimovs family foundation, named for Matraimovs father, Ismail Matraimov. RFE/RL, OCCRP, and Kloop would later uncover evidence that Matraimov's wife and fellow sanctions subject Uulkan Turgunova was a joint investor in a Dubai property development together with one of the Abdukadyrs' companies. But on November 10, 2019, just weeks after telling the journalists that he feared for his life during their last meeting with him -- when he shared documents revealing details of the illicit scheme -- Saimaiti was gunned down while sitting outside at a cafe in Istanbul. Seven men with reported affiliations to a radical Islamic organization were handed sentences of up to life in prison by a Turkish court last year for the murder. Turkish police records leaked to reporters showed that police heard Saimaitis widow, Wufuli Bumailiyamu, testify about her husbands fear that Matraimov and Abdukadyr would kill him. Matraimov told RFE/RL that he had no connection to the murder and had not been questioned by police despite having visited the country since Saimaitis death. Bektour Iskender, co-founder of Kloop, told RFE/RL in an interview that the photos of Japarov and Abukadyr together made a mockery of people that took to the streets of Bishkek in 2020, initially to protest the results of a parliamentary election that saw a Matraimov-linked party take a commanding share of the legislature. It was during political chaos over this later-canceled vote that Japarov -- then serving a jail sentence for hostage-taking, was set free to claim victory in a battle for power as his supporters outnumbered and, in some cases, physically overpowered the supporters of his rivals. This really clearly shows we did not have a revolution back then. [The movement] was stolen by organized crime, said Iskender. Of course, we already had many reasons to suspect this. But seeing these photos [of Abdukadyr and Japarov] just makes it so obvious. Japarovs administration did not respond to a request from RFE/RL for comment. Kyrgyzstans State Committee for National Security (UKMK) did not respond to a question about whether Abdukadyr had been questioned as part of the investigation that saw Matraimov sentenced. God-Fearing Men Japarov is not the first Kyrgyz president that Abdukadyr has rubbed shoulders with. Immediately after the award-winning investigation titled Plunder And Patronage In The Heart Of Central Asia was published, it was noted that a man strongly resembling Abdukadyr had attended the 2017 inauguration of Kyrgyzstans fifth president, Sooronbai Jeenbekov. A video from the inauguration showed the man sitting next to Jeenbekovs brother Yusupbek, who was then the Kyrgyz ambassador to Ukraine. Soon after that, a photo purporting to show Abdukadyr with his arm around Kyrgyzstans fourth president, Almazbek Atambaev, circulated online. Jeenbekov, who was president at the time the investigation was published, acknowledged that he had met Abdukadyr twice, once when he was governor of the Osh region that shares a border crossing with China, and another time in Atambaevs office. I know many people, I have held so many investment forums to attract investors to Kyrgyzstan. Do we need investors? he said at his end-of-year press conference while denying he had business relations with Abdukadyr and claiming that the seating arrangements for the inauguration had been planned by Atambaevs outgoing administration. Atambaev, in turn, told RFE/RLs Kyrgyz Service that he had been introduced to Abdukadyr by Jeenbekov, the man he groomed as a successor but fell out badly with just months after handing over power. Khabibula is a God-fearing man. Why dont you ask him how we met? Sooronbai introduced us, Atambaev said. Some have defended Japarovs work attracting investors to Kyrgyzstan. Businessman Kadyr Saidilkan wrote on Facebook that other investment hotspots -- Singapore, Dubai, and Hong Kong had been built on dirty money. Im not interested in how an investor earned his money -- honestly or through dirty schemes. [Abdukadyr] himself can answer before God and the law, Saidilkan said. Omurbek Suvanaliev, a politician and rival of Japarov during the 2020 power struggle, disagreed. Everyone knows how he made his money. And now he is returning as an investor, Suvanaliev told RFE/RLs Kyrgyz Service in an interview. Many politicians became entangled in relations with Abdukadyr. He sponsored many of them and feels himself at home here, he added. According to Japarovs administration, the Bishkek mosque that Abdukadyr is helping to build will cost more than $50 million and hold 20,000 people. When it is finished, it will be transferred to the ownership of Kyrgyzstan's government-endorsed Spiritual Board of Muslims, or Muftiate, Japarov said. But Abdukadyr has a rival for the affections of Kyrgyzstans clerics -- and one who clearly still has money to burn. In August of last year, the sanctioned Ismail Matraimov Charitable Foundation said that it had begun work on the Muftiates new headquarters in Bishkek. Muslims firmly believe that the future Muftiate [building] will be a modern building, no less modern than the buildings of the muftis of Turkey and Arabic countries, the foundation said on its Facebook page, including a photo of a grinning Matraimov praying next to the clerics. The year before, not long after his conviction, Matraimov was shown alongside Kyrgyzstans former mufti and other clerics at the opening of a 5,000-capacity mosque built in his Kara-Suu hometown by his foundation. The Ismail Matraimov Charitable Foundation described that mosque as the most beautiful mosque-madrasah not only in Kyrgyzstan, but in the entire Ferghana [Valley] region. Written and reported by Chris Rickleton in Almaty with reporting by Toktosun Shambetov in Bishkek. ELKO The trial of a woman accused of killing her ex-husband following an argument in her Bullion Road residence nine months ago began Wednesday in Elko District Court. Brittany Sue Aleen Figiel, 24, is charged with open murder, including first-degree with the use of a deadly weapon, in the stabbing death of Timothy Figiel, 25, on June 8, 2022. Brittany, who has been incarcerated since that day in Elko County Jail, was seated next to her defense counsel, Elko County Public Defender Matthew Pennell, before Elko District Judge Mason Simons. Elko County Deputy District Attorney Jeff Slade told jurors to pay attention to evidence that will be presented by 26 witnesses, and 100 exhibits. He said the evidence would show that Brittany had left her 21-month-old baby with Timothy and visited two friends at their separate residences prior to the incident, drinking multiple shots of alcohol both times. To one friend, she lamented losing her job two weeks earlier and recently losing her best friend. A text message between her and Timothy a year before the murder showed Brittany blaming him for keeping her from the only person Ive ever loved. The person I cant have because of you was later revealed to be her father-in-law. When Brittany returned home on June 8, she and Timothy had an argument about Timothy wanting to introduce the baby to his new girlfriend. Brittany refused and wanted Timothy to wait until the relationship lasted for a sufficient length of time and she wanted to meet the new girlfriend first, Slade said. Brittany told police that Timothy threatened to kill her and she ran into the kitchen to get a butcher knife to defend herself. She said she initially thought she stabbed him in the stomach, but saw blood coming from his chest. The autopsy shows that Timothy died from a knife plunged into his chest seven-and-one-quarter inches, puncturing his left lung and going completely through his heart, Slade said. The autopsy also revealed Timothy did not have any defensive wounds on his hands or feet. A meat cleaver recovered from the scene was entered into evidence as the weapon used in the homicide. Brittany went to her husbands relatives house next door but did not explain what happened, only saying, Call 911. Timmy. A male relative went to the house, saw blood and Timothy on the porch, and retrieved the child from the scene as a female relative called law enforcement. He later reported Brittany was hysterical. Investigators noticed Brittanys phone lying in the middle of the living room floor, which went unanswered when dispatch tried to reach her for more information on the emergency call. At the same time, Brittany answered a call on Timothys phone, and pleaded with the caller to contact 911. Slade said a neighbor would testify that several minutes before the incident she had witnessed a female yelling, screaming and crying and a man speaking in a calm voice, telling her to calm down. The witness said she then heard the yelling continue inside the house and saw the male relative walk over and talk to Brittany at the gate. Timothy and Brittany started dating in Louisiana in 2015 and moved to Elko a couple years later, moving in with his father. They moved out into another trailer in the same mobile home park and were married in 2019. However, Slade said the relationship had always struggled and the couple divorced a little more than two years later. He said among the problems the couple faced was a sexual relationship between Brittany and her father-in-law before and during their marriage. A paternity test confirmed her father-in-law was the father of the baby. They had a contentious relationship before they got married and they continued down the same path once they were married, Slade said. Around this time, Brittany had moved out of the residence she shared with Timothy and moved in with her father-in-law following the divorce, Slade continued. Her father-in-law claimed to police he watched his son abuse Brittany and that he had issues with drugs and alcohol. Slade said testimony from Chief Medical Examiner and Coroner Dr. Laura Knight from the Washoe County Medical Examiners Office would reveal that Timothys autopsy results did not show evidence drugs or alcohol in his body. The prosecutor also asked jurors to think about the height and weight difference between Brittany who stands at 5-feet, 1-inch and weighs 90 pounds and Timothy who was 6-feet, 2 inches and weighed 257 pounds. Jurors were also asked to consider Brittanys changes in demeanor during the police investigation that was captured on body cams by law enforcement, which switched from shouting Timothy was going to kill her then becoming calmer to answer other questions. As she was placed in handcuffs, her voice became louder and more emotional as she told police she held the knife out and he ran into it. Slade told the jury they would watch video of the police interviews where Brittany would allege her ex-husband abused her and attacked her. When asked to describe what initiated the alleged violence, Brittany claimed he drank Jack Daniels and they would fight when he was drunk, consuming alcohol every day except when hes working. In response to a question about past instances of domestic violence, Brittany responded that there was only once or twice. That was it. She said she never reported any domestic violence situations to police and that the only other witness was her father-in-law. After the conclusion of the presentation of evidence, Slade said the jury would be asked to take it all under consideration, measure it against the law and the State would ask the jury to hold the defendant accountable for taking Timothys life. Defense statement Pennell told jurors the case was due to past domestic violence incidents that had been ongoing for years between the couple. What else was I supposed to do? Thats what youll hear in the interrogation Brittney say to law enforcement after she has told them again and again and again what exactly happened in that final altercation, Pennell said. The evidence will show Timothy was violent against her for years. What else was she supposed to do? Brittany alleged that she had been choked and pushed down the stairs while pregnant, Pennell explained. During their final argument, Brittany claimed Timothy told her Ill just kill you and I can do whatever I want with [the daughter]. She said she had watched her ex-husband become violent and enraged during past arguments and knew what it meant and what would happen next. Despite the height and weight difference, Pennell said she finally had the courage not to be a victim and stood her ground. Pennell said evidence presented during the trial would describe an altercation in which Brittany alleged Timothy picked her up and threw her against a wall in front of her father-in-law who was sitting in the living room, resulting in her hitting her head. Timothy then threatened to kill her if she touched him again. A domestic violence expert would testify about the cycle of violence slowly developing during the relationship with Timothy in control, Pennell added. Brittany was not allowed to go to the grocery store by herself and any money she earned was his money. Pennell said by outward appearances, Timothy was the last person youd expect to behave that way. But Timothy over the past year, six months before he died, his behavior noticeably changed. He had other people talk about how he had anger issues ... Youll hear him admit that, Pennell continued, adding that a text message between the two supported the violent altercation where Brittany hit her head against the wall. Thanks for that. I have a huge knot on my head, she wrote. Sorry about that, I was out of line, he replied. Referring to her relationship with her father-in-law, Pennell noted that Brittany was far away from home, isolated and slowly, over time, her life lost control. The domestic violence expert would also confirm that victims are also known to seek comfort from another person to escape a violent situation, he said. Pennell told jurors Brittany had made efforts to get Timothy help, telling people to call 911 and she was trying to render aid to him as he was bleeding. The male relative said he watched Brittany try to put pressure on the wound. He also asked jurors to pay careful attention to testimony from a law enforcement officer who would describe that in a situation like that there would be stress and there would not be a perfect recollection of the event. Keep in mind to give us a fair chance, Pennell concluded. The trial is scheduled to continue into next week. In Voronezh, south of Moscow, military recruiting offices are sending out orders to draft-age men, telling them to update their contact information. Likewise in the Penza region, further east, the clarification of personal data is being conducted, an unnamed military official told state news agency RIA-Novosti. Same in Udmurtia, on the Volga River region, a fact that prompted the regional governor to appear on state-run TV to try and reassure people that there is no mandatory mobilization under way -- merely a call for volunteers willing to defend the Fatherland, to defend its interests. In the 13 months since President Vladimir Putin launched what is now the largest land war in Europe since World War II, Russian forces have suffered major -- some Western officials say catastrophic --casualties. Estimates announced recently by the U.S. State Department put the figure of Russian dead and wounded at upwards of 200,000. For its part, Ukraine, which has strictly guarded its losses, may have suffered at least 120,000 casualties, according to the Washington Post. But Russia, faced with repeated battlefield failures, has twice turned to recruitment campaigns to add men to the fight. In September, Putin shocked many Russians by announcing a mobilization of reservists and other military-eligible men, to bring 300,000 new personnel into the fight. Now, with a sputtering winter offensive in the eastern Donbas region in its second month and Ukraine telegraphing its own spring offensive, Russian officials are again trying to boost numbers. At least 42 regions across the country are now sending out summons to eligible men, according to human rights lawyer Pavel Chikov. One news site known for supporting government policies said the official target was to enlist up to 400,000 men. Whatever it is, it's not a mobilization, the Kremlin insists. There are no such discussions, spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by news agencies as saying on March 15, when asked: Is the Kremlin discussing a second wave of mobilization? But if it is not yet a major, mandatory call-up, it may turn into one. Im of the mind that they will have to do another mobilization sooner or later, said Dara Massicot, a defense researcher at the RAND Corporation, a U.S.-based think tank. The question is how they do it. Option A is a continuous series of small callups. Option B is a huge, massive mobilization. Small, rolling replenishment: thats what the system can support. Thats what the Kremlin would want for domestic stability, she said. Its ad-hoc methods to get the numbers up, and when that doesnt get the numbers, theyll have to escalate it. 'The Second Wave Of Mobilization Has Begun' Russia has tried for years to modernize and upgrade Soviet-era practices and force structure, to make its armed forces nimbler and more professional. Still, Russian commanders have resisted ending mandatory conscription, and all men between 18 and 27 years of age are obligated to serve one year. By law, those soldiers are forbidden to serve outside of Russias borders or in combat zones, though early in the invasion, there was what may have been a mistaken deployment of a small number of conscripts to Ukraine. With the Ukraine invasion morphing into a war of attrition, Russian military officials have been signaling for months that new troops would likely be needed for the war effort. Last summer, the Defense Ministry rolled out a public relations campaign to sign up volunteers, called kontraktniki. That effort dovetailed with a more punchy effort by the notorious private mercenary company Wagner Group, which included recruiting prison inmates to fight, in exchange for clemency. Earlier, the Kremlin also adjusted the age limits for people serving as volunteers. In December, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russia would increase the overall size of its armed forces to 1.5 million, though he said that was broadly geared toward the expansion of NATO, in particular Finlands imminent membership in the alliance. Putins September mobilization order was the most dramatic move. However, the process swiftly became shambolic, with scores of publicized complaints from newly constituted units and their relatives about the quality of weaponry and equipment being handed out, about the training they received, or about the commanders overseeing deployments. According to the news site Ura.ru, the new recruitment campaign is being overseen by Dmitry Medvedev, the former president who is now a bellicose commentator and vice chairman of Putins Security Council, and reportedly aims to bring in 400,000 new soldiers across Russia. The site on March 10 reported that officials had issued recruitment quotas to regional military authorities: for example, 10,000 men each for the Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk regions; 9,000 for the Perm region. In Voronezh, the regional government announced on March 14 that orders were being sent out to an unspecified number of men. "We especially emphasize that the sole purpose of these events is solely to update military registration data in the Voronezh military registration and enlistment offices," authorities said in a post to Telegram. "This is the usual routine work of the military registration and enlistment office, which is carried out constantly: clarification of military registration data. Massicot said she was uncertain whether the ongoing mail-out of summons was in fact a formal recruitment drive, or just the military recruiters trying to prepare their databases and other systems for when the actual drive starts. Either way, she doubted officials would be able to hit their targets for recruitment. A lot of this is just fantastical: I mean whos going to sign up for the Russian Army unless theyre compelled? she said. Yes, material benefits motivate some. But still Nikolai Mitrokhin, a Russian sociologist at the University of Bremen in Germany, counted 31 regions that were already sending out paperwork and registration documents. The second wave of mobilization has begun in Russia, he said in a post to Telegram. So far, obviously, they are testing the electronic accounting system wherever its ready. [But] its not yet clear who will be called up. Either all those eligible, or only those who sign a contract to serve, he said. Mitrokhin also speculated that officials would be unable to meet quotas in some places, and would then be forced to use coercive measures to force men to sign up. In the southern Siberian region of Chita, news reports quoted Yury Shuvalov, a military recruiter, as saying that new training classes were also being organized for reservists in conjunction with summons being sent out. Meanwhile, the twice-yearly draft of military conscripts -- separate from any additional mobilization drive -- is scheduled to start on April 1. Russian officials have said they hope to conscript between 170,000 and 200,000 men in the spring draft. Verstka, an independent online news site, cited unnamed officials in Voronezh and an unnamed Siberian region as saying that the mobilization campaign would focus on volunteers for the moment; no one will be forcibly enlisted and sent to Ukraine. You can refuse the offer to go to the front, the official was quoted as telling Verstka. When the Taliban returned to power in 2021 in a lightning military insurrection that toppled Afghanistans internationally recognized government, the country immediately fell into diplomatic isolation. Two of Kabuls neighbors to the north, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, chose a different route, putting the hard-line groups fractious history with the former Soviet Central Asian republics aside and prioritizing engagement over criticism and pressure. But a giant canal project in Afghanistan now taking shape that the Taliban is pursuing at a rapid pace is giving the two water-stressed countries doubts about whether strategic patience with the Islamic fundamentalist group will yield rewards. If you look at other projects that have involved Afghanistan and Central Asia somehow, there has often been a win-win element, Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili, founding director of the Center for Governance and Markets at the University of Pittsburgh, told RFE/RL. But the Qosh Tepa Irrigation Canal, which will divert large volumes of water from the dwindling transboundary Amu Darya River, is a very different case. This is very much zero sum, because water is a finite good and there dont seem to be any benefits for Afghanistans neighbors here, said Murtazashvili, adding that she expects the Central Asian countries to pursue a lot of quiet diplomacy on the project that will add to the pressures faced by outsized agricultural sectors already battling climate change and historical mismanagement. But the Taliban will be probing to see how far it can go, Murtazashvili said, something she suggested its downstream neighbors will have to get used to. If the first Taliban [regime that ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001] was weighed down by insurgency and in some ways never really behaved like a state, Taliban 2.0 seems to really like the idea of projecting state power, Murtazashvili said. Old Project With New Momentum The stated dimensions of the irrigation canal that workers started digging last spring are enough to understand why the downstream countries have concerns. With a length of 285 kilometers and a width of some 100 meters, experts believe it could draw a significant portion of the Amu Daryas flow while irrigating 550,000 hectares of land. An Afghan civil servant with knowledge of the project told RFE/RLs Uzbek Service that work on the second of three stages of the project that began in the spring of 2022 is expected to begin in the coming months, with more than 100 kilometers already dug and visible from space. The plan to irrigate land in northern Afghanistan is not new. Farid Azim, an official at the National Development Company overseeing its construction, pointed out last year that Afghanistans first president, Mohammad Daud Khan, had a similar vision in the 1970s. The project was most recently pursued by the U.S.-backed administration of President Ashraf Ghani -- which the Taliban overthrew less than two years ago. A press release issued by the United States Agency for International Development from 2018 marking the launch of a Washington-funded feasibility study for Qosh Tepa described a 200 kilometer-long canal serving a cultivated catchment area of 500,000 hectares. Developing Afghanistans agriculture sector provides great potential for employment and economic growth, then-U.S. Ambassador John R. Bass said in the release. But the project was not a pressing concern for neighbors, primarily because political infighting and chronic instability in northern Afghanistan had made it impractical. Bismellah Alizada, a researcher at Londons School of Oriental and African Studies, told RFE/RL that Rashid Dostum, who was the Afghan first vice president from 2014 to 2020, was among the influential politicians with concerns about the project. One of those concerns was that it would be used to benefit and resettle members of the politically dominant Pashtun group to which President Ashraf Ghani belonged, Alizada said. Dostum -- an ethnic Uzbek warlord -- long enjoyed strong ties to the regime in Uzbekistan and was even reported to have fled there when the Taliban captured Mazar-e Sharif, overwhelming forces jointly under his command before the group advanced on Kabul. Members of Dostums exiled Junbish-e Milli party have reiterated these concerns more recently, but the reality is that the Taliban has no opponents capable of preventing it from forging ahead with giant public works projects, Alizada said. More obvious obstacles are technical capacity and cash, with billions of dollars in funds belonging to Afghanistans central bank frozen after the Taliban takeover. That would make it hard for the cash-strapped Taliban to finance a project whose first phase cost nearly $100 million, according to reports. But Graeme Smith, a senior consultant for the International Crisis Groups Asia Program, said the Taliban has a strong political will to finish off projects begun by the former government with Qosh Tepa the biggest that the group has revived so far. With their very limited resources, the Taliban have prioritized [Qosh Tepa], said Smith, expressing skepticism that the Islamic fundamentalist group would pay attention to its neighbors concerns. The Taliban is a nationalist movement intensely focused on their domestic constituencies, Smith said. I think its fair to assume they will continue governing with a strong focus on issues inside the country and less regard for concerns outside, he told RFE/RL. Games Of Leverage Taciturn Turkmenistan has so far said nothing about the canal project. But a Turkmenistan-based hydrologist speaking in March to RFE/RLs Turkmen Service on condition of anonymity called the project not a problem, but a disaster. RFE/RL correspondents in the closed authoritarian country reported this year about severe water shortages in Turkmenistans Soviet-built Karakum Canal, which is four times the length of the one the Taliban is seeking to complete. The World Resources Institute in 2019 ranked Turkmenistan as one of 17 countries in the world with extremely high water stress. Uzbekistan and Afghanistan were placed in the next highest category. Central Asia as a whole depends on rivers that rise in mountains, where many glacier stocks are being depleted by climate change. Tashkent, whose own Moscow-imposed, cotton-growing legacy is one of the chief causes of the Amu Daryas demise, has been more proactive on Qosh Tepa. According to the Talibans deputy prime minister for economic affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the topic was among those broached by Uzbek presidential envoy and former Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Komilov when he was in Kabul last month for talks on economic cooperation. Komilov was cited by Baradars office as saying that Uzbekistan was ready to work with the Islamic emirate (the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan) through technical teams in order to maximize the benefits of the Qosh Tepa canal project. Uzbekistan provided no comment to that effect in its release on the talks, but President Shavkat Mirziyoev -- in a national address in December -- flagged Qosh Tepa as a concern as he touched on the problem of desertification. At the moment, we consider it necessary to conduct practical talks on the construction of a new canal in the Amu Darya basin with the interim government of neighboring Afghanistan and the international community based on international standards and taking into account the interests of all countries in the region, he said. We believe that this approach will be supported by our neighbors. Mirziyoevs preference for dialogue over threats on transboundary water use has been welcomed by the neighborhood since predecessor Islam Karimov passed away in 2016. This appears to have worked with upstream Kyrgyzstan, where successful border negotiations saw Uzbekistan granted de facto control of a strategic reservoir located inside Kyrgyz territory, albeit not without a rash of political discontent in Kyrgyzstan. And although authoritarian Karimov virulently opposed the construction of giant hydroelectric dams in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, Mirziyoev has given both his blessing, with Tashkent even attaching itself to Kyrgyzstans Kambar-Ata-1 project as a partner -- a move that will give it a hand in upstream management. Qosh Tepa, however, is becoming a source of public anxiety in Uzbekistan. With the volume of the Amu Darya water [already] decreasing, Afghans will take a quarter of its water through this canal, complained Uzbek academic and outspoken government critic Khidirnazar Allakulov in an interview with RFE/RLs Uzbek Service. Instead of solving the problem, the Uzbek government takes the Taliban to Samarkand, dressing them and presenting them with gifts. The government bows to Afghanistan.. Not only the current generation, but also future [Uzbek] generations can be endangered by the water problem, Allakulov said. Regular exchanges between the Turkmen and Uzbek governments and the Taliban predated the fall of the Ghani government, and Turkmenistan was among the first countries in the world to accept a Taliban-appointed ambassador. But in line with the international community as a whole, neither has recognized the new regime in Kabul. This only complicates what Alizada calls the legal lacuna between Afghanistan and its former communist neighbors, since Kabul had not previously signed treaties with them on transboundary management. And while Afghanistan is keen for more trade opportunities and relies on its northern neighbors for supplies of electricity for several provinces, there are other areas of these bilateral relations where the Taliban feels it has real leverage, Alizada argued. For the Central Asian countries, I think the number one concern is hard security, especially with the regions history with transnational extremist groups. The Taliban will continue to use assurances on security in negotiations with these countries going forward. ELKO A Utah man has been sentenced to prison following a March 2020 incident in which he crashed a stolen pickup into a West Wendover residence while fleeing from police. Marcus Ronald Swallow, 35, of Clinton pleaded no contest to one count of resisting a public officer with use of a deadly weapon other than a firearm, one count of possession of a stolen motor vehicle, and one count of willful destruction of property. He was sentenced March 7 to 43-108 months in prison by District Judge Kriston Hill. On March 12, 2020, West Wendover police said they pulled up behind a pickup in the driveway of a residence that they believed was being used to deliver cash and heroin. They ordered the driver out of the pickup, but when he accelerated in reverse toward an officer, shots were fired at the pickup. He continued to drive across a lawn and crashed into a mobile home across the street, according to a police report. The crash caused major damage to the residence, and the driver exited out the rear of the pickup and fell injured on the ground. The man later identified as Swallow was flown to a hospital in Salt Lake City for treatment. He was originally booked on the charges in July 2021, and arrested again in October 2022 for failure to appear in court. Besides the prison time, Swallow was ordered to pay $750 to the owner of the Dodge pickup and $32,904 to the owner of the mobile home. According to court records, damage to the mobile home included a porch with awning, and items including a washer, dryer, freezer with meat, crockpot, television, PlayStation, Wii console, toaster oven, bicycle, air conditioner, sink, Christmas ornaments, and a table. Swallow was on parole in Utah at the time of the incident. According to Utah court records, he was convicted of theft and possession of stolen property in May 2022, theft by receiving stolen property in February 2018, unlawful possession of a credit card in January 2018, and theft by receiving stolen property and felony drug possession in May 2010. He had also been sentenced to prison in December 2006 for joyriding. ELKO Cold, dry weather has slowed the snowmelt in northeastern Nevada but more precipitation is expected in the coming week. The American Red Cross of Northern Nevada opened an evacuation center Wednesday in Eureka, while the water level in Coils Creek peaked at 6.31 feet. The Eureka County Sheriffs Office reported water over the southbound lane of State Route 278 on Wednesday afternoon. Emergency officials put out an evacuation warning Tuesday as water began to encroach into residential neighborhoods. The evacuation center was set up in the Old Elementary school, 190 Adams Road. Red Cross volunteers will staff the shelter and make food and comfort kits available. In addition, information about the status of the flood and evacuation orders will be provided at the shelter. At our center, residents have a safe and secure place to gather, have a bite to eat, rest, and stay informed regarding area flooding, stated Mary Powell, executive director for the American Red Cross of Northern Nevada. We will keep the shelter open as long as our services are needed. In Elko County, most of the roads that have been affected are in the Ryndon, Osino and Last Chance areas. City of Elko Fire Chief James Johnston has been monitoring the Humboldt River level at Osino, where any surges will happen before it reaches Elko. He said Wednesday the water was at 2.78 feet. Flood mitigation measures will be established if the level reaches 5.5 feet. Residential flooding can begin at the 6-foot level. The river reached 10.5 feet during the February 2017 flood that damaged dozens of homes on the south side of town. Were pretty happy with where were at right now, Johnston said Wednesday afternoon. But multiple storms are expected to deliver more precipitation beginning this weekend. A persistent unsettled upper pattern is to bring mostly isolated to scattered valley rain and mountain snow Sunday, stated National Weather Service forecasters. A stronger push of valley rain/snow and mountain snow is indicated for Monday and yet another system looks to move in during the Tuesday time frame. Temperatures will remain cooler than average, however. A flood advisory issued across northern Nevada ended earlier than expected Wednesday, but southern Eureka County remains under a flood warning until 11 a.m. Friday. Elko Countys emergency management officer, Lee Cabaniss, told county commissioners on Wednesday that the county provided 15,000 sandbags to various locations throughout Elko County because of potential flooding and more are on order. He said dirt roads are bad in the county, and the county road department is working every day but it is a big county with lots of road miles. Elko County hasnt had any infrastructure damage from flooding, Cabaniss said. On Thursday a committee will begin initial assessments of any damage as the first step toward potential relief funds from the federal government. The county could qualify because Gov. Joe Lombardo has declared an emergency that includes Elko. Cabaniss said the county may want to consider declaring its own emergency, and Elko County Manager Amanda Osborne said there could be a special meeting to do so. She also said that between the road work after the massive recent snow accumulations and now the water, the road departments budget is being eaten away and is not looking too good. G-20 Summit in Amritsar Foreign guests also enjoyed the taste of Punjabi Cuisine AMRITSAR: During the ongoing G-20 Summit at Amritsar, the delegates from different countries enjoyed Punjab's hospitality, culture and delicious cuisine. After the second Education Working Group seminar at the local Hotel Radisson Blu last evening, a pandal was held for the reception of foreign guests in the courtyard of the hotel with a beautiful rendition of folk instruments and folk songs by artists to showcase the rich culture and heritage of Punjab. Beautiful colors of Punjabi folk music were presented by the artists dressed in traditional Punjabi costumes with traditional instruments such as Tumbi, Algoza, Sarangi, Dhol, Nagara, Bean, Bounsari, Chimta, Bugchu, Chaine etc. The beat of dhol and mesmerizing sounds of various instruments forced the foreign guests to dance on bhangra beats. The foreign guests expressed their happiness by performing folk dances Bhangra and Giddha along with Punjabi artistes. On this occasion, foreign guests also enjoyed the taste of Punjabi cuisine. Advertisement G-20 Summit Amritsar On this occasion, Alfred Mac Gatto, Director Institutional Funding representing South Africa praised the hospitality of Punjab and said, "I heard a lot about the openness of Punjab and Punjabis and today I enjoyed the hospitality of Punjabis and their rich culture here. I felt great by dancing on bhangra beats." Delegate Deung Yuan, Deputy Dean, Graduate School of Education, who arrived from Beijing, the capital of China, also praised Punjabi folk dance Bhangra and Punjabi food and said that nobody can copy the tradition of hospitality of Punjabis. He said that he had come to India and Punjab for the first time and the friendly nature and hospitality of the residents had won his heart. Advertisement G-20 Summit Amritsar Delegates from Abu Dhabi Hend-ul-Tayer, Director, Department of Science and Technology and Nicholas Reuse, Senior Education Advisor, UNICEF, New York, also performed Bhangra to the beat of drums and enjoyed delicious Punjabi cuisine. Director and Vice Chancellor of Tata Institute of Social Science, Mumbai Shalini Bharat said that Punjab is the crown of India and its people and culture have their own distinct identity. She said that the arrangements made by the Punjab government for the hospitality of the delegates of the country and abroad who reached Amritsar during the G-20 summit are 'kabal-e-tarif'. H-1B Visa Recommendation was made at the initiative of Indian-origin members of the White House Advisory Committee on Immigration NEW-YORK: In a major relief for more than 70,000 H-1B visa holders Indians who have been retrenched in the last three months in America, recommendations have been proposed to increase the grace period of 60 days to 180 days for unemployed people to find another job. The recommendation was made at the initiative of White House Advisory Committee on Immigration (ANHPI) chief commissioner Sonal Shah and sub-committee co-chairman Ajay Bhutoria, which is highly expected to be approved. The two Indian members of the committee drafted the laid-off professionals and also persuaded the other members of the committee to extend the concession period. Extending the grace period will provide relief to around 1.25 lakh people working in the US on H-1B visas. The recommendations made by the committee will now go to the Permit Commission and the US President will give formal approval. Advertisement The Chief commissioner of the committee, Sonal Shah, said that over a hundred meetings have been held with various agencies to extend the grace period of H-1B visa. The recommendations to extend the concession period are historic. Ajay Bhutoria, co-chairman of the sub-committee, said that after extending the visa grace period, the next agenda is to make green cards easier for NRIs. Decades of green card backlog will be removed. This process will start from June. About America's H-1B Visa..... The American H-1B visa is a work visa granted to immigrants. US IT, finance and engineering companies can hire foreign professionals on H-1B visas for a specific period of time. Similarly, L1 visa is available in case of transfer between companies. The H1 visa category has also been opened for recently retrenched Indians, so that they can now work in the military and intelligence services as well. Typically, this require a bachelor's degree or equivalent. Advertisement Eligibility for H-1B Visa...... - You will require a valid job offer from a United States of America employer for a role that requires specialty knowledge. - Bachelors degree proof or equivalent experience in that field. - Your Employer company must show a document which states that there is a lack of qualified U.S. applicants for the role. - You may need to register with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and be selected to apply. Cost for H-1B Visa? Advertisement - As per the reports, the charges to register for the H-1B lottery is $10. If the applicant is selected for an H-1B visa, the employer will then have to pay $460 to file Form I-129 (Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker). The costs can also vary, depending on the size of the company or other factors. Significantly, in January, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced plans to surge filing costs for most visa application types, including marriage green cards and those adjusting status to green cards. These costs are not applicable yet. Neil Moudgal Neil Moudgal received the USD 250,000 in Regeneron Science Talent Search WASHINGTON: An Indian-origin teen from Michigan has won the prestigious science talent search award for high school students in the United States of America. Neil Moudgal was announced as the winner of the Regeneron Science Talent Search for developing a computer model to predict the structure of RNA molecules that could help diagnose diseases early. He received the USD 250,000 award. Ambika Grover, 17, was placed at sixth position for the $80,000 prize and 18-year-old Sidhu Pachipala was placed ninth for the $50,000 prize. About 2,000 high school students participated in the science talent search with 40 selected for the final round. Advertisement According to the Society for Science, which runs the competition sponsored by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Maudgal's computational biology and bioinformatics project "accelerates the structure of different RNA molecules to facilitate the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic drugs for diseases such as cancer, autoimmune and can reliably predict diseases and viral infections. In the ceremony, 40 winners, including Maudgal, were given a total prize money of more than 18 lakh dollars. Winners were selected based on the scientific rigor of their work, exceptional problem-solving abilities and leadership in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines. 18-year-old Emily Okashio of Virginia stood second and 17-year-old Ellen Shu of California stood at third position. The final episodes of Ash and Pikachu in the Pokemon anime continue to roll on, and goodbyes have been flying everywhere. Just this weekend, Japanese fans said goodbye to the beloved Team Rocket, and now were inching closer to seeing the last of the Palette Town Champion. As previously announced, the Pokemon anime will continue with a new series featuring Liko and Roy as the new protagonists in the Paldea region. While the series will begin airing on Japanese television in mid-April, a preview of what to expect in this adventure, which will also find its way into the manga, has already been released. A new Pokemon manga The April issue of the comic magazine Coro Coro released a preview this Wednesday, showing 9 pages of this new anime adaptation of the Pokemon franchise. The art will be commissioned from Kei Yamadaka and for now there are not many details about this product, if it will be a one-shot to promote the premiere of the new anime or if it will be a series that will compile the new adventures. Full screen The manga will be published in the pages of Coro Coro starting next April 14th, the same day the new anime will be released with a one-hour special. The beginning of a new Pokemon adventure Just earlier this month, we got a glimpse of the first trailer for the series, revealing new details about the main characters as well as other important figures who will accompany them on their journey through Paldea. The 50-second trailer gave us a brief glimpse of Liko and Roy, as well as Pokemon Professor Friede and his partner, Captain Pikachu, and their motivations for embarking on a Pokemon adventure. Source | Anime News Network VinFast sells 782 electric cars in two months of 2023 (Photo: VNA) The Vietnam News Agency quoted the date of the VinFast Trading and Service Ltd Co, a subsidiary automaker of conglomerate Vingroup on March 14. In February alone, the firm handed over 416 EVs, including 266 VF8 and 150 VF e34. Along with the Vietnamese market, VinFast has also officially delivered the first VF 8 electric vehicles to customers in the US, receiving their positive feedback. As planned, VinFast is also preparing to hand over the VF 9 and VF 5 Plus models to domestic customers, and export the next batches to the international market. Regarding service, VinFast has just announced that it will inaugurate No day off" service workshop system from March 15 across the country to meet the demand of and provide an excellent service experience for customers. VinFast introduces new car models in the US (Photo: baogiaothong.vn) VinFast is still the only automobile firm in Vietnam that provides the 24/7 mobile services, including mobile service, charging service and rescue service. Globally, the firm has also put into operation a 24/7 global repair support and consulting centre to promptly provide advice and technical support for the service workshops in markets where VinFast cars are present. Vietnam remains largest supplier of coffee to Spanish market The market share of Vietnamese coffee in Spain's total imports from the global market has increased from 27.53% in 2021 to 30.16% last year, Radio the Voice of Vietnam quoted the figures of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. In 2022, the supply suppliers of coffee to the Spanish market mainly came from foreign markets with the volume reaching 275,770 tonnes, valued at US$973.18 million, thereby representing a rise of 11.5% in volume and 77.8% in value compared to 2021. Of the figure, Vietnam remains the largest coffee supplier to the European nation with 113,550 tonnes, worth approximately US$287 million, up 21.6% in volume and 78.9% in value against 2021. Vietnam remains largest supplier of coffee to Spanish market (Photo: VOV) The average import price of coffee in the Spanish market rose by 32.9% to US$3,650 per tonne, marking the highest level in the 2018 to 2022 period. Statistics compiled by the General Department of Vietnam Customs indicate that in February alone, the country exported over 200,000 tonnes of coffee worth US$434.9 million, up 40.3% in volume and 40.1% in value compared to January. The first two months of the year witnessed Vietnamese coffee exports reach 342,300 tonnes, worth US$745.28 million, a decline of 7.8% in volume and 9.5% in value on-year. The average export price of Vietnamese coffee throughout the reviewed period dropped by 1.9% to US$2,177 per tonne against the same period from last year. Vietnamese coffee exports to traditional markets, except Belgium and Japan, witnessed an upward trajectory. Most notably, coffee exports to a number of markets recorded double and triple -digit growth rates, including Algeria, the Netherlands, Mexico, Russia, and Italy. FDI inflows in Binh Duong skyrocket four times The southern province of Binh Duong attracted over US$340 million in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first two months of this year, equaling 441% year on year, with the real estate sector making up 90% of the total, said Radio the Voice of Vietnam. A corner of Tan Uyen town of Binh Duong province (Photo: taichinhdoanhnghiep.net.vn) According to the provincial Department of Planning and Investment, there were seven newly-registered projects worth US$19.7 million, equivalent to 124% compared to the same period last year. Four projects had their capital adjusted, with the amount reaching US$4.23 million. Its noteworthy that 13 projects registered to contribute capital and purchase shares worth US$326 million, equal to 423% against the same period last year. The real estate sector took the lead in attracting FDI, with two projects capitalised at US$324 million accounting for nearly 90% of the total registered capital. It was followed by processing and manufacturing attracting more than US$20 million and agro-forestry-fishery luring US$10 million. An industrial zone in Binh Duong province (Photo: VOV) There were 11 countries and territories investing in the southern industrial hub in the two-month period. The Netherlands topped the list, attracting over US$324 million, trailed by Taiwan (China), Hong Kong (China), the United States, Singapore, and the Republic of Korea. At present, Binh Duong ranks second in Vietnam with nearly 4,100 valid projects totaling over US$39.73 billion, equivalent to 9% of the countrys total FDI, behind only Ho Chi Minh City./. This photo taken on March 14, 2023 shows lava spewing out of Mount Merapi as seen from Purwobinangun village in Sleman district, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. (Photo by Priyo Utomo/Xinhua) JAKARTA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Mount Merapi, located on the border between the Indonesian province of Central Java and the Special Region of Yogyakarta, erupted twice on Tuesday morning, spewing smoke and ash. The country's geological disaster institute BPPTKG in a written statement reported that the volcano spewed hot ash at 5.50 a.m. and 5.59 a.m. local time. Authorities have told nearby residents to avoid the area within a seven-kilometer radius of the crater. The status of Mount Merapi, the most active of Indonesia's 130 volcanoes, has stayed unchanged at its second highest level since November 2020. In 2010, its major eruption killed over 300 people and displaced 20,000 residents. Volcanic materials are seen in a field near Mount Merapi, the most active of Indonesia's 130 volcanoes, in Tlogolele village, Boyolali district, Central Java, Indonesia, March 15, 2023. Mount Merapi, located on the border between the Indonesian province of Central Java and the Special Region of Yogyakarta, erupted twice on Tuesday morning, spewing smoke and ash. (Photo by Bram Selo/Xinhua) A farmer works in a field near Mount Merapi, the most active of Indonesia's 130 volcanoes, in Cangkringan village, Sleman district, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, March 15, 2023. Mount Merapi, located on the border between the Indonesian province of Central Java and the Special Region of Yogyakarta, erupted twice on Tuesday morning, spewing smoke and ash. (Photo by Agung Supriyanto/Xinhua) Editor: ZAD Planetary scientists have examined volcanic areas on Venus that were imaged two or three times by NASAs Magellan spacecraft and identified a 2.2-km2 volcanic vent that changed shape in the eight months between two radar images. Venus is nearly the same size and mass as Earth, said University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institutes Professor Robert Herrick and Dr. Scott Hensley from NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Compositional constraints are consistent with Venus having an Earth-like abundance of radioactive elements, which release heat that might drive volcanic activity. The number of impact craters on Venus indicates a mean surface age of a few hundred million years. However, many of the craters have morphologies that appear to have been modified by volcanic processes; if so, it could mean the average surface age is only tens of millions of years, as young as Earths ocean basins. The vast majority of Earths volcanism is associated with crust formation at mid-ocean ridges or volcanic arcs above subduction zones. Venus does not have current plate tectonics. Geodynamic models of Venus that match the geological and geophysical observations disagree on the expected current level of volcanism, producing various predictions that it could be lower than, the same as, or many times higher than the level of hot spot volcanism on Earth. On Earth, the Hawaiian volcanic hot spot erupts every few years, they added. There are several dozen volcanoes on Venus with sizes and gravity signatures indicative of underlying hot mantle plumes larger than Hawaiis Big Island. It has been predicted that multiple basaltic eruptions might occur over the course of a Venusian sidereal day (243 Earth days). Extending this analogy predicts lava flow areas covering several tens of kilometers over the same period. In the research, Professor Herrick and Dr. Hensley examined radar images of Venus surface collected by NASAs Magellan spacecraft between 1990 and 1992. They focused on an area containing two of Venus largest volcanoes, Ozza and Maat Mons. Ozza and Maat Mons are comparable in volume to Earths largest volcanoes but have lower slopes and thus are more spread out, Professor Herrick said. Maat Mons contains the expanded vent that indicates volcanic activity. We compared a Magellan image from mid-February 1991 with a mid-October 1991 image and noticed a change to a vent on the north side of a domed shield volcano that is part of the Maat Mons volcano. The vent had grown from a circular formation of 2.2 km2 to an irregular shape of about 4 km2. The later image indicates that the vents walls became shorter, perhaps only a few hundred feet high, and that the vent was nearly filled to its rim. The researchers speculate that a lava lake formed in the vent during the eight months between the images, though whether the contents were liquid or cooled and solidified isnt known. They also offer one caveat: a nonvolcanic, earthquake-triggered collapse of the vents walls might have caused the expansion. However, vent collapses of this scale on Earths volcanoes have always been accompanied by nearby volcanic eruptions; magma withdraws from beneath the vent because it is going somewhere else. The surface of Venus is geologically young, especially compared to all the other rocky bodies except Earth and Jupiters moon Io, Professor Herrick said. However, the estimates of how often eruptions might occur on Venus have been speculative, ranging from several large eruptions per year to one such eruption every several or even tens of years. This research is described in a paper in the journal Science. _____ Robert R. Herrick & Scott Hensley. Surface changes observed on a Venusian volcano during the Magellan mission. Science, published online March 15, 2023; doi: 10.1126/science.abm7735 BEIJING, March 15 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday urged the U.S., the UK and Australia to earnestly fulfill their non-proliferation obligations and refrain from undermining the authority and efficacy of the safeguards system of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks when answering a query related to AUKUS cooperation. According to reports, on March 14, the U.S., the UK and Australia announced the pathway to nuclear submarine cooperation. The three countries said they are committed to ensuring the highest non-proliferation standards are met, and would negotiate with the IAEA on safeguards arrangements. IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in a statement that the Agency will consult with Australia to make an arrangement under Article 14 of Australia's Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (CSA) in connection with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) to enable the Agency to meet its technical safeguards objectives for Australia. Wang said China is gravely concerned about Grossi's latest statement in relation to the AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation and firmly opposed to the U.S., the UK and Australia's coercing the IAEA Secretariat into endorsement on the safeguards issues. Wang said firstly, the three countries asserted they will fulfill nuclear non-proliferation commitments, yet this is nothing but a high-sounding rhetoric to deceive the world. Noting that the AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation marks the first time in history for nuclear weapon states to transfer naval nuclear propulsion reactors and large amounts of weapons-grade highly enriched uranium to a non-nuclear weapon state, Wang said there is nothing in the current IAEA safeguards system that can ensure effective safeguards, and there is no guarantee that these nuclear materials will not be diverted by Australia to build nuclear weapons. Such cooperation poses serious nuclear proliferation risks, and is in contravention of the object and purpose of the NPT and deals a blow to the international non-proliferation regime, Wang added. The spokesperson said secondly, the AUKUS countries and the IAEA Secretariat have no right to make a deal between themselves on the safeguards issues in relation to AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation. What the three countries really want is the IAEA's exemption of safeguards for Australia's nuclear submarines, which runs counter to what they said about setting the highest non-proliferation standards, Wang said. "They claimed that Article 14 of the Agency's Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (CSA) allows for non-application of safeguards for the use of nuclear material in a non-proscribed military activity. However, the international community has not reached any consensus on the definition of such military activity and there are huge divergences on the applicability of Article 14," Wang said. Noting that all these are widely perceived as outstanding issues in the field of international nuclear arms control, Wang said the U.S., the UK, Australia and the IAEA Secretariat have no right whatsoever to make interpretations of their own. Thirdly, safeguards issues related to nuclear submarine cooperation should be jointly discussed and decided by the international community, Wang stressed. "An arrangement reached between Australia and the Agency invoking Article 14 would set an egregious precedent. This concerns the interest of all IAEA member states," said Wang. He said the safeguards issues involved in nuclear submarine cooperation should be discussed and agreed upon by all interested IAEA member states through an intergovernmental process, taking into account the Agency's previous practice of strengthening the safeguards system. Pending the consensus reached by all IAEA member states, the IAEA Secretariat should not reach any deal with Australia between themselves. "We also urge the IAEA Secretariat to perform its duties strictly in accordance with its mandate and not to endorse the act of nuclear proliferation by the three countries," Wang said, adding that in the meantime, China calls on all IAEA member states to actively promote the intergovernmental process, find a solution to the safeguards issues in relation to the AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation, safeguard the international nuclear non-proliferation regime with the NPT as the cornerstone, and maintain international peace and security. Editor: ZAD [Photo by Zhang Zhiqiang/provided to chinadaily.com.cn] An event featuring papercutting, which aims to familiarize students with traditional Chinese culture through intangible cultural heritage, was held on Wednesday at the Second Primary School of Fengning Manchu autonomous county in Chengde city, North China's Hebei province. Guo Fengzhi, one of the municipal-level inheritors of Fengning papercutting, instructs students on paper-cutting techniques, including folding, cutting and engraving. Fengning Manchu papercutting, which dates back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), has distinctive cultural characteristics and ethnic style. It was listed as a national-level intangible cultural heritage in 2006. In 2009, it was added to UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In recent years, Fengning county has taken the school as a base for the inheritance of traditional culture. By offering intangible cultural heritage courses such as paper-cutting, students are guided to understand and care about intangible cultural heritage, and then actively participate in the promotion of Fengning's traditional culture. 7 1 Editor: JYZ The following are among the top stocks that could be in focus: Indian Oil: State-owned SJVN has inked a pact with India Oil Corp to form a joint venture for developing renewable energy projects. Indian Oil has also floated a new subsidiary for low carbon, clean and green energy business as the nation's biggest oil refining and fuel marketing company pivots a transition plan to achieve net zero emissions from its operations by 2046. GAIL: India's largest gas firm GAIL has won a nod of the country's bankruptcy court to acquire insolvent private-sector chemical company JBF Petrochemicals Ltd for Rs 2,079 crore, helping the state-owned firm expand its footprint in the petrochemical business. Vedanta: Billionaire Anil Agarwal's Vedanta Group is looking to borrow from credit funds such as Farallon Capital, Davidson Kempner and Ares SSG Capital to meet more than $1 billion in upcoming repayments. This comes as banks are talking tough on a $1 billion loan to the mines and minerals giant amid a tightening credit market LIC: Life Insurance Corp (LIC) has sold 2% of its stake in state-owned NMDC, taking its total shareholding in the public sector unit to 11.69% as of 14 March, according to a regulatory filing. The sale of 2% stake or a little over 5.88 crore shares in open market has fetched over Rs 700 crore to LIC. JSW Energy: The board of JSW Energy on Wednesday approved the allotment of 25,000 non-convertible debentures (NCDs) on a private placement basis to raise Rs 2,500 crore. Mindspace Business Parks REIT: The company has completed the first REIT-level green bond issuance in India. Mindspace REIT has raised Rs 550 crores with a tenor of three years and thirty days at a fixed quarterly coupon of 8.02% per annum payable quarterly. The issuance is rated AAA/Stable each by CRISIL Ratings and ICRA. Ramkrishna Forgings: The company in consortium with Titagarh Wagons has emerged as the lowest bidder for the supply of 15.40 lakh forged wheels to Indian Railways. The consortium had put in an aggressive bid of Rs 12,226 crore. Titagarh Wagons and Ramkrishna Forgings will form a special-purpose vehicle for manufacturing of train wheels. A greenfield plant for making train wheels will come up at a cost of Rs 1,000 crores. Thank you for visiting the Daily Journal. Please purchase an Enhanced Subscription to continue reading. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! If you have an event you'd like to list on the site, submit it now! Go to form Serhiy Magera, member of the Parliament of Ukraine, member of the Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management When the Ukrainian government announced its readiness to adhere to the European Green Deal in January 2020, it was hard to imagine how thorny the path to carbon neutrality would be. First of all, because of the aggressive, unmotivated war waged by the Russians against Ukraine. A year of Russian military adventurism has already caused more than 46 billion dollars in damage to the Ukrainian environment. Air pollution accounted for most of this amount, at $27 billion. However, even under such circumstances, Ukraine is trying to fulfill the obligations it has assumed. After all, the European "green" course could become the basis of the post-war "green" recovery. In 2016, Ukraine was one of the first countries that joined the Paris climate agreement. Since then, we have had an ambitious plan to radically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Our global goal is to allow future generations to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and use safe products. But the Green Deal for Ukraine is not just a "green" deal, it's a "green light" to the European Union. In August 2020, Ukraine submitted a document to the European Commission outlining its position on the implementation of the Green Deal. This is a clear algorithm of actions until 2030, according to which greenhouse gas emissions should be halved. In case we adopt the relevant laws and implement them. In July 2021, the Updated Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris Climate Agreement (NNC2) was adopted. It predicted a 65% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the same year 2030 (compared to 1990). But the deadline for achieving climate neutrality has shifted to 2060. At the same time, it was calculated that about 102 billion euros would be needed for everything. When the Russians went to Ukraine with a full-scale war on February 24, 2022, it seemed that the issue of environmental protection took a back seat. Actually, no. Right now, the reconstruction of Ukraine and all sectors of the economy should be planned taking into account the green strategy. Ukraine, as an integral part of the European community, will act in unison with the European Union in matters of combating the consequences of climate change, as well as creating new opportunities for Ukrainian business. However, it is worth considering the scale of the disaster and the damage that the Russians are causing to the Ukrainian economy and the environment. The Ukrainian green strategy was developed before a full-scale invasion. Therefore, it is worth carefully considering the possibility of adjusting obligations and requirements to Ukraine within the framework of the Green Deal. Reasonable adaptation of Ukrainian legislation to European legislation, taking into account the consequences of full-scale, will be a guarantee of quick recovery of Ukraine with the least damage to the economy and business. Ukraine's plans are extremely ambitious. We need to turn ruined cities into models of modern technology. New cities, new enterprises must be built "green". It is critically important to make them ecological, according to European standards, at the same time gradually - taking into account the circumstances in which Ukraine found itself. Therefore, even now during the war, the Verkhovna Rada is considering a number of draft laws that will help Ukraine move forward in the direction of solving environmental protection issues. For example, 6004 and 8410. The first is a project of the Law on Integrated Prevention and Control of Industrial Pollution, which occurs as a result of industrial activity. The project must ensure a high level of environmental protection. The second is a project on amendments to the Law of Ukraine on Environmental Impact Assessment. Our confident movement in the direction of achieving the aforementioned "green" goal, firstly, gives a very positive signal to investors and other businesses that it is worth investing in Ukraine even now. Secondly, this is a concrete action that shows that Ukraine is not changing its course and is clearly moving towards the EU. With COVID-19 raging in the autumn of 2020 the Herald cautiously welcomed the Morrison governments decision to allow Australians access to superannuation, saying the move struck a fair balance between people facing hardship and protecting the integrity of one of the economys major investment engines. Now, the first study of the scheme, Early pension withdrawal as stimulus, by George Washington Universitys Steven Hamilton, the Australian National Universitys Tristram Sainsbury and Harvard Universitys Geoffrey Liu, opens a window onto who used the scheme, where they lived and worked and what they spent their money on. To qualify, a person had to be eligible to receive JobSeeker, have been made redundant, had their work hours cut by at least 20 per cent, or be a sole trader whose business had been shut or suffered a 20 per cent fall in turnover. They were permitted to take $20,000 in two $10,000 payments from their savings. The new research shows 2.6 million people withdrew $38 billion from their super. It was the second-largest stimulus program during the pandemic, behind the $90 billion JobKeeper program. Advertisement FoodWine Celebrity-endorsed wines are everywhere right now but our wine writer's favourite is one you probably don't know exists Katie Spain March 6, 2023 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share The Killers drummer and former Sonoma vineyard owner Ronnie Vannucci Jr. has collaborated with the team at Paxton Wines in South Australia. Ben MacMahon A celebrity-endorsed wine (or any wine, for that matter) is only as good as the land on which it was grown, the fruit with which it was crafted, and the team that guides it through the winemaking process. The Killers' drummer, avid wine lover and former Sonoma vineyard owner Ronnie Vannucci jnr is well aware of this. That's why the American rock star chose to collaborate with the team at Paxton Wines in South Australia. The decision to make a McLaren Vale shiraz happened over a glass of wine (or several) among mates. "Ronnie has been visiting Paxton Wines for the past decade," says Paxton's global sales and marketing director (and musician) Brian Lamb. "Every time he was on tour in Australia with the band, he'd visit us." The expert's verdict on Kylie Minogue's latest hit: Australian-grown wine (plus five more surprising celebrity drops) Advertisement Mutual friend Tim Jones, a doctorate professor of drumming at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, introduced the musician and the wine brand. Dr Jones, Vannucci's former drum teacher, grew up in McLaren Vale and went to school with Paxton's operations and logistics manager, Ben Paxton. One thing led to another and the idea for Baterista was born. "Baterista simply means 'drummer' in Spanish," Lamb says. "It ties into the ode to rhythm, which is the backbone to the wine." Stylistically, it is a nod to classic McLaren Vale shiraz the type of wine that put McLaren Vale on the map from the 1970s onward, says Lamb. "It is the style of wine that made this region internationally famous and adored. We wanted to go back to the roots and showcase the origins of this region and what we do exceptionally well." The small-batch drop is made from Paxton's prestigious Jones Block vineyard. Just 768 bottles of the inaugural 2017 vintage were made. "We decided to take the best parts of the best rows," Lamb says. The decision to make a McLaren Vale Shiraz happened over a glass (or many) of wine among mates. Ben MacMahon "A lot of celebrity wines go the opposite way they make it cheap as chips and make 10 million cases of it. We want to give a lot of integrity and provenance to the product and make it from the best of what we do. Advertisement "Ronnie really appreciates that. He is very passionate about organic and biodynamic farming and the single-vineyard, handcrafted approach to winemaking. He is also socially conscious, environmentally conscious and is a very conscious consumer. It fits." You won't see Ronnie's name or face on the front label but look closely and you'll see his signature subtly placed on the back label, alongside Paxton owner David Paxton's. "Ronnie isn't into the idea of what he calls a vanity project," Lamb says. "It was never about that. It's a philosophical collaboration; his passion is aligned with our passion." The biodynamic McLaren Vale shiraz 2019 Baterista by Paxton, $75. Ben MacMahon Katie's verdict 2019 Baterista by Paxton, $75 US band The Killers are a lovable bunch, with mass appeal and earworms galore. Drummer Ronnie Vannucci jnr is a driving, commanding drummer who brings bags of energy to the music and live performances. It's fitting that this biodynamic McLaren Vale shiraz has the depth and piercing flavour to match. What a collab. Small-batch (fewer than 800 bottles) from Paxton Wines' Jones Block vineyard (50+ years old and counting). It's a class act. Unforgettable, like a really great riff. 14 per cent ABV, paxtonwines.com Advertisement Eating outGood Food Guide 15 of the best spots for seafood in Sydney (and beyond) Good Food Guide review team January 16, 2023 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share Locals catch up at Bar Elvina, Avalon. Edwina Pickles From high-end omakase to wharfside fish and chips, here are 15 of the best spots for seafood in NSW from The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2023. Bar Elvina, Avalon This breezy, white-washed bar and restaurant was welcomed with open arms by locals when it opened in 2020. Its sunny terrace and Spanish archways are reminiscent of a Mediterranean taverna, a vibe bolstered by the seafood-forward menu. Flinders Island scallops arrive hot in their shells, bathed in bright-green seaweed oil and dotted with nori pesto, while the sweetness of grilled king prawns is tempered by wasabi butter which also comes in deliciously handy for dipping fries. barelvina.com.au Double yellowfin tuna cheeseburger at Charcoal Fish, Rose Bay. Rob Palmer Advertisement Charcoal Fish, Rose Bay Chef Josh Niland's mission to make us consider seafood's unending potential continues at this polished reimagining of the local chicken shop. The star here isn't chook, of course, but consciously farmed Murray cod simply grilled in fillet form, crumbed and fried in a burger, or hot off the spit on a crusty roll with crackling skin, stuffing and gravy made from the offcuts and bones. Yellowfin tuna, meanwhile, makes a convincing stand-in for beef in a fast-food-style cheeseburger. There's no takeaway joint in town quite like it. charcoalfish.com Crab-and-chips at Cirrus. Leigh Griffiths Cirrus, Barangaroo If the timber dinghy floating above your head doesn't put you in a maritime mood, the seafood that parades through this sleek dining room soon will. With Brent Savage at the helm, this isn't your standard fish cafe, and the chef's smart-yet-understated style is highlighted through cubes of raw tuna huddling beneath creamy miso with yuzu-kosho, ready to scoop up with a tapioca and kombu crisp. Meanwhile, curls of squid are poached in a lemony butter sauce that's both lively and comforting. cirrusdining.com.au Advertisement Eaton Chinese, Ashfield This inconspicuous neighbourhood restaurant might be an answer to the late-night XO pipi problem Sydneysiders have faced since Golden Century shut up shop. Pulled live from the tank, inspected tableside and quickly wok-tossed with your choice of sauce, Eaton's version is up there with the best. The live seafood selection is choice all round, in fact, so also consider splurging on ginger-shallot lobster. Sydney's best: audibly crunchy fish and chips at Fish Butchery. Christopher Pearce Fish Butchery, Waterloo In the heart of industrial Waterloo, in a long, gleaming room, customers watch chefs fillet, bone and dice myriad ocean treats for take-home dinners or to eat right there and then on weekends. The audibly crunchy fish and chips (perhaps mirror dory, maybe nannygai) is unquestionably Sydney's best, but specials of Australia's greatest seafood are the real treat. Barbecued King George whiting from Victoria's Corner Inlet, say, or Murray cod chorizo and chimichurri rolls. fishbutchery.com.au Advertisement Bondi's Fish Shop is cool-as-ice. Kitti Gould Fish Shop, Bondi Despite its name, this convivial dining room just off Bondi's main drag isn't just a fish-focused affair although there's plenty on offer, from tuna tartare to barbecued sand whiting with salsa verde and lemon. The cool-as-ice local is a celebration of everything pescatarian and there's plenty to love about a snacky chunk of AP Bakery sourdough slathered with aioli and mussels, or the bowl of tender calamari lazing in a pool of aromatic garlic oil. Those looking for a more casual al fresco feast will find it at sibling Fish Market next door. fishshop.com.au Margaret, Double Bay Neil Perry oversees a mighty roster of the country's finest produce, wood-fired, roasted and dressed to become the most delicious version of itself. Split a steak between two and go big on the seafood coral trout punched up with XO butter; grilled King George whiting shiny with hojiblanca olive oil; tuna tartare turbocharged by gochujang. The menu is thrillingly long, the service polished, and the soft-lit dining room eminently comfortable. margaretdoublebay.com Advertisement Chef David Coumont plates up at Moxhe in Bronte. Edwina Pickles Moxhe, Bronte A little card on the moodily lit table lists key producers such as oyster farmer Steve Feletti, saffron growers Terry and Nicky Noonan, and NSW miller Craig Neale. It's a quiet statement of intent by Belgian-born owner-chef David Coumont, who runs this wine-lined neighbourhood restaurant with a focus on sustainable seafood and visits to the fish market every morning for inspiration. Settle in for either a four-course (Tide Pool) or eight-course (Deeper Dive) menu. Ker-splash! moxhe.com.au First-rate nigiri at Ren Ishii in Ramsgate. Edwina Pickles Ren Ishii, Ramsgate Advertisement Luke and Stephanie Phillips run a warm, friendly, modern Japanese restaurant with a cocktail bar inside, and street-side seating outside. Key to their offering is sushi chef Yoshinori Fuchigami, whom the pair met when working at Rose Bay's Catalina years ago. His nigiri is first-rate, and even the more contemporary dishes have that moreish blend of acidity and richness. Kingfish crudo, for instance, tumbled with crisp nashi pear, seaweed and flying-fish roe in a sharp miso vinaigrette. renishii.com.au King George whiting with sudachi and finger lime sauce at Saint Peter. Wolter Peeters Saint Peter, Paddington Book now. Reservations fill quickly for Josh Niland's tasting menu of Australia's best seafood, and with news that he and wife Julie are moving their flagship to Paddington's Grand National Hotel in early 2023, months are ticking to enjoy the intimate original site at its height. After six years of gill-to-fin cooking and spruiking the delicious complexity of dry-aged fish, Niland's current seven-course dinner might lead with Murray-cod-liver parfait before King George whiting marinated in champagne vinegar. Also note the a la carte lunch menu with oysters galore. saintpeter.com.au Scottie's, Newcastle Advertisement This institution has been serving Novocastrians for the past 70 years, and the corner site has never looked better. A recent interior redesign meant it was out with the crab pots and in with a handsome fit-out of dark timber, marble and neutral colours. It's a calming place to sit and inhale a rust-red bouillabaisse-style soup teeming with mussels, rock cod and fat king prawns. Families drop by during the day for fish and chips and crumbed calamari, while young couples visit at dinner for yuzu margaritas and a decadent little lobster and sambal sandwich. scottiesbeachhouse.com The view at Valentina in Merimbula. Supplied Valentina, Merimbula Val's, as it's known, occupies an enviable spot on the Merimbula promenade overlooking oyster beds, bobbing boats and the odd passing pelican squadron. It's not a restaurant trading on its view, however, with a beautiful, muted and curvaceous room providing the setting for excellent food. Incredibly fresh snapper tartare is weaponised with wasabi cream, while lightly pickled mussels escabeche is covered with crunchy, smoky 'nduja a dish in itself worth the visit. Much of the menu is seasonally sourced from the surrounding cold, clear waters. valentinamerimbula.com Shell-your-own at Woy Woy Fishermen's Wharf. Nikki To Advertisement Woy Woy Fishermen's Wharf, Woy Woy Every coastal town needs a good fish and chipper and Woy Woy doesn't disappoint. Step past the booming takeaway kiosk and into a smart dining room where floor-to-ceiling windows reveal frolicking pelicans and ducks nose-diving under bush-fringed waters. An expansive menu covers the best parts of the sea fish tacos cut with a crunchy slaw and chilli-ginger sauce, snapper ceviche, pipis in XO, and mussels plumped up in a spicy tomato and parsley-flecked broth. woywoyfishermenswharf.com.au Stir-fried pipis with XO sauce at XOPP. Edwina Pickles XOPP by Golden Century, Haymarket Past and future are as one inside this wonderfully wacky building, which looks like its wrapped in spun sugar. Robot waiters roll past tables set with old-school lazy susans, delivering dishes to the circular, light-filled dining room, and the menu is split into "Cantonese Classics" and "Modern Twists". The former features the restaurant's namesake pipis those world-famous, wok-fried molluscs tossed through thick garlic-heavy XO and served on crisp noodles that soak up the sauce. Straight-from-the-tank coral trout, snow crab and lobsters are plentiful, too. xopp.com.au Advertisement Yoshii's Omakase, Barangaroo Photo: Supplied If you're into the moment of bliss a perfect mouthful of nigiri can provide, or just like to sit at a beautiful spotted-gum counter and put yourself in the hands of a sushi master for two to three hours, the lofty price ($350) at this 10-seater is entirely justified. Ryuich Yoshii is dedicated to the pursuit of pristine seafood, and his sushi procession maybe kingfish belly, ume-licked bonito, kombu-marinated baby whiting and squid scored to bloom like a flower is as good as it gets. crownsydney.com.au/yoshii-omakase The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2023 magazine is available for $9.95 from newsagents, supermarkets and at thestore.com.au. Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up Advertisement Eating outBest of 10 of Sydneys best Japanese eateries and restaurants Yakitori? Omakase? Teppanyaki? Sydneys got it all. All thats left is which one to choose. Good Food team March 16, 2023 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share From a comforting bowl of ramen to a rarefied omakase experience and everything in between, Sydney is rich in pickings for excellent Japanese dining options. Each subcategory is worthy of its own top 10 list, but here are some of our critics choice favourites from the plethora of options. Bonito crudo with burnt honey and rhubarb-boshi. Brook Mitchell Ante This zen-like hideaway recently won Good Food Guide Bar of the Year for its all-round excellent service, drinks and vibe. Sake importer extraordinaire Matt Young and chef Jemma Whitemans painstakingly detailed interpretation of a jazu kissa (Japanese listening bar) is a meditative escape from the outside world. Be spirited away by every element, from the 2500-strong vinyl collection to the eclectic snacks and bespoke glassware. Its an education in the ins and outs of junmai (additive-free, pure rice) sake, and the fine art of food and drink pairing. Advertisement Advertisement 186-188 Victoria Street, Potts Point, chacobar.com.au Gaku chefs Harunobu Inukai and Shimon Hanakura dish up 10 courses with a side of humour, warmth and grace. Jennifer Soo Gaku Robata Grill Omakase Although we mourn that Gakus famous lunchtime ramen disappeared when it switched to kaiseki-style omakase in September, youre still in safe hands with owner-chef Haru Inukai and Shimon Hanakura at the helm of this 11-seater. Expect a tasting menu blending exceptional Australian and Japanese ingredients with French technique and luxe touches of lobster, truffle, foie gras and caviar sprinkled throughout. And hey, look, the ramens still here after all, just in a smaller bowl, with duck and yuzu broth. Shop 2, 132 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst, gakurobatagrill.com.au Advertisement Good Food hat 15.5 / 20 Review Gaku Robata Grill becomes a fun omakase party Nab a seat on the Darlo footpath at Nomidokoro Indigo. Brook Mitchell Nomidokoro Indigo This bento-sized izakaya taps into Japanese drinking culture in an endearingly traditional way, offering everyday prices for the sorts of foods that go well with sake, beer, whisky and Coke. See: golden deep-fried chicken wings, crunchy school-prawn karaage or brothy agedashi tofu. Its the latest venture from Hatena Group, the force behind Darling Squares raucously popular Nakano Darling and Crows Nest standing bar Tachinomi YP. Walk-ins might snare a table on the Darlo footpath; otherwise you need to book (way) ahead to reserve a coveted seat at the narrow counter. 393 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, nomidokoroindigo.com.au Advertisement 14.5 / 20 Review A tiny taste of Tokyo in Darlinghurst Wagyu beef udon noodles at Ren Ishii. Edwina Pickles Ren Ishii Superb sushi has hit Ramsgate with the opening of Ren Ishii, a neighbourhood destination named for Lucy Lius character in Quentin Tarantinos Kill Bill. Luke and Stephanie Phillips run a warm, friendly, modern Japanese restaurant with a cocktail bar and street-side seating. Key to their operation is long-serving sushi chef Yoshinori Fuchigami, whom the pair met when working at Rose Bays Catalina years ago. His nigiri is first-rate, and even the more contemporary dishes have that moreish blend of acidity and richness. 29 Campbell Street, Ramsgate, renishii.com.au Advertisement Advertisement 14.5 / 20 Review Go beyond the noodle at Senpai Ramen The sushi selection from Sokyos omakase menu. Tom Edwards Sokyo This fine-dining neo-Japanese space offers a dark-curtained version of Sydney where high rollers, old friends and first dates revel under moody lighting with champagne and top-shelf sashimi. Chef Chase Kojima balances tradition and inventiveness with dishes such as bluefin tataki starring six slivers of tuna, encircled by leek aioli, pickled mushrooms and edible flowers. Chicken yakitori has a smoky intensity, while ravioli stuffed with Hokkaido scallop is zesty and briny. Across the water, Crown Sydneys Nobu serves up its perennially popular black miso cod and spectacular nigiri plates. Ground level, The Star, 80 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont, star.com.au Advertisement Vegan ochazuke with teapot and pickles at Tento. Flavio Brancaleone Tento Tea-fuelled cafe Tento levels up leftover rice by filling teapots with a creamy seven-vegetable broth for vegan ochazuke. Pour it over the bowls sculptural rice ball and the air blooms with the scent of buttered popcorn. Smoked bonito stock flavours the salmon ochazuke, while a chicken version is seasoned with chilli oil. Tentos Kyoto alleyway feel is backed by other Japanese flourishes, including handcrafted ramen bowls and latte mugs. 8 Hill Street, Surry Hills, tento.com.au Review Back to the future with a twist at TenTo Advertisement Tetsuyas signature confit ocean trout. Christopher Pearce Tetsuyas This fine-dining French-Japanese trailblazer is still firing at Kent Street until August, when it will have to find a new home due to the buildings redevelopment. In the meantime, that signature confit ocean trout still impresses, and creamy, dashi-rich koshihikari rice with wispy, fine-cut strands of squid proves a daring combination shot through with finger lime. Visit this seminal player in Australias culinary evolution at its current temple one last time. 529 Kent Street, Sydney, tetsuyas.com The delicate sashimi platter from Yoshiis Omakase at Crown Sydney. Supplied Advertisement Yoshiis Omakase Sydney has embraced omakase with a wave of openings in recent years, but for a two-hat experience in plush surrounds head to Crown Sydney for Yoshiis Omakase. With a minimum spend of $350 per person, this 10-seater isnt cheap, but its price is entirely justified by sushi master Ryuichi Yoshiis pristine seafood. His sushi procession (think kingfish belly, ume-licked bonito and squid scored to bloom like a flower) is as good as it gets. Throw in top-shelf sake and White Bay views, and this is essential Sydney dining. Level 2, 1 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo, crownsydney.com.au Buttermilk chicken katsu sando at Sandoitchi Cafe in Darlinghurst. Edwina Pickles Also try Advertisement Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up Advertisement Review Eating outPaddington El Primo Sanchez is not a bar for everyone, but gee, it is fun Callan Boys March 17, 2023 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share A collection of the most exciting venues to visit in Sydney this month. See all stories . 1 / 7 El Primo Sanchez is a swish Mexican bar in Paddington. Jennifer Soo 2 / 7 Go-to dish: Tuna tostadas. Jennifer Soo 3 / 7 Guacamole with fermented green tomato. Jennifer Soo 4 / 7 Chicken carnitas taco. Jennifer Soo 5 / 7 House cocktails (and classics) feature mezcal and tequila. Jennifer Soo 6 / 7 Snapper ceviche. Jennifer Soo 7 / 7 Disco balls hang above the DJ booth. Steve Woodburn Previous Slide Next Slide 14.5 / 20 How we score Mexican$$$ I would like to publicly apologise to anyone within a five-metre radius of El Primo Sanchezs karaoke room around sunset three Saturday nights ago. That was an awful version of Sweet Child O Mine. I would also like to apologise to my dining companions for insisting we try, and get through, all the house cocktails (there are a lot), and ask forgiveness from the chef for skipping the natilla custard with mezcal flambe ($16) because we ordered way too many tacos. In short, sorry to everyone. Gee, it was a bit of fun, though. Advertisement El Primo is a sharp, slick and slightly swanky Mexican bar which opened on Oxford Street in the last week of February. Pumping high-fidelity booze and tunes inside a 1940s corner hotel (once the Rose, Shamrock & Thistle), its the first partnership between the owners of cocktail bar Maybe Sammy (that always-packed prestige gin joint near The Rocks) and Public Hospitality Group, which bought the site in 2021. Its such a riot of colour and sound, I feel like I need a few minutes of sensory deprivation afterwards. Its not a quiet place. Enter through the old pub doors and youre hit with an explosion of canary yellow, mustard, vivid oranges and royal blue as lights in a recessed ceiling pulse and change colour. Well-drilled staff shake margaritas and dance to modern salsa. I count 14 disco balls above the DJ booth, but there may be more. My favourite part is the Emergencia! Press for tequila button in the two-person karaoke booth, which is available for short sessions. We slap it and two shots ($27) are delivered between Creep and Jackson. (Again, apologies to the nearby tables. Im told the room is soundproof, but insulation must have its limits.) Pre-Radiohead, we kick off with fatty, spicy, whipped nduja surrounded by potato chips and topped with creme fraiche and chives ($18). Tasty stuff, albeit thoroughly rich wedges, sour cream and sweet chilli for a new generation. Advertisement Guacamole with fermented green tomato. Jennifer Soo Naturally, theres also tortilla chips and guacamole ($16), spiffed up with lightly fermented slices of green tomato and a toasty, house-made chilli sauce. With more lime and acid, it could be a knockout dish. Chef Alejandro Huertas brief seems to be playful but elevated Mexican favourites, and he nails it with tuna tostadas (three for $22) featuring diced grapefruit-pink fish enhanced by a koji-fermented habanero mayonnaise of enormous flavour. Theres wasabi leaf and pickled turnip on top, too, but its all about that mayo. Most tacos are $12 each and, considering El Primos staffing and fit-out costs and the quality of ingredients, Ill go in to bat for that price. Plus, the chicken carnitas taco is so filling you could probably eat two and call it a day: juicy, boisterously spiced meat, all shredded and tangled and covered with jalapeno salsa, avocado and crisp-fried chicken skin. Chicken carnitas taco. Jennifer Soo Advertisement Only the roasted Brussels sprout taco ($11) falls flat, largely thanks to a ricotta-like, hazelnut cheese which has an uncanny knack for smothering every other flavour it touches. You can probably skip the wild mushroom quesadilla ($16), too, which features real Oaxaca cheese, but needs proper seasoning. Full marks, though, to muscular tiger prawns licked with flames and chilli butter (three for $38), and kudos to the dry-aged sirloin ($45) basted in mole de olla a type of beefy Mexican soup with crunchy, corkscrew-shaped fries ($11) on the side. You could order a serviceable La Boca malbec ($14/$68) from Argentina at this point, sure, but I say embrace the Hogs Breath silliness of those chips with a Charro Negro highball ($22) of tequila, smoked cola and lime. Fun! The cocktails are mostly brilliant and tequila-based, by the way even the espresso martini ($22) replaces vodka with Patron. After extensive investigation, I can especially recommend the bang-on Primo Margarita ($24) or Sanchez Paloma ($22) featuring tequila, lime and agave syrup, and mandarin soda so zesty it could be sherbet. This is not a bar for everyone. At the time of writing, you cant book. The merchandise list is longer than the beer selection. Perhaps you would just like a standard gin negroni, thanks very much, and not our version of with tequila or mezcal. Advertisement Did I mention it can get loud? Heck, Im not even sure its a bar for me. Its such a riot of colour and sound, I feel like I need a few minutes of sensory deprivation afterwards. However, I return a week later, suspecting we missed a trick by not ordering that Spanish custard dessert. Apologies this time to my wife for eating way more than my fair share. (But good golly, it was delicious.) Go-to dish: Tuna tostadas. Jennifer Soo The lowdown Vibe: Mid-century tequila jive on the Jalisco coast Mid-century tequila jive on the Jalisco coast Go-to dish: Tuna tostadas (three for $22) Tuna tostadas (three for $22) Drinks: Polished cocktails ready to party, some wines and a daunting amount of mezcal Polished cocktails ready to party, some wines and a daunting amount of mezcal Cost: About $100 for two, excluding drinks This review was originally published in Good Weekend magazine Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up Advertisement FoodWine The joy of NoLo: Waking up to the wonderful world of no- and low-alcohol drinks Katie Spain February 13, 2023 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share Go-to for a zippy, mid-afternoon citrus pick-me-up: Yes You Can Alcohol-Free Yuzu Sake. Supplied As a wine writer, I was never going to find a 12-week abstinence challenge easy. No booze seemed unfathomable. Fortunately, the NoLo (no alcohol, low alcohol) scene is booming, and the drinks options now are thrilling. Since Sans Drinks founder Irene Falcone opened Australia's first non-alcoholic bottleshop in Sydney's northern beaches in 2021, alcohol-free retailers have popped up across the nation. Shelves full of non-alc alternatives are also commonplace at traditional liquor stores, while temperance menus now sit comfortably alongside wine pairings at top-end restaurants across Australia. Co-owners of Monceau Rowan McNaught and Alan Caras. Justin McManus Advertisement The growth in the category was captured by the IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, which found Australia is among the countries where growth of no-alcohol and low-alcohol beer consumption is projected to be among the highest over the next four years. For the likes of ALTD Spirits founder Tim Triggs, abstinence is a lifestyle as well as a business. Triggs gave up alcohol in 2016 for what was meant to be six months. He hasn't returned to it since. As a result, he launched ALTD Spirits with his sister in 2018. "Back then there was a serious lack of alcohol-free choices and we were the target market, so it just made sense to give it a crack," he says. Four Pillars Bandwagon Dry comes alive with tonic water. Benito Martin "I honestly think the word is spreading that not being hungover is amazing. People are waking up to it. It's such a messy, destructive habit for so many. Loads of people are fine with alcohol but lots more aren't. I think as NoLo becomes more normalised, more people are embracing it." Advertisement As de-alcoholisation technology improves and inspiration and experimentation blossoms, so too does the offering. Whether you're abstaining completely, seeking a bit of moderation or are simply NoLo-curious, there are some thoughtfully made gems to be found. Give these inspired alternatives a try. Beer Heaps Normal Half Day Hazy Pale Ale, NSW, from $4.50/can, $64.95/case Photo: Supplied The stellar non-alcoholic XPA and classic lager made by Sydney's Heaps Normal have been well publicised since four pals founded the company in 2019. The latest addition to their arsenal is the Half Day Hazy Pale Ale. It's as close as you'll get to the real deal and begs to be consumed while cutting laps on a ride-on lawnmower (doesn't all beer?). 0.5 per cent alcohol by volume. heapsnormal.com Advertisement Hop Nation Mind Ya Head Non-Alc XPA, Vic, $15/four-pack Melbourne craft brewery Hop Nation makes the full-flavoured Mind Ya Head Non-Alc XPA, awarded Australia's number one non-alc beer in the 2022 Australian International Beer Awards. The can features two magpies swooping a cyclist Aussie as. The limited-release Hop Nation Opening Doors Non-Alc Hazy Pale Ale and No Fool Non-Alc Raspberry Sour (both $17/four-pack) are also refreshing after a hard day's toil. Less than 0.5 per cent ABV. hopnation.com.au Sobah Pepperberry IPA, Qld, $16.50/four-pack Based in Burleigh Heads, Sobah produces a range of non-alcoholic craft beers while raising positive awareness and promoting First Nations' culture, arts, language and history. For a full sensory overload, try this complex bushtucker-packed brew. Less than 0.5 per cent ABV. sobah.com.au Photo: Supplied Advertisement Cider The Apple Thief Pink Lady Non-Alcoholic Cider, $30/six-pack At first sip, the sugar hit delivered by this alcohol-free cider might be startling, but add some ice and it's an utter delight. The bird on the label is a playful ode to the cheeky birds that steal fruit from cidery founder Dave Purcell's orchard. It's made in NSW using 100 per cent pink lady apples grown in Batlow, at the base of the Snowy Mountains. Zero added sugar, zero juice concentrates, zero alcohol, and all fun. theapplethief.com.au Photo: Supplied Mixed drinks Advertisement Katie's pick Awesome Source Non-Alcoholic Gin & Tonic, $59/eight-pack Frances Chnaider and her partner, Ben East, put a great deal of effort into their small-batch non-alcoholic gin and tonic. "An excessive amount of drinking during COVID, a Tony Robbins seminar and the excitement of combining my partner's rocket-wizardry skills with my product innovation background led us to create this business," Chnaider says. "We refuse to use sweeteners of any kind, fillers, gums, fake burns (the ones that try and mimic alcohol burns) and any of the other common non-alcoholic additives you'll find." And as packaging goes, theirs is hard to beat. Less than 0.5 per cent ABV. awesomesource.co Yes You Can Alcohol-Free Yuzu Sake, $52/dozen One sip was enough to make me seek out Yes You Can's Insta account and hit "follow". It's become my go-to for a zippy, mid-afternoon citrus pick-me-up but also holds its own as a party beverage. Founder, ex-Olympian Tyler Martin and his partner Sophie came up with the idea for Yes You Can while Sophie was pregnant and craving an Aperol spritz. You won't find any artificial flavours in the range. Just all-natural extracts, essences, flavours and distillates. Less than 0.5 per cent ABV. yesyoucandrinks.com Advertisement Banks Botanicals Banks Herbarium & Pink Grapefruit Tonic, $19.95/RTD four-pack This mixed drink tastes so much like Pfeffernusse (German iced gingerbread cookies) it's like a trip to Deutschland. You might also detect some wattleseed and wild Tasmanian pepperberry in the mix. Zero per cent alcohol. banksbotanicals.com ALTD Spirits An-marabula Native Peach Bellini ($25/four-pack) A limited-edition collaboration between ALTD Spirits and Indigenous bushfoods specialist Kakadu Kitchen, this drink shines a spotlight on an-marabula (Kakadu native peach). The debut run is limited to just 300 cases. altdspirits.com Photo: Supplied Advertisement Still wine The search for an Australian-made zero-alcohol still "wine" that blows my socks off is still under way. Many lack texture, tannin, and/or taste too sweet or flimsy. The Triple Creek Winery B1654 2021 Non-Alcoholic Shiraz (from $19, less than .05 per cent alcohol, freespiritdrinkco.com.au, anadrinks.com.au), however, provides hope for a more fulfilling future. The de-alcoholised Barossa shiraz offers textures, dark fruit flavours, a lick of oak and green tea-like tannin. As whites go, the Giesen 0% Pinot Grigio ($16.99, danmurphys.com.au) is surprisingly expressive and tasty. Fizz Pure Vision Zero Sparkling, Adelaide, SA, $20 Family-owned Pure Vision Wines makes award-winning certified organic wines. Adding a Zero range was a bold step towards the future. The new-release sparkling chardonnay is the jewel in the crown. The chardonnay delivers an exhilarating citrus bang. Drink it as you would a good prosecco, with friends and animated conversation. Zero per cent alcohol. purevisionwines.com.au Advertisement Sidewood 'Nearly Naked' Zero-Alcohol NV Sparkling, Adelaide Hills, SA, $22 Layers of lemon and brioche make it an elegant option for discerning drinkers. "We found a lot of zero-alcohol wines on the market that tasted oxidised, sweet, unbelievably acidic, unfermented or cider-like," says Sidewood marketing manager Sam Evans. "If we were going to do this, the fruit intensity had to be clean, bright and vibrant with a dry finish." Zero per cent alcohol. sidewood.com.au Photo: Supplied - Spirit alternatives Four Pillars Bandwagon Dry, Healesville, Vic, $50 Advertisement Four Pillars head distiller and co-founder Cameron Mackenzie says creating Bandwagon Dry gin was probably the most difficult thing they've ever done. "The thing that makes these products so difficult is that they lack the palate weight, texture and sweetness of alcohol," he says. "They are driven by beautiful aromatics but tend to be watery." Adding tonic to Bandwagon Gin unlocks the flavours and aromas, making it taste more complete. Find it at bottleshops, Woolworths, David Jones and fourpillarsgin.com The Gospel Projects Responsible Rye Non-Alcoholic Whiskey, Melbourne, Vic, $46 Nothing hits the spot quite like the real stuff, but this is an admirable attempt by Ben Bowles and Andrew Fitzgerald's Melbourne distillery, The Gospel, which is dedicated to producing straight rye whisky. This is no different. The flavours of rye whiskey are there only more like a whiskey on ice that's had a bit of time in the glass. Best mixed with ginger ale and a slice of orange. Less than 0.5 per cent alcohol. thegospelwhiskey.com Lyre's Italian Orange, $44.99 This non-alcoholic drop holds its own against the hard stuff. The vibrant orange liquid has all the citrus punch of a classic bitter orange aperitif (such as Campari), with a distinctly modern edge. Pithy blood orange flavours explode when added to soda or tonic water. A great sundowner or brunch accompaniment minus the hangover. Zero per cent alcohol. lyres.com.au Advertisement Photo: Supplied Left of centre NON7 Stewed Cherry & Coffee, Melbourne, Vic, $30 If in doubt, reach for fizz by Melbourne's NON. These boundary-pushing beverages tick all the boxes particularly quality and are challenging enough on the flavour front to spark serious joy and intrigue. Throw the NON7 into the mix at your next dinner party and watch collective minds blow. Zero alcohol. non.world Monceau sparkling non-alcs and pet-nats, Melbourne, Vic, from $17 Advertisement Craft brewery Monceau is a pioneer of top-notch sparkling wine alternatives and I am currently obsessed. The Brunswick-based producer makes raw and unfiltered non-alc pet-nats using the ancestral method (from $18/bottle) and sparkling non-alcs spanning flavours such as pamplemousse (grapefruit), cerise, and passionfruit. They sell out fast so keep your eyes peeled for them at retailers and restaurants. monceau.com.au Ziggy's Wild Foods Wild Coffee & Native Dorrigo Pepper Qishr Shrub, $20 This slightly sweet, delightfully acidic drop is inspired by qishr, a traditional Yemeni coffee and sweet ginger drink. Enjoy as it is or add a splash of soda or ginger beer. What is a shrub? Put simply, it's an age-old mixed drink combining fermented plants, a sweetener and vinegar. Zero alcohol. ziggyswildfoods.com.au Even the Oscars organisers have given up on the red carpet, this year replacing the crimson runway with a strip dubbed Champagne that more closely resembled the dregs of a dubious sparkling wine from California. Once a highlight of the international fashion calendar, where armchair critics were treated to outrageous and extravagant expressions of ego in sequins, satin and swan suits, the pre-show preening for the Academy Awards has become as predictable as an episode of Is It Cake? Memorable outfits from Oscars past, such as Celine Dions backwards white Dior tuxedo in 1999, worn with a jaunty fedora, Gwyneth Paltrows ill-fitting pink Ralph Lauren prom dress, also from 1999 and Nicole Kidmans mink-trimmed chartreuse silk dress from John Galliano for Christian Dior in 1997, once inspired water cooler conversations, high street knock-offs and inventive Halloween costumes. Can we start looking forward, not back? Cher in a towering Bob Mackie headdress and bare midriff in 1986, designed to grab attention following her nomination snub by the Academy for Mask, and a sheer Mackie when she picked up the statuette for Moonstruck two years later, continues to inspire designers, drag queens and Kardashians. The Nemiroff company will complete the modernization of the Nemyriv distillery, acquired at a privatization auction, in 2024, the distillery's monthly capacity will amount to 9,000 decaliters, which will completely cover the needs for food alcohol of the company's alcoholic beverages plant and will allow selling extra spirit on the market, the CEO of Nemiroff Yuriy Sorochynsky has said. "Even before the war, reconstruction began at the distillery, and it continues. Because of the war, some of the suppliers and contractors have stopped, so the deadlines for completion of work have shifted," Sorochynsky told Interfax-Ukraine on the sidelines of the Business Wisdom Summit. He said that if there had not been the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, the distillery would have already been put into operation. The company is not considering purchasing additional alcohol capacities at privatization auctions, Sorochynsky added. "We are carrying out a high-quality reconstruction of our ditillery, and its capacity will be enough to ensure all our plans," the CEO said. The size of investment in modernization was not disclosed. Speaking at the Business Wisdom Summit, Sorochynsky said that from the end of February to the middle of March 2022, Nemiroff stopped the work of its eponymous distillery in Nemyriv in connection with the introduction of a ban on the sale of strong alcohol in Ukraine from February 24. Since April, the ban was lifted in Kyiv, and then in other regions. All this time the company did not stop shipments for export. In March-April, export volumes grew by 32%, the CEO said, without specifying absolute figures. According to him, after the start of the full-scale invasion, the company changed the model of work and began to ship products to external counterparties without delaying payment, which previously was 90-120 days, depending on contracts. "Everyone agreed to such conditions. This actually gave us the opportunity to resume the processes of shipping products for export in March," Sorochynsky said. The growth of the company's sales in export markets in 2022 was facilitated by the sanctions imposed by many countries on alcoholic beverages produced in the Russian Federation, the CEO of Nemiroff said. But at the same time, a number of logistical processes, according to him, have slowed down. "When shipping products to the U.S. market, containers have been traveling for four months since May. Of these, three months they were on the territory of Ukraine. In a number of countries, it was possible to replace the product of the Russian Federation quickly but in some countries, the opportunities that opened up were not fully used due to logistical difficulties," Sorochynsky said. He said that in 2022, the share of exports in Nemiroff's total revenue increased to 40%. The company plans to bring it up to 70% without reducing sales in Ukraine, Sorochynsky said, without specifying the period during which such an indicator is planned to be achieved. Nemiroff's sales volume in 2022 reached 2.4 million 9-liter cases or 2.1 million decalitres. The company paid UAH 1.14 billion in taxes for 2022. The company's net revenue for 2022 grew by 3.86%, while profit fell by 109%. Absolute figures of revenue and profit are not disclosed. Nemiroff is one of the largest Ukrainian alcohol producers with production facilities in Nemyriv, Vinnytsia region. That sounded distinctly old-fashioned, on almost any criteria of modern warfare. As for Chinas intentions, no one can be sure of what they will be. Just as they have changed in the last decade, as China has become more assertive and aggressive, so they may evolve in future, according to that countrys domestic developments and the external environment it faces. China under President Xi Jinping has become more assertive and aggressive. Credit: Bloomberg As things stand, the strategic outlook in the region has become distinctly more dangerous with Chinas growing power and ambition, which is driving the present response in terms of upgrading defence capability. On the submarine deal, we are also looking into a crystal ball when we are talking about three decades. Australia has had repeated missteps over the last decade in trying to get together a successful submarine program. It will be a miracle if this one goes smoothly. And thats apart from the matter of changing governments in the three countries and whatever develops in the international strategic situation. Loading Nothing can be foreseen with the degree of precision that the plan outlined this week might suggest. Governments can only operate on what seems like reasonable calculations at the time. Keating not only attacked the AUKUS agreement (as he did when it was announced in 2021) but personalised his assault by targeting Anthony Albanese, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles (although Marles was credited with being well-intentioned). He painted Albanese as someone who hadnt previously shown any deep or long-term interest in foreign affairs but then fell in with Wong and Marles to lead this great misadventure. Keating has long been critical of Wong privately. Wednesdays comments about her had a particularly sharp edge. He declared that running around the Pacific Islands with a lei around your neck handing out money, which is what Penny does, is not foreign policy. Foreign Minister Penny Wong was on the receiving end of stinging criticism from Keating. Credit: AAP Well, it actually is, at least up to a point. The Albanese government has worked hard on improving Australias standing among small Pacific countries, helped by its climate policy and a great deal of travel by Wong. Thats not to say Australian influence will prevail in the long run, given Chinas intense courtship of these countries. Its another of those longer-term imponderables. The government is keeping its reaction to the Keating missiles as low-key as practicable. Its holding the line on the issues of substance about AUKUS and strategy, and defending Wong; it is casting Keating as being in the past, while trying to avoid hitting back at him in personal terms. Albanese said on Thursday: Hes entitled to put his views, hes put them. Theyre not views I agree with in this case. But Paul Keating was a great treasurer, a great prime minister, he has my respect, and I have no intention of engaging in a public argument with Paul Keating. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has offered the government Coalition support for budget cuts to fund the purchase of submarines. Credit: Michael Quelch The Labor Party, we praise our heroes for the contribution that theyve made. But my responsibility in 2023 is to give Australia the leadership that they need now, not what they might have needed in the 1990s. With AUKUS having Coalition support, the extent to which the opposition can exploit the Keating attack is limited. Instead, it is saying what senior ministers cant. Peter Dutton called them unhinged comments and said the government should rebuke the former PM. Keating is obviously hoping hell motivate the Labor base he said he expected branch members to react against the governments policy. The government, which so far had not had a revolt in the ranks over AUKUS, will hope it can deny enough oxygen to the story that it blows over relatively quickly. Loading It wasnt only Albanese and his ministers who received a serve from Keating. His attacks on journalists, including questioners at the National Press Club event, were bitter. Generally, I take the view that we in the media dish out a lot of criticism and so, when were on the receiving end, we should suck it up. But there is a line (or should be) between what is acceptable and unacceptable, for both journalists and public figures. Keating was on the wrong side of that line. It should not be acceptable to call an author of a recent series of anti-China articles in the Nine newspapers a psychopath. Or to tell the co-author, who asked Keating a question, You should hang your head in shame [] you ought to do the right thing and drum yourself out of Australian journalism. The insults just took attention off his condemnation of the substance of the Red Alert articles. Even worse was his putdown of a young journalist who asked a reasonable question that suggested Keating might be out of date on the China issue because he hadnt been briefed since the mid-1990s. Loading I know youre trying to ask a question, but the question is so dumb, its hardly worth an answer, Keating replied, before suggesting the reporter was trying to ingratiate herself with her employer. Keating has always had a rough tongue. One reason he was against the televising of parliament decades ago was he knew invective, effective when he deployed it against opponents in the theatre of the House of Representatives, came across badly when viewed in the suburban lounge room. Western Australias land authority is investigating whether an institute which teaches students how to buy properties from people in financial distress should be able to access WA land title information. Students learn to use property databases to find the addresses and phone numbers of people on court lists who are likely to be under mortgage stress so that marketing material can be sent to them offering to purchase their home. Students are taught to use court lists to find people in financial distress. Credit: Rob Homer Students pay up to $6000 per year for courses that include lessons on how to use Australian court lists and property data software to seek out distressed homeowners and convince them to sell at discounted rates. The institute has already been cut off from two major Australian property data platforms. A rapidly moving grass fire in the states Upper Lachlan Shire has been spotted from space, as firefighters continue to work to contain the out-of-control blaze. The NSW Rural Fire Service issued an emergency warning for residents of Curraweela, near Taralga, just before 3pm on Thursday as the blaze began threatening homes. The small town, which recorded just 47 residents in the 2016 census, is about 140 kilometres south-west of Sydney. The fire produced huge amounts of smoke on Thursday afternoon which has since made its way towards Sydney. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Six days after the catastrophic earthquake struck south-eastern Turkey, Dr Rob Scott pulled the bodies of two teenage girls from the rubble that was their home. They were sisters, Scott recalls. Their extended family were all waiting on the side of the road. I wont forget the sounds, the emotion, when we brought these girls out and gave them back to their family. They were absolutely distraught. They had already lost the girls parents their little brother, who must have been about three or four years old, was sitting there crying with the rest of them. As Scott looked down the road, he saw the same scene play out again and again as families waited for rescue crews to help recover their dead loved ones from under several tonnes of cement and twisted metal. The trauma doctor and specialist anaesthetist from Sydney had only just arrived in the destroyed city of Antakya, the Hatay province capital. He was among a team of 72 Australians trained in urban search and rescue operations who had been sent to help local rescue crews search for survivors and recover the dead from the rubble that had just days earlier been apartments, hospitals, schools and businesses. Advertisement Scott volunteered for the mission within 48 hours of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake on February 6 at 4.17am local time. It would be the first overseas deployment for the medico who usually splits his time between St George Hospital in south-east Sydney and rescuing seriously injured people with NSW Ambulance. My heart was in my mouth when I agreed to go, and asked my wife and told the kids what was happening, the father of three young daughters aged 10, eight and five years old, said. The team consisted of two trauma doctors and five paramedics from NSW Ambulance, 60 Fire and Rescue NSW personnel, a NSW Police officer and four members of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trades National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). They flew out the following day. It would take more than two days to get to Antakya. This would be Murray Traynors fourth overseas deployment. The paramedic of 36 years had been on the ground in Samoa after the 2008 tsunami, in Christchurch in the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake and in Vanuatu following the 2015 cyclone. But even Traynor found the extent of the destruction in Antakya overwhelming. Advertisement The whole city about the size of Parramatta was rubble, Traynor said. The damage caused by the earthquake and its aftershocks spread across an area of about 350,000 square kilometres (about the size of Germany) through Turkey and across the Syrian border. It is the deadliest natural disaster in Turkeys modern history, with more than 55,700 deaths - 48,400 in Turkey and more than 7200 in Syria. An estimated 2.4 million people have been left homeless, seeking shelter in tents and temporary shelters, and more than 850,000 children remain displaced, the UNs International Organisation of Migration says. Antakya, a whole city the size of Parramatta, was in ruins. The Australians knew there was little chance they would find large numbers of survivors so many days after the initial earthquake. They heard accounts of other rescue crews finding a handful of people alive in basements and other air pockets beneath the rubble, but the Australians found no living victims during their 10 days in the field. We had all the instruments and machinery, and other countries had dogs that we could use to find possible live victims but unfortunately that wasnt the case, Traynor said. Advertisement Retrieving the dead and returning their bodies to their families became their primary task. In one day, the crew recovered 12 victims, including children as young as two, Traynor said. There were a lot of children that we pulled from the rubble. That would get to anyone, I dont care what anyone says, he said. Retrieving the dead and returning their bodies to their families became the Australians primary task. Families would implore you to go in. To be able to hand back their loved ones, so they could mourn and bury them with dignity that was how we coped. The father of a 12-year-old girl buried under the remnants of their apartment building had to be dragged away from the site for fear that he would injure himself. But at the end of the day, he was so grateful that we found his daughter. At least he had his child back to mourn. Every one of us will have a memory like that, Traynor said. Advertisement The Australian paramedics and doctors were responsible for the health and wellbeing of their fellow Australians as they searched the dangerous terrain. The team did some heroic stuff to make sure the deceased could be taken back to their families, and they had the expertise to do that safely, Traynor said of the crew working amid rubble piles underneath buildings amid aftershocks and the possibility of more earthquakes. They were set up to manage severe trauma and acute injuries, but thankfully there were none. The team searched dangerous terrain for survivors. Overall, the team brought 22 tonnes of equipment with them to ensure they were completely self-sustaining and put no further burden on local resources. They set up their base of operations in the carpark of a showground, sleeping in tents as the temperature overnight dipped below minus 10. At the end of the deployment, the Australians donated a lot of their medical supplies (medications and consumables) to Turkish health facilities. Advertisement A Sydney man has surfed 40 hours straight to break the world record and raise funds for mental health. Former pro-surfer Blake Johnston emerged from the waves at Cronulla Beach to cheering crowds as a Guinness World Record holder for the longest surf on Friday morning before hopping back in for more. The 40-year-old father of two told Nine he felt pretty cooked after surfing about 525 waves over 30 hours and 11 minutes, but managed to jump back in. At 5pm when he finally finished his surf, Johnston was carried on the shoulders of friends up the beach in celebration. He was looked over by paramedics before being transported to hospital for observation. NSW Police have issued a warning to a teenage boy accused of hurling a racist insult at South Sydney fullback Latrell Mitchell during a match. Mitchell was leaving the field at half-time of the match between the Panthers and Rabbitohs at Penriths BlueBet Stadium when the teenage spectator allegedly shouted out a racist remark. Latrell Mitchell heads up the tunnel BlueBet Stadium at half-time on Thursday night. Credit: Getty Images The NRL integrity unit and NSW Police launched investigations after South Sydney officials informed ground security, but sources revealed conflicting versions of events had emerged. NSW Police on Thursday told the Herald their investigation had been completed. Its understood no charges are expected against the boy. West Australian Premier Mark McGowan says defence force land in the Woomera prohibited area in South Australia is the best location to store dangerous radioactive waste from Australias nuclear submarines. The premiers comments add to the growing headache the Albanese government faces over what to do with the spent nuclear reactors from the AUKUS deal submarines once the vessels begin producing them from the mid-2050s. On Wednesday, the leaders of Victoria, Queensland and South Australia all signalled they did not want a nuclear waste facility in their states. Asked whether he would be happy with a nuclear waste facility set up in WA after a press conference alongside Defence Minister Richard Marles in Perth on Thursday, McGowan responded: No. The familiar rattle of Melbournes heritage W-class trams is being silenced because Yarra Trams does not have enough drivers to operate them during major events. W-class trams have been a familiar sight for almost a century, first entering service in 1923. The state government has spent millions refurbishing a dozen to run along the free City Circle tourist route every 15 minutes. Cheryl OBrien waits for a tourist tram in the city on Thursday. Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui But visitors hoping to enjoy the quintessential Melbourne transport experience have had to wait for up to an hour between trams over the past two weeks. Yarra Trams, operated by Keolis Downer, cancelled the route entirely on Thursday, Friday and all weekend, so it could free up drivers to run extra trams to the MCG for the start of the AFL season. A transgender woman presented a conundrum to a Perth District Court Judge who did not know how to proceed with her sentencing amid confusion over whether she was legally a man or a woman. The judge, Nicholas Egan, adjourned the sentencing hearing until late April after asking state prosecutor Danya Borkwoski to come back to him with an explanation about why the prisoner was being held in an all-male facility, Hakea Prison, despite identifying as a woman. A transgender woman said she was exposed to strip searches by male officers. Credit: Fairfax As I understand the material thats been provided to the court, the accused has a gender recognition certificate dated 23 December 2021 which, according to the Gender Reassignment Act, is conclusive proof that her sex is female, he said. I want to understand, if shes not being treated as a female, then why thats the case in circumstances where the Gender Reassignment Act says that the certificate is conclusive proof that she is female. South Africa: Anarchy and disorder will not be allowed: President Ramaphosa President Cyril Ramaphosa says although government respects the right to protest and the expression of dissatisfaction, lawlessness will not be tolerated in any protest. The President was speaking during a media briefing at the Official State Visit of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan and her delegation on Thursday. Protest action is expected to be held by the Economic Freedom Fighters and some of its partners on Monday, 20 March. South Africa is governed by the rule of law. We are a constitutional democracy. Regime change can only come about through the vote. It cannot come about through anarchy, unleashing disorder in the country. I want to say very clearly: disorder and anarchy will not be allowed in South Africa. We will not allow those who want to spread anarchy to do what they like here in South Africa, he said. President Ramaphosa emphasised that although the right to protest is guaranteed in the Constitution, it does not allow for the rights of others to be infringed. The right to protest is enshrined in our Constitution. Its deeply embedded in our Constitution and it is a right that we as South Africans fought for and won so that South Africans can protest against what may be issues that they dont agree with. But that right is not absolute and nobody can stand up and say I can do whatever I want. That right is not absolute. It is a limited right. Its not underpinned by violence. Its not a right that allows anyone to embarking on anarchy or disorder. It is a right that says, 'you must respect the rights of others'. It is not a right for anyone to coerce anybody to do what they want to do and it is not a right that you have to intimidate others and to threaten others with violence and say, 'If you do not do what we like, we are going to take action against you'. That completely goes against the ethos of our Constitution, he said. The President said a meeting of the National Security Council was held on Wednesday, where the planned protest action was discussed. Security forces of our country are going to defend our people. They are going to make sure that intimidation, anarchy and disorder does not prevail. Those who want to protest, by all means, protest peacefully but if you are going to restrict the rights of other people, if you are going to coerce them, if you are going to intimidate them and unleash violence, our security forces are going to defend the people of South Africa. We will not allow anarchy and disorder to prevail in this country and against the people of South Africa. That will not be allowed. Security forces, stand ready to defend the people of South Africa, President Ramaphosa said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2023-03-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Ukraine plans to formalize the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the UAE and update the Free Trade Area Agreement (FTA) with Canada in April, First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said at the Forbes Exporters Summit Ukraine in Kyiv on Thursday. "On Monday we will sign a digital agreement with the UK. This is not about tariff regulation, but about the regulatory environment so as not to create additional barriers," Svyrydenko also said. According to her, the EU actually decided to extend duty-free trade with Ukraine for another year, and "task number 1" for the government is to maintain this regime until the moment of joining the EU. Among other tasks of the Ministry of Economy in the field of trade and promotion of Ukrainian exports, she named joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which will improve access to markets such as Japan, New Zealand, and Australia. Svyrydenko also stressed that Ukraine would actively move towards Africa in terms of trade liberalization with its countries. The First Deputy Prime Minister also added that the EU decision on the extension of the agreements on liberalization in the field of transport should appear as early as Thursday. "We hope that by 2024," the Minister of Economy specified. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size This story is part of the March 18 edition of Good Weekend. See all 17 stories . Its like in the great stories, Mr Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didnt want to know the end because how could the end be happy? J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers (as adapted by Peter Jackson: spoken by Samwise Gamgee) It really hit him in New Zealand. Weird things had been happening for a while: his legs giving way when he got out of the car, strange dreams, headaches. But in quarantine in Auckland in September 2020, and during filming of Amazons enormous, and enormously hyped, The Lord of the Rings prequel The Rings of Power, things got really strange. He began drawing faces: wide-eyed, staring at the viewer, sometimes (unbeknownst to him at the time, but clear enough if you look closely) with a slight swelling behind one eye just above the eyelid and below the eyebrow. Hed been making art for more than 20 years, but hed specialised in abstract collages made from tiny, pixelated pieces of old lino. Not faces; and especially not these faces. Morrell playing Waldreg in The Rings of Power. During its filming, he found himself feeling unsettled and anxious. Credit:Amazon Added to this, he felt unsettled and anxious on the Rings set an experienced actor whod worked on four productions a year for more than 20 years. But now his lungs were irritated by the smoke machines and the flaming torches of hundreds of orc-extras; his forearm was gashed by the thorn claw of bad guy Adar (aka actor Joseph Mawle); his feet got horribly sunburnt in a barefoot peasant scene. Lord of the Rings, Lord of the Shmings, he thought, waiting for his scenes as publican-cum-servant-of-ultimate-evil Waldreg. One night he had a dream like a movie cliche in which he was at a train station, watching the train leave without him. Im not finished! Im not finished! he kept calling. Advertisement When he got back to Australia, he went to see his GP. By this time, his ears were making a kind of pulsing hum Schm, schm, schm and this, combined with balance issues, made him worry. He went for tests, then back to his doctors surgery. His GP sat down holding a sheaf of scans. Then he delivered the words that, in every single case, must change a life forever. Youve got a massive brain tumour. Sam Gamgee was right. How could the end be happy indeed? I wish it need not have happened in my time, said Frodo. So do I, said Gandalf, and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring The myth in Geoff Morrells family about his birth is that his mother went into labour at a Labor party meeting. His father drove her home to Fairfield in Sydneys west in the side-car of his motorbike, and it was there, on his grandparents chicken farm on Smithfield Road, that he was born on February 19, 1958. He grew up surrounded by politics his father, Ted Morrell, was Gough Whitlams first campaign manager as the third of four children. Mum always remembered Dad coming home with Whitlam and Tom Uren. They were both very tall men, and we lived in this tiny ramshackle house, and they both had to duck to get into the kitchen. Theyd sit there talking politics all night. He and his younger brother Peter both suffered from asthma, and when Morrell was only a year old he was given the last rites during an attack. The priest had actually left, thinking I was done for. And then I was saved by the new miracle drug cortisone rushed from Lithgow hospital. Forever after, he was understood to be the sickly one in the family. And when thats your family narrative, you buy into it, he says. Youre the one who gets sick, falls over, has the accident. Advertisement Nonetheless, at 14, it was he who witnessed the death of 12-year-old Peter in the living room of their home in Wollongong. It was the night before the School Certificate, I remember. Petey and I were always the ones whod get asthma in the middle of the night. Wed go into the bedroom, Dadd get up, sit us by the heater, make us a cup of tea. That particular night, I heard a thump, and I got up, and Im not sure if Pete was gone or not, but I do remember trying to give him mouth-to-mouth. I remember the sound of it the rattle of the lungs as you do it. Morrell, left, with siblings John, Peter and Judy, and mother Joan, around 1961. Credit:Courtesy of Geoff Morrell Peters death was both a defining event in his childhood, and a moment that was never, somehow, fully acknowledged by his family except by an even more heightened sense of physical fragility, a greater fear of death, a more immediate sense of panic at illness. Id talk to my mum on the phone and shed be like, Are you okay? Youve got a bit of a wheeze. She used my little brothers death to underline how vulnerable I was. Loading Despite this personal uncertainty, Morrells professional life was blessed for many years. His parents who both loved the theatre thought acting a wonderful career, and while studying arts at Wollongong University, he made his stage debut as Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest. He went on to become one of the founding members of Wollongongs Theatre South; he ran his own short-lived theatre company offering absurdist and German Expressionist works to the steelworkers of the Illawarra (apparently with some success); and was a regular in Sydney Theatre Company, Belvoir, ABC and commercial TV productions. Indeed, his most famous roles Grass Roots, Changi, Blue Heelers, Cloudstreet made him one of that handful of Australian male actors whose face is instantly recognisable, though his name might escape you. Advertisement Id talk to my mum on the phone and shed be like, Are you okay? Youve got a bit of a wheeze. She used my little brothers death to underline how vulnerable I was. He also worked on his pictures, and played music tenor guitar, banjo, mandolin, clarinet. As with acting and art, he was never formally trained in music; he picked it up as he went along. He married his (now amicably ex) wife Megan in the early 1980s, and they had two daughters, Rosheen and Minerva. He and fellow actor Caroline Brazier then married, divorced and also remain friends. For many years he had a happy, contented life in Wollongong and, later, Sydney. Morrell with his two daughters, Rosheen, left, and Minerva in 1987. Credit:Courtesy of Geoff Morrell And then, slowly, something began to change. He became doubtful about his creative value: afraid of being hurt, of failing, of looking like an idiot. At the same time, he became interested in First Nations people and their history, which fuelled his unease. Eventually I thought, Im just not that interested in white people and their problems. Im an old white man: the worlds been listening to my story for hundreds of years. And I dont know about the world, but Im kind of over it. Even among the old white-man roles, moreover, all the good ones were taken. I just wasnt being offered anything interesting any more. I mean, it was Bryan Brown. Or, if it was a slightly more educated and whimsical character, itd be Sam Neill. Or a hard nut, Anthony LaPaglia. But if its one episode of a series where its a father, who maybe has a bit of a cry; hes maybe a schoolteacher? Thatd be me. And it got to the point where I just didnt want to do it any more. Loading There was another thing wearing him out: fear. I think I am an artist, he says. I am a storyteller. But it can be hard to stick your head up and do something creative. And even though it looked like I was working in a creative field, I think I became more and more afraid of failing, of being criticised. Artistic expression has an incredible power to shame us, and I think as the years passed, and I wasnt being challenged, I became afraid to challenge myself. I got the yips. Advertisement Of course, The Rings of Power, released last September, was different. It was pure make-believe, pure dress-ups. And it was great to be on that big stage. Still, the whole time I was in New Zealand I just didnt want to be there. He thought it must be just his professional ennui, rising up despite the big budget and the picturesque rag costumes and the friends he made on set (many of whom he painted in his new face-obsessed artworks). Looking back, of course, he knows now that there was also something else on his mind. Literally. Morrell, right, playing in a band with fellow actor David Field at a charity event in 2018. Credit:Courtesy of Geoff Morrell I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King Before his tumour operation, Geoff Morrell, now 65, took his two granddaughters (he also has a grandson) to the beach. He gave them pieces of pounamu stone a sacred stone to Maori people and sat looking at the water while the girls ran around. I still remember thinking, Am I never going to experience the feeling of diving under a wave again? I had the feeling that it might, really, be all taken away. I was pretty calm on the surface of things, but underneath I was going, F---! F--- f--- f---! Advertisement A brawl has erupted within Labor over the deal to acquire eight nuclear-powered submarines from the United States and United Kingdom, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and senior cabinet ministers pushed back on Paul Keatings strident criticisms of the AUKUS pact. Albanese said his predecessors jibes did nothing other than diminish him, frankly, while Foreign Minister Penny Wong, whom Keating lambasted in an appearance at the National Press Club, said his views on China and other foreign policy questions belong to another time. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, campaigning in Melbourne in the Aston by-election, dismissed Paul Keatings criticism of the nuclear-powered submarine deal. Credit: Joe Armao But the former prime ministers attack on the government struck a nerve in Labor ranks, as Rudd and Gillard era government cabinet minister Peter Garrett weighed into the debate to say the AUKUS deal stinks and two powerful blue-collar unions condemned the nuclear-powered project as a dangerous waste of money. While Albaneses cabinet did not comment in the wake of Keatings press club appearance, by Thursday morning, the prime minister was leading the counter-offensive with a carefully worded rebuke. The Albanese government has vowed to safeguard the retirement savings of all Australians, as key crossbench MPs said it was time for a royal commission into the federal and state programs put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the COVID-era superannuation withdrawal policy was a debacle that should not be repeated after The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald revealed research showing the scheme had left huge holes in the retirement incomes of 2.6 million Australians. Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the government will ensure superannuation is protected from misuse. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen This masthead reported on Thursday that the first major study of the $38 billion COVID-era superannuation early release program found five in six users withdrew as much as they could, with 75 per cent taking out the maximum $20,000. Up to a quarter of applicants emptied their super accounts within days of the programs start, with large spikes in expenditure on areas including gambling, takeaway food and furniture. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has accused Paul Keating of diminishing himself by attacking the federal governments most senior cabinet ministers, saying he fundamentally disagreed with his predecessors views on modern China and the AUKUS partnership with the United States and United Kingdom. Speaking a day after Keating savaged the AUKUS pact as the worst deal in all history, Albanese said the governments decision to spend up to $368 billion on a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines over the next 30 years was a worthwhile investment to enhance Australias national security in a volatile era. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended the AUKUS defence agreement against criticism from former prime minister Paul Keating. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen and Supplied Keating on Wednesday said Albanese had mistakenly relied on advice from unwise colleagues such as Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles in agreeing to support the AUKUS pact when the Morrison government announced it in September 2021. I think it is unfortunate that Mr Keating chose such a very strong personal statement against people, Albanese told 3AWs Neil Mitchell in his first interview since returning from a week-long trip to India and the United States. It comes with an eye-watering price tag of $368 billion for Australia, but this weeks headline-grabbing AUKUS security pact should prompt some deeper questions about why our leaders across the political divide are so convinced it will be value for money. Its out of fashion these days, when assessing global power politics, to focus on ideology. Foreign policy realists will highlight the primacy of interests over values. Australias national interests, on that calculation, might tilt pragmatically to the commercial realities and towards China, our biggest trading partner. Joe Biden, Anthony Albanese and Rishi Sunak. Credit: Artwork Stephen Kiprillis, photography Alex Ellinghausen But understanding the ideological clash between democratic allies and Chinas neo-authoritarianism is critical to understanding the motivations of the AUKUS partners, Australia, Britain and the United States. Clearly, AUKUS and with it, Australias colossal investment in nuclear-powered submarines demonstrates a commitment to lean even more heavily into the strategic alliance with the US, instead of hedging our bets more evenly between the US and China. Given Chinas stated anger at Australias historic announcement this week, it is worth reflecting on what this strategic security pact is attempting to accomplish. Malcolm Turnbull has joined fellow former prime minister Paul Keating in criticising the AUKUS pact, insisting it would have been better to acquire nuclear-powered submarines under the deal he struck with France rather than the United States and United Kingdom. Turnbull questioned whether the UK was up to the task of being a long-term partner in the project given its sick economy was mired with fundamental existential problems. Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull questioned the AUKUS deal, saying France would have been a better option. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen Using more nuanced language than Keating did during a fiery National Press Club appearance on Wednesday, Turnbull said he was pleased to see the submarine plan take a more coherent form but that the risks of such a complex and expensive project should not be underestimated. We also should not forget that there was a better way, and one that was never seriously examined by our government, Turnbull said in a speech to the Defence College in Canberra on Wednesday night. Senators Lidia Thorpe and Pauline Hanson grilled Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney in a private referendum meeting on Thursday ahead of a crucial month for the campaign to create a Voice to parliament. The One Nation and former Greens senators were joined by independent senator David Pocock at a meeting of the powerful referendum working group, which is finalising its recommendation on the words Australians will be asked in a referendum and the lines that will be added to the constitution. Lidia Thorpe used the meeting to ask Linda Burney about the impact the Voice to parliament would have on First Nations sovereignty. Credit: Rhett Wyman/Alex Ellinghausen The group did not make a final decision on whether to accept a compromise wording of the constitutional alteration proposed by Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, which some Voice proponents believe will help win conservative votes and foster greater bipartisanship. However, the vast majority of working group members oppose the change and believe it could weaken the Voice, raising the possibility the federal cabinet could pursue the compromise wording against the wishes of Indigenous leaders. Cabinet, which is not bound to follow the advice of the working group, is expected to make the call within the next fortnight. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet will not use his signature kids future fund if he still leads government after March 25 because he already has long-term savings accounts for his children. The premier, who has called on other state premiers to follow his lead, insists the policy would provide generational financial security, but says he would not draw on the scheme himself. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet and his family on stage at the Liberal Party launch on Sunday. Credit: Dean Sewell I wont be taking it up. I already have accounts for my kids, every one of them. All seven, he said on Thursday. Under the plan announced at the Liberal Partys formal campaign launch on Sunday, the Coalition government would pay parents $400 for every child aged 10 and under, and match their future contributions with up to $400 every year until they turn 18. The maximum parents can contribute to an account is $1000 per child per year. Former Queensland transport minister Vaughan Johnson has been remembered as a mate to all who had a bone-crushing handshake and was a true champion of the west. Johnson, who died in January at 75, was remembered for his 25 years of service during a condolence motion in state parliament on Thursday. Late Queensland MP Vaughan Johnson. Credit: Harrison Saragossi He was first elected as the National Party member for the outback seat of Gregory in 1989 before becoming transport minister in the Borbidge coalition government. He also served as parliamentary secretary for Western Queensland and the states commissioner for drought, and wild dog fencing. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says he was one of the most popular MPs of all time who had a famously bone-crushing handshake. The Liberal Party will try to hold on to Aston, the once-safe Liberal seat vacated by Alan Tudge, as Labor pushes for an upset victory. The Age will publish updates from reporters in the field covering issues affecting voters in the lead-up to the poll on Saturday, April 1. A status quo result at the Aston byelection that is, a win for the Liberal Party is unlikely to provide the job security Peter Dutton craves. That is somewhat remarkable given Dutton hasnt had too many slip ups since taking over as opposition leader in May 2022. Well, not the sort of mistakes that have your colleagues plotting your downfall. Liberal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton in Aston last month. Credit: JOE ARMAO The perception among Liberal MPs is that Dutton may not have made a big impression, but hes managed to keep the team together and land a couple of blows along the way. Those uninspiring KPIs are likely to be reviewed if the Liberals fail to not only win the outer-eastern seat on April 1, but to improve their margin. Ukraine hopes to complete negotiations with the mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on a new full-fledged support program, involving financing from the Fund, by the end of this week, Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) Andriy Pyshnyy has said. "The NBU team has fully implemented the entire program with which it began its participation in the IMF mission. We have managed to achieve substantial progress in our agreements, in coordinating policies, and we are optimistic about the next few days, during which negotiations will take place, the coordination of some details online," Pyshnyy said at a press briefing on Thursday. He said that the IMF representatives "should complete part of their tasks in Washington, respectively, the Ukrainian team will be ready to conduct and continue these consultations online from Kyiv." "We hope to finalize our work this week and believe in good news at the beginning of the next one," he said. The day before, the IMF said that the mission led by Gavin Gray noted progress following policy discussions with the Ukrainian authorities in Warsaw from March 8 to March 15 on a possible new program supported by the fund but noted the need to continue them in the coming days. Iranian authorities have arrested 110 people on suspicion of being linked to suspected poisonings at girls schools that have hospitalised hundreds of students since November. Saeed Montazeralmahdi, a spokesman for the police command, said the arrests were the result of an increase in police foot patrols around affected institutions, the semi-official Mehr News Agency reported. Iranian girls are hospitalised after poisoning. Credit: Iran International A spate of mass illnesses has spread through hundreds of schools over the past few months, with teachers and students reporting the presence of noxious gas and smells that have caused vomiting and nausea. That coincided with the biggest popular uprising against the Islamic Republics theocratic leadership since it was founded after the 1979 revolution with women and girls playing a central role. The protests followed the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish woman who was arrested for allegedly flouting Islamic dress codes. Serokell: Partnering with IT service provider to optimize your business processes and reduce operational costs Serokell is an IT company specializing in functional programming for businesses and scientific research. Since 2015, it has worked on complex projects in FinTech, EdTech, and BioTech for international clients. The agency boasts a team of highly skilled software engineers, computer scientists and ML experts, mathematicians, and designers who develop tailored solutions for the most challenging problems. This software development company has a broad range of projects in its portfolio. It involves developing new cryptocurrencies and financial platforms with integrated DLT and smart contracts and developing domain-specific programming languages. Its expert team has designed a token ecosystem on Ethereum, created a cryptocurrency exchange that adheres to KYC regulations, and created programming languages to support the Tezos blockchain platform\-s functionality. Serokell also conducts system monitoring and security audits to guarantee the smooth operation of complex IT systems for businesses. More case studies are featured in their portfolio. Various independent market research agencies, including Top Developers, Clutch, IT Firms, The Manifest, and others, have acknowledged Serokell\-s excellent reputation. In its work, Serokell employs various programming languages, including but not limited to Haskell, TypeScript, Python, and Elixir. Functional programming enables software developers to construct robust, fault-tolerant, adaptable, and user-friendly large-scale systems. The company has a solid academic foundation underpinning its applied solutions. The company\-s internal research unit, Serokell Labs, works closely with several educational institutions specializing in artificial intelligence, programming language theory, distributed systems, and other fields of computer science. The Serokell team frequently presents ongoing research findings at IT conferences, in academic publications, and on the company\-s blog. Additionally, Serokell has established its own educational project, the Serokell Academy, aimed at both programmers and business professionals seeking new technological solutions for their problems. The Academy provides free video lectures on a wide range of topics, including functional programming, cybersecurity, machine learning, and others. The company engages in various open-source projects, such as contributing to the development of the Glasgow Haskell compiler and data analysis tools for biotech research. Tinone expands zone of lithium mineralization and discovers higher grade samples up to 1.14% li2o at its Aberfoyle Project in Tasmania, Australia TinOne Resources Inc. (TSX.V: TORC) (OTCQB: TORCF) (Frankfurt: 57Z0) (\TinOne\ or the \Company\ https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/tinone-resources-inc/ ) is pleased to announce that further rock sampling has confirmed and expanded the previously reported lithium discovery at its 100%-owned, 9,600 hectare Aberfoyle Project (aAberfoylea or the aProjecta) located in the tier-one mining jurisdiction of Tasmania, Australia. Highlights Follow-up surface rock sampling at the Dead Pig and Guinea Pig prospects has returned analyses of up to 1.14% Li2O: a total of 43 rock samples were collected in an area of approximately 1 square kilometre (Figures 1, 2 and 3) where eleven samples returned grades ?0.5% Li2 Emerging lithium district: the Company holds a dominant ground position over the prospective lithium-hosting granites in north-east Tasmania. Project is underexplored: The Project has never been targeted for lithium mineralization and has also not seen modern systematic exploration for tin and tungsten. Complementary research has commenced: Mineralogical research has commenced in conjunction with the world-renowned Centre for Ore Deposit and Earth Sciences at the University of Tasmania (aCODESa). aWe are very excited with the lithium grades achieved to date at Aberfoyle,a commented Chris Donaldson, Executive Chairman. aResults confirm the existence of significant lithium mineralization in north-east Tasmania in a road accessible area that supports resource development. Importantly, we believe that we control a dominant land position over the key prospective granites for lithium mineralization in the state. The discovery of strong lithium mineralization of up to 1.14% Li2O at the Three Pigs prospect represents an important milestone for the Company and complements a portfolio of projects with high tin prospectivity. In light of these latest results, we intend to accelerate the lithium exploration activities at our properties in northeast Tasmania while continuing to advance our exciting tin projects.a Key Results Follow up sampling at the Dead Pig and Guinea Pig prospects have confirmed the earlier discovery of lithium-bearing rocks. A further 43 rock samples were collected over an area of approximately 1 square kilometre at the Dead Pig and Guinea Pig prospects where previous reconnaissance sampling returned five samples with elevated lithium values of 0.1% Li2O or above with a maximum of 0.57% Li2O (see the Companya?s news release dated February 8, 2023). This new round of sampling has returned eleven samples with Li2O > 0.50% and a maximum value of 1.14% Li2O. Sampling to date has defined an area of approximately 12 hectares within which the >0.20% Li2O samples occur (Figure 3). Preliminary interpretations indicate that the higher-grade mineralization occurs in NNW-trending parallel zones of so far defined up to 250 m in strike length. Further work is required to better define the surface morphology of the mineralization and the width of mineralized zones. Greisen alteration of the type sampled at Aberfoyle is a typical alteration style associated with many tin deposits globally and is also associated with certain large scale lithium deposits, where the mica alteration minerals are lithium-bearing.A Lithium grades (expressed as Li2O) in these mica-hosted deposits are typically in the range 0.3-0.7% Li2O. Next Steps TinOnea?s field team continues to undertake geological mapping and additional systematic and targeted rock sampling in the areas identified to-date and in other areas of similar altered granite known from historic records.A In order to define the extent of anomalous lithium within soils derived from the granite host, soil sampling in these areas has been completed for a large part of EL27/2004 with first results expected imminently. In addition to the ongoing work in the lithium-anomalous areas identified on EL27/2004 to date, the Company plans a program of mapping and sampling on the southern outlier part of EL27/2004 at Royal George (Figure 2). This part of the tenement covers an area around the historic Royal George tin mine and is hosted by a similar tin granite to the Dead Pig area. As such, the area is considered highly prospective for both lithium and tin. There has been no effective on-ground exploration in this area for approximately four decades. The Company has provided samples to CODES for mineral chemistry analytical work to determine the distribution of lithium within the minerals that comprise the lithium-bearing rocks.A CODES has an ongoing project entitled aTasmanian Tin Granitesa and has access to highly skilled personnel with significant experience and knowledge in the field of tin granites and geometallurgical studies.A This analytical work will inform future studies into the metallurgical characteristics of the lithium mineralization. Results from ongoing rock sampling are expected in the coming weeks and will be released as soon as they are received. Mineralogical Analysis Several samples from the Dead Pig prospects were sent to Professor Tony Crawford (University of Tasmania) for petrographic studies of thin sections cut from the rock samples (Figures 6 and 7). His observations on sample GM10402a, taken from the same outcrop as sample GM10216 (previously reported, 0.57% Li2O), indicate that the quartz-topaz-zinnwaldite rock appears ato have crystallized initially as a relatively coarse-grained quartz-zinnwaldite-topaz intergrowth, presumably from granite-related hydrothermal solutions rather than a late-stage, strongly fractionated granitic magma based on the absence of feldspars. A fracturing event was followed by invasion of a strongly acidic hydrothermal fluid that led to local dissolution and recrystallization of the coarser-grained assemblage to the fine-grained quartz-zinnwaldite-topaz aggregates.a Sample GM10403 (assays pending) is described as aa mineralogically simple but unusual metasomatic/hydrothermal rock.a A The zinnwaldite content is estimated at up to 80% of the rock with 10-15% topaz, minor quartz and clay-sericite. Professor Crawford comments that, athe absence of feldspars in this rock suggests that it is likely to have crystallized from a late magmatic hydrothermal solution charged with Li and F.a About the Aberfoyle Project The Aberfoyle project area straddles the boundary between the Silurian to Devonian Mathinna Supergroup sedimentary rocks and the Devonian Ben Lomond Granite. The historic Aberfoyle (tin) and Storeys Creek (tin-tungsten) mines as well as other vein systems are hosted in the sedimentary rocks and occur as strike extensive systems of sheeted and stockwork veining. Elevated lithium has not previously been reported from the project area. Historic records and drilling indicate the mineralized vein system at Aberfoyle is up to 60 metres wide, 800 metres in length and extends approximately 400 metres in the down dip direction. The Lutwyche prospect occurs approximately 1 kilometre northeast of Aberfoyle and is comprised of two sets of mineralized veins which can be traced along strike for approximately 750 metres. An additional sediment-hosted vein system, the Kookaburra, is located 200 metres southwest of the main Lutwyche vein system and is known to be approximately 40 metres wide with an along strike extent of at least several hundred metres. Mineralization at Storeys Creek is hosted within a 30 to 50 metre wide, north-northwest striking sheeted vein array which dips to the southwest. The system can be traced along strike for 300 metres and extends 400 metres in the down dip direction. The Ben Lomond Granite crops out approximately 1km west of the mine and has been identified at depth at 180 metres below the surface. Additional poorly known sediment-hosted vein systems occur at Brocks, Eastern Hill and elsewhere in the tenement. Granite-hosted occurrences are developed throughout the exposed areas of granitoid outcrop and consist of vein, disseminated and breccia style occurrences with associated greisen style alteration. These have given rise to historic small scale hard rock and more extensive alluvial production in the Gipps Creek, Rex Hill, Ben Lomond, Royal George and other areas. The Company interprets that both sediment- and granite-hosted systems have developed in structural corridors of multi-kilometre extent and that historic exploration has not systematically explored these corridors. TinOne believes systematic exploration of these prospective corridors will result in the definition of high-quality drill targets. Sample Methodology Rock samples reported here were collected by experienced geologists from outcrop, float and historical mining spoil dumps.A Samples were typically 1.5 to 2.5 kg and were placed in pre-numbered, calico bags and then into large rice sacks which were sealed for shipping.A Due to the nature of the available sample media, the samples are not continuous channel samples and consist of multiple individual small rock pieces collected from an area considered representative of the lithology being sampled. Quality Assurance / Quality Control Rock samples were delivered to ALS Limited in Burnie, Australia for sample preparation and then forwarded to ALS Brisbane for analysis. The ALS Brisbane facilities are ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 17025 certified. Tin and tungsten are analysed by ICP-MS following lithium borate fusion (ALS method ME-MS85), overlimit results are reanalysed by XRF (ALS method XRF15b).A Forty-eight element multi-element analyses are conducted by ICP-MS after a four-acid digestion (ALS method ME-MS61). Control samples comprising certified reference samples (including reference material certified for lithium) duplicates and blank samples were systematically inserted into the sample stream and analyzed as part of the Companya?s quality assurance / quality control protocol. About TinOne TinOne is a TSX Venture Exchange listed Canadian public company with a high-quality portfolio of tin, tin/tungsten and lithium projects in the Tier 1 mining jurisdictions of Tasmania and New South Wales, Australia. The Company controls some of the most important tin districts in Tasmania, including Aberfoyle, Rattler Range and Great Pyramid and is focussed on advancing its highly prospective portfolio.A A TinOne is supported by Inventa Capital Corp. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release includes certain aForward?Looking Statementsa within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and aforward?looking informationa under applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words aanticipatea, abelievea, aestimatea, aexpecta, atargeta, aplana, aforecasta, amaya, awoulda, acoulda, aschedulea and similar words or expressions, identify forward?looking statements or information. These forward?looking statements or information relate to, among other things: the development of the Companya?s projects; future mineral exploration, development and production; and the release of exploration results. Forward?looking statements and forward?looking information relating to any future mineral production, liquidity, enhanced value and capital markets profile of TinOne, future growth potential for TinOne and its business, and future exploration plans are based on managementa?s reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions, which are based on managementa?s experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, but which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, the price of gold and other metals; no escalation in the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic; costs of exploration and development; the estimated costs of development of exploration projects; TinOnea?s ability to operate in a safe and effective manner and its ability to obtain financing on reasonable terms. These statements reflect TinOnea?s respective current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of other assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward?looking statements or forward-looking information and TinOne has made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: the Company\-s dependence on early stage mineral projects; metal price volatility; risks associated with the conduct of the Company\-s mining activities in Australia; regulatory, consent or permitting delays; risks relating to reliance on the Company\-s management team and outside contractors; risks regarding mineral resources and reserves; the Company\-s inability to obtain insurance to cover all risks, on a commercially reasonable basis or at all; currency fluctuations; risks regarding the failure to generate sufficient cash flow from operations; risks relating to project financing and equity issuances; risks and unknowns inherent in all mining projects, including the inaccuracy of reserves and resources, metallurgical recoveries and capital and operating costs of such projects; contests over title to properties, particularly title to undeveloped properties; laws and regulations governing the environment, health and safety; the ability of the communities in which the Company operates to manage and cope with the implications of COVID-19; the economic and financial implications of COVID-19 to the Company; operating or technical difficulties in connection with mining or development activities; employee relations, labour unrest or unavailability; the Company\-s interactions with surrounding communities and artisanal miners; the Company\-s ability to successfully integrate acquired assets; the speculative nature of exploration and development, including the risks of diminishing quantities or grades of reserves; stock market volatility; conflicts of interest among certain directors and officers; lack of liquidity for shareholders of the Company; litigation risk; and the factors identified under the caption aRisk Factorsa in TinOne\-s management discussion and analysis. Readers are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward?looking statements or forward-looking information. Although TinOne has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. TinOne does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward?looking statements or forward-looking information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements or information, other than as required by applicable law. And the winner is Not only the most important awards of the film industry, the Oscars were awarded. Two mining CEOs were also honored for their achievements in 2022. Winners of the Mining CEO Of the Year 2022 were two companies associated with the Lundin Family Trust. The award was presented at PDAC. The Lundin Group of Companies has been around for more than 50 years and consists of 11 separate public companies focused on the commodities sector. In most cases, the Lundin family is one of the largest shareholders. The background is once a copper-gold-silver project on the Chile-Argentina border. The second winner owns a high-grade gold mine in Ecuador that produces gold at very low operating costs. There are also other exciting projects in Chile and Argentina as well as in Ecuador. There is Aurania Resources https://www.commodity-tv.com/play/aurania-resources-first-hole-drilled-at-tatasham-geophysical-surveys-to-follow/ with its The Lost Cities project in the Andes Mountains in southeastern Ecuador. Gold and copper are present here. It combines historical records as well as state-of-the-art exploration techniques, and it could be the next world-class discovery in Ecuador. In fact, Dr. Keith Barron of Aurania Resources had just discovered the Fruta del Norte gold deposit in Ecuador, which led to the award. In Argentina, Chile and Bolivia there is the famous lithium triangle, significant for the growing lithium market. Extremely high-grade lithium salars will provide lithium. Here, Alpha Lithium https://www.commodity-tv.com/play/alpha-lithium-is-building-a-pilot-plant-found-a-fresh-water-source-wants-to-expand-hombre-muerto/ is developing the Tolillar and Hombre Muerto salars. The important infrastructure is in place, the projects are in the excellent lithium area and the company is financially well positioned. There should be success. Current corporate information and press releases from Alpha Lithium (- https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/companies/alpha-lithium-corp/ -) and Aurania Resources (- https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/companies/aurania-resources-ltd/ -). In accordance with A34 WpHG I would like to point out that partners, authors and employees may hold shares in the respective companies addressed and thus a possible conflict of interest exists. No guarantee for the translation into English. Only the German version of this news is valid. Disclaimer: The information provided does not represent any form of recommendation or advice. Express reference is made to the risks in securities trading. No liability can be accepted for any damage arising from the use of this blog. I would like to point out that shares and especially warrant investments are always associated with risk. The total loss of the invested capital cannot be excluded. All information and sources are carefully researched. However, no guarantee is given for the correctness of all contents. Despite the greatest care, I expressly reserve the right to make errors, especially with regard to figures and prices. The information contained herein is taken from sources believed to be reliable, but in no way claims to be accurate or complete. Due to court decisions, the contents of linked external sites are also co-responsible (e.g. Landgericht Hamburg, in the decision of 12.05.1998 312 O 85/98), as long as there is no explicit dissociation from them. Despite careful control of the content, I do not assume liability for the content of linked external pages. The respective operators are exclusively responsible for their content. The disclaimer of Swiss Resource Capital AG also applies: https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/disclaimer/ Israel has approved the export licenses for the possible sale of anti-drone jamming systems to Ukraine, the Axios online media outlet said, citing Israeli and Ukrainian officials. Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Foreign Minister Eli Cohen approved these export licenses in mid-February, according to the officials. The licenses were approved for Israeli companies Elbit and Rafael that develop anti-drone systems, they said. Cohen notified Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of that during a visit to Kyiv on February 15. A Ukrainian official told Axios that a delegation from Ukraine's Defense Ministry visited Israel recently to get a presentation on the anti-drone systems. However, no deal has yet to be signed. Kyiv is interested in anti-drone systems, but what it needs more is a defensive system against ballistic missiles, the Ukrainian official said. According to Axios, the systems Israel has offered to Ukraine use electronic warfare equipment to jam drones. The systems have a range of around 25 miles and can be positioned near power plants or other critical sites to protect them from drones. Israeli officials, for their part, told the online media outlet that the approval of the export licenses is not a shift in the Israeli leadership's policy with regard to the war in Ukraine because, as they said, these systems are defensive in nature and cannot be used against Russian military personnel. Canada will transfer eight Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine in the coming weeks, as well as the previously announced armored recovery vehicle, support equipment and ammunition, Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand has said. "Canada will donate approximately 8,000 rounds of 155mm ammunition, as well as 12 air defence missiles sourced from Canadian Armed Forces' (CAF) inventory, to sustain the air defence systems currently deployed in Ukraine. Canada will also donate more than 1,800 rounds of 105 mm tank training ammunition. This ammunition will support the donation of Leopard 1 tanks announced by Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands," Anand said at a virtual meeting of Ukraine Defense Contact Group hosted by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin. Anand also said the Armed Forces have started the shipments of additional Leopard 2 main battle tanks pledged by Canada at the end of February. Canada has committed eight Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine in total, four of which have already been delivered to Poland with a team of CAF personnel training Ukrainian soldiers on their use. It is reported that all eight Leopard 2 main battle tanks, as well as the previously announced armored recovery vehicle, support equipment and ammunition donated by Canada, will be in Ukraine in the coming weeks. Since February 2022, Canada has provided more than $1 billion in military assistance to Ukraine. "Canada stands firm with Ukraine in the fight against Russia's illegal and unjustifiable war. We are strengthening our collaboration with our Allies and partners and are continuing to respond to Ukraines military needs with comprehensive military aid. We will continue to do whatever it takes to safeguard freedom, democracy, and the rules-based international order," the minister said. The Foreign Affairs Ministry welcomes the decision taken on Thursday by the Moldovan Parliament regarding the adoption of the bill implementing the reasoning of a Constitutional Court ruling regarding the Romanian language and according to which the syntagm "Moldovan language" shall be replaced with "Romanian language" in all official pieces of legislation of the country. "The adoption of the said bill has a deep symbolic significance, as it restores the scientific truth regarding the name of the official language of the Republic of Moldova and confirms the status of the Romanian language as the official language of the Republic of Moldova. It also reaffirms the community of language, history and culture between Romania and the Republic Moldova. The adoption of the bill also demonstrates the maturity of the Moldovan society and its adherence to the space of values the European Union is founded on," the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a release. According to the Foreign Ministry, this step helps strengthen the existing special bilateral relations between Romania and the Republic of Moldova through an "open and robust cooperation (...) oriented towards the democratic reform of the Republic of Moldova and its EU integration, in accordance with the bilateral Strategic Partnership for the European integration of the Republic of Moldova, concluded on April 27, 2010." AGERPRES The third edition of the Romanian Business & Investment Roundtable Conference continues on Thursday, with a new series of debates on macroeconomic perspectives. Among the topics addressed are the energy crisis, forecasts regarding the local and European economy in the context of overlapping crises, accelerated digitalization, the well-being of financial markets and sustainability. Participating in the event will be Dan Dragos Dragan - secretary of state with the Ministry of Energy, Sebastian Burduja - minister of research, innovation and digitalization, Sabin Sarmas - president of the information technology committee of the Chamber of Deputies, Adrian Caciu - minister of finance and Radu Hanga - president of the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB). The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the National Bank of Romania (BNR) are holding today a hybrid conference on investment in difficult times and how Romanian companies can prosper in the new context. Delivering remarks on the themes of the conference and the annual results of the EIB in Romania will be EIB Vice-President Lilyana Pavlova and EIB chief economist Debora Revoltella. The conference, which will focus on Romania's investment demand and priorities, brings together economists, decision-makers, as well as officials of financial institutions and the business community. After the opening speech, there will be a presentation of the results of an EIB survey on investment for Romania, followed by a high-level debate focused on competitiveness of Romanian companies in the new context in relation to energy and green transition expenditures. Also attending the event will be BNR Governor Mugur Isarescu. Romania is among the countries that pay attention to new digital challenges and what we want to do is to regulate things so that we don't stop innovation, otherwise there is a risk of facing the nightmare of over-regulation, the president of the information technology committee of the Chamber of Deputies, Sabin Sarmas, stated on Thursday, at the conference "Romanian Business & Investment Roundtable." "Indeed, ION chat has been developed, a tool similar to ChatGPT, but which does not offer the same quality. The customer satisfaction level is only 70pct as opposed to 90pct, which is the satisfaction level of customers using ChatGPT. We also have to consider global policies and the most important lesson we've learned is that when you design new policies, it's not the technology that's the challenge, but the cultural differences. That's basically what drives technological development, and this is where values come from (...). We are in Central and South-Eastern Europe, among the countries that prioritize these new digital challenges. What we want to do is to regulate things so that we don't stop innovation. Through regulation there is the temptation and the risk that we can face the nightmare of over-regulation, which means killing innovation, ultimately. We, as decision-makers, as members of the Government, must pay attention to these aspects and create ecosystems where we allow communication infrastructures, where we allow start-ups to create new technologies, having these regulations that protect the fundamental rights of people," Sarmas said. The third edition of the Romanian Business & Investment Roundtable Conference continues on Thursday, with a new series of debates on macro-economic outlooks. Social Democratic Party (PSD) president Marcel Ciolacu said on Thursday that the vote in the Chisinau Parliament regarding the replacement of the phrase "Moldovan language" with "Romanian language" in all laws is a return to normality, but also " a new shield" that the society of the Republic of Moldova raises in the face of the Russian danger. "History is being written in Chisinau! The Romanian language will once again become the official language in the Republic of Moldova. Today's vote in the Parliament of Chisinau is a return to normality, but also a new shield that the society in the Republic of Moldova raises in the face of the Russian danger. I congratulate all the parliamentarians who voted for this extremely important bill! On March 27, the Day of the Union of Bessarabia with Romania, I will be in Chisinau and I want us all to celebrate this huge victory of Romanian language lovers," Ciolacu wrote on Facebook. The Parliament of the Republic of Moldova voted on Thursday in the second and final reading the draft law on replacing the phrase "Moldovan language" with "Romanian language" in all laws of the Republic of Moldova, including the Constitution, inform Deschide.md, Radio Chisinau and Newsmaker.AGERPRES Social Democratic Party (PSD) chairman Marcel Ciolacu said on Wednesday that there is no imminent danger for Romania to be drawn into a conflict with Russia or a direct involvement in Ukraine. Ciolacu was asked on DIGI 24 private television broadcaster how dangerous the incident with the US drone shot down over the Black Sea is. "First of all for Romania there is no danger and anyway we would analyse, with any specialist, for Romania there is no imminent danger in this period of being drawn into a conflict with Russia or a direct involvement in Ukraine. Instead, Romania is part of NATO and together with the allied forces of the strategic partnership with the United States we are helping Ukraine as much as we can in this totally unfair and unjust war," said the PSD Chairman. He added that it is out of the question for Romania to leave NATO and be neutral. "In such moments we see how important Romania's membership in the European Union and NATO is. It is out of the question (for Romania to leave NATO - editor's note). There are voices, I have seen that there are pro-Russian parties in Bulgaria, such things happen in crisis situations," Ciolacu said. Romania has the resources, the manpower and the potential to perform in the energy sector and this is the direction strongly supported by the Government, said Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca, Thursday, at the Victoria Palace of Government, at the signing ceremony of the declaration by Transgaz, OMV-Petrom and Romgaz on the conclusion of natural gas transportation contracts. "The signing of the document by Transgaz, OMV-Petrom and Romgaz is a firm commitment for the development of the Tuzla-Podisor gas pipeline and for the final investment decision estimated at 4 billion euros, expected in the summer of this year. We want this strategically important project for Romania to move forward and the exploitation of natural gas from the Neptun Deep perimeter to start as soon as possible," Nicolae Ciuca said. "The document that has just been initialled envisages the construction of a natural gas pipeline in the Tuzla-Podisor direction with a length of over 300 kilometres. Estimated at 500 million euros, this investment will make it possible for the Podisor Technological Node to allow gas from the Black Sea to enter the national transport system and thus reach economic operators and households in the localities connected to the system," said Ciuca. Another benefit of this project, the prime minister added, is the connection it will make between the new sources of natural gas in the Trans-Balkan Corridor and the Vertical Corridor, which also includes the BRUA pipeline. "We have made national and European resources available, we have encouraged investments to increase production capacity and the development of energy transport infrastructure. We have promoted solutions to diversify the energy mix, by developing new projects in the field of renewable energy - solar, onshore and offshore wind, hydro, hydrogen - as well as speeding up small modular reactors projects, investments in Units 3 and 4 of Cernavoda NPP, the refurbishment of Unit 1 of the same plant, as well as the Cernavoda detritiation installation project," Ciuca said. The prime minister also said that the Government pays due attention to the energy transition and the achievement of climate change objectives.AGERPRES Russia attacks slow after attempts to assault Vuhledar due to serious losses over last three months UK intelligence Over the last week, Russian attempts to assault Vuhledar in Donetsk region have slowed after a series of failed and costly attacks over the previous three months, the British Ministry of Defense said, citing intelligence. "One factor in Russia's heavy losses in this sector has been Ukraine's successful adoption of Remote Anti-Armour Mine systems (RAAM). RAAM is a specialist artillery shell which scatters anti-armour mines up to 17 km away from the firing unit. In some instances, Ukraine has launched the mines over and behind advancing Russian units, causing disarray when Russian vehicles attempt to withdraw," according to the Twitter post. It is noted that Russia's only notable recent tactical success has been in the Bakhmut sector, which is dominated by Wagner Group mercenary forces. At the same time, it is noted that the PMC is currently engaged in a public feud with the Russian Ministry of Defense. "There is a realistic possibility that Russia's MoD has been insistent in its drive for success in Vuhledar, partially because it wants its own success to compete with Wagner's achievements," according to the statement. Romania has become an example to follow in terms of digital transformation, having initiated a unique legislative package at the European level, and in terms of the government cloud, it has invested over 6.6 million euro from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Transformation Sebastian Burduja told the Romanian Business & Investment Roundtable conference on Thursday. "In terms of the government cloud, Romania has over 6.6 million euros from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan to invest in it. That required new legislation on how to connect to commercial clouds, where they are, what collective data are, where they are stored, and public policies for it. These are areas in which Romania started actions long before other states," said Burduja. According to the official, the digitalisation of the criminal records was received positively by Romanians, and in just a few weeks there were over 50,000 requests for the online release of this type of document. "As far as interoperability is concerned, Sabin [Sarmas] spoke about it. There are antivirus solutions that have made our systems vulnerable. There are many advances that we have made. We have digitalised all criminal records. To the surprise of many, everything can be done online and there are over 50,000 Romanians who have managed to access their criminal records in a few weeks. So that illustrates the power of digital transformation. The economy, after all, is about competitiveness and forward-looking perspectives. Of course, artificial intelligence also plays an important role. We recently launched a private academic research project called ION, which is also supported by our prime minister and which was presented in the international media as the first digital, artificial-intelligence-based consultant," said Burduja. The third edition of the Romanian Business & Investment Roundtable Conference continued on Thursday with a new series of debates on macroeconomic outlooks. Romania's manufacturing new orders (domestic market and international market), increased in January 2023 in nominal terms by 2% on a monthly basis, and by 5% y-o-y, the National Institute of Statistics (INS) reported on Thursday. According to INS data, the 2% increase in manufacturing new orders was a result of increases recorded in the intermediate goods industry (+4.2%), the consumer goods industry (+2.8%) and in the capital goods industry (+1.1%); the durable goods industry declined 4.2%. The 5% increase occurred on increases in the consumer goods industry (+16.7%) and in the capital goods industry (+9.0%). Decreases were recorded in the durable goods industry (-5.8%) and the intermediate goods industry of (-1.9%). Three lorries loaded with various types of waste, coming from Poland, the Netherlands and Switzerland, were blocked from entering Romania through the border crossing points of Nadlac II and Bors II, and the Romanian authorities have ordered them to return to the respective countries. According to a press release issued by the Arad Border Police on Thursday, the shipments did not meet the legal requirements to enter Romania. The three trucks were driven by two Romanian citizens and a Pole, who were transporting, according to the documents accompanying the cargo, "various goods" for companies in Romania. "Following the checks, it was found that two of the means of transport were loaded with 25,940 kg of waste consisting of aluminium, chippings, non-ferrous scrap, and the other was loaded with 64 thermopane windows, 28 insulating panels, 768 tyres, 4 bicycles, electrical and electronic equipment and second-hand cooling installations, for which the drivers did not present the necessary documentation required by law for the import of these products," said Border Police representatives. The authorities did not allow the vehicles to enter the Romanian territory and ordered the vehicles to be returned to the shipping companies. U.S. Senators Richard Durbin, the number two Democrat in the U.S. Senate, and Jeanne Shaheen, chair of the Subcommittee on Europe of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced a bill on Wednesday recommending Romania's inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program, the Romanian Embassy in the United States said in a press release on Thursday. The legislative initiative follows a visit the two senators paid to Romania last month, the source said. Entitled "Romania Visa Waiver Act of 2023," the draft legislation piece represents an important legislative step that marks the support of the U.S. Senate in the context of Romania's efforts to become a member state of this programme. The bill sends an important political signal to the U.S. Executive Branch (Department of Homeland Security, which administers the Visa Waiver Program) regarding Romania's designation as a participating state. At the same time, the Government of Romania is encouraged to intensify its efforts to combat human trafficking and to meet the technical criteria for admission to the program as set forth in the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act. When introducing the bill on the Senate agenda, the two U.S. senators referred to the important and active role Romania plays within NATO and the European Union, emphasizing the close relationship as a strong ally of the United States. They also appreciated the generous support given to Ukrainian refugees in the context of Russia's brutal aggression against Ukraine, the Romanian Embassy in Washington said in the press release. ST. LOUIS Two low-income housing projects will receive $1.2 million in grants from St. Louis allocation of pandemic aid money. Landwide Development Corp. will receive the bulk of the grants for the two phases of its Cambridge Heights apartment project, located north of the convention center in downtown St. Louis. Another developer, Cornerstone, will receive $27,589 for its West End project. Cornerstone received $120,000 in a previous allocation. The projects were chosen by the citys economic development agency, St. Louis Development Corp., which is administering $20 million in American Rescue Plan Act money for affordable housing. SLDCs board approved the allocation at its meeting Thursday. Thursdays allocation marks a total of $4 million from that fund directed to projects serving residents on the lowest income rung. People in that category make 30% or lower of the area median income a family of four, for example, making $28,450. Also on Thursday, the board approved SLDCs plan to contract with outside firms to administer: A $4 million down payment assistance program for low-income residents. Of that total, $200,000 would pay the administration fees; and a $2.5 million revolving loan program for small construction companies to help the firms bridge the 30-60-90 day or more payment process. The total includes of $125,000 for administration fees. The agency will issue separate requests for qualifications for each program. The SLDC board also approved spending up to $56,510 for a salaried position to assist an effort to add more park space in the city and up to $32,400 to establish a presence at an upcoming geospatial conference that officials expect will draw thousands of people from around the world. And the board also approved SLDCs request to amend its shortlist of companies providing environmental engineering services in order to allow the agency to use ARPA funds for projects. ST. LOUIS A California-based food service company will no longer contract at Washington University after the spring semester is over. As a result, Bon Appetit Management Co. wrote in a letter notifying the state of Missouri that its 342 workers there will be terminated effective May 18. But the university said it plans to require its next food service provider to offer those workers jobs. Washington University said in a statement Thursday that Bon Appetit had decided to terminate the contract, and the university is now reviewing proposals from other vendors. The university said that as part of its contract, the new vendor will be required to offer employment to all hourly and salaried staff at a rate of pay that is the same or higher. The people affected include baristas, cashiers, chefs, cooks, waiters, catering attendants and administrative personnel. David Cook, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 655, said if more than half of the workers are hired by the next food service provider, that company will be legally obligated to negotiate with the union. But the union and the company would have to start from scratch, with a new contract. Of the 342 workers, 264 are represented by the UFCW. Palo Alto, California-based Bon Appetit Management Company which is not affiliated with Bon Appetit magazine was founded in 1987 and now has operations in 33 states. A company spokesperson said in an email that Bon Appetit has provided dining and catering services at Washington University for 25 years, but did not give detail on why the contract ended. Even though our relationship with the university is changing at the end of the semester, we are doing everything we can to help make this transition as smooth as possible for employees, the statement said. Russian occupiers continue to massively steal property at public institutions, enterprises and civilian homes in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar has said. "Thus, last week in the settlements of Rozdolne, Kalanchak, Nova Zburyivka and Hola Prystan of Kherson region, under the pretext of supposedly carrying out anti-terrorist measures, the occupiers searched the houses of local residents, including those temporarily abandoned by the owners," Maliar said in Telegram on Thursday. She said that after such "measures" Russian servicemen usually tried to buy food and alcohol in local stores, offering to pay with stolen small household appliances, tableware, laptops and smartphones. "The largest stolen items, refrigerators, washing machines, TVs, and others, were taken out by the occupiers by military trucks, which delivered ammunition," the deputy minister said. The questions simple enough. How long do you want to stay? the hotel clerk asks Freddie, the 25-year-old French citizen of Korean descent checking in at the beginning of the low-key marvel that is Return to Seoul. Not sure, she says. A couple of weeks, maybe. Given the name Frederique by her adoptive French parents, Freddie, played by Park Ji-min in a remarkable feature debut, has returned to Korea more or less on impulse. Across the eight-year span of the storyline, writer-director Davy Chou never seems to be dictating or signposting Freddies next move, or change in hairstyle, or emotional frame of mind. Rather, Return to Seoul unfolds as one of the rare movies that feels thoughtful and observant every minute, without tidy summations of feeling. It rightly has been described as an adoption story. Quickly ingratiating herself with the more demure hotel clerk, Tena (Guka Han), roughly her age, its clear Freddie has a way with easy and often temporary friendship, her easy-come, easy-go attitude masking a melancholy wariness. The topic of Freddies birth parents, whom she has not known since the first month of her life, comes up eventually, in between the new friends engagement in Seoul nightlife. Freddie inquires with a Seoul adoption agency to learn something about the parents who gave her up. She learns her birth name is Yeon-hee, which means docile and joyous. The slow-dawning, disbelieving smile with which this cool, guarded woman greets this information is perfect. Throughout Return to Seoul, Chou encourages every true and authentic performance impulse in the films crucial portrayal. In some ways, Chous film, his second feature, is procedural. Freddie learns she must contact her birth parents separately through the agency and wait to hear if theyre willing to meet. Without giving much away (the story is never dependent on twists or surprises), Freddie hears back initially from her father (Oh Kwang-rok, a veteran of many Park Chan-wooks films). Like his birth daughter, he drinks too much; with his now-wife and kids, he lives a life fueled by heartache. Now that Freddie has established contact, his heart hurts all the more. Freddie does not speak Korean; she is French, though her father wishes otherwise. All the while, across several years, Freddies yearning to connect with her birth mother lingers like a phantom memory. Communication is not easy in this story; when she visits her father, Freddies aunt translates the often anguished expressions of regret the father wishes to share, while Freddies friend from Seoul, along for the trip, takes pains to tone down some of Freddies blunt rejoinders, in the name of Korean propriety and tradition. Its a gorgeously photographed film, full of images of nocturnal Seoul and coastal South Korea we seldom see on screen. Cinematographer Thomas Favel treats the shape-shifting, identity-changing Freddie not as a glamorous cipher but as a charismatic personality in constant flux, who leaves behind a fair amount of chaos wherever she goes. She returns to Seoul three times in Return to Seoul, and somehow it makes apt psychological sense that, by the end, she has changed her look again, along with giving up alcohol and red meat while also having become an international arms dealer. (Her employer, a fellow Frenchman she meets in Seoul on the second of three returns, is played by Louis-Do de Lencquesaing.) This is what makes Return to Seoul far richer than the average problem drama: It treats Freddie not as a problem to be solved but as a peripatetic life to be followed. What begins as two weeks in another town, in search of the past Freddie never knew, becomes a reminder that there are feelings, longings, connections in life that remain not impossible but certainly elusive and precarious. Filmmaker Chou, who worked closely with Park Ji-min as the script developed, was born in France to Cambodian-born parents. His relationship with his parents homeland, he has said, was similar to Freddies relationship with South Korea at the start of the film. Chou also has said he questioned my legitimacy to tell this story. He neednt have. Perhaps starting from that position of doubt led to the care, and the consistent, unexpected details, to be found everywhere in Return to Seoul. What Return to Seoul 3 stars out of four Run time 1:58 Rating R for brief drug use, nudity and language Where In theaters ST. LOUIS Mercy and SSM Health no longer are requiring visitors, patients and medical staff to wear masks at their medical facilities, becoming on Wednesday the first major hospital systems with facilities in the St. Louis area to drop the key protective measure used during the COVID-19 pandemic. Area hospital systems began requiring masks for visitors within the first few months of the pandemic and have required them ever since. Three years ago, when much of the country shut down, health care kept going. Masks have been used to protect everyone through it all, the Mercy health system announced. Beginning March 15, Mercy patients and coworkers will see more friendly smiles as they are welcomed to Mercy. Some exceptions still remain, officials said. Masks are needed for those who have symptoms of COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 within the previous 10 days (screening questions will still continue), are in a clinical space experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak, or are visiting patients in isolation. Mercy employees with medical or religious exemptions from getting the flu or COVID vaccines must also continue to mask until at least March 31, which was the policy prior to the pandemic for employees not getting the flu vaccine. Hospital systems officials say the change is based on the declining number of COVID-19 cases and patients, and being well past an early spike in flu cases. We are making this change in response to the changing status of COVID-19 in the communities we serve, read a statement Wednesday by SSM Health. Highly effective vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 are now widely available, and we continue to see community levels in our service area stabilize and decline. However, the St. Louis areas other major health system, BJC HealthCare, is not ready to drop the mask requirement. BJC is continuing to closely watch COVID-19 case rates and other respiratory infections in the hospital and in the community to determine when we will be able to safely reduce the use of masks in our health care settings, BJC said in a statement. If rates remain consistently low, changes could occur soon. Missouris weekly COVID-19 activity report, updated every Tuesday, shows low community impact levels of COVID-19 across much of the state, but St. Louis city and the counties of St. Louis, Franklin and Jefferson counties show medium levels. When the community level is medium, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends those at high risk of getting very sick wear a high-quality mask when indoors in public. Missouri data shows around 2,500 COVID-19 cases a week have been reported over the past two weeks after a winter peak of nearly 8,500 the week of Dec. 11, and hovering around 4,000 since mid-January. During the omicron surge last winter, the state saw 80,000 to 90,000 cases a week. The daily average number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Missouri has ranged between 650 and 725 since the end of January after this winters peak of nearly 1,125 in early January. The highest was nearly 3,800 during the omicron surge. Mercy and SSM Health officials say they will continue to monitor community levels and warned that masking requirements could be reinstated if needed. THURSDAY, March 16, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- When Yoni Silverman, now 13, was a toddler, his parents fretted as he missed milestone after milestone. The New York City couple took their son to a host of specialists, searching for answers about why he wasnt speaking and had difficulty with balance, among other developmental issues. Fast forward a few years later, and a Boston couple was going through something similar with their now 8-year-old son, Ollie. At the time, unlike other toddlers, Ollie wasnt speaking, sitting up or looking at objects. Neither family felt satisfied with the answers they were getting or the labels that specialists tried to place on their sons, so they pushed the envelope and ordered extensive genetic testing. And thats where this story of hope and synergy really begins. Yoni and Ollie may be the only two people in the world who have the exact same P312R genetic mutation on their PSMC5 gene. The mutation is considered de novo, meaning it appears for the first time in these boys and has not appeared in previous generations. The two families found each other through a geneticist in France who is studying how mutations in similar genes affect childrens development. It was just amazing to have another person in the world who could understand what we were going through, said Ollies mom, Michelle Myers. They soon joined forces to form the PSMC5 Foundation, which aims to find more people affected with related genetic mutations while raising awareness and funds for research. Ultimately, the families hope to learn more about this mutation and what it will mean for their sons as they age. Their work may also hold the key to neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease. What are the odds? The PSMC5 gene encodes one protein in the proteasome, a large protein machine inside all of your cells that uses energy to unfold and destroy proteins. The proteasome functions like an old-fashioned meat grinder, where you turn the crank and meat gets chopped up in the machine, and the pieces come out the other end, explained Alfred Goldberg, a retired professor of cell biology at Harvard Medical School in Boston. He discovered the proteasome in 1987, and his career has been devoted to understanding how cells destroy proteins. The proteasome can eliminate misfolded proteins that could interfere with cell function, Goldberg said. When it doesnt function properly, misfolded proteins accumulate in the brain and interfere with cell function. This is a hallmark of diseases like Parkinsons or Alzheimers. That's why Goldberg was intrigued when he first heard about these two boys. "The fact that Yoni and Ollie were alive and attractive physically was a surprise at the time, as we expected these mutations would cause much greater limitations, he said. Ollie and Yoni have serious medical challenges, but these challenges are not as great as we had anticipated. Yoni has speech and physical delays. "He is a smart guy, but his energy level is low, so he needs to make a lot of effort to get things done," said his mom, Idit Silverman. His dad, Joe, added: Hes come a long way. He didn't start talking until he was 4 and, slowly but surely, he is getting there. Ollie cant speak, but communicates through touch and gestures. He isnt toilet-trained and has a developmental age of between 2 and 3. Ollie Myers (2nd from R) with his parents, Michelle and Clint, and his brother, Moby. SOURCE: PSMC5 Foundation Strength in numbers There are likely more people who have the same genetic mutation as Ollie and Yoni, as well as other mutations in the genes that make up the proteasome. They wouldnt have been diagnosed unless they had their DNA sequenced, Goldberg explained. Such DNA analysis only became possible when the human genome was fully mapped out in 2003. The cost of genetic testing varies and can be a deterrent for some families, and it's not necessarily covered by insurance. "This specific mutation is pretty rare, but likely not confined to these two," said David Rubinsztein, a professor of molecular neurogenetics and deputy director of the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research. He is also the interim director at the UK Dementia Research Institute at Cambridge, in London. Since starting the PSMC5 Foundation in 2020, the Silverman and Myers families have been in contact with a 25-year-old and 13-year-old twins who may have similar behavior to Yoni and Ollie and may share this mutation. They have identified 19 other kids with similar mutations. We want more children in our research studies, so we can form a bigger community and build this foundation, Idit explained. Searching for a cure Now, the challenge is to find ways to activate the proteasome so it eliminates misfolded proteins and keeps them from building up. Advancing science takes time, and there are many steps involved in the research process. The foundation is helping fund the development of a mouse model of this genetic disease in Rubinsztein's lab. In addition, they are supporting the creation of a cell line to serve as a pure disease model to help better understand the effects of this mutation in Goldbergs lab. Goldberg and his colleagues plan on publishing a paper in a peer-reviewed journal within the next six months that describes the two boys' genetic makeup. If this is an active disease process that continues to progress after the boys early development, we hope to improve their quality of life by activating the proteasome or autophagy," Goldberg explained. Autophagy occurs when cells break down and destroy old, damaged or abnormal proteins. There are still many unknowns. We dont know the natural course of this disease because the boys are so young, Goldberg said. There is already proof that drugs can impact the proteasome. Three proteasome inhibitors are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat a type of cancer known as multiple myeloma. In cancer, you want to block the proteasome so that proteins build up and kill the cancer cells, he said. The goal is the opposite in genetic diseases like the one that Ollie and Yoni have, where the proteasome needs to be activated. Trust your gut At first, doctors thought Yoni had autism, but that never resonated with his parents. We felt it was something else, Idit said. Each specialist that Ollie saw spotted a new problem, including a heart murmur, a smaller optical nerve, and a poorly formed trachea (windpipe). No doctor could put all of these symptoms together and give the condition a name. Listen to your intuition as parents, Idit said. Consider genetic testing, cross-reference results with the GeneDx database, and find current research on the gene, she suggested. Both families are taking things day by day and find joy in their sons smiles and laughter. Yoni loves comic books, Marvel superhero movies, playing with dogs (although the family doesnt have their own dog yet), and making people laugh. Ollie loves to snuggle and watch funny clips from his favorite movies. Their parents hope the foundation will uncover new ways to help their boys and others with similar genetic diseases. I fear the unknown and what will be in 10 years with Yoni, and what effect this genetic disease will have on him, said Idit. We dont know the long-term prognosis as very few of these individuals have been studied over time, said Rubinsztein. The key thing is that these families are very involved and engaged in a remarkably constructive way. More information Learn more about the P312R mutation and other related genetic disorders at the PSMC5 Foundation. SOURCES: Idit and Joe Silverman, New York City parents; Michelle and Clint Myers, Boston parents; Alfred Goldberg, PhD, retired professor, cell biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston; David Rubinsztein, professor of molecular neurogenetics, deputy director, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, interim director, UK Dementia Research Institute at Cambridge, London When artist Chris Bauer received his fine arts degree with a focus in photography from the University of Illinois at Chicago, he brought it back home. Hed grown up in Belleville, and St. Louis held memories for him of the St. Louis Zoo, trips to the ballpark and outings in the brick city he loved to visit. It wasnt a surprise when he moved to St. Louis in 2013. Ive been living here ever since, Bauer says. Hes also managed to make his career in photography. He follows a divergent path that he treads on his own terms, though. The funny thing about how I see photography is that I love the process so much I havent buried myself in any niche. I love all of it, but like some people say about music and country I like any kind of photography except sports, he says. His diverse photo projects include portraits that capture souls and memorable family photos from the heart. He also shoots editorial and commercial work plus special events, like the recent Art in Bloom show for the St. Louis Art Museum. The projects he loves most are more personal in nature. Hes earned a reputation in music circles for concert shots, promotional shots and videos that help sell songs. The music of life Bauers love of music and dance dovetails beautifully into his professional life, too. I photograph a lot of music musicians, concerts, videos, he says. The people are all engaged and focused they love what theyre doing, he says. Being able to document that really feels the best for me. Bauer hopes to do more with music in the future. Find his tight music videos on his website, cbauerphotography.com, on his blog, A Thousand Words. Youll also find his band stills and concert photos on Instagram and on the website under the work tab music. Its easy to get lost in the visuals on Bauers website. You can take in the studied beauty he reveals in flowers and plants, and see the sweet relationships between people and their pets. His own dog, Nutmeg, has become an internet favorite on Instagram through Bauers shots of his exploits. He puts no limits on his subjects. Its a fun ride. When he travels we see his unique views of buildings, monuments, street life and people. He sees the formal rectilinear design in a parade of cows across a land and skyscape. He shows us the inner light of mines and the transcendent beauty of a decaying room of greens and yellows, once bright, now dimmed but hauntingly beautiful. Break it down, build it up Ive always been drawn to that. Its a journey I started in art school in Chicago. Looking back, I was naive and never thought about going into abandoned spaces alone, he says. I think I have amazing angels following me around. My mother prays for me all the time, so I guess its been helpful, he says. Once inside, he builds sculptures from the detritus and discards of the buildings past life. I do it to bring advocacy to these forgotten spaces, plus I find so much beauty in them. They are a place to meditate for me. Other people may think its gross, but it works for me, he says. Forward to the future Bauer sells prints of his photos through Pixie Set in all sizes, but hes also started to sell his prints at art shows, including some large prints, at local venues where his work has been well received. At the 314 show in March people came to my booth and said I really need to have this. I didnt expect to sell the large prints at a thousand dollars but one person said Im not leaving without this, so heres your $1,000. Wow. That was the first time Ive ever made something like that happen, he says. C Bauer Photography Artist Chris Bauer Age 32 Family Bauer is in a relationship with Lena Peak. His perky Chihuahua, Nutmeg, is an internet star and publicist for Bauer due to his big Instagram following. His parents, Laurie and Pat Bauer, have been a constant support in his life and business. Home Downtown West What he makes Bauer loves the process of photography and as such does not confine himself to one subject. He does portraits, family photos, events, personal work, and art photos. He is also a filmmaker with a special interest in music. Where to buy His work is available at local popups, which he promotes on Facebook and Instagram. Photos are also online for purchase at cbauerphotography.pixieset.com under the Prints for Sale heading. How much Prints at art shows and pop-ups range from $100 to $1,200. Prints from the e-commerce site Pixie Set are priced by size, from $10 to $100. Tony Messenger Tony Messenger is the metro columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Tony Messenger Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today FLORISSANT Bobby Bostic told a cautionary tale. He was speaking to a group of folks in the Florissant Valley branch of the St. Louis County Library a couple of weeks ago, having been invited to speak there by one of his recent pen pals, St. Louis County Library Director Kristen Sorth. A couple of years ago, Bostic had written Sorth to ask for some help starting a prison book club. In prison, Bostic became a prolific writer, publishing books on poetry, on prison, and on his hopes for a better future. He inspired Sorth to use more library resources to help people involved in the criminal justice system, including the creation of the tap-in center at the Florissant Valley branch, where folks can get help navigating the court system from volunteers. It had been about three months since Bostic had been released from state prison, on parole for a robbery he committed in 1995 when he was just 16 years old. Bostic was sentenced to 241 years in prison a virtual death sentence for a crime in which nobody died, primarily because the judge wanted to make an example of him. It was a violent time in St. Louis, with the murder rate spiking and violent crime on the rise. Bostic and his friend robbed some Good Samaritans at gunpoint who were delivering Christmas gifts to a family living in poverty. It was a time, Bostic remembers, that bears a resemblance in some ways to the St. Louis he came back to after nearly three decades behind bars. What is happening right now in St. Louis is just like it was back then, Bostic told the crowd. Indeed, the homicide rate was at an all-time high in St. Louis in the early-90s, until the one-year pandemic spike of 263 murders in 2020. And while the number of homicides fell to 200 each of the past two years, because of reduced population, the rate is higher than it was when Bostic was a teen. While Bostic became an inspiration for how he used his time in prison to read, write, and expand his education, he remains cognizant of the fact that his original sentence was incredibly unjust. In some ways, it is the perfect example of what some criminal justice reform advocates call the trial penalty. Bostic was offered a plea bargain in which he would serve 30 years. He chose to take his chances with a jury, and got punished for it. Thats not uncommon, and, in fact, its a tool many prosecutors use to force defendants into uneasy plea bargains, on cases that might not have great evidence, by threatening them with much harsher sentences if they go to trial. This trial penalty for exercising a fundamental constitutional right is intolerable, wrote conservative Washington Post columnist George Will last week, referencing a recent American Bar Association report on the practice. In terms of justice, what is the superiority of confessions achieved by the coercion of stacking in a courthouse negotiation, and those achieved in the bad old days by beatings with truncheons in the back rooms of police stations? In Bostics case, Judge Evelyn Baker chose to make an example of him during a time in which crime was dominating the headlines. It was a mistake it took her a long time to admit, but when she did, Baker joined the American Civil Liberties Union and others in advocating for his release. Bostic mentioned his outrageous sentence to the folks in his library audience because he doesnt want to see some young person from St. Louis become the next example, as the criminal justice system overreacts to a temporary spike in crime. Thats not an unfounded fear. For a variety of reasons, the tough on crime talk in St. Louis has been on the rise this year, much like it has been across the nation, reaching a fevered pitch after the tragic accident in which out-of-state 17-year-old volleyball player Janae Edmondson lost her legs, and again, a week or so later when one unhoused man shot another one to death on Tucker Boulevard in the middle of the day. Its easy for talk about anecdotal incidents that cause fear to get out of control and lead to an overreaction, particularly in the Missouri Legislature. In fact, just a few years back, the Legislature rewrote the states criminal code, in part to fix years of overreactions when certain crimes stole the headlines, and sparked laws named after victims, and before you knew it, sentences were out of whack. Thats how, for instance, Missouri ended up at one point with the highest disparity in the nation 75 to 1 in the long length of sentences for crack cocaine crimes often affecting Black defendants compared to shorter sentences for powder cocaine crimes often associated with white defendants. Its a lesson that has to be relearned, it seems, with every generation of lawmakers. As the Legislature, and, perhaps, local prosecutors and judges, take aim at urban crime in 2023, its worth remembering the story of Bobby Bostic. He wouldnt be free if that same Legislature hadnt adjusted parole laws so that people convicted when they were teenagers had an opportunity to earn freedom from overly harsh sentences. That was a move in the right direction. Now that hes a free man, Bostics hope is that Missouri learns from its past mistakes. ST. LOUIS Missouris attorney general says new evidence has surfaced in his suit to remove St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner. More witnesses have come forward and additional evidence has been collected to support Gardners removal, Attorney General Andrew Bailey said in a motion filed late Wednesday. The motion asks the court to allow Bailey to amend his petition seeking to remove Gardner from office, alleging she has knowingly failed to perform her job as the citys chief prosecutor. Bailey said since an initial petition was filed roughly two weeks ago, a number of witnesses have come forward with additional, significant information that supports the petition. Further, the states analysis of court files and statistical data has yielded relevant facts, the filing said. Meanwhile, Gardners attorneys asked a judge Wednesday evening to halt that evidence collection process by voiding a 34-point subpoena to the circuit attorneys office for records about case filings, victim complaints and copies of warrant applications. Gardners attorneys argue the subpoena constitutes an inappropriate fishing expedition and contains records for open, ongoing cases that are considered closed under the law. The subpoena is unreasonable and oppressive for non-party CAO to be required to produce expansive overbroad documents implicating privilege, work product and prosecutorial privilege, many of which invade public policy concerns, the filing said. A judge will make a decision on both requests at a later time. Later Thursday, the 22nd Judicial Circuit itself hired a lawyer to represent the courts in the case. Court spokesperson Joel Currier said in a release that retired judge Booker T. Shaw was retained to address Baileys wide-ranging subpoena for records and other matters. Shaw, the statement said, has decades of legal experience as an attorney and judge, presiding over more than 500 trials in the 22nd Circuit, and participating in more than 1,000 cases over seven years on the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District. Shaw has been a partner at Thompson Coburn in St. Louis since 2009. ST. CHARLES A judge is deliberating after closing arguments ended on Wednesday in the death penalty trial of Shawn Kavanagh for the murder of two women and a 7-year-old old boy nine years ago. Kavanagh, 32, confessed to police that he confronted his then-wife, Jessica Powell, at a friends Warren County trailer home the evening of Feb. 14, 2014, after she backed out of Valentines Day plans. There, he stabbed Powell before repeatedly stabbing and killing her friends, Tara Lynn Fifer, 22, and Lexy Vandiver, 29, along with Vandivers 7-year-old son, Mason. Powell and Vandivers 18-month-old daughter, Jeanette, survived. Kavanagh faces three counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Kavanaghs public defenders, Anthony Davidson and David Kenyon, say hes only guilty of the lesser offense of second-degree murder because the crimes were not premeditated. First-degree murder in Missouri requires that prosecutors prove a killing stems from cool reflection. Warren County Prosecuting Attorney Kelly King, who is personally prosecuting the case, said in closing arguments Wednesday that Kavanagh showed deliberation at several stages of the crime. No matter how briefly he planned it or how badly he planned it, that does not mean he didnt deliberate, she said. King highlighted that Kavanagh initially told police he knew he wouldnt like what he saw when he tracked his wife down and peeked into her friends home. He said in an interview the day after the killings that only Fifer deserved it because she was having an affair with his wife and trying to steal her. Jessica, to him, was a possession, King said. He wasnt going to let anyone take his possession particularly Tara Fifer. He initially told detectives that after spotting Fifer, he returned down the long, snowy driveway to get a Buck knife from his car, but said in later interviews with doctors that he had the knife with him for protection when he first approached the house. Davidson said in closing arguments for the defense that Kavanaghs mental disorders made him incapable of deliberation while in a rage. He asked the judge not to jump to a conviction of first-degree murder because of the severity of the crime. Davidson emphasized that Powell, Kavanaghs now ex-wife, testified she didnt see him peek into the home or return to his car to get a knife before the killings. He argued Kavanagh was likely in a dissociative state and became remorseful soon after the stabbing ended, screaming at himself in the mirror: Why did I do this? Kavanagh also called 911 to report the stabbings himself and cooperated with police when they arrived, Davidson said. That doesnt sound like a person who coolly reflected on murder, your honor, he argued. St. Charles County Circuit Judge Rebeca Navarro-McKelvey said in court Wednesday that she may have a verdict as early as Friday in the case. Should Kavanagh be convicted, both the prosecution and defense are expected to present victim statements and character testimony over sentencing in the case. UPDATED at 7:10 p.m. Wednesday with victim's name, other details A teenage boy died and two people were injured early Wednesday when the car the boy was driving hit a pole and broke apart on Interstate 70 in St. Louis, police said. Police identified the boy who died as Isaac Harper, 17, of the 1500 block of Cochran Place. Isaac was driving a 2006 Infiniti M35 that was speeding east on I-70 about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, police said. Isaac was changing lanes near Carrie Avenue when he lost control of the car and hit a median wall, police said. The car slid along the wall until it struck a Missouri Department of Transportation sign pole. The force of the crash caused the car to split apart, and all three occupants were thrown from the vehicle, police said. Isaac died at the scene. One of his passengers, a 17-year-old girl, was stable at a hospital. The other passenger, an unidentified male, was critically hurt; police said they don't know his age. WEBSTER GROVES A fight over labor rights is brewing in Webster Groves. The city council, aiming to rein in rising expenses, has told its firefighters that the city is paying too much in overtime, and voted unanimously to let their contract expire, accusing the union of being unreasonable after more than a year of negotiations. Firefighters are crying foul. This was a total union-busting attempt, said John Youngblood, spokesman for the International Association of Firefighters Local 2665. But leaders in this historic suburb of 24,000 maintain they have no choice. City expenses are rising more quickly than revenues, they say, leaving a $4 million deficit in five years if nothing is done. So theyve begun to cut, adopting a five-year plan to trim the budget by $1 million each year. Theyve laid off five full-time workers and one part-timer, suspended hiring for 11 other jobs across several city departments, and chopped another $680,000 from this years budget. Even then, the city had to draw on reserves and federal pandemic aid to address a projected $1.68 million deficit this year. The fire department was the least impacted by cuts and is the lone city agency to be given significant increases for new equipment and pay, said Mayor Laura Arnold, a former councilwoman elected mayor in April of last year. Public safety is No. 1, Arnold said. But we have a responsibility to do the best we can to budget in a way that meets all the citys needs. Youngblood doubted the citys budget claims. I dont buy this story of this grim outlook the city is portraying, he said. The dispute between the fire union and the city came down to whether the city would be required to pay overtime to keep a minimum 12 firefighters per shift they also serve as paramedics or 10 per shift. The 12-person minimum led to more than $580,000 in overtime costs last year almost $325,000 over the departments budget for overtime pay, according to city records. And those costs are rising: Overtime crested $301,000 in 2021, $206,000 in 2020, and $196,000 in 2019. By contract, Webster staffs four firefighter/paramedics on each of two fire trucks and its ambulance. But Arnold said the city needed flexibility to reduce staffing on a truck or two to avoid overtime. A 10-person minimum was still higher than minimum staffing at most surrounding municipalities, Arnold said. All were doing now is trying to corral these excessive overtime expenditures that weve had by allowing the flexibility that other fire departments have, she said. But Youngblood argued several points: He said cities with lower minimum-staffing requirements operate smaller departments or serve smaller populations than Webster Groves. He said the National Fire Protection Association recommends at least four-firefighters per vehicle, so that firefighters can battle structure fires from inside and outside in pairs and one pair could replace the other if needed. And overtime costs the last two years were unusually high because of unexpected staffing shortages due to COVID-19 or firefighter departures, he said. It was a combination of a lot of things that were not created by the union, Youngblood said. Its just the latest dispute between the city and the union, which has filed eight grievances since August of 2021, including one when a fire truck went out of commission in January, and three accusing the city of violating its contract by changing pay policies. The city and union settled two of the three grievances in mediation. An arbitrator ruled in the citys favor in a third, filed by a firefighter who said the city didnt abide by a previous policy to provide six months of pay while on military leave. Arnold said the city isnt anti-labor. It just negotiated Websters first-ever contract with police. And, she said, firefighter pay is still the single-best compensation package among Webster employees: It includes a 2% annual cost of living increase, a step pay plan, an annual $1,000 stipend, and an annual longevity bonus for employees who reach the top of their pay scale. The package covers six fire captains and 27 firefighter-paramedics previously covered by the old bargaining agreement. Median pay in the department in 2021 was $91,121 and the average pay $90,279, according to salary records. Still, Youngblood said firefighters have lost trust in the citys leaders. Residents deserve a fully equipped department with fully trained staff, not reduced staffing and equipment being out of place, he said. Theyre jeopardizing public safety. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, on the occasion of the ninth anniversary of the occupation of Crimea, stressed the illegitimacy of the so-called carried out by Russia "referendum" on the peninsula and assured of support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. "The Autonomous Republic of Crimea, which is affiliated to Ukraine, was annexed by the Russian Federation nine years ago (March 16) with an illegitimate referendum held in violation of international law. On the occasion of the anniversary of the annexation, we reiterate that we do not recognize this situation and reaffirm our support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey said in a statement. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said the situation of the indigenous people of Crimea, the Crimean Tatars, "is always a priority for our country." "Turkey will continue to support our Crimean Tatar compatriots in their historical homeland of Crimea, preserving their identity and ensuring that they live in safety and peace," the ministry said in the statement. TBILISI, Georgia In October last year, a Russian news site published a short video of Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner Group, the Russian mercenary army, sitting with four men on a rooftop terrace in the resort town of Gelendzhik, on Russias Black Sea coast. Two are missing parts of a leg. A third has lost an arm. They are identified as pardoned former convicts, returned from the front in Ukraine after joining Wagner from prison. You were an offender, now youre a war hero, Prigozhin tells one man in the clip. It was the first video to depict the return of some of the thousands of convicts who joined Wagner in return for the promise of a pardon if they survived six months of war. Reuters used facial recognition software to examine this video and more than a dozen other videos and photographs of homecoming convict fighters, published between October 2022 and February 2023. Reporters were able to identify more than 30 of the men by cross-checking the images with social media and Russian court documents. In their ranks are murderers, thieves and a self-declared Satanist. Several are in hospital recovering from wounds sustained in the fighting. Reuters managed to make contact with 11 of these men. Five agreed to be interviewed by phone and messaging app. What follows is the most detailed insider account yet of Wagners convict army: the fighters recruitment and training, the combat they saw in Ukraine, and their uncertain future in a Russia turned upside down by war with its neighbor. Four of the men said they were personally recruited by Yevgeny Prigozhin as he toured Russias prison system to bolster his private army. Some of the men were deployed to Ukraines eastern Bakhmut region, site of some of the most intense fighting of the one-year-old conflict, where one man described the utter hell of the battlefield. Thousands have been killed on both sides. The battle for the city of Bakhmut now hangs in the balance. A former Wagner commander who fled to Norway in January has said he witnessed members of Wagners internal security administering brutal treatment to prisoner recruits, including executions for desertion. Combat training, some conducted by veterans of Russias special forces, was short but intensive, according to the men. Ukrainian and Western officials say Wagner is sending poorly prepared fighters to certain death in eastern Ukraine. Mike Kofman, an expert in the Russian military at the Arlington County, Virginia-based CNA think tank, told Reuters the two to three weeks of training received by the convict recruits would be unlikely to bring them up to speed, even if some of the men had prior military experience. It takes time to learn combat basics, receive individual training, and you also need some collective training as a unit on top of it a couple of weeks alone isnt going to do that much for you, Kofman told Reuters. A more rigorous training scheme would last several months. All five ex-prisoners expressed a fierce loyalty to Prigozhin for giving them a second chance at life. Though Reuters could not independently confirm the mens accounts of their service, many of the details were consistent with one another. Russias Defense Ministry and penal service did not respond to detailed questions for this article, nor did Prigozhin and Wagner. In a brief emailed statement Prigozhin dismissed Reuters questions as crazy. Prigozhin has previously described Wagner as probably the most experienced army that exists in the world today and said its casualty rate is comparable with other Russian units. From jail to the Ukraine front When Prigozhin began touring Russias sprawling penal system in summer 2022 offering pardons to those who agreed to fight in Ukraine, word quickly spread among prisoners. Rustam Borovkov, from the small town of Porkhov, near Russias border with Estonia, was one of the four men filmed on the rooftop terrace. Court records show that the 31-year-old was six years into a 13-year term for manslaughter and theft in late July when Prigozhin reached his prison, Penal Colony No. 6 in Russias western Pskov region. Borovkov and two friends had broken into a house to steal homebrewed alcohol, according to the court papers. One of them struck the homeowner, who died as a result. Borovkov had heard from inmates in St Petersburg that Prigozhin was traveling from prison to prison in search of recruits. I knew right away that I would go, he told Reuters, even before he came to us. Borovkov said he stood with several hundred other prisoners to hear Prigozhin speak. They were given three days to decide whether to join Wagner in return for freedom. About 40 signed up and after three days and a polygraph test, aimed at rooting out drug addicts, they were on their way to war. Two months later, in September, as a Ukrainian counter-offensive gathered pace, a film emerged on social media of Prigozhin telling convicts in the Volga River region of Mari El that they had only five minutes to make a decision and those who changed their minds after joining would be shot as deserters. In another video, published in February this year, Prigozhin tells convicts that fighters are paid 100,000 rubles ($1,300) monthly, with the possibility of additional bonuses. Thats far above Russias average monthly wage of around 65,000 rubles. But Borovkov told Reuters his only motivation for joining Wagner was the promise of a pardon. I have a small child. I wanted to get back to my family. He said prison officers tried to persuade him not to go because he played an important role as head of his cellblocks medical unit. Six-time convicted thief Yevgeny Kuzhelev said a sense of patriotic duty drew him to Wagner. The 29-year-old was serving time in Russias southwestern Samara region for stealing cognac, beer and instant coffee from supermarkets in the Volga car-making city of Togliatti, according to court papers. I was sentenced to 3 years and 7 months and Id already served two years. So I didnt have long left. But I went anyway. Why? I thought about it, and I am sure that if I had been free at the time, I would have one hundred percent gone to fight. I would have gone as a volunteer, he said. I remember how from February, when it all started, I called my aunt from time to time from prison. She kept telling me that this friend of yours went [to Ukraine], then another one, then a third, a fourth ... And I knew that I would have done the same. Kuzhelev said the recruitment process took about two weeks, and during this time inmates were free to back out without consequence. Those who enlisted were moved to separate accommodation in the prison, where they encountered a new respect from the prison officers. Among us there was a man who was serving a 25 year sentence, Kuzhelev said. He had a few months left of his term and he signed up. The prison officers asked him: What the f--- are you doing? And he told them: Everything is fine, Im going. How can you not respect such a decision? Reuters was unable to establish the identity of the prisoner or what happened to him. It was clear they were going to die Prigozhin has said previously that Wagners convict fighters spend a month undergoing rigorous combat drills, sleeping for only four hours a day. The fighters who spoke to Reuters said they received two to three weeks of intensive and well-organized training. Some credited it with saving their lives. The war in Ukraine is straining Russias military capacity. Late last year, Putin announced the mobilization of reservists into the army. They would receive just 10 to 20 days training before deployment to the front. Basic training for infantrymen in the U.S. and British armies is around 22 weeks. One of the convict recruits told Reuters he traveled to a Wagner training camp in the Russian-controlled part of eastern Ukraines Luhansk region. Borovkov said training was conducted by former members of Russias special forces. Everything was organized at the highest level, said Borovkov, who previously served with the military force that secures Russias railways. It wasnt that they gave me a machine gun, showed me how to shoot and thats it. No, they explained everything, and in great detail. Mining, demining, tactics, shooting, physical training. Everything. The men who spoke to Reuters said that most of the inmates who joined Wagner had some kind of military experience. They had previously served as conscripts under Russias one-year military draft or as professional soldiers. The convicts with the most military experience were appointed squad commanders, two of the men said. When we got to training, we were asked in detail who knew what, who had served, where they served, said 38-year-old Dmitry Yermakov, who joined Wagner 10 years into a 14-year sentence for kidnapping. He declined to discuss his criminal record. And then, when we had been divided into units, they let the lads choose their own commanders. By that time I had already earned some kind of authority, so I was chosen. Yermakov said the recruits who realized the gravity of the situation and asked instructors to repeat drills were the best prepared for what was to come. Those were the men who were genuinely ready to go to war, he said. Others hoped merely to run down the clock on their six-month stints, hoping that they would receive their pardon having seen as little combat as possible. Of these men, Yermakov said: It was absolutely clear they were going to die. Paralyzing fear and adrenalin Of the five men who spoke to Reuters, three said that they had fought in the area around the eastern city of Bakhmut, where intense fighting has cost thousands of lives on both sides. Wagner is spearheading Russias months-long push to take the city, which had a pre-war population of 75,000 but is now in ruins. Prigozhin has referred to Bakhmut as a meat grinder, and said his mens task there is to bleed the Ukrainian army dry. Ukrainian and Western officials have compared the battles around Bakhmut to the First World War, and accused Wagner of using convicts in human wave attacks. According to the United States, by mid-February Wagner had suffered more than 30,000 casualties in Ukraine, including 9,000 dead, almost all of them convicts. Prigozhin has insisted, however, that the casualty rate among convict fighters is comparable to other Russian units. Yermakov, the convicted kidnapper, said that some fighters lost their nerves in the first hours of battle. What do they see there? Corpses ripped to shreds. And what do they do? Some of them vomit, some of them cry, and some of them dont want to climb out of the trench. Fear takes over. Other fighters recalled only the thrill of combat. It was amazing, said Andrei Yastrebov, a 22-year-old native of St Petersburg, who was serving time for car theft when he joined Wagner. Yastrebov also goes by the name Andrei Kiriyenko on social media. So much adrenalin. I wish all real men would join Wagner. You can write that. The Ukies ran and Wagner fucked them up. Four of the men interviewed by Reuters were seriously injured and invalided out of Ukraine long before completing their stints. They said Wagner had told them that time spent in hospital and rehabilitation would be counted towards their six-month terms and they would receive clemency regardless. Two said they have already got their pardons. Yermakov lasted only four days before receiving a serious wound to his arm and groin in mid December while dragging a wounded comrade to safety. He said his squad had been tasked with taking and holding a road junction near the village of Pokrovske, on the eastern approach to Bakhmut. He described his final day on the front as utter hell, lying flat on the ground for 24 hours as Ukrainian tanks and mortars shelled his squads position and drones flew overhead. In a war, youre almost always lying flat on the ground. Its the only way to survive, said Kuzhelev, the convicted thief. He told Reuters he spent two months at the front before receiving a shrapnel wound to his arm. We always wish people Happy Birthday after they have been wounded because they have dodged death. Thats what they said to me, he added. A new start Now free years ahead of schedule, whether at home or facing long periods of treatment and rehabilitation, the surviving fighters are returning to a country where their actions on the frontline are lionized by many. Prigozhin has previously said that he is giving convicts who join Wagner a second chance at life, and an opportunity to redeem themselves. Earlier this month the State Duma passed a law making it a crime to discredit Wagner fighters. The law, which previously applied more narrowly to Russias armed forces, was extended at Prigozhins request. Prigozhins growing power has not been greeted warmly by all sections of the Russian elite. In February, a long-running feud between the Wagner leader and Russias military chiefs exploded into open hostility. Prigozhin accused Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov of treason, saying they were starving Wagner of munitions out of personal animosity towards him. Shoigu and Gerasimov could not immediately be reached for comment. Earlier the same month, Prigozhin said he had ended Wagners recruitment of prisoners, hinting in an interview that he was forced to do so by unnamed officials. The five fighters interviewed by Reuters felt a deep personal gratitude to Prigozhin for recruiting them and wiping their criminal records. Were better than ordinary citizens, said Yastrebov, the car thief, now at home in his native St Petersburg. We are not ex-convicts now, thanks to Wagner. In a January video, Prigozhin is shown telling injured convict fighters: The police must treat you with respect. Everything has already been agreed at various levels, so that there is no nit-picking If necessary, I myself will call and talk to the governors and so on, and we will find a solution. For Kuzhelev, who as of February had been in a Krasnodar region hospital for four months, Prigozhin had given him a new lease on life. Court documents show he spent almost seven of his 29 years in prison for six separate convictions. The last time I was sent to prison, I was thinking: Well, here I am again, whats next? he said. Ill serve a year, another, a third, and then what? Ill go out, and what am I going to do on the outside? What am I going to do with myself, given my background? Well, now Im clean. I have some money. I can think about the future. Think about getting a mortgage to buy an apartment I have all this thanks to our esteemed Yevgeny Viktorovich, Kuzhelev added, using Prigozhins patronymic as a sign of respect. All five of the men who spoke to Reuters said either that they would remain with Wagner after their six month service, or were seriously considering doing so. Some said they wanted to get back to the frontlines as soon as they were able to. Nikita Lyubimov, a native of the Volga city of Cheboksary who had been serving a four and a half year sentence for grievous bodily harm, said his first priority was to support the lads, to recover as soon as possible, and get back to the front line. The 23-year-old had received a shrapnel wound two months into his initial stint in Ukraine, and was invalided out. The men said that the able-bodied among them were offered the chance to sign on as professional full-time mercenaries, while the injured were offered supporting roles. Borovkov, who is getting a prosthetic arm after amputation, said that he had been offered a job at a Wagner hospital in Luhansk when he recovers. Yermakov said he hoped to recover sufficiently to re-enroll as a contract mercenary, and hoped to be deployed in future to Libya, Syria or the Central African Republic, where Wagner operations predate the groups present campaign in Ukraine. He cited limited prospects available in Russias civilian economy as pushing him towards returning to Wagner. People work hard without days off for 12-14 hours a day, and at best they earn 50-60,000 rubles ($672-$806) a month, said Yermakov, who told Reuters he has two small daughters. I will return to the (Wagner) company and I will definitely be able to earn 150,000 rubles ($2,000) a month. For others, a return to Wagner offers an alternative to sinking back into a life of crime. Kuzhelev, who has spent almost seven of his 29 years in prison, told Reuters that he hoped that service in Wagner would enable his young daughter to build a career in future, without the stigma of her fathers criminal past. My daughter, when she grows up, can go on to study banking, or attend the police academy, said Kuzhelev. And she will not have problems because her father was in prison. Isnt that motivation? Of course it is. Updated at 1 p.m. Thursday, March 16, with a brief comment from Yevgeny Prigozhin. Illinois move to require mandatory paid leave for any reason for most employees in the state isnt the radical-left policy that some in the business community are decrying. Requiring five days a year of paid leave for everyone is far less generous than most companies already provide to their higher-paid professionals. And it could smooth out the rougher edges of life for the lowest-paid service workers, who often cannot afford to miss a single days pay even for a sick child or a broken-down car or a family emergency. Still, the unusual Illinois law should raise some concerns even among those who agree with the motives behind it. In some ways, this will become a test of whether unintended consequences of such a top-down approach will outweigh the gains for workers. Will businesses be more apt to farm out work to private contractors rather than keep hourly wage employees who theyll have to pay for time away? Will still more businesses leave Illinois, creating a net loss for workers? Other states looking for ways to help low-wage workers should keep a close eye on how this unfolds. While more than a dozen states now mandate paid medical leave, Illinois next year will become just the third (after Maine and Nevada) to mandate paid leave for employees for any reason. And the Illinois version is more far-reaching than in the other two states, applying to all sizes of companies. Employees will be able to start accruing paid leave after working for an employer for at least 90 days, earning one paid hour off per 40 hours of work. The benefit tops out at 40 hours off (one work week) per year. Gov. J.B. Pritzker strained to present the new law as business-friendly, suggesting that businesses want their workers to be able to deal with their stresses, emergencies at home, so they can be better and more productive at work. In a perfect world, that would be true but if it were, the job market itself would already be providing this kind of flexibility to workers at all levels, without requiring a government mandate. Unfortunately, thats not something the market currently does for lower-paying jobs. Nor does federal law require a single paid day off for anyone, for any reason a quirk of Americas work-obsessed culture that surely looks draconian to workers in Britain, France, Germany and other advanced countries who get a month or more off per year by national mandate. Of course, the pandemic has largely changed Americans relationship to their jobs, prompting many to focus more on life outside the workplace and directly contributing to the worker shortage still in play. Employers of all sizes may eventually find that paid leave, mandated or not, has to be the new normal to get and keep workers. Until then, Illinois experiment bears watching. Back in 2017, when Congress and the Trump administration were pushing a bill to weaken hard-fought banking regulations, we warned that they were playing with fire. Barely a decade had passed since the 2007-2008 economic meltdown. Blatant abuses in the financial industry had more than merited the tough banking regulations that followed. Yet, now, Congress and the Trump administration wanted to weaken regulations to placate the banking lobby. One of the key players doing the banks bidding was Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, who held (and still holds) a key seat on the House Financial Services Committee. To recap how the meltdown happened: Reckless risk-taking by mortgage lenders had brought major financial institutions to the brink of collapse. The stock market tanked. Millions of Americans lost their homes, their jobs, their retirement accounts, or all three. Banks hated the tighter regulations imposed by the 2010 Dodd-Frank banking reform act and unleashed their most powerful forces gobs and gobs of money to lobby for a rollback. Money talked. With billionaire Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin leading the charge on behalf of oppressed billionaire bankers, Congress agreed to dramatically loosen regulation thresholds so that smaller banks those with less than $250 billion in assets could take bigger risks again. Billionaire President Donald Trump signed the bill. Billionaire bankers cheered. Wagners campaign fund swelled. Also swept up in the fervor was former Rep. Barney Frank, D-Massachusetts, who found reason to push for reversal of his own banking restrictions. Why? Perhaps because he now held a lucrative board position at one of those smaller institutions: Signature Bank. Last weekend, Signature Bank and Silicon Valley Bank became two of the three largest bank failures in U.S. history. Fears of a broader banking failure have sent U.S. stock markets plummeting again, while the Federal Reserve is scrambling to head off a depositor panic. Tech firms whose Silicon Valley Bank deposits exceeded the federal insurance coverage limits worried that they wouldnt be able to make payroll unless the government stepped in. The two banks failed for different reasons, but both were rooted in the 2018 legislation that had allowed them to escape the federal stress-test regulations that had previously applied to them. They had placed too many of their assets in liquidity-risky holdings that tighter federal regulation would likely have caught. Silicon Valley had placed more than half of its assets in low-yield, low-liquidity U.S. Treasury bonds, and Signature Bank had put far too much reliance on cryptocurrency transactions. The relaxed regulations provided Wagner and other Republicans with a short-term political victory that oddly played well with Trumps base of working-class non-billionaires. Frank reportedly walked away with $2.4 million in compensation from Signature. But Americans this week once again are watching their 401(k)s sink in value while wondering: Is this 2007 all over again? At the end of 2022 Germany arrested a 53-year old former soldier who currently held a senior position in the BND (Federal Intelligence Service). The interrogation of the prisoner has confirmed he was spying for Russia and this led to the arrest of the Russian courier who took classified information to Russia while bringing the BMD mole (a spy working for a foreign intelligence agency) his cash compensation. The Germans fear there are more such moles. There were a lot of them during the Cold War and most of those were arrested after 1991, or surrendered voluntarily. Not all the cold war era moles were identified and Russia revived its espionage program in the 1990s, even before former KGB officer Vladimir Putin took power in Russia. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Putin was a KGB officer in East (communist) Germany. He spoke German and apparently knew about the West German mole network and sleeper agents operating in the West. Even before the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, there were problems with Russian sleeper agents, also known as illegals. During the last decade Russia has activated more of these sleeper agents and used them for a variety of tasks besides espionage. Since the Russians invaded Ukraine, more sleepers have been activated to gather information on NATO efforts to supply the Ukrainian war effort. These sleepers are trained to do this discreetly but some used commercial quad-copters too frequently and attracted unwanted attention. European counter-intelligence agencies have prepared profiles of likely sleepers and that has made it easier to detect and arrest sleepers even if they have not been activated. As a result of all this activity NATO governments, often the post-Cold War ones in East Europe have increasingly gone public with details of Russian espionage operations, especially the use of assassination of those Russia considers traitors or simply enemies of the state. There has been more of that since the Ukraine invasion and more Russians have fled their homeland. One news story about the sleeper program did more than just report on the problem. A 2019 French newspaper article described the Russian GRU (Russian Military Intelligence) Unit 29155 that had recently been operating from a secret logistics base in France near the Swiss border. From there at least fifteen GRU undercover agents engaged in espionage, sabotage and assassination operations. Also described was a joint British, Swiss, French and American intelligence operation to track down details of Unit 29155 and what it was doing between 2014 and 2018. The Unit 29155 base was apparently moved around Western Europe frequently to avoid detection and concentrate efforts on specific tasks. One of these was assassination, including attempts on the life of Sergei Skripal in Britain early in 2018. This incident did make the news, mainly because the GRU agents used a form of nerve gas called novichok. That incident caused an international uproar. In mid-August 2018 the U.S. imposed its first round of new sanctions on Russia for its March 2018 use of nerve gas in Britain. The details of this use of Russian nerve gas had been confirmed. British investigators identified the Russians who were involved with the use of nerve gas to try and attempt to murder Sergei Skripal, a former Soviet intelligence officer who worked for Britain as a double agent. In response to the March 2018 incident, Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats suspected of being intelligence agents and Russia responded by expelling 23 British diplomats. More nations said they would expel Russian diplomats and after the June confirmation that it was Russian novichok, the U.S. ordered into effect a series of additional sanctions on Russia. These could be limited if Russia admitted it used novichok and provided assurances it would never do so again with any banned weapons. Russia said it will do neither and denied any involvement. This assassination effort was nothing new for Russia. Skripal was still working for British intelligence when he was arrested in Russia at the end of 2004 and prosecuted for espionage. He was sent to prison in 2006 but got out in 2010 when Russia agreed to use him as one of the three imprisoned spies exchanged to get back several Russian illegals who were caught in the United States. Russia was reluctant to part with Skripal, who had apparently done enormous damage to Russian overseas spying efforts. But they wanted their imprisoned agents in the U.S. back. This was not the first time Russia had gone after people like Skripal in Britain. This sort of thing has happened elsewhere in Europe before and after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Russia insists that it does not do this and has been saying that since the Soviets started hunting down and killing traitors overseas back in the 1930s. What was not revealed at that time was the joint investigation of Unit 29155 and how many of the growing number of Russian espionage efforts in Europe could be traced to it and similar GRU or KGB operations in East Europe. The Russians have been quite active in Serbia and Bulgaria where local intel agencies have more experience with Russian methods. Thats because until the 1980s Bulgaria was ruled by a Russia-backed communist government that had close ties to the KGB and GRU. It was these former communist states in East Europe that were the first to detect and warn their NATO allies of the resumption of major Russian espionage efforts. Even journalists in East Europe were able to identify some Russian agents on their own. Decades of Russian-imposed communist rule in East Europe left bitter memories of how ruthless the Russian espionage services could be, and many victims are still alive to provide personal testimony. Western Europeans, except those in East Germany, did not experience this and were slow to accept the fact that the Russians were back, since the late 1990s, at their Cold War espionage efforts. That attitude is changing as more details of recent Russian efforts are made public. For example, in late 2012 Germany revealed it was prosecuting two Russians (a married couple) who were arrested in 2011 on suspicion of espionage. Russia insisted that the two Russians were not active Russian agents, but retired Cold War era spies. Germany accused the couple of recruiting and using a local spy three times between 2008 and 2011. When the police came to arrest the couple, the woman was found listening to coded messages. There was apparently much more evidence as well that the couple was spying. The two 51-year-old Russians were sent to Germany (via Austria using false Austrian IDs) in 1988, to serve as "sleepers", agents that spend most of their time doing nothing until activated from time-to-time for some simple, but essential, mission. While Germany let a lot of its own Soviet era spies off easy, there is still a lot of animosity towards Russian spies. That's because Russia is still very much involved with espionage. In Germany that means stealing economic secrets, which hurts the German economy. The Germans are not in a forgiving mood because of this Russian aggression. Germany believes that this couple are but two of many other Cold War sleeper agents that Russia, or someone, is reactivating. Prosecuting these two included attempts to get them to reveal details of how the sleeper program operates. This would help the Germans track down other sleepers and get an idea of how many of them are out there. These two sleepers were apparently not very cooperative. Some details of the sleeper operation were gathered from the investigation of so many sleepers. Many, if not all, the sleepers were cut loose in the 1990s, as the KGB back home was reorganized and saw its budget cut sharply. But after 2000 the FSB (the rebranded and reorganized domestic operations branch of the KGB) and SVR (foreign operations of the KGB) revived a lot of Cold War era operations. In large part that's because KGB men hold many senior jobs in the Russian government. The president of Russia for most of the last decade, Vladimir Putin, was a career KGB man. The SVR and GRU got more money to operate in foreign lands. There are two foreign intelligence services: SVR and GRU. The first one is the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service. It is the former First Chief Directorate of the Soviet era KGB, which has managed most foreign intelligence operations for decades. Its activities are well known throughout the world. The second one is the GRU, Russian military intelligence. It is a part of the Defense Ministry. Its full name is much longer, as in The Chief Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Army. GRU has retained its Soviet era name and just about everything else. GRU is seen as a living relic of Soviet times. That is why GRU is so much more secretive than the "Westernized" SVR. GRU officers are considered more patriotic (and old school) than those of the SVR. During the Cold War there were fewer GRU defectors, which is still a point of pride in Russia. GRU prefers to stay in the shadows, which makes the exposure of Unit 29155 activities all the more unusual. Westerners have not written many books about the GRU, compared to the KGB. This is largely because GRU keeps its secrets better and, in the West, is considered an obscure part of Russian intelligence. It's possible that the GRU activated these sleepers but the Germans did not go public with a lot of information. The Germans shared their information with the clandestine investigation of Unit 29155 only with other Western intelligence agencies. Both GRU and SVR perform the same functions: Political Intelligence, Scientific and Technical Intelligence (industrial espionage), and Illegal Intelligence. Because of this the two agencies have a very real rivalry going. There was, and remains, one area where only the SVR (and its predecessor, the KGB) participates, running counter-intelligence abroad. This was long a KGB monopoly because it was the KGB's job to make sure the armed forces remained loyal, while GRU was and is very much a part of the armed forces. When GRU officers are working abroad, they are monitored by Directorate K (counter-intelligence) of the SVR. Those who serve inside Russia are watched by the Directorate of Military Counter-Intelligence (The Third Directorate) of the FSB (Federal Security Service, inheritor to the KGB). Interestingly, in the Soviet period, it was also called the Third Directorate. It is not a coincidence but a continuation of the Soviet tradition. The Third Directorate of the FSB is still assigned to monitor the Defense Ministry, of which the GRU is a part. The head of GRU does not even report directly to the Russian president. GRU reports have to go through the Head of the General Staff and the defense minister before reaching the top man. GRU is very much number two in the Russian foreign intelligence business. As such they tend to try harder and consider themselves more elite than those pampered wimps over at SVR. On the other hand, there also is one function monopolized by the GRU: battlefield intelligence and NATO countries are, and always have been, considered potential battlefields. Battlefield intelligence is run in peacetime as well. For example, in preparation for future wars, the GRU sets up illegal weapons and ammunition dumps in the territory of many foreign countries. This is a risky operation. It usually involves groups of junior Russian diplomats secretly going into rural areas to bury rifles, machine-guns, and other weapons. They have to do this discreetly and in a hurry, to avoid detection by the local counterintelligence service. It is considered a hard job. Western analysts regard the GRU as the most closed Russian intelligence service partly because it does not even manage its own press relations. That's because GRU is one of many components of the Defense Ministry and is not eligible to have its own press relations staff. The FSB and SVR are higher up in the government pecking order and entitled to their own press relations operations. Formally, GRU is nothing but one of the numerous Chief Directorates of the General Staff of the Defense Ministry. It does not even report directly to the Minister of Defense. That is why those foreign journalists who have questions about GRU must address them to the Press Service of the Russian Defense Ministry. The questions are often handled by some press aide who knows little about intelligence work, while FSB and SVR press people are very well informed. Foreign journalists tend to seek out the SVR press department when seeking information on Russian intel operations. During the Second World War GRU worked in close contact with the NKVD, the predecessor of the KGB. For example, in March 1941, both intelligence services jointly carried out a successful operation aimed at overthrowing the pro-German government of Yugoslavia. During the entire war, GRU and NKVD managed a joint network of foreign agents in Europe. The current system of two separate intelligence services competing with each other only came about in the 1950s, after Stalins death. It was done by the Central Committee of the Communist Party in order to protect itself from a coup inspired by either intelligence service. As a result, the GRU not only competes with the SVR, but it is also supposed to keep an eye on the SVR for signs of disloyalty. In Soviet times, although the GRU was monitored by the KGB, both organizations reported to the Central Committee of the Communist Party. In case of emergency, the Central Committee could control the KGB using the GRU. The communists believed it best that someone guards the guards. Nowadays, GRU does not monitor the SVR anymore. GRU, the military, and the rest of Russia are all subordinate to the FSB/SVR. SVR has more money and resources. It's long been like that, and the GRU has developed a tradition of getting by on very little. GRU methods are considered more aggressive and crude than those of the SVR. GRU operatives tend to think they are at war even during peacetime. The SVR assigns its officers to do some jobs in the form of tasks, not detailed orders. The task is not supposed to be necessarily accomplished, while the order is to be carried out by all means. The GRU prefers ordering and expects results no matter what. In the GRU nobody cares how their officers obtain secret information, like parts of missiles and other weapons. They may buy it legally or semi-legally or even steal it. One enterprising GRU agent in the 1970s shipped a stolen Sidewinder air-to-air missile from West Germany to Moscow via United Airlines air freight. The SVR officers are not allowed to do so. They are supposed to use foreign collaborators for it. In the GRU you just go get it. Thats why tracking Unit 29155 was such a big deal. These are all reasons why Unit 29155 is still active. Japan has a rather effective space program using locally designed and built SLVs (satellite launch vehicle) and satellites. For over a decade Japanese firm have been developing the new H3 SLV whose first test launch in February was called off because the solid-fuel rocket would not launch. This H3 test involved delivering the three-ton ALOS-3 (Advanced Land Observing Satellite) into a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). This is one of the more difficult orbits to achieve, because it is 36,000 kilometers out, and exact positioning is required in order to get the satellite to the proper position. A second launch effort on March 7 succeeded initially but the ALOS-3 payload was not delivered because the second stage of the SLV failed to operate correctly. The satellite was destroyed. Seven H3 launches were planned for 2023. Testing will continue until all problems have been resolved. The future of Japans space program depends on getting the H3 to function as designed. H3 is a 53 meter (207 foot) long, 574-ton two-stage SLV that can lift up to four tons in to the highest orbits. Each H3 costs about $50 million to manufacture and launch. The H2 SLV continues to be used and carried out its latest launch in January 2023. It was a success and there will be more launches into 2024, when the H2 program will end. The H2 has been the primary Japanese SLV since 1994. Since then, there have been upgrades that resulted in the H2A and H2B. The original H2 weighed 260 tons and was launched seven times with five successes between 1994 and 1999. The H2A was launched 46 times between 2001 and 2009. There was only one failure. H2A weight varied from 285 to 445 tons. The heavier SLV was first used in 2017 and the H3 as developed from this. Japan launched most of its spy satellite using H-2A SLVs. In 2020 Japan had two digital camera photo satellites and five radar satellites operational. Japan has been expanding that to ten photo and radar satellites. Japan has long been a major producer of satellites and SLVs because Japan launched its first satellite in 1970 and became the fourth nation (after Russia, America and France) to do so. For decades Japan mainly launched scientific satellites. In the late 1990s Japan, alarmed at the threat of attack by North Korea, began developing and launching military satellites. The first two were launched in 2003, the third in 2006 and the fourth in 2007. Japan continues to build and launch its own photo, radar and ELINT (electronic intelligence) satellites. While Japan buys some launcher and satellite tech from foreign nations (mainly the U.S.), Japan has become quite proficient and self-sufficient in both areas. By 2010 the cameras onboard Japanese photo satellites could make out objects as small as one meter (39 inches) in diameter. By 2013 a new Japanese photo satellite could detect objects .6 meters (two feet) in size. The best U.S. spy satellites can make out much smaller objects, but for Japan's needs, .6 meters is adequate. The radar satellites provide all-weather coverage. Technically, the satellites are in violation of a 1969 Japanese law, which mandated Japan only use space for non-military purposes. To get around this these satellites are technically non-military and are not controlled by the military. Japan had long refrained from launching military satellites but this changed when North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan in 1998. Japan promptly set out to get eight surveillance satellites in orbit by 2006 to keep an eye on North Korean nuclear weapons and ballistic missile efforts. This proved impossible to do. While two Japanese satellites were launched in early 2003, another two were destroyed during late 2003, when the rocket malfunctioned. Japan had long relied on commercial photo satellites and whatever they could get from the Americans. But for high-resolution shots, on-demand, of North Korea, and electronic eavesdropping from space, they needed their own spy satellites. It is believed that Japanese spy satellites are also being used to watch military developments in China and Russia. The Japanese program has cost over three billion dollars so far. Much of this was spent to develop SLVs large and reliable enough for satellite work. The latest launch was the 35th successful launch for the H-2A, which has a 97.5 percent success rate. The similar H-2B SLV has carried out ten successful launches. Japanese SLVs have put nearly a hundred satellites into orbit since 1970. Most have been non-military and several were for other nations. Japanese SLVs are locally designed and manufactured. These rockets operate from a launch complex in southern Japan. Later versions of the H-2A weighed up to 445 tons with a max payload of 15 tons. The H-2B variant weighs 531 tons and can put 16.5 tons into orbit. The new H3 SLV was supposed to have its first test launch in 2020. There were technical problems that have delayed test launches until 2023. The H-3 will specialize in putting satellites in high orbits. Because of the breakthroughs American firm SpaceX has made with their reusable (they land under their own power after launch) rockets, Japan is now working on an H4 SLV with that feature. The Japanese photo satellites weigh about a ton, while the radar one weighs about a third more. The United States provided a lot of technical assistance on the design and construction of the satellites initially and Japan now builds its own rockets to launch them. Like most spy satellite users, Japan does not report on how effective they are. It is known that Japan could get more detailed photos from commercial satellites, but those are not controlled by the Japanese government. Crypto.ro is hosting their first crypto conference since going globally TIMISOARA, ROMANIA / ACCESSWIRE / March 16, 2023 / Crypto.ro, Romania's leading cryptocurrency and blockchain media company, is hosting "The Alliance" event in Timisoara on September 21, 2023, at prestigious Galla Events. The event will unite the most innovative minds, game changers, entrepreneurs, investors, and blockchain enthusiasts to discuss the latest developments and opportunities in the crypto space. "The Alliance" is set to provide a platform for innovators and community builders to connect, share experiences, and work together on fresh new ideas. "The hosting of The Alliance conference is a significant achievement for crypto.ro. We hope this event will have a great impact in the growth and adoption of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology both in Europe and globally," said Alex Numeris, Founder and CEO. With more than 500 participants expected to attend from around the world, this one-day event is set to be an incredible opportunity for attendees to network, learn, talk about the latest crypto news, and collaborate with some of the most influential voices in the field of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. For more information about The Alliance event, please visit the official website at events.crypto.ro. About crypto.ro Crypto.ro is a leading crypto media platform that provides up-to-date and accurate information on the latest developments in the world of cryptocurrencies. With an experienced team, the platform offers comprehensive coverage of the crypto industry, including market trends, regulatory updates, and a free cryptocurrency course. The platform also offers a variety of educational oriented articles meant to help investors identify the best crypto to invest in. Additionally, investors can benefit from crypto.ro's reviews, which helps them to make decisions on which are the best crypto exchanges that suit them. The platform's research covers a range of exchanges, providing investors with detailed insights into what is the best platform they can trust their money with. With a free cryptocurrency course, detailed market analysis, and comprehensive insights on the best crypto apps and exchanges, crypto.ro is your one-stop-shop for all things crypto. Follow crypto.ro today to stay connected with the world of cryptocurrencies. Follow on Twitter https://twitter.com/cryptoro_global Join the Telegram Community https://t.me/s/cryptoro_global Follow on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/crypto.ro.global Contact Information: Alex Numeris CEO [email protected] Maya Parker Public Relations Officer [email protected] SOURCE: Crypto.ro View source version on accesswire.com: RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION (NYSE: RRC) announced today that, after almost 20 years of service which included the discovery and development of the Marcellus Shale field, Jeff Ventura plans to retire from the Company effective June 2, 2023 and will not seek reelection to the Board. Ranges Board of Directors has selected Dennis Degner, the Companys Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer to assume the role of President and Chief Executive Officer effective at the Companys annual shareholder meeting May 10, 2023. In addition, Mr. Degner will be nominated for election to the Companys Board of Directors. Mr. Degner has more than 25 years of modern shale gas development experience, including having served as Division Vice President of Ranges Appalachia Division with responsibility for what is currently the Companys sole operational area. Dennis leadership and technical skills have enhanced Ranges operational strategy, performance, and company culture. He has played a key role in Ranges growth and success over the past decade and is the right leader at the right time for Range, said Ventura. I am very proud of what we have accomplished together, specifically in Pennsylvania, where we pioneered the Marcellus shale and matured Range into a top-ten producer of natural gas and natural gas liquids in the country. Ventura has served as the companys CEO since 2012 having joined the Company as Chief Operating Officer in 2003. He was instrumental in the discovery of and the development of the Marcellus Shale in Appalachia, which is now one of the largest natural gas discoveries in the world. I have had the pleasure of working with and serving alongside Jeff for the last seven years. Jeff provided steady leadership and a consistent vision during an extremely challenging chapter for our whole industry, said Chairman Greg Maxwell. Jeff will leave Range with the strongest balance sheet in company history, record free cash flow, and a business that is well-positioned to generate shareholder returns. This succession plan is a testament to the strong culture at Range, and we are excited to promote our next CEO from within the Companys existing leadership team. The Board is confident Dennis will continue to elevate the Companys performance and drive shareholder value. In addition, in recognition of the outstanding work by Mark S. Scucchi as Chief Financial Officer, the Board has elected Mr. Scucchi to the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Maxwell commented Mark has done an excellent job managing the Companys balance sheet and financial resources to support the Companys operational success. As a key member of the management team, the Board not only recognizes his contributions but the importance of his leadership in the future and we congratulate him on being promoted to the position of Executive Vice President. PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Alcoa Corporation (NYSE: AA) today announced the closure of its Intalco aluminum smelter in Washington State, which has been fully idle since 2020. The closure announcement begins a process to prepare the site for new economic development opportunities. The Intalco smelter site operated for nearly 55 years, and weve spent significant time evaluating options for the asset, including a potential sale, said Alcoa President and CEO Roy Harvey. Our analysis, however, indicates that the facility cannot be competitive for the long-term. The site is an important part of our history, and we are encouraged by the prospects for potential economic development via another entity that will own and control land at the site, Harvey said. We will continue to engage with our stakeholders, including community members and government officials, as we make this transition. Pursuant to an agreement with AltaGas (TSX: ALA), AltaGas has acquired the rights to develop and own approximately 1,600 acres at the Intalco site, which includes transportation and utility infrastructure. AltaGas is currently exploring potential development which would align with Washington state and Whatcom Countys climate ambitions and provide long-term, sustainable benefits to the community and the local economy, said Randy Toone, President Midstream at AltaGas. We understand the rich legacy and importance of this site to the community. We look forward to working with local stakeholders, Tribes and Alcoa to ensure potential development benefits the region and positively contributes to the ongoing energy transition. Permanently closing Intalcos 279,000 metric tons of annual capacity will bring Alcoa Corporations global consolidated capacity to 2.69 million metric tons, including a combined 399,000 metric tons at two other smelters in the United States. Alcoa will record restructuring and related charges in the first quarter 2023 of approximately $120 million (pre- and after-tax), or $0.67 per share, related to the permanent closure. Cash outlays related to the permanent closure of the site are expected to be approximately $85 million over the next three years, with approximately $25 million to be spent in 2023. The Intalco smelter was fully curtailed in the third quarter of 2020, amid declining market conditions and high input costs. The smelter, which began operation in 1966, lacks access to competitively priced power and would have required significant capital expenditures to restart. The site currently has 19 employees; some will remain to assist with the closure-related activities that allow opportunities for future redevelopment. Support services will be provided for those displaced by the closure decision. About Alcoa Corp. Alcoa (NYSE: AA) is a global industry leader in bauxite, alumina and aluminum products with a vision to reinvent the aluminum industry for a sustainable future. With a values-based approach that encompasses integrity, operating excellence, care for people and courageous leadership, our purpose is to Turn Raw Potential into Real Progress. Since developing the process that made aluminum an affordable and vital part of modern life, our talented Alcoans have developed breakthrough innovations and best practices that have led to greater efficiency, safety, sustainability and stronger communities wherever we operate. Dissemination of Company Information Alcoa Corporation intends to make future announcements regarding company developments and financial performance through its website at www.alcoa.com, as well as through press releases, filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, conference calls and webcasts. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains statements that relate to future events and expectations, and as such constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include those containing such words as aim, ambition, anticipates, believes, could, develop, endeavors, estimates, expects, forecasts, goal, intends, may, outlook, plans, potential, projects, reach, seeks, sees, should, targets, will, working, would, or other words of similar meaning. All statements by Alcoa Corporation that reflect expectations, assumptions or projections about the future, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Although Alcoa Corporation believes that the expectations reflected in any forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that these expectations will be attained, and it is possible that actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements due to a variety of risks and uncertainties. Additional information concerning factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements is contained in Alcoa Corporations filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Alcoa Corporation disclaims any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether in response to new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005476/en/ Investor: James Dwyer 412-992-5450 [email protected] Media: Jim Beck 412-315-2909 [email protected] Source: Alcoa Marine defense contractor leverages resources from the companys multiple brands to reinforce position as a single-source supplier BELOIT, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management (Arcline), has been awarded a contract by Austal USA for a portfolio of equipment to support the construction of WMSM-919, the U.S. Coast Guards next Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC). The portfolio includes systems from the companys multiple brands, reinforcing FMDs position as a single-source defense contractor capable of providing fully integrated solutions for maritime defense. Click here for related images. Receiving this contract from Austal encapsulates what weve been working toward in recent years through the acquisition of several strategic maritime suppliers, said FMD CEO George Whittier. The industry recognizes the tremendous added value we can bring through our ability to provide projects with a comprehensive equipment portfolio that spans all of our brands. We look forward to working with Austal on this program and further demonstrating our wide range of capabilities. Four of FMDs recently acquired companies will be involved in this contract. The cross-company package for WMSM-919 includes the following: In July 2022, Austal USA was awarded a contract from the Coast Guard for detail design and material acquisition for the fifth OPC hull, with an option for up to 11 hulls. FMD was previously contracted to provide the main propulsion engines for the Argus (WMSM-915), Chase (WMSM-916), Ingham (WMSM-917), and Rush (WMSM-918). Last year, the Coast Guard awarded FMD a contract for opposed-piston engine parts for its Bay Class icebreaking tugboats. For more than 100 years, FMD has provided products and services to the Coast Guard and Navy. Today, the defense contractor powers over 65% of the Coast Guards ships with medium-speed applications and supplies davits to 4 different classes of Coast Guard vessels. The defense contractor has rapidly expanded its array of best-in-class marine technologies, OEM parts and turnkey services for marine defense customers through expansion and acquisitions of companies that include Federal Equipment Company (FEC), Hunt Valve, Maxim Watermakers, Research Tool & Die (RT&D), Ward Leonard, and Welin Lambie. FMD is unlocking the future of maritime technology through its recently launched Center of Technology Excellence. About Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD) Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD) builds, maintains, and services the most trusted naval power and propulsion systems on the planet. For more than 100 years, FMD has been a principal supplier of a growing array of leading marine technologies, OEM parts, and turnkey services to the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, Military Sealift Command, and Canadian Coast Guard. FMD stands ready to rapidly support the systems that power military fleets without compromising safety or quality. In times of peace and war, the experienced engineers, sailors, and technicians of FMD demonstrate our commitment to supporting the mission and vision of critical global naval operations wherever and whenever needed. FMD is a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management. To learn more, visit www.FairbanksMorseDefense.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005147/en/ Mercom Communications Michelle Hargis Tel: 512-215-4452 [email protected] Source: Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD) SPOKANE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Clearwater Paper Corporation (NYSE: CLW) today announced the planned departure of Michael Murphy as senior vice president and chief financial officer. Mr. Murphy will continue to serve as the chief financial officer and assist the company in the transition through the second quarter of this year. We thank Mike for his many contributions to Clearwater Paper, particularly in helping us strengthen our financial position and helping guide us through the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. I am grateful for his three years with us and appreciate his support during this transition. We wish him well in his future endeavors, said Arsen Kitch, president and chief executive officer. Mr. Murphy commented, I am honored to have had the opportunity to work with this team and believe that the company is well positioned for continued success. ABOUT CLEARWATER PAPER Clearwater Paper is a premier supplier of private brand tissue to major retailers, including grocery, club, mass merchants, and discount stores. In addition, the company produces bleached paperboard used by quality-conscious printers and packaging converters, and offers services that include custom sheeting, slitting, and cutting. Clearwater Paper's employees build shareholder value by developing strong relationships through quality and service. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including the expected departure timeline and transition for the chief financial officer position. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations that are subject to change, and actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include those risks and uncertainties described from time to time in the company's public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements based on new developments or changes to the companys expectations. For additional information on Clearwater Paper, please visit our website at www.clearwaterpaper.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005689/en/ News media Clearwater Paper Corporation Shannon Myers, Sr. Director, Corporate Communications Phone: 509-344-5967 [email protected] Investors Sloan Bohlen Solebury Strategic Communications Phone: 509-344-5906 [email protected] Source: Clearwater Paper Corporation Poland to deliver 4 MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine in coming days - president Poland will deliver a number of MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine in the coming days, Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Thursday. "We will deliver four fighter jets to Ukraine in the coming days, while the other MiG jets need repairs," Duda said at a joint press conference with Czech President Petr Pavel, currently visiting Warsaw. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said earlier this week that Poland might supply Ukraine with MiG-29 jets in the coming weeks. The Polish Defense Ministry confirmed Warsaw's readiness to supply MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine if the deliveries are made within the international coalition's framework. It was reported that Warsaw had supplied 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. New capabilities and integrations with Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service and SAP solutions help accelerate time to value for enterprise customers BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- DataRobot today announced the release of DataRobot AI Platform 9.0, along with deeper partner integrations, AI Accelerators, and redesigned service offerings, all centered on helping organizations derive measurable value from their AI investments. AI has the potential to enhance every aspect of business transactions and human interactions to improve how we live and work, said Debanjan Saha, CEO of DataRobot. Since our founding, we have been 100% focused on helping enterprises realize measurable value from AI by offering an AI lifecycle platform designed to solve business problems, and the applied AI expertise to help customers envision whats possible and achieve it. The DataRobot AI Platform allows customers to leverage Value-Driven AI, a unique and collaborative approach that improves how organizations run, grow and optimize their business. With the new and expanded platform capabilities announced today, DataRobot is enhancing the key features and functionalities trusted by global organizations and relied on by nearly half of the Fortune 50. DataRobots rich machine learning blueprints, feature engineering methods and explainability features amongst others make it a cornerstone in BMW Groups AI Platform to scale AI adoption, said Marc Neumann, Head of AI Platform BMW Group. We use DataRobot for rapid exploration and development of AI models while adhering to the code of ethics for safe and trustworthy AI. The breakthrough innovations inside the DataRobot AI Platform include capabilities that facilitate: Rapid experimentation and value identification using Workbench, DataRobots brand new collaborative experimentation experience. Workbench, equipped with integrated managed Notebooks, supports users with both code-first and no-code approaches and the full spectrum of data science capabilities. using Workbench, DataRobots brand new collaborative experimentation experience. Workbench, equipped with integrated managed Notebooks, supports users with both code-first and no-code approaches and the full spectrum of data science capabilities. Reduced enterprise risk and barriers to production through well-architected guard rails from bias mitigation, centralized model monitoring, to automated model compliance documentation of both DataRobot and non-DataRobot models. through well-architected guard rails from bias mitigation, centralized model monitoring, to automated model compliance documentation of both DataRobot and non-DataRobot models. Tremendous value, right from the outset with AI Accelerators and new AI services packages that provide customers with years of DataRobots AI expertise to jumpstart AI projects and results. Before DataRobot, our process was very manual we had success in pockets but our scale was limited, said Luke Bunge, Data Science Project Manager at Polaris Inc. Polaris is growing rapidly, and DataRobot is key to allowing us to scale and expand ML across business units, making our existing team much more productive and driving the most possible value with AI. The DataRobot AI Platform significantly accelerates our speed of experimentation and makes it easier for the team to consistently iterate, find insights and share them with business stakeholders, and maintain value while in production. With the latest release, DataRobot AI Platform Single-Tenant SaaS is now available on AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure, ensuring customers with stringent security and compliance requirements get all the benefits of a managed DataRobot service. For on-premises and private cloud customers, DataRobot now supports Red Hat OpenShift for faster installations and deployments that integrate with existing enterprise IT investments. DataRobot also unveiled a newly announced partnership with SAP, designed to help businesses make the most of their existing investments. The SAP partnership will help enterprises to leverage business data from SAP HANA Cloud and other third-party data sources to build custom machine learning models in DataRobot and embed them into SAP application stack. To succeed with AI, enterprises need a solution that will work within their existing infrastructure and investments, said Ritu Jyoti, group vice president, Worldwide Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automation Research at IDC. With its platform and integration enhancements that make it easy for customers to deploy in their preferred environment, DataRobot has demonstrated leadership within a crowded market. Their compliance and governance is also uniquely positioned to drive value for customers today. Looking at the next generation of AI technology, DataRobot is innovating with the generative AI technology from the Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service to modernize both the code-first notebook experience for experimentation through assisted code generation, and the collaboration experience between the data scientist and business stakeholder with an automated and interactive insight interpretation. For additional platform news and updates unveiled today, explore new features and capabilities in more detail here. About DataRobot DataRobot is the leader in Value-Driven AI, a unique and collaborative approach to AI that combines an open platform, deep expertise and broad use-case experience to improve how organizations run, grow and optimize their business. The DataRobot AI Platform is the only complete AI lifecycle platform that interoperates with an organizations existing investments in data, applications and business processes, and can be deployed on any cloud environment. Global organizations, including 40% of the Fortune 50, rely on DataRobot to drive greater impact and value from AI. Learn more at datarobot.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries. Please see https://www.sap.com/copyright for additional trademark information and notices. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005586/en/ Kate Lavoie-Mayer [email protected] (781) 941 0619 Source: DataRobot e.l.f. Cosmetics is back with eyes.lip.face.sticky and a new, porpoise-ful initiative to benefit Whale and Dolphin Conservation OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- On the fins of its first television commercial and the success of its viral sensation Power Grip Primer, e.l.f. continues to fuel its eyes.lips.face.sticky campaign with its New! Sticky Shop Merch collection. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005579/en/ e.l.f. continues to fuel its eyes.lips.face.sticky campaign with its New! Sticky Shop Merch collection. (Photo: Business Wire) Power Grip Primer, the co-star of our big game TV spot, takes another lead role this time, inspiring the creation of e.l.f.s Sticky Shop merch, says Laurie Lam, Chief Brand Officer at e.l.f. Beauty. As the #1 best-selling primer in beauty, its estimated that one tube of Power Grip Primer is sold every 3.7 seconds. Its star-sticking power is matched by its dewy dolphin face and makeup-gripping power. With Sticky Shop, e.l.f. fans have access to hot drop merchandise that are sticky AF, grippy and tied to a good cause. Sticky Shops limited-edition items, designed with Day One Agency, include: Sticky Patch Varsity Jacket, $55 . Nothing says style like a letterman jacket that has hidden sewn-in sticky patches that will grip to any of the eight Power Grip Patches included with each jacket. Designed for an oversized fit that makes it perfect for layering and a closet staple that you can customize each day, any way you choose. . Nothing says style like a letterman jacket that has hidden sewn-in sticky patches that will grip to any of the eight Power Grip Patches included with each jacket. Designed for an oversized fit that makes it perfect for layering and a closet staple that you can customize each day, any way you choose. Sticky Patch Hat, $19 . Get sticky in style with this dad hat that you can customize with eight Power Grip Patches. So e.l.f.ing cool, you'll want to wear it on even the best hair days. . Get sticky in style with this dad hat that you can customize with eight Power Grip Patches. So e.l.f.ing cool, you'll want to wear it on even the best hair days. Power Grip Patches, $15. This set of eight embroidered collectible patches have grippy backings that take customization to the next level on your Sticky Shop gear because why the e.l.f. not? This set of eight embroidered collectible patches have grippy backings that take customization to the next level on your Sticky Shop gear because why the e.l.f. not? Power Grip Slime(r), $6. Sensing a sticky situation on the rise? Relieve all stress with slime inspired by none other than Power Grip Primer. Find the easter egg hidden in each puck of slime. IYKYK. Sticky Shop goes live today, March 16, on elfcosmetics.com. Items are expected to sell out fast especially when e.l.f. fans see their crush that made high school cool, Mario Lopez @mariolopez himself, decked out in Sticky Shop merch. Speaking of high school, check out @elfyeah on TikTok where things get a little campy and journey back to high school sticky (awkward!) situations that are saved by the Sticky Shop. Fans can also find these limited-edition sticky collectibles on the leading livestream shopping platform NTWRK today. Guided by Porpoise e.l.f. continues to be guided by porpoise with the announcement of a $100,000 donation benefiting the Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC). In addition, proceeds of the Sticky Shop merch, up to $25,000, will also be donated by e.l.f. to WDC to benefit this important cause. e.l.f. expands its purpose to stand with every eye, lip, face, paw and fin and its commitment to do the right thing for people, the planet, furry and finned friends alike. Our donation will support research and educational programs at WDC to inspire and engage young girls in marine life conservation and help them discover career pathways rooted in STEM, adds Laurie. Hands-on activities stick with people and are an incredibly important way to engage students in marine science and conservation, explains Regina Asmutis-Silvia, Executive Director for WDC North America. We are so excited to work with e.l.f. to expand our elementary education program, inspiring students to protect the whales and dolphins who help protect our planet. About e.l.f. Cosmetics: Since 2004, e.l.f. Cosmetics has made the best of beauty accessible to every eye, lip and face. We make high-quality, prestige-inspired cosmetics and skin care products at an extraordinary value and are proud to be 100% vegan and cruelty-free. As one of the first online beauty brands, e.l.f. continues to attract a highly engaged audience and set benchmarks with new digital platforms. Our brand is widely available at leading retailers such as Target, Walmart and Ulta Beauty, and has a growing international presence. Learn more by visiting www.elfcosmetics.com About Day One Agency: Founded in 2014, Day One Agency is a creative communication agency with the ambition of stopping the world in its scroll with stories that earn a meaningful place in culture. Day One Agencys Shape, Share, Fuel approach to storytelling is founded on the belief that no one shares content, they share stories. Combining the best of PR, digital, and social agencies, D1A has attracted world-renowned brands to the agency. They consistently top the lists of the industry's fastest growing independent agencies. Day One Agency has creative hubs in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland. For more information, please visit www.d1a.com About Whale and Dolphin Conservation: The Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) is the leading international charity dedicated solely to the worldwide conservation and welfare of all whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Since 2005, our North American office has been focused on advocating and protecting these animals through policy, education, and science as whales and dolphins play a pivotal role in keeping our shared oceans healthy. Save the whales, save the world. Learn more at whales.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005579/en/ e.l.f. Beauty Corporate Communications Inquiries: Melinda Fried [email protected] Business Press Inquiries: Rachel Sharpe [email protected] Consumer Media Inquiries: Danielle Zausner [email protected] Source: e.l.f. Cosmetics -- 2022 Report Highlights LTCs Key Achievements, Policies and Performance -- WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- LTC Properties, Inc. (NYSE: LTC), a real estate investment trust that primarily invests in seniors housing and health care properties, today announced the publication of its inaugural Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report titled, People. Planet. Purpose. The report shares information about LTCs activities and future goals, highlighting the Companys key achievements, policies and performance. In its 2022 ESG report, LTC renewed its commitment to building long-term, sustainable value for its stakeholders, and making a meaningful, positive impact on its community. Over the past year, in addition to adopting new policies and procedures for the Company itself, LTC initiated programs to assist the operators of its properties in identifying and implementing sustainable business solutions that positively benefit the environment and society, as well as their financial sustainability. Selected activities to date for each of the primary ESG categories include: Environmental Began greening new and amended operator leases and enhanced underwriting criteria to include ESG; Implemented third-party tools for analyzing, tracking, and reporting environmental data; and Purchased carbon offsets for employee travel and corporate headquarters. Social Adopted and published a Human and Labor Rights Policy and Human Capital Policy; Conducted employee engagement surveys to solicit input on a wide range of workplace topics; and Adopted select United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Governance Established a Board-level ESG Committee and internal ESG working group; Augmented its proxy disclosure to highlight ESG initiatives; and Enhanced its Cybersecurity policy, monitoring, disclosure, and training. Cornelia Cheng, an LTC Board member and Chair of its ESG Committee, commented, We learned so much through our development of this report, allowing us to put into practice policies and procedures to further align the execution of our business strategy with ESG principles that are most relevant to our industry. In the coming year, we look forward to building on that which we have already achieved to measure and advance our commitment to people, planet and purpose. LTC noted several ongoing ESG initiatives including, among others, increasing energy efficiency, participation in the opt-in California Clean Power Alliance Program, ensuring an environment in which respect, collaboration, dignity, transparency are paramount, and enhancing governance practices among all stakeholders including employees, operators, investors, analysts, and industry. We value the diversity of the unique individuals who constitute our team from entry level to senior level to our Board, seeking out and embracing individuals who bring diverse thoughts, backgrounds, skill sets, experiences, and talents. These unique perspectives have guided us and led us to explore new opportunities, said Wendy Simpson, LTCs Chairman and CEO. From an operator perspective, LTC is focused on creating healthy environments where they can best provide the services their residents need to live their best lives. For LTC, operating with the highest standards of ethics and integrity has always been a core tenet of our culture and business, and we plan to continue on a path that allows us to steadfastly move in the right direction with a strong sense of hope and purpose for the future for us and all of our stakeholders. LTCs ESG report is available online at www.ltcreit.com/esg-report/. About LTC Properties LTC is a real estate investment trust (REIT) investing in seniors housing and health care properties primarily through sale-leasebacks, mortgage financing, joint-ventures and structured finance solutions including preferred equity and mezzanine lending. LTCs investment portfolio includes 213 properties in 29 states with 31 operating partners. Based on its gross real estate investments, LTCs investment portfolio is comprised of approximately 50% seniors housing and 50% skilled nursing properties. Learn more at www.LTCreit.com. This press release includes statements that are not purely historical and are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements regarding the Companys expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. All statements other than historical facts contained in this press release are forward looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. All forward looking statements included in this press release are based on information available to the Company on the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to update such forward looking statements. Although the Companys management believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, no assurance can be given that such expectations will prove to have been correct. The actual results achieved by the Company may differ materially from any forward-looking statements due to the risks and uncertainties of such statements. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005597/en/ Mandi Hogan (805) 981-8655 Source: LTC Properties, Inc. HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- MV Oil Trust (the Trust) (NYSE: MVO) on March 16, 2023 filed its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). The Annual Report on Form 10-K is available in the SEC Filings section of the Trusts website at http://mvo.q4web.com/home/default.aspx as well as on the SECs website at www.sec.gov. Trust unitholders may also request a printed copy of the Annual Report on Form 10-K, which includes audited financial statements, free of charge by submitting a request in writing to: MV Oil Trust The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as Trustee Elaina C. Rodgers (713) 483-6020 601 Travis Street, Floor 16, Houston, TX 77002 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005646/en/ MV Oil Trust The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as Trustee Elaina C. Rodgers (713) 483-6020 Source: MV Oil Trust n-Lorem has industrialized the process to scale up to meet substantial demand with major efforts underway to streamline all aspects of its process n-Lorem is already delivering on its promises to provide individualized experimental ASOs and with additional funding can significantly increase the number of patients to be treated in 2023 SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- n-Lorem, a nonprofit Foundation, celebrates three years of progress in discovering, developing and providing experimental antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) medicines to nano-rare patients (1 to 30 patients with the same single gene mutation worldwide) for free for life. Learn more about the exciting progress n-Lorem has made by reading Stan Crookes annual letter and visit n-Lorems new website. What n-Lorem is doing is extraordinary and unique. There are no treatment options for nano-rare patients, many of whom will progress and succumb to their disease without therapeutic intervention. n-Lorems mission is so critical to these patients, their families and to the health care system, which has thus far underserved this patient population, said Michael Hayden, MBChB, Ph.D., Killam Professor of Medical Genetics at University of British Columbia and member of n-Lorem Board of Directors. I am honored to be a part of this mission and to support the great work that the team at n-Lorem is doing every day to return hopes and dreams to families, one family, one nano-rare patient at a time. Our progress in three years is astounding and is evident in all facets of the Foundation. What n-Lorem is doing has never even been considered possible until the technology developed under my leadership was invented, advanced and validated. Industrializing the process ensures that all steps are undertaken with the highest quality and assures that each patient treated is only treated with an optimal ASO, said Stanley T. Crooke, M.D., Ph.D., Founder, chairman and CEO, n-Lorem Foundation. Since inception n-Lorem has: Received and reviewed over 160 applications and accepted more than 80 patients; Filed four INDs in late 2022 and began treatment on three new patients by the end of the year. The fourth patient to be treated soon; Established a network of more than 30 partners that provide support in all areas of drug discovery, development and manufacturing; Received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidances that provide a supportive regulatory environment for ASO treatment of nano-rare patients; Industrialized the process of discovering, developing and providing only optimal ASOs to n-Lorem patients; Launched its Patient Empowerment Program that includes an educational podcast with more than 20 episodes released; Built its own laboratory space that has more than tripled the Foundations drug discovery efforts; Shared learnings broadly in the community through presentations and publications; Reduced per-patient costs of drug discovery, development and manufacturing; and Built out its leadership team to support this rapid growth. Though I am encouraged by the support we have received to date, the demand has outstripped all expectations and the funds we have been able to raise, concluded Dr. Crooke. Our immediate challenge is to raise sufficient funds to expand and begin to meet todays demand, then show that our model is sustainable. These are formidable challenges, but we know that n-Lorem is the best hope for these unserved patients. Learn more about n-Lorems mission at www.nlorem.org, and please consider giving to n-Lorem to bring hope, possibility and treatment options to these needy patients and families. Subscribe : n-Lorem Patient Empowerment Program Podcast Series : Watch : n-Lorem Foundation Delivers Hope and Treatment for Patient with Nano-Rare Disease Watch: n-Lorem Foundation: Creating a Better Future for Nano-Rare, One Patient at a Time About n-Lorem n-Lorem Foundation is a non-profit organization established to apply the efficiency, versatility and specificity of antisense technology to charitably provide experimental antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) medicines to treat nano-rare patients diagnosed with diseases that are the result of a single genetic defect unique to only one or very few individuals. Nano-rare patients describe a very small group of patients (1-30 worldwide) who, because of their small numbers, have few if any treatment options. n-Lorem Foundation was created to provide hope to these nano-rare patients by developing individualized ASO medicines, which are short strands of modified DNA that can specifically target the transcripts of a defective gene to correct the abnormality. The advantage of experimental ASO medicines is that they can be developed rapidly, inexpensively and are highly specific. To date, n-Lorem has assisted in the development and treatment of 14 nano-rare patients and received over 160 applications for treatment with more than 80 nano-rare patients approved. n-Lorem was founded by Stanley T. Crooke, M.D., Ph.D., former chairman and CEO of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, who founded Ionis Pharmaceuticals in 1989 and, through his vision and leadership, established the company as the leader in RNA-targeted therapeutics. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005127/en/ n-Lorem Contact: Amy Williford, Ph.D. Sr. Director of Communications [email protected] Source: n-Lorem Foundation Company Raises $65 Million Series B Funding to Scale Autonomous Fulfillment Service SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Nimble, an autonomous logistics and AI robotics company, announced today that it has raised $65 million in a Series B financing round led by Cedar Pine, with participation from existing investors DNS Capital, GSR Ventures, and Breyer Capital, among others. The additional funds bring total capital raised to $115 million. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005174/en/ The Nimble AI brain has been trained on millions of real-world objects and have learned material properties like size, shape, weight, texture, and fragility. The robots use this AI to determine which one of its swappable grippers will work best for a given product and how to use those grippers to effectively grasp, handle and pack products. (Photo: Business Wire) Building on five years of experience in robotic eCommerce fulfillment, the fresh capital will further Nimbles goal of building a nationwide network of next-generation autonomous 3PL fulfillment centers. To scale its robotic 3PL fulfillment service Nimble has assembled a team of leading executives who have scaled logistics operations at Amazon. Building Nimbles technological advancements are world-class engineers from NASA, SpaceX, Tesla, Boston Dynamics, GoogleX as well as Stanford, Carnegie Mellon and MIT. Nimble's intelligent robotic fulfillment systems will autonomously pick, pack and ship eCommerce orders while reducing warehouse size by up to 75%. Nimble's network of robotic warehouses will provide brands 96%+ U.S. population coverage in 1-2 days and click-to-collect savings of up to 40% compared to legacy 3PL providers. Finding and retaining warehouse labor, while meeting a 2-day delivery standard, is our customers number one operational problem. Brands want to leverage robotics and automation solutions to address this issue but are often challenged by the economics. Our autonomous fulfillment centers and 3PL service will give brands access to state-of-the-art robotic fulfillment systems in a cost-effective way without large upfront investment, said Nimbles Founder and CEO Simon Kalouche. Many companies are working to incrementally automate the warehouse. Theyre taking legacy old-school warehouse concepts that were designed around the ergonomics, safety and productivity of people and trying to automate each manual process one step at a time. We believe that approach leads to a suboptimal solution design one with marginal gains and very high integration costs which ultimately dilutes the ROI. At Nimble, we've built intelligent robots that automate the hardest manual task in the warehouse, the unit-picking and packing process. Rather than inefficiently retrofitting warehouses that were designed for people, we're completely reimagining and reinventing the warehouse to be conducive to robots where robots can go and what robots can do. This first-principles approach unlocks a completely new type of autonomous warehouse that's simpler, smaller, faster and more efficient than the best warehouses in the world today," Kalouche added. With E-commerce and warehouse automation continuing to exhibit incredible growth, we were attracted to Nimbles industry leading AI robotic technology and 3PL fulfillment capabilities, said Stephen Weiss of Cedar Pine LLC.. Our robust due diligence process showed that Nimble has a clear technology lead on the incumbents and has an extraordinary opportunity to be the next generation leader in the industry. ABOUT NIMBLE Nimbles mission is to invent the autonomous supply chain using next-gen AI robotics to power the future of fast, efficient, and sustainable commerce. Nimbles fleet of AI-powered robots intelligently pick, pack, and handle millions of products, from apparel and electronics to health and beauty, general merchandise and consumer packaged goods (CPG) for iconic brands like Best Buy, Victorias Secret, PUMA, iHerb, Adore Me and others. Nimble was founded from the AI labs at Stanford and Carnegie Mellon, is Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, and the company is backed by investors including: Accel, Breyer Capital, Cedar Pine, DNS Capital, GSR Ventures and Reinvent Capital with notable individual board members including AI luminaries Fei-Fei Li and Sebastian Thrun. More information is available at: https://nimble.ai View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005174/en/ MEDIA Kerry Walker [email protected] Source: Nimble HSINCHU, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in Taiwan has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Illinois System on March 15, one of the top public universities in the United States, which includes student and faculty exchanges as well as joint research in areas such as semiconductors, biomedicine, electric vehicles, materials science, and Chinese language education. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005049/en/ NTHU president W. John Kao (right) and University of Illinois System president Timothy L. Killeen (left) signed Memorandum of Understanding. (Photo: National Tsing Hua University) The University of Illinois System includes 3 universities in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago, and Springfield. The University system has a wide range of programs, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, which was the earliest one established in 1867, has produced 18 Nobel Prize winners over the years. NTHU first signed a memorandum of cooperation with the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in 2020 and 2021, respectively, and will soon extend this collaboration agreement to include the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS). The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by NTHU president W. John Kao and University of Illinois System president Timothy L. Killeen. The signing ceremony was held at NTHU and was witnessed by representatives of the Ministry of Education. The ceremony was followed by a dialogue on the topic of Global Higher Education-Opportunities and Challenges. Both presidents emphasized the importance of cultivating students' ability to engage in interdisciplinary and diverse learning in order to face the challenges of the next generation. Kao pointed out that one of the key elements of NTHUs development strategy is education with interdisciplinary and diversity. Both schools are highly rated in terms of academic performance, and the latest memorandum of cooperation expands their existing relationship in breadth and depth for students and faculty alike. Killeen said this was the fifth or sixth time he visited Taiwan. The University of Illinois System values the partnership with NTHU as well as cultivating students' diverse abilities. For example, when Covid-19 broke out, we need a comprehensive solutions combining knowledge of medical and social economics. This MOU is vital for us to develop new collaborations to increase interactions between our faculty and students, such as semiconductor and environmental sustainability. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the extent of collaboration between the two institutions was relatively less during the past few years, but now that borders are beginning to reopen, the number of student and teacher exchanges is expected to increase rapidly. In fact, three NTHU students are currently getting ready to begin exchange programs at UIUC and UIC. Beginning in the fall semester 2023, Yu-he Liu, a second-year M.A. student of the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, will spend a year at UIC. She said that UIC has one of the best medical schools in the United States, adding that, My research field is visual imaging and sensing, and I expect to learn a lot in this area during my time in the United States. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005049/en/ Holly Hsueh NTHU (886)3-5162006 [email protected] Source: National Tsing Hua University RICHMOND, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Vistar, a division of Performance Food Group Company (PFG) (NYSE: PFGC) and a leading distributor of candy, snacks and beverages, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in the specialty food distribution business in 2023. Created as a vending and office coffee distributor in 1973, Vistar is a national leader in the specialty food distribution marketplace and its clients include theatres, hospitality venues, concessionaires, airport gift shops, college bookstores, corrections facilities, and impulse locations in various brick-and-mortar big box retailers. Based in Denver, Colo., Vistar currently employs 2,700 associates and has revenues of more than $4 billion. Seeing Vistar reach the 50-year milestone is an incredibly special moment. My PFG career started with Vistar when it was a small company and seeing it grow into a thriving national distributor is truly remarkable, said George Holm, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Performance Food Group. Over the years, many talented individuals have helped fuel Vistars success. Patrick Hagertys long-time leadership and customer-first approach built a solid foundation that has paved the way for current and future leaders. Im proud of what Vistar has accomplished, and Im excited and confident about the prospects for the future. In an industry where product trends and sales methods change, Vistars consumer-centric approach and industry-leading, value-added services continue to play a key role in the companys growth and success. We are excited to celebrate this occasion with our customers, business partners, and associates throughout the company, said Sean Mahoney, Vistars President and Chief Operations Officer. The dedication of our talented associates and focus on the customer have been foundational to our success. We look forward to continued growth through innovation and providing the leading products and services for our valued customers. Vistar has a long history of supporting the communities where it associates live and work. Over the past 50 years, Vistar partnerships with philanthropic organizations have included American Heart Association, St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital and Truckers Against Trafficking. About Performance Food Group Company Performance Food Group is an industry leader and one of the largest food and foodservice distribution companies in North America with more than 150 locations. Founded and headquartered in Richmond, Va., PFG, and our family of companies, market and deliver quality food and related products to 300,000+ locations including independent and chain restaurants; businesses, schools and healthcare facilities; vending and office coffee service distributors; and big box retailers, theaters and convenience stores. PFGs success as a Fortune 200 company is achieved through our more than 35,000 dedicated associates committed to building strong relationships with the valued customers, suppliers and communities we serve. To learn more about PFG, please visit www.pfgc.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005516/en/ Investors: Bill Marshall VP, Investor Relations 804-287-8108 [email protected] Media: Scott Golden External Communications & Engagement 804-484-7873 [email protected] Source: Performance Food Group Company ALPHARETTA, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Safe Systems, a national provider of fully-compliant IT and security services for community banks and credit unions, is celebrating 30 years of serving the financial industry. Founded in 1993, the company has provided over 600 financial institutions with compliance-centric IT services, ensuring that they are kept up to date on the current technologies, security risks, regulatory changes, and FFIEC guidelines. With services including network management, cloud infrastructure, secure hosted email, and more, Safe Systems has continued to deliver a comprehensive suite of services to its customers. Over the last 30 years, our mission has always been to offer the best IT services to our customers, stated Danny Johnston, CEO and Chairman at Safe Systems. Our strong values, commitment to growth, and work culture are the pillars for our long-term success, and we look forward to the many years to come. To celebrate this milestone, Safe Systems has recently been awarded two industry achievements, the CRN MSP 500 List and Atlanta Business Chronicles listing of Georgias Largest Fintech Companies. CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, named Safe Systems to its Managed Service Provider (MSP) 500 list in the Pioneer 250 category for 2023. The annual listing acknowledges the top North American technology providers whose managed services are paving the way in the IT channel. The MSP 500 list is featured in the February 2023 issue of CRN and online at crn.com/msp500. The Atlanta Business Chronicle annual listing features the top Georgia businesses that provide the local financial industry with innovative products and services. This is the sixth year the publication has published its list of the largest fintech companies in Georgia, which is ranked by the number of Atlanta area employees dedicated to fintech. The listing can be found here. Were honored to be recognized by CRN and Atlanta Business Chronicle for our continued impact in the financial space, shared Darren Bridges, president at Safe Systems. Both of these accolades reaffirm the need for advanced solutions that address the ever-evolving challenges with security and compliance. About Safe Systems Founded in 1993, Safe Systems provides IT, compliance and security services exclusively for community banks and credit unions. We believe every financial institution, regardless of size, should be able to leverage the best technology, compliance, and security solutions to serve the financial needs of their community. Our cost-effective services are designed to significantly decrease IT costs, increase performance, and improve compliance posture. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005550/en/ Lizzy Ehmen 770-820-8469 Source: Safe Systems AI-powered, cloud-native platform poised to alleviate complexities commonly introduced through legacy compliance, privacy and security techniques SAN RAMON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Secuvy, the cloud-native, contextual data privacy & security platform, has announced the successful completion of its funding round from investors. The funding will be used in accelerating company growth plans, expanding the team, and further developing and enhancing the Secuvy privacy & security platform. The latest funding round was led by Dell Technologies Capital & WestWave Capital, with participation from Z5 Capital. Currently, businesses operating online must comply with more than 130 privacy regulations globally with new regulations being introduced frequently and existing laws getting updated. Failure to satisfy those regulations can mean millions of dollars in fines and significant damage to brand reputations. Founded in 2019, Secuvys cloud-native platform is purpose-built to transform data security and compliance strategies for todays modern enterprise via Self Learning AI workflows. The platform provides visibility into sensitive structured and unstructured data across hundreds of sources at a petabyte-scale. This gives companies an automated view into data privacy compliance and governance so they can more easily mitigate risks. Data security and privacy is a significant cause of global concern and most companies struggle without the right tools to support compliance in an already complex environment. We founded Secuvy to give customers a competitive edge when mining qualitative, meaningful insights from data without introducing security risk or failing to meet regulatory requirements, said Vaibhav Mehrotra, CEO and co-founder, Secuvy. Todays funding is a significant milestone for us and we appreciate our investors support and belief in our vision. Using Self Learning AI workflows Secuvy tracks, monitors, and alerts sensitive data in the cloud, on-prem, file shares and legacy systems, Secuvy is a centralized platform for discovery of sensitive data in mix mode environments. The platforms contextual intelligence graph of individuals provides a single pane of glass view, allowing organizations to easily comply with global privacy laws and secure data. Data privacy is a top priority for every enterprise company that handles any type of personal data, but current solutions have not been adequate across several dimensions, said Ryan Wexler, investor at Dell Technologies Capital. The team at Secuvy has taken a forward-looking approach, building a modern, fully cloud-native platform. They can easily scale to meet their customers growing and ever more complex needs. "SecuvyAI is a game-changer in the data privacy and security industry, and we are proud to lead this funding round," said Warren Weiss, managing partner, WestWave. "Their innovative technology and approach to data privacy compliance are critical in today's ever-evolving regulatory landscape, and we are excited to support their growth and expansion." SecuvyAIs innovative approach is currently helping Fortune 1000 companies across healthcare, commerce and finance tackle privacy and compliance challenges in more than 45 countries. To learn more, visit www.secuvy.com. About Dell Technologies Capital: DTC invests in determined early-stage founders who push the envelope on technology innovation for the enterprise, connecting them to the capital, expertise, and customers they need to take a company from start to scale. Since its inception in 2012, DTC has backed more than 145 startups including Arista Networks, Cylance, DocuSign, Graphcore, JFrog, MongoDB, Netskope, Nutanix, Nuvia, Redis, Xometry and Zscaler. DTC has offices in Palo Alto (HQ), Boston, and Israel. For more information, visit www.delltechnologiescapital.com About Westwave Capital: WestWave Capital is an early-stage Venture Capital firm that invests in Seed and Series A Enterprise companies building deep technology solutions. The companys investments focus on SaaS, Security, Cloud Infrastructure, Blockchain, Analytics, and IoT companies. About Secuvy: Secuvy offers a Contextual Intelligence Platform for Data Privacy, Security & Governance. Our Data Oriented approach automates Data Discovery, Classification & Assessments for Fortune 5000. Unique Contextual-AI Privacy Workflows to automate DSARs, Data Transfers to reduce efforts for Data Governance. Data protection workflows to Monitor, Manage and Protect Sensitive data with scale and visibility. User friendly interface to reduce time, cost and efforts and provide 365 degree view of UnStructured/Structured data for on-prem, cloud or hybrid environments. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230310005374/en/ Prashant Sharma [email protected] Source: Secuvy Members of the Committee of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine have announced their resignation. "We fully understand the idea of introducing a special distinction for works of art created after February 24, 2022, to celebrate their contribution to the Victory. We believe that this proposal is important, therefore it requires careful thought and planning, in particular regarding the criteria, nomination and selection procedures. First of all, we are talking about determining a transparent and fair algorithm for future differences," the statement of the Committee members says. The members of the Committee also believe that this process should take place in such a way as not to damage the existence and reputation of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine. "Perhaps it is appropriate for the initiators of such a distinction to think about a completely new award corresponding to the stated goal. Another option is to discuss the introduction of appropriate changes and new nominations to the Regulations on the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine before the start of the nomination of works for the 2024 prize," the statement reads. At the same time, the statement notes that the term of office of the current composition of the Committee expired with the awarding of the 2022 Prize, but the members of the Committee, taking into account the organizational challenges of martial law, agreed with the proposal formalized in the presidential decree that the Committee in its current composition will continue to work during martial law and for two months after its termination or cancellation. "We work within the main institutional framework, where transparency and consistency of the rules provided for by the Regulations and the cultural value of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize were and are decisive. We have conveyed this position to the Office of the President and the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy. In the current circumstances, when we were confronted with the intention to change the rules of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize ad hoc, add new nominations and speed up the selection procedure, the members of the Committee do not see an opportunity to continue working and resign their powers," the statement says. As reported, on March 10, Minister of Culture and Information Policy Oleksandr Tkachenko and head of the Committee of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine Yuriy Makarov said that the winners of the Shevchenko Prize, along with the winners of the new nomination dubbed "For Contribution to Victory," will be announced on May 22, the day of the reburial of Taras Shevchenko. At the same time, on March 11, the Award Committee announced the winners of some of the nominations. Later, Head of the Shevchenko Prize Committee, Yuriy Makarov, resigned. CTA filing for OTOF-GT planned for Q2 2023 Presented new preclinical data supporting continued progress of OTOF-GT, and potential for safe and efficient clinical translation of gene therapy for otoferlin delivered by a dual AAV vector at the 45th Association for Research in Otolaryngology (ARO) Promising results obtained in Proof-of-Concept studies supporting the identification of a GJB2-GT therapeutic candidate Preliminary results from Phase 2a trials of SENS-401 for hearing loss prevention due to Cisplatin-Induced Ototoxicity and cochlear implantation in Q2 2023 Cash position of 26.2 million at year end provides extended cash runway until end of 2023 Strengthened company leadership with the appointments of David Lawrence as Chief Financial Officer and Dr Aniz Girach as an Independent Board Director Sensorion will hold an R&D Day, focused on its gene therapy programs, on April 6, 8am (2pm CEST). The event will be held at the Hearing Institute (Institut de lAudition), an Institut Pasteur center in Paris, France. A live webcast and a replay of the presentation will be made available. MONTPELLIER, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News: Sensorion (FR0012596468 ALSEN) a pioneering clinical-stage biotechnology company which specializes in gene therapies in the inner ear, announces today its full-year 2022 financial results and provides a business update. Nawal Ouzren, Chief Executive Officer commented: During the year, Sensorion has put the foundations in place for a pioneering franchise in gene therapy for hearing loss disorders which we believe will support clinical development plans later this year and beyond. Were incredibly excited about the potential of our gene therapy franchise and programs, which builds on our ongoing collaboration with Institut Pasteur, to provide solutions for people with genetic hearing loss disorders. Our lead gene therapy candidate OTOF-GT has promising preclinical data and we are on track to submit a Clinical Trial Application in Q2 2023. We are also making encouraging progress with the identification of our GJB2-GT therapeutic candidate. We are now on the threshold of advancing our gene therapy programs into clinical development and have a unique opportunity to help redefine the treatment landscape for people with hearing loss disorders. We also anticipate reporting preliminary data from our Phase 2a SENS-401 studies in mid-2023. Our focus is now on execution and capital discipline to deliver on our key catalysts. Pipeline Highlights and Upcoming Milestones Gene Therapies for Hereditary Monogenic Hearing Loss OTOF-GT: continued progress with positive regulatory support OTOF-GT is Sensorions lead gene therapy program for the treatment of children born with hearing loss caused by otoferlin deficiency. Sensorion presented preclinical data that indicated the potential for safe and efficient clinical translation of gene therapy for otoferlin delivered by a dual AAV vector at the Association for Research in Otolaryngology (ARO) conference, held in February 2022. Otoferlin de novo expression in inner hair cells (IHCs) in a DFNB9 mouse model (OTOF-KO) demonstrates long-term expression and hearing restoration for at least one year post injection. Sensorion has also developed, in non-human primates, an optimal surgical procedure close to the one used for cochlear implantation and demonstrated an effective transduction rate of the targeted IHCs. Sensorion announced in January 2023 that it is designing and developing the injection system to administer gene therapy into the cochlea. This injection system used in the Non-Human Primate (NHP) GLP (Good Laboratory Practices) toxicology study is compliant with the defined specifications, notably those related to performance. Verification and validations steps are ongoing to allow the injection systems use in clinics. Sensorion is collaborating with Eveon, a company specialized in designing and manufacturing custom medical devices for the preparation and delivery of drugs to optimise this approach. Sensorion achieved a development milestone in mid-2022, by successfully producing dual AAV OTOF-GT batches at 200L clinical scale to conduct the GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) toxicology study in NHPs. The in-life part of the study has been completed and analyses are ongoing. Sensorion has also achieved significant regulatory milestones in H2 2022 which support the medical plausibility and the development plan of OTOF-GT. On September 12, 2022, the Company announced that the European Medicine Agency (EMA) had adopted a positive opinion on Sensorions application for Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) for OTOF-GT, which was approved 30 days later by the European Commission. On November 7, 2022, the Company announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted, Rare Pediatric Disease Designation (RPDD) and on November 30, 2022, Orphan Drug Designation to Sensorions lead gene therapy candidate, OTOF-GT. Sensorion has received scientific advice from regulatory agencies on preclinical, CMC and clinical development plans for OTOF-GT in Q3 2021 and in Q2 2022. The company submitted a follow-up scientific advice to the EMA in H1 2023 and expects feedback in the following weeks. The European Medicines Agencys advisors welcomed the ongoing Natural History Study, Audioferline (NCT04202185), a component of the AUDINNOVE project coordinated by Hopital Necker-Enfants Malades (Necker Hospital) in partnership with Sensorion (Project ANR-18-RHUS-0007). Sensorion is expanding the study across Europe to document the natural course of disease progression in otoferlin deficiency patients and to select the most relevant and clinically meaningful endpoints. The company is on track to file a Clinical Trial Application for OTOF-GT in Q2 2023. GJB2-GT program progressing with promising pre-clinical results On February 15, 2021, Sensorion announced its largest gene therapy program to date, a collaboration with Institut Pasteur, targeting the GJB2 gene in pediatric and adult deafness. Research by Institut Pasteur demonstrated that anomalies in GJB2 gene, known to be the most common cause of congenital deafness, are also a broad contributor to severe age-related hearing loss in adults. Although the types of GJB2 mutation in children and adults may differ, gene therapy could potentially provide solutions for both. Sensorion's GJB2 gene therapy programs have the potential to address three pathologies related to GJB2 mutations: early onset of presbycusis in adults, progressive forms of hearing loss in children, and pediatric congenital deafness. Proof-of-Concept (POC) studies have confirmed the potential of Sensorions promising product candidate to improve congenital and progressive hearing loss forms related to GJB2 mutations in a mouse model recapitulating both human conditions. Sensorion plans to confirm the candidate selection based on the POC results in H1 2023. SENS-401, our small molecule for the prevention of hearing loss SENS-401 to prevent Cisplatin Induced Ototoxicity (CIO) study ongoing Cisplatin and other platinum compounds are essential chemotherapeutic agents for many malignancies. Unfortunately, platinum-based therapies cause ototoxicity and hearing loss, which are permanent, irreversible and particularly harmful in up to 50-60% of adult patients and 90% of pediatric patients who survive cancer. This indication represents a very significant unmet need for patients and is an attractive market with more than 500,000 patients forecast in 2025 in the G7 countries. In late 2021, Sensorion filed a POC clinical trial application in CIO to evaluate the potential of SENS-401 treatment. The NOTOXIS clinical trial application (CTA) has been approved earlier in 2022. Following extensive analysis of the AUDIBLE-S study data beginning of 2022, Sensorion has adapted the design of this trial to focus on the prevention of hearing loss. The amended Phase 2a POC Clinical Trial of SENS-401 in Cisplatin-Induced Ototoxicity was approved in France on October 24, 2022. The exploratory Phase 2a, multicenter, randomized, controlled, open-label study, NOTOXIS, aims at evaluating the efficacy of SENS-401 to prevent ototoxicity induced by cisplatin in adult patients with a neoplastic disease. The trial also assesses a number of outcome measures, including the rate and severity of ototoxicity, the change in Pure Tone Audiometry (PTA) (dB) throughout the study and the tolerance. The first patient was enrolled in December 2022 and Sensorion anticipates preliminary results in Q2 2023. SENS-401 to prevent residual hearing loss after cochlear implantation study ongoing At the beginning of 2021, Sensorion released positive preclinical data demonstrating that the combination of its SENS-401 molecule and a cochlear implantation helped reduce loss of residual hearing at a frequency located beyond the electrode array. Preservation of natural hearing is particularly important in speech recognition. Following this initial success, Sensorion and its partner Cochlear Limited (Cochlear) announced on September 8, 2021, the initiation of a POC clinical trial of SENS-401 (Arazasetron) in patients scheduled for cochlear implantation. Regulatory authorities in Australia and France have respectively approved the initiation of the trial on July 1, 2022, and on October 24, 2022. The Phase 2a trial is a multicentric, randomized, controlled, open-label trial aimed at evaluating the presence of SENS-401 in the cochlea (perilymph) after 7 days of twice-daily oral administration in adult participants prior to cochlear implantation due to moderately severe to profound hearing impairment. Following implantation, patients will continue to receive SENS-401 for 42 days. The study also assesses a number of secondary endpoints, including the change of hearing threshold from baseline to the end of the study in the implanted ear at several frequencies. The first patient was enrolled in September 2022 and the Company expects to release preliminary data in mid-2023. Expansion of technology platform In 2022, to further strengthen its technology base, Sensorion has expanded its CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing and Control) gene therapy platform. The Company has acquired bioreactors (2L, 10L and 50L scale) to develop the AAV process in suspension and automates to increase the throughput analysis for process and product characterization. This great achievement strengthens Sensorions autonomy in process and analytical development and eases technology transfer to CDMOs. Corporate Highlights: Strengthening the Board of Directors and senior leadership On January 4, 2022, Sensorion appointed Dr. Aniz Girach as Independent Board Member. He brings over 22 years experience in the industry. He is currently serving as Chief Medical Officer at ProQR Therapeutics NV, where he is leading the development of genetic therapies for inherited retinal diseases. On March 1st, 2023, after the period end, Sensorion appointed David Lawrence as Chief Financial Officer. Mr Lawrence has over 30 years experience of leadership roles in life sciences, ranging from large biopharma companies such as GSK to start-ups and earlier stage companies. He brings extensive industry experience including strategy, business development and M&A, and currently sits on the Boards of Enterobiotix Limited and is an advisor to ACM Biolabs Pty. 2023 Outlook As of December 31, 2022, the Company had 26.2 million in cash. Based on its cash position and its forecasted expenses, the Company believes it will be able to fund its operations up to the end of 2023. Sensorion is on track to file a Clinical Trial Application for OTOF-GT in Q2 2023 and to select a gene therapy candidate to treat hearing loss related to mutations in GJB2 gene in collaboration with the Hearing Institute (Institut de lAudition), a center of the Institut Pasteur. The company expects the publication of its ongoing clinical trials interim results of SENS-401 in association with cochlear implants to prevent residual hearing loss, with partner Cochlear, and to prevent Cisplatin-Induced Ototoxicity in 1H 2023. Expected future milestones and estimated timelines: April 6, 2023 Sensorion to host a Gene Therapy R&D day Q2 2023 SENS-401 in combination with cochlear implants: Interim results Q2 2023 SENS-401 CIO: Interim results Q2 2023 OTOF-GT: Submission of the Clinical Trial Application (CTA) Q2 2023 GJB2-GT: Candidate selection 2022 financial results The annual accounts at December 31st, 2022, drawn up according to IFRS standards and approved by the Board of Directors on March 15th, 20231. The simplified income statement as of 31 December 2022 is as follows: In Euros IFRS standards 31.12.2022 31.12.2021 Operating income 5.005.515 4.348.647 Research & Development expenses -22.924.960 -14.623.652 General & Administrative expenses -5.217.203 -4.749.593 Total operating expenses -28.142.143 -19.373.245 Operating loss -23.136.648 -15,024,597 Financial result -72.442 -112.192 Net loss -23.209.090 -15.136.789 For the year ended 31st December 2022, Sensorion reported operating income of 5.0 million, which included 3.9 million in research tax credit (including 3.7m in France and 0.2m in Australia) and 1.0 million in grants from the Audinnove2 (RHU), and Patriot3 (PSPC) collaborations. Operating expenses increased by 45% from 19.4 million in 2021 to 28.1 million for fiscal year 2022. In 2022, our R&D expenses and General & Administrative expenses account approximately for 81% and 19% respectively of our operating expenses, against 75% and 25% respectively in 2021. R&D expenses increased by 57% from 14.6 million in 2021 to 22.9m in 2022. The increase was primarily due to increased efforts in OTOF-GT CTA-enabling studies including increased costs in preclinical and in manufacturing. increased by 57% from 14.6 million in 2021 to 22.9m in 2022. The increase was primarily due to increased efforts in OTOF-GT CTA-enabling studies including increased costs in preclinical and in manufacturing. G&A expenses are up 10% from 4.8m in 2021 to 5.2 million in 2022, due mostly to an increase in headcount in order to support the growth of R&D activities. Operating loss at 31 December 2022 was -23.1 million compared with -15.0 million at 31 December 2021. The net financial loss decreased by 0.04 million compared to 2021, mainly due to an increase in financial income. Net loss was -23.2 million at 31 December 2022 compared with -15.1 million at 31 December 2021. As of 31 December 2022, the company employed 46 people. Financial structure The simplified balance sheet at December 31st, 2022 is as follows: In Euros IFRS standards 31.12.2022 31.12.2021 Non-current Assets 3.175.915 2.142.885 Other Current Assets 9.565.307 6.946.055 Cash & cash equivalent 26.203.905 50.001.110 Total Assets 38.945.127 59.090.050 Equity 21.885.121 44.055.803 Non-current Liabilities 3.467.116 4.504.691 Current Liabilities 13.592.890 10.529.556 Total Liabilities 38.145.127 59.090.550 Non-current assets increased by 1.0 million mainly due to investments in equipment for manufacturing. Other current assets increased by 2.6 million mainly due to the increase of research tax credit expected for 2022 which amounts 3.9 million and a decrease in prepaid expenses. Cash and cash equivalents amounted to 26.2 million at 31 December 2022 compared to 50.0 million at December 31st, 2021. Total equity amounted to 21.9 million as of December 31st, 2022 compared to 44.1 million at December 31st, 2021; this decrease of -22.2 million is mainly related to the net loss of -23.2 million for the period. Current liabilities increased by 3.1 million mainly explained by an increase in R&D expenses. About Sensorion Sensorion is a pioneering clinical-stage biotech company, which specializes in the development of gene therapies to restore hearing loss disorders, a significant global unmet medical need. Sensorion has built a unique R&D technology platform to expand its understanding of the pathophysiology and etiology of inner ear related diseases, enabling it to select the best targets and mechanisms of action for drug candidates. It has two gene therapy programs aimed at correcting hereditary monogenic forms of deafness, developed in the framework of its broad strategic collaboration focused on the genetics of hearing with the Institut Pasteur. OTOF-GT targets deafness caused by mutations of the gene encoding for otoferlin and GJB2-GT targets hearing loss related to mutations in GJB2 gene to potentially address important hearing loss segments in adults and children. The Company is also working on the identification of biomarkers to improve diagnosis of these underserved illnesses. Sensorions portfolio also comprises clinical-stage small molecule programs for the treatment and prevention of hearing loss disorders. Sensorions clinical-stage portfolio includes one Phase 2 product: SENS-401 (Arazasetron) progressing in a Phase 2 proof of concept clinical study of SENS-401 in Cisplatin-Induced Ototoxicity (CIO) and, with partner Cochlear Limited, in a study of SENS-401 in patients scheduled for cochlear implantation. A Phase 2 study of SENS-401 was also completed in Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSNHL) in January 2022. www.sensorion.com Label: SENSORION ISIN: FR0012596468 Mnemonic: ALSEN Disclaimer This press release contains certain forward-looking statements concerning Sensorion and its business. Such forward looking statements are based on assumptions that Sensorion considers to be reasonable. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to risks not yet known to Sensorion or not currently considered material by Sensorion. However, there can be no assurance that such forward-looking statements will be verified, which statements are subject to numerous risks, including the risks set forth in the documentation published by the company and available on our website and to the development of economic conditions, financial markets and the markets in which Sensorion operates. The occurrence of all or part of such risks could cause actual results, financial conditions, performance or achievements of Sensorion to be materially different from such forward-looking statements. This press release and the information that it contains do not constitute an offer to sell or subscribe for, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for, Sensorion shares in any country. The communication of this press release in certain countries may constitute a violation of local laws and regulations. Any recipient of this press release must inform oneself of any such local restrictions and comply therewith. ______________________________ 1 The audit procedures on individual and consolidated financial statements have been carried out. The audit reports will be issued after completion of the procedures required for the publication of the annual financial report. 2 Audinnove is a project coordinated by Hopital Necker-Enfants maladies to develop new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for congenital deafness (Project ANR-18-RHUS-0007). The consortium includes AP-HP, the Pasteur Institute, the Hearing Foundation and Sensorion 3 The PATRIOT consortium (PSPC14 n2019), of which Sensorion is the leader, also involves the Institut de recherche biomedicale des Armees en anglais?, the Institut Pasteur and the company Electronique du Mazet. This project aims to protect and preserve inner ear tissue from damage that could lead to deafness. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230315005839/en/ Investor Relations David Lawrence, Chief Financial Officer (US/UK) Noemie Djokovic, Investor Relations and Communications (Europe/France) [email protected] International Media Relations Consilium Strategic Communications Matthew Cole/Jessica Hodgson/Sue Stuart +44 7593 572720 +44 7561 424788 [email protected] Source: Sensorion PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News: TotalEnergies (Paris: TTE) (LSE: TTE) (NYSE: TTE) and Canadian convenience store leader Alimentation Couche-Tard (Couche-Tard) have signed agreements covering TotalEnergies' retail networks in four European countries. Under these agreements, TotalEnergies will partner with Couche-Tard in Belgium and Luxembourg and sell its networks in Germany and the Netherlands to the Canadian firm: In Belgium and Luxembourg, TotalEnergies and Couche-Tard will form a joint venture (TotalEnergies 40%, Couche-Tard 60%) that will own and operate 619 service stations. TotalEnergies is a market leader in these two countries, and the partnership with Couche-Tard will accelerate the transformation of these assets by maximizing their non-fuel sales. In Germany and the Netherlands, TotalEnergies will sell 100% of its networks to Couche-Tard, including 1,198 service stations in Germany and 392 in the Netherlands. The Company is not a market leader in these two countries, and the expertise of a convenience store retailer is crucial. TotalEnergies will focus instead on developing new mobilities (electric and hydrogen) in these countries. The service stations in the four countries will remain under the TotalEnergies brand as long as the fuel is supplied by the Company, for at least five years, notably from its refineries in Antwerp (Belgium) and Leuna (Germany). The planned transaction, based on an enterprise value of 3.1 billion (equivalent on a post-tax basis to more than 15 years of net cash flow), covers the service station networks and the B2B fuel card activities. TotalEnergies will retain its activities related to off-station electric vehicle charging (charging hubs), hydrogen retail and wholesale fuel business, as well as the AS 24 service station network for trucks. A Transaction Aligned with Europe's and TotalEnergies' Net Zero Ambition With its Green Deal and Fit for 55 legislative package, the European Union has taken practical steps toward achieving its ambition to become the first carbon-neutral continent. As part of this ambition, the European Parliament voted to end new sales of combustion-engine vehicles by 2035 to promote the development of zero-carbon vehicles. These major trends are prompting TotalEnergies to make decisions regarding the future of its retail networks in Europe, which will see their fuel-related revenues decline, while electric vehicles will charge more often at home and at work, and less often in service station. This transaction is aligned with TotalEnergies strategy to become a multi-energy company and its ambition to get to Net Zero by 2050, together with society. In particular, TotalEnergies has set a target of reducing its petroleum product sales by 30% by 2030 so that its fuel sales and refining throughput do not exceed its oil production. Since 2015, TotalEnergies has divested its service station networks in Italy, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Conversely, this strategy is leading TotalEnergies to develop actively in new mobilities. In electric mobility, the Company is accelerating growth with a plan to deploy charging points on major roadways and in large cities in Europe. In hydrogen, TotalEnergies is notably developing a European network of hydrogen stations for trucks in partnership with Air Liquide. TotalEnergies and Couche-Tard, a Forward-Looking, Win-Win Transaction In this context, TotalEnergies has been looking at ways to develop non-fuel revenues in its retail business. Service stations are becoming service hubs with shops, car washes, food services and other convenience features, rather than just fuel outlets. For this reason, TotalEnergies decided to partner with Couche-Tard and capitalize on its recognized expertise in operating convenience stores in service stations. Couche-Tard, founded in 1980, is a world leader in 24/7 convenience stores offering food services, a shop and a service station. Couche-Tard has more than 14,000 sales outlets in North America, Asia and Northern Europe and over 120,000 employees. With these agreements, Couche-Tard will provide its expertise to the TotalEnergies network and brand. During previous operations of this kind in Europe, Couche-Tard demonstrated its ability to integrate new teams and develop their skills. This planned transaction is subject to the usual conditions, including the consultation processes of employee representatives and securing of the mandatory authorizations from competition authorities. TotalEnergies and Couche-Tard aim to close the transaction by the end of 2023. *** About TotalEnergies TotalEnergies is a global multi-energy company that produces and markets energies: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables and electricity. Our more than 100,000 employees are committed to energy that is ever more affordable, cleaner, more reliable and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in more than 130 countries, TotalEnergies puts sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its projects and operations to contribute to the well-being of people. @TotalEnergies l TotalEnergies l TotalEnergies l TotalEnergies Cautionary Note The terms TotalEnergies, TotalEnergies company or Company in this document are used to designate TotalEnergies SE and the consolidated entities that are directly or indirectly controlled by TotalEnergies SE. Likewise, the words we, us and our may also be used to refer to these entities or to their employees. The entities in which TotalEnergies SE directly or indirectly owns a shareholding are separate legal entities. TotalEnergies SE has no liability for the acts or omissions of these entities. This document may contain forward-looking information and statements that are based on a number of economic data and assumptions made in a given economic, competitive and regulatory environment. They may prove to be inaccurate in the future and are subject to a number of risk factors. Neither TotalEnergies SE nor any of its subsidiaries assumes any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information or statement, objectives or trends contained in this document whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Information concerning risk factors, that may affect TotalEnergies financial results or activities is provided in the most recent Registration Document, the French-language version of which is filed by TotalEnergies SE with the French securities regulator Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF), and in the Form 20-F filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005359/en/ TotalEnergies Contacts Media Relations: +33 (0)1 47 44 46 99 l [email protected] l @TotalEnergiesPR Investor Relations: +33 (0)1 47 44 46 46 l [email protected] Source: TotalEnergies SE PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News: The Board of Directors of TotalEnergies SE (Paris: TTE) (LSE: TTE) (NYSE: TTE), met on March 15, 2023 under the chairmanship of Patrick Pouyanne, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. It has decided to convene the Ordinary and Extraordinary Shareholders Meeting of the Company on Friday, May 26, 2023. The Notice of Meeting will be published soon in France's BALO (Bulletin des Annonces Legales et Obligatoires) and will be available on the Company's website. The Board of Directors also approved the documents that will be submitted to shareholders at the Annual Meeting, including the Management Report. Company Governance On the proposal of the Governance and Ethics Committee, the Board of Directors decided to propose to the Shareholders Meeting the renewal for a period of three years of the directorships of Mrs. Marie-Christine Coisne-Roquette and M. Mark Cutifani whose terms of office will expire at the end of the Shareholders Meeting. In light of her seniority on the Board of Directors, Marie-Christine Coisne-Roquette will no longer be considered an Independent Director under the AFEP-MEDEF Code. Consequently, she will no longer be able to serve as Lead Independent Director. The Board of Directors has appointed M. Jacques Aschenbroich to succeed her as Lead Independent Director with effect from the end of the Shareholders Meeting. The Board of Directors has decided to propose to the Shareholders Meeting the appointment of two new Independent Directors M. Dierk Paskert and Mrs. Anelise Lara to serve for a three-year term. In order to support the Company's transformation, the Board wished to welcome an additional Director with experience in electricity and renewables, and proposes the appointment as director of M. Dierk Paskert, a German national who until end-2022 was CEO of Encavis AG, a listed company involved in producing renewable electricity. M. Paskert has also held several positions at E.ON, a major German utility. M. Paskert has extensive experience in electricity and renewables that will be useful to support the Board of Directors as regards the Company's transformation. Mrs. Anelise Lara, a Brazilian national, has extensive experience in Oil & Gas and in Gas & Power that will be a useful addition to the Board's existing range of expertise. In addition, her knowledge of Brazil is also valuable given the amount of capital committed by the Company in this country both in terms of hydrocarbons and renewable energies. She is also committed to diversity by helping young women to progress in their careers. The Board of Directors also decided not to propose the renewal of the terms of office of Mrs. Patricia Barbizet and M. Jerome Contamine. The Board of Directors thanks Mrs. Patricia Barbizet, former Lead Independent Director, for her exceptional contribution to the work of the Board and its Committees over the past 15 years. The Board also thanks M. Jerome Contamine and acknowledges his contribution, particularly to the Audit Committee, of high-level financial expertise and experience in the Oil & Gas industry. At the end of the Shareholders Meeting of May 26, 2023, if the proposed resolutions are approved, the Board of Directors will be composed of 14 members representing seven nationalities (versus five previously). The proportion of Independent Directors as defined by the AFEP-MEDEF code will stand at 82%, in line with best standards. The proportion of women and men will be 45% and 55% respectively. The Board of Directors will also submit to the Shareholders Meeting for approval resolutions on the compensation of corporate officers, in particular that of its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, whose compensation and performance share award for 2023 are proposed to be 10% higher than for 2022, equivalent to the average increase received by managers in the common social framework (Socle social commun) in France, resolutions on employee share ownership plans and performance share plans, a resolution proposing to suppress double voting rights as well as resolutions required for the exceptional distribution in kind of the subsidiary TotalEnergies EP Canada shares. Energy transition of the Company toward carbon neutrality In the context of the resolution approved by shareholders in May 2022 concerning TotalEnergies' ambition for sustainable development and an energy transition towards carbon neutrality, the Board of Directors committed to report to shareholders on the progress made in implementing this ambition. To this end, the Board of Directors approved the Company's Sustainability & Climate - Progress Report 2023, which will be presented on March 21, 2023 and submitted to an advisory vote at the Shareholders Meeting on May 26, 2023. This report set out the implementation of the strategy and the progress made in 2022 with regard to the 2030 objectives. It expands the Company's sustainability and climate ambition, notably by specifying - as the Company had committed to do - 2025 and 2030 targets for the main Climate indicators and by making some of them more ambitious. In addition, to support the achievement of these objectives, the Board of Directors has proposed that the objective of reducing methane emissions from operated facilities, be included among the criteria for awarding performance shares to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and to all of the Company's executives. Since COP26 in Glasgow, methane emissions have been a priority for action by the signatory countries of the Paris Agreement, and the Company, whose energy growth strategy is based in particular on liquefied natural gas, has proposed an ambitious plan to reduce its operated methane emissions by 50% by 2025 compared with 2020 and by 80% by 2030, with a view to aiming for zero methane emissions. *** About TotalEnergies TotalEnergies is a global multi-energy company that produces and markets energies: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables and electricity. Our more than 100,000 employees are committed to energy that is ever more affordable, cleaner, more reliable and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in more than 130 countries, TotalEnergies puts sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its projects and operations to contribute to the well-being of people. @TotalEnergies l TotalEnergies l TotalEnergies l TotalEnergies Cautionary Note The terms TotalEnergies, TotalEnergies company or Company in this document are used to designate TotalEnergies SE and the consolidated entities that are directly or indirectly controlled by TotalEnergies SE. Likewise, the words we, us and our may also be used to refer to these entities or to their employees. The entities in which TotalEnergies SE directly or indirectly owns a shareholding are separate legal entities. This document may contain forward-looking information and statements that are based on a number of economic data and assumptions made in a given economic, competitive and regulatory environment. They may prove to be inaccurate in the future and are subject to a number of risk factors. Neither TotalEnergies SE nor any of its subsidiaries assumes any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information or statement, objectives or trends contained in this document whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Information concerning risk factors, that may affect TotalEnergies financial results or activities is provided in the most recent Universal Registration Document, the French-language version of which is filed by TotalEnergies SE with the French securities regulator Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF), and in the Form 20-F filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005457/en/ TotalEnergies Media Relations: +33 (0)1 47 44 46 99 l [email protected] l @TotalEnergiesPR Investor Relations: +33 (0)1 47 44 46 46 l [email protected] Source: TotalEnergies SE Enzo Biochem, Inc. (NYSE: ENZ) announced today that it has entered into an agreement for Labcorp (NYSE: LH) to acquire the assets of Enzos Clinical Laboratory division (Enzo Clinical Labs). The transaction between two leading global life sciences companies follows several steps initiated by Enzo in 2022 to advance the companys focused return initiative to maximize shareholder value. Completion of the sale will position Enzo to assess and execute on further actions to increase shareholder value and advance our global leadership within the life sciences sector, said Hamid Erfanian, CEO of Enzo Biochem. We are very grateful to all our colleagues who have made Enzo Clinical Labs a trusted source for patient care. With proven expertise in clinical laboratory services and products, Labcorp is perfectly positioned to bring these operations to new levels of momentum and success. Enzo Clinical Labs is renowned for high-quality testing and expert customer focus, and we look forward to integrating these capabilities through a smooth and seamless transition of services while maintaining a presence on Long Island with testing and service teams, said Bill Haas, senior vice president of Labcorp Diagnostics Northeast Division. This investment bolsters our commitment to the New York Tristate healthcare communities and we are confident that Enzo Clinical Labs patients and providers will have a combined experience that exceeds their laboratory needs. In 2022, Enzo Biochem initiated a strategic initiative to restructure operations to target business areas and industry sectors representing major growth opportunities. The companys remaining operating segment, Enzo Life Sciences, supplies a complete portfolio of products and services that are critical and extensively used in drug discovery, development and translational research applications. Enzo Life Sciences products including antibodies, genomic probes, assays, biochemicals, and proteins are sold globally to the life sciences market. Jefferies LLC served as exclusive financial advisor and McDermott Will & Emery LLP served as legal advisor to Enzo, and Evercore and Hogan Lovells served as advisors to Labcorp. Completion of the sale of Enzo Clinical Labs is contingent upon approval by Enzos shareholders and other customary closing conditions for transactions of this type, including the expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. Other terms of the transaction will be disclosed in the Companys Form 8-K to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Enzo plans to seek shareholder approval of the proposed sale at a special meeting of shareholders. More complete information regarding the transaction will be provided to Enzos shareholders in materials to be distributed for the special meeting. About Enzo BiochemEnzo Biochem is a pioneer in molecular diagnostics, leading the convergence of clinical laboratories, life sciences and intellectual property through the development of unique diagnostic platform technologies that provide numerous advantages over previous standards. A global company, Enzo Biochem utilizes cross-functional teams to develop and deploy products, systems and services that meet the ever-changing and rapidly growing needs of health care today and into the future. Underpinning Enzo Biochems products and technologies is a broad and deep intellectual property portfolio, with patent coverage across a number of key enabling technologies. For more information, please visit Enzo.com or follow Enzo Biochem on Twitter and LinkedIn. Forward-Looking Statements Except for historical information, the matters discussed in this release may be considered "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such statements include declarations regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of the Company and its management, including those related to cash flow, gross margins, revenues, and expenses which are dependent on a number of factors outside of the control of the Company including, inter alia, the markets for the Companys products and services, costs of goods and services, other expenses, government regulations, litigation, and general business conditions. See Risk Factors in the Companys Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could materially affect actual results. The Company disclaims any obligations to update any forward-looking statement as a result of developments occurring after the date of this release. Additional Information and Where to Find It Enzo Biochem intends to hold a special meeting of its shareholders to approve the proposed asset sale referred to in this press release. In connection with seeking shareholder approval, Enzo Biochem intends to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) a proxy statement and other documents describing the proposed transaction. Stockholders are urged to read the proxy statement when it becomes available because it will contain important information about the transaction. A definitive proxy statement will be sent to the stockholders of Enzo Biochem seeking their approval of the asset sale. Stockholders may obtain a free copy of the proxy statement, when it is available, and other documents filed by Enzo Biochem with the SEC at the SECs Web site at www.sec.gov, or by directing a request to Enzo Biochem, Inc., 81 Executive Blvd. Suite 3, Farmingdale, New York 11735, Attn.: Investor Relations. Participants in Solicitation Enzo Biochem and its directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the stockholders of Enzo Biochem in connection with the transactions. Information about the directors and executive officers of Enzo Biochem is set forth in Enzo Biochems Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022 and the proxy statement filed with the SEC on December 21, 2022. Additional information regarding the interests of these participants and other persons who may be deemed participants in the transactions may be obtained by reading the proxy statement regarding the proposed transactions when it becomes available. ### Enzo Biochem Contacts For Enzo Biochem: For Media: For Investors: Patricia Eckert, Interim CFO 631-755-5500 peckert @enzo.com Lynn Granito Berry & Company Public Relations 212-253-8881 [email protected] Chris Calabrese LifeSci Advisors, LLC 917-680-5608 [email protected] Source: Enzo Biochem, Inc. FILE PHOTO: Representations of cryptocurrencies are seen in this illustration, August 10, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration By Elizabeth Howcroft LONDON (Reuters) -Crypto investors pulled around $3 billion overall from the stablecoin USDC in three days, the company behind the token said in a blog post on Thursday, as investors rushed to redeem their holdings in the wake of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. USDC broke its dollar peg on Saturday after Circle revealed that $3.3 billion of the coin's reserves were at SVB. The stablecoin fell to as low as $0.88, according to CoinGecko data, but returned to $1 on Monday. Circle announced it would allow automatic USDC redemption through a new banking relationship, with Cross River Bank. Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies designed to maintain a constant exchange rate with traditional currencies. USDC is the second-biggest stablecoin with a market cap of $37.6 billion. From Monday to Wednesday, Circle processed $3.8 billion of USDC redemptions (investors swapping their tokens back into U.S. dollars) and created $0.8 billion more of the token, Circle's blog post said, meaning investors have pulled around $3 billion overall in the three days. The rapid outflows come after U.S. banking regulators issued a fresh warning last month that crypto-related deposits in banks could be subject to liquidity risks. The regulators highlighted deposits linked to stablecoins as susceptible to volatility during periods of market stress if there is a rapid influx of redemption requests. In the past week, investors have pulled a net $6 billion from the coin, according to CoinGecko data. "The events of the past week have impacted the liquidity operations for USDC," Circle said. "We will continue efforts to add additional transaction banking partners." Moody's analysts said in a note that USDC losing its peg highlights that the links between the crypto world and traditional finance are unpredictable, and "could prompt financial institutions to reconsider working with stablecoin operators". "This scenario would increase stablecoins dependence on a smaller number of institutions and constrain their ability to maintain stable exchange rates," Moody's said. (Reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft; editing by Sharon Singleton and Jason Neely) FILE PHOTO: A FedEx last-mile delivery van is seen near a FedEx Ground distribution center in Carson, California, U.S., September 16, 2022. REUTERS/Bing Guan By Lisa Baertlein and Kannaki Deka (Reuters) -FedEx Corp on Thursday raised its fiscal 2023 profit forecast despite weak market conditions, citing progress on its plan to shave $3.7 billion in costs from its global delivery business, sending its shares up more than 11%. The Memphis, Tennessee-based company also posted a higher-than-expected quarterly profit despite a drop in volume. Fedex has been wringing costs from its bloated operations by shuttering offices, cutting jobs, reducing flights, grounding airplanes and canceling profit-sapping Sunday deliveries in far-flung areas. It faces a balancing act of matching costs and capacity with waning demand for its services in an economy threatened by the war in Ukraine, bank failures and growing recession concerns. "Our cost actions are taking hold, driving an improved outlook for the current fiscal year," Chief Executive Raj Subramaniam said in a statement. FedEx forecast adjusted profit of $14.60 to $15.20 per share for its fiscal year ending May 31, up from its previous projection of $13 to $14 and above analysts' average estimate of $13.56, according to Refinitiv. Adjusted income for the fiscal third quarter ended Feb. 28 came in at $865 million, or $3.41 per share. Earnings per share were down $1.18 from the year earlier, but 68 cents higher than analysts' average estimate. Revenue fell 6% to $22.2 billion and missed Wall Street targets. Volume declined in the Express division that relies on airplanes for speedy deliveries, its Ground division known for delivering e-commerce packages for retailers like Walmart and furniture retailer Wayfair, and in its Freight trucking division. Nevertheless, FedEx said expense reductions helped it reap more revenue per delivered package. Market conditions are expected to continue to negatively impact revenue and operating profit in the current quarter, Chief Financial Officer Michael Lenz said on a conference call. "Every dollar is under scrutiny." To that end, executives said headcount would be down about 25,000 in the fiscal year ending in May, representing a 4.6% decline in the 547,000 full and part-time employees FedEx had at the end of the previous fiscal year. Executives also said they planned to park additional aircraft in the fourth quarter. Air freight prices have fallen 29% over the last year, data provider WorldACD said on Thursday, amid a weaker global economy and the growing availability of cargo capacity on passenger planes as travel demand rebounds. FedEx shares jumped 11.3% to $227.12 in after hours trade. At the close of the regular session on Thursday, its stock was up about 18% year-to-date, versus the 8% gain in shares of more profitable rival United Parcel Service. (Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles and Kannaki Deka in Bengaluru; Editing by Bill Berkrot, Stephen Coates and Jamie Freed) FILE PHOTO: The logo for Goldman Sachs is seen on the trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, New York, U.S., November 17, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly (Refiles to add "U.S. bank" in the headline) (Reuters) -Goldman Sachs said deposits have started to move out of U.S. banks and towards money markets funds, as investors seek the safety in Treasury securities amid worries about stresses in the banking sector. Retail money market funds have seen large and accelerating inflows over the last week, Goldman said in a note on Thursday, likely suggesting some migration away from deposits. Following the collapse of SVB Financial Group and Signature Bank, U.S. regional bank stocks have had a bruising last few days, as investors worried about possible deposit outflows causing capital issues at other regional banks. The banks had a day's respite on Wednesday when investors hunted for bargains, but selling resumed on Thursday, led by an over 30% slide in shares of First Republic Bank. Money markets appear to have continued functioning fairly well in recent days, and facilities such as the Federal Home Loan Banks lending channel and the Bank Term Funding Program should help maintain "healthy" market functioning even if financing needs spike, Goldman notes. (Reporting by Susan Mathew in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber) By Anirban Sen and David French NEW YORK (Reuters) -PacWest Corp is in talks about a liquidity boost with Atlas SP Partners and other investment firms, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday, in the latest case of a U.S. regional bank exploring such an option in the wake of Silicon Valley Bank's failure. PacWest is considering a range of options to bolster its coffers and there is no certainty that any deal will materialize, the sources said. The details of the liquidity boost under discussion could not be learned. The sources requested anonymity because the matter is confidential. Atlas SP and PacWest did not immediately respond to requests for comment. PacWest shares jumped on the news of the discussions for a liquidity boost, rising 22% to $13.91 in afternoon trading in New York on Thursday, giving the bank a market capitalization of about $1.6 billion. Based in Los Angeles, PacWest is a community bank serving small and venture-backed businesses, primarily in California. It had $41 billion in assets as of earlier this month. PacWest's shares have dropped 60% following Silicon Valley Bank's failed attempt to raise capital last week in the wake of some depositors pulling their money and fueling a wider bank run. It is not clear how much in deposits PacWest has lost in the U.S. regional bank crisis that has led to U.S. regulators taking over Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. First Republic Bank was seeking support from banking peers on Thursday to avoid a similar fate. PacWest CEO Paul Taylor took the helm in January after previously leading Opus Bank. (Reporting by Anirban Sen and David French in New YorkAdditional reporting by Tatiana Bautzer in New YorkEditing by Greg Roumeliotis and Chizu Nomiyama) FILE PHOTO: The logo of Robinhood Markets, Inc. is seen at a pop-up event on Wall Street after the company's IPO in New York City, U.S., July 29, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly (Reuters) - (This March 16 story has been corrected to say "to exercise their options position for Friday's expiry date," and not "to keep the position open beyond Friday's expiry date," after an official report's clarification, in paragraph 6) Robinhood Inc made an exception to its short position ban for clients who had winning 'puts' against failed lender Signature Bank, the Financial Times reported on Thursday. Put options are contracts that give a buyer the right, but no obligation, to sell shares in future. Shares of New York-based Signature have shed nearly 37% in four trading sessions since regulators took control of the bank on Sunday, making it the third largest failure in U.S. banking history. Signature's collapse followed two days after California regulators shuttered Silicon Valley Bank on Friday that worsened concerns of a contagion and triggered a sell-off in financial stocks. The investors had bought short-dated options on Robinhood and stood to make huge gains if the share price of Signature fell before the contracts expired. On Thursday, Robinhood told clients holding profitable positions on Signature that it would make an exception to its rules and allow investors to exercise their options position for Friday's expiry date, the report added. Robinhood did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment while Signature Bank declined to comment. (Reporting by Mehnaz Yasmin in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri) Iran takes 'wait-to-see' position in ballistic missiles supply to Russia, but provides it with ammo Ukrainian intelligence Iran took a "wait-to-see" position in the matter of providing Russia with ballistic missiles, there is no information about transfers of such weapons, Deputy Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine Vadym Skybitsky has said. "Yes, Iran supplies the ammunition. Russia is also trying to get other types of weapons, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and not only the ones they have already been using. In addition, Russia is interested in receiving ballistic missiles," he said on the air of the national telethon on Thursday. According to Skybitsky, there is no trustworthy information about the transfer of this type of weapon to Russia so far. "Iran is still waiting. It took a "wait-to-see" position," the Ukrainian intelligence said. It has got specific documents related to the development of cooperation between Russia and Iran. In particular, the documents indicate Russia's intention to receive ammunition, missiles, and other equipment. According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia has started to suffer ammo deficiency. Iran, in turn, needs new Russian weapons, nuclear and missile technology, therefore, the countries "are both interested in cooperation." Skybitsky said. "We know for sure that they are actively working with Iran. Yes, they indeed hold talks with Myanmar, African countries, Middle East. Russia has sent its delegations to these countries in order to get as much ammo and other weapons as it can," he said. FILE PHOTO: The twitch logo is seen at the offices of Twitch Interactive Inc, a social video platform and gaming community owned by Amazon, in San Francisco, California, U.S., March 6, 2017. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage (Reuters) -Amazon.com Inc-owned Twitch's Emmett Shear will step down as chief executive officer after over 16 years at the live video streaming platform that he co-founded, he said on Thursday. President Dan Clancy, who has been at Twitch since 2019, will take on the role of CEO effective immediately, Shear said in a blog post, adding that he will remain on as an advisor. Twitch, which has seen online celebrities like Tyler "Ninja" earn millions of dollars playing games and chatting with fans, has come under fire in recent months over reducing the amount of money its biggest streamers could earn from subscriptions, which earlier amounted to as much as 70% of revenue from fans' subscriptions to their channels. The company's chief of global creators, Constance Knight, also left the firm last year, according to media reports. Then, in September, the company tweaked the policy and announced it would allow its biggest creators to retain their 70% of the revenue share for the first $100,000 earned and then split to the standard 50% share. "In October 2006 we started working on live video for the internet. That became Twitch. More than 16 years later, I'm now a father and ready to move to my next phase of life," Shear tweeted on Thursday. Shear co-founded live streaming platform Justin.tv which became Twitch in 2011 and quickly gained traction in the gaming community as it let viewers message players and each other during live play. Three years later, it was acquired by Amazon for just under $1 billion. Incoming top boss Clancy held senior roles at U.S. space agency NASA, Nextdoor and Google prior to joining Twitch. (Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber) FILE PHOTO: The TikTok logo is pictured outside the company's U.S. head office in Culver City, California, U.S., September 15, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Blake LONDON (Reuters) - British minister Oliver Dowden said on Thursday the government would ban the use of TikTok on government devices, saying there was a risk about how sensitive data could be used on certain platforms. "We're moving to a system where government devices will only be able to access third party apps that are on a pre-approved list," Dowden told lawmakers. "We are also going to ban the use of TikTok on government devices. We will do so with immediate effect." (Reporting by Muvija M and Farouq Suleiman, Editing by Paul Sandle) Fort Belvoir, Virginia, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AFCEA International President and CEO, Lt. Gen. Susan S. Lawrence (Ret.), the first woman appointed as the U.S. Armys chief information officer, will be inducted into the Army Womens Foundation Hall of Fame on March 22 in a ceremony at the National Museum of the United States Army at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. She is also the first woman to lead AFCEA International in the associations 76-year history. The Ida Grove, Iowa, native, Gen. Lawrence joined the Women's Army Corps in 1972 and was commissioned in 1979. She holds a bachelors degree in psychology from Campbell University in North Carolina, a masters degree in information systems management from the University of Georgia, and honorary doctorates in science from Dakota State University and humane letters from Campbell University. During her extensive military career, Gen. Lawrence had operational assignments in Europe, South Korea, Southwest Asia and the United States, and led network, command, control, computers and communications (C4), and IT functions during military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Appointed in 2011 as the Armys CIO/G-6, Gen. Lawrence managed the defense enterprise systems, IT infrastructure, C4 solutions and advanced technology used by military warfighters and the supporting civilian workforce. Additionally, she helped develop U.S. Army Cyber Command and worked directly with senior staff membersincluding the Secretary of the Army and the Chief of Staff of the Armyto reduce costs and improve the effectiveness of cyber and other IT solutions. Gen. Lawrence has led AFCEA International since January 2022. Prior to joining the AFCEA staff, she served as a managing director, national security practice, Accenture Federal Services (AFS). Prior to her work at AFS, Gen. Lawrence was senior vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton in the Defense Market Group, helping lead business initiatives in the defense and security markets. Receiving this honor gives me a chance to think of how grateful I am to have experienced so many firstsas a woman and a leaderthroughout my career, Lawrence said. And that naturally makes me think of all who supported me on this journey. No one achieves success alone, and I have so many people to thank. I hope this recognition inspires others to always be on the lookout for those someones who see something special in you and encourage you to step outside of your comfort zone (like having a fear of heights but jumping out of airplanes 35 times to earn my wings!)and to be sure to BE that someone for those who come after you. As part of their celebration of Womens History Month, the foundation will recognize several extraordinary Army women and will award scholarships. Through the U.S Army Womens Hall of Fame, the foundation recognizes women who have served in the Army or the armed forces and contributed extraordinary service. #### Since 1969, the U.S. Army Womens Foundation has been the premier volunteer organization for todays Army women and veterans, a strong partner for their continued success, and a dynamic advocate for telling their stories. The mission of the U.S. Army Womens Foundation is to promote public interest in the Army and recognize and honor the invaluable service of Army women through various programs, research, scholarships, and grants. The U.S. Army Womens Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. AFCEA International is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit international professional association that connects people, ideas and solutions globally. Established in 1946, the membership association serves the military, government, industry and academia by developing networking and educational opportunities and providing an ethical forum. This enables military, government, industry and academia to align technology and strategy to meet the needs of those who serve. AFCEA operates under the guidance of a board of directors, international staff and committees. A large network of chapters is managed by a group of regional vice presidents. Join online. Attachment Howard Wahlberg AFCEA International (703) 631-6199 [email protected] Source: AFCEA International Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aston Accountancy Ltd., a full-service accountancy and tax firm based in Milton Keynes, is marking its 30-year milestone in the business, having been founded by Heather Rogers, FCPA ICPA (Fellow), in 1993. Rogers, supported by her staff, provides services across all aspects of accountancy and tax-related matters, including business and personal tax and tax planning. She also works closely with a trusted network of experts in investment, financial planning, and legal matters, to provide the best outcomes for clients. Rogers entered the profession as a public accountant, then later worked for an American multinational company. Despite the prestige afforded to her by working at a large firm, she longed to be independent and make her own business choices. Following her father's advice, she struck out on her own at age 25 and founded Aston Accountancy Ltd., operating out of a spare room in her house, before moving to a dedicated office space in 2001. Since then, Rogers has built a personal reputation as an expert in accountancy and tax matters. She is a tax columnist for a major UK financial matters website and her articles have also been published internationally, in France and the US. Drawing on my 30 years of experience in the business, I have extensive knowledge of working both with private clients and business clients and offer a wider range of services than many other similar-sized firms. I have now also added expert witness work to the services that I provide. Over the past 30 years in the industry, Aston Accountancy Ltd. has retained the business of many long-standing clients, including some who have been with the firm for almost the entirety of its existence. Some clients have already retired, and Rogers is now working with them in a private client capacity, or with their children who have inherited the business. Looking back, starting this business was the right decision, and I'm very happy I did that. I loved being in control of my destiny. To this day, I still enjoy my work, and I've got no plans to stop. I also act as a mentor to several junior accountants to help develop the future of the profession, Rogers says. Having spent three long decades in the business, overcoming global economic recessions and pandemics, Rogers offers advice to aspiring accountants, especially those who are looking to start their own firms. Always look to expand your horizons. Be bold. Try to contact different accountancy practices and spend time with them, to understand and look into how their business works. Developing your skills is the most important thing in progressing your business. Don't excessively restrict your work in one particular area, as you'll end up with a very small client base. Go explore another branch of accountancy, where you will meet more people and add different skills to your portfolio. Also remember to never be complacent. You're only as good as your last job, and one mistake can destroy your reputation in this profession. Treat each client with the same care you did when you started out in business, and let your work speak for itself. About Aston Accountancy Ltd. Aston Accountancy Ltd. is a full-service accountancy and tax firm based in Milton Keynes, England. It was founded in 1993 by Heather Rogers, FCPA ICPA (Fellow), an expert in both business and personal tax, including tax planning. Rogers is also a financial columnist who has been published internationally. Aston Accountancy Ltd. works with solicitors, investment and pension advisors, and financial planners to provide the best advice to its clients. Media Contact Name: Heather Rogers Email: [email protected] Source: Aston Accountancy Ltd MONTREAL, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CN (TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI) announced today that the company has registered with the Office quebecois de la langue francaise (OQLF) pursuant to An Act respecting French, the official and common language of Quebec (the Act ). Further to the Act coming into force in 2022, CN management began discussions with the OQLF to voluntarily register the company. As it is subject to the Official Languages Act under its incorporating act, CN is in a unique situation. The discussions held with the OQLF over the past few months sought to find a way to reconcile the obligations under this federal law with CNs intention to voluntarily register with the OQLF. I welcome CN's decision to register with the Office quebecois de la langue francaise, as have the vast majority of federally regulated companies with more than 50 employees. This registration by a large federally chartered company is very important for Quebec and its French reality. I strongly hope that this step by CN will encourage the few remaining companies to do the same and comply. We must all take strong actions for the French language. - Jean-Francois Roberge, Minister of the French Language, Government of Quebec This voluntary act we are making today is in line with our companys rich history in Montreal, Quebec, where our headquarters has been located for more than a century. French is the official and common language of Quebec and we are proud to do our part in promoting and protecting French. - Tracy Robinson, President and Chief Executive Officer, CN About CNCN is a world-class transportation leader and trade-enabler. Essential to the economy, to the customers, and to the communities it serves, CN safely transports more than 300 million tons of natural resources, manufactured products, and finished goods throughout North America every year. As the only railroad connecting Canadas Eastern and Western coasts with the U.S. South through a 18,600-mile rail network, CN and its affiliates have been contributing to community prosperity and sustainable trade since 1919. CN is committed to programs supporting social responsibility and environmental stewardship. Contacts: Media Investment Community Jonathan Abecassis Paul Butcher Senior Manager Vice-President Media Relations Investor Relations 438-455-3692 [email protected] (514) 399-0052 [email protected] Source: Canadian National Railway Company NEW YORK, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Codeword, a leading tech-PR and content agency, today announced a strengthened executive team with three powerhouse players and two new client offerings during a period of marked expansion. The company brings in agency vet Katy Kelley as SVP, Marketing and Brand, journalist and content marketer Ted Brown as VP, Editorial, and promotes Jordan Leschinsky to VP, Strategy. Additionally, the agency is extending its capabilities into video production and front-end development. Katy, Jordan, and Ted are the absolute best trio to lead Codeword into the future with us, said Kyle Monson, partner at Codeword. Katys already done a tour of duty here as a creative director, Jordan has been a vital part of our agency for nearly three years, and weve been not-so-subtly pursuing Ted for quite a long time. Our specific mission together is to mess with the mainstream, burn down a silly industrys silly best practices, and create marketing programs that people are actually interested in. The agency has also expanded its capabilities, investing in two new offeringsvideo production and front-end development. These services complement the agencys current team of content creators for an expanded set of skills to build more experiential digital media. Codeword prides itself on investing in new technologies that straddle the creative and technology worlds, as recently made notable by the hiring of the worlds first AI interns. Our company has been developing video and digital experiences with clients for years, but we wanted access to more in-house resources to meet news cycles, and audience needs better. Being able to quickly build content experiences that are light, timely, and interactive will drive impact for our clients and, hopefully, fill the internet with more cool things, says Michael McKloskey, Partner and EVP at Codeword. With more than 18 years of experience in building brands for a wide variety of organizations, Kelley will oversee all of Codewords MarCom functions, leading global strategic communications for the firm. Kelley started her Codeword journey in 2017, where she spearheaded projects for brands including Snapchat, Criteo, and Alibaba. She parted from the company for a few years to consult for Meta but is happy to be returning to her agency roots. Kelley previously led marketing and communications efforts on behalf of Ruder Finn, Cohn & Wolfe (now BCW), and Huge. Marketing a marketing agency is a refreshing challenge. Codeword is full of curious, opinionated, terribly smart people who thirst for differently shaped work that inspires at all altitudes. Being able to lead a team like that is a dream come true, says Kelley. Brown brings more than ten years of experience in marketing and editorial to Codeword, and has led creative teams at tech and media companies like the BBC, Wix, and Figma. A longtime freelance creative consultant, hes also guided large-scale editorial projects for brands like Spotify, Squarespace, Stripe, and Visa. A regular contributor to the New York Times, Rolling Stone, and other marquee publications, Brown brings a rare combination of writing and creative experience to the Codeword team. As a journalist and a marketer, Ive been a fan of Codewords ability to bridge those two worlds and tell great stories for brands, he says. The team is relentlessly inquisitive and focused, and Im beyond excited to help the agency write its next creative chapter. Were going to be building some really cool things. Leschinsky, who joined Codeword in 2020 to work on strategy for the firms larger tech clients, will now lead Codewords strategy and analytics teams across all accounts. A former magazine editor turned digital strategist, Leschinsky has been developing strategies for clients in the technology, auto, finance, and healthcare industries for the past ten years. Codeword is excited to see Leschinskys strategic vision for the agency come to life, with her years of experience on clients like Google, Qualcomm, LinkedIn, JP Morgan Chase, BMW, MINI, Nestle and Total, in countries like Canada, England, South Africa, and the United States. Codeword is one of the few places Ive worked where you get to be truly strategic without the BS. Honest conversations with clients, strategies that deal with the challenges, and impactful creativeIm so lucky to be part of that, she says. About CodewordCodeword is an integrated marketing agency with a fast-growing, fast-moving team of writers, editors, designers, strategists, videographers, PR mavens, and even a few traditional marketers. Codeword develops smart marketing strategies, manages editorial and social channels, and drives news coverage for tech clients both big and small. Part of the WE Communications family, Codeword fosters an independent spirit with global scale and capabilities. Find us online at www.codewordagency.com or @codewordagency. About WE WE is one of the largest independent communications and integrated marketing agencies in the world. Were all about people both our clients and employees and we believe in the power of communications to move audiences to positive action. Female-founded, female-led, and fiercely independent, WE has spent more than three decades helping world-class brands tell technology-led transformation stories that shift perceptions and change behavior. Our global reach includes offices in 21 cities, partner networks that expand our footprint and client capabilities, and a team of more than 1,500 media and content strategists, creatives and data scientists across our technology, health, and consumer sectors. Our work with global brands like Microsoft, Intel, McDonalds, and Volvo has been recognized by Cannes Lions, PRovoke SABRE Awards and PRWeek Awards, just to name a few. Source: Codeword, LLC LEVIS, Quebec, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a release issued earlier today by Energir, please note that the headline should read QScale and Energir Development Join Forces to Drive Decarbonization in Quebec Through Waste Heat Recovery instead of QScale and Energir Development Join Forces to Drive Decarbonization in Quebec Through Waste Heart Recovery. QScale and Energir Development Join Forces to Drive Decarbonization in Quebec Through Waste Heat Recovery QScale, a Quebec company that develops environmentally responsible computing centers, and Energir Development, hereinafter Energir, a diversified energy company, announce a collaboration to maximize waste heat recovery in Quebec. QScale and Energir are taking real steps towards decarbonizing Quebec by combining their expertise in recovering and optimizing the use of heat generated by computing centers. As part of this collaboration, QScale will provide free waste heat from its centers. Having carried out pre-feasibility studies and confirmed technical and economic viability, Energir will ensure project implementation from design through to operation. The first waste heat recovery projects under this collaboration will be developed at QScales Q01 campus in Levis. They will allow reuse of the renewable energy that powers the computing center. Opportunities are currently being analyzed and the first delivery of recovered heat is anticipated by early 2024. Ultimately, the Q01 campus aims to become one of the largest waste heat recovery providers of its kind in Quebec. Up to 96 megawatts (MW) could be distributed through energy distribution networks, which represents enough energy to heat more than 15,000 Quebec households. Our mission is to design world-class computing centers aligned with sustainable development principles. Supercomputers hosted in our computing centers act as radiators, generating heat. QScale is specifically designed to recover 100% of this waste heat. It is therefore natural for QScale to partner with a recognized partner such as Energir, which aims to diversify into sustainable energy distribution, says Martin Bouchard, co-founder and president of QScale. This collaboration will allow us to maximize the recovery of waste heat from our centers. Not only will these energy loops maximize the benefits of the renewable energy consumed by QScales centers; they will also support Energir in its mission to help its customers decarbonize by providing them with carbon-neutral heat. Waste heat recovery: a key driver in Quebec's decarbonization Waste heat recovery involves reusing surplus heat released by a company in its neighbourhood. In Quebec, nearly 35% of the energy consumed by large industries is not recovered1. The potential is therefore immense. Projects to recover this waste heat are highly beneficial for the environment and are strongly encouraged as part of Quebecs energy transition policies. Our expertise in energy distribution and infrastructure management positions us as a partner of choice for waste heat recovery initiatives. We are thrilled to be joining forces with QScale for this collaboration, which aligns perfectly with our 2030 Vision to diversify our operations and provide solutions that will contribute to the success of our decarbonization efforts and those of Quebec, says Jean-Francois Jaimes, Executive Director, Development, Renewable Energy and LNG at Energir. A strategic location and tangible benefits for heat users The potential for waste heat recovery from the Q01 campus site is largely the result of its strategic location. Being close to some 100 hectares of farm and industrial land, the campus has an interesting pool of potential users. There are several advantages for users looking to benefit from waste heat recovery, including lower heating bill; possible improvements in their energy balance, allowing them to move towards carbon neutrality; and a steady heat supply thanks to the computing centers 24/7 operations. About QScale QScale is a Quebec based company that develops environmentally responsible computing centers specifically designed for high-performance computing (HPC), supercomputing, and machine learning. The companys Quebec City area campus (QScale Q01) is the first colocation facility in Canada to receive the OCP Ready recognition, attesting to its energy efficiency and scalability. QScale's technology infrastructures help meet the growing computing needs of global companies while enabling them to achieve their ESG objectives. About Energir Development Energir Development (formerly Valener Inc.) is a Quebec company that works in the field of energy distribution and production. Energir Development holds a 29% interest in Energir, L.P. One of Energir, L.P.s core business activities is energy distribution, specifically natural gas distribution in Quebec and electric power and natural gas distribution in Vermont, US. Energir Development also holds direct and indirect interest in wind farm operations located on the private lands of the Seigneurie de Beaupre in Quebec and in an RNG production partnership. Energir Development works towards cleaner energy solutions in ways that are economically, environmentally, and socially responsible. Energir L.P. acts as the manager of Energir Development. The corporate structure is available on Energirs website. For all QScale media inquiries, please contact Josiane Marmet ([email protected], C: 418-254-1160) For all Energir Development media inquiries, please contact Laura-Michelle Marcogliese ([email protected], C: 514-515-0115) 1 Reference: Chair in Energy Sector Management, 2023, HEC Montreal A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/16b60193-6f6d-420b-adce-3bc4a3df9a8b QScale and Energir Development announce their collaboration From left to right: Jean-Francois Jaimes, Executive Director, development, renewable energy & LNG, Energir, Martin Bouchard, President and Co-founder, QScale, Vincent Thibault, Vice president of executive strategy and ESG & Co-founder, QScale Source: Energir CALGARY, Alberta, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FLINT Corp. ("FLINT" or the "Company") announces that Randy Watt, Chief Financial Officer, has retired from FLINT effective March 31, 2023. Mr. Watt joined FLINT in November 2018 and provided financial leadership through the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent market recovery and the implementation of a new enterprise resource planning system. On behalf of FLINT, we would like to thank Randy for his years of service with the company and wish him well in his future endeavours, said Barry Card, Chief Executive Officer. The Company has engaged an executive search firm to identify and evaluate both internal and external candidates for the role. Murray Desrosiers, currently Senior Vice President, Legal and Corporate Development, has been named as Interim Chief Financial Officer. The Company is pleased to announce that James Healey has been appointed Vice President, Finance and Corporate Controlling effective March 1, 2023. Mr. Healey has over fifteen years of financial reporting, corporate accounting and business processes and controls experience, most recently at Cenovus Energy, where he led the corporate reporting team through the integration with Husky Energy, and at Husky Energy, where he served as Corporate Controller. Mr. Healey is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Calgary. About FLINT With a legacy of excellence and experience stretching back more than 100 years, FLINT provides solutions to Industrial markets including: Energy, Petrochemical, Mining, Power, Agriculture, Forestry, Infrastructure and Water Treatment. With offices strategically located across Canada and a dedicated workforce, we provide maintenance, construction, wear technology and environmental services that keep our clients moving forward. For more information about FLINT, please visit www.flintcorp.com or contact: Barry CardChief Executive OfficerFLINT Corp.(587) 318-0997 [email protected] Murray DesrosiersInterim Chief Financial OfficerFLINT Corp.(587) 318-0997 [email protected] Source: FLINT Corp. Pasadena, CA, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fuller is excited to announce the launch of a new degree program, the Master of Arts in Chaplaincy (MAC), which provides holistic training for those called to create new paths and spaces for spiritual care as chaplains. This 64-unit degree is designed for students called to chaplaincy in settings including health care, schools, law enforcement, and corporations. Fuller Theological Seminary continues to respond to the needs of the church and society through our new MA in Chaplaincy, said President David Emmanuel Goatley. This new program being launched from our campus in the global city of Houston, Texas, offers a diverse range of courses that incorporate real-world contexts as textual resources. Drawing upon our unique capacity for integrating missiology, theology, psychology, and therapy, our program blends theory and practice to provide a comprehensive and unparalleled educational experience. This is a unique opportunity to prepare for ministry among people in the critical places of life. "This is the degree I hoped for when I became a chaplain: a degree that focuses on practical theology, integrated theory, and tangible skills as well as on chaplain wellness. Fullers MA in Chaplaincy program helps chaplains to serve from a place of groundedness and peace. The cohorted learning creates a community of fellow chaplains to journey within and beyond the degree program," said Mary Glenn, the programs co-chair and assistant professor of the practice of chaplaincy and community development. The MA in Chaplaincy will be based in Houston, with most coursework completed online. Students will gather with their cohort at the Fuller Texas campus for occasional intensives for dynamic in-person learning and reflection. "Chaplaincy involves being present to yourself and others while discerning God's voice and movement. The city of Houston is culturally and theologically diverse, and our students will be able to engage this diversity while being present in their formation and vocational process, said Jaclyn Williams, who is based at Fuller Texas as assistant professor of the practice of preaching and chaplaincy. Fuller is uniquely positioned to bring together the theory, theology, and practice of chaplaincy within the vibrant backdrop of Houston's innovative and authentic spirit." This practice-focused degree was created by three faculty members with deep experience in different fields of chaplaincy: military, hospital, and law enforcement. The rigorous curriculum intentionally addresses all 31 core competencies shared amongst the major chaplaincy certifying bodies in the US, including the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education and the Association of Professional Chaplains. Additionally, the programs distinctive focus on the wellness of the chaplain allows for students to learn best practices for sustainable, healthy ministry careers. Fullers MA in Chaplaincy is a unique and much-needed offering in chaplaincy education, said Mareque Ireland, affiliate assistant professor of theology. Designed from the ground up by chaplain practitioners, this program goes beyond just learning cognitively about chaplaincy and is created to holistically develop students to be firmly grounded in their exercise of ministry of presence in the world. This is an amazing opportunity for those who want to do ministry outside a traditional church setting. Fullers MA in Chaplaincy is also ideal for those already ministering as chaplains who want to advance their career opportunities and deepen their ministry. Im excited to journey alongside students already answering the call to chaplaincy, said Dr. Williams. I'm also excited to work with those who have an inkling of a call and want to walk with others in that discernment and learning process. _________________________________________________________________________ ABOUT FULLER SEMINARY Fuller Seminary is one of the largest nondenominational seminaries in the world with a global enrollment of more than 3,000 students in its masters and doctoral programs. Fuller students may take classes in person, online, or through a hybrid of the two via campuses in Pasadena, Houston, and Phoenix. Founded in Pasadena, California, Fuller is committed to providing indispensable, formational education to diverse Christian leaders everywhere. Responding to changes in the church and world, Fuller is transforming the seminary experience to create a global learning community where leaders can access Fullers traditional graduate programs, as well as non-degree courses through the digital learning platform FULLER Equip, and free resources created by FULLER studio. Fullers distinctive integration of its four major disciplineshoused in the School of Mission and Theology and the School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapyis evident in its range of masters and doctoral programs, uniquely equipping leaders for innovative, nuanced, and intellectually grounded service in a variety of roles and settings. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- George Sanders, President of Goldcliff Resource Corporation (Goldcliff or the Company) (GCN: TSX.V, GCFFF: OTCBB PINKS) is pleased to announce a proposed non-brokered private placement for aggregate gross proceeds of $440,000 (the Private Placement). The Private Placement will consist of the issuance of: (i) up to 4,000,000 units (each, a NFT Unit), at a price of $0.05 per NFT Unit, with each NFT Unit comprising one common share of the Company (each, a Common Share) and one half of one non-transferrable Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a Warrant); and (ii) up to 4,000,000 flow-through shares (FT Shares), at a price of $0.06 per FT Share, with each FT Share comprising one Common Share which qualifies as a flow-through share within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to acquire an additional Common Share at an exercise price of $0.08 per Common Share for a period of 24 months. The Private Placement is being conducted in reliance upon the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption. There is an offering document (the Offering Document) related to this Private Placement that can be accessed under the Companys profile at www.sedar.com and at www.goldcliff.com. Prospective investors should read this Offering Document before making an investment decision. Proceeds from the NFT Unit offering will be applied to property payments on Aurora West and Kettle Valley projects, and to general working capital. Proceeds from the FT Share offering will be applied to further drill site access at Kettle Valley, additional mapping and sampling of the new drill trail, to detailed follow up geochemical sampling and prospecting at Panorama Ridge, and to a data compilation and geologic summary at Ainsworth silver project, as Canadian exploration expenses that will qualify as "flow-through mining expenditures" within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada), and which will be incurred on or before December 31, 2024 and renounced with an effective date no later than December 31, 2023 to the initial purchasers of FT Shares. All three projects are located in British Columbia. The Private Placement is anticipated to close on or about April 14, 2023 ("Closing"), or such later date as the Company may determine. The Closing is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Goldcliff advises that insiders of the Company will participate in the Private Placement, and will subscribe for a minimum of 2,000,000 NFT Units and 830,000 FT Shares, which subscriptions will be completed pursuant to available related party exemptions under Multilateral Instrument 61-101. At Closing, the Company will pay a cash finders fee equal to 7% of gross proceeds introduced by eligible finders. Also, the Company will grant to eligible finders, finders warrants equal to 7% of the number of NFT Units and/or FT Shares introduced by the finder on the same terms and conditions as the Warrants comprising the NFT Units. The securities being offered will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and may not be offered or sold within the United States absent registration or an exemption from the registration requirements. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. For further information, please contact George W. Sanders, President, at 250-764-8879, toll free at 1-866-769-4802 or email at [email protected]. GOLDCLIFF RESOURCE CORPORATION Per: George W. Sanders George W. Sanders, President Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of this news release. Forward-Looking Information: This news release includes certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively, forward-looking statements) within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements in this news release that address events or developments that we expect to occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, although not always, identified by words such as "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "project", "target", "potential", "schedule", "forecast", "budget", "estimate", "intend" or "believe" and similar expressions or their negative connotations, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could", "should" or "might" occur. All such forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding, among others, the anticipated closing of the Private Placement, the anticipated size of the Private Placement, the receipt of approval from the TSX Venture Exchange, the participation of insiders, the expected use of proceeds from the Private Placement, certain expenses qualifying as flow though mining expenditures, and the expected timing for incurrence and renouncement of expenses. Although Goldcliff believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploration successes, and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. These forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions including, among other things, assumptions regarding general business and economic conditions, the timing and receipt of regulatory and governmental approvals, the ability of Goldcliff and other parties to satisfy stock exchange and other regulatory requirements in a timely manner, the availability of financing for Goldcliffs proposed transactions and programs on reasonable terms, and the ability of third party service providers to deliver services in a timely manner. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Goldcliff does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Source: Goldcliff Resource Corporation Poltava region received two buses from the World Health Organization (WHO) for the teams of immunologists to travel to remote settlements in communities for the vaccination of the population, particularly against the COVID-19 coronavirus disease, Head of Poltava Regional Military Administration Dmytro Lunin has said. "In case of necessity, vulnerable persons retirees, persons with disabilities, and internally displaced persons will be transported to the vaccination centers. The transport is equipped with special lifts and seats The vehicles were provided with the assistance of the European Union," he said on the Telegram channel on Thursday. New York, NY, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- After four long years following the COVID-19 pandemic, the New York Film Academy (NYFA) is returning to Brazil for a series of information sessions, auditions, and portfolio reviews. With the country ripe for new film and television partnerships and opportunities in film, media, and performing arts education, Larissa Korolkovas, NYFAs Brazil-based Admissions Representative, is ready to answer the call. On the ground, Larissa Korolkovas supports prospective and current NYFA students in Brazil with a contact fluent in English and Portuguese. Larissas professional specialty lies not just in admissions and outreach support but in partnership and business development in the Brazilian Audiovisual Market. Major companies like Netflix, Amazon, Disney, and HBO recently began investing more in Brazil by developing new content and adding the country to their distribution outlets. Many NYFA alums from Brazil have achieved extraordinary success in film, TV, and media - showing just how far their studies at NYFA can take them. Brazilian alumni include teen superstar, Maisa Silva, VFX artist Adriano Araujo Dos Reis Botega, filmmaker Tiago Rocha de Jesus, and creative powerhouse Monica Mamudo. NYFA Senior Executive Enrollment Specialist Roger DelPozo will join Larissa in Brazil this year. Roger has visited Brazil over twenty times since 2010, conducting special events and teaching workshops with partner institutions. Roger has extensive experience working with Brazilian students, but this year will mark his first time in the country since 2019. Our team will be conducting in-person scholarship auditions and portfolio reviews for NYFA applicants and meeting prospective students, says Roger, the level of passion and talent that we meet in Brazil is extraordinary. I could not be more excited to visit with aspiring performers and visual artists interested in continuing their training at NYFA and assist in that process however I can. Beginning in Sao Paulo, Larissa and her fellow NYFA Admissions team members Miriam Estevam, NYFAs Director of Admissions in Los Angeles, and Roger DelPozo, NYFAs Senior Executive Enrollment Specialist, will conduct a series of trips to surrounding cities to attend student fairs and high schools across Brazil. In Sao Paulo on Saturday, 25 March 2023, and Sunday, 26 March 2023, Larissa, Roger & Miriam will hold an information session, auditions, and portfolio reviews. While the information session is open to the public, with an RSVP required in advance, the auditions and portfolio reviews will be available only to applicants to NYFAs programs. The opportunity for prospective students and applicants to meet with the Admissions in person is exciting. Applicants better understand what NYFAs admissions process entails in their native language and receive real-time feedback on their submissions from the team directly responsible for reviewing submissions for partial talent-based scholarships. Larissa, a NYFA Acting for Film alum, understands the school's operation better than most. With her own production company, NAKED CO. Production Company, based in Brazil, she and her partners created two festival-winning short films, celebrated in both the US and Brazilian festival circuits. Prospective students interested in learning more about student life at NYFA, alum support, and more should RSVP to join the information session in Sao Paulo. About NYFA NYFA is a leading film, media, and performing arts college that offers intensive undergraduate and graduate degree programs, certificates, and workshops across a multitude of areas of study in New York City, Los Angeles, South Beach/Miami, Gold Coast (Australia), Florence (Italy), Beijing (China), and more. NYFA also offers online education allowing students the opportunity to advance their creative and technical skills in Hands-Online Workshops, available across NYFAs film, media, and performing arts disciplines. NYFA is regionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). This accreditation extends to all NYFA campuses in the United States and overseas. For more information, please visit nyfa.edu. Attachments Laura Bailey-Wickins New York Film Academy [email protected] Source: New York Film Academy OXFORD, United Kingdom, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sophos, a global leader in innovating and delivering cybersecurity as a service, today released new research on how the cybersecurity industry can leverage GPT-3, the language model behind the now well-known ChatGPT framework, as a co-pilot to help defeat attackers. The latest report, GPT for You and Me: Applying AI Language Processing to Cyber Defenses, details projects developed by Sophos X-Ops using GPT-3's large language models to simplify the search for malicious activity in datasets from security software, more accurately filter spam, and speed up analysis of living off the land binary (LOLBin) attacks. Since OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT back in November, the security community has largely focused on the potential risks this new technology could bring. Can the AI help wannabee attackers write malware or help cybercriminals write much more convincing phishing emails? Perhaps, but, at Sophos, weve long seen AI as an ally rather than an enemy for defenders, making it a cornerstone technology for Sophos, and GPT-3 is no different. The security community should be paying attention not just to the potential risks, but the potential opportunities GPT-3 brings, said Sean Gallagher, principal threat researcher, Sophos. Sophos X-Ops researchers, including SophosAI Principal Data Scientist Younghoo Lee, have been working on three prototype projects that demonstrate the potential of GPT-3 as an assistant to cybersecurity defenders. All three use a technique called few-shot learning to train the AI model with just a few data samples, reducing the need to collect a large volume of pre-classified data. The first application Sophos tested with the few-shot learning method was a natural language query interface for sifting through malicious activity in security software telemetry; specifically, Sophos tested the model against its endpoint detection and response product. With this interface, defenders can filter through the telemetry with basic English commands, removing the need for defenders to understand SQL or a databases underlying structure. Next, Sophos tested a new spam filter using ChatGPT and found that, when compared to other machine learning models for spam filtering, the filter using GPT-3 was significantly more accurate. Finally, Sophos researchers were able to create a program to simplify the process for reverse-engineering the command lines of LOLBins. Such reverse-engineering is notoriously difficult, but also critical for understanding LOLBins behaviorand putting a stop to those types of attacks in the future. One of the growing concerns within security operation centers is the sheer amount of noise coming in. There are just too many notifications and detections to sort through, and many companies are dealing with limited resources. Weve proved that, with something like GPT-3, we can simplify certain labor-intensive processes and give back valuable time to defenders. We are already working on incorporating some of the prototypes above into our products, and weve made the results of our efforts available on our GitHub for those interested in testing GPT-3 in their own analysis environments. In the future, we believe that GPT-3 may very well become a standard co-pilot for security experts, said Gallagher. Learn more about how GPT-3 can be used to assist defenders in GPT for You and Me: Applying AI Language Processing to Cyber Defenses on Sophos.com. Learn More About About Sophos Sophos is a worldwide leader and innovator of advanced cybersecurity solutions, including Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and incident response services and a broad portfolio of endpoint, network, email, and cloud security technologies that help organizations defeat cyberattacks. As one of the largest pure-play cybersecurity providers, Sophos defends more than 500,000 organizations and more than 100 million users globally from active adversaries, ransomware, phishing, malware, and more. Sophos services and products connect through its cloud-based Sophos Central management console and are powered by Sophos X-Ops, the companys cross-domain threat intelligence unit. Sophos X-Ops intelligence optimizes the entire Sophos Adaptive Cybersecurity Ecosystem, which includes a centralized data lake that leverages a rich set of open APIs available to customers, partners, developers, and other cybersecurity and information technology vendors. Sophos provides cybersecurity-as-a-service to organizations needing fully-managed, turnkey security solutions. Customers can also manage their cybersecurity directly with Sophos security operations platform or use a hybrid approach by supplementing their in-house teams with Sophos services, including threat hunting and remediation. Sophos sells through reseller partners and managed service providers (MSPs) worldwide. Sophos is headquartered in Oxford, U.K. More information is available at www.sophos.com. Source: Sophos Inc. Sp Mortgage Bank Plc Stock Exchange Release 16th March 2023 at 8:00 Savings Banks Group's Board of Director's Report and Consolidated IFRS Financial Statements 1st of January31st of December 2022 and Pillar III Disclosure Report 2022 have been published. A PDF-document containing the Board of Director's Report and Consolidated IFRS Financial Statements for 1st of January31st of December 2022 and also Pillar III Disclosure Report 2022 are attached to this release. The Reports in PDF format can be also found at www.saastopankki.fi . SAVINGS BANKS GROUP Further information: Karri Alameri, Managing Director, Savings Banks' Union Coop [email protected] Sp Mortgage Bank is part of the Savings Banks Group and the Savings Banks Amalgamation. The role of Sp Mortgage Bank is, together with Central Bank of Savings Banks Finland Plc, to be responsible for obtaining funding for the Savings Banks Group from money and capital markets. Sp Mortgage Bank is responsible for the Savings Banks Group's mortgage-secured funding by issuing covered bonds. Read more at www.saastopankki.fi/debtinvestors , www.saastopankki.fi Attachments New York, U.S.A., March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Water Resilience Coalition (WRC), a CEO-led initiative committed to reducing global water stress by 2050, product of the partnership between the UN Global Compact and the Pacific Institute, today launched the WRC Investment Portfolio and unveiled an initial supported vehicle, the WaterEquity Global Access Fund IV. Announced ahead of World Water Day and the UN 2023 Water Conference, the WaterEquity Fund has attracted nearly $140 million in investments. Five WRC member companies Starbucks (the Funds corporate anchor investor at up to $25 million), Ecolab, Gap Inc., Reckitt and DuPont have come together to invest alongside a $100 million commitment from U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, the United States Governments development finance institution. This marks a significant milestone to achieve the intended total of $150 million that the WaterEquity Global Access Fund IV expects to attract by mid-2023 with the goal of reaching 5 million people with access to water, sanitation and hygiene. Two billion people around the world currently live in water-stressed areas. Based on projected demand, if no action is taken, it is predicted that within the next 10 years the world will face a 40 per cent shortfall in freshwater supply. By 2050 more than half the worlds population will live in water-stressed areas. Some $300 billion of business value is at risk due to water scarcity, pollution and climate change. It is vital the corporate sector invest now to protect this natural asset. Water is a shared resource and so we can only safeguard it to ensure the quality and quantity of its availability if we work together," said Sanda Ojiambo, CEO and Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact. To address a challenge of such magnitude, the WRC Investment Portfolio charts a pathway for long-term sustainable investments in waterat a time when global stakeholders are calling for new investment strategies for water and increased investments from the private sector. The pipeline identifies a diverse range of investment mechanisms that amount to at least $1 billion. Some examples include private equity investments, blended finance mechanisms, microfinance and impact bonds to drive investment into water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH); nature-based solutions; and water and climate resilience. WaterEquity is the first asset manager exclusively focused on solving the global water and sanitation crisis. Its fourth fund, the Global Access Fund IV, will have a positive impact on households of at least eight countries in South and Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America who will gain access to microfinance loans for the purchase of WASH assets such as household toilets and sewage treatment systems. This innovative financing strategy is poised to help mobilize the corporate sector on water in a radical new waythrough investment collaboration, said Jason Morrison, President of the Pacific Institute and Head of the CEO Water Mandate. By bringing together leading companies in collective action and leveraging collective capital, the Water Resilience Coalition members will have more impact on water together than they can on their own. WaterEquitys next fund, the Water and Climate Resilience Fund, will focus exclusively on investing in municipal-level climate-resilient water and sanitation infrastructure for low-income populations in countries in South and Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. Through this fund, WaterEquity will provide financing for projects and companies intended to improve water sourcing, treatment, distribution, and reuse. Microsoft has reached a preliminary agreement with WaterEquity to be the first investor in the Water and Climate Resilience Fund subject to execution of final documents. Today, Starbucks also announced a total commitment of $50 million in investments to advance access to water, sanitation and hygiene. Both Starbucks and Ecolab are exploring participation in this fund as part of each company's efforts to advance WASH. Water underpins every major global challenge. Addressing the global water and sanitation crisis is one of the best ways to build resilience to climate change, achieve global gender equality, and improve health and education, said Matt Damon, Co-founder of WaterEquity and Water.org. Our support from the Water Resilience Coalition helps us expand access to life-saving safe water at scale by mobilizing private companies to take collective action and put the needs of the most vulnerable front and center in their investment strategies. Through increasing access to water and sanitation, we can end the cycle of poverty once and for all. The WRC Investment Portfolio is the collective investment strategy of the Water Resilience Coalition, a partnership between the Pacific Institute and the UN Global Compact, to bring together CEOs of the worlds most influential companies to build a water resilient future. Today, 28 leading global companies, as well as a range of partners, including WaterAid, Water.org, and Unicef, are currently part of the Coalition and commit to accelerate quantifiable positive water impact in 100 water-stressed basins, contribute to water security for 3 billion people, and enable equitable WASH access for more than 300 million people by 2030. The launch of the WRC Investment Portfolio also offers a preview of a second major announcement by the CEO Water Mandate to mobilize the corporate sector during the first official Side Event of the UN 2023 Water Conference on 22 March in the UN Headquarters. Notes to Editors About the Water Resilience Coalition The Water Resilience Coalition is an industry-driven, CEO-led initiative by the CEO Water Mandate, between the UN Global Compact and the Pacific Institute. It aims to elevate the long-term mounting crisis of global water stress and its connection to climate change to the top of the corporate agenda and to preserve the worlds freshwater resources through collective action in water-stressed basins and through ambitious, quantifiable goals. For more information, visit our website at ceowatermandate.org/resilience. About the United Nations Global Compact As a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General, the United Nations Global Compact is a call to companies everywhere to align their operations and strategies with 10 universal principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and to take action in support of UN goals. With more than 17,000 companies and 3800 non business participants based in over 160 countries, and 69 Local Networks, it is the largest corporate sustainability initiative in the world. For more information, follow @globalcompact on social media and visit our website at unglobalcompact.org. About the Pacific Institute Founded in 1987, the Pacific Institute is a global water think tank that combines science-based thought leadership with active outreach to influence local, national, and international efforts in developing sustainable water policies. From working with Fortune 500 companies to disenfranchised communities, our mission is to create and advance solutions to the worlds most pressing water challenges. Since 2009, the Pacific Institute has also acted as co-secretariat for the UN Global Compacts CEO Water Mandate, a global commitment platform that mobilizes a critical mass of business leaders to address global water challenges through corporate water stewardship. For more information, follow @PacificInstitut on Twitter, and visit pacinst.org. Contact Alexandra Gee[email protected]UN Global Compact Ilsa Ruiz Hughes[email protected]CEO Water Mandate / Water Resilience Coalition Relevant quotes Starbucks is proud to be an anchor investor in the Water Resilience Coalition Investment Portfolio funds. We are thrilled that Ecolab, Gap Inc, Reckitt, and Dupont are joining us and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to mobilize $150 million to help provide 5 million people globally with access to water, sanitation, and hygiene. This investment is part of our aspiration to give back more than we take from the planet and to be an industry-wide model for how the public and private sectors can create real change at scale. Michael Kobori, chief sustainability officer, Starbucks. We need a diverse portfolio of solutions to tackle global water challenges. By collectively investing in municipal-level climate resilient water infrastructure, such as the construction of wastewater treatment plants, we can scale up our impact on climate-vulnerable communities.Eliza Roberts, Water Lead, Microsoft. Everyone should have access to clean water and sanitation. Through the WaterEquity Fund, well collectively address this complex global challenge and accelerate impact further and faster, helping to enrich more communities and build water resilience along our value chain.Sally Gilligan, Chief Supply Chain, Strategy and Transformation Officer, Gap Inc. As a global water leader who helps customers manage 1.1 trillion gallons around the world, Ecolab believes that water stewardship and sustainable business growth must go hand in hand. Our investment in the WaterEquity Global Access Fund IV will help provide clean water and sanitation for millions of people, while also making the business case for sustainability by showing a positive return on investment and a positive impact.Emilio Tenuta, Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Ecolab. DuPont is making this high-impact investment because achieving universal water access is fundamental to solving the global water crisis and delivering value for society. We are proud to join forces with other forward-thinking organizations as we align our water stewardship values to our investment strategiesempowering people to not only gain much-needed access to safe water and sanitation, but to all of the opportunities that access unlocks.Alexa Dembek, Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer, DuPont. Reckitt works in pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world. This means improving access to clean water and sanitation, which we do in our operations, with our consumers and in the communities in which we work. We are proud to invest in WaterEquity's Fund IV, as part of a collective that will improve the lives of 5 million people by 2030.Fabrice Beaulieu, Chief Marketing, Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer, Reckitt. With its $100 million investment in WaterEquitys Global Access Fund IV, DFC is helping tackle significant challenges to water security in developing countries around the world. DFC works with the private sector to finance solutions to the most challenging development issues of our time, many of which serve as barriers to economic stability and prosperity. They include the lack of access to clean, secure water resources and adequate sanitation that this investment will address.Scott Nathan, CEO, DFC. United Nations Global Compact [email protected] Source: United Nations Global Compact Presents Sentinel Award to U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) and U.S. Representative Chris Pappas (D-NH-01) MARBLEHEAD, Mass., March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Warrior Protection and Readiness Coalition (WPRC) announced that Senator Jerry Moran, and Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), have been awarded the 2023 WPRC Sentinel Award for their legislative leadership on behalf of the domestic defense industrial base that supports U.S. servicemembers and homeland security personnel. The Sentinel Award is presented annually to Members of Congress who have demonstrated enduring leadership towards ensuring high quality, American-made personal protective gear, uniforms, ballistic armor, footwear, and equipment are available to the Federal government at the best value to the taxpayer. Senator Moran and Congressman Pappas have been strong advocates for American jobs and understand how a robust manufacturing base is critical to secure the national security of the United States, said David Costello, Executive Director of the WPRC. As a result of their bi-partisan leadership, last year Congress passed the Homeland Security Procurement Reform Act, resulting in the expansion of domestic procurement requirements for the Department of Homeland Security. This legislation will allow the national security components of the DHS to soon proudly be wearing American-made uniforms, footwear, body armor and related items as they perform their essential work ensuring the security of the nation. The Warrior Protection and Readiness Coalitions Sentinel Award is the associations highest honor, presented annually to policymakers who have demonstrated extraordinary support for the American industry that manufactures advanced combat clothing, equipment and PPE for the Armed Services and Department of Homeland Security. Sentinel Award recipients are recognized as the leading advocates for American warfighters and peacekeepers, as it remains critically important to provide those who serve our country with domestically manufactured products that provide our Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen, Marines, Guardians and Homeland Security personnel with an insurmountable conflict and training advantage. WPRC member companies strive every day to provide innovative, advanced, American-made solutions to ensure that our armed forces are prepared for any encounter, anywhere in the world. Senator Jerry Moran serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. In addition, he is the Ranking Member of the Veterans Affairs Committee and serves on Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Congressman Chris Pappas represents the 1st district of New Hampshire and serves on the House Committee on Veterans Affairs as well as the House Committee on Small Business. The Sentinel Award presentation took place during the 2023 WPRC Legislative Summit, conducted on Capitol Hill. Over 100 association members met to advocate for best-in-class, American-made equipment, textiles and uniforms for U.S. service members, frontline medical responders, and the operational agencies within the Department of Homeland Security. The Legislative Summit included a speaking program, allowing WPRC members to hear remarks from United States Marine Corps Brigadier General David. C. Walsh, Commander Marine Corps Systems Command; U.S. Army Brigadier General Christopher D. Schneider, Program Executive Officer, Program Executive Office Soldier; Ms. Livia Shmavonian, Made in America Director, Office of Management and Budget, Executive Office of the President, and Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a member of the Senate Appropriations and Armed Services Committees. CONTACT: David Costello 617-875-2492 [email protected] U.S. Representative Chris Pappas (NH-01) accepts the 2023 Sentinel Award presented by WPRC Executive Director David Costello U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) Speaks to WPRC members Livia Shmavonian, Made in America Director, OMB provides update on Administration priorities to WPRC members United States Marine Corps Brigadier General David Walsh, Commander, Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM) addresses WPRC members Brigadier General Christopher Schneider, Program Executive Officer Soldier, US Army provides briefing on current Army priorities to WPRC Members Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) was presented the 2023 Sentinel Award in the Dirksen Senate Office Building by WPRC Executive Director David Costello, Board Member Markin Dornan, and Representatives from Kansas-based Leading Technology Composites Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/982f81b3-572c-44e7-a4e3-d64d23c84e2c https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/eb6f3e63-3844-4dc0-8188-2cecbfe305c1 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6679875d-de11-4bc5-9fd8-6543c2309743 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/90f61f83-131b-44ec-8712-0cbe441dfd35 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2fe3382c-68ba-4512-bba1-387c1bdbeef0 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f3c25c70-9f82-43af-936a-4b4b5f89bc14 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 16, 2023) - Japan Gold Corp. (TSXV: JG) (OTCQB: JGLDF) ("Japan Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce commencement of drilling at the Barrick Alliance Mizobe Project in Southern Kyushu, Japan. Mizobe is one of six projects selected by Barrick to advance to the second evaluation phase under the Strategic Alliance Agreement. Highlights The Mizobe Project lies within the Hokusatsu Region of southern Kyushu, along the western edge of the Kagoshima Graben in a similar geological setting as the Hishikari gold mine, located 23 km to the north. Hishikari is one of the highest grade Tier 1 gold mines in the world and has produced in excess of 8.3 million ounces of gold since 19851. An initial reconnaissance phase of three widely spaced 500 m deep drill holes are planned at Mizobe, targeting the concealed extensions of gold-bearing antimony-rich hydrothermal breccias for gold-rich feeder-veins. Mizobe Project The Hokusatsu Region of Southern Kyushu is Japan's largest gold producing district, with more than 11 million ounces of combined production from low-sulphidation epithermal deposits1-5, (Figure 1). Within the Mizobe Project, historical mining activities focused on antimony-rich hydrothermal breccias at the Semari and Nakazon workings, prior to 1942. In 2000, as part of government supported regional geological surveys, the Metal Mining Agency of Japan ("MMAJ") drill hole 12MAHT-2 was drilled 1 km to the southeast of the historical antimony workings, targeting a geophysical anomaly below a mineralized outcrop grading 0.3 g/t gold. Drilling intersected a mineralized interval of 43.35 m @ 0.89 g/t gold, with an included interval of 20.3 m @ 1.16 g/t gold from 307.0 m down-hole5, (Figure 2). No further drilling was completed around this mineralized intersection. Alliance sampling of altered outcrop and quartz-vein breccia float across a 2 by 2.5 km area in the eastern side of the project show strong gold and pathfinder element anomalies with channel samples including composited intervals up to 24.7 m grading 1.0 g/t gold, and river float samples up to 18.9 g/t gold. The extent of gold and antimony anomalism is highly encouraging considering much of the target area is concealed by a veneer of post-mineral volcanic ash. Strong antimony and gold mineralization and the super-imposition of banded quartz veins over hydrothermal breccias indicate the potential presence of a dynamic and well-preserved gold-bearing epithermal system. Interpretation of combined geological, geochemical, and geophysical data sets support the definition of drill targets along strike of mineralization exploited at the Nakazon and Semari workings, and the more recently defined Fusayama and Tamari areas. The three initial, widely spaced drill holes at Mizobe are part of an open-ended drill program to test the framework of current interpretations and improve ongoing drill targeting below post-mineral cover at Mizobe and across the district. References 1Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., LTD. Integrated Report, March 2022. 2 Watanabe Y, 2005. Late Cenozoic evolution of epithermal gold metallogenic provinces in Kyushu, Japan. Mineralium Deposita (2005) 40: pp 307-323 3Garwin, S.G. et al. 2005. Tectonic setting, Geology, and gold and copper mineralization in the Cenozoic magmatic arcs of Southeast Asia and the West Pacific. Economic Geology 100th Anniversary Vol. pp 891-930 4 Shikazono, N. 2003. Geochemical and Tectonic Evolution of Arc-Backarc Hydrothermal Systems, Volume 1. Elsevier, 2003. 5 Metal Mining Agency of Japan, June 2001, Regional Geological Structure Survey Report for Fiscal Year 2000, Hokusatsu, Kushikino District. Sampling Techniques and Assaying Rock results presented in this news release and accompanying figures are from 1-3 kg selected grabs of river float samples, and continuous chip-channel samples. The grab samples of float material reported in this announcement are believed to originate from the underlying bedrock of the drainage basin from which they were collected. The Company cautions that grab and float samples are selective by nature and may not be representative of typical mineralization on the property. Composited chip-channel samples have been collected continuously along exposures of bedrock at intervals between 0.5 to 1.5 m. Sample preparation and assaying were done by ALS Perth, WA, Australia. Samples were crushed and pulverised and gold was analysed by 50 gram-charge Fire Assay and AAS finish. A 48 multielement analysis including silver was done by four-acid digest and ICP-MS determination. A Chain-of-Custody was established between the Company and receiving laboratory to ensure the integrity of the samples during transportation from site to the lab. Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) were inserted by Japan Gold at every 20th sample to assess repeatability and assaying precision of the laboratory. In addition, the laboratory applied its own internal Quality Control procedure that includes sample duplicates, blanks & geochemical standards. They report these results with the certified Assay Report. Laboratory procedures and QAQC protocols adopted are considered appropriate. The CRMs and internal QC-QA results fall within acceptable levels of accuracy & precision and are considered to lack any bias. Qualified Person The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Japan Gold's Vice President of Exploration, Andrew Rowe, BAppSc, FAusIMM, FSEG, who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. On behalf of the Board of Japan Gold Corp. "John Proust" Chairman & CEO About Japan Gold Corp. Japan Gold Corp. is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused solely on gold exploration across the three largest islands of Japan: Hokkaido, Honshu, and Kyushu. The Company holds a portfolio of 32 gold projects which cover areas with known gold occurrences, a history of mining and are prospective for high-grade epithermal gold mineralization. Japan Gold's leadership team represent decades of resource industry and business experience, and the Company has an operational team of geologists, drillers and technical advisors with experience exploring and operating in Japan. Japan Gold has a country-wide alliance with Barrick Gold Corporation to jointly explore, develop, and mine certain gold mineral properties and mining projects. The Barrick Alliance has completed a successful two-and-a-half-year country-wide screening program of 29 projects and has selected 6 with the potential to host Tier 1 or Tier 2 gold ore bodies for further advancement and 3 more recently acquired project areas and one recently acquired project, for initial evaluation. For further information please contact: John Proust Chairman & CEO Phone: 778-725-1491 Email: [email protected] Website: www.japangold.com Cautionary Note Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as such term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to expected or anticipated future events and anticipated results related to future partnerships and the Company's 2023 gold exploration program. These statements are forward-looking in nature and, as a result, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that include, but are not limited to, the timing and granting of prospecting rights; the Company's ability to convert prospecting rights into digging rights within the timeframe prescribed by the Mining Act; general economic, market and business conditions; competition for qualified staff; the regulatory process and actions; technical issues; new legislation; potential delays or changes in plans; working in a new political jurisdiction; results of exploration; the Company's ability to execute and implement future plans, arrange or conclude a joint-venture or partnership; and the occurrence of unexpected events. Actual results achieved may differ from the information provided herein and, consequently, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained herein speaks only as of the date of this News Release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise forwardlooking information or to explain any material difference between such and subsequent actual events, except as required by applicable laws. Figure 1: Japan Gold and Barrick Alliance projects and significant gold mines across the Hokusatsu Region of southern Kyushu. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5665/158663_769a9d6d94274a49_001full.jpg Figure 2: Simplified geological map of the east side of Mizobe Project with the three initial Barrick Alliance drill holes now commenced, historical drilling by the MMAJ, and Alliance rock-outcrop and float gold geochemistry. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5665/158663_769a9d6d94274a49_002full.jpg To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/158663 FILE PHOTO: Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) departs after voting on impeachment against U.S. President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, U.S. January 13, 2021. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The chair of a U.S. House of Representatives panel wants TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to address questions next week about the popular Chinese-owned video app's efforts to protect children from inappropriate content and potential exploitation. Chew will be appearing for the first time before Congress when he testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on March 23. Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican, said Thursday lawmakers "need to know what actions the company is taking to keep our kids safe from online and offline harms." McMorris Rodgers and other Republicans in December wrote TikTok saying said "many children are exposed to non-stop offerings of inappropriate content that TikToks algorithm force-feeds to them." They also raised concerns that TikTok livestreamed events allow adult TikTok users to offer monetary rewards to "persuade children to perform sexually suggestive acts." TikTok, owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, said the Biden administration had threatened to ban the app in the United States if its Chinese owners did not sell their stakes in the company. "Americans deserve to know the extent to which their privacy is jeopardized and their data is manipulated by ByteDance-owned TikToks relationship with China," she added. The U.S. government has raised concerns that TikTok's user data could be passed on to China's government. TikTok, which did not immediately comment, said earlier this month it is developing a tool that will allow parents to prevent their teens from viewing content containing certain words or hashtags on the short-form video app. TikTok announced new features to help users limit the amount of time spent on the app. Accounts belonging to users under 18 will automatically have a time limit of one hour per day, and teens will need to enter a passcode to continue using the app. TikTok and the Biden administration have been negotiating for more than two years on data security requirements. TikTok said it has spent more than $1.5 billion on rigorous data security efforts and rejects spying allegations. The Biden administration demand for divestiture was the most dramatic in a series of recent steps by U.S. officials and legislators. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by David Gregorio) FILE PHOTO: A smartphone with the Stripe logo is placed on a laptop in this illustration taken on July 14, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration By Milana Vinn and Niket Nishant (Reuters) -Payments processor Stripe on Wednesday raised $6.5 billion in a funding round led by existing and new investors at a sharply reduced valuation of $50 billion, down nearly 50% from two years ago. Stripe said it would use the cash to cover a large tax bill associated with stock granted to employees and to provide liquidity to employees. About $3.5 billion of the newly-raised capital will be used to cover the tax bill, with the rest being used to buy shares from employees, according to a person familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity as these discussions were confidential. The latest funding marks a steep decline in the valuation of the fintech startup, which was valued at $95 billion in March 2021. Stripe said it did not need the new funds to run its business. Venture capital firms including Andreessen Horowitz, Baillie Gifford, Founders Fund, General Catalyst, MSD Partners, and Thrive Capital led the latest funding round, according to a statement from the company. While Stripe still plans to eventually proceed with an initial public offering, that is unlikely this year, the person said. Stripe had initially targeted a fundraising of about $4 billion, but ended up garnering more demand from investors than it initially anticipated, the person added. New investors such as Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC, Goldman Sachs Asset and Wealth Management and Temasek also participated in the round, Stripe said. After years of signing big checks for high-flying startups, investors have turned more cautious as the U.S. Federal Reserve's monetary tightening drains out excess liquidity. Startup metrics such as profitability and cash burn are being scrutinized more closely. Last year, Swedish buy now, pay later giant Klarna also raised capital at a significantly lower valuation. Stripe, which counts Amazon.com Inc, Ford Motor Co, Salesforce and BMW among its customers, has previously said it is aiming to turn profitable before going public. Goldman Sachs served as the sole placement agent on the funding round. J.P. Morgan acted as a financial advisor to the company, Stripe said. (Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru; Writing by Anirban Sen; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Jamie Freed) In partnership with Think Together and the Inland Empire Regional Chamber of Commerce, the third annual summit bolstered nearly 200 attendees and participants on March 15, 2023 at Loft 84 in Downtown Riverside RIVERSIDE, Calif., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Think Together, California's leading nonprofit provider of afterschool, expanded learning and school improvement programs, in partnership with the Inland Empire Regional Chamber of Commerce, hosted the 2023 Inland Empire Education and Workforce Summit at Loft 84 in Downtown Riverside on Mar. 15, bringing together nearly 200 leaders in the private, public and nonprofit sectors. This year's summit convened a diverse set of stakeholders to discuss ways to improve education and workforce development in the Inland Empire, with a focus on increasing access to quality education, preparing students for the job market and creating equitable career pathways. "We have a responsibility to provide our youth with the resources needed to succeed in today's economic landscape, said Randy Barth, founder and CEO of Think Together. "The turnout and engagement from fellow educators, business executives, and community leaders is a sure sign that together, we can give students the tools, and businesses the talent, needed for success." The event opened with Mayor of Riverside Patricia Lock Dawson emphasizing the need for access to meaningful career pathways, college readiness, and job opportunities that allow youth to achieve their full potential regardless of zip code or circumstance. The summit then transitioned to Think Together alum Diego Martinez who shared his first-hand experience in Think Together's Hack Club and his post-graduation work with Think Together to help expand Hack Clubs to additional program sites. "Afterschool programs like the ones I was able to participate in inspired me to dream big," said Martinez. "Today, I'm proud to share those same dreams with other students as a Hack Club leader and be a positive change to my school and community." Bank of America's Inland Empire Market Executive Cathy Paredes led the panel to showcase regional perspectives on how today's current economic environment impacts workforce development and what educators are doing to prepare students for today's job market. Panelists included: Ted Alejandre, County Superintendent, San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Randy Barth, Founder and CEO of Think Together Dr. Angelo Farooq, Chairman at California Workforce Development Board Dr. Edwin Gomez, Riverside County Superintendent of Schools at Riverside County Office of Education Charles Henkels, Executive Director of LAUNCH Apprenticeship Network "The Inland Empire is poised to experience tremendous economic growth, and businesses have a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between classroom education and workforce needs," said Paredes. "This is why Bank of America makes it our top priority to invest into workforce education programs and summits like this one that help create pathways to careers in the region." The 2023 Inland Empire Education and Workforce Summit was proudly sponsored by Bank of America with Think Together and the Inland Empire Regional Chamber of Commerce partnering to produce the annual summit. "The Inland Empire Education and Workforce Summit has become a vital platform for building connections and driving change in our community," said Edward Ornelas, Jr., President and CEO of the Inland Empire Regional Chamber of Commerce. "The energy, enthusiasm, and commitment of everyone involved was truly inspiring." The summit closed with a networking reception to provide a forum for collaboration among peers, exchange of ideas, and exploration of potential partnerships to support education and workforce development in the region. For more information about the Inland Empire Regional Chamber of Commerce and its programs, please visit www.iechamber.org. Those looking to get involved with Think Together can visit: www.thinktogether.org/get-involved. About Think Together Think Together partners with schools and communities to pursue educational equity and excellence for all kids. As a nonprofit organization, Think Together innovates, implements and scales academic solutions that change the odds for hundreds of thousands of California students. Think Together's program areas include early learning, afterschool, school support services and leadership development for teachers and school administrators. For more information, call (888) 485-THINK or visit www.thinktogether.org. About the Inland Empire Regional Chamber of Commerce (IERCC) The Inland Empire Regional Chamber of Commerce (IERCC) supports commerce and economic prosperity throughout Riverside & San Bernardino Counties. The IERCC provides a platform for business executives to engage, network, and conduct business with like-minded individuals from all over the Inland Empire region. Learn more about the IERCC visit www.iechamber.org. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/2023-inland-empire-education-and-workforce-summit-wraps-with-record-attendance-and-strong-collaboration-among-business-education-and-community-leaders-301774420.html SOURCE Think Together In February, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) filed a major lawsuit in the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia against the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum for violating the First Amendment by harassing and then kicking out a group of Christian students for wearing pro-life hats. WASHINGTON, March 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) has announced a victory for their clients in their lawsuit against the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum for harassing and then kicking out a group of pro-life Christian students. As reported at ACLJ.org and major news outlets including Fox News, the students from a Catholic school in Greenville, South Carolina, had traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in the 50th Annual National March for Life. This victory follows on the heels of another victory for our other clients in the case against the National Archives. Just as in the National Archives case, the Smithsonian has agreed to enter into a consent order and preliminary injunction, which is a court order prohibiting the Smithsonian from targeting pro-lifers again. On January 20, 2023, following the March for Life, a group of young pro-life students, along with parents and chaperones, visited the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. While in the museum, the students were targeted and harassed, and eventually kicked out by employees simply because the students were wearing blue beanie hats that had "Rosary PRO-LIFE" written on them. We filed a lawsuit on behalf of those students. As we previously explained: When our clients initially entered the museum, they were told by at least two security officers to remove their hats as they were going through security. They complied, believing this to be a simple security protocol for screening. After passing through security and seeing other individuals wearing expressive attire, the students put their hats back on and viewed the museum exhibits. Thereafter, multiple museum personnel told the students they must remove their hats. Staff could be heard using expletives about the students, many of whom were minors.... Now, the Smithsonian has agreed not to engage in this kind of harassment of pro-lifers again at the National Air and Space Museum. In addition, it is also going to instruct security officers at all its museums not to target pro-life speech. According to the consent order that has just been approved by the court: Smithsonian shall further reiterate to all security officers stationed at all Smithsonian museums open to the public and the National Zoological Park, that Smithsonian policy does not prohibit visitors from wearing hats or other types of clothing with messages, including religious and political speech. While we are pleased to announce this victory for our clients, this case is far from over. As with our lawsuit against the National Archives, we will enter a period of mediation with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum to see if we can get to the bottom of why our clients were targeted. This is just one of many coordinated efforts to harass and abuse pro-lifers in federally funded institutions. That directive came from someone, and whoever it was must be held accountable, and we're going to do the work necessary to hold them accountable. About ACLJ: The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), focusing on the preservation and defense of constitutional rights, is based in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit ACLJ.org. Media Contact:Brian Mayes615-771-2040[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aclj-announces-victory-in-federal-lawsuit-against-smithsonian-national-air-and-space-museum-for-kicking-out-christian-pro-life-students-301773594.html SOURCE American Center for Law and Justice The coalition for the establishment of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine already includes 33 countries after Austria joined it, Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba has said. "I'm grateful to Austria for joining the coalition of countries working to establish the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine. 33 states are already part of the Core Group. As the number grows, so does trust that Russia's leadership will be held to account," he said on Twitter. On March 3, the minister said that the coalition consisted of 29 countries, including Guatemala. The first meeting of the coalition, which at that time consisted of 21 countries, was held on January 26. The second one is scheduled for March 21-22 in Strasbourg. DUBLIN, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- St. Patrick's Festival and Tourism Ireland are delighted to welcome Patrick Duffy to Ireland to take part in the 2023 St Patrick's Day Parade. Patrick, whose grandfather emigrated from Ireland to America in the 1920s, has always maintained a deep pride and interest in his Irish heritage. Fittingly, he also celebrates his birthday on 17th March, and was named after St Patrick! Born in Townsend, Montana in 1949, the son of tavern owners Marie and Terence Duffy, Patrick got his big break in 'Man From Atlantis' before achieving global success playing Bobby Ewing in the much-loved CBS prime time American soap opera 'Dallas', and starring in seven seasons of the popular sit-com "Step by Step", Patrick has consistently been an audience favourite. Patrick makes the trip to Ireland along with tens of thousands of international visitors from Ireland's global diaspora of over 80 million, seeking to connect with their roots, to sample contemporary and traditional Irish arts and culture, and to enjoy one of the world's truly unique experiences on the streets of Dublin. Speaking of his role as International Guest of Honour, Patrick Duffy said: "Nothing gives me more pride than being asked to be guest of honour at this year's St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin. I can feel my grandfather's joy in my returning to his homeland to represent the Duffy's and express our gratitude for all this great country has given us. I feel like I am returning home and want to meet my extended family." Patrick also visited EPIC Emigration Museum in Dublin to carry out genealogy research whilst he was in Dublin, before appearing in the national St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin. Patrick most recently visited Ireland in the summer of 2022, with his partner Linda Purl, to trace his Irish roots in Kilmovee, County Mayo. Richard Tierney, CEO at St. Patrick's Festival said: "He is one of the many sons and daughters of Irish descent who will be making the pilgrimage home to Ireland this coming March, and we can't wait to give him the welcome that he so richly deserves." Niall Gibbons, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland added: "The parade and the festival will be seen by millions of people around the world, helping to inspire them to put Ireland on their holiday 'wish-list' for 2023." Video: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2034853/Tourism_Ireland.mp4Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2034850/Tourism_Ireland.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/actor-and-director-patrick-duffy-international-guest-of-honour-at-the-st-patricks-day-parade-301774597.html SOURCE Tourism Ireland SAN DIEGO, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- IGA and Quick Custom Intelligence ("QCI") jointly announced that Andrew Cardno will be speaking at this year's conference. Tribal sovereignty is the cornerstone which has allowed Native American gaming to prosper today. However, that principle is fragile and must be protected from attacks on all fronts. Panelist Andrew Cardno, Stasi Baran and Steve Bodmer will be speaking at the upcoming IGA Conference about the importance of tribal data sovereignty and how to protect it. Cardno, the Co-Founder and CTO of Quick Custom Intelligence, will detail five steps you can take to protect your data sovereignty. Bodmer, who is the General Counsel for the Pechanga Tribal Government, will review the legal sovereignty issues involved in both housing and utilizing your data. Baran is COO of nQube, and will talk about sovereignty issues in the emerging world of artificial intelligence. Panel moderator, Buddy Frank, a consultant with a long background in casino slot operations, will lead the discussion. "Protecting the sovereignty of your data should be a priority, not an afterthought, when working in the cloud," said Victor Rocha, Conference Chairman, Indian Gaming Association, who went on to say that we are honored to have Andrew Cardno and all panelists speak about such an important topic." Cardno says, "Once lost, sovereignty is hard, if not impossible, to recover. Consider the example where in ten years a state government decides to impose a tax on the use of tribal gaming data. If the data and services are housed in servers on state land, there may be little the tribal nation can to do avoid payment of these taxes. Furthermore, Cardno went on to say that there are over five hundred government agencies that have the right to investigate data and if this data is housed outside of tribal land, the agency may not even have to notify the tribal nation of the investigation." This important panel will be held on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 in Room 22 of the San Diego Convention Center. More information about the IGA event is available on this link: Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention 2023 | Indian Gaming Association ABOUT IGAEntering its 37th year, the Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention has established itself not only as the premier event for the Indian Gaming industry but as the figurative heartbeat of Native American success. The largest gathering of tribal leaders and casino executives in the country, the Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention is both the meeting place where the community gathers to learn, network and exchange industry-specific ideas and a cultural celebration of success, strength and self-reliance. The Indian Gaming Association is a non-profit organization of sovereign tribal nations with other non-voting associate members representing organizations, tribes and business engaged in tribal gaming enterprises around the country. As the go-to resource for the community on education, legislation and public policy issues, Indian Gaming Association works to advance the social, economic and political success of its members and the Indian community, at large. For more information, visit www.indiangaming.org. ABOUT QCIThe QCI Platform aligns player development, marketing and gaming with powerful real-time operational tools developed for the gaming and hospitality industries. QCI has installed their ground-breaking, highly configured software in over 100 casino resorts in North America, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Central America and The Bahamas. QCI products provide tooling for gaming operators managing over $20 billion in annual gross gaming revenue, these products are built on the QCI Platform, a best-in-class on-premises, hybrid or cloud-based technology that enables fully coordinated activities across gaming or hospitality operations. This data-driven software allows for quick, informed decisions in the ever-changing world of the casino industry and assists casinos in their efforts to optimize resources and profits, manage marketing campaigns and increase customer loyalty. QCI was founded by Dr. Ralph Thomas and Mr. Andrew Cardno. Based in San Diego, QCI also has offices in Las Vegas, St. Louis, Dallas & Tulsa. Main phone number: (858) 299.5715 www.QuickCustomIntelligence.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/andrew-cardno-to-speak-at-the-indian-gaming-association-about-protecting-sovereignty-and-your-data-301774514.html SOURCE Quick Custom Intelligence Agency Secures Additional Space, Team Members, and Accounts; Wins Industry Awards PITTSBURGH, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BLD Marketing, a results-based, digital-first, full-service strategic marketing agency serving the building materials category exclusively throughout North America and abroad, is marking another period of substantial growth at the start of 2023 more than three years after the agency's rebranding. Formerly LarsonO'Brien, the firm changed its name to BLD Marketing in late 2019 to reflect its ongoing emphasis on the building materials category. In that same period that included a global pandemic, the agency has doubled its staff size and has nearly doubled its revenue. "BLD Marketing's business continues to grow as clients embrace our deep expertise in the building materials sector," noted David Sladack, president of BLD Marketing. "Later this spring, we will double the size of our office footprint by leasing the other half of the building that houses our agency's headquarters in suburban Pittsburgh. Interior remodeling is well under way, and when it is complete, our operations will occupy the entire building. It is an investment in our future." Over the past several months, BLD Marketing has forged partnerships with several new brands. Last November, BLD welcomed Nichiha USA as a full-service account. The Atlanta-based company is a recognized leader in the manufacturing of fiber cement exterior wall cladding for both commercial and residential construction. In late January and early February, BLD helped Nichiha kick off its 25th anniversary celebration at the International Builders Show (IBS) 2023, held in Las Vegas, NV. This spring, BLD Marketing will begin executing a full marketing program for Goley Companies, a full-service commercial and residential insulation contractor with operations throughout Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri. As part of its growth, BLD Marketing has also welcomed new team members: Jeff Jones returned to BLD Marketing in December 2022 as director of account management. In this newly created role, Jones oversees a team of practitioners charged with managing the total client relationship for the agency. Jones most recently worked for Lumevity, a Pittsburgh-based business consulting firm. Prior to that, Jones served as an account manager for BLD Marketing. returned to BLD Marketing in December 2022 as director of account management. In this newly created role, Jones oversees a team of practitioners charged with managing the total client relationship for the agency. Jones most recently worked for Lumevity, a Pittsburgh-based business consulting firm. Prior to that, Jones served as an account manager for BLD Marketing. Andrew Schmit rejoined BLD Marketing in November 2022 as a performance marketing specialist. In this new role, Schmit works across disciplines at the agency to develop and execute SEO and digital marketing strategies on behalf of clients. Schmit previously served as the agency's SEO specialist and web developer. rejoined BLD Marketing in November 2022 as a performance marketing specialist. In this new role, Schmit works across disciplines at the agency to develop and execute SEO and digital marketing strategies on behalf of clients. Schmit previously served as the agency's SEO specialist and web developer. Candace Howell-Williams is the agency's new social media specialist. In this new role, Howell-Williams is focused on expanding BLD's social media discipline, including social media community management and paid social media strategies. She most recently worked as a marketing and social media specialist for E-Z Anchor Puller Manufacturing Company, based in Sutersville, PA. is the agency's new social media specialist. In this new role, Howell-Williams is focused on expanding BLD's social media discipline, including social media community management and paid social media strategies. She most recently worked as a marketing and social media specialist for E-Z Anchor Puller Manufacturing Company, based in Sutersville, PA. Sean McFarland is the agency's newest PR/content marketing specialist. In this capacity, McFarland plans and executes content marketing and media relations programs on behalf of a host of accounts. He most recently served as public relations and communications manager for Carlow University in Pittsburgh. is the agency's newest PR/content marketing specialist. In this capacity, McFarland plans and executes content marketing and media relations programs on behalf of a host of accounts. He most recently served as public relations and communications manager for Carlow University in Pittsburgh. Zach Schafer is BLD's new front-end web developer. Most recently, he served as art/design director at Invention Home in suburban Pittsburgh, where he helped inventors to create conceptual sketches, 3D digital prototypes, and other assets to enhance their online product portfolios. In addition, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Pittsburgh chapter recognized BLD Marketing with a Renaissance Award and an Award of Merit at the chapter's annual Renaissance Awards banquet, held at the Carnegie Science Center on Pittsburgh's North Side in January. BLD won both accolades in the "Media Relations" category for its work on behalf of SAF, CENTRIA, and Metl-Span. "From recent industry recognition to new accounts and new team members, BLD Marketing has sustained plenty of momentum while continuing to offer best-of-breed solutions to help our clients optimize their digital marketing ecosystems," said Garrett Andrae, creative director for BLD Marketing. "Our goal is to maintain and build on this momentum in the months and years to come." For more information on BLD Marketing, visit www.bld-marketing.com. About BLD Marketing: BLD Marketing is a results-based, digital-first, full-service strategic marketing agency exclusively serving the commercial and residential building materials category. We offer a portfolio of strategic marketing services and implementation capabilities to help our clients build, grow, and optimize a healthy digital marketing ecosystem, leading to quicker growth rates and higher profitability. Visit: www.bld-marketing.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bld-marketing-generates-ongoing-growth-prepares-for-2023-office-expansion-to-accommodate-momentum-301774476.html SOURCE BLD Marketing MIAMI, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Cruise Line has 100 million reasons to celebrate after announcing today it achieved a major milestone for the industry as the first cruise line to embark 100 million guests since its first sailing. Carnival President Christine Duffy visited Carnival Sunrise today as guests boarded the ship at PortMiami, where the cruise line was founded, to thank them for choosing fun since 1972 and making Carnival the world's most popular cruise line. The milestone was commemorated as Debi and David Clifford, who are vacationing from Ohio and representing Carnival guests everywhere as the 100 millionth, boarded the ship with their family. They were recognized with fanfare from Duffy and the ship's team members, who are led by Captain Luca Cherchi. Other guests embarking on the cruise were able to take part in the festivities as well and take special photos signifying how each is "One in 100 Million." "We're the first cruise line to meet this incredible mark of 100 million guests and I believe it is a testament to the fun, inclusive atmosphere our valued guests and our extraordinary team members have created together on board our ships for the past 51 years," said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. "There is certainly much more fun to come. We're continuing to grow our operations at a rapid pace with three ships joining our fleet by the spring of next year." The company's new Carnival Celebration is already proving popular with guests in its first few months of sailing from Miami, and now the cruise line is preparing for another ship to debut in May. Carnival Venezia will expand Carnival's New York offerings from seasonal to year-round and bring to life a host of all-new "Carnival Fun Italian Style" experiences. Later this year, Carnival Jubilee, a third sister ship to Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration, will join the fleet and sail from Galveston, Tex. In the spring of 2024, Carnival Firenze, sister ship to Carnival Venezia, will begin offering year-round cruises from Long Beach, Calif. For additional information on Carnival Cruise Line and to book a cruise vacation, call 1-800-CARNIVAL, visit www.carnival.com, or contact your favorite travel advisor or online travel site. ABOUT CARNIVAL CRUISE LINECarnival Cruise Line, part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), is the first cruise line to sail over 100 million guests and is proud to be known as America's Cruise Line, for carrying more Americans and serving more U.S. homeports than any other. For over 50 years, Carnival has continually revolutionized the cruise industry and popularized the cruise vacation as an affordable and fun travel option. Carnival operates from 14 U.S. and two Australian homeports and employs more than 40,000 team members representing 120 nationalities. Carnival currently operates 24 ships and is in an exciting period of growth with the addition of three ships over the next two years. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/carnival-cruise-line-achieves-another-industry-milestone-as-it-becomes-first-cruise-line-to-sail-100-million-guests-301774419.html SOURCE Carnival Cruise Line CHICAGO, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (Cboe: CBOE), a leading provider of global market infrastructure and tradable products, today announced it will host its global Risk Management Conference (RMCSM) from Tuesday, October 17 to Friday, October 20, 2023, in Austin, Texas. Cboe RMC is an educational forum dedicated to exploring the latest products, trading strategies and tactics used to manage risk exposure and enhance yields. Leaders from across the global derivatives markets will come together in Austin to share their investment research and its practical applications within portfolios. A fitting backdrop for exploring risk, performance and leading-edge insights, Austin is a recognized "beta" city known for shaping the future of technology, education, and entrepreneurship. The city is also host to the famed Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit, taking place later during the week of the conference. Bringing the need for speed and accuracy into focus, Cboe RMC invites guests from across the globe to share their diverse perspectives. Keynote speakers for this year's Cboe RMC include Claire Williams and Jason Ramos. Williams was a deputy team principal of the Williams Racing Formula 1 team from 2013 to 2020. A proven leader with a track record in strategic decision-making, she plans to discuss her experience heading one of the most successful teams in Formula 1 history. Ramos is one of the most renowned airborne firefighters in the U.S. Currently in his 27th season as a wildland firefighter, Ramos will discuss his risk-taking experiences serving as a smokejumper, parachuting into remote areas to fight fires across the country. The four-day conference will feature presentations and discussions led by more than 40 highly regarded financial industry experts. Signature speakers are not only experts in their field, but can communicate complex material in a straightforward, easy-to-understand way. Visit the Cboe RMC webpage at go.cboe.com/global-rmc-2023 for additional information and to sign up to receive updates on this year's conference. Please inquire about discounts for qualified end-users and complimentary registration for financial journalists. Registration in advance is required and space is limited. About Cboe Global Markets, Inc. Cboe Global Markets (Cboe: CBOE), a leading provider of market infrastructure and tradable products, delivers cutting-edge trading, clearing and investment solutions to market participants around the world. The company is committed to operating a trusted, inclusive global marketplace, providing leading products, technology and data solutions that enable participants to define a sustainable financial future. Cboe provides trading solutions and products in multiple asset classes, including equities, derivatives, FX and digital assets, across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more, visit www.cboe.com. CBOE-O Cboe and Cboe Global Markets are registered trademarks of Cboe Exchange, Inc. RMC is an educational event for qualified institutional users of equity derivatives (such as institutional money managers, pension fund managers and consultants, insurance company professionals, or other financial industry professionals). The conference is not intended or suitable for individual investors. Attendance is limited to qualified, approved registrants. Registration and sponsorship may be restricted and may be approved at the discretion of the conference organizers. Options involve risk and are not suitable for all investors. Prior to buying or selling an option, a person must receive a copy of "Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options." Copies are available from your broker or from The Options Clearing Corporation at www.theocc.com. Futures trading is not suitable for all investors and involves the risk of loss, which can be substantial and can exceed the amount of money deposited for a futures position. You should, therefore, carefully consider whether such trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances and financial resources. You should put at risk only funds that you can afford to lose without affecting your lifestyle. For additional information regarding the risks associated with trading futures, see the Risk Disclosure Statement set forth in Appendix A to CFTC Regulation 1.55(c). 2023 Cboe Exchange, Inc. All rights reserved. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cboe-to-host-global-risk-management-conference-october-17-20-in-austin-texas-301774238.html SOURCE Cboe Global Markets, Inc. FRISCO, Texas, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- DialCare, telehealth affiliate company of Careington International Corporation, is proud to announce the expansion of its Physician Access program to now include virtual primary care. This new service, DialCare Virtual Primary Care, allows individuals to connect with top primary care physicians via phone or video chat. Features of this service include a dedicated physician, at-home lab testing, electronic prescription ordering, health risk assessments, genetic testing and chronic care management. The virtual primary care service further broadens the DialCare Physician Access program which today includes DialCare Urgent Care, offering 24/7/365 video and phone access to doctors for non-emergency care. With the addition of virtual primary care, individuals can establish a relationship with a board-certified primary care physician for comprehensive, long-term virtual care with a personal touch. Primary care services include annual exams, health risk assessments, lab review and recommendations, follow-up visits, care plan development, specialist coordination and more. DialCare Virtual Primary Care physicians are available seven days a week between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. in every U.S. time zone and can help with chronic conditions including diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, respiratory illnesses, arthritis, allergic conditions, anemia and more. "Adequate access to health care in urban and rural areas continues to be an issue in this country," DialCare President Jeremy Hedrick said. "DialCare Virtual Primary Care helps meet the need for access through a convenient and affordable virtual care solution." "DialCare is proud to expand our Physician Access program to include Virtual Primary Care so we can connect people with quality care who otherwise may not have access," DialCare CEO Stewart Sweda said. Beyond the Physician Access program that includes Urgent Care and Virtual Primary Care, DialCare also offers several other telehealth solutions, including Mental Wellness, Teledentistry and Virtual Vet. DialCare's telehealth programs are available to organizations of any size or industry, employees of any status, brokers, benefits consultants and individual consumers nationwide. About DialCare DialCare is an innovative industry leader committed to providing affordable access to virtual care to help people improve their overall health and well-being. Across a robust suite of virtual health services, DialCare offers seven comprehensive, high-demand telehealth solutions, including a Physician Access program that provides 24/7/365 access to non-emergency care from a national network of U.S.-based, fully credentialed physicians and virtual primary care for long-term care of chronic conditions with dedicated physicians; a Mental Wellness program that provides virtual counseling and psychiatry with licensed mental health professionals for mental and behavioral health care; a Teledentistry program for 24/7/365 access to consultations with licensed dentists via video or phone chat; and a Virtual Vet program that provides 24/7/365 access to guidance and information from licensed veterinary professionals. DialCare is available nationally to consumers and organizations of any size or industry. DialCare's virtual care solutions are available as standalone products or as part of a bundled offering. For more information on DialCare, please visit www.dialcare.com. Contact:Jamie SaundersVice President of Marketing & Communications[email protected](833) 640-3425 ext. 2902 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dialcare-expands-physician-access-program-to-include-virtual-primary-care-301774529.html SOURCE DialCare Latest AARP research attaches $22 billion value to the estimated 1.4 billion hours of unpaid care that family caregivers provided in 2021. HARRISBURG, Pa., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The unpaid care provided by the nearly 1.5 million caregivers in Pennsylvania is valued at $22 billion, according to new state data available in AARP's latest report in the Valuing the Invaluable series. This is a $3.8 billion increase in unpaid contributions since the last report was released in 2019. The report highlights the growing scope and complexity of family caregiving and highlights actions needed to address the many challenges of caring for parents, spouses, and other loved ones. "Family caregivers play a vital role in Pennsylvania's health care system, whether they care for someone at home, coordinate home health care, or help care for someone who lives in a nursing home," said Bill Johnston-Walsh, AARP Pennsylvania State Director. "We want to make sure all family caregivers have the financial, emotional and social support they need, because the care they provide is invaluable both to those receiving it and to their community." AARP Pennsylvania has fought and continues to fight for family caregivers and the loved ones who depend on them for care. Signed into law as Act 20 of 2021, AARP Pennsylvania advocated for the expansion of the state's Family Caregiver Support Program to ease the stresses of caregiving by supporting the well-being of the caregivers including caregivers of older adults, grandparents raising grandchildren, and older caregivers of adults with a disability. The PA State Office also developed a Family Caregiver Guide designed to serve as a starting point to help Pennsylvania's caregivers find the services and support they may need throughout their caregiver journey. AARP Pennsylvania is urging state lawmakers to support Governor Shapiro's recent budget proposal to provide an additional $10 million in funding for services to older Pennsylvanians. Read the full report https://www.aarp.org/ppi/info-2015/valuing-the-invaluable-2015-update.html?cmp=RDRCT-VALUN_JUN23_015for national and state-by-state data on the economic value of unpaid care by family and friends. Resources and information on family caregiving are available at aarp.org/caregiving. About AARP AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence and nearly 38 million members, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media. MEDIA CONTACT: TJ Thiessen | [email protected] | (202) 374-8033 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/family-caregivers-in-pennsylvania-provide-22-billion-in-unpaid-care-301774518.html SOURCE AARP Pennsylvania Identify Over $3.2 Billion in Transfers to Founders and Key Employees Forensic Work Continues on Intercompany and Other Transactions WILMINGTON, Del., March 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- FTX Trading Ltd. (d.b.a. FTX.com), and its affiliated debtors (together, the "FTX Debtors") today filed Schedules of Assets and Liabilities and Statements of Financial Affairs (the "Schedules and SOFAs") for all Debtor entities involved in their Chapter 11 proceedings. The Schedules and SOFAs include disclosure of certain assets and liabilities of the FTX Debtors as of the Petition Date, based on current information. The Schedules and SOFAs filed describe $3.2 billion in payments and loans to founders, chiefly from Alameda Research, including: ~$2.2 billion to Sam Bankman-Fried ~$587 million to Nishad Singh ~$246 million to Zixiao "Gary" Wang ~$87 million to Ryan Salame ~$25 million to John Samuel Trabucco ~$6 million to Caroline Ellison These amounts exclude over $240 million spent to purchase luxury property in the Bahamas, political and charitable donations made directly by the FTX Debtors, and substantial transfers to non-Debtor subsidiaries in the Bahamas and other jurisdictions. Although some of the property purchased with the proceeds of these transfers is already in the control of the FTX Debtors or governmental authorities with whom the FTX Debtors are cooperating, the amount and timing of eventual monetary recoveries cannot be predicted at this time. The FTX Debtors are investigating causes of action against the recipients of these transfers and their subsequent transferees. The Schedules and SOFAs are prepared pursuant to Chapter 11 rules and do not conform to generally accepted accounting principles or present a complete picture of the assets and liabilities of the FTX Debtors. Ongoing efforts by the FTX Debtors are expected to result in the further identification of assets, liabilities and transfers, including a description of intercompany claims among the FTX Debtors and their subsidiaries. No stakeholder should use the Schedules and SOFAs for purposes of estimating recoveries on claims. Advisors The FTX Debtors are represented by Sullivan & Cromwell LLP as legal counsel and are assisted by Alvarez & Marsal North America, LLC as financial advisor, Perella Weinberg Partners LP as investment banker, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP as special counsel and Landis Rath & Cobb LLP as Delaware counsel. The UCC is represented by Paul Hastings LLP as legal counsel, FTI Consulting as financial advisor, Jefferies LLC as investment banker and Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor LLP as Delaware counsel. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ftx-debtors-file-schedules-and-statements-of-financial-affairs-with-bankruptcy-court-301773613.html SOURCE FTX Applegate and Justin's brands participated AUSTIN, Minn., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Team members from Hormel Foods Corporation, (NYSE: HRL), a Fortune 500 global branded food company, attended the 2023 Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, Calif., to showcase the latest innovations and trends in natural and sustainable food within its broad product portfolio. The Justin's and Applegate brand teams highlighted the latest innovations and new products for attendees to enjoy. The Applegate Naturals Do Good Dog, the first retail hot dog made with regenerative agriculture was featured along with Applegate Organics Uncured Genoa Salami Bites. Justin's Super Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup and Super Dark Chocolate Espresso Almond Butter Cup delighted attendees with their amazing taste and quality. "We were delighted to return to Expo West and the incredible response to our Super Dark Nut Butter Cups," said Penny Andino, vice president of marketing at Justin's. "It was clear that buyers and consumers are now seeking brands that can provide real, simple and clean ingredients more than ever. With 5 grams of real sugar per cup, Justin's Super Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup stood out for delivering on taste without compromising on quality and they are certificated USDA Organic, Rainforest Alliance Cocoa, and Non-GMO Project Verified." Hormel Foods global impact and innovation team members attended the conference's climate day, where over 50 environmental and sustainability experts presented on topics such as regenerative agriculture, traceable supply chain and sustainable trends in the food industry, as well as the remainder of the event. Expo West is an opportunity for the food and beverage industry to understand trends within the sustainable and natural space. "Expo West is an incredibly rich opportunity for us to understand leading edge trends in product and packaging," said Ashley Krautkramer-Gonya, senior innovation manager at Planters. "It's also a great opportunity for us to connect with potential partners who can help us capitalize on trends in a way that enriches our business and product portfolio." Through its robust 20 By 30 Challenge goals, Hormel Foods and its brands have several initiatives in place to address sustainability and corporate citizenship in the food industry, including: Investments and implementation in sustainable agricultural production, specifically within regenerative agriculture, soil health and farmer equity. Continue our clean-label initiative and efforts to reduce added sugars and sodium in our products, and increase desirable ingredients to nourish a diverse population. Match 100% of our energy with renewable sourcing. Focus on packaging sustainability efforts through research, innovation, on-package communications and optimizing package weight and shipping efficiencies. About Hormel Foods Inspired People. Inspired Food.Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $12 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include Planters, SKIPPY, SPAM, Hormel Natural Choice, Applegate, Justin's, WHOLLY, Hormel Black Label, Columbus, Jennie-O and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named on the "Global 2000 World's Best Employers" list by Forbes magazine for three years, is one of Fortune magazine's most admired companies, has appeared on the "100 Best Corporate Citizens" list by 3BL Media 13 times, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement Inspired People. Inspired Food. to bring some of the world's most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com and http://csr.hormelfoods.com/. Contact: Media RelationsHormel Foods507-434-6352[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hormel-foods-brands-showcase-innovation-and-sustainability-efforts-at-2023-natural-products-expo-west-301774427.html SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation FRANKFURT, Germany, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Midea Group ("Midea") showcases its innovations for green lifestyles at the ISH Frankfurt 2023. Midea Building Technology Division introduced a wide range of products covering R290 ATW Heat Pump, carbon-neutral ATW Heat Pump, Midea Kong Energy Solution, and Atom T. With R290 refrigerant GWP=3, R290 ATW Heat Pump is A+++ energy efficiency and capable of delivering a maximum outlet water temperature of 75C. Stephen Meng, Dean of MBT Research Institute launched Carbon Neutral ATW Heat Pump. He mentioned MBT first Carbon Neutral Heat Pump units( M thermal Mono 4, 6, 8, 10kw), which certified Carbon Neutrality Commitment by TUV, will be firstly launched at German Market that realize 0% CO2 emission on production, distribution phase, installation phase. Midea Energy Solution, providing one-stop energy management that including PV, Energy Storage, ATW Heat Pump, and Flexibility. Among the newest solutions that made a global debut at ISH also included Atom T, a hybrid innovation of VRF&ATW heat pump that comes with variety of applications to meet the diverse needs of global customers. Midea Kitchen and Water Heater Appliance Division demonstrated how its whole-house water supply solutions empower homeowners to manage their water needs with greater efficiency and sustainability while reducing energy bills. Covering central heating, bathroom facilities, and drinking water, the new product line-ups alongside the introduction of multiple innovative green features promise a safe, comfortable, and low-carbon smart home experience. Taking the central stage is its Electric Water Heater in Solar System, a low-cost and energy-saving water heating solution that can be connected to photovoltaic (PV) and energy storage systems with multiple connection options. Another Midea signature product is the R290 Heat Pump Water Heater, which features the eco-friendly refrigerant R290 and provides an A+ level of energy efficiency. The wall-mounted hybrid heat pump is also easy to install, making it a great choice for those seeking a simple solution to trim down their electricity costs and carbon footprint. Under the banner "A One-Stop Air Solution All Year Round", the new multi-split system integrated with heat recovery technology CirQHP has made a global debut at the exhibition. Ingeniously designed by Midea Residential Air Conditional Division, CirQHP is a single outdoor unit that supports up to four indoor units including a water-heating device, air-conditioner, and space-heating facility, streamlining homeowners' split system set-up while ensuring all-year hot water supply with no extra expenses. During the sweltering summer months when the air-conditioner operates for prolonged periods, the system recycles the energy used for powering the in-door climate control devices to heat up water, significantly reducing the use of electricity for domestic hot water. The system is available in two options, one outfitted with a coil water tank designed for families prioritizing hot water supply and the other one equipped with a hydro unit making both space and water heating cheaper and greener. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/midea-comes-to-ish-frankfurt-2023-with-its-latest-water-and-space-heating-solutions-301774592.html SOURCE Midea Group President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has met with Prime Minister of Latvia Krisjanis Karins in Kyiv on Thursday. "I had a meeting with Prime Minister of Latvia Krisjanis Karins. Spoke about the situation at the front. It is critically important to unite the efforts of all Ukraine's partners and allies at this crucial moment. First of all, in providing the weapons necessary for the Ukrainian offensive," the head of state said on the Telegram channel on Thursday. The president of Ukraine thanked Latvia for its assistance. "I am grateful to Latvia for its strong political, defense, financial and humanitarian support for Ukraine! Your society and the President have been supporting our sovereignty, our people, and our territorial integrity since the very beginning of this full-scale war, even from the first days of 2014, when this war actually began," he said. The presidential press service said that Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of the recent approval by the Latvian government of a new substantial package of military assistance to Ukraine. In this context, it was noted that the defense support provided by Latvia to Ukraine has already reached 1% of the country's GDP. "The parties discussed European integration in the context of Ukraine's progress in implementing the recommendations of the European Commission. They emphasized the importance of Latvia's support for the decision to start negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU by the end of this year. Special attention was paid to preparations for the NATO Summit in Vilnius," it said. Zelenskyy noted Latvia's active position in creating international legal mechanisms to bring Russia to justice for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, punish all those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity, as well as a full-fledged mechanism for compensation for the damage caused by Russia to our country. SALT LAKE CITY, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Moxie Pest Control corporate group, including Moxie Pest Control, Joshua's Pest Control, and Mission Pest Control, one of the nation's leading pest control companies, announced a $100,000 contribution to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) to help the organization advance its mission to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide. This partnership will fund AFSP's Loss & Healing and It's Real for College Students programs, as well as policy efforts to support the 988-lifeline implementation. In particular, Moxie Pest Control's donation will aid suicide prevention efforts in Utah, where one of its main branches is located. "The mission of AFSP is deeply, personally meaningful to me," said founder of Moxie Pest Control, Jason Walton. "In 2020, my oldest daughter, Jessica, died by suicide in Provo, Utah, and it has left a hole in my heart and in our family. People may feel hopeless and isolated, but I believe that there is a path forward to a better place for every single person. I want people to know that they are not alone, and they are loved." Moxie Pest Control's donation will help provide crucial suicide prevention, education, and resources for Utah college students through the It's Real program, which seeks to help students manage depression and mental health conditions with support, treatments, and interventions. Moxie's donation will also benefit the Loss & Healing program, which connects suicide loss survivors with events, programs, and support groups with the aid of trained suicide bereavement clinicians. Furthermore, Moxie's donation will support AFSP's 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline advocacy efforts to ensure sustained funding to expand the Lifeline's capacity, infrastructure, and workforce. "AFSP is grateful for Moxie's partnership and their commitment to furthering the reach of our lifesaving suicide prevention resources," said AFSP Chief Executive Officer Bob Gebbia. "Through Moxie's investment, prevention education will help save lives and their support will bring hope to those affected by suicide." About Moxie Since 2001, Moxie Pest Control has been raising the bar in the pest control industry with a central focus on exceptional service, unparalleled expertise, and genuine connections with customers. Every day, Moxie seeks to improve the lives of its customers, employees, and community, from getting rid of pests to sharing a kind word to finding impactful volunteer opportunities. The Moxie mantra sums up the company: "In everything we do, we believe in leaving things better than how we found them." About AFSPThe American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide, including those who have experienced a loss. AFSP creates a culture that's smart about mental health through public education and community programs, develops suicide prevention through research and advocacy, and provides support for those affected by suicide. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia and headquartered in New York, with a public policy office in Washington, DC, AFSP has local chapters in all 50 states including Puerto Rico, with programs and events nationwide. Learn more about AFSP in its latest Annual Report, and join the conversation on suicide prevention by following AFSP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/moxie-partners-with-the-american-foundation-for-suicide-prevention-301773341.html SOURCE Moxie Pest Control VANCOUVER, BC, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Prospect Ridge Resources Corp. (the "Company" or "Prospect Ridge") (CSE: PRR) (OTC: PRRSF) (FRA: OED) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Michael Michaud and Mr. Yan Ducharme as Directors. In addition, the Company announces the resignation of Nick Luksha as a Director and as Vice President of Corporate Development. "Personally and on behalf of the Board, I am pleased to welcome Michael Michaud to the team. His experience and insights in managing and developing high valued mineral projects throughout the world will be a great benefit to the Company. As well, we wish to thank Yan Ducharme for his hard work and dedication to date as President of Prospect Ridge and look forward to his further contributions as an invaluable member of the Board. Finally, we wish to thank Nick Luksha for all his efforts and wish him well in his future endeavors", stated Mike Iverson, Chairman of the Board. Mr. Michaud, P.Geo., M.Sc. is a Professional Geologist with over 30 years of experience developing and implementing regional and mine-site exploration strategies that includes a broad range of deposit types within North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Europe. Currently, Michael is the Vice-President, Exploration for Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. Previously, Michael served as Chief Geologist at Iamgold Corp, Vice-President, Exploration for St Andrew Goldfields, Principal of SRK Consulting Inc. and Chief Geologist at North American Palladium. Mr. Michaud holds an honors B.Sc. from the University of Waterloo, and a M.Sc. from Lakehead University. Mr. Yan Ducharme brings over 25 years of experience to the Company in the Greenfield and Brownfield exploration projects. He started his career in SEMAFO in Guinea, Western Africa, on the Jean-Gobele exploration project which later became the Kiniero mine. In Quebec, he joined Cambior at the Sleeping Giant mine, then to the exploration office where he took care of exploration projects in the four corners of the Abitibi and in the James Bay area. Mr. Ducharme was also part of the regional exploration team at the Rosebel Mine in Suriname, South America for Cambior/Iamgold. Yan spent several years working NioGold's Marban project which reached 1.5M oz. of measured and indicated resources (32Mt at 1.48 g/t Au) and 600k oz of inferred resources (16.5Mt at 1.13 g/t Au; NI 43-101 August 15, 2013). He was Vice-President of the company when it was bought by Oban Mining, now operating as Osisko (TSE: OSK). He was regional exploration manager for Canadian Malartic until the Kirkland Lake project was acquired entirely by Agnico-Eagle (TSE: AEM), and then became exploration manager for SOQUEM. Most recently, Mr. Ducharme was exploration manager for Wesdome Gold Mine's (TSE: WDO) Kiena site. Mr. Ducharme obtained a master's degree in Earth Sciences from the University of Quebec in Montreal. Prospect Ridge also announces that it has granted an aggregate of 75,000 stock options to a consultant of the Company, exercisable at $0.20 for a period of 5 years. About Prospect Ridge Resources Corp. Prospect Ridge Resources Corp. is a British Columbia based exploration and development company focused on gold exploration. Prospect Ridge's management and technical team cumulate over 100 years of mineral exploration experience and believes the Knauss Creek and the Holy Grail properties to have the potential to extend the boundaries of the Golden Triangle to cover this vast under-explored region. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company regarding future events. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would" or "occur". This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements", are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation, statements regarding discussions of future plans, estimates and forecasts and statements as to management's expectations and intentions with respect to, among other things, positive exploration results at the Knauss Creek and Holy Grail projects and the Company's use of proceeds from the Private Placement. These forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, that future exploration results at the Knauss Creek and Holy Grail projects will not be as anticipated and that the Company will use the proceeds from the Private Placement as anticipated. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that future exploration results at the Knauss Creek and Holy Grail projects will be as anticipated and that the Company will use the proceeds from the Private Placement as anticipated. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. We seek safe harbor. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/prospect-ridge-resources-announces-appointment-of-new-directors-301774093.html SOURCE Prospect Ridge Resources Corp. Ripple invests in BFF's Fund II to support Web3 and crypto startups globally SINGAPORE, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ripple, a leader in enterprise blockchain and crypto solutions announced today that it has made a strategic investment into Blockchain Founders Fund (BFF), a Singapore-based early-stage Venture Capital Fund that focuses on top-tier Web3 startups globally. The investment is part of Ripple's efforts to accelerate the adoption of blockchain technology globally. The funding will be used by BFF to support high-potential early-stage companies that are building the infrastructure and products that will streamline the transition to a decentralized future. Blockchain Founders Fund is backed by industry leaders, investors, and family offices, including leading financial institutions. With over 100 portfolio companies predominantly focused on the Web3 landscape, BFF has proven to be an industry-leading venture capital fund with the means and expertise to scale startups. Furthermore, the support from Ripple will help BFF's ability to invest in a wide range of companies with strong founders and compelling growth potential, while continuing to support existing portfolio companies that are already making its mark in the industry such as Splinterlands, Dogami, Krayon, Altered State Machine, Magna and LunarCrush. Brooks Entwistle, Senior Vice President and Managing Director at Ripple commented, "It's clear that blockchain technology can transform industries. We want to see startups unlock the potential of blockchain technology, and are excited to partner with Blockchain Founders Fund to accelerate startups that are creating world-class products with real-world utility for the global market." Aly Madhavji, Managing Partner of Blockchain Founders Fund said, "We are extremely grateful for the support received from one of the most prominent players in the industry. We are at the forefront of this revolution and this partnership with Ripple will further drive the next generation of entrepreneurs and expand their businesses into new markets." Through its investment in BFF, Ripple is making a significant move towards accelerating the adoption of blockchain technology worldwide. By unlocking the potential of early-stage companies in the Web3 and crypto space, this partnership between Ripple and BFF promises to drive innovation and support web3 entrepreneurs who are shaping the future of decentralized technologies. About Ripple Ripple is a crypto solutions company that transforms how the world moves, manages and tokenizes value. Ripple's business solutions are faster, more transparent, and more cost-effective - solving inefficiencies that have long defined the status quo. And together with partners and the larger developer community, we identify use cases where crypto technology will inspire new business models and create opportunity for more people. With every solution, we're realizing a more sustainable global economy and planet - increasing access to inclusive and scalable financial systems while leveraging carbon-neutral blockchain technology and a green digital asset, XRP. This is how we deliver on our mission to build crypto solutions for a world without economic borders. About Blockchain Founders Fund Blockchain Founders Fund (BFF) is a Singapore based early-stage Venture Capital Fund which invests in top-tier Blockchain startups globally. Their industry leading go-to-market focused Venture Program aids seasoned and first-time entrepreneurs across key business functions to fast track growth. BFF has scaled many of the leading Blockchain startups and is always looking to connect with exceptional founders across the Web3 and Blockchain ecosystems. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ripple-partners-with-blockchain-founders-fund-to-accelerate-web3-adoption-301771555.html SOURCE Blockchain Founders Fund; Ripple GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SDR Ventures is pleased to announce that Colorado Premier Restoration ("CPR" or "the Company") has been acquired by BMS Cat ("BMS"), a portfolio company of AEA Investors ("AEA"). SDR served as the exclusive sell-side advisor to Colorado Premier Restoration throughout the transaction process. Established in 2015 and headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, Colorado Premier Restoration is a leading provider of restoration services across Colorado. The Company's services include fire, water, environmental remediation, board-up, and site security services. Founded by restoration industry veterans Chris Weston and Alex Limbert, CPR is committed to providing its clients with exceptional customer service and guaranteed exceptional workmanship. Since its inception, the Company has scaled rapidly due to its highly experienced management team and extraordinary customer satisfaction. "Our team is incredibly excited to join forces with BMS as our business enters its next chapter," commented Alex Limbert, Co-Founder of Colorado Premier Restoration. "From the beginning of the process, Chris and I were committed to finding a strategic partner aligned with our Company's values and shared our vision for growth. After conducting a comprehensive process, BMS emerged as the clear choice to work alongside us as we take CPR to new heights." Chris Weston, Co-Founder of CPR, added, "SDR played an instrumental role throughout the process. Having started several successful companies, Alex and I have spent our careers building and running businesses as owners and operators. While we deeply understand the ins and outs of CPR, we were not experts in conducting a successful M&A process. Ben, Morgan, and the entire SDR team worked relentlessly on our behalf and ultimately helped create a terrific outcome for everyone involved." Since 1948, BMS has been rebuilding communities and businesses, helping thousands of customers restore their property. BMS provides reliable recovery and reconstruction services to mitigate fire, water, mold, and storm damage, helping restore properties to their pre-loss condition. For more than 70 years, BMS has helped thousands of homeowners and business owners recover from disasters - both big and small. "Our team is very excited to welcome Colorado Premier Restoration to the BMS family," said Brian Squires, Director of Business Development at BMS. "CPR has done an incredible job establishing itself as an industry leader throughout Colorado while keeping its customers' satisfaction top of mind. Colorado Premier Restoration will play an instrumental role in the growth of BMS as we continue to expand our national presence. We are confident that this new partnership will further enhance the level of service that our customers deserve for years to come." "Our team is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work alongside Chris, Alex, and the entire team at Colorado Premier Restoration. From the beginning of the process, we were committed to helping Chris and Alex find a strategic partner to provide CPR's customers and employees with the level of excellence they have come to expect. Working side-by-side, CPR and BMS are incredibly well-positioned for future success, and our team is eager to watch the two companies share success for years to come," concluded Ben Luchow, Vice President at SDR Ventures. Media contact:Scott Mitchell[email protected]7202219220 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sdr-ventures-advises-colorado-premier-restoration-on-acquisition-by-bms-cat-a-portfolio-company-of-aea-investors-301773683.html SOURCE SDR Ventures HONG KONG, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Coinstreet Holdings Limited ("Coinstreet") is a leading global professional consultancy firm and solution provider in the digital asset sector, and Somerley Capital Holdings Limited ("Somerley", stock code: HK.8439) is a leading financial group in Hong Kong with an established track record in the corporate finance advisory space in Greater China. Signum Digital Limited, ("Signum Digital") is the joint venture of Coinstreet and Somerley, and has received an approval-in-principle from the Securities and Futures Commission ("SFC") for its security token offering and subscription platform. This is the first of its kind in Hong Kong. Security tokens are a new type of blockchain-based virtual asset that may represent ownership in actual assets, such as real estate. The link to real-world assets may reduce the risk to prospective investors, assist their due diligence process and underpin the market value of the offering. Blockchain technology provides a transparent and efficient basis for digital assets to be traded in real time. Transactions are permanently and immutably recorded on blockchain, through cost efficient mechanisms and programable governance in the form of automated smart contracts. Subject to satisfying the conditions for final approval from SFC, this license will allow Signum Digital to operate a security token offering and subscription platform under the brand of "CS-Pro" (www.CSpro.io), serving professional investors and providing funding for issuers with qualified projects in Hong Kong and international markets. Samson Lee, CEO of Signum Digital and Founder of Coinstreet commented, "In today's financial market, SMEs face many challenges in traditional fundraising channels, and professional investors also have limited options for high quality alternative investment opportunities. Signum Digital aims to fill such a gap and we believe the CS-Pro security token offering and subscription platform can add much value to Hong Kong and international security token project issuers and professional investors." Martin Sabine, Chairman of Somerley, commented: "We believe there is considerable pent-up demand among professional investors to deploy a proportion of their portfolio into digital assets. The events of 2022 may have shaken their confidence in parts of the crypto world but not their belief that digital assets will play a pivotal role in the future of finance. STOs distributed by Signum Digital, backed by real assets and income streams, are in our view a medium risk way of participating in these future opportunities." Clara Chiu, CEO of QReg Advisory and Former Head of Fintech and Licensing Director of the SFC said, "We are proud to have advised Signum on the design of their STO platform and helped them secure the first-ever SFC licence for such a platform in Hong Kong. We are pleased to work with Signum which shares our passion for innovation and our commitment to excellence. The SFC's license to Signum's STO platform is truly ground-breaking, and we believe that it has the potential to revolutionize the way that businesses raise capital. We are thrilled to be a part of this exciting development in the industry!" Combining Coinstreet's security digitization and asset tokenization expertise with Somerley's grounding in best practice for conventional corporate finance, Signum Digital will offer professional investors fully compliant asset tokenization offering and distribution model which may cover a wide array of asset types and classes ranging from private equities, debts, income bearing notes, real estate, investment funds, commodities, and fixed assets, capital equipment, to carbon credits, arts & collectibles and other alternative investment assets. About Signum Digital Signum Digital Limited is a joint venture company between Coinstreet and Somerley for the provision of brokerage and distribution services to professional investors through STOs, through a platform operated under the brand of "CS-Pro." For more information, please visit https://signumdigital.hk/ About Coinstreet Founded in 2017, Coinstreet is an award-winning professional advisory and consulting firm in the Digital Asset sector. Coinstreet also offers innovative Fintech services, as well as business and operation solutions, covering four key business segments including: (1) TOKENIZATION BUSINESS Digitized Securities & Security Tokens (STO); (2) ASSET MANAGEMENT Custodian, DeFi, Investment Funds; (3) WEB3, METAVERSE & UTILITY TOKENS NFT, Stablecoin, Loyalty Tokens; and (4) ACCELERATOR Education, PR, Events, Marketing, Consultation. Coinstreet is a co-organizer of the TADS Awards (https://tadsawards.org/) - the world's first international award for Tokenized Assets and Digitized Securities sector, and is a co-organizer of the Digital Asset Series / DAS (https://digitalassetseries.org/) a series of seminars that aim to provide free education for the general public about the ever-growing landscape of digital assets and facilitate mass adoption. For more information, please visit https://coinstreet.partners/. About Somerley Somerley Capital Holdings Limited is a public company listed in Hong Kong (stock code: 8439). The Somerley Group includes subsidiaries licensed to conduct Type 1 (dealing in securities), Type 4 (advising on securities), Type 6 (advising on corporate finance) and Type 9 (asset management) regulated activities under the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Chapter 571 of the Laws of Hong Kong). The Somerley Group is principally engaged in providing corporate finance advisory and fund-raising services through its subsidiaries based in Hong Kong and Beijing. For more information, please visit https://www.somerleycapital.com/en/. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/signum-digital-obtained-the-approval-in-principle-from-the-sfc-on-the-first-security-token-offering-and-subscription-platform-in-hong-kong-301774438.html SOURCE Signum Digital Support for companies in the collection and documentation of environmentally relevant data LITTLETON, Mass., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TUV Rheinland is now one of the accredited partners with the CDP. Thanks to the new accreditation, TUV Rheinland can better support companies in transparently presenting their efforts in climate actions and in taking measures for a more sustainable economy. The CDP, a non-profit organization founded in 2000, aims to ensure that companies and local authorities publish their environmentally relevant data, such as climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption. Once a year, CDP uses standardized questionnaires to collect data and information on carbon emissions, climate risks, and corporate reduction targets and strategies on a voluntary basis on behalf of investors. Last year, almost 19,000 companies worldwide responded to the CDP questionnaire. As a CDP-accredited partner, TUV Rheinland can advise companies that want to disclose their data under the CDP on how to collect and document their data to meet the requirements. "More and more companies are embarking on the path to greater sustainability and setting themselves ambitious targets, for example with regard to their carbon emissions. Through accreditation with the CDP, TUV Rheinland provides those companies that want to take this path with the right support," says Weimin Fang, Vice President of Customized Services of TUV Rheinland Greater China. About TUV Rheinland TUV Rheinland stands for safety and quality in virtually all areas of business and life. The company has been operating for more than 150 years and ranks among the world's leading testing service providers. It has more than 20,000 employees in over 50 countries and generates annual revenues of around 2.1 billion euros. TUV Rheinland's highly qualified experts test technical systems and products around the world, support innovations in technology and business, train people in numerous professions and certify management systems according to international standards. In doing so, the independent experts generate trust in products as well as processes across global value-adding chains and the flow of commodities. Since 2006, TUV Rheinland has been a member of the United Nations Global Compact to promote sustainability and combat corruption. Website: www.tuv.comContact us for press inquiries: Joel PekayTelephone: +1 224 318 4098Email: [email protected] Mariana Taborda do AmaralTelephone: +55 11 3514 5867Email: [email protected] Michael GarciaTelephone: +52 55 9140 1824Email: [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tuv-rheinland-accredited-partner-for-cdp-301774361.html SOURCE TUV Rheinland Texas-Based Organization Honors Business Legends and Supports Emerging Business Leaders HOUSTON, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Texas Business Hall of Fame Foundation (TBHF) announces its seven inductees for the 2023 annual Induction Dinner, presented by Texas Capital Bank. The dinner will be held in San Antonio on November 2, 2023, at The Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. The 2023 inductees include: "TBHF looks forward to celebrating these visionary business leaders who were nominated for this honor as a result of significant contributions they have made both in business, and in their local communities through their philanthropic and civic engagement. Trailblazers in their respective industries, these Inductees have used their success to give back and lead by example. I cannot think of a group of individuals to better model our core values of enterprise, community, and excellence," said TBHF Chair John Keeton. The Texas Business Hall of Fame Foundation honors the accomplishments and contributions of outstanding business leaders in our state by celebrating and telling their stories. In addition to recognizing extraordinary business leaders, TBHF awards forty $15,000 awards to scholars and veterans who have demonstrated an early inclination for entrepreneurship and innovation, through its Future Legends Scholar & Veteran Award Program. "What sets this honor apart is the selection process. While Inductees can be nominated by anyone from the general public, they are selected by their peers and determined by a majority vote by Hall of Fame members. The selection process, combined with the organization's emphasis on both economic and social impact, makes this one of the most prestigious business honors in the state," said TBHF Executive Director Meredith Walker. About Texas Business Hall of Fame: The Texas Business Hall of Fame Foundation honors the accomplishments and contributions of outstanding business leaders in our state. Our mission is to perpetuate the notion and ideal of the transformational business leader with an unparalleled commitment to enterprise, excellence, and community. For more information, visit https://texasbusiness.org View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/texas-business-hall-of-fame-2023-inductees-301774292.html SOURCE Texas Business Hall of Fame Beehive State Becomes 27th State to Adopt Full Practice Authority AUSTIN, Texas, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Utah is sending a clear message: The state is serious about improving access to health care. The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) commends Gov. Spencer Cox and the Utah Legislature for retiring unnecessary, outdated laws and ensuring patients have full and direct access to high-quality care from nurse practitioners (NPs). Modernizing licensure laws is a no-cost, no-delay solution to strengthening the health of the nation," said Jon Fanning Gov. Cox has signed Senate Bill 36 into law, capping a strong bipartisan effort to modernize outdated licensure laws for multiple professions, including NPs. With this change, Utah becomes the 27th state along with the District of Columbia and two U.S. territories to adopt Full Practice Authority (FPA). "We applaud Utah for recognizing the need to update laws and make the most of their health care workforce," said AANP President April Kapu, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, FAANP, FCCM, FAAN. "In the last two and a half years, four other states have taken similar action. These changes will help Utah attract and retain nurse practitioners, and provide patients access to high-quality care. We thank Governor Cox and the legislature for prioritizing patients and taking action to improve health care in the Beehive State." FPA is the authorization of NPs to evaluate patients, diagnose, order and interpret diagnostic tests, and initiate and manage treatments under the exclusive licensure authority of the state board of nursing. This regulatory framework eliminates outdated requirements for NPs to hold a state-mandated contract with a physician as a condition of state licensure and the provision of patient care. "Utah joins an expanding list of states acting to retire outdated laws that have needlessly constrained their health care workforce and limited patient access to care," said Jon Fanning, MS, CAE, CNED, chief executive officer of AANP. "Modernizing licensure laws is a no-cost, no-delay solution to strengthening the health of the nation. Decades of research show that states with Full Practice Authority are better positioned to improve access to care, grow their workforce and address health care disparities, while delivering quality health outcomes for patients. We look forward to more states following suit." NPs deliver high-quality health care in more than 1 billion patient visits each year. Millions of Americans choose NPs as their health care provider as they blend clinical expertise with an added emphasis on disease prevention and health management. NPs bring a comprehensive perspective to high-quality health care that patients trust. Currently, there are more than 355,000 licensed NPs in the U.S. providing care in communities of all sizes. The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) is the largest professional membership organization for nurse practitioners (NPs) of all specialties. It represents the interests of the more than 355,000 licensed NPs in the U.S. AANP provides legislative leadership at the local, state and national levels, advancing health policy; promoting excellence in practice, education and research; and establishing standards that best serve NPs' patients and other health care consumers. As The Voice of the Nurse Practitioner, AANP represents the interests of NPs as providers of high-quality, cost-effective, comprehensive, patient-centered health care. To locate an NP in your community, visit npfinder.com. For more information about NPs, visit aanp.org. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/utahs-new-law-will-improve-patients-health-care-access-301774618.html SOURCE American Association of Nurse Practitioners FILE PHOTO: The logo of Ernst & Young is seen in Zurich, Switzerland November 13, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann (Reuters) - Ernst & Young (EY) has suffered a series of delays in its plan to split its global auditing and consulting businesses, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. The top executives of the accounting firm are considering several back-up options, including selling off just the non-U. S. consulting operation, likely to a private equity buyer, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. (Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza) FILE PHOTO: A First Republic Bank branch is pictured in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S., March 13, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo (Reuters) -Several banks including JPMorgan Chase & Co and Morgan Stanley are in talks with First Republic Bank for a potential deal, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The deal could involve capital infusion to bolster the troubled lender after the collapse of SVB Financial last week triggered fears of a contagion, the report said, adding that a full takeover is also a possibility, though less certain. First Republic shares were down nearly 17% at $26.08 before being halted. Other big banks involved in deal talks include Citigroup Inc, Bank of America Corp, Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs Group Inc, according to the report. JPMorgan did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, while Morgan Stanley and First Republic declined to comment. The rescue is being orchestrated by the U.S. government, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, citing people with knowledge of the matter. A deal could be announced as early as Thursday, both the reports said. First Republic has been scrambling for additional sources of funding to stay afloat. On Sunday, the California-based lender raised capital from JPMorgan and said it was able to meet withdrawal requests. That, however, has failed to calm jittery investors. On Wednesday, ratings agency Fitch downgraded First Republic, citing risks to its liquidity. (Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay Dwivedi and Shounak Dasgupta) Foreign Minister OF Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba has held a conversation with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, during which they discussed the importance of the principle of territorial integrity and the Ukrainian Peace Formula. During my call with China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang today, we discussed the significance of the principle of territorial integrity. I underscored the importance of Volodymyr Zelenskyys Peace Formula for ending the aggression and restoring just peace in Ukraine, Kuleba said on Twitter. FILE PHOTO: The building of the Swiss National Bank is seen in Zurich, September 22, 2022. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo ZURICH (Reuters) - The Swiss National Bank confirmed on Thursday that it will provide liquidity to Credit Suisse against sufficient collateral. "Within the framework of its statutory mandate, the SNB may provide liquidity to a domestic bank against collateral," the central bank said in response to questions from journalists. Credit Suisse said early on Thursday it would make use of a $54 billion loan from the SNB to shore up liquidity and investor confidence. (Reporting by John Revill; editing by Jason Neely) United States SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 SCHEDULE 13G Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. __)* Sonendo, Inc. (Name of Issuer) Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share (Title of Class of Securities) 835431107 (CUSIP Number) September 27, 2022 (Date of Event Which Requires Filing this Statement) Check the appropriate box to designate the rule pursuant to which this Schedule is filed: Rule 13d-1(b) x Rule 13d-1(c) Rule 13d-1(d) * The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting person's initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities, and for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter the disclosures provided in a prior cover page. The information required in the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed to be filed for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Act) or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the Notes). SCHEDULE 13G CUSIP No. 835431107 Page 2 of 9 1. NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS JMR Capital Limited 2. CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) (a) (b) 3. SEC USE ONLY 4. CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION Bermuda NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH: 5. SOLE VOTING POWER 0 6. SHARED VOTING POWER 3,021,605 7. SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 0 8. SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER 3,021,605 9. AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON 3,021,605 10. CHECK IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES 11. PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) 5.973% 12. TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) OO SCHEDULE 13G CUSIP No. 835431107 Page 3 of 9 1. NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS FTA Global Holdings, Ltd. 2. CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) (a) (b) 3. SEC USE ONLY 4. CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION Bermuda NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH: 5. SOLE VOTING POWER 0 6. SHARED VOTING POWER 3,021,605 (1) 7. SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 0 8. SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER 3,021,605 (1) 9. AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON 3,021,605 (1) 10. CHECK IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES 11. PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) 5.973% 12. TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) OO (1) All of these shares of the Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share (Common Stock), of Sonendo, Inc. may be deemed to be beneficially owned by FTA Global Holdings, Ltd. in its capacity as the sole shareholder of JMR Capital Limited. SCHEDULE 13G CUSIP No. 835431107 Page 4 of 9 1. NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS William Randall Work 2. CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) (a) (b) 3. SEC USE ONLY 4. CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION Ireland NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH: 5. SOLE VOTING POWER 0 6. SHARED VOTING POWER 3,021,605 (2) 7. SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 0 8. SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER 3,021,605 (2) 9. AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON 3,021,605 (2) 10. CHECK IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES 11. PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) 5.973% 12. TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) IN (2) All of these shares of Common Stock may be deemed to be beneficially owned by Mr. Work in his capacity as sole shareholder of FTA Global Holdings, Ltd. SCHEDULE 13G CUSIP No. 835431107 Page 5 of 9 Item 1(a) Name of Issuer: Sonendo, Inc. (the Issuer) Item 1(b) Address of Issuers Principal Executive Offices: 26061 Merit Circle, Suite 102 Laguna Hills, California 92653 Item 2(a)-(c) Name of Persons Filing; Address of Principal Business Office; Citizenship This Schedule 13G is filed jointly by each of the following persons (each a Reporting Person and, collectively, as the Reporting Persons): 1. JMR Capital Limited, an exempted company limited by shares and organized under the laws of Bermuda (JMR), in JMRs capacity as the direct owner of 3,021,605 shares of the Issuers common stock, par value $0.001 per share (Common Stock); 2. FTA Global Holdings, Ltd., an exempted company limited by shares and organized under the laws of Bermuda (FTA), in FTAs capacity as the sole shareholder of JMR; and 3. William Randall Work, a citizen of Ireland (Mr. Work), in Mr. Works capacity as the sole shareholder of FTA. Each of JMRs and FTAs principal business office address is Clarendon House, 2 Church Street, Hamilton HM11, Bermuda. Mr. Works principal business office address is Flat 1-2, 17 Belgrave Place, London SW1X 8BS, United Kingdom. Item 2(d) Title of Class of Securities: Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share Item 2(e) CUSIP No.: 835431107 Item 3. If this statement is filed pursuant to 240.13d-1(b) or 240.13d-2(b) or (c), check whether the person filing is a: (a) Broker or dealer registered under section 15 of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78o); (b) Bank as defined in section 3(a)(6) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78c); (c) Insurance company as defined in section 3(a)(19) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78c); (d) Investment company registered under section 8 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-8); SCHEDULE 13G CUSIP No. 835431107 Page 6 of 9 (e) An investment adviser in accordance with Rule 13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(E); (f) An employee benefit plan or endowment fund in accordance with Rule 13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(F); (g) A parent holding company or control person in accordance with Rule 13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(G); (h) A savings association as defined in Section 3(b) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1813); (i) A church plan that is excluded from the definition of an investment company under section 3(c)(14) of the Investment Company Act (15 U.S.C. 80a-3); (j) A non-U.S. institution in accordance with Rule 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(J); (k) Group, in accordance with Rule 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(K). If filing as a non-U.S. institution in accordance with Rule 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(J), please specify the type of institution:____________________________ Item 4. Ownership: Information with respect to each Reporting Persons ownership as of the date hereof is incorporated by reference to items (5) - (9) and (11) of the cover page for such Reporting Person. The percentages used in this Schedule 13G are calculated based upon the Issuers 50,583,550 issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock, as reported by the Issuer in its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 8, 2023. Pursuant to Rule 13d-4 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), the Reporting Persons declare that filing this Schedule 13G shall not be construed as an admission that any such person is, for the purposes of Section 13(d) and/or Section 13(g) of the Exchange Act, the beneficial owner of any securities covered by this Schedule 13G except to the extent of such persons pecuniary interest in the Common Stock, and except to the extent of its pecuniary interest, such beneficial ownership is expressly disclaimed by each Reporting Person. Item 5. Ownership of 5 Percent or Less of a Class. If this statement is being filed to report the fact that as of the date hereof the reporting person has ceased to be the beneficial owner of more than five percent of the class of securities, check the following. Item 6. Ownership of More than 5 Percent on Behalf of Another Person. Not applicable. SCHEDULE 13G CUSIP No. 835431107 Page 7 of 9 Item 7. Identification and Classification of the Subsidiary Which Acquired the Security Being Reported on by the Parent Holding Company or Control Person. Not applicable. Item 8. Identification and Classification of Members of the Group Not applicable. Item 9. Notice of Dissolution of Group. Not applicable. Item 10. Certifications. By signing below I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the securities referred to above were not acquired and are not held for the purpose of or with the effect of changing or influencing the control of the issuer of the securities and were not acquired and are not held in connection with or as a participant in any transaction having that purpose or effect, other than activities solely in connection with a nomination under 240.14a-11. SCHEDULE 13G CUSIP No. 835431107 Page 8 of 9 SIGNATURE After reasonable inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct. Dated: March 16, 2023 JMR CAPITAL LIMITED By: /s/ Louis Paletta Name: Louis Paletta Title: Vice President FTA GLOBAL HOLDINGS, LTD. By: /s/ Louis Paletta Name: Louis Paletta Title: Vice President By: /s/ William Randall Work Name: William Randall Work SCHEDULE 13G CUSIP No. 835431107 Page 9 of 9 Exhibit 1 JOINT FILING STATEMENT PURSUANT TO RULE 13d-1(k) The undersigned acknowledge and agree that the foregoing statement on SCHEDULE 13G, is filed on behalf of each of the undersigned and that all subsequent amendments to this statement on SCHEDULE 13G, shall be filed on behalf of each of the undersigned without the necessity of filing additional joint acquisition statements. The undersigned acknowledge that each shall be responsible for the timely filing of such amendments, and for the completeness and accuracy of the information concerning him or it contained therein, but shall not be responsible for the completeness and accuracy of the information concerning the others, except to the extent that he or it knows or has reason to believe that such information is inaccurate. Dated: March 16, 2023 (Tribune News Service) The U.S. Department of Justice will not investigate a complaint that the lead prosecutor on the Fat Leonard Navy bribery investigation committed professional misconduct by withholding information from defense lawyers in a high-profile trial last year. The Office of Professional Responsibility said it concluded that opening an investigation into a complaint filed against Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Pletcher by a defense lawyer last August would likely not end with a finding that Pletcher violated professional conduct rules. That conclusion goes against one made last year by U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino, who presided over the case of five former Navy officers charged with conspiracy, bribery and fraud related to their dealings with the military contractor Leonard Glenn Francis, better known as Fat Leonard. In a written ruling in June, Sammartino said Pletcher had committed flagrant misconduct when he withheld information about a witness in the case from lawyers for the men. Despite that finding, Sammartino declined demands from defense attorneys to throw out the case against their clients. The jury ultimately convicted four of the five. But the controversy did not end there. After the trial in August, Joseph Mancano, the lawyer for former Capt. David Lausman, filed a formal complaint with the DOJ contending Pletcher had willfully concealed evidence that could have helped the defense. On Wednesday the lawyer for the departments Office of Professional Responsibility wrote that after opening an inquiry and reviewing transcripts, court filings and other information obtained from the U.S. Attorneys Office and its personnel there would be no formal investigation of Pletcher. Based on the results of its inquiry, OPR concluded that further investigation was unlikely to result in a finding that AUSA Pletcher either intentionally or with reckless disregard violated a clear and unambiguous standard and therefore engaged in professional misconduct, he wrote. Pletcher did not respond to a message seeking comment. The U.S. Attorneys Office declined to comment. For nearly a decade Pletcher has been the lead prosecutor in the Navy scandal cases, which have netted nearly three dozen convictions and guilty pleas from former officers and contractors in what is the worst corruption scandal ever to hit the service. At the heart of the investigation was Francis, a Malysian businessman and Navy contractor nicknamed because of his ample size. For years Francis plied Navy officers with bribes including gifts, luxury travel, hotel stays and the services of prostitutes, the government argued in case after case. In return the recipients of the bribes did a variety of services for Francis and his company, including trying to steer Navy ships to ports in Asia that Francis company controlled. That allowed Francis to defraud the Navy millions of dollars in overcharges and bogus billings. Francis pleaded guilty years ago and cooperated with the government, living for several years in an unusual medical furlough arrangement where he lived in a luxury Torrey Highlands mansion under a kind of home arrest. In September just weeks before he was to be sentenced Francis brazenly cut off the GPS monitor he was wearing as part of the detention and fled. He was arrested later by Interpol agents in Venezuela, where he remains today as the U.S. seeks his extradition. Mancano said the decision by the Justice Department not to open an investigation was disturbing. He said the letter was unclear if DOJ simply disagreed with Sammartinos June ruling against Pletcher, or if the agency had made some other determination. To me it was very clear what she found, that he had committed misconduct in this case, Mancano said of the judges ruling. The court already concluded that he had engaged in professional misconduct, and done so in a written opinion after a full-blown hearing. The issue centered on a potential witness named Ynah, a sex worker who prosecutors contended had sex with one of the defendants in the trial, Lausman, at a wild party in 2008 in Manila, Philippines. Then, days after the trial began last year, federal agents contacted the woman who told them she and Lausman never had sex. Defense lawyers did not find out about the agents contact with the woman, or her statements, until later in the trial. They were incensed when they did. Under long-standing legal precedent, prosecutors are supposed to give the defense any information it has that could help a defendant. Sammartno stopped the trial and held a three-day hearing outside the presence of the jury. The hearing included the extraordinary scene of Pletcher taking the stand and testifying in his defense. The agents had testified they asked Pletcher four separate times about writing up a report on Ynahs latest statements for the defense, but were put off each time. Pletcher said he had always intended for the special agents to write a report but he wanted to get more information about the agents contact with the woman in order to figure out how best to disclose it. In her ruling on the issue Sammartino, said it was clear the information was willfully withheld from the defense and misrepresented to her. But, she also concluded that damage to the defense case was minimal, and a special instruction given to the jury on the issue neutralized that damage. A finding by the OPR that further investigation of a complaint would not yield a finding of misconduct is not unusual, according to the agencys annual reports. In fiscal 2022, which ended in October, the agency closed 62.5 percent of all misconduct complaints with that finding. 2023 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Visit sandiegouniontribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. (Tribune News Service) Some 20 miles off the farthest reaches of Washingtons coast lies a shipwreck that killed hundreds of people and sent millions of dollars of gold to the cold depths of the Pacific Ocean. Exactly where is a closely kept secret. Now, two men who claim to have found the remains of the SS Pacific, a steamship that sank on Nov. 5, 1875, are planning to salvage the ship and display its artifacts in a proposed museum. On Thursday, Matt McCauley and Jeff Hummel will present their research, findings and plans during a talk at the Foss Waterway Seaport in Tacoma. Sailing from Victoria, B.C., to San Francisco, the Pacific sank with at least 325 passengers and crew. Only two survived. Recently, the wreck was found by The Northwest Shipwreck Alliance. The nonprofit organization was founded by McCauley and Hummel. The pair, both 58, began salvaging underwater wrecks while they were still in high school. SS Pacific The 225-foot-long Pacific was launched in 1850 in New York, where it was built for $100,000. The steam-powered ship had two side wheels that provided propulsion. Carrying both cargo and passengers, the ship had a storied history. It set a speed record on its inaugural run and was soon purchased by New York business magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt. In an era before the construction of the Panama Canal, the Pacific served both the Chagres ( Panama)- New Orleans and Nicaragua- San Francisco routes. Tragedy seemed to haunt the ship. In 1855, 45 passengers died from cholera they picked up while transiting across Nicaragua. In 1861, the ship was pushed off course by strong winds and sank in the Columbia River on its way from San Francisco to Astoria, Oregon an area called the graveyard of the Pacific due to its numerous shipwrecks. The ship was soon raised, repaired and put back to work. In 1875, the ship was purchased by its final owner and put on the Puget Sound-San Francisco run. Lost in fog On Nov. 3, 1875, the Pacific left Tacoma filled with hops and bound for Seattle and other stops before making its last port of call at Victoria on Nov. 4. It was captained by Jeff Howell, a well-known skipper in Tacoma, according to McCauley. He was somebody that was liked at every port at which the vessel stopped, so (his death) was a big blow to the folks in Tacoma, he said. In Victoria, several miners returning from northern gold fields boarded. The ship was carrying millions in gold in the form of coins, bars and gold dust. The Pacific had been designed for the California Gold Rush of 1849 and was equipped with a strong room. It set out for the ocean via the Strait of Juan de Fuca and turned south about 12 miles off Cape Flattery. Meanwhile, the clipper SV Orpheus was headed north. While that ships captain was below checking maps, its crew spotted the Pacifics masthead light but mistook it for the Cape Flattery lighthouse. The Orpheus turned in front of the Pacific. The ships collided, with the Pacifics bow striking the hull of the Orpheus in three locations. The ships continued in their general directions. Because the Orpheus had only been slightly damaged its crew surmised the Pacific also had sustained light damage. But the Pacific had been fatally struck. I woke up with the crash, said Neil Henly, 21, the Pacifics quartermaster and one of the two survivors. Jumped out of my bunk, the water rushing through the bow; saw all hands rush on the hurricane deck ... the ship fell into the trough of the sea and became unmanageable, the fires being extinguished; all was confusion, the passengers crowding into the boats which the officers and crew were trying to clear away. Adding to the disaster, the crew had filled some of the lifeboats with water in an attempt to keep the ship on an even keel. The boat I was near was partly full of water, recalled the ships other survivor, passenger Henry Jelly, 22. I think it was about an hour from the time the steamer struck up to the time when she listed to port so much that the port boat was let into the water and cut loose from the davits. Jellys lifeboat soon capsized. I crawled up on the bottom of the boat and helped several others up with me ... I think about all the ladies were in our boat, and when she upset, they all fell into the water and, I fear, they were all drowned. Jelly survived by lashing himself to the wreckage of the pilot house. He was picked up the next day and Henly the day after by passing ships. With at least 325 lives lost, it became the worst maritime disaster on the West Coast. Hummel said some accounts put the total lost as high as 500, mainly from passengers who rushed aboard without tickets when the boat left Victoria. Washington Territory Washington was still over a decade away from becoming a state when the Pacific sank. This was a very massive tragedy when you consider the relatively low population of B.C. and the Washington territory at that time, McCauley said. It was a very important vessel for Tacoma, as it was for Seattle and some of the area waypoints on the Sound, McCauley said. The 1870s were a heady time for Tacoma. In 1873, the Northern Pacific Railroad chose the young city to be its western transcontinental terminus and built its headquarters there in early 1875. But it was still really important that it had the steamboat connection with San Francisco, which was basically the civilized world to the people in Washington Territory at that time, he said. Seattle had a population of under 2,000 residents at that time and Tacomas was even smaller. The city itself was incorporated on November 12, 1875 a little over a week after the Pacifics disaster. Is it the SS Pacific? Several expeditions beginning in 1985 have attempted to locate the Pacific. All failed. Hummels salvage company, Rockfish, Inc., calculated the location of the wreck using what information they had: heading, speed, currents, and timing. That produced a search field of 338 square miles a dauntingly large area to search. A crucial clue to the ships location came from commercial fishermen. Several had recovered chunks of coal in their nets. Testing identified the coal as likely from the ships last owners, Goodall, Nelson and Perkins. That narrowed the search field to a manageable two square miles. Using a variety of underwater equipment, Rockfish searched for the wreck over five years. In 2021, the wreck was first spotted using sonar imaging but wasnt identified until the summer 2022. Identifying shipwrecks can be tricky. But eventually, imaging equipment found a hull-like depression and two nearby circular depressions that were likely from the ship and its paddle wheels. Archaeologists with the team speculate that the wood wheels are still intact below the muddy seafloor. Further expeditions recovered wood and copper plating and fire bricks. They also identified steam pipes. If you look at the preponderance of evidence, its overwhelming, Hummel said. The odds that its not the Pacific are one in a million. Legal filings The finds were convincing enough for the salvagers to file legal rights in U.S. District Court to the submerged area surrounding the likely vessel. U.S. District Court Judge James L. Robart issued an order restricting competing salvagers from entering this area. The team is tight-lipped on specifics. There are two things we never tell people, Hummel said. One is exactly how far from shore it is and exactly how deep it is. The most Hummel would offer is between 20 and 27 miles from shore and between 1,000 and 2,000 feet in depth. Maritime law allows discoverers of lost shipwrecks to recover whatever is salvageable once agreements from any legal owners are located and satisfied, which has already begun, they said. Its unlikely any human remains are at the site. Like those on the Titanic, theyve long since decomposed. Many of the Pacifics victims washed ashore in British Columbia in the days after the sinking. Partners McCauley and Hummel met at Mercer Island High School. While still in school the pair salvaged the remains of a WWII naval dive bomber from Lake Washington. The U.S. Navy sued them in 1984, but the pair won and went on to salvage four more WWII-era naval combat aircraft from the lake in 1987. Hummel and McCauley went their separate ways, with McCauley pursuing SCUBA diving, local history and writing. Hummel went on to become an expert in marine navigation systems. Now, they are reunited and hope to begin salvaging the Pacific in 2025. The men wont speculate on the current value of the gold, but records suggest it would be at least several million dollars worth. Legal precedent allows salvagers to 92 percent of the gold they find, with the rest going to the ships underwriters. They hope to display their finds in a future museum, the location and size of which have not been determined. The Pacifics finds will play a central role. They hope to recover the paddle wheels, boilers, steam plant, and personal effects. Youd literally be able to go through peoples steamer trunks and things like that, Hummel said. One of the items on their list: the earliest known pair of Levi jeans. The clothing was introduced in 1873 and was popular with miners. Theyve spent $2.1 million looking for the shipwreck and estimate theyll spend another $6-8 million to salvage it. Its not the gold they might find that drives them, they said. For me, its the ability to touch the past, Hummel said. Were looking at things and touching things that havent been looked at or touched in almost 150 years. (c)2023 The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.) Visit The News Tribune at www.TheNewsTribune.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Seoul, South Korea, February 1958: Druggist Pak Hae Oh, right, and an assistant prepare a prescription in the hospital laboratory at the Seoul Childrens Relief Hospital. The hospital was a project of Western wives in Seoul beginning in 1955. Spearheaded by a 14-woman committee seven Koreans and seven Westerners the women brought the once shabby, poorly equipped hospital to the point where it was considered superior to most private childrens hospitals in the city by 1958. Looking for Stars and Stripes historic coverage? Subscribe to Stars and Stripes historic newspaper archive! We have digitized our 1948-1999 European and Pacific editions, as well as several of our WWII editions and made them available online through https://starsandstripes.newspaperarchive.com/ The three months since I moved into my new home in Germany kept me so busy that I didnt have much chance to check out the sort of restaurant where you relax for a little while. With that behind me, my culinary kickoff came at Restaurant Orangerie in Kirchheimbolanden, about 25 miles northeast of Kaiserslautern. The restaurant reopened under new management in October 2022, meaning the new Orangerie arrived on the scene roughly the same time I did. Its intimate feel is noticeable the moment you walk in. A hallway leads to two rooms for seating. Doors can be closed on both sides, as well as between walls in the main room to give patrons plenty of privacy. I wanted to try a taste of the Pfalz, so I started with a chestnut soup that had hints of Riesling, bacon bits, croutons and sour cream. On a day with temperatures near freezing, its warmth was most welcome. The bacon bits and croutons added a crunchiness that I also found pleasing. Saumagen was the next thing I sampled. Im glad I didnt look it up ahead of time, as I guarantee I would not have ordered stuffed pig offal if I had known what it was. A German friend whose grandfather was a butcher later described the dish to me as a porcine version of haggis. It was a favorite of former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl. Restaurant Orangeries version consists of two patty-like shapes, carrot bits and chopped onions wrapped in a pigs stomach lining. On top was a chestnut glaze with cabbage and croquettes. Even though I now know the ingredients, the saumagen tasted so good I would consider having it again. The last dish I ordered came from a special menu for Glan cattle, a traditional Rheinland-Pfalz breed. I ordered the tafelspitz, or boiled beef. It came with a horseradish sauce that wasnt as overbearing as others Ive tried. The sauce left a little tangy aftertaste while finishing off the accompanying steamed vegetables and parsley potatoes. Each dish was excellent, and I want to return to try some other menu items. Restaurant Orangerie isnt cheap, but its not so expensive that it bars people from going on a regular basis. As long as you stay away from a steak or a rack of lamb, the main dishes are priced between 17 and 25 euros. The restaurant also has a large wine selection, appropriate for a major wine-producing region, with suggestions for each dish. My waiter tried to interest me in butterscotch schnapps after my meal, but I declined for the sake of my drive home. Overall, I consider Restaurant Orangerie a great place for date night and get-togethers of small groups. And as a solo diner, I didnt feel at all out of place there. Reservations are advised, as even on the Monday evening I visited, only a few tables were open the entire time I was there. Restaurant Orangerie Address: Dr.-Edeltraud-Siessl-Allee 4, Kirchheimbolanden, Germany Hours: Thursday through Monday, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5:30-10 p.m.; closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays Prices: Between 10 and 30 euros for entrees, soups and appetizers. Dessert options are available. Information: Online: restaurant-orangerie.eatbu.com A house with a basement vault full of money sounds like the storyline lifted from the pages of comics featuring Scrooge McDuck. In the German riverside town of Cochem, however, more than half of the countrys currency reserves were once stored beneath residential homes. The Cold War nuclear bunker of the Bundesbank, Germanys federal reserve, was a long-kept secret. Seven years ago, the bunker was transformed into a museum open to the public. It seemed like a perfect activity on a cold and cloudy day. There is no parking, so a shuttle brings visitors from downtown to the museum. We walked instead and after about 20 minutes, we arrived at a concrete-and-glass entrance at the end of a hillside cul-de-sac. Before we entered the bunker, our tour guide, Martin Moonsen, pointed out the building next door. Behind the ordinary facade of the building was the original bunker entrance, Moonsen revealed. The camouflage was so effective that the buildings were never suspected of harboring billions in what might be one of the worlds most unusual basements. To explain the heavy foot traffic at the site until its closure in 1993, the government designated it the official training and recreation home of the Bundesbank. The bunker itself was accessed via a secret tunnel from inside the house. Visitors today can stay in the former camouflaged buildings at Hotel Vintage, which maintains the site as a bed and breakfast. But why was it once necessary to hide money in this sleepy neighborhood? During World War II, Nazi agents planned to influence the British pound with fake currency created in forced labor camps. Operation Bernhard was intended to cripple the United Kingdoms wartime economy by devaluing British cash reserves. Without trust in your currency, you cant do business, Moonsen explained. That can be very destabilizing very quickly. Fearing similar threats from the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War, West German planners wanted to be able to replace a weakened German mark quickly in case the country were flooded with counterfeit money. Should the public lose faith in the validity of the marks in their wallets, the federal reserve would have rolled out all-new Bundesbank-Series II bills. In the meantime, Germany need a secure location for the reserves of BBK II. One fear was the looming threat of nuclear attack. This location along the Moselle seemed particularly protected (from attack), Moonsen said. One thought that a possible atomic pressure wave during the Cold War would simply sweep across the deep river valley. Cochems proximity to the Bundesbank headquarters in Frankfurt and the West German capital, Bonn, also was deemed ideal for the reserve cache. Construction of the bunker began in 1960 and was completed in 1965, costing what would be almost $99 million today. When residents complained about the construction noise, they were they told that the structure was an air raid shelter they would be able to use in case of war. This was not uncommon during the time, as many shelters were built during those days, Moonsen said. Starting in 1965, the federal bank began transporting freshly printed bills via hundreds of truck deliveries, arriving slowly over nearly a decade. Once filled, the vault stored about 15 billion marks for more than two decades. Downstairs, visitors enter the airlocked corridor through blast-proof metal doors. A decontamination chamber, equipped with a mannequin in full protection gear, highlights the drab vision of the doomsday scenario the bunker was prepared for: a nuclear attack on Germany. At the heart of the museum is a large, tubular vault. Unlike the treasure in Scrooge McDucks money chamber, however, this one had no coins or gold bars to dive into. It was all paper money in various denominations, stacked floor to ceiling in shipment-ready boxes in a humidity-controlled underground chamber. Only replica boxes now remain to show visitors the extent of the stash, while imitations of the BBK-II replacement series can be bought as souvenirs. Despite the riches stashed away here, the money was usually not guarded by more than three men of the site management and custodial staff so as to not arouse suspicion, Moonsen said. Until official release, the alternative bills werent valid anyway. The only keys to the vault door, which weighs several tons, were kept at the Bundesbank headquarters in Frankfurt, Moonsen said. If there was even a false alarm, the authorized staff had to travel from Frankfurt to check on the facility. As electronic finance and security requirements changed over the decades, reserve currency plans were abandoned. By the time the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and long before the arrival of the euro, all money in the bunker had been removed and destroyed, leaving an almost untouched historical site vacant. After nearly an hour perusing the vault, our tour group emerged into the daylight. The hills of Cochem provided a wonderful view of the town and the Moselle River before we headed home. On the QT Address: Am Wald 35, Cochem, Germany Hours: The bunker must be visited as part of a tour. During the summer months, from April 1 to Nov. 1, tours are available once per hour from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. During the winter, tours are limited to 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Cost: German language tours through the facility start at 13 euros per adult and 7 euros for children under 17. Pre-booked English group tours are available for a 30-euro additional fee. Information: bundesbank-bunker.de/en The weekend before Mardi Gras, my cousin and I decided to check out Gumbo Hut Shioya to get a little taste of our southern Louisiana home right outside the main gate of Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo. My skepticism led me to first try one of the eatery's to-go cups of gumbo for 400 yen, or about $3. What I got was a decent preview of the main attraction, albeit a little oily, with little meat, in a lidless container. Luckily, it was a different story when we dined in. The English-speaking chef-owner has done his research and the outcome is pretty good. He even picked up that we were from Louisiana (he said our orders of the delicious chicory coffee were a sign) and told us about how hed spent time traveling around Louisiana and Mississippi. My more cautious cousin decided to make a meal of a few sides mashed potatoes and gravy, Cajun corn and mac and cheese. I went all in with an order of gumbo with shrimp and a side of fried okra. I know a few things about gumbo, mainly eating it. At home, my Louisiana-style cooking ability includes red beans and rice, dirty rice and shrimp etouffee -- and stops there. I dont have the patience for a dark roux, which requires almost an hour of cooking a one-to-one ratio of flour and fat (butter, lard or oil) until its a dark chocolate brown. If you dont stir it enough, it burns and you have to start over. The folks at Gumbo Hut Shioya have the patience and the time; the gumbo has a deep nutty flavor in the background that can only be achieved with a dark roux. The good news for me is that they sell their refrigerated roux, called a base, on their website. The dark roux also serves perhaps an unintended purpose. It gives the gumbo a look similar to curry rice, which may draw in local taste buds used to that roux-based dish while keeping the flavor authentic to its Southern roots. Im also particular about the ingredients, too. My general preference is a Cajun-style seafood gumbo filled with plenty of shrimp, crab claws, crab legs and even crawfish tails. I want to dip that big ladle down to the bottom of that Magnalite pot and it come up heavy! So yes, being served a bowl with fewer than seven shrimp in it didnt quite hit the spot. My cousin enjoyed her meal of sides, especially the cheesiness of the mac and cheese, and after trying a few bites of my gumbo agreed it was good but needed a little more heat and more shrimp. The owner even had some of the Louisiana brand hot sauce if you want to make your selection spicier. I declined as Im a Crystal Hot Sauce fan. I sadly didnt get to try any of the po-boys on offer, but hope to in a future visit. Perhaps I can get a few coworkers to join me in letting the good times roll. Gumbo Hut Shioya Location: 2477-5 Fussaninomiya, Fussa, Tokyo 197-0014 Hours: Hours tend to vary. Call ahead or check the restaurants Instagram account, gumbo.hut.shioya. Prices: 650 yen to 1200 yen for most entrees. Sides start at 350 yen. Non-alcoholic drinks are 350 yen and alcoholic drinks start at 550 yen. Dress: Casual Directions: About a 10-minute walk from the main gate at Yokota Air Base. Information: Phone: 042-849-0391; Online: gumbohuts.base.shop and gumbo.hut.shioya on Instagram. FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii Hawaii prosecutors on Wednesday charged a 25-year-old man with second-degree murder in the death earlier this week of a specialist in the Hawaii Army National Guard, according to court documents. Samuel Jones was also charged with first-degree arson. His bail has been set at $1 million, the documents say. The body of Spc. Laau Laulusa, 21, was discovered in Mililani, a town in central Oahu adjacent to Schofield Barracks, by firefighters responding to a vehicle fire early Monday, the Hawaii Department of Defense said in a news release Wednesday. The car was parked at Mililani High School, where witnesses told police they saw a man opening and closing the vehicles doors just before the fire began, according to a Wednesday report by KITV-4. Police arrested Jones about a mile from the car, the news report said. Laulusa joined the Hawaii Army National Guard in 2019 and was a supply specialist for the 227th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, the Hawaii Department of Defense said. This is a tragic loss for the entire Hawaii Army National Guard, Brig. Gen. Stephen Logan, the Hawaii Guard commander, said in the news release. We are cooperating with authorities during the ongoing investigation. Compared to previous weeks, Russian troops have reduced the pace of the counteroffensive in eastern Ukraine, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Thus, the overall pace of the Russian offensive in Ukraine seems to have decreased compared to previous weeks. Analysts note that Russian forces have achieved only minimal tactical successes along the entire front line in Luhansk region over the past week, and Ukrainian forces probably recently managed to conduct counterattacks and regain territory in the region. In addition, according to ISW, the general offensive of the Wagner group on Bakhmut (Donetsk region) seems to be nearing its climax. According to scientists, the recent successes of Wagner north of Bakhmut indicate that the loss of manpower, artillery and equipment in the battles for Bakhmut will probably limit the ability of the PMC to complete the dense encirclement of Bakhmut or gain significant territory in the battles for urban areas. They also assume that the capture of small settlements north of Bakhmut and east of the highway is unlikely to strengthen Wagner's ability to capture Bakhmut itself or achieve other important successes from an operational point of view. The report notes that, "they will probably be able to do this, since the ISW has been monitoring units of Russian airborne regiments in and around Bakhmut, which do not seem to be too involved in the fighting at the moment. The Russians may also bring elements of other conventional units into the battle, including, perhaps, the 2nd Motorized Rifle Division, or units recruited from other parts of the theater of operations." The ISW admits that the Wagner offensive itself will not be enough to capture Bakhmut. Russian forces are not pursuing active or successful offensive operations elsewhere in theater, and as the pace of operations slows along critical sectors of the front, Ukrainian forces likely have an increased opportunity to regain the initiative, the Institute said. TOKYO Civilian Defense Department workers seeking medical treatment in Japan may find Japanese hospitals easy to navigate with some planning, according to professionals at a Tokyo facility. Since Jan. 1, the Defense Health Agency has limited DOD civilians to space-available appointments at base hospitals in the Indo-Pacific after higher priority patients, including service members, their families and some retirees, are scheduled. The number of appointment slots available on short notice each morning varies. For example, Naval Hospital Yokosuka had 45 open on March 7 across several clinics, but none the following day. DHAs Indo-Pacific director, Army Maj. Gen. Joseph Heck, told DOD civilians in Japan to look for care in their Japanese communities. But health care advocates say obstacles in the Japanese system complicate the picture for Americans, including language barriers, time constraints, upfront payment and even denial of care in an emergency. U.S. civilians who prepare for those obstacles will have an easier time navigating the Japanese system, staff from Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital in Shibuya recently told Stars and Stripes. Language barriers are the most obvious concern, said Takahiro Hatano, head of Hiroos medical professional section. Staff at our hospital generally dont correspond in English; they mainly speak Japanese, he said at the hospital on Feb. 21. So, in that sense, we feel that there is a big language barrier. Some staff, however, do speak English, and the hospital employs full-time English and Chinese translators. Staff members also have interpreting tools such as a handheld translator and, during certain hours, an online translation service. Planning ahead Patients seeking care at a hospital or clinic in Japan are generally required to make an appointment for non-emergency treatment and to plan plenty of time for their visit, Hatano said. We see patients on a reservation basis, but there are times when other patients exam times take longer and keep others waiting, he said. Hiroo, like many hospitals in Japan, provides specialized medical care, so patients are advised to visit a local clinic first for a referral, according to Hatano. Japanese hospitals and clinics prescribe medicine, but patients are generally required to visit a pharmacy. Prescriptions in Japan arent filed electronically, unlike in the United States, and patients have up to four days before their prescription is void, said Sonoyo Shioji, head of Hiroos pharmaceutical section. Hiroo offers a list of nearby pharmacies with staff who speak English, he added. American patients should be aware that certain medications are not commonly prescribed, or are sometimes prohibited, including drugs common in the U.S. such as Adderall or Xanax. Basically, the medicines that cant be used are those that are prohibited to import, such as stimulants or cannabis, Shioji said. However, hospitals typically have a committee that may help DOD civilians obtain prohibited medications if the medicine is necessary or no substitute is available. Denied care A stark difference between the U.S. and Japanese health care systems is that Japanese hospitals can deny care, even in an emergency. In 2020, 12,998 patients picked up by ambulances were refused admission to at least three hospitals, according to Japans Fire and Disaster Management Agency. Of those, 379 were turned away from more than 10 facilities; one patient was turned away from 116 hospitals. This is a difficult problem, but this may be an issue not just for one hospital like us, but rather an issue for the medical system as a whole, Hatano said. We have organized a system to accept patients transported by ambulance as much as possible. Some COVID-19 restrictions still in place bar emergency patients from certain areas inside hospitals, and a lack of staff or beds also detract from care. There are times when we are asked to accept emergency patients when we are already dealing with another, or when we dont have necessary beds or when there are no specialized doctors, Hatano said. Upfront payment Japanese health care facilities generally expect DOD civilians to pay up front for medical care. Those without Japanese health insurance are billed according to an open-ended point system. However, costs may vary between hospitals and U.S. patients may be met by large bills. Hiroo expects patients to pay up front, though some may be exempt from paying the full amount, depending on their insurance providers. Patients may call ahead and ask the hospital for an estimate of its fees, Hatano said, emphasizing that the estimate may not reflect the final bill. For questions about importing medicines, patients can visit https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/policy/health-medical/pharmaceuticals/01.html. For a complete list of controlled or prohibited substances, visit https://www.ncd.mhlw.go.jp/dl_data/keitai/list.pdf. TOKYO Japans Maritime Self-Defense Force wants to be part of a nuclear submarine program announced this week by the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, according to an academic who spoke at a recent Indo-Pacific defense forum in Tokyo. The leaders of the AUKUS allies President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unveiled the submarine deal Monday, part of an effort to counter Chinese expansionism in the Indo-Pacific. Under the deal, Australia aims to launch its own nuclear-powered subs in the 2030s. A rotational force of U.S. and British subs will operate from Western Australia starting in 2027. Japans navy would like to be part of these relationships and access this technology, Tosh Minohara, a professor of U.S.-Japan relations and diplomatic history at Kobe University, said during Building a Free and Open Indo-Pacific: A Debate before the G-7 Summit in Hiroshima. The forum, held March 10 at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo, included diplomats, military officers and journalists. Nuclear subs can travel long and fast, he said. It will be interesting to see if AUKUS eventually expands to include Japan. The U.S. Navys Submarine Group 7 is headquartered at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, although its submarines are homeported on Guam. Japan has wanted to be part of AUKUS since the pact was established in September 2021, according to Brad Glosserman, deputy director and visiting professor at the Center for Rule-Making Strategies at Tama University in Tokyo. Japan recently lifted a self-imposed ban on overseas military sales after it lost to France on a deal to build conventional submarines for Australia. Australia canceled the French deal in favor of nuclear-powered boats built by AUKUS powers. Including Japan in AUKUS makes sense, Glosserman wrote in an email Thursday. Think of it as a tech agreement, not just subs, and the pieces fit together, he said, noting that Japan is already developing new fighter jets with the United Kingdom and Italy. Japans membership in AUKUS would change the defense pacts Anglosphere image, Glosserman added. However, and as always, the sticking point is information security in Japan, he said. The AUKUS powers already have their hands full with the goal of providing nuclear-powered subs to Australia, said James Brown, an international affairs expert at Temple Universitys Japan campus. I don't think there is the capacity to make further commitments, he wrote in an email Thursday. Australia, the UK and the U.S., along with Canada and New Zealand, are partners in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance and have a high level of trust that does not extend to Japan, Brown said. To take just one example, the AUKUS three have well-established systems of security clearance, while Japan has work to do in this area, he said. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, following a telephone conversation with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, reported on the availability of concrete results to strengthen defense and economic support for Ukraine. A good conversation with Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Rishi Sunak. I informed him of the situation at the front, defense of Bakhmut. We exchanged views on recent international events. As always, we have concrete results in increasing defense and economic support for Ukraine. We appreciate the unwavering position of the United Kingdom! he said on Twitter Thursday. WASHINGTON The Defense Department wants to spend $40 million to promote military service to young people as lawmakers warn the Army, Navy and Air Force are on track to miss their enlistment goals this year amid persistent recruitment struggles. Pentagon officials pitched the investment to members of a Senate Armed Services Committee subpanel on Wednesday as a pivotal tool for reversing enlistment shortfalls and selling a positive image of the military to a young population with little inclination to serve. We need to do a better job of telling our story, the benefits of military service and what it can provide, said Gilbert Cisneros, the undersecretary of defense of personnel and readiness. The funding request for the Defense Departments joint military advertising, market research and studies program is included in the departments budget request for fiscal 2024, which begins Oct. 1. The individual services have their own additional budgets for marketing, Cisneros said. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., cautioned Wednesday that the Army, Navy and Air Force will likely miss their recruiting goals by tens of thousands of recruits this year if current trends hold. He urged the military to make effective use of marketing a priority. The Army, which fell short of its recruiting goal last year by 15,000 recruits, debuted a $117 million advertisement campaign last week with two new commercials inspired by the 1980s-era Army slogan, Be All You Can Be. The clips feature actor Jonathan Majors, who starred in Creed III and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and is the son and grandson of veterans. The Navy launched a Forged by the Sea ad campaign on its 247th birthday in October targeting Generation Z on social media. The service only met its active-duty enlistment goal last year by heavily dipping into its delayed entry pool, according to the Navy. It failed to reach the desired recruitment for active duty and Reserve officers. The Air Force is expected this year to miss its active-duty enlistment target for the first time since 1999, said Alex Wagner, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs. He named several factors contributing to the militarys recruitment woes, including historically low unemployment and a lack of recruiter access to schools that limited campus visits during the coronavirus pandemic. But the largest problem is propensity to serve, Wagner said. A mere 9% of Americans aged 17 to 24 who are eligible to serve show an interest in serving in the military, the lowest since the height of the Iraq War in 2007, according to the Pentagon. Only about 23% of young Americans meet the physical and academic standards required for service. Wagner linked low interest to the growing lack of familiarity with the military. In 1995, 40% of Americans had a parent who served compared to less than 13% of Americans today, he said. An inflection point in the widening divide between civilians and service members came after 9/11, when military installations became more hardened and secure and closed themselves off from the communities around them, Wagner said. That lack of familiarity has been filled in by a public narrative that emphasizes the risks of service while missing the benefits, he said. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, said the military must work to counter a steady drumbeat of negative depictions in the news media. If you tell everybody every day in The Washington Post and The New York Times that the military is full of extremists, which it is not, youre going to have people say, Oh jeez, I dont want to send my son or daughter there, he said. We should appeal to the patriotism and desire, thats been in this country for 200-plus years, to deploy and fight for their country. Pentagon officials said they intend to devote more resources to making the public more aware of military service and specifically reaching influencers such as teachers, parents, grandparents and other adults whom young people might admire and respect. The additional funding request is focused on building the brand and making sure that when the time for a decision comes, theyre at least aware that military service, or public service even, is an option to them, said Thomas Constable, the acting assistant secretary of defense for manpower and reserve affairs. Increased funding for the militarys joint advertising program will also provide a baseline for each of the services to develop their own marketing campaigns, he said. The program aims to appeal to a more diverse group of potential recruits than ever before, he said. We dont like leaving any money on the table or any population unchecked, especially with all the skills that they bring us or the opportunity to better reflect the American public, Constable said. You should expect to see more marketing, more advertising geared towards a broader population. WASHINGTON The Islamic State network in Afghanistan will be able to attack American or Western interests outside the country in less than six months with little to no warning, the top commander for U.S. forces in the Middle East said Thursday. Army Gen. Michael Kurilla, who leads U.S. Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Islamic States Khorasan Province, commonly referred to as ISIS-K, is rapidly developing the ability to conduct external operations in Europe and Asia. The terrorist group will not be able to strike the U.S. homeland in the near future, however. I think it is a higher probability overseas than it is in the homeland, Kurilla said, acknowledging hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens living abroad could be in range of an attack. The generals assessment comes more than a year after U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021 and adopted an over-the-horizon counterterrorism approach that collects intelligence and carries out strikes without a permanent military presence in the country. The commander confirmed Thursday that the U.S. has only conducted one kinetic counterterrorism operation so far, a drone strike last year that killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul. But Kurilla said the U.S. has also performed two non-kinetic operations involving more than five combatant commanders that have disrupted terrorist activity. He acknowledged the quality of U.S. intelligence has degraded since the pullout from Afghanistan, with the U.S. being able to see the broad counters of an attack but lacking the granularity to see the full picture. Counterterrorism operations are now more difficult, but not impossible, Kurilla said. He said his command is working to close the intelligence gap by increasing investment into long-duration, high-altitude technology that can stay in the air for days and weeks. Right now, Im spending 80% of my time transiting to the region to be able to collect over-the-top [intelligence], Kurilla said. The general also impressed on lawmakers that he needs more support for the analysts, linguists and other parts of the analytical backside that are critical for decision-making. There has been a significant decrease in their numbers in the Middle East as the U.S. military has reoriented to higher-priority targets, he said. Kurilla said CENTCOM has shrunk by 85% since its peak in 2008, when the U.S. was at war in Afghanistan and Iraq. The commands size was reduced by 15% after the 20-year war in Afghanistan ended. Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the top Republican on the committee, said the U.S. left a security vacuum in Afghanistan that has been filled by the Taliban, al-Qaida and ISIS and emboldened their affiliates around the world. Republicans have repeatedly criticized the effectiveness of the over-the-horizon strategy. Kurilla countered Thursday that the ISIS threat in Syria is contained compared to Afghanistan but conceded the ideology remains uncontained and unconstrained. ISIS-K is responsible for killing or injuring at least 700 people in Afghanistan since the Taliban took over the country in August 2021, according to Human Rights Watch. The terrorist group carried out four high-profile attacks from December 2022 to January, hitting Afghanistans foreign ministry, the military section of Kabuls airport, the Pakistani embassy and a hotel housing Chinese guests, according to the nonprofit Counter Extremism Project. WENTWORTH, N.C. (Tribune News Service) Martin Calvin Cox, Jr. of Browns Summit pleaded guilty in Rockingham County Superior Court on March 9 to two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder in connection to the 2021 shootings of three motorcyclists on U.S. 29 bypass in Reidsville. Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Stan Allen sentenced Cox, 43, to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to a news release from county authorities. How the crime unfolded On the afternoon of May 24, 2021, Isaac Fitzgerald and his wife, Haneefa Fitzgerald, 42, both of Fredericksburg, Va., and their friend Kwandre Carey, 24, of Montross, Va., stopped at Loves Travel Stop in Reidsville on their way home to Virginia after a multi-day, multi-state motorcycle trip. Once they finished eating, the Fitzgeralds got on Isaac Fitzgeralds motorcycle, Carey mounted his, and the trio left to return home, according to investigators with the Rockingham County Sheriffs Office. As they pulled out of Loves Travel Stop at about 4:45 p.m., Cox began following them in a red 2019 Dodge Ram 4500. The group drove north on U.S. 29 bypass and Cox caught up to them and fired several shots with a 9mm handgun, between Barnes Street and N.C. 14, authorities said. All three riders were struck by Coxs rounds, but Haneefa Fitzgerald and Carey were fatally wounded, authorities said. Isaac Fitzgerald was treated for critical injuries at Moses Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro. Cox fled the scene and was apprehended the next day by the Kentucky State Police while traveling through Bullitt County there, an eight-hour drive from Reidsville. Cox was extradited back to Rockingham County. Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page said at the time of the shootings that he believed the killings were targeted crimes, though he has not disclosed investigators theories about a motive in the shootings. This type of crime is horrific. Its not something we see here in Rockingham County. In fact, in my more than 30-year career in law enforcement in this county, I dont think Ive seen anything like it, Page said in 2021. Haneefa Fitzgerald was a US Marine Fitzgerald served in the U.S. Marines for 15 years before her retirement in 2015, according to a resume Fitzgerald published online via wordpress, describing herself as a freelance journalist. An administrative assistant who dealt with human resources issues within her branch of service, Fitzgerald was awarded three U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals and a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for her work, the resume said. Motorist alerted authorities to the crime Shes yelling, Help Me. She says hes been shot. Thats what she just yelled when I pulled up and said, Are you OK?, a motorist witness told a 911 operator shortly after the shooting. I thought I seen her motorcycle fly off into the woods, the witness told the operator. Cox had criminal history Coxs criminal history involved the sale of drugs and other offenses. In 1999, he was charged in Guilford County with possession of drugs with intent to sell. His next arrest came in 2011 in Guilford when he was charged with possession of a controlled substance, trafficking and maintaining a place for a controlled substance. By 2013, Cox faced charges in Guilford of drug possession with intent to sell and selling a schedule IV controlled substance. He was charged with misdemeanor wanton injury to personal property that same year in Forsyth County. (c)2023 the News & Record (Greensboro, N.C.) Visit the News & Record at www.news-record.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Ukrainian Air Force Commander, General Mykola Oleschuk met with his counterparts from NATO on Thursday and proposed to establish an "aircraft coalition" that would help Ukraine to receive modern aircraft, Spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force Command Yuriy Ihnat has said. "Today, a symposium of the commanders of the NATO member states' air forces, which was attended by Ukrainian Air Force Commander, General Mykola Oleschuk, came to an end. He spoke about many things going on at the front line today, what exactly capacities are needed to increase the potential of our air defense systems both ground and air-based," he said on the air of the national telethon. Oleschuk also proposed his colleagues from NATO to create an aircraft coalition. "Victory on the ground is indeed forged in the sky and such an 'aircraft coalition' could work according to the principle of the 'tank coalition'. [Oleschuk] called on his colleagues for assistance in the process of receiving modern aircraft by Ukraine in order to enable us to seize the airspace over Ukraine as soon as possible and help our ground forces," the spokesperson said. Asked how the participants of the meeting responded to the proposal, Ihnat said that their response should be reflected in actions and "possibly in statements by certain leaders." "Clearly, not everything can be disclosed, such things are not for public, but I would really like to see that it will be better in the near future," he said. Several thousands of supporters of the Moldovan political group For People led by parliamentarians Marina Tauber and Reghina Apostolova from the opposition Shor Party gathered for a protest rally in central Chisinau on Thursday, blocking roads to traffic. The demonstrators approached the buildings of the presidential office and the parliament, chanting anti-governmental and anti-presidential mottos and calling for early presidential and parliamentary elections, an Interfax correspondent reported. Protesters also demanded that the authorities compensate households for all utility bills for the three winter months. Shor Party advisor Serghei Burgudji claimed at the rally that dozens of buses carrying protesters from southern regions of the country could not reach Chisinau, as police unreasonably stopped them. "I'd like to remind the police that politicians come and go, but the people stay. You should be together with the people who don't demand anything extraordinary but normal, peaceful, and safe life," he said. Tauber said the ruling majority ignored a bill on the compensation for utility bills and did not put it on the parliamentary session agenda. "They don't care how their fellow-citizens live. But at the same time, they left the bill on the name of the language. They need to decide right now whether we speak in the Moldovan or in the Romanian language. What is important is that such things aren't resolved legislatively. There's a need for a nationwide referendum," Tauber said, thanking the protesters for support. During the rally, police confiscated sound amplifiers from the rally organizers. Police demanded documents for the equipment, which demonstrators did not have. Following this, demonstrators started to disperse, promising to continue protests in the near future. As reported earlier, 24 people had been detained at the start of the rally, when its participants clashed with police. The General Police Inspectorate reported the detention of "aggressive demonstrators," from whom prohibited objects were seized. Gardai followed the noise until they reached a medical centre and found OFlaherty inside filling his pockets A burglar who was caught after gardai investigating his first break-in followed the sound of an alarm to the nearby medical centre he was raiding has been given a suspended sentence. Conor OFlaherty (25) of Spiddal Park, Ballyfermot, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two burglaries in Chapelizod on July 17, 2022 - one at a private home and one at a medical centre. He has two previous convictions. The prosecuting garda told Diarmuid Collins BL, prosecuting, that homeowners were woken at 4am by the sound of glass breaking and went downstairs to find their kitchen window broken. They saw a man outside holding car keys taken from inside. They shouted at him and he dropped the keys. As gardai attended at the scene shortly afterwards, they heard an alarm sounding in the distance and drove in the direction of the noise until they reached a medical centre. OFlaherty was inside filling his pockets with medical supplies. He was arrested and linked to the earlier burglary by DNA from blood at the scene. He apologised and told gardai he would pay for the broken window. Oisin Clarke BL, defending, said OFlaherty had started taking tablets two years ago after the death of his grandfather. He said he had little memory of what happened and is remorseful. He has been in custody since he missed a court date and was arrested on a bench warrant. Counsel said his client has a work record with a job available to him and has shown he can be a productive member of society. He said OFlaherty does not use tablets while he is working and said this was a case of the devil makes work for idle hands. He asked the court to take into account his client's full admissions, remorse and be as lenient as possible. Sentencing O'Flaherty ton Tuesday, Judge Martin Nolan said he had considered jailing him and it was a close run thing, However, he said O'Flaherty had good mitigation in his favour, including a good work record. He handed down a sentence of two and a half years and suspended it in full on a number of conditions. Mark Dunne (40) admitted seriously assaulting a teenager at Cedar View in Swords on October 31, 2020. A dad-of-two came out of his house and confronted and headbutted a 12-year-old boy after he heard stones being thrown at his property on Halloween night, a court heard. Mark Dunne (40) claimed that he had been harassed by youths for some time, and he was at the end of his tether. The victims father said his son had been out celebrating Halloween and was walking home with friends, and he had stepped in when he came across an incident between Dunne and a smaller boy. Judge Cormac Dunne convicted and fined Dunne 750. The defendant, with an address at Cedar Square, Ridgewood in Swords, admitted seriously assaulting a teenager at Cedar View in Swords on October 31, 2020. Sergeant Terri Ferguson told Swords District Court that Dunne came out of his house and headbutted the victim, who was 12 years old. Sgt Ferguson said the victim was left with a swollen nose following the assault. The boys father addressed the court, saying An Garda Siochana had been exceptionally poor and had not even notified him that the case was before the court. His son broke down in tears when he spoke to him about the assault, and it took him over six months to get back to his sporting activities, the court heard. The man said his son was walking home with two other individuals when there was an incident between Dunne and another boy. The man said his son stepped in and Dunne knocked him to the ground. His son knew nothing about stones being thrown at the house, the court heard. The defence said Dunne accepted that his conduct was completely over the top . He said Dunne was at the end of his tether with unknown youths, who had been causing a nuisance by throwing stones at his house. In relation to this incident, the defence said Dunne was at home when he heard stones being thrown at his house. He went outside, where he claimed he was confronted by a number of youths. There was pushing and shoving, he said, and his client over-reacted. The defence also said there had been a build-up to the incident, including a time where a knife had been brandished when Dunne had confronted a group of youths. The solicitor said Dunne worked in logistics and had two children. He had struggled with an alcohol problem for nearly a decade but he was now doing much better and receiving counselling. Francie Stokes (23) of Ballyowen Lane in Lucan, pleaded guilty to possessing 52,355 as the proceeds of crime in his AIB bank account A man convicted of money laundering over 50,000 linked to an invoice redirect fraud is to be assessed for community service in lieu of serving a prison sentence. Francie Stokes (23) of Ballyowen Lane in Lucan, pleaded guilty to possessing 52,355 as the proceeds of crime in his AIB bank account on Main Street, Lucan, Co Dublin on June 2, 2020. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the money had been transferred fraudulently from a legitimate aviation company based in Germany. At a hearing today, Judge Martin Nolan adjourned the case for ten weeks to allow the Probation Services determine whether Stokes is suitable to carry out community service. If suitable Judge Nolan said that he will order Stokes to carry out 150 hours of community service within the period of one year, in lieu of 18 months in prison. Detective Garda Hugh OCarroll told Aoife McNicholl BL, prosecuting, that AIB alerted gardai to a suspected fraudulent incoming payment from an account in Germany. The court heard that AIB managed to recover 28,000, but that around 24,000 remains outstanding as it had already been withdrawn. Det Gda OCarroll said there had been a number of ATM withdrawals and some larger withdrawals via internet transfer. CCTV footage of the ATM withdrawals showed multiple people making the transactions, but none of them were the accused, the court heard. Stokes attended Lucan Garda Station by appointment and was arrested on suspicion of money laundering. Gardai discovered that Stokes had been in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment of between 300 and 350 a week, and that there was no legitimate source of the 52,000. Det Gda OCarroll said Stokes exercised his right to silence when interviewed by gardai but was polite and respectful at all times. The court heard Stokes got probation of one month in October 2021 for laundering 3,000 in April 2020. He was a money mule at the bottom of the ladder, said Det Gda OCarroll. David Fleming BL, defending, said Stokes had been abusing cocaine at the time and had a drug debt. He was undeniably stupid and found himself in this situation entirely of his own making, said Mr Fleming, who also described Stokes as wilfully naive. Counsel said Stokes is married with two children and worked full time in ground works. He has employment guaranteed for the next year and is the breadwinner for his young family, counsel added. The court heard Stokes has no previous record other than the earlier money-laundering of 3,000 and has not been trouble with gardai since this incident. Stokes certainly acted in a reckless way, said Judge Nolan, taking into account all the mitigating factors in the case before adjourning the matter until June 15 for finalisation. Burkes assets could now be seized to pay mounting bills A judge has ruled Wilsons Hospital School can take steps to enforce fines totalling 23,800 against sacked schoolteacher Enoch Burke for defying a court order to stay away from its premises. Mr Justice Brian OMoore made the ruling after reviewing the matter. Last January, the judge imposed fines of 700-a-day on Mr Burke for as long as he remains in contempt of court. His ruling means that the school can now take measures to enforce the fines, such as applying for the sequestration of the teachers assets. This would involve the seizure of assets and their sale to pay the fines. In the ruling, Mr Justice OMoore also hit out at the teacher for the manner in which he has conducted himself during the proceedings. The judge said Mr Burke had claimed that he had at all times conducted himself in a proper manner. This self-praise beggars belief, the judge said. There is much that could be said about Mr Burke's behaviour, but it may be sufficient to observe that a person who has refused, on utterly spurious grounds, to comply with a court order for some six months has not behaved properly. However, the judge said the baseless traducing by Mr Burke of at least three other judges should also be noted, as well as his conduct in disrupting two sittings of the High Courts chancery on February 10 and 13. On both occasions, Mr Justice OMoore directed the teacher be removed from the courtroom by gardai. The school secured orders against Mr Burke last August and September after he continued to show up to work at its premises in Multyfarnham, Co Westmeath despite being suspended pending the outcome of a disciplinary process. The paid administrative leave came after Mr Burke, an evangelical Christian, refused on religious grounds to comply with a request from the schools then principal to call a transgender child by a new name and by they/them pronouns, clashing on a number of occasions with school management over the issue. One of those orders, made by Mr Justice Max Barrett, remains in force. Mr Burke refused to comply with the order, resulting in his imprisonment for 108 days last year for contempt. He was released just before Christmas, despite not purging his contempt, and renewed his daily visits to the school when it reopened in January. He was sacked from his job later that month and is currently appealing the decision. Mr Justice OMoore said he had come to the view there were two possible reasons for Mr Burke's continuing contempt. One is that the fine is too low. The other is that he does not really believe that the fines will ever be enforced, the judge said. Mr Justice OMoore said the orders Mr Burke objected to had been found to be lawful by both the High Court and the Court of Appeal. He said that taking a proportionate approach, the correct option was not to increase the daily fine, at least at this stage, but to crystallise the sums due as of March 1 and permit the school to take the appropriate steps to enforce the fines. Total fines to that date amounted to 23,800. There are clear and obvious steps which can be taken, including the sequestration of Mr Burke's assets, the judge said. He said that an earlier application for sequestration was refused but the sequestration of Mr Burke's assets in order to enable collection of his fines was a different proposition. The judge said the school would be at large to take what steps it wishes to enforce the fines from 4pm on March 23. Mr Burke will be at risk of such measures for as long as it takes for the fines to be paid. Needless to say, the daily fine of 700 euro will continue to run until the relevant order of Mr Justice Barrett is materially varied or set aside or until Mr Burke purges his contempt, Mr Justice OMoore said. The judge said he would review the situation in relation to fines from March 2 onwards at a later stage. In the same ruling, Mr Justice OMoore awarded the school its legal costs against Mr Burke following a failed application by the teacher to stay the proceedings and a successful contempt application brought by the school. The former Israeli soldier turned pro-Palestine activist was previously persecuted by Israeli intelligence agents, the court heard Hlinovsky pushed a young woman to the ground when she was face-timing her mother, in the mistaken belief that she was filming him Getty Images A former Israeli soldier turned pro-Palestine activist, who was persecuted by Mossad, attacked two people he mistakenly believed posed a threat to him, a Dublin court has heard. Shahar Hlinovsky (53) had developed paranoid psychosis and was living rough in Dublin when he attacked two people in separate incidents in the false belief that they were working with Mossad, the Israeli national intelligence agency, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard on Tuesday. In the first incident, Hlinovsky started shouting at a man in the street before revealing he had a butcher's knife on his hip. He approached the man in an aggressive manner, causing the man to call gardai and retreat to a safe distance, the court heard. When searched by gardai, Hlinovsky was found to have two knives in his possession, Garda Joseph Bell told Fiona McGowan BL, prosecuting. In the second incident, Hlinovsky pushed a young woman to the ground when she was face-timing her mother, in the mistaken belief that she was filming him, Garda Liam Byrne told the court. This woman had just arrived from Germany and was calling her mother to tell her she had arrived safely in the country, the court heard. Hlinovsky pushed the woman to the ground, causing her nail to partially rip off. She suffered a graze to her face in the assault. Hlinovsky, of no fixed abode in the Sandyford area of Dublin, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to the woman at Burton Hall Road, Sandyford, Co Dublin on August 3, 2022. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing knives and one count of assault at Ballymun Road, Dublin on January 15, 2022. Anne Fitzgibbon BL, defending, told the court her client was a Jewish man from Israel who served in the Israeli army and police force, before he became a pro-Palestine political activist. She said Hlinovsky's activity caused him to be persecuted by Mossad, who she said holds particular vitriol for Israeli Jews who cross the Rubicon. Defence counsel said this persecution caused Hlinovsky to develop paranoid psychosis. She said that after he was taken into custody, he went on hunger strike for four months to highlight the plight of Palestinians. During this time, he lost over a stone, the court heard. Ms Fitzgibbon said Hlinovsky is now on anti-psychotic medication and has stabilised. He has a place in a supported homeless hostel with a support worker to help him upon his release from custody. Sentencing him on Tuesday, Judge Martin Nolan said Hlinovsky had a troubled background and had encountered psychological problems as a result. Hopefully he can overcome these psychological problems and hopefully not get into trouble in the future, the judge said. He handed down a three-year sentence but suspended the final two years on a number of conditions and backdated the sentence to when Hlinovsky went into custody last August. He ordered him to remain under the supervision of the Probation Service for one year post-release. The judge told Hlinovsky this effectively means he will not spend much longer in custody. Christopher Coakley (32), who has more than 130 convictions for offences including armed robbery, is a cousin of Derek Coakley Hutch Christopher Coakley (left), pictured here with Derek Hutch who was shot dead by the Kinahan cartel near Wheatfield Prison in 2018 A cousin of the Hutch clan who posed with Kinahan cartel thugs behind bars pleaded guilty this week to stabbing a doctor during a robbery. Christopher Coakley (32), who has more than 130 convictions for offences including armed robbery, is a cousin of Derek Coakley Hutch, who was murdered by the cartel near Wheatfield Prison in 2018. Coakley angered the Hutch family after he was recorded singing along to Sorry by Joel Corry with four other inmates linked to the Kinahan cartel as they partied in a cell in Mountjoy Prison four years ago. Coakley is a drug addict and serial offender who started using heroin when he was just 13. He spent time in juvenile detention centres in his teens and went on to spend significant amounts of his adult life behind bars. Coakley stabbed an innocent doctor in a robbery at Seville Place in Dublins north inner city on January 28 last year. The doctor had been on a scooter and was carrying a backpack when Coakley targeted him and stabbed him with scissors. The doctor was hospitalised after suffering serious injuries to his neck, arms and chest in the horrific attack. Coakley was later arrested and was initially charged with attempted murder as well as other offences in relation to the attack. However, he appeared before Dublin Circuit Court on Wednesday where he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of assault causing serious harm under Section 4 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act. The case was adjourned to June 7 for sentencing. Coakley was attacked by Hutch associates in 2020 shortly after being released from prison as a result of his links to the Kinahan cartel. He was attacked again in a separate incident in 2021 and suffered a broken jaw and broken arm after being accused of stealing a boys bicycle. Coakley had been on a crime spree in the north inner city in the days leading up to that. He is currently serving an eight-year sentence for robbery and attempted robbery. Coakley previously served a six-year term for an armed robbery imposed in December 2015, and a three-year term for a hijacking in 2012 imposed in July 2015. That case heard that he hijacked the car of a woman with her child on the back seat. He carried out the December 2015 robbery with his cousin Derek Coakley-Hutch. Their sentencing hearing was told the pair got in under the shutters of the Spar on Stiles Road in Clontarf before they floored the manager and dragged her down the aisles, demanding the shop keys from her. The alarm was going off and they pointed an imitation gun to the womans head to force her to give them the code. She instructed the men how to turn off the alarm but when they were unsuccessful, she was held by the neck. The woman was continually held by the neck and dragged as the robbers demanded that she get them the safe. In another incident, Coakley hijacked a nurses car during a drug-induced psychosis in the early hours of the morning near Temple Street Hospital and then reversed the car like a mad man with no lights on in April 2015. The court heard that a breakthrough in encryption-cracking technology led gardai to Glynn via recovered phone messages A trusted manager for the Kinahan cartel who oversaw the "industrial scale" storage of drugs worth 1.4m and the distribution of ammunition has today been jailed for eight years by the Special Criminal Court. In passing sentence, Mr Justice Tony Hunt said the case of Douglas "Oscar" Glynn was a good example of how higher level members of the criminal organisation use "coal-face" operatives as "cannon fodder". Mr Justice Hunt said society was now "entitled to a long period of silence from Mr Glynn", who is already serving a 6.5-year jail sentence imposed by the same court for his involvement in a foiled Kinahan Cartel plot to murder James 'Mago' Gately. On that occasion, the court heard how Glynn used the moniker "Oscar" during his involvement in the failed murder bid. The court heard that a breakthrough in encryption-cracking technology led gardai to Glynn via recovered phone messages that revealed how gang members panicked about the size of boxes used in the operation and how they used code words such as a 'slate of pollen' for cannabis resin, 'tools' for firearms, 'seeds' for ammunition and 'candy', which referred to 108k in cash. Mr Justice Hunt said Glynn had been a "trusted manager" over a significant period for a "high-level criminal organisation" and was responsible for the "day-to-day running of the warehouse". Read more Top Kinahan Cartel manager jailed after garda crack encryption technology Kinahan cartel gangster Douglas Glynn jailed for role in James 'Mago' Gately murder plot The judge said the court was satisfied that Glynn received instructions from those further up in the organisation and passed them on while also providing "considerable input in the movement of stock". Mr Justice Hunt said Glynn was involved in the "industrial scale" storage of drugs and of the distribution of ammunition to "protect profits" made by the organisation. The judge said Glynn had been a "supervisor" and "frequent and significant contributor" in the operation until it was halted by gardai. The judge said the case was a good example of those higher up in the organisation being able to insulate themselves by using "lower and mid-level coal-face" operatives who are "regarded as dispensable cannon fodder". Glynn (38) last of Fitzgibbon Court, Dublin 1, pleaded guilty last week at the three judge court to conspiracy to commit a serious offence, namely the possession of 335 rounds of ammunition, contrary to Section 71 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2006. James 'Mago' Gately Father-of-three Glynn pleaded guilty to conspiring with his brother Anthony along with Emmet Fogarty and persons unknown to commit a serious offence, namely the possession of 199 rounds of .44 Remington Magnum calibre ammunition, 76 rounds of .357 Magnum calibre ammunition, 38 rounds of .45 ACP calibre ammunition and 22 rounds of .22 LR calibre ammunition in such circumstances as to give rise to a reasonable inference that the said ammunition was not required for a lawful purpose. The offence relates to dates between January 25, 2017, and April 12, 2017, both dates inclusive and within the State. On February 20 last, Glynn pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court to conspiracy to possess cocaine and cannabis with a value over 13K for the purposes of sale or supply at a location within the State between January 25, 2014, and April 4, 2017. Glynn is serving a 6.5-year jail sentence imposed in February 2022 for his involvement in the foiled plot to murder Gately, during which he placed a tracker device on the rival Hutch member's car. Today, Mr Justice Hunt fixed a headline sentence of 12 years for the drugs conspiracy charge but discounted 25% of that for his early guilty plea. In light of a positive governor's report and to encourage rehabilitation, he said the final year of the sentence would be suspended for four years during which time Glynn would be under supervision of the probation service. Mr Justice Hunt also sentenced Glynn to four years' imprisonment on the ammunition conspiracy charge to run concurrently with the drugs charge with no portion suspended. The sentences are to run from February 20 last, when Glynn entered his first plea. "Society is entitled to a long period of silence from Mr Glynn," said Mr Justice Hunt. The judge added that Glynn was facing the consequences of his involvement "through free choice" with "a dangerous and destructive criminal organisation". Mr Justice Hunt said Glynn was a director on the frontline and conduit for communications for the gang about whom he was "fully equipped" in terms of knowledge of their operation and intent. The court heard Jordan OBrien shouted profanities at gardai who were trying to maintain order at an anti-lockdown protest. Jordan OBrien was fined 250 for the public order offence An anti-lockdown protester arrested for screaming profanities and aggressive behaviour to gardai was in Covid denial at the time and had since got vaccinated, a court has heard. Father-of-one Jordan OBrien (25) was addicted to drink and drugs and in a bad period of his life when he was arrested in the Dublin city centre disturbance. Judge Bryan Smyth fined him 250 when he admitted a public order offence arising from the incident. OBrien, of Hazelwood, Bray, Co Wicklow, pleaded guilty to threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour. Dublin District Court heard an anti-lockdown protest was taking place on Grafton Street on October 22, 2020, when OBrien shouted profanities at gardai who were trying to maintain order. He also aggressively pushed past gardai in an attempt to flee the area and was arrested. OBrien had previous convictions for offences including possession of drugs, the court heard. When the incident happened, OBrien was addicted to drink and drugs and going through a very tough time, his lawyer said. He had since been through an intensive rehab programme and was clean and in full-time employment. At the time there was an element of Covid denial for the accused, who had since been vaccinated, his lawyer said. It was a bad period of his life and he had now changed his life around. OBrien also apologised for his behaviour and asked for leniency. The trio, all from Dublin, are alleged to have recorded the incident on mobile phones, a court heard Three men are to go on trial accused of the gang rape of a woman in a Belfast hotel room after the last of them denied the offences today. The trio, all from Dublin, are alleged to have recorded the incident on mobile phones, a court heard. Appearing at Craigavon Crown Court by videolink, 20-year-old Conor Lawlor entered not guilty pleas to each of the three charges against him. Lawlor, of Bannow Road is accused of rape, sexual assault and sexual assault by penetration arising from an incident at the Balmoral Hotel on April 2, last year. His two co-accused Jake OSullivan (18), from Barnamore Grove and Cameron Kynes (18), from St Jarlath Road, have already been arraigned to deny three similar charges. At a previous hearing, Detective Constable McAnulty outlined how the trio were arrested shortly after the night porter at the Balmoral Hotel made a 999 call just after 3am on April 2 when the complainant alleged she had been raped. He said that according to the complainant, she had met the defendants in a bar in Belfast and liked one of them so went back to his hotel but then she passed out and awoke to find them pulling her dress off. The court also heard allegations the defendants had been recording the incident on mobile phones with police in possession of some of that footage. He told the court the womans alleged ordeal came to an end when she was able to run out of the room and down to reception to alert the night porter. All three were arrested and interviewed but refused to answer police questions. In court today, prosecuting counsel Nicola Auret confirmed that arrangements had been made for senior defence barristers to have a controlled viewing of the recorded footage ahead of the trial which Judge Patrick Lynch KC scheduled to start on May 2. The young girl woke up to see the man in her bed, wearing only underwear. A man with an Irish accent has been accused of assaulting a 9-year-old girl in her bed after he broke into her home. Paddy Patrick Purcell (32) entered the flat in the US state of Pennsylvania in the early hours of last Sunday morning. He broke into the bedroom of a 9-year-old girl and got into bed beside her as she slept. She woke up to find the stranger in her bed wearing only his underwear, before she ran out of the room to alert her father. He discovered Purcell sitting on his daughters bed wrapped in blanket and called the police. The man described as a 250lb white male with red hair and an Irish accent in police reports fled the scene. Purcell, who lives in a neighbouring apartment, was arrested following a search of the area. The young girl later told police that Purcell had touched her inappropriately during the incident. He has since been charged with burglary, criminal trespass and the indecent assault of a child under 13 years old and has been remanded in custody at Bucks County Correctional Facility in lieu of 10$ of $1,000,000 bail. The Supreme Court of Justice of Moldova has extended the ruling banning former Moldovan President Igor Dodon from leaving the country. Prosecutor Petru Iarmaliuc told reporters that "the measure of restraint is necessary because Igor Dodon may leave the country and not come back." The court made such decision on Thursday, granting a request of prosecutors. The former Moldovan president, for his part, said that the decision is abuse committed against him and it was unjustified. "The decision is unlawful. I have repeatedly said that I have no intention to flee the country. I believe that's what Maia Sandu, judges and prosecutors would want. But I won't do that. I will stay here and continue fighting," Dodon said. The Supreme Court of Justice of Moldova earlier allowed Dodon, who is under travel restrictions, to go to Romania from January 28 to February 5 to accompany his son. The Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office accused the doctors of improper issuance of documents and filed a lawsuit seeking Dodon's return and his house arrest. The ex-president later said he was not going to avoid the justice system and give his political opponents an opportunity to speculate on this matter. He decided not to go abroad for that reason. Dodon was detained on May 24, 2022. He was charged with four counts of crime: passive corruption, receipt of financing by a political party from a criminal organization, illegal enrichment, and high treason. He was put under house arrest since May 26. On November 18, 2022, the x-president was released from under house arrest by the Supreme Court of Justice. The court then banned him from leaving Moldova. Edin Gacanin was described as "one of the worlds most prolific drug traffickers in the announcement by the US Treasury. Edin Gacanin, the boss of the 'Tito and Dino' cartel One of the leaders of Europes super-cartel was last night formally placed on a sanctions list by the US government who cited his ties to the Kinahan Cartel. Edin Gacanin was described as "one of the worlds most prolific drug traffickers in the announcement by the US Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Bosnian mob boss Gacanin is the head of a Bosnian-Dutch gang known as the Tito and Dino cartel who are involved in smuggling cocaine from South America into Europe. He is a close ally of Daniel Kinahan and was a guest at the Irish Mafia chiefs wedding in Dubai in 2017. The two traffickers are both key figures in Europes super-cartel a grouping of criminals who control a large part of the cocaine trade across the continent. The sanctions placed on Gacanin by OFAC mean he will now be placed on a US blacklist and will not be able to do any business in the US or with American firms. Last year, the leaders of the Kinahan Cartel were added to the sanctions list and a $5 million reward for information that would lead to convictions.. In a statement, the US government last night cited Gacanins ties to the Kinahan Organized Crime Group. "Edin Gacanin (Gacanin) is one of the worlds most prolific drug traffickers. A native of Sarajevo, Gacanin is the leader of the Tito and Dino Cartel, which includes his family members and his friends from BiH (Bosnia and Herzegovina). "In addition to narcotics trafficking efforts across multiple countries, Gacanins cartel is involved in money laundering and is closely linked to the Kinahan Organized Crime Group, a Transnational Criminal Organization previously designated by OFAC pursuant to E.O. 13581, as amended by E.O. 13863, for its role as a significant transnational criminal organization. Daniel Kinahan It adds: OFAC today is designating Gacanin pursuant to E.O. 14059 for having engaged in, or having attempted to engage in, activities or transactions that have materially contributed to, or pose a significant risk of materially contributing to, the international proliferation of illicit drugs or their means of production. Todays sanctions against Gacanin were coordinated closely with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol), and the governments of The Netherlands, France, and Belgium. Edin Gacanin was arrested in Dubai last November as part of an international crack-down on the super-cartel. His arrest was one of 49 in a multi-national police operation announced by Europol against the gang. But just two months after his arrest was hailed by Europol, Gacanin was freed on bail despite attempts by the authorities in The Netherlands to have him extradited. Edin Gacanin, the boss of the 'Tito and Dino' cartel A spokesman for the Dutch Public Prosecution Service denied any mistake were made on their part and the extradition papers were sent on time. A Dutch spokesperson told the news outlet they are working on trying to find out what went wrong with the process but admitted they no longer know where Gacanin since his release on 29 December. "We know the stories about the documents being submitted too late. That is not true. We are working to find out what exactly is the cause." He added: We dont know where the two suspects are now. We have no information about their whereabouts and their possibilities to cross the border, A lawyer for Gacanin told the news website ad.nl he was released according to legal regulations and is still waiting on the extradition process. The super-cartel, in which the Kinahans play a key role, are suspected of importing at least a third of the cocaine that arrives in Europe. Details of Novembers police operation were announced by Europol and took place some weeks earlier involving four EU countries along with the United Arab Emirates and the United States. Among the six arrests in Dubai were two men believed to key members of the Kinahan Cartel, Panamanian citizen Anthony Alfredo Martinez Meza and British national Ryan James Hale. Anthony Alfredo Martinez Meza They are wanted in Spain where police say their group managed to ship 10 tons of cocaine worth 760 million through the country in just two years. Martinez is suspected of being the connection who arranged to get Colombian cocaine shipped into Europe. It is claimed Martinez who used the alias Hassan in encrypted phone messages struck a deal with Daniel Kinahan in 2017 after the arrest of Peruvian drugs lord Ricardo El Rico Riquelme. Other members of the super cartel arrested in Dubai have previously been extradited without a hitch. These include Raffaele Imperiale, now offering to become a Sate witness as he faces serious criminal charges in Italy. Ridouan Taghi Also arrested in Dubai was Ridouan Taghi, now on trial in The Netherlands for ordering murders as the head of a drugs gang. Last year, US Ambassador to Ireland Claire Cronin, said that sanctions levied against the Kinahan Cartel mean that the gang will be held accountable for their actions. Cronin appeared at a press conference in Dublin alongside gardai, Europol, the UK National Crime Agency and US Government officials last April when sanctions against the gang were announced. At the briefing, she also announced the reward for key information leading to the Kinahan gang being dismantled. She told the media that the US Department of State is offering a reward for information "leading to the financial disruption" of the Kinahan transnational group, or the arrest and conviction of its leaders. The three leaders of the gang are named by the authorities as Daniel Kinahan, who runs the day-to-day operations, his father Christy Kinahan Snr who organises property purchases, and Christy Kinahan Jnr who oversees their finances. Two subs found floating in the ocean, one with two dead crew members Spanish authorities remove the ghost sub off the coast of Galicia. 83 million worth of cocaine was laid out in blocks by the Columbian authorities. Authorities are seen beside the advanced looking submarine in the Pacific, which may have been constructed in the jungle. Two narco ghost submarines have been found floating in the ocean off the coasts of Columbia and Spain within the space of 24 hours. One contained almost $90 million worth of cocaine and a couple of dead sailors. The discoveries were made on Sunday and Monday, respectively. In the first incident, the Columbian navy stumbled across the disturbing scene of a 49-foot vessel drifting in the Pacific with two dead narcos on board. Apparently, there was an accident inside the semi-submersible due to the generation of toxic gases from the fuel, said the Columbian Ministry of Defence. Officials estimated there was more than 2.6 tons of cocaine inside the deep sea sub which was removed and later laid out in blocks for the media. 83 million worth of cocaine was laid out in blocks by the Columbian authorities. Columbian officials reckon the navys discovery will keep more than 6 million doses off the market. Two other sailors survived the incident and were found bobbing in the water, who were removed and brought for life saving treatment. A 2016 report of drug submarines found that most were constructed in remote areas in the jungle. The vessels were designed in such a way to be fully submersible and transport on average 10 tonnes of drugs to illegal markets in Central America. Colombias Ministry of Defense said it was committed to cracking down on all narco vessels. The Colombian navy will continue deploying all its capabilities to counter the scourge of drug trafficking structures that commit crimes in the Pacific, they said. Following the weekends find, Spanish authorities came upon a similar scene off the coast of Galicia. Another almost 50ft semi-submersible was spotted sinking in Vilagarcia de Arousa, off the coast of Spain's northern Pontevedra province. Spanish media reported that the authorities struggled opening the hatch to the vessel after they brought it to the surface amidst choppy waters and poor weather conditions. Spanish authorities remove the ghost sub off the coast of Galicia. Salvage efforts included injecting pressurised air into the fibreglass vessel, whose propeller got stuck in the muddy seabed. In footage taken from a helicopter, boats from the authorities can be seen swarming around the submarine. In a statement, the Galician local government said: 'The sub-delegate of the government in Pontevedra, Maica Larriba, flew to the area where the submarine was located. This followed the operations conducted in the port by the Spanish Civil Guard and the National Police. Work by the Maritime Safety and Rescue Society is ongoing in the area.' The bow had been discovered on Monday morning by the crews of fishing boats who had noticed a small oil spill. The Spanish government's representative in the province of Pontevedra, Jose Minones, told reporters that no drugs were found inside the submarine following a preliminary inspection 17-year-old Warren McKeever has been missing from Tallaght since the end of February. Gardai have made an appeal for help in their search for Warren McKeever, a 17-year-old missing from Tallaght since the end of February. The teenager is described as being 5 10 in height and of slim build with short brown hair. He has been missing from the Drumcairn area of Tallaght since Monday 27th February and was last seen wearing a blue jacket. Gardai have issued a renewed appeal asking members of the public to help trace the whereabouts of the teen. A garda spokesperson said: Anyone with information on Warrens whereabouts are asked to contact Tallaght Garda Station on 01 666 6000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station. Public order units on stand-by and considerable resources will be deployed to prevent protest groups causing havoc in the city centre President Michael D Higgins has used his St Patricks Day message to condemn the growing rise of racism, forced migration, modern-day slavery and a poisonous xenophobia. The Presidents remarks, making clear reference to the recent anti-refugee protests around Ireland and elsewhere, come as gardai have also put a robust policing plan in place to prevent far-right protests from disrupting the countrys main parade, in Dublin city centre on Friday. In President Higginss message, offering his warmest greetings and good wishes to our Irish family and friends of Ireland across the world, he speaks of a need for solidarity, empathy and compassion for those forced to migrate or who are fleeing conflict and natural disasters. He also speaks of a shared responsibility to protect our planet and all its inhabitants with dignity and respect as the world struggles with climate change. St Patrick Getty Images With a growing tide of racism and xenophobia here and abroad, he says: We can draw a shared strength from recalling the inspirational teachings from the life of St Patrick, our national patron saint. There are many powerful echoes from Patricks life that resonate with our contemporary circumstances, ones that have brought new forms of slavery into being, where racism is increasing rather than decreasing, in so many parts of a world where a poisonous xenophobia, new and recalled, has taken hold in so many places. It is in these spaces where fear is being sowed. President Michael D Higgins. Photo: Steve Humphreys Mr Higgins says the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria last month that claimed the lives of more than 46,000 people remind us all of our utter vulnerability, and of the shared humanitarian response required at a time of increasing conflicts and a departure from the principles of international and humanitarian law so carefully crafted over decades, as alternatives to war. He urges Irish citizens not to forget the people of Ukraine a year after Russias invasion of their homeland, as well as those caught up in armed conflicts around the world. However, he also thanks the Irish people and others around the world for offering refuge to Ukrainians displaced by the war, and describes as heartening those Irish citizens and schools that have opened their doors to Ukrainian refugees. His comments on the plight of Ukrainians come at a time of growing anti-immigration protests by far-right agitators in Ireland outside facilities providing accommodation for refugees and asylum-seekers. Yet he says the plight of migrants resonated as a constant feature of the Irish experience in which we are required to respond to the ongoing, brutal reality of human trafficking and forced migration as a constant feature of human experience. He also points out how St Patrick was himself a slave who was trafficked across the Irish Sea as a young man, and how his life as a former slave and migrant is a reminder of the resilience and necessary courage of migrants, a reminder, too, of the contributions that they have made and continue to make to the countries they call home. Today, as we recall the life of our patron saint, we can invoke his spirit in acknowledging our role as global citizens, opening our minds and hearts to our universal human family in all its complexity, circumstances and vulnerability, he says. It is by showing empathy, compassion and solidarity, such as by helping those fleeing distress, by offering our hearts and doors to those in need, and giving people an opportunity to build a better life for themselves and their families, that we demonstrate our commitment to bringing into being values which have the power to transcend borders. Basic human morality suggests that we must think in terms of the common good if we are to invoke or follow the path of St Patrick. The Presidents comments come as a robust policing plan is in place for the St Patricks Day Festival in Dublin on Friday, to prevent anti-immigration protesters from disrupting the parade. Public order units will be on stand-by and considerable resources will be deployed to prevent protest groups causing havoc in the city centre. A well-known far-right activist is believed to be behind a planned anti-immigration protest due to take place near the Four Courts tomorrow afternoon but senior sources say they have no information of any specific threat to the parade arising from this event. Gardai say they are not expecting a large crowd at the protest, and in fact report that numbers at anti-immigration protests have been dwindling in recent weeks. There could be a number of reasons for this the bad weather has definitely been a factor in stopping people coming out to protest, said a garda source. In the lead-up to St Patricks Day, the Special Detective Unit and officers in the Security and Intelligence section at Garda HQ have also continued to monitor the online activities of a number of far-right activists involved in anti-immigration protests. The protest will be policed in the way many of these protests have been over the past number of weeks, said a senior source. It will be low-key policing not in any way will it be in-your-face style. People have a right to protest. However, public order units will be on stand-by and in the highly unlikely event that there are attempts to interfere with the parade, people engaging in criminal conduct will be dealt with in a robust manner, added the source. Gardai said very considerable resources had been put in place for tomorrows festivities. However, they had received no tangible feedback that there are plans to cause disruption. Every St Patricks Day, a policing plan is put in place and this year is no different. In terms of risk projection, there is more danger of trouble from youths coming from the suburbs and engaging in anti-social behaviour in the city centre, rather than anything specific from the protest. But theres no room for complacency and, as with every protest, a specific policing plan is in place. The main concern for gardai on the day is for the parade to pass off peacefully and without any interruption. It needs to be stressed that there are no heightened feelings of threat here, added the source. No alcohol will be on sale in pubs or off-licences in parts of Dublin city centre until 4pm, and gardai will be operating a cordon around Temple Bar after the parade to stop overcrowding in the area. Rest days and annual leave has been cancelled for gardai in the Dublin region, with 600 personnel expected to be on duty from 5am throughout St Patricks Day and that night. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend tomorrows parade, which will include a record 4,000 participants and feature 15 marching bands from Ireland, the US and Canada. Assistant Garda Commissioner Angela Willis said there would be a significant policing operation in place, adding that safety was a priority. Weve established a dedicated event control room that will be staffed by all the agencies. That will include the event controller, representatives from the emergency services, Dublin City Council, Civil Defence, stewarding, and the National Transport Authority, she said. Officers from the Store Street, Pearse Street and Kevin Street garda stations will be monitoring events at this control centre, located in the south city, to ensure the parade passes off peacefully. The festival and parade are family-friendly events, so you can expect high-visibility policing, said Assistant Commissioner Willis in her appeal to the public yesterday. We want everyone to have a great time with family and friends, and we will be making safety a priority. No, (I didnt get the call), but did another Meath man get the call? Podcaster Hector OhEoghagain has insisted he has no clue if best pal Tommy Tiernan is poised to become the next host of The Late Late Show. Bombshell news of Ryan Tubridys departure from the long-running RTE chat show at the end of this season broke earlier today, with Montrose bosses confirming his replacement would be announced later in the summer. But speaking to the Sunday World, Hector revealed he didnt get the nod and is still in the dark as to whether his co-host did: The news has just infiltrated west of the Shannon. No, (I didnt get the call), but did another Meath man get the call? Hector Listen, Id hope to be one of the first whod get that news without the country knowing it, but I was with him yesterday having a pint of stout anyway. It wasnt even on the radar, hes just happy where he is at the moment, so we had a pint of stout and we recorded a podcast yesterday with Laurita. Together with Laurita Blewitt, the old school pals from Navan have won a whole new army of fans in recent years thanks to their weekly series, The Hector, Tommy & Laurita Podcast. Comedian Tommy, meanwhile, has been widely praised for his eponymous Saturday night chat show on RTE One, now in its fifth season, which has also seen his thought-provoking interviews of guests including Roy Keane and Brenda Fricker go viral online. Now BoyleSports is offering odds of 6/1 that the 53-year-old could follow in the footsteps of Gay Byrne and Pat Kenny by becoming the fourth presenter of the flagship Friday night programme, behind hot favourite Miriam OCallaghan. I dont know, continues the award-winning TG4 travel presenter of the odds. His chat show has done so much for this country. It shows you that the most interesting people with the most interesting stories, and the most profound stories that will mean something, are the people you dont know - and thats the key to Tommys show. Ive been knocked off the couch with some people that have been on that show, going Oh my god, I couldnt believe that person you had on, what an amazing man, or what an amazing woman. Its not about the people we know in public life; its about the normal Joe Soaps who tell him, Well, this is what I do, this is my story. And when you hear that you realise thats the reason were on this planet. We have to swap stories, whether Im in Africa with the tribes or Im travelling through the Philippines or the jungles of Indonesia, I like sitting with ordinary people and hearing their stories - because ordinary people make the world go round. But Gaeilgeoir dad-of-two Hector jokes theres one person he wouldnt want to shoot the breeze with on live TV: I wouldnt go on (Tommys) show. Theres no point in me going on - what would I do? Wed just hug each other and start laughing. I see enough of him! TAKING ACTION With Nicole McKee ACT Party MP Gang membership has steadily risen during the last five years at a rate faster than recruitment of our valued New Zealand Police force. Since 2017 gang numbers across the country have increased by around 3500. Meanwhile our communities still await the 1800 new Police first promised in 2017 to be in place by election 2020 and each year since. The reality is Labour will struggle to have those promised Police numbers in place to look after your community by election 2023. Those living in the Bay of Plenty have had more than their fair share of the nations crime wave with ram raids, drive-by shootings, theft and unsolicited random violence occurring in the towns and streets of provincial NZ. Statistics I received from the Minister of Police show the BOP has the most gang members in the country. The soft approach on crime taken by Labour and New Zealand First Governments since 2017 has created a storm of acceptable bad behaviours where consequence has been abandoned at the expense of deterrence. No wonder the gangs grow faster than the Police. ACT says it is time to bring back the deterrence and consequences. Young men and women need to see there are other ways of prospecting your life and that life will indeed become difficult for them if they join a gang and commit crime. ACT has a law and order policy where we will reinstate the Three Strikes legislation for those repetitive serious violent criminals and where we will introduce rehabilitative initiatives to promote civil behaviour and give hope and aspiration to those leaving incarceration. Deterrence, consequence and rehabilitation is the key. Bay of Plenty Do you want the opportunity to work on one of the busiest ports in New Zealand? Then read on! We have an exciting role for... View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz The Education Minister was booed and told to do her job by striking teachers an awkward position for the former principal and NZEI union board member, who spent years on the side of teachers during times of protest. Jan Tinetti acknowledged it was probably pretty tough fronting up to the protest on Thursday, but it's something that I was absolutely determined to do because our teachers matter. Teachers across the country called for better pay to meet the rising cost of living, as well as more support and resources in schools. She stood in front of about 1500 teachers striking at Parliament, who had walked off the job after rejecting the governments latest offers to the NZEI and PPTA unions. Tinetti was flanked by about a dozen stern-looking Labour MPs including Angela Roberts, the former president of the union PPTA and past-secondary teacher, while Wellington Paranormal star and early childhood teacher Karen OLeary cracked jokes and hyped up the sizeable crowd. It's a hard position to be in, because I have been where you are, Tinetti said. I know that we can do better, and I am committed to doing this. The crowd became riled up as she talked of her own experience in education. I know that the last couple of years have been absolutely horrific across the country, but particularly tough for you in the classrooms across this country, she said. I know that we have to do better, and I commit to you that we will do better. The crowd was chanting, walk the talk as she promised this. MC Karen OLeary gives the education minister a hug after she delivered her speech through booing and chants.Photo: Monique Ford/Stuff. The crowd and Tinetti both became louder as she rounded off her speech, telling teachers she valued and heard them before booing ensued. After the speech she was met with a hug from OLeary, before the do your job chant started back up. OLeary then thanked Tinetti and the government people that were with her. Thats pretty cool, OLeary said. Asked if it was confronting to have teachers tell her to do her job, Tinetti said it was a different situation to be in because I have always been on the other side of this. But I also think it gives me a bit of empathy and understanding and I think it does help me do my job better. Seeing I've been in the job as minister for education for about seven weeks, from that point of view, yes, it was probably pretty tough fronting up there today, but it's something that I was absolutely determined to do because our teachers matter. Education Minister Jan Tinetti heading into Parliament. Photo: Robert Kitchin/Stuff. I totally understand where they're coming from. I've been there. I also understand the issues that they're bringing to this today. So I am not offended by that. I feel like I can walk the talk really well and hearing that today that just gives me a bit of strength to be able to do that as well. She said it was something that was keeping her awake at the moment. National deputy leader Nicola Willis and education spokesperson Erica Stanford made a brief appearance at the protest, but did not address the crowd. I wasn't invited to speak, I was there to listen, Willis said. I would say to them that the work they do has the power to shape not only the lives of individuals, but actually the future of our country, Willis said. MC Karen OLeary leads chants to striking teachers outside Parliament. Juan Zarama/Stuff It is critically important to us, and they are valued, that if National was elected to meet the next government we will increase their pay with each settlement. But we will also work to cut through some of the bureaucracy to ensure they have more practical support in the classroom. Tinetti had been Associate Education Minister since the end of 2020, but took the title of Education Minister in Prime Minister Chris Hipkins reshuffle earlier this year. Anna Whyte/Stuff Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller has released a statement on Friday morning saying he will not be contesting the next General Election in October. "When I entered parliament in 2014, I was determined to bring the best of myself to this special place. In the subsequent nine years I have tried to give my absolute all for my community and my country," says Muller. "In all jobs there comes a time when, if you are honest, you start lacking the enthusiasm and energy you once had. "After much reflection and discussion with those close to me and who know me best I have realised I have reached that point. I will not contest the next election. I cannot recommit to giving the National Party nor my BOP community another full three-year term." Todd Muller's full statement acknowledges the support of his family and electorate, and the journey he has been on since entering politics. "I can't deny this is a hard decision. Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis have completely reset the caucus and I firmly believe they will provide tremendous leadership at a time of great challenges for our country come October. Their support for me personally and professionally has been unequivocal and I wish to thank them for their genuine values-based leadership," says Muller. Nationals Leader Christopher Luxon has issued a statement thanking Muller for his service. "Todd Muller has been a deep-thinking and hard-working member of Nationals team in Parliament and I thank him for his service to the party, the public and the people of the Bay of Plenty," says Luxon. Politics requires an enormous commitment to do the job well and I respect Todds decision to call time and retire from Parliament at the upcoming election. Every politician needs a team behind them and I thank Todds family, current and former staff, and party members in his electorate for their support of him," says Luxon. Luxon says Muller gives 110 per cent of himself to whatever he does. "I wish him and his family all the very best for the future." The National Party leader has announced that Todd McClay will become Nationals Agriculture spokesperson, bringing together the Agriculture and Trade portfolios under one spokesperson. "Todd will lead Nationals strong agriculture team of MPs and candidates, including Nicola Grigg, Joseph Mooney, Suze Redmayne, and Miles Anderson," says Luxon. Agriculture does much of the heavy lifting in our economy creating jobs, lifting incomes and feeding people all over the world. National will campaign up and down the country to stop Labours war on farmers. Simon Watts will take on the Climate Change portfolio in addition to his current responsibilities of Local Government and Regional Development. National is deeply committed to New Zealand reaching the greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets that it signed up to in the Paris Accords and achieving net-zero by 2050." Luxon says Joseph Mooney will take on the Tourism portfolio which is currently held by Todd McClay and Chris Penk will become Nationals Cyclone Recovery spokesperson. Full statement from Todd Muller: Since I was a young boy I wished to be an MP. When I entered parliament in 2014, I was determined to bring the best of myself to this special place. In the subsequent nine years I have tried to give my absolute all for my community and my country. In all jobs there comes a time when, if you are honest, you start lacking the enthusiasm and energy you once had. After much reflection and discussion with those close to me and who know me best I have realised I have reached that point. I will not contest the next election. I cannot recommit to giving the National Party nor my BOP community another full three-year term. The upcoming election is the right time for me to step down, to pursue new challenges and allow a new National candidate with fire in their belly to take on the role of MP for the Bay of Plenty seat. I can't deny this is a hard decision. Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis have completely reset the caucus and I firmly believe they will provide tremendous leadership at a time of great challenges for our country come October. Their support for me personally and professionally has been unequivocal and I wish to thank them for their genuine values-based leadership. My journey in politics has been a stimulating, challenging and at times difficult ride. However, I am thankful for it all. I am a changed person through my parliamentary experience, and I hope adversity has broadened my understanding and care for the many forms of exasperation and inspiration that exist in our community. The times of most satisfaction were the quiet words to help locals navigate the often bewildering public service, successfully advocating for greater infrastructure and services for Tauranga and the Agriculture and Climate Change portfolios - the two underpinning pillars of our current and future society. I love my community and I love this country. It has been an absolute privilege to have been elected three times by the people of the Bay of Plenty electorate to serve them. I want to express my deep gratitude to my incredibly loyal party members in the Bay of Plenty electorate. Your support and care for me and my family has been incredible. What a ride we have been on with you all. To my staff (present and past) in Wellington and Papamoa, thank you for all your hard work and care for our constituents. I couldnt have done it without you. Finally, to my family, thank you for your patience and support as Ive served our community, often at the expense of time with you. You are my rocks and I love you very much. Its twice made a scene on Mauao, its made headlines in Tauranga City Council reports, and now its cost ratepayers $11,000 to be salvaged by a helicopter. That's equivalent to about a years rates for three properties. The perpetrator was a bright orange dumper a four wheel, self-drive machine for carrying bulk materials. Was it jinxed, was it all human error, or was it both? Either way it was expensive. Earlier this month, a council team was at work on Mauao, using the hired dumper to replace displaced rocks after Cyclone Gabrielle. Shortly after midday, the dumper rolled off a track, down the slope, and came to rest upended in an inaccessible spot on the rocks. There was an added hazard the sea was lapping at its front wheels. If left, the $67,000 dumper would have been swallowed by an incoming tide. Some decisions had to be taken quickly. Barbara Dempsey, general manager of community services says council took the most environmentally friendly, safest and cost effective option available. And that option involved a chopper for salvaging the dumper and a bill to the city for $11,000. Was it a machine fault or an operator fault? It remains to be seen. Its under investigation. Its also unclear whether the dumper is repairable, or whether it can be used again. The good news, Barbara says, no staff were hurt". This dumper loves trouble. Six months ago, the same orange dumper made headlines in a Tauranga City Council health and safety report after another mishap. Runaway dumpster on Mauao, shouted the headline. Dumper or dumpster it seems both are applicable. Six months ago, the same dumper ended up in a creek after rolling down a slope on Mauao. Photo: Tauranga City Council. Either way, the dumper had rolled about three to four metres and ended up in a creek. This was clearly operator fault - the brake had not been fully engaged. This recovery involved nothing more than a bit of brawn apparently. But orange dumpers antics did filter through to a council strategy, finance and risk committee meeting. Weve worked really closely with one of our contractors and recognising the importance of having competent operators operating those heavy machinery, says health safety and wellbeing team leader Darren West. Mauao means caught by the sun, but orange dumper was just about caught by the tide. The Russian authorities have committed a wide range of violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law in various regions of Ukraine, many of which constitute war crimes, according to a new report by the UN Independent International Commission to Investigate Violations in Ukraine. As noted in the report quoted at a press conference on Thursday, war crimes include attacks on civilians and energy infrastructure facilities, premeditated killings, illegal imprisonment, torture, rape and other types of sexual violence, as well as illegal displacement and deportation of children. The Commission's evidence shows that in the areas taken under its control, the Russian authorities committed deliberate killings of civilians or persons not participating in hostilities, which is a war crime and a violation of the right to life, the UN said. In addition, Russians have carried out attacks with explosive weapons in populated areas, which is one of the main causes of civilian casualties. The Commission was amazed by the scale of the destruction it saw during its trips, the UN stressed. It is also noted that the waves of attacks by the Russian Federation on the energy infrastructure of Ukraine from October 10, 2022 can be equated to crimes against humanity. The Commission recommends that all violations and crimes be investigated and those responsible brought to justice at both the national and international levels. It calls for a comprehensive approach to accountability, which includes both criminal liability and the right of victims to establish the truth, reparations. To prepare the report, the Commission visited 56 localities and asked for 348 women and 247 men. The Commission's investigators inspected the places of destruction, burials, places of detention and torture, as well as the remains of weapons, having familiarized themselves with a large number of documents and reports. Press Release March 15, 2023 CO-SPONSORSHIP SPEECH (House Concurrent Resolution No. 9) Mr. President, it is with great pride that I rise this afternoon and co-sponsor House Concurrent Resolution No. 9, granting consent to Mr. Delfin N. Lorenzana, Bases Conversion Development Authority Chairman and Former Secretary of the Department of National Defense, and Mr. Gamaliel Asis Cordoba, Chairman of the Commission on Audit, and Former Commissioner of the National Telecommunications Commission, to receive the awards to be conferred on them by the government of Japan for their contributions to Philippine-Japan Relations. Established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji, the Order of the Rising Sun was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese Government. What does the Order of the Rising Sun recognize? To put it quite simply, it recognizes notable figures who have made a significant contribution to strengthening relations with Japan. We here in the Philippines are indebted to former Secretary Lorenzana for taking the lead in matters of defending our territory as well as for ensuring our disaster preparedness. But the limits of our territory, Mr. President, never limited Secretary Lorenzana in the performance of his duty. Strengthening our ties with Japan, he was always in full agreement with the Japanese government, in emphasizing that we should maintain a "free and open Indo-Pacific." As for former Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba, it was under his leadership of the NTC that we were able to enter into a Japan-Philippines ICT Comprehensive Cooperation Package. The promise of this package is for Japan to offer further support so that we can continue to develop our ICT infrastructure. Mr. President, all of us here in these halls understand the indispensable role of equitable partnerships, if we are indeed to do our jobs well. Tayong mga Senador, we need to establish ties with agencies and organizations in order to craft legislation that best address the needs of Filipinos. We are grateful to have people we can look up to, people like Secretary Lorenzana and Commissioner Cordoba, who show us what it means to take partnership and cooperation to greater heights. No longer among individual persons, or among agencies or offices, but between and among nations - desiring only the best for their people. While the rules of diplomacy tell us that we are granting them permission to receive these awards, I feel that it is the entire Filipino nation that is reaping the benefits. When Filipinos are recognized for strengthening our ties with our neighboring countries, it becomes one of those many, many moments when we can all say: ang sarap maging Pilipino. It is not only more fun, but also full of more genuine partnerships, here in the Philippines. Maraming salamat po, Mr. President. The G7 Ambassadors call on the High Council of Justice to appoint 16 members of the High Qualification Commission of Judges promptly and through a transparent procedure. G7 Ambassadors commend the progress achieved by the Selection Commission of High Qualification Commission of Judges, the pool of candidates being narrowed down to 32. We encourage HCJ news to timely appoint 16 members through a transparent procedure to make the HQCJ operational, Twitter account of the Japanese Presidency of the G7 Ambassadors Support Group in Kyiv reported. Current Print Subscribers will be prompted to either login to their current site user account or to create a new one. A confirmation email will be sent when a new user account is created, which must be confirmed within three days in order to provide uninterrupted online access through your Print Subscription. Once the email address is confirmed please provide your Account Number to activate your Print Subscription Service. Egypt calls for the immediate cessation of military operations in Sudan and the prioritisation of dialogue, according to a statement released by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday. OPA 90 Forum elects new board and to present at CMA Shipping 2023 The OPA90 Forum will host a response conference session during the annual CMA Shipping Conference. The OPA 90 Forum, whose mission is to provide a forum for those concerned with OPA 90 preparedness, prevention and response, with the goal of reducing the number and severity of incidents and increasing the effectiveness of response has concluded its Annual General Meeting along with the election of Board members and Officers. The new leadership team is comprised of: Doug Martin, Chair, President of SMIT Salvage Americas, LLC Mike Gallagher, Vice Chair, Senior Managing Director, Witt OBriens Susan Inman, Secretary, Mid Coast Advocate, One Hundred Miles Tim Williamson, Treasurer, Vice President Salvage Operations, Donjon Marine Co., Inc. The Board would like to thank Joe Cox who was the Forums Chairman from its inception. His command of corporate governance, his clear commitment to the environment of the United States and beyond, and his vast experience in the maritime industry, where he was formerly the CEO of the Chamber of Shipping of America brought a structure and discipline that enabled the Forum to tackle several initiatives from the start. These qualities provided the forum with a steady hand at the wheel, clear eye for the future and fueled an unwavering enthusiasm for the mission among the Board and members. New Board Chairman, Doug Martin, said Joes contributions are an inspiration. He and the board and members have created a group dedicated to the protection of the environment, respect for and a constant attention to the goals of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. Im honored to follow in Joes footsteps, and delighted to be surrounded by such an experienced and committed professional community. The vision of the Forum is to preserve and enhance the intent of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90). The enactment of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) culminated a 20-year effort to comprehensively address not only liability arising out of oil pollution in and on the navigable waters of the US, but also to create an effective system to prevent, prepare and respond both to the threat of, and an actual spill. This statute has succeeded in achieving its fundamental purpose - the substantial reduction in oil pollution of US waters and serves as a model for other nations considering how best to protect their waters. The OPA 90 Forum aspires to preserve and enhance the intent of OPA 90 as advancing technology, new industries and importantly years of experience provide information and context. We intend to achieve these common goals through active partnership with individuals, industry, non-profits, and government. The OPA90 Forum will host a response conference session in Stamford, Ct. during the annual CMA Shipping Conference, on March 22. Founded in 2021, membership is open to any entity or individual concerned with preparedness, prevention, and response pursuant to OPA 90. The Taos News delivered to your Taos County address every week for a full year! We offer our lowest mail rates to zip codes in the county. Click Here to See if you Qualify. Plan includes unlimited website access and e-edition print replica online. Your auto pay plan will be conveniently renewed at the end of the subscription period. You may cancel at anytime. Pope Tawadros II, the Pope of Alexandria and head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, led the Easter Mass on Holy Saturday at the Great Hall of the St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in the Abbasiya district of Cairo. PSA: Hackers can steal your username and password for a website using an embedded iframe. It's a weakness for all password managers, and most have addressed the flaw in various ways, including issuing warnings when users are on a login page with an iframe or not trusting subdomains. Bitwarden is the sole exception, having determined in 2018 that the threat was not significant enough to address. Update (March 17): A Bitwarden spokesperson contacted TechSpot to inform us that it is taking measures to mitigate the autofill vulnerability. The company did not explain why it waited five years to address the issue but did say it merged the fix request on GitHub and that the patch would be ready next week. The company said it would make two specific changes. First, if a user enables the autofill on page load setting, Bitwarden will only fill in iframes from trusted domains, such as the same domain as the website or a specific URL the user has proactively added to their item. Second, if the user tries to fill in an untrusted iframe using manual autofill, Bitwarden displays an alert to the URI/URL they are trying to autofill and allows them to either cancel or proceed. So essentially, Bitwarden will implement process breaks and warnings like other password managers. In its support pages regarding "Auto-fill," Bitwarden advises users to turn off their browsers' password autofill functions because they interfere with its password management solution. It also mentions it is a good idea because "experts generally agree that built-in [browser] password managers are more vulnerable than dedicated solutions like Bitwarden," which is generally true. Unfortunately, its password filler might not be much better than your browser's. Security researchers at Flashpoint discovered that Bitwarden's autofill extension handles websites with embedded iframes in an unsafe manner. A basic understanding of iframes is needed to understand this vulnerability. Website developers use the inline frame element, or iframe, to embed part of another webpage into their site. For example, TechSpot uses iframes to embed YouTube videos into its articles. It can also be used to embed web forms. Generally, iframes are safe to use as long as the embedded material from the external website has not been compromised, and this is where managers have a problem. Password extensions autofill credentials on any webpage users have saved their credentials by design. However, the extension will perform this function in an iframe without performing a "Same-origin Policy" check. So if a page has a malicious iframe from a different domain, the manager will unknowingly hand over your credentials for them to be sent to a hacker's server. They can even fill out the login form pre-emptively without user interaction. In Bitwarden's this is a setting called "Auto-fill on page load." Most password managers have checks in place to at least warn users of potential dangers. However, Bitwarden does not prevent or warn that an iframe from a different domain is potentially stealing credentials. It assumes that all iframes on a login page are safe. It said as much in a 2018 security report, but more on that later. Of course, this could only happen if the trusted website is already compromised, right? According to Flashpoint, that's not necessarily true. Obviously, if hackers have gained enough of a foothold to embed an iframe on a legitimate website, users have bigger problems than this weakness on their hands. There is little that any password management extension could do in that scenario. However, some legitimate websites use forms from another domain, embedding them with an iframe. If hackers can compromise the secondary source, they have a proxy for stealing information from the trusted website. Flashpoint admits this is a rare scenario and confirmed that with a spot-check of several sites using iframes on their login pages. However, there is another problem. Bitwarden's default URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) matching is set to "Base domain." So the extension will provide password autofill as long as the top-level and second-level domains match. The problem is that several hosting services allow users to host "arbitrary content" under a subdomain making it relatively easy to spoof a login page. "As an example, should a company have a login page at https://logins.company.tld and allow users to serve content under https://[clientname].company.tld, these users are able to steal credentials from the Bitwarden extensions," said Flashpoint. "In our research, we confirmed that a couple of major websites provide this exact environment. If a user with a Bitwarden browser extension visits a specially crafted page hosted in these web services, an attacker is able to steal the credentials stored for the respective domain." Oddly, when Flashpoint contacted Bitwarden about this weakness to coordinate disclosure, the company pointed out that it has known about it since 2018. "Since Bitwarden does not check each iframe's URL, it is possible for a website to have a malicious iframe embedded, which Bitwarden will autofill with the 'top-level' website credentials," the company's 2018 Security Assessment Report reads. "Unfortunately, there are legitimate cases where websites will include iframe login forms from a separate domain than their 'parent' website's domain. No action is planned at this time." In other words, Bitwarden is aware of the problem but deems the risk acceptable enough not to do anything about it, even if it were as simple as having the extension issue a warning when there is an iframe on a page. Flashpoint found this inexplicable since all of Bitwarden's competitors have some form of mitigation for this exploit. The researchers created a proof of concept using the flaw as an attack vector and a "working exploit" they implemented privately on a "prominent hosting environment." They hope that developers at Bitwarden will change their minds about the issue since nobody had created such exploits in 2018 when the company initially assessed the weakness. Until Bitwarden addresses the vulnerability, you can do a couple of things to mitigate it without switching password managers. First, turn off the extension's "Auto-fill on page load" setting. You will have to trigger the autofill feature manually all the time. However, it gives you some breathing room to inspect the login page without immediately handing your credentials over to an iframe. That is actually good advice for any password manager extension featuring preemptive autofill. Second, use that pause to be sure you are on a trusted domain and that the page is what it seems. Look at the URL to ensure you are on the correct domain or subdomain and that nothing appears suspicious. For instance, something like "login.wellsfargo.com" is probably legit, whereas "credx257.wellsfargo.com" likely isn't. These steps will still not protect you from sites that use compromised external web forms, but Flashpoint noted that those scenarios are rare. It's no reason to give up using a password manager, even Bitwarden. Managers are well-suited to help you keep your credentials straight. It's always better to have tons of solid hard-to-remember passwords unique to every website than to reuse weak ones. TechSpot is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust What just happened? South Korea has said that it will build the world's largest chip center using a $230 billion investment from Samsung Electronics. The facility will comprise five new memory and foundry fabs in a massive hub located in Yongin, a city in the Seoul Capital Area. South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol said the country will "build the world's largest scale system semiconductor cluster in the capital areas using massive private investments worth 300 trillion won." "Speed is important. The government will do its best to realize the cluster project," he added. The plants are due to be completed by 2042. A Samsung spokesperson said some of the plants will be for foundry chipmaking. South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced plans for the mega-facility as part of a project to invest $422 billion by 2026 into six key technology areas: semiconductors, electric vehicle batteries, autonomous vehicles, robots, displays, and biotechnology. $260 billion is being set aside for the semiconductor sector, including the establishment of the world's largest semiconductor megacluster, the development of next-gen core tech, and overseas technical cooperation and export support. Companies will also be offered tax breaks and infrastructure support. South Korea's government will add $19 billion for R&D, $275 billion for chip packaging, and $76 billion for infrastructure as part of the plan. The hub will eventually contain five advanced chip fabrication facilities. There will also be 150 domestic and global fabless companies and advanced chip materials and equipment makers. It's unclear if Samsung's massive investment will impact its US spending, including the $17 billion it is plowing into Texas; Joon said the planned plants "overwhelms Texas in the United States." Samsung is reported to have complained that the Chips Act makes its US plants less lucrative, while South Korea's ministry said the act "could deepen business uncertainties, violate companies' management and technology rights as well as make the United States less attractive as an investment option." The announcement comes as the US continues to tighten restrictions on chip-making-tool exports to China, which has caused the Asian nation's chip imports to crash by 27% in the first two months of 2023. The Netherlands has announced its own export controls to China following negotiations with the United States. Meanwhile, tensions over Taiwan, whose companies account for 50% of the world semiconductor market, continue to rise after a former Trump official said the US would destroy TSMC plants were China to invade Taiwan. The uncertainty has led to more countries boosting investment in their domestic semiconductor industries. What just happened? Google Glass is dead, again. The AR glasses that failed as a consumer product before transitioning into a tool for enterprise use stopped being sold by Google on March 15. The company says it will end support on September 15. The original Google Glass' $1,500 price tag and concerns over privacy implications meant it never caught on with customers after first arriving in 2013. But Google gave it a new lease of life as an enterprise product by 2017, releasing a second-generation model named Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2 a couple of years later. The $999 glasses are powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon XR1 platform and feature a 1.7GHz clock speed, four cores, and an eight-hour battery life. They also come with a bigger display than the predecessor and are more comfortable to wear, making them ideal for businesses that want to use augmented reality, especially as they can withstand the rigors of work environments, according to the company. Google pushed the glasses for medical, agricultural, and factory settings. But the Google Glass Enterprise headsets are no more. 9to5Google spotted a post on the official Glass website that thanks customers for "over a decade of innovation and partnership." It confirms that sales ended on March 15, and support will only continue up until September 15, 2023. While no software updates are planned, "support" in this instance refers to customers receiving replacement devices under the existing programs. The headsets will continue to work after September 15 and developers will still be able to make apps for the device. Google does note, however, that the pre-installed 'Meet on Glass' videoconferencing app that launched less than a year ago could stop working after September 15. Google told The Verge that the company is still deeply committed to AR and that it's "been building AR into many Google products and we'll continue to look at ways to bring new, innovative AR experiences across our product portfolio." So another headset, possibly the next-gen glasses that Google showed off during its I/O developer conference, might still arrive. Augmented reality has yet to become the revolution we were once promised - most of the recent reports in this field are about the Army's problems with its Microsoft Hololens-based headsets. Even Meta, the one-time champion of all things VR and AR, isn't talking about the Metaverse as much as it once did, focusing instead on the new tech trend of adding generative AI to everything. CEO Mark Zuckerberg did, however, recently talk about the mixed reality abilities of the Meta Quest 3, which is expected to launch in late 2023 for a price between $300 and $500. TechSpot is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust In a nutshell: The US government is pressuring ByteDance to sell TikTok over national security concerns. TikTok has offered a $1.5bn security plan to protect user data from Chinese government influence, but the Biden administration demands a change in ownership. Will ByteDance sell or risk losing 100 million US users? The Whitehouse has demanded that TikTok's Chinese owners divest themselves of the company, or it will ban the popular app in the US. The Biden administration has had a contentious relationship with TikTok owner ByteDance for the last few years, having barred the app on government-owned devices over national security concerns. On Wednesday, anonymous insiders told The Wall Street Journal that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, or Cfius (pronounced sif-ee-ous), made the demand recently after criticism that the administration was not taking the threat to national security seriously enough. Divestment would mean that Beijing-based ByteDance would essentially have to sell TikTok to someone outside of China. According to TikTok, worldwide investors own 60 percent of the company. Its founders, Zhang Yiming, ByteDance Chief Executive Liang Rubo, and others, own 20 percent, including most of the voting shares. Employees another 20 percent through stock options. The company claims that forcing the sale would not alleviate the Biden administration's perceived security risks. "If protecting national security is the objective, divestment doesn't solve the problem: a change in ownership would not impose any new restrictions on data flows or access," said TikTok spokeswoman Brooke Oberwetter. Instead, TikTok offers an alternative by pledging $1.5 billion to implement a system to protect US customers' personal information and platform content from Chinese government influence and data collection. "The best way to address concerns about national security is with the transparent, US-based protection of US user data and systems, with robust third-party monitoring, vetting, and verification, which we are already implementing," Oberwetter said. Indeed, Reuters notes that TikTok finished migrating US user data to stateside Oracle servers last June. ByteDance hoped the transfer would satisfy Washington's security concerns, but it appears it hasn't. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled for a grilling in front of Congress next week. The Biden administration and the Treasury Department, which heads Cfius, declined to comment on the alleged divestiture demand. However, the stance taken by US officials has been unequivocal for over two years. Senior US officials, including Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, continue to raise alarms about China's national security legislation. The law mandates that Chinese-owned companies surrender customer data upon request, making Washington worry about potential surveillance by Beijing. The officials argue that even if TikTok implements its promised $1.5 billion security plan, the Chinese-owned company would still be at risk of data breaches and manipulation by the Chinese government. Image credit: Anthony Quintano Google announced that the Google Glass Enterprise Edition, its augmented reality (AR) project, is getting discontinued once again. On top of that, the search giant disclosed that it will be ending its support for smart glasses later this year. With that, the renowned tech firm confirmed that it has already stopped selling the Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2 to developers and businesses. (Photo : NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images) Allyson Cannon, recruitment manager of the National Press Club, tries Google Glass at the National Press Club in Washington on April 4, 2014. Google Glass is a wearable computer with an optical head-mounted display (OHMD) which displays information in a smartphone-like hands-free format. Google Glass Enterprise Edition Discontinued Again According to a news story by The Verge, Google ceased offering its AR glasses to consumers way back in 2015. When it was still available for everyone else Google Glass grappled with two primary concerns from its buyers. First off, some folks raised privacy issues, while others pointed out its hefty price tag. So with that, the tech behemoth decided to pull it out. Despite that, the AR glasses remained available specifically for businesses, as well as developers. In fact, the Glass Enterprise Edition 2 saw the shimmer of the spotlight last 2019, selling for $999, notes The Verge. And since then, we have not heard from Google again regarding its plans for its early augmented reality project. This time, though, the search giant has spoken. Google announced on its website that "we will no longer sell Glass Enterprise Edition" starting March 15. Google Glass Support Ends This September Apart from discontinuing the Glass Enterprise, Google confirmed that its software support is ending this year. (Photo : JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images) A woman wears Google glass as she visits an exhibition dedicated to the work of French artist Niki de Saint Phalle at the Grand Palais in Paris on November 6, 2014. CNBC notes in its report that the support for AR glasses is bidding farewell this September. The tech behemoth says it will "continue supporting Glass Enterprise Edition until September 15, 2023." After that, the firm warned its users on its support page that "the app may stop working at any time." The end of software support does not necessarily mean that these AR devices will stop working come the middle of September. Instead, its users would no longer receive new software updates for their smart glasses. Besides that, Google is also ceasing its repair service. So if you want to have your Glass Enterprise fixed, you might have a difficult time doing so. Read Also: Google AR Glasses: Project Iris to Receive Rings, Bracelets Control for its Upcoming Tech Google's AR Smart Glasses Google kicked off its Glass AR device back in 2013, selling it to developers. The device feeds its users information straight from a transparent screen of the glasses. With that, they no longer have to use their phones, freeing their hands from doing other tasks. And as such, the tech behemoth touted its Glass Enterprise Edition 2, which debuted last 2019, for folks in the medical or agricultural field. The giant firm also pitched the device to those working in factories. While Google retreats its AR glasses offering, Meta continues its rodeo in the AR/VR market. Meanwhile, Apple is reportedly heavily investing in it as well. Related Article: Google is Working on Testing AR Glasses; Glassholes to Come Back? 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The famous tech company, Apple, is among the earliest to debut a voice-centric AI assistant in the smartphone industry with Siri in 2011, and it is now looking to develop ChatGPT-style artificial intelligence for the future. As per reports, this is Apple's bid to join in the AI revolution which is happening now, with the rise of chatbots and language models centering on the startup, OpenAI. It was said that Apple is lagging behind the AI and virtual assistant race, alongside Google and Amazon, as the famous ChatGPT took the world by storm when it was released in the past year. Apple to Develop ChatGPT-style AI to Improve its Technology (Photo : Omid Armin on Unsplash) New York Times' report talked about the different actions and plans of Big Tech companies, including Apple to develop a ChatGPT-style AI to improve its existing technology in smartphones and more. For Apple, the one that would benefit the most here is Siri, the famed virtual assistant via voice, which saw a significant technological gap compared to the hip and famous ChatGPT. The Cupertino company reportedly addressed this in its last AI event which was held behind closed doors, one that centered on its developments involving artificial intelligence. Still, it is yet unknown if Apple would apply this upcoming technology to Siri, as it remains unknown what would be the future of the famous AI assistant from Cupertino. Read Also: OpenAI Debuts GPT-4, Next-Gen AI Model with Image Input, Improved Performance-To Power Bing? Siri Got Left in the Dust, Alongside Alexa and Google Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant were left in the dust with today's emergence of generative AI like ChatGPT. The New York Times interview with a former Apple engineer, John Burkey, claimed that Siri's code is "clunky" and it would take several weeks to upgrade the system with basic features. This is because engineers needed to tweak the entire system to bring an update. In an interview by the Financial Times with Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, he claimed that voice assistants are "dumb as rock," speaking from a significant standpoint with its massive investment in AI, OpenAI, and ChatGPT. Apple's AI Event Speculations With the significant rise of AI in the market and growing popularity among the masses because of the wonders of ChatGPT's text generation content and intuitive responses, Big Tech is now looking to join in the bigger picture in AI. As mentioned earlier, Apple held a secret event that invited employees only, held in the company's headquarters in Cupertino. This event was dubbed the "WWDC for AI," and it talked about Apple's development of artificial intelligence which they regarded to be at the "forefront" of the race, with a ChatGPT-competitor allegedly in the works. This annual AI summit for employees was previously held exclusively for employees only, and it only made its return this year, after COVID restrictions eased down. It seems like all the pieces in the puzzle for Apple's AI development are coming together, with the latest report centering on Cupertino's upcoming development of a new tech that would up its game in the industry. The Apple engineer claimed that Siri is indeed left behind in technology and features, needing to improve to catch up with the likes of Microsoft, OpenAI, and more. Related Article: Apple's New Cost-cutting Efforts Include Delayed Bonuses, Hiring Freeze 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The G7's top diplomats arrive Sunday in the Japanese resort town of Karuizawa for talks set to be dominated by twin crises: China's growing pressure on Taiwan, and Russia's war in Ukraine. "Mabuhay" is a famous exclamation from the Philippines meaning "long live," and it gives significant meaning to the Filipino's national dish, Adobo, which was recently featured as a Google Doodle earlier today. The latest entry to the internet company's homepage in the search engine celebrates the induction of this savory dish in the Oxford English Dictionary 16 years ago. Google Doodle Features the Filipino Adobo on its Homepage (Photo : Anthony Irwin/ Google) Google claims that Filipino Adobo is worthy to be featured on its homepage, as it brings a juicy, tender, flavorful, and soulful experience with every bite of this amazing dish. This salty, sour, sometimes sweet, but at all times, garlicky is the National Dish of the Philippines it grew in popularity over the years. The artwork was made by Google's Doodle Artist Anthony Irwin, a half-Filipino, featuring the many elements of the favorite dish including chicken, garlic, bay leaves, soy sauce, and black peppers. "I ordered some southern-style chicken adobo from a local restaurant to stir up some memories while working on the art for this Doodle, and the first thing that hit me was the smell. It was so bright and nostalgic, and instantly filled my apartment with that familiar feeling: this is exactly how things are supposed to be. So I tried to capture that simple childhood joy of leaning in and savoring the kind of food that makes home feel like home. Kain nang mabuti!," said Irwin. Read Also: Google Doodle Now Allows You to Create Your Own Game in Honor of Jerry Lawson Oxford Dictionary Adds 'Adobo' to its List of Words Google commemorates the Adobo on this day, March 15, in celebration of its induction to the Oxford English Dictionary 16 years ago, in 2007. It is a significant time for the Filipino dish to be part of one of the world's largest dictionaries, as a noun that captures everything about the Philippines and its exquisite cuisine. Google Doodles in the Past Apart from the many technological, astronomical, and other features in the world of Google Doodle, the team also looked into the culture, art, food, and more to bring to its spotlight. Being in the Google Doodle, right on the company's homepage is a significant honor, with an iconic feature of the espresso machine-maker, Angelo Moriondo, once making it to the internet's face. The internet company is also a fan of Thanksgiving with its adorable art featuring turkeys, making up the famous Google letters that previously appeared on its front page. Google also took this opportunity to announce its commitment to preserving the environment last Earth Day 2021, with its Doodle tackling the importance of trees. It also signified the company's move to carbon neutrality, with five data centers to go zero emissions by 2030. Google Doodles are one of the most significant reminders of an event or subject which have a massive impact on the public or the world. The recent feature of the famous dish Adobo gives a significant commemoration to the Filipino culture, including their innovative variations of the dish that vary from households, chefs, and more, which they offer to the world. Related Article: Google Doodle Features Filipino Writer Paz Marquez-Benitez! Here are Some Fun Facts About Her 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. On Monday, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warned about a critical arbitrary code execution vulnerability (CVE-2023-26360) in Adobe ColdFusion 2018 and 2021. Risk of Exploitation Despite Adobe's Patches for Critical Vulnerability in ColdFusion 2021 and 2018 According to the story by Bleeping Computer, Adobe corrected the issue in ColdFusion 2018 Update 16 and ColdFusion 2021 Update 6 patches. Despite this, there is still some risk of exploitation as this vulnerability was used in the wild as a zero-day attack. Adobe has recently issued security updates for its ColdFusion version 2021 and 2018 that address a critical vulnerability rated 9.8 out of 10 on the CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) vulnerability severity scale. Exploitation of CVE-2023-26360 in the Wild by Malicious Cyber Actors The issue in question, which carries the CVE-2023-26360 designation, is an Improper Access Control weakness that an unauthenticated attacker can exploit remotely in attacks not requiring any user interaction. It was noted that Adobe was aware of the CVE-2023-26360. CISA has warned that malicious cyber actors have exploited this zero-day vulnerability in the wild. It has given all U.S. Federal Civilian Executive Branch Agencies (FCEB) a three-week deadline until April 5 to patch their systems. The Importance of Applying the ColdFusion 2021 and 2018 March 2023 Security Updates Adobe might not have had detailed information on what the attackers did in their post announcing the ColdFusion 2021 and 2018 March 2023 Security Updates. Still, security researcher Charlie Arehart warned ColdFusion admins of the patch's importance, emphasizing they must apply it as soon as possible. According to Arehart, the vulnerability can allow the execution of arbitrary code and the reading of arbitrary files from the file system. He witnessed it being perpetrated on multiple servers. Highlighting the Need for Organizations to Stay Updated with their Products' Security Patches As such, many organizations are advised to patch their systems to ward off any potential exploitation attempts across their networks. The security updates addressing the vulnerability are now publicly available for Adobe ColdFusion 2018 Update 16 and ColdFusion 2021 Update 6. Unfortunately, there is no support for versions before them, such as ColdFusion 2016 and 11, highlighting the need for organizations to stay updated with their products' security patches. Adobe's Recommended Security Configurations for Mitigating Potential Effects of a Breach While patching as soon as possible is crucial, administrators must ensure their systems have adequate security configurations. In this regard, Adobe's ColdFusion 2018 and ColdFusion 2021 lockdown guides outline best practices and configuration settings for mitigating the potential effects of a security breach. The patching process must be carried out promptly to defend networks and sensitive data against malicious actors. Read Also: UK Cybersecurity Center Will Review Threats Posed by TikTok Amid Calls for Ban The Need for Timely Installation of Security Updates in Adobe ColdFusion Deployments Therefore, to protect their systems from potentially malicious actors, organizations with Adobe ColdFusion deployments that run at expired software versions should take the necessary steps to immediately get their systems up to date by installing security updates. Especially organizations such as US Federal Civilian Executive Branch Agencies, which are already subject to conflicting authorities within shorter time frames, must ensure the patches are installed within the given time completely. Related Article: India to Mandate Removal of Bloatware, Pre-installed Apps on Smartphones 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. AMD's APUs have long been neglected and overdue for an upgrade, which could come in the form of their two new Ryzen processors, Rembrandt and Phoenix. Both are set to be released in the near future, and the potential of these chips could be massive. The Possibility of Adding Rembrandt and Phoenix APUs to the AM5 Socket According to the story by Tom's Hardware, AMD's Ryzen 7000 (Raphael), processors have become known as some of the best CPUs in the market. While they currently are the sole chips on the AM5 socket, that could change soon with the addition of Rembrandt and Phoenix APUs. Gigabyte Hack shared a table last year showing that the AM5 socket could host three types of Ryzen processors in the Family 19h lineup, which includes the Zen 3, Zen 3+, and the upcoming Zen 4 chips. Types of AMD Ryzen Processors and Their Features The Type 2 processors are the Ryzen 7000, identified by its "A60F12" CPU ID. The Type 1 chip is believed to be the Ryzen 6000 series (Rembrandt). The Type 3 processors are assumed to be the Ryzen 7040 series (Phoenix), which AMD already announced but has yet to appear in public databases, as also noted in HW Cooling. Rembrandt would feature Zen 3+ cores manufactured by TSMC on the 6nm node. On the other hand, Phoenix would mark the transition over to the newest Zen 4 cores and AMD's RDNA 3 graphics on the 4nm TSMC node. Support for DDR5 Memory, but Lack of Support for PCIe 5.0 Connectivity Even more exciting, the Phoenix chips would arrive with the XDNA technology, an FPGA-based AI engine acquired with the purchase of Xilinx. One of the best features of Rembrandt and Phoenix is the support for DDR5 memory, a welcomed upgrade over their predecessors. Unfortunately, their lack of support for PCIe 5.0 connectivity will mean these two APUs cannot take advantage of PCIe 5.0 SSDs. Expansion and connectivity are also slightly limited with these processors, supplying 20 PCIe lanes instead of the 28 from the Ryzen 7000 line. Read Also: Samsung Invests $230 Billion in South Korean Chip Factories The Upgrade to Zen 4 and RDNA 3 Graphics: A Promising New APU AMD still hasn't announced when Rembrandt and Phoenix will hit the retail market. However, with their promising specs, one only hopes the release isn't too far away. After all, AMD's last APU, the Ryzen 5000G (Cezanne), was stuck on the Vega graphics engine with the aging 7nm Zen 3 chips. With the upgrade to Zen 4 and RDNA 3 graphics, Phoenix is an APU deserving all the love it can get. Both Rembrandt and Phoenix could be a welcome addition to the Ryzen family, delivering improved technologies, features, and performance. The lower PCIe lane count is slightly concerning, but it should still provide enough options for most users, and the DDR5 memory support should make it more attractive than AMD's older APUs. Related Article: Alienware Lunar Light: New Gaming Keyboard, Mouse, Headset, and 500Hz Monitor Drops Today-Specs and Prices 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Baidu's Ernie Bot, the company's new AI chatbot, has been unveiled on Thursday, Mar. 16. (Photo : Photo credit should read STR/AFP via Getty Images) This photo taken on November 6, 2018 shows a man walking past a booth of Baidu at the Light of Internet Expo ahead of the 5th World Internet Conference in Wuzhen in China's eastern Zhejiang province. This new artificial intelligence model is expected to compete against the popular ChatGPT chatbot. Recently, many Chinese tech firms shared their interests in creating new AI models similar to ChatGPT. Beijing officials even said that they will support them in their AI-focused endeavors. Now, Baidu officially introduced a specific AI tech. But, can it compete with ChatGPT? Baidu's Ernie Bot Unveiled! According to The Strait Times' latest report, the new Ernie Bot is still imperfect. This means Baidu needs to put on lots of work if it wants the new AI model to compete with ChatGPT. (Photo : Photo credit should read LIU JIN/AFP via Getty Images) A picture shows the logo of Baidu on its headquarter building in Beijing on July 22, 2010. Chinese Internet search giant Baidu said its profits more than doubled in the second quarter, as its customer base widened at the expense of rival Google. Also Read: AI Learns to Play Atari Games 6,000 Times Faster than Before, Better than Deep Q-Network Baidu only released the imperfect version of Ernie Bot because there's a rising market demand for AI-powered chatbots. During the demonstration, Ernie Bot was able to write a poem and answer questions. Aside from these, the new Baidu AI chatbot also produced a video and image with prompts. Although much is still needed to be done with Ernie (Enhanced Representation through Knowledge Integration), this new AI-powered chatbot is still considered the answer of China to ChatGPT. Baidu said that it will use the new Ernie Bot to revolutionize its search engine technology. Ernie Bot's Leads to Baidu Share Decrease Channel News Asia reported that the arrival of the new Ernie Bot was not a good one for Baidu's shares. When the new AI chatbot was demonstrated, the Chinese tech firm's shares decreased by 10%. Although this is the case, the new Ernie Bot still attracted many interested investors and partners. Baidu said that they are expecting more than 600 companies to join their new Ernie ecosystem. Chinese state media outlets, as well as a Shaolin temple, already signed up to become the first partners of Ernie Bot. If you want to learn more about the new AI chatbot of Baidu, you can click this link. In other news, LinkedIn's AI-powered writing suggestions and job descriptions arrived. We also reported about the release of a new AI DJ in London. For more news updates about AI chatbots and other artificial intelligence models, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes. Related Article: ChatGPT vs. GPT-4: Is OpenAI's New Artificial Intelligence Really Better? We Compare 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Some patients with advanced prostate cancer may have to wait months for medication as the manufacturer tries to increase the supply of a medicine intended to prolong life expectancy. Pluvicto Shortage Manufacturer Novartis AG is having trouble keeping up with demand, as reported by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned last week that supplies of Pluvicto might be low for some time. The manufacturer has blamed production and distribution problems for the scarcity. While Novartis handles the shortfall, the company says it is giving priority to patients who have already begun the six-course program. Novartis, according to spokesperson Julie Masow, is taking the painful but necessary action of temporarily suspending the registration of new patients for the therapy in an effort to boost supplies. She said the firm is working diligently to expand supplies in response to patient distress. "Our ability to supply Pluvicto with only one approved site is presenting significant challenges, and we are working around the clock to generate as much supply as possible. Prolonging Life Expectancy For individuals with a certain kind of metastatic prostate cancer (cancer that has spread to other regions of the body despite previous treatment), the FDA authorized Pluvicto last year. This therapy is unique that it is the sole option for its condition. According to Novartis, the medicine significantly increased the median survival time of trial participants by four months compared to those who did not get the treatment. Individuals who qualify for Pluvicto have already tried traditional medicines, but their cancer has progressed despite treatment. If Pluvicto is not available, some patients may return to attempting the old treatment. They suggested that this may include various formulations of the same drug, such as different chemotherapy. Treatment options exist for people whose cancer has spread to their bones. See Also: Researchers Develop Anti-Cancer Drug to Treat Acute Myeloid Leukemia Fears of Doctors While waiting for Novartis to increase manufacturing, doctors are reportedly actively recruiting patients for research projects to identify alternative therapies. WSJ said specialists have expressed concern that some patients may lose their lives before Novartis alleviates the scarcity. Tanya Dorff, an associate professor at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center's medical oncology and therapeutics research department in Duarte, California, sadly believes that some people will not live long enough due to the shortage. "People will die from this shortage, for sure," said Jonathan McConathy, head of the University of Alabama in Birmingham's division of molecular imaging and therapeutics. "People will die from this scarcity, for sure," said John McConathy, head of the University of Alabama in Birmingham's division of molecular imaging and therapeutics. While the therapy is not a cure, he noted, it does help people live longer. He warned that some patients who may have benefitted from the medicine would not get it in time. Novartis has relied on Dr. McConathy's expertise for the medicine he has helped advise on. See Also: International Researchers Pushes US Government to Ban TCE Chemical that Causes Parkinson's Disease 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Pentagon released a 42-second video showing what it claims to be a Russian Su-27 aircraft dumping fuel on a US Air Force MQ-9 drone in international airspace over the Black Sea, according to a report by AP on Thursday, March 16. The video footage also shows the Russian fighter clipping the drone's propeller, damaging one blade. The fuel dumping was reported to be an attempt to blind the drone's optical instruments and drive it out of the area. Ditched the MQ-9 Reaper The US military said that it had to ditch the MQ-9 Reaper in the sea after what it described as the Russian fighter making an unsafe intercept of the unmanned aerial vehicle. The footage was only 42 seconds long and did not show events before or after the fuel-dumping confrontation. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley have contacted their Russian counterparts about the incident following the encounter. This was the first conversation between the two countries' top defense and military leaders since October, according to AP. The calls with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Russian General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov highlighted the seriousness of the incident. The MQ-9 Reaper is capable of carrying munitions, but the Pentagon has not confirmed whether the drone was armed. The US Air Forces-Europe confirmed that the crashed drone had not been recovered and neither had Russia. Russian officials have also announced their intention to salvage pieces of the MQ-9 from the Black Sea. Although US officials kept the option of trying to recover pieces of the fallen drone open, they stated that they were likely not going to go after the wreckage because they were sure Russia would not recover any military value from it. Read Also: Pentagon Awards Google, Amazon, Oracle, and Microsoft $9 Billion Contracts to Build a Cloud Computing Network for the US Military US-Russia Conflict While intercept attempts are not uncommon, this incident happening amid the war in Ukraine, has raised concerns that it could bring the United States and Russia closer to direct conflict. The Russian Defense Ministry has put forward allegations against the US for instigating the drone incident by disregarding the flight limitations imposed by the Kremlin due to the ongoing military operations in Ukraine. Russia also accused the US of intensifying its intelligence activities, which run counter to the interests of the Russian Federation. The occurrence of this incident has brought to light the tensions between the US and Russia and has highlighted the importance of unambiguous communication between the top defense and military officials of both nations. The significance of the situation was further emphasized by the fact that the calls between the defense ministers were the first to occur since October. Related Article: US Military Will Use 'High-Altitude Hot Air Balloons' to Prevent Hypersonic Missiles Against China and Russia 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Microsoft's AI ethics team layoff shocked many critics. (Photo : Photo by GERARD JULIEN/AFP via Getty Images) The logo of French headquarters of American multinational technology company Microsoft, is pictured outside on March 6, 2018 in Issy-Les-Moulineaux, a Paris' suburb. Many tech experts shared their concerns, claiming that regulators should start getting involved in Microsoft's AI-related activities. Recently, the software giant terminated 10,000 of its employees. The Platformer reported that Microsoft will continue investing in responsibility work despite its recent layoffs. However, many experts are now questioning Microsoft's decision to lay off its AI ethics team as a responsible one. Microsoft's AI Ethics Team Layoff Concerns Experts According to Ars Technica's latest report, the AI ethics and society team was the one reducing risks linked to OpenAI techs in Microsoft products. (Photo : Photo by Kim Hong-Ji - Pool/Getty Images) Microsoft Corp co-founder Bill Gates attends a meeting with South Korea's National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo (not pictured) at the National Assembly on August 16, 2022 in Seoul, South Korea. Bill Gates was set to deliver a speech at the National Assembly on the importance of international health cooperation in the face of contagious diseases like COVID-19. Also Read: Microsoft Offers Windows Insiders Free USBs Under Its Insider Program: Canary Channel Introduction But, before the AI ethics team was removed, Microsoft said that it developed a "responsible innovation toolkit." This technology is designed to help Microsoft engineers identify the harms that AI technologies can cause; it can also help reduce these risks. "Microsoft is committed to developing AI products and experiences safely and responsibly, and does so by investing in people, processes, and partnerships that prioritize this," said the software giant. However, many experts still criticize the company's decision to terminate its AI ethics and society team. Emily Bender, a computational linguistics expert from the University of Washington, said that Microsoft's decision is "short-sighted" and "damning." Even Elon Musk was Suprised Aside from tech critics and enthusiasts, Elon Musk was also surprised with the decision of Microsoft. Elon Musk posted a tweet, asking if Microsoft really fired its AI safety team. The billionaire's Twitter post already generated 50,000 likes, 10,000 retweets, and 6,000 comments. In the comment section, many Twitter users also shared their opinions. One of them said that trusting Bill Gates with AI is similar to allowing Jeffrey Epstein babysit their kids. You can check Musk's official tweet below to see more of their comments. Microsoft fired their AI safety team?https://t.co/bp5vde1clm Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 16, 2023 Aside from working on new AI techs for its products, Microsoft is focusing on its other innovations. Previously, the new Microsoft PC Game Pass was rolled out across 40 new countries. We also reported about the new Microsoft Edge VSR feature. For more news updates about Microsoft and its other business activities, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes. Related Article: Microsoft Bing with ChatGPT, GPT-4 No Longer has a Waitlist-Wider Availability? 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The European Union (EU) has presented plans to transform its policies on critical raw materials, by reducing imports from countries like China and increasing financial incentives for domestic production. The proposal aims to move the EU toward a climate-neutral economy while also strengthening its strategic independence, according to a report by AP on Thursday, March 16. Strategic Raw Material By decreasing imports from nations like China and boosting financial incentives for domestic manufacturing, the European Union has plans to change its policies on essential raw materials. The plan seeks to increase the EU's strategic independence in a dynamic world of geopolitical alliances while also guiding the EU toward a climate-neutral economy. The initiatives represent an important step in raising the bar for the EU, according to Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton. The EU will guarantee that not more than 65% of the consumption of any strategic raw material comes from a single third country and that at least 40% of the clean tech required by the 27-nation union will be produced within its borders by 2030. Currently, the EU imports 98% of its rare earth material, 97% of its lithium, and 93% of magnesium from China, which poses a significant challenge in achieving the EU's clean tech and strategic goals, according to AP. Read Also: EU Official Urges Elon Musk to Make Progress on Twitter Amid New Law Against Hate Speech, Misinformation Critical Raw Materials Club Everything from solar panels to heat pumps to electric vehicles depends on essential raw materials. In order to lessen its existing reliance on just one or a few nations, the EU is seeking to forge partnerships with the United States and Canada, to form the Critical Raw Materials Club. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, believes that enhancing collaboration with such allies will further solidify the Western bloc in a world that is becoming more unstable. Although it considers flexible state aid regulations and subsidies as essential components to achieving its green economy goals, AP notes that the plan represents a substantial break from the EU's decades-long reliance on preaching the gospel of free-market economics. To achieve its clean technology and strategic goals, the EU will need to make a major economic shift. This shift will involve developing a green economy by embracing clean tech and reducing dependence on fossil fuels. Despite the ambitious plans, the proposal still needs approval from the EU's 27 member states and parliament, which is expected to take many months, possibly over a year. Once approved, the critical raw materials plan will be followed by plans for the Net-Zero Industry Act on industrial incentives. Related Article: EU Could End the 'Apple Tax' with the Digital Market Act that Could Force the Company to Give Up Its 'Monopoly' 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Baby mice were successfully bred by scientists for the first time using two male mice. While specialists warn that relatively few mice embryos matured into living mouse pups, and nobody knows if it will work for humans, this raises the remote prospect of employing the same approach. Even so, it is a very clever approach, according to Diana Laird, a stem cell and reproductive researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, who was not involved in the study. She said this is a major development in the fields of stem cell research and reproductive biology. Mice With 2 Dads In an article published Wednesday, Mar. 15, in Nature, researchers detailed their findings. As reported by ABC News, the research started with cells taken from the tails of male mice. Scientists stimulated them to become "induced pluripotent stem cells," which can differentiate into a wide variety of cell and tissue types. They then grew the cells and treated them with a drug to turn them into female cells, resulting in viable egg cells from male mice. When these were ready, the researchers fertilized the eggs and put the embryos into female mice. Just seven out of 630 embryos, or around 1%, survived to become newborn mice. Research leader Katsuhiko Hayashi of Kyushu University and Osaka University in Japan presented to colleagues at the Third International Summit on Human Genome Editing last week that the babies looked to develop properly. They were able to become parents in a typical manner. See Also: This Company Plans To Bring Back Woolly Mammoths by 2028-but Why? Perspectives for the Future Commenting on the Nature article, Laird and her coworker Jonathan Bayerl stated the findings open up new paths in reproductive biology and fertility research for both animals and humans. In the future, for instance, it will be feasible to generate several offspring of an endangered species using just a male. Moreover, it may even serve as a model for allowing others, such as male same-sex couples, to produce biological children without dealing with the moral and legal complications of using donor eggs. This is only the most recent study that investigates alternative methods for developing mouse embryos in the lab. Scientists in California and Israel developed a method to make "synthetic" mouse embryos last year using stem cells instead of a female mouse egg and male mouse sperm. Up to eight and a half days after fertilization, the embryos had the same features as those of a normal mouse embryo, including a heart-like organ. Experts have speculated that this achievement might pave the way for developing synthetic human embryos for use in medical research. Critical Areas Nonetheless, Laird and Bayerl did express some warnings. Most importantly is that this approach is relatively inefficient. According to them, the reasons why so few embryos implanted into surrogate mice made it are either technological or biological mysteries. They also highlighted that it's too soon to tell whether the strategy would work at all with human stem cells. When employing stem cells to create eggs, Laird said, scientists must be wary of the mutations and faults that may be introduced in a culture plate. See Also: Stone Tools Used by Monkeys are Similar to What Humans Utilized, New Research Claimed 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Warp, a startup focused on improving the command-line interface, has announced a new AI-powered chat feature similar to ChatGPT to assist users in utilizing the terminal and resolving errors. The terminal is a powerful tool for developers, but its interface can be difficult to navigate. In the past, developers had to rely on web searches and shadowing experts to master the terminal. However, with the new Warp AI chat feature, developers can seek guidance directly from the terminal. Warp AI's Unique Advantage Warp says that the new tool's unique advantage is its ability to interact with terminal inputs and outputs. Developers can request help in explaining an error or suggesting a fix for a command. When Warp AI generates a response, developers can run that command without switching contexts or engaging in copy-pasting. Additionally, developers can request AI-generated commands to accomplish tasks like connecting to a cloud instance or installing software. Warp AI will guide the user through each step of the process. Warp AI also groups outputs and inputs into blocks, making it easier for developers to seek assistance for a specific command's output. This feature is particularly useful for troubleshooting errors. Furthermore, developers can directly feed any selected text into Warp AI for more precise guidance. The new chat feature is a step towards simplifying and improving the developer experience. It aims to make the terminal more accessible and user-friendly, especially for those new to the command line. "While Warp AI is a powerful integration today, we can take it much further. We believe there are opportunities for AI to help both individuals and teams at work. For example, one of the first things we plan to ship is a new AI command prediction feature using a local-first Bayesian model," Warp wrote on its website. "AI is so well suited to the terminal. It's an extreme power tool whose limiting factor has always been that it's hard to use well. It's the perfect use case for a built-in AI assistant." Read Also: Crochet Creators Request Patterns From ChatGPT: Can AI Take Over Fiber Arts or Are the Designs Too Weird? Free Preview Period Warp AI is now available for public use as a free preview. Users can make up to 100 requests per day within the duration of this preview period. However, the startup noted that this feature will soon be part of a paid plan but for now, they want users to experience the capabilities of Warp AI and convince them that it is worth paying for in the future. Warp is also still in the process of tweaking and improving the integration of this AI feature during this preview period. The startup has not revealed more details about its future paid plans, such as how much would it cost and many more. Related Article: Replika Barred by Italy Regulators From Collecting Data Following Complaints of Explicit Texts and Images 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. On this day in 1919, 300 Egyptian women led by Huda Shaarawi marched against the British occupation. One woman, Hamida Khalil, was killed, making her the first Egyptian woman martyr that day. On the same day four years later, Shaarawi led the march to form Egypt's first Women's Feminist Movement. The march progressed from then on. This year, Ahram Online celebrates Egyptian Women's Day in collaboration with The AUC Rare Books and Special Collection Library, by sharing the stories of some inspiring Egyptian women who led the march for Egyptian women's rights. Every Thursday, the biography of an inspiring Egyptian woman will be shared.The series kicks off with the woman behind the march, Huda Shaarawi (1879-1947) Huda Shaarawi (1879-1947): The artist and trendsetter Hoda Mohamed Sultan was born in the Upper Egyptian governorate of Minya in 1879 to a prestigious and wealthy family who provided a luxurious life for her and her brother. However, education for women was limited to homeschooling, where she learned foreign languages and fine arts. "But that never stopped little Huda from sneaking from the Haramlek (women's quarters) of her palace and joining her brother Omar in his Arabic classes, where she excelled," read the book titled Huda Shaarawi by Karima Said, published in 1979 to mark the centenary of her birth. This made Shaarawi one of the very few women in her class who could recite the Quran, showing command of classic Arabic. Later on, she drafted all her speeches herself. "I remember the first book I took from my father's library, I hid it under my pillow. It was a poetry book. I did not understand much of it, but it touched me and I read it over and over again," read the article published in El-Mossawer magazine in 1948 by Amina El-Said marking Shaarawi's first death anniversary. The article revealed how Shaarawi was a good poet who wrote poetry in classic Arabic and French. Shaarawi was quite the artist: she sculpted, designed pottery motifs, and opened a factory for pottery. She was also known for her clothing style that reflected grace and beauty and made her more of a trendsetter to women of her generation. Social responsibility In 1908, as Egypt battled with the yellow fever epidemic, Shaarawi refused to collaborate with the initiative of Lady Cromer, the spouse of the British consul-general in Egypt. Instead, she co-founded Mabraat Mohamed Ali a hospital with Egyptian princesses, to offer medical care to Egyptians. The march of March According to the book titled Huda Shaarawi, the 16 March march put Egyptian women in the heart of patriotic resistance against British occupation. For the first time, Egyptian society gave their blessings to the movement. A short time after, Shaarawi founded the Central Women's Committee for the Wafd Party in solidarity with Saad Zaghloul and was elected head of the committee at the meeting held at Saint Marc Church. The location of the meeting stood as a symbol of unity between Egyptian Muslims and Christians. In Rome In 1923, Shaarawi received an invitation to attend the International Women Federation Conference in Rome. In the same year, Shaarawi founded the Egyptian Women Federation and formed a delegate that included herself, Seiza Nabarawy, and Nabawia Mousa. The delegation was widely welcomed. Upon returning home, Shaarawi took off her face cover, keeping her conservative head cover on. The women who came to greet her at the train station understood the message and did the same - an act that put an end to womens face cover and closed the chapter on their being cast away from public life and mainstream education. From that day on, Shaarawi's home became known as Beit El-Umma (House of the Nation). Every Tuesday, Egyptian men and women would flock to Beit El-Umma, read the book titled Huda Shaarawi. In 1926, Shaarawi issued L' Egyptienne, a women's magazine published in the French language. Achievements Shaarawi made great efforts to attain women's rights. Among the most outstanding of these is setting a minimum age for marriage: 16 for women and 18 for men. She opened the door for mainstream high schools for women in 1924 and mainstream universities in 1929. She was the first Egyptian to call for the abolition of the domestic prostitution law. Indeed, the law was abolished in 1948/49, 18 months after she died. Shaarawi also founded the Arab Women Federation in 1944. The federation included Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Palestine. *Photos courtesy of AUC Rare Books and Special Collections Library Search Keywords: Short link: A UN nuclear watchdog recently discovered 2.5 tons of natural uranium missing from a Libyan plant. The site in question is not controlled by the government. Atomic energy regulators are already carrying out investigations into the issue. 10 Barrels of Uranium Missing in Libya Typically, uranium is used to fuel industrial nuclear reactors that generate energy. The heavy metal is also utilized to create isotopes that are used globally for industrial, medical, and even weapons applications. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will conduct additional investigations to "clarify the circumstances of the removal of the nuclear material and its current location," according to a report by The Guardian. The agency had planned an inspection in 2022 but had to cancel it due to security concerns in the region. The inspection ultimately took place on Tuesday, March 14, and the Director-General of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, announced the discovery of the missing uranium to the IAEA's member states. Ten drums of uranium ore concentrate containing the missing natural uranium were "not present as previously declared," Grossi reports. Potential Misuse Not Ruled Out Grossi's confidential communication to the IAEA warns of the dangers posed by a loss of knowledge regarding the current location of the nuclear material. Read Also: Nuclear Energy Finds Renewed Interest in the Face of Ever-Growing Climate Change Concerns There may be "radiological risk as well as nuclear security concerns," as stated in the report. "Complex logistics" are required to reach the site, it added. With the collapse of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, the country has been divided into two governments. Beginning as a conflict between the government and nonviolent political activists, Libya descended into civil war in the same year. International travel advisories warn that Libya's political situation is still fragile, and the security situation is risky and unpredictable. Due to political disputes, security incidents such as inter-militia fights and oil blockades occur in the African country. With this, The Guardian notes that the missing 2.5 tonnes of uranium are a source of concern for non-proliferation experts, who fear that groups will seize it with the technological capabilities and resources to convert it into weapons-grade material. Libya's History with Nuclear Weapons Reports say Gaddafi began working with nuclear weapons in the 1980s using black market vendors and networks for illegal nuclear proliferation, tapping Swiss nuclear engineer Friedrich Tinner. Arms Control Association tells us that in December 2003, Gaddafi pretty much shocked the world by renouncing Libya's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs and inviting foreign inspectors to ensure that Tripoli would keep its word. Following Gaddafi's declaration, international agencies and inspectors from the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries went to help dismantle Libya's chemical and nuclear weapons programs and its longest-range ballistic missiles. In January, Western Australian emergency services announced a search for a tiny radioactive capsule that had gone missing while being transported from a mine. Officials at the time urged the public to report any sightings of this object since it posed a threat to human health. Stay posted here at Tech Times. Related Article: Korea's New Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough Maintains 100 MillionC for 30 Seconds! Here's How It Was Achieved 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Magnetic fields may just be the key to uncovering long-lost sunken civilizations in the deep sea. The University of Bradford has embarked on a pioneering study to understand submerged civilizations through magnetic fields. Archaeologists have been conducting research in an area under the North Sea, known as Doggerland, which was once home to one of Europe's largest prehistoric settlements. However, with the expansion of wind farms in the North Sea, the race is on to piece together information about Doggerland in advance of development. Magnetometry To achieve this ambitious endeavor, Ph.D. student Ben Urmston will look for anomalies in magnetic fields by analyzing magnetometry data. This analysis could indicate the presence of archaeological features without the need for excavation. According to Urmston, minute variations in the magnetic field can reveal alterations in the landscape, such as the presence of peat-forming regions and sediments, or locations where erosion has taken place, such as in river channels. The examination may also show signs of hunter-gatherer activity, which would be the pinnacle, or the presence of middens, which are trash heaps made up of animal bone, mollusk shells, and other organic material that can provide a wealth of information about how humans lived. Doggerland was among the most resource-rich and ecologically dynamic areas during the later Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods (c.20,000 - 4,000 BC) but was lost to the sea by global warming at the end of the last ice age. Very little is known about the inhabitants and their way of life at the 185,000 km2 site because no in situ remains have been found. Magnetometry has previously been used by terrestrial archaeologists but has not been used extensively to examine submerged landscapes. However, it is a first for the University, made possible through a donation of 50,000 from The David and Claudia Harding Foundation to fund The Harding Ph.D. Scholar in Marine Palaeolandscapes. Engineering consulting company Royal Haskoning has been scanning the North Sea as part of an environmental impact analysis and has submitted magnetic field data sets. Magnetometers, which resemble torpedoes, are dragged through the water by cables connected to survey vessels to analyze the magnetic fields on the seabed. Read Also: Maritime Archaeologists Shed Light on a Mysterious Rotting Ship Found in the Graveyard of Shipwrecks Risk to Prehistoric Archaeology Due to the enormous rise of offshore wind power and the UK's commitment to attaining net-zero emissions by the year 2050, there is a considerable risk to prehistoric archaeology in submerged coastal areas. Offshore construction projects could eventually make some seascape features harder to reach. Scientists can use the chance to investigate the seafloor for prehistoric activity by cooperating with companies like Royal Haskoning. Professor Vince Gaffney, academic lead for the project, said that "exploring the submerged landscapes beneath the North Sea represents one of the last great challenges to archaeology. Achieving this is becoming even more urgent with the rapid development of the North Sea for renewable energy." Related Article: Archaeologists May Have Discovered the Earliest Known Narrative Scene Carved in an 11,000-year-old Neolithic Bench 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. In a string of four tweets, Twitch CEO and last remaining co-founder of Justin.tv, Emmett Shear, laid to bear his recent resignation while also gazing into the past of his career. Beginning in October 2006, as Shear himself recounts, Twitch first took form as the burgeoning executive joined fellow co-creators Michael and Justin in a cross-country trip to San Francisco. Today, the platform now claims host to 31 million daily active users and, from January 2018 to December 2022, saw approximately 7.03 million active streamers. In October 2006 we started working on live video for the internet. That became Twitch. More than 16 years later, I'm now a father and ready to move to my next phase of life. I wrote a blog post, but the short version is: thank you so much to everyone who built this with me. Emmett Shear (@eshear) March 16, 2023 It wasn't exactly a smooth ride, though. Twitch, which was initially called Justin.tv before it took up the mantle in 2014, was actually a spin-off platform that leveraged gaming as its major draw. Amazon no sooner scooped up the still-growing live streaming platform at a whopping $970 million in the same year. While even more impactful today, the cultural zeitgeist that swirls around Twitch proved to draw an assortment of popularity across esports, gaming, and content creation. Over the course of the past several years, however, Twitch has been embroiled in a swath of controversies, the most prominent among them being hot tub streams, gambling, and hate raids. Creators themselves have come under fire, more recently witnessed in Atrioc's deepfake scandal, which has led to several positive outcomes. Related Article: AI Stream, 'Nothing, Forever' Is Back on Twitch Following BNan for Hate Speech Violation Through thick and thin, Twitch has survived multiple scandals, yet still is situated on a fast track of stardom. From the leakage of Twitch star earnings to the loss of valuable talent, like Ludwig and Sykkuno, the platform remains the most popular space for live streamed content. As a dad himself, Shear likens Twitch to a child, yet also highlights its now 16 years of age as being time enough for him to take a step back. "So, it is with great poignancy that I share my decision to resign from Twitch as CEO," Shear wrote. "I want to be fully there for my son as he enters this world and I feel ready for this change to tackle new challenges." Shear added that he will continue to work at Twitch under an advisory role. Stepping into his shoes will be the current acting president of Twitch, Dan Clancy, the very same individual who posted last year's reworking on Twitch's subscription revenue shares. To say these new rules were met with more than a little hostility would be an understatement, yet despite the distaste Shear seems adamant on Clancy's new role. Clancy himself gave some words on the leadership reowkring to TechCrunch, citing Emmett's 16 years of dedication as being "inspiring and empowering" for the entire team. Clancy adds, "I'm so grateful for his partnership over the last four years, and for the opportunity to continue this work alongside a team that cares so deeply about our streamers and the larger Twitch community." Shear's departure is a sad one for most, given he marks as the last co-founder of the platform, but fresh leadership should usher in some welcome changes and alterations to Twitch as rivals like Kick and YouTube grow in popularity. Read Also: Twitch Clamps Down on Pornagraphic Deepfakes 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Are you tired of missing deadlines, forgetting important events, or struggling to stay organized? In todays fast-paced world, it can be difficult to keep track of all the tasks, appointments, and commitments that make up our daily lives. But with the help of a good calendar app, managing your schedule can be a breeze. Whether you are a busy professional, a student with a packed schedule, or just someone who wants to stay on top of their to-do list and remember important dates like anniversaries, Birthdays, or holidays, a calendar app can be an invaluable tool. With features like reminders, event scheduling, and task management, a good calendar app can help you stay on track and make the most of your time. But with so many options available, it can be tough to know where to start. Which is the best calendar app for Windows 10 which is right for you? Which features are the most important? To help you make an informed decision, we have put together a comprehensive guide to the best calendar apps on the market. From popular options like Microsoft and Google Calendar to lesser-known gems like VueMinder and Rainlendar, weve tested and evaluated the top calendar apps on Windows 10 PC and Laptops to bring you the most useful and effective tools for managing your schedule. Whether you are looking for a simple, streamlined calendar app or a powerful tool with all the bells and whistles, we have got you covered. Best Calendar Apps for Windows 10 1. Microsoft Calendar (System App) The in-built calendar app on Windows 10 should be your first choice as it is shipped with the operating system. Click on the date/time in the taskbar and a panel will open up where you can see tasks, and reminders. You can also add new tasks to the calendar through the Add an event or reminder menu. You can access the full calendar by searching Calendar in the Start Menu search. It can integrate with your Microsoft Outlook account, which means that any events or appointments that you add to Outlook will automatically appear in the Calendar app. This can be especially useful if you use Outlook for work, as you can keep your work schedule separate from your personal schedule. Features It can integrate with your Microsoft Outlook account, which means that any events or appointments that you add to Outlook will automatically appear in the Calendar app. This can be especially useful if you use Outlook for work, as you can keep your work schedule separate from your personal schedule. This can be especially useful if you use Outlook for work, as you can keep your work schedule separate from your personal schedule. If you have a Windows 10 phone or tablet, the Calendar app will sync across all your devices, so you can access your schedule from anywhere. This can be especially useful if youre on the go and need to check your schedule quickly. You can easily print your calendar or export it to a PDF, which can be useful if you need to share your schedule with others. For example, if you are a teacher, you might print out your class schedule and give it to your students so they know when their assignments are due. This free calendar will take care of your scheduling needs on Windows 10. You have to install it from the Microsoft store and then choose the theme on the welcome screen from over a dozen options. After that, you will be asked to set up to sign into a calendar account from popular services like Microsoft, Google, iCloud, Webcal, GMX, etc. It also lets you continue with an account but your data will not be synced across devices. Features View and manage multiple calendars from different services such as Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, and Facebook Events. You can add, edit, and delete events from any of your connected calendars from within the One Calendar app. Share your calendar with others via email or through a web link. You can control the level of access that others have to your calendar, such as read-only or full access. Customize many aspects of the app, such as the appearance of the user interface, notifications, and reminders. You can also choose which calendars to display or hide, depending on your preferences. Lightning Calendar is a free and open-source calendar add-on developed by Mozilla for its Thunderbird email client. You can manage schedules and events directly within Thunderbird, eliminating the need for a separate calendar application. It supports features such as recurring events, email invitations, and reminders. Features In-built calendar seamlessly into Thunderbird, allowing users to manage their schedules and events without switching to a separate application. Invite others to events via email, allowing users to connect via the calendar and stay on the same page. Integrates with various online calendar services such as Google Calendar, Microsoft Exchange, and Apple iCloud. Google Calendar is a really useful web-based calendar app that helps you keep track of your schedule. You can use it to create and manage events, appointments, and meetings, and even share them with other people if you want. It has some amazing features like multiple calendar support, different views, reminders, and sharing options. Plus, it is integrated with other Google services like Gmail and Google Meet, so you can use it alongside other tools you might already be using. Features Google Calendars Find a time feature is powered by machine learning and takes into account everyones availability and time zones to suggest meeting times that work for everyone. This can save a lot of time and eliminate the back-and-forth of scheduling meetings. You can set out of office notifications in Google Calendar, which will automatically decline meeting invitations during a specified time period. This is useful for letting others know when you are not available and cant attend meetings or events. When you frequently travel or work with people in different time zones, Google Calendar can automatically adjust event times to the correct time zone. This can eliminate confusion and ensure that everyone is on the same page when it comes to meeting times. Chronos Calendar is a flexible and user-friendly calendar app that works on Windows 10, that can help you manage your time more efficiently. With its customizable interface, you can personalize the look and feel of the app to suit your preferences. The integrated task management feature allows you to stay on top of your to-do list, while the real-time updates ensure that you never miss an appointment or deadline. The calendar app is compatible with a range of popular calendar services, making it easy to sync your schedule across multiple platforms. Features You can attach files, photos, or links to your events, so you can provide more context and information. Provide more context and information for your events, tasks, and appointments. It provides real-time updates, so you can stay on top of your schedule and receive notifications when events or tasks are added, changed, or deleted. Access a range of customization options, such as different color schemes and layouts, so you can create a personalized look and feel that suits your preferences. 6. Microsoft Outlook Calendar Now we have a calendar app that is similar to the Lightning calendar. Microsoft Outlook Calendar is accessible from the Outlook email client. It is designed to help you keep track of your schedule and manage your time efficiently from the Office suite. Features You can easily schedule a meeting by selecting a time on the calendar, creating a meeting request, and inviting the people you want to attend. Outlook will assist you in finding the earliest time when all the invitees are free. Once you send the meeting request via email, the invitees will receive the request in their inboxes. View multiple calendars side-by-side, including ones you have created and those shared by other Outlook users. For instance, you can create a separate calendar for your personal appointments and easily compare it to your work calendar. Plus, you can copy or move appointments between calendars with ease. Outlooks Delegate Access feature helps in seamless calendar management between individuals. For instance, an administrative assistant can easily manage the calendar of their manager by using their own copy of Outlook. Once the manager grants the assistant delegate access, they can take charge and create, move, or delete appointments on the managers calendar, as well as organize meetings on their behalf. Just like Google Calendar, you will need to sign in and use it in the browser as its a web-based calendar app. Daybridge is a unique calendar app designed with individuals in mind, rather than businesses. Unlike other calendars that rely on a rigid grid layout, it offers a customizable way to organize your day. You can easily combine tasks, events, and notes in one place to streamline your schedule. Upon signing up, Daybridge asks a few questions to better understand your personal situation and help you save time adding items to your calendar. Features It features Smart cards that provide relevant information and actions for each event, allowing you to manage every aspect of your life in one place. You can create multiple Spaces in Daybridge, such as work, personal, or travel. Each Space can have its own color scheme, Smart cards, and timeline, allowing you to keep your schedules separate and organized. You can also easily switch between different Spaces and view your entire schedule at once. It is available on multiple platforms, including the web, iOS, and Android. This allows you to access your schedule and manage your tasks from any device, no matter where you are. If you are looking for a calendar app that strikes the perfect balance between simplicity and complexity, Morgen is an excellent choice for both personal and professional use. One of its best features is its ability to seamlessly integrate with all your other calendars, including Outlook, Google, Exchange, and CalDAV. This way, you can keep all your calendars in one place, which makes it easier to manage your tasks and schedules without the risk of double booking. Morgen is not just limited to a web app, as it can be installed on various operating systems such as Windows, MacOS, and even Linux, and it synchronizes everything across all your devices. Features Once you link your Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, and Webex accounts, you have the option to include virtual meeting rooms in your invitations with just a single click. Furthermore, meetings scheduled through your booking page or scheduling links will have their virtual conferencing details. No need for an external scheduler to share your availability with the personalized link scheduling. These links are continuously checked against your calendar in real time, ensuring that they are always up-to-date with your changing schedule. Bring together all your calendars, such as Apple Calendar, on your Windows device without the need for suspicious plugins or external synchronization services. The result is a fast, user-friendly, and aesthetically pleasing calendar that you wont want to do without. Power Planner is basically a calendar app designed specifically for students. Its available on both mobile and web platforms and has a lot of cool features that can help students organize their busy schedules. You can keep track of your homework assignments, tests, projects, and grades. You can also set reminders for upcoming deadlines and exams so that you never miss anything important. The app also has a calendar view, a timetable view, and a GPA calculator, which can come in handy. And if you use multiple devices, you can easily sync all your data across them. Features Keep track of your grades for individual assignments, classes, and even entire semesters. This can be really helpful in monitoring your progress and identifying areas where you may need to focus more attention. Add tests and projects to your schedule. You can include details like due dates, priority levels, and associated classes. This can help you stay on top of all your upcoming deadlines. Conveniently view your forthcoming homework through the live tiles of the Start menu. Additionally, you have the option to pin a schedule tile which will inform you of the time and location of your next class. It is also possible to pin individual classes as secondary tiles and even set them as your detailed lock screen status. If you are looking for a simple calendar app to use on Windows 10, then My Calendar is a strong contender. It is free to use but you will come across few ads and fewer features. They can be removed and you can access premium features by purchasing the pro pack for $10. You get the option to import calendar events and data from the default Calendar app on the first launch. Then you will land on the home screen with the calendar. Features Personalize your experience by customizing the live tiles for the Start Menu. With the ability to choose from different colors, sizes, and even custom background images, you can create a unique and personalized view of your schedule. Add more details to your events beyond the default notes box. In addition to setting the date and time of an event, you can include other important information such as email, location, phone, and URL. Add different colors to various calendar elements, which will help in differentiating items when going through the events. You can also color-code specific elements within an event, such as a specific time range or a location. This allows you to easily differentiate between various aspects of an event, making it even easier to navigate and manage your schedule. My Study Life is similar to Power Planner, designed and developed features while keeping students in mind. You can easily manage all your classes, tasks, assignments, and exams from anywhere and on any device. This calendar app will streamline your academic life by ensuring that you never miss an assignment or forget an important lesson. By improving your organization, you will be able to increase your productivity and free up more time to focus on the things that are most important to you as a student. Features Easily input your school subjects, organize your classes, and add information about your lessons, making it simple for you to stay on top of your schedule without any effort. Track the progress of your tasks and specify exactly how much of a task has been completed, rather than just marking it as complete or incomplete with a binary option. Store your data in the cloud, which ensures that even if you lose your device, your data will still be accessible when you sign in again from another PC/device. Additionally, the app works offline, so you never have to worry about losing access to your schedule due to a lack of internet connectivity. Rainlendar is a customizable desktop calendar app for Windows 10 that allows users to track events, tasks, and appointments. It offers two versions, lite and pro. The former is free and offers a number of features. On the other hand, the pro version is available for a one-time purchase, offering more features and priority support. They have a forum where you can interact with other users and discuss ways to use the features to their full potential. All in all, it provides a customizable and convenient way for users to track their events, tasks, and appointments. Features Display multiple windows from the Railendar app concurrently on your desktop. For instance, you can showcase both the present and forthcoming monthly calendars, or have two distinct lists with their respective tasks. There is a wide range of window types to select from. Rapidly add events and tasks using a single line of text, through the quick add widget. Additionally, you have the ability to specify the recurrence pattern and assign categories to the events and tasks. Every day, your events and settings are automatically backed up to safeguard against loss, allowing you to restore them from the backup files if necessary. Furthermore, you can create manual backups as an additional measure to keep your events secure. Todoist is different from a regular calendar app, as it offers task management and to-do list functionality. While it offers some features that are related to scheduling, such as setting due dates for tasks and recurring tasks, it does not have a traditional calendar view that allows you to see your events and appointments in a visual calendar format. However, it can be integrated with some calendar apps such as Google Calendar, so that your Todoist tasks with due dates can be displayed as events in your calendar. Features View your Todoist tasks as events in your calendar, making it easier to manage your schedule and avoid conflicts. You can also set up reminders for your tasks to ensure that you dont miss any deadlines. Assign a task to another user, set a due date, and add any relevant comments or files. The person to whom you delegate the task will receive a notification and can then complete the task on your behalf. You can track the progress of the delegated task in Todoist and receive updates when it is completed. You can track the progress of the delegated task in Todoist and receive updates when it is completed. Visualize your productivity trends using graphs and charts. See how productive you have been over a certain period of time, and to identify areas where you can improve. VueMinder is an amazing reminder and calendar app that helps you keep track of your busy life. Its perfect for anyone who struggles with managing their schedule or keeping track of important deadlines and appointments. The software is easy to use and integrates seamlessly with popular calendar services such as Google Calendar and Outlook. You can schedule events, tasks, and appointments, set reminders for important deadlines, and receive notifications via email, SMS, or pop-up alerts. Features Schedule events, tasks, and appointments with ease. You can add important details such as start and end times, location, notes, and more. You can also categorize your events and tasks, making it easy to find and organize them. Integrate with your contacts, so you can quickly schedule events with people in your address book. This feature saves you time and ensures that you dont forget to invite important people to your events. Print your calendar and task lists or export them to HTML and you can view them in any browser. This feature also makes it easy to share your schedule with others or keep a hard copy for yourself. Any.do is another reliable calendar app that allows you to keep track of your to-do lists, set reminders, and organize your tasks in a simple and intuitive way. You can create tasks, set due dates and reminders, and prioritize your tasks based on their importance. The app also offers various features, such as shared lists, calendar integration, and voice commands. Additionally, Any.do syncs across all your devices, allowing you to access your tasks and lists from anywhere. Its available as a mobile app for iOS and Android, as well as a web app and browser extension for Chrome. Features Integrate with your calendar, letting you to view and manage your tasks and events in one place. You will never miss an important deadline or appointment. Create shared lists and collaborate with others on tasks and projects. This will come in handy for teams working on projects together. AI-powered feature in the Any.do app that offers personalized suggestions and tips to help you manage your tasks and schedule more efficiently. The Assistant learns your usage patterns and preferences over time, and uses that information to provide tailored recommendations. Frequently Asked Questions What is the best free calendar for Windows 10? When it comes to choosing the best free calendar app for Windows 10, there are several options to consider. Microsoft Calendar, which is pre-installed on Windows 10, is a simple and straightforward option that integrates well with other Microsoft apps. Another popular free option is Google Calendar, which is widely used and offers a range of features. Other free options to consider include Rainlendar and VueMinder Lite, both of which offer customizable features and integrations with other apps. Is Google Calendar free on PC? Yes, Google Calendar is free to use on PC. The Google Calendar web app can be accessed through any internet browser on a Windows 10 PC. Users can create and manage events, set reminders, and view multiple calendars at once, all for free. Is there a better calendar app than Google? It is difficult to say whether there is a better calendar app than Google, as it ultimately depends on individual preferences and needs. However, there are certainly alternatives to Google Calendar that some people may find more suitable for their purposes. For example, Microsofts Outlook calendar is a popular choice for those who primarily use Microsoft Office and want seamless integration between their email and calendar. Choosing the Best Calendar App These were some of the best calendar apps for Windows 10. Most of them work on Windows 11 so you wont have to look for another list of apps. Most of them are available through the Microsoft store and the remaining can be downloaded from their official website. Nowadays, the topic of climate change is an economic, social, and most notably an environmental concern that can no longer be considered theoretical. As of July 2021, the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO 2 )????????in our atmosphere reached 416 parts per million, and nearly 40 percent of US CO 2 pollution comes from power plants burning fossil fuels. This has led to an increased emphasis on sustainability from enterprises of all industries, and even consumers and investors as well. Among the new priorities related to sustainability, the inefficient use of heat has become one of the more pressing issues. Heat is the largest energy end-use, as it provides heating for homes, industry and other applications, which accounts for around half of total energy consumption. However, in 2021 direct emissions from heating buildings grew by 5.5 percent, reaching a new high of 2500?Mt CO 2 , which made up 80 percent of direct CO 2 emissions in the buildings sector, a number that enterprises are now searching for ways to drive down. Currently, the most promising solution for driving down heat consumption is the use of thermal batteries. These are physical structures used for the purpose of storing and releasing thermal energy, allowing for energy available at one time to be temporarily stored and then released at another time. Thermal batteries offer longer-term thermal stability and longer life cycles thanks to energy storage, as well as enhanced portability, and most importantly for enterprises, increased cost savings. Overall, the global thermal energy storage market was valued at $23.7 billion by the end of 2021, but experts expect the market to grow at a CAGR of 9.45 percent, reaching a predicted market value of $53.4 billion by 2030. However, as the world continues to preach the importance of sustainability for a safer, healthier future, these numbers are sure to grow as more organizations begin to adopt thermal batteries for the environmental, and of course monetary benefits. Recently, thermal battery company Sunamp signed an agreement with Sheen Parkside, an infrastructure arrangement and operations group, to work together on establishing mobile heat networks across the UK. These will use Sunamps Plentigrade phase change material technology in Central Bank container-sized thermal batteries. Heating with natural gas accounts for 37 percent of the UKs territorial carbon footprint. At the same time, the UKs low-carbon waste, biomass and nuclear thermal power stations today throw away 80 TWh a year of direct, accessible heat, at 90 percent lower carbon than gas. The main reason this heat isnt used is that its in the wrong place. This is an approach thats scalable around the world. Sunamp is the perfect fit for this project. Their heat storage technology is well established, world leading, and commercially proven. Combined with well-understood techniques for accessing heat by CHP, we can de-risk a simple, high impact and novel concept: moving low carbon, affordable heat in physical stores, said David Carter, Managing Director, Sheen Parkside. This concept is something that Sunamp has been looking at across various projects, including moving heat generated by spare renewables capacity in Orkney, and moving heat by barge in Bristol. We plan to build on that technical know-how, with long experience of delivering first of a kind infrastructure projects at scale. Sheen Parkside and Sunamp will initially work with waste-to-energy plants, to either access spare heat, or retrofit these power stations to provide direct heat, known as Combined Heat and Power or CHP. This heat will be used to charge Sunamps thermal batteries, holding multiple MWh each, which will then be transported by electric vehicles, rail or barge, to provide thermal energy for district heat networks, commercial and industrial users. Discussions are underway with several heat providers and users. Sunamp has already produced over 20,000 thermal batteries, principally for domestic use, but increasingly for a range of industrial applications. These use Plentigrade, a technology developed over a 15-year R&D project with the University of Edinburgh. Over 250 patents have been granted and are pending, worldwide. The Sheen Parkside team has already delivered some of the most challenging infrastructure and energy projects around the world, including the London Olympics and Crossrail in the UK. When we realized it could be possible to tap unused heat from Energy from Waste plants in Avonmouth and transport it by road, rail or barge to district heating in central Bristol, avoiding the costs of tens of miles of heating pipes and thousands of wayleaves, it opened up huge potential for new ways of tackling fuel poverty and decarbonising that can be replicated globally, said Andrew Bissell, Sunamp CEO. There is worldwide potential to transport heat from industrial sources in containers using existing infrastructure such as road, rail, canal and short-sea networks, and to use it for heating and hot water in other residential and commercial developments. We look forward to working with the highly experienced team at Sheen Parkside to roll out the concept for the first time at scale in the UK and prove it for the world. Edited by Erik Linask A Russian Su-27 jet fighter collided with an American MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday, the US military's European Command said. "Our MQ-9 aircraft was conducting routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and hit by a Russian aircraft, resulting in a crash and complete loss of the MQ-9," said US Air Force General James Hecker, commander of US Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa. "In fact, this unsafe and unprofessional act by the Russians nearly caused both aircraft to crash." Search Keywords: Short link: The Council for Arab Ministers of Health approved Egypts proposal to establish the Arab Drug Agency, a statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population said on Wednesday. The approval is one of the most fruitful resolutions that resulted from the 58th session of the council, health minister Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar said. Establishing the agency -- whose headquarters will be located in Egypt -- will achieve pharmaceutical sustainability in all Arab countries through the creation of new markets for pharmaceuticals manufactured in Arab states, he asserted. Such an initiative will support Arab economies as well as achieve economic growth for all the countries, Abdel-Ghaffar continued. The agency will support supreme pharmaceutical authorities without contradicting any Arab countrys domestic laws, he assured. The authorities will coordinate and collaborate to achieve the planned Arab entity goals as well as discuss all technical details, the health minister added. Egypt is fully prepared to undertake all establishment procedures for the agency, Abdel-Ghaffar confirmed. Search Keywords: Short link: Sign advertising specials at Reggies bar, seen Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. Madison Brooks, the 19-year-old LSU sophomore who was raped in the back of a car before being dropped off in a neighborhood near where she was fatally struck by a car on Burbank Drive about an hour later on Jan. 15 had been drinking at Reggie's bar before the incident, and deputies said Brooks had a blood-alcohol level of .319, nearly four times the legal limit to drive and enough to give someone alcohol poisoning and render them unconscious. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he spoke to his Russian counterpart on Wednesday about the destruction of a U.S. drone over the Black Sea, which had brought the two countries closest to direct conflict since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine a year ago. It was the first call between Austin and Defense Secretary Sergei Shoigu since October. I just got off the phone with my Russian counterpart, Minister Shoigu, Austin said at a Pentagon press briefing. As Ive said repeatedly, its important that great powers be models of transparency and communication, and the United States will continue to fly and to operate wherever international law allows. The U.S. military said it ditched the Air Force MQ-9 Reaper in the sea after a Russian fighter jet struck its propeller. Russia has denied that it caused the incident. The U.S. has said it was working on declassifying surveillance footage from the drone that would show Tuesday's crash. That Austin and Shoigu were talking underscored the seriousness of the encounter over the Black Sea. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, contact between U.S. and Russian military leaders has been limited, with Russian officials refusing to take U.S. military calls in the early months of the war. Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he also planned to talk to his Russian counterpart, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the General Staff of the Russian armed forces. Gerasimov was named the new commander of the Russian forces in Ukraine in January and its previous commander demoted in an apparent sign of Russian President Vladimir Putins dissatisfaction with the state of the war, which has been stalemated. Austin and Shoigu first spoke about Russia's invasion of Ukraine in May 2022. At the time it was the highest level U.S.-Russian contact of the war. In October, they spoke twice in three days as the threat of an escalation was high. Shoigu had accused Ukraine of planning to use a dirty bomb, a claim that was strongly rejected by U.S. and Western allies, who accused Russia of seeking a false pretext to justify further escalation, potentially including the use of a tactical nuclear weapon. The downed $32 million U.S. drone, which contains sensitive technology, has not been recovered. The U.S. does not have military ships operating in the Black Sea, which has been closed since early 2022 to all military vessels except those that have home ports along the seas coast, which includes Russia. U.S. officials said Russia has already sent ships to the area and attempted to recover pieces of the drone. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. Search Keywords: Short link: The decision by federal regulators to approve a merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern was a major step forward in the ongoing efforts to reestablish passenger rail service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, supporters said. Not only did the U.S. Surface Transportation Board approve Canadian Pacifics $31 billion acquisition of Kansas City Southern on Wednesday, but the decision specifically said the deal would allow Amtrak to add passenger service on the KCS-owned line between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Lara Nicholson writes for The Advocate as a Report for America Corps Member. Email her at lnicholson@theadvocate.com or follow her on Twitter @LaraNicholson_. To learn more about Report for America and to support our journalism, please click here. Credit Suisse Group arranged to borrow as much as 50 billion francs ($81 billion) from the Swiss National Bank and offered to repurchase debt in a bid to restore a collapse in market confidence. The troubled lender will borrow from a liquidity facility and is making a tender offer to buy back up to approximately three billion francs of dollar and euro-denominated debt, according to a statement. The Swiss banking giant is in turmoil. Credit: AP The moves unprecedented at a major Swiss lender since the 2008 financial crisis are the biggest yet to shore up finances at Credit Suisse. The banks shares slumped by as much as 31 per cent on Wednesday in Zurich trading, and its bonds fell to levels that signal deep financial distress, as persistent doubts over the scandal-ridden lender combined with a global sell-off in banking stocks. The government, central bank and financial regulator FINMA have been discussing ways to stabilise the bank after a tumultuous day sparked by comments from the firms largest investor, Bloomberg reported earlier. Rock n roll has its perennial vices, but heres an unexpected thing that comes with releasing a successful album thats caught on with an enthusiastic international audience: um, hand cramps. Just been signing records for the UK people who bought the pre-orders, says Johnny Took, guitarist for DMAs, when I ask how his days been. Were doing 2000 today, but weve already done, like, 5000 or something. I had to alter my signature. I learned early on that doing the real things a bit f---ed. So Ive got this, like, little initial I do that helps get through them quicker. Tommy ODell, Matt Mason and Johnny Took of DMAs. Credit: Simon Schluter Dating back to their debut EP in 2014, the Sydney trio - comprising Took, frontman Tommy ODell and lead guitarist Matt Mason - built a solid following off their Madchester revivalist sound, all jangly guitars and chav-ish attitude. But it was their last album, 2020s ambitious The Glow, that properly wrested their potential. The bands mainstream breakthrough, it debuted at no. 2 on the local albums chart, earned them an album of the year nod at the 2020 ARIA Awards, a couple of spots in Triple Js Hottest 100, a pre-match performance at the 2020 AFL Grand Final, and a huge following in the UK where, starved for a band that harks to the halcyon days of Brit-pop, the album reached no. 4 on the UK charts, saw the band opening for confessed fan Liam Gallagher on tour and headlining to a crowd of over 10,000 at Londons Alexandra Palace. Moscow said Wednesday it would try to retrieve the wreckage of a US military drone that crashed over the Black Sea in a confrontation Washington blamed on two Russian fighter jets. Russia also warned against "hostile" US flights as tensions simmered and Moscow denied its Su-27 military aircraft had clipped the propeller of the unmanned Reaper drone. But Washington was unbowed, with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stressing the United States would continue flying "wherever international law allows" following an apparent de-escalation call with his Russian counterpart. Austin called on Russia to "operate its military aircraft in a safe and professional manner". Russia confirmed the call and said Washington had initiated it. Kyiv earlier suggested the incident over international waters was evidence the Kremlin wanted to draw the United States into the Ukraine conflict. Russian Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev said in televised remarks Moscow would seek to retrieve the downed craft but was unsure if the effort would be a success. "But it has to be done. And we will certainly work on it," he said. The crash on Tuesday, which Washington said was the fault of reckless and unprofessional Russian conduct, further ratcheted up tensions between Moscow and Western allies, already soaring over the Ukraine conflict. Patrushev said the incident was further proof that the United States is a direct party to fighting between Moscow and Kyiv and said Russia had a responsibility to "defend our independence and our sovereignty". Russia's defence ministry said it had scrambled jets after detecting a US drone over the Black Sea and denied causing the crash. The Pentagon said the drone was on a routine mission when it was intercepted "in a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner". Russia said the aircraft had lost control but White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the US "obviously" refuted the denial. He added the United States was trying to prevent the fallen drone from getting into the wrong hands. "We've taken steps to protect our equities with respect to that particular drone -- that particular aircraft," Kirby told CNN. Regular intercepts Russian intercepts over the Black Sea are common, Kirby said, but this one was particularly "unsafe and unprofessional" and "reckless". Ukraine said the incident was "provoked by Russia" and cautioned that it signalled President Vladimir Putin's aim to "expand the conflict". "The purpose of this all-in tactic is to always be raising the stakes," Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council secretary Oleksiy Danilov said on social media. NATO diplomats in Brussels confirmed the incident but said they did not expect it to immediately escalate into a further confrontation. A Western military source, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said diplomatic channels between Russia and the United States could help limit any fallout. "To my mind, diplomatic channels will mitigate this," the source said. Russia's campaign in Ukraine has led to heightened fears of a direct confrontation between Moscow and the NATO alliance, which has been arming Kyiv to help it defend itself. Reports of a missile strike in eastern Poland in November briefly caused alarm before Western military sources concluded it was a Ukrainian air defence missile, not a Russian one. 'Unflyable and uncontrollable' The United States uses MQ-9 Reapers for both surveillance and strikes and has long operated over the Black Sea keeping an eye on Russian naval forces. Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder said the drone was "unflyable and uncontrollable so we brought it down", adding that the collision also likely damaged the Russian aircraft, which he said was able to land following the incident. Several US Reapers have been lost in recent years, including to hostile fire. One was shot down in 2019 over Yemen with a surface-to-air missile fired by Huthi rebels, the US Central Command said at the time. Reapers can be armed with Hellfire missiles as well as laser-guided bombs and can fly for more than 1,100 miles (1,770 kilometres) at altitudes of up to 15,000 metres (50,000 feet), according to the US Air Force. Search Keywords: Short link: A few weeks into the course she was able to focus more in the lecture and could see the rationale for removing the distraction of laptops. Another student, Jayden Pandah, said he also didnt see a problem with the strict rule. I dont use my laptop in lectures anyway because I do see that it affects my attention to the lecture, he said. Loading Not everyone agreed, with one student complaining anonymously on an internet forum last week about how the laptop ban was discriminatory to students with a learning disability. He rants about how bad technology is [in] virtually every lecture and its massively annoying me, the student said in the post. The student wrote that he had emailed the professor, asking him to stop, and explaining that students with special learning needs such as those with dyspraxia need laptops to take notes and that his policies are discriminatory. A University of Sydney spokeswoman said professors had the power to restrict the use of laptops and digital devices but any prohibition would not apply to students with a learning disability. Loading There will be occasions where using a device is not appropriate because of health and safety or academic staff may also decide that there are teaching situations where it might be less distracting for devices to be off, she said. [In] situations where a student has academic adjustments because of a disability or other need, suitable assistive technologies, which might include a laptop, will always be allowed. When the Herald spoke with Professor Gal about the complaint, he said if a student had a disability he was receptive to his or her needs. Of course, if someone comes to me and says, the only way I can do it [is with technology], I am bound to help, he said. He introduced the ban after his daughter told him about a similar one in place at Stanford University in 2017 and noticing that students in Sydney were rarely taking notes on their laptops. Loading There are usually three things open, none of them relate [to the lecture]. There is eBay and Facebook on the laptop, and on the phone, theyre constantly sending messages, he said. Gal cites two pieces of research as evidence for the ban a 2014 paper which says students who transcribe verbatim what is said in class had a lower conceptual understanding of course content. A 2006 study concluded that laptop use is a significant distraction for both the user and the student, and was detrimental to students understanding of course material and overall course performance. Before introducing the laptop ban, for a few years, Prof Gal also stopped recording lectures online because he felt students had stopped coming to class. Lectures this year are recorded. He estimated of the 90 students enrolled in the class, only one-third of them turned up to class each week. A further 30 students dialled in remotely. Gal said of the students who attended in person, he wanted them engaged. I just cant bear the glassy glazed eyes in front of me. This is an important moment for this class, he said. It is an important thing, the meeting of young and old, of the senior and the junior, of the apprentice and the expert, it is extremely important to me. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Weve curated a selection of key stories as part of the NSW election. See all 50 stories . Alight from the T2 line at its terminus in Leppington and you emerge into a blank canvas. Other than a commuter car park and a couple of freestanding homes, theres not much to see. Welcome to Sydneys south-west growth corridor, a work-in-progress of largely low-density development sprawling past Liverpool towards what will eventually become the south end of the second airport and aerotropolis. Leppington is a new, 127 square kilometre seat of about 50,000 voters. It is notionally Labor, but by a slim margin. For the opposition, Leppington is vital; if it cant win here, its not going to win government. But there is a whiff of unpredictability; with new homes being filled all the time, nobody can claim to know a great deal about these voters. The seat also falls largely in the federal division of Werriwa, which posted big swings away from the major parties at last years election (the Liberal Democrats, United Australia Party and One Nation collectively picked up 22.8 per cent of first preferences). At a state level, voters here care about infrastructure particularly schools, transport and roads. That much was clear last week when the Herald visited Carnes Hill Marketplace, where the doors and digital billboards are filled with advertisements for local low-fee private schools. Denise Norman was shopping with her 14-year-old son William, who is in year 9 at John Edmondson High. His younger siblings have just started at Casula High. We need another school in Edmondson Park as fast as possible its just taking too long, Denise said. It frustrates me ... theres a lot of people who are on waiting lists. Thatll be a main reason why I vote. Advertisement For Chantelle Tavita and her partner Mikaera Ormsby, the big-ticket issue is childcare. Chantelle estimates they have tried to place three-year-old Jahkye in 10 local centres, but they were all fully booked. Until they find childcare, she cant return to work. Its just something we need to do because everythings getting more expensive, she says. Were OK right now, but if I was to work it would help us more, we could do more things for the kids, take them out more. We cant really do that because all our moneys gone. Chantelle Tavita and Mikaera Ormsby, with son Jahkye, 3. Credit:Flavio Brancaleone The major parties are awake to these issues and attempting to outdo each other. Whichever side can convince a sceptical electorate it will actually deliver on those commitments should carry the day. The government opened a primary school at Edmondson Park this term, but it is still in the early stages of planning a high school next door (five years after funding was announced in the 2018 budget). Planning is also under way for a new selective school at Leppington station a captains call by then-premier Gladys Berejiklian in 2019, and the states first new fully selective high school in 25 years [two others are also planned]. The Coalition announced if re-elected it would build another public high school somewhere in the south-west growth area to service Austral, Leppington, Denham Court, Gregory Hills and Gledswood Hills. Advertisement Labor is promising to give those five suburbs two new high schools; one to service Austral, Leppington and Denham Court, and one for Gregory Hills and Gledswood Hills (which are further south in the seat of Camden). When the Coalition announced the acceleration of its $5.8 billion childcare package, its no surprise the press tour included an early learning facility in Denham Court, in the seat of Leppington. Dominic Perrottet is promising to spend $1 billion this year to build 500 preschools, part of a plan to offer free pre-kindergarten to four-year-olds by 2030. Labor has vowed to beat the Coalition on universal preschool by delivering it sooner. Leader Chris Minns pledged 100 new preschools at public primary schools, and an additional $60 million for preschools at private schools, including in the south-west growth corridor. Labors Leppington candidate Nathan Hagarty, a Liverpool City councillor, says locals are aggrieved about perceived government neglect, including a lack of parks, the state of the roads, tolls and the train timetable. Its one thing to put thousands of houses into an area, but its a different thing altogether to build a community, he says. The current government have had ample opportunity to build the schools, upgrade the roads, fix the hospital system, but more and more and more it keeps going backwards. Nathan Hagarty, Labor candidate for Leppington, speaks to voter Denise Norman and her son William, 14. Credit:Flavio Brancaleone Advertisement There may also be an its time factor. After the turmoil of 2007 to 2011, Labor knows all too well that fourth terms can be a blessing and a curse. Governments dont do their best work in year 13, 14, 15, 16, Hagarty says. This is a seat where Labor hopes its pursuit of the government on tolls and its promise to cap tolls at $60 a week for two years will pay dividends. The government recently extended the toll rebate scheme to sole traders. Both parties are also wooing voters with entreaties to first home buyers. The government already legislated a choice between stamp duty and land tax for first homes worth up to $1.5 million; Labor is promising to axe stamp duty for homes up to $800,000, and charge a concessional rate between $800,000 and $1 million. [The median price for a three-bedroom house is $788,000 in Prestons, $880,000 in Hoxton Park and $900,000 in Austral, Domain data shows.] The Liberals are running Camden mayor and small businesswoman Therese Fedeli, who grew up near Liverpool and whose first job was at the local fruit shop owned by her Italian immigrant father. Fedeli, too, identifies infrastructure and cost of living as the big issues for Leppington. But if voters feel let down on infrastructure, wouldnt they be entitled to blame the Coalition government, after 12 years in office? Advertisement I normally say, Rome wasnt built in a day. Youve got to be patient ... the infrastructure will come, Fedeli says. It is a new area, and it has a lot of fragmented landowners. Having this huge amount of people that youve got to deal with is not easy. Fedelis advice for families and small business owners worried about the cost of living is essentially to trust in the Liberals economic bona fides. I just say to them: you have to vote Liberal because Liberals are the ones that have got strong economic management and were the ones that can keep the economy going strongly, she says. Therese Fedeli, the Liberal candidate for Leppington. Credit:Dean Sewell A key difference has emerged between the major parties on public transport. Labor has promised $300 million to establish rapid bus services connecting the second airport with Campbelltown, Liverpool and Penrith by the time the runways open in 2026. Its a big issue in Leppington, 15 minutes drive from the forthcoming airport but with no direct connection by public transport. While both parties are committed to a metro line from the new airport to Leppington and Glenfield, Labor has said it wont proceed with the business case to extend the south-west metro from Bankstown to Glenfield (which is near Leppington). Perrottet accused Labor of dudding western Sydney commuters. Minns said he was prioritising delivery over broken promises. For her part, Fedeli says shell fight hard for the rapid buses if elected, while Hagarty says Labor could review its position on the metro line in government. Advertisement A murderer has been handed another jail sentence for causing a head-on collision with his ex-partners vehicle while he was on parole. Timothy Francis Allen, 53, faced Brisbane District Court for sentencing on Thursday, having earlier pleaded guilty to stalking with violence and acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm. The offender, jailed for life in 1993, was handed another jail term. Credit: Louie Douvis The court heard Allens partner ended the relationship in October 2021. In the three days prior to his vehicular assault, Allen sent the woman hundreds of text messages, followed her home and repeatedly knocked on her door. In 2018, when the federal Coalition government legislated to change how the GST was carved up between the states and territories, it was always clear whom the beneficiary would be. Western Australia, the argument went, had historically been hard done by; amends needed to be made to give the mineral-rich west a fairer share. The system has not been working for everyone, then-treasurer Josh Frydenberg told federal parliament, while also promising the new plan would leave all states and territories better off. It was no secret that Western Australia, peppered with marginal seats, was also seen as pivotal to the Coalitions chances at the 2019 election. And indeed it turned out to be: the bill passed, the west held, Scott Morrison stayed in government and most people gave the GST little further thought. Just a few years and a pandemic down the track, though, three unpleasant consequences of the Coalitions pump-priming have come into focus. Firstly, WA has benefited out of all proportion to Frydenbergs original stated intentions to level the playing field. Thanks to a key amendment that guaranteed every jurisdiction a minimum relative share of the GST, WA is not only billions of dollars better off than it otherwise would have been under the old rules but has even run a surplus thanks to a spike in the price of iron ore and largely breezing through the COVID pandemic. Secondly, thanks to another tweak in the 2018 legislation, the Australian taxpayer has been running up an enormous bill. The so-called no worse off pledge ensured no state or territory would receive a lower cumulative amount of GST than it would have under the previous arrangements, with the Commonwealth contributing any shortfall. A father wiped away tears as he told a court his family had fled war-torn Sudan for a better life only to have two sons killed in Melbournes street violence. An emotional Antipas Kot faced his elder sons killer, James Makir, 26, as the prosecution read his victim impact statement to the Supreme Court on Thursday. Brothers Kon Kot (left) and Machar Kot were both killed in Melbourne six months apart. Credit: Twitter/LanaMurphy The death of my two sons has devastated my family here and back home, Antipas Kot said. We thought Australia was a safe haven for us. Unfortunately, were currently experiencing much misfortune. Link to US comes with a catch Approaching 79, Paul Keating is, without peer in Australia. His grasp of international affairs and lucid analysis is breathtaking. His address left no doubt as to the politicisation implicit from both sides of the political spectrum, overriding the most serious of matters defending our continent. A (small) submarine fleet well beyond Australias shore is in no way a defence strategy. The US is an important ally. Australia however does not need, nor is it wise to become an extension of their nautical expansionism. By annexing our future defence assets and our personnel to the US and the UK we also compromise our foreign policy agenda. With the French offer we could have cemented a relationship and opened the door to more co-operation with China. Keith Brown, Southbank THE FORUM The danger in deterrents We are buying nuclear-powered Virginia-class submarines. What exactly is their strategic role? So far that is not announced. But we are told the submarines will make us safer. In 1984, it was unannounced that Australia was going to help America test the MX missile. When that fact was uncovered, it caused so much concern to develop within the then governing ALP that prime minister Bob Hawke, while en route for his first meeting with the US president, withdrew Australias offer to participate. The key concern about the MX missile was that it would be so accurate, it could destroy Soviet nuclear missiles in their silos in a first strike. This would upset the delicate balance of deterrence. If tensions rose, Russia would face the dilemma: use its vulnerable nuclear ballistic missiles or lose them. So the MX, then described as a defensive deterrent, could actually heighten the nuclear threat against us. The proposal to buy Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines has a familiar ring. These are fast-attack or colloquially known as hunter-killer submarines with the capacity to hunt down and destroy enemy submarines carrying nuclear ballistic missiles. But the purpose of ballistic-missile submarines is to ensure their owner has nuclear weapons available to strike back. That is the essence of nuclear deterrence. So by threatening the second-strike deterrence capability of China (currently their Jin-class submarines), we create a greater likelihood that in a conflict, China will feel impelled to use these weapons before they lose them. And we make Australian bases and perhaps our capital cities likely targets of that first strike. Will this acquisition, using up so much of our national financial capacity, really make us safer? Jim Falk, Fitzroy North Communication is key The big gamble is whether China sees our adoption of nuclear submarines as a deterrent or a provocation. Only the future will tell, but one thing is for sure, diplomacy and communication between China and Australia must be nurtured and remain open. Kevan Porter, Alphington Techno warfare threat It is both comforting and distressing to read David Livingstones excellent assessment of the submarines-purchase debacle (Comment, 16/3). Comforting to see a clear commonsense assessment, distressing to contemplate the fiscal effects over the next 40 years on all Australians, through the pursuit of outdated 20th century defence principles. Given the increasing level of external interference in many of our essential technological systems lately, it should be evident that a technology state of conflict already exists with Russia and China being key aggressors. It is called computer-system hacking. This activity will not abate in the future, rather we are likely to see further occurrences of this techno warfare. Far greater damage can be done to a nations infrastructure through technology than through conventional, physical war conflict. Brian Kidd, Mt Waverley We have choices The costly submarine decision illustrates the maxim of economics that the higher the price of something, the larger are the number of alternatives. Australia could have both effective new defence capabilities plus needed economic and social development programs for the price of the submarines program which because of the long timelines brings increasing multiple risks of obsolescence, (eg development of underwater detection systems, smart sea mines) plus budget blowouts in both costs and delivery schedules. Australia is overreaching by trying to arm its self with defence technology adopted by world heavyweights whose economies are multiple sizes of ours. Thomas Hogg, East Melbourne Loading Franking pipeline There is no need for government programs to be cut to make way for our new subs. Remember Labors promise to abolish the payment of excess franking credits in 2019? Labor didnt make the point that these are welfare payments. In 2001, the Howard government decided to refund the tax otherwise held by the ATO back to the shareholder. The problem is that unlike the age pension, there is no assets test. At the present time, a couple owning their own home cant get a cent of welfare via age pension if their assets exceed $935,000. Meanwhile, a prominent businessman, named Dick Smith, will get about $230,000 this year in this other welfare paid into his superannuation account. In 2019, Smith, criticised the government for paying him anything. I estimate the cost of paying excess franking credits is about $30 billion per annum. But I think Treasurer Jim Chalmers and the rest of Labor dont know how to make a hard decision. John Rome, Mt Lawley What are we defending? Peter Dutton suggests raiding NDIS funds to pay for submarines, while railing against a modest change to superannuation taxation to improve the budget. Anthony Albanese will not countenance foregoing stage 3 tax cuts that will predominantly benefit the most well-off. What sort of society do they think theyll be defending? Jenny Herbert, Metung Dont forget Assange Albanese had meetings with the prime minister of Britain and the president of the United States. Apart from the discussions about submarines, which I doubt Ill ever see in my lifetime, Im wondering if those discussions included the fate of Australian citizen Julian Assange. I hope so, and I hope he comes home soon. Rhonda Cox, Diamond Creek Spare some energy With the Australian Energy Market Operator warning of winter shortfalls, especially in gas-dependent Victoria, it is time to reduce our dependency on gas and speed up the move to electrification (Power bills to rise by up to 30% , 16/3). The AEMO projected a fall of 9.1 per cent in Victorias gas consumption by 2027, so we are moving in this direction already, but it warns that if the rate of electrification is slower than forecast, the risk of supply gaps increases In the meantime, we need to stop exporters from selling our gas overseas for higher profits, instead of making it available to Australians while they need it. Karen Lamb, Geelong Nuclear options It would seem that it is OK for Australia to have eight nuclear-power plants sailing at 200 metres depth in harms way managed by a navy with zero nuclear experience, but not OK to have terrestrial nuclear-power stations to provide zero-carbon power managed by a transparent and responsible nuclear agency in a landmass where 90 per cent is unoccupied by humanity. I suggest the threat of climate change now outweighs any other perceived threat in 30 years when these submarines will be delivered. Stuart Garrow, Brighton Price penalty I feel for single parents, low-income people and young families. Grocery prices have risen sharply over the past year while the supermarkets enjoy large profits, mortgage rates have surged, and now we learn that electricity prices will go up by about 30 per cent this year, after a big rise last year. My gas supplier has just proposed a 42 per cent price increase for this year, following a 27 per cent rise last year. It is unlikely that the costs of producing electricity and gas in energy-rich Australia have risen significantly, so it is a puzzle why Australian energy consumers have to incur the large global price rises driven by the Ukraine war and other international factors. Andrew Trembath, Blackburn Loading Offset limits Im all for supporting farmers to grow trees and regenerate land. There are, however, inconvenient truths hidden within Labors current emissions reductions via carbon offsets safeguard mechanism plan (Carbon farming prepares for a bumper harvest, 14/3). Emissions will not drop unless big polluting facilities reduce emissions. Purchasing unlimited offsets is a cop-out. There is no guarantee that planted trees will survive longer term to store carbon, especially as the risk of drought and fire increases. To achieve their climate targets, instead of allowing a scramble for farmland on which to grow trees that could jeopardise small farmers, Labors platform must enforce absolute emissions reductions from fossil-fuel and other industries. Danish energy company Orsted transformed from fossil fuels to renewables. Amy Hiller, Kew Renters will pay The bin tax is just another slap in the face for renters. If the rates show a separate garbage tax, this will enable the cost to be forwarded onto the renter. Some landlords already charge the water-usage levy onto users. Another win for landlords. Lou Ferrari, Richmond Helmets not the answer Your correspondent (Letters, 16/3) calls for mandatory helmets for AFL and NRL. Such helmets would reduce the impact of knocks on the skull, but my experience confirms they also dramatically increase the leverage to twist and snap the neck of the wearer during falls and collisions. We may be trading concussions for broken necks. Ralph Bohmer, St Kilda West Same mistakes The SBS program, Alone, has people entering into pristine wilderness carrying bacteria and other pathogens. It then has them destroying vegetation and killing wildlife while pretending to be, what exactly, pioneers? It disrespects deep Indigenous pre-human Australia, and Aboriginal Australia, by harming it in the mindless way new Australians have done for the past 250 years. Lawrence Pope, Friends of Bats & Bushcare, North Carlton And another thing Credit: Illustration: Matt Golding Submarine purchase It started at $90 billion, and now stands at $368 billion. Lets just round the submarine deal up to $500 billion and cross our fingers. Stewart Sweeney, Adelaide, SA Your correspondent (Letters 16/3) suggests this might be Albaneses let them eat cake moment. Yellow cake, perhaps (with a cherry on top)? David Price, Camberwell How is it Australia can commit to AUKUS for hundreds of billions of dollars, while a referendum is required for a Voice to parliament? Christine ONeill, Healesville When Scott Morrison, George Brandis and Peter Dutton are all telling the government its on the right track, its time to head for the hills. Jenifer Nicholls, Armadale Paul Keating We expect Paul Keating to amuse us as he eviscerates conservative opponents, but his criticism of Penny Wong is beyond the pale. Greg Curtin, Blackburn South Keating never leaves you wondering. Paul Chivers, Box Hill North Defence Looks like its time to introduce a 2% Defence Levy to sit alongside the 2% Medicare Levy. Surely the gung-ho AUKUS proponents would see the merit in that. Jim Spithill, Ashburton Its been said economists predicted seven of the past two recessions. Could it be that our military experts have a similar way of thinking? John Groom, Bentleigh Chrystalle Whitehurst died by suicide last June in a WA hospital. She didnt want to be zoned out on strong anti-psychotic drugs, instead working hard to maintain private health cover so she could be seen by some of the states best psychiatrists and doctors in the best facilities. She desperately hoped a spot would become available at a clinic in Perth for a program called dialectical behaviour therapy. She felt confident it was going to be a significant help, but spots were scarce. In the meantime, Chrystalle accessed whatever mental health support she could in Port Hedland, including frequent presentations at the local hospital. She had attempted suicide twice before. But she felt hospital staff did not take her concerns seriously. She would always say, why should I go there when theyre just going to treat me like an idiot? Adrian McGrath, Chrystalles former partner and the father of her children said. She only went to hospital when she was erratic or manic and so the staff thought that was just what she was like. That she was someone who had a problem with alcohol. But in actual fact, it couldnt be further from the truth. Chrystalle drank rarely, and only in a desperate attempt to calm her racing thoughts and manic mind. On the night of June 9, she did just that. She had seen a new therapist for the first time, which triggered the manic episode. [The therapist] made her go through all the things that had caused her trauma in her life, so she delivered all of that to the lady and then she walked out of there and felt really down and depressed, McGrath said. Chrystalle Whitehurst was suffering from borderline personality disorder. So she had a few drinks and sat up all night. When police showed up at her door the following morning while talking to neighbours about an unrelated burglary, they noticed Chrystalle looked distressed. They asked her, are you okay? and she said no, McGrath said. They said, come on, well take you to the hospital, and she said, no Im not going to the hospital, they wont help me, and they said, we promise you they will. At the hospital, Chrystalle was taken straight through into the emergency department and placed into a cubicle staff said was the best place for those presenting with mental health disorders because it was private, soundproof and quiet. Notes made by a triage nurse show that Chrystalle told her she had suicide ideation, triggered by seeing a therapist the day before, but had no active plan to take her own life. Knows that she needs to live for her kids, teary, the notes stated. That was around 8am on June 10. Chrystalle went on to spend 20 minutes with a second nurse who spoke to her at length about how she was feeling, but did not refer her to a mental health professional. Nor did she ask someone to observe Chrystalle while she went to get her breakfast and a cup of tea. The nurse did not remove her belongings, or ask if she wanted a family member to be contacted. Chrystalle with her three children. Instead, Chrystalle was left alone. While procedure states she should not have been more than 10 minutes, she was left alone for more than double that time. By 8.52am, when the nurse returned to the cubicle, Chrystalle was unconscious. Staff rushed to try and save her life. By 9.06am, she had regained a heartbeat. She was flown to Armadale Hospital in Perth, where she succumbed to her injuries 10 days later. How is our mining industry stricter than our hospitals? Adrian McGrath Internal investigation reveals mistakes were made Two months after Chrystalle died, WA Country Health Service launched an internal investigation which found that, among other things, she should never have been left alone for so long. The nurse who left Chrystalle to get her food and drink did not intend to be away from her for more than a few minutes, the report stated. At the time, she felt reassured by her conversation with Chrystalle and did not ask another staff member to be with or observe Chrystalle during this time. We know now, in retrospect, that the nurse was away from the cubicle for longer than intended. This factor is the main focus for the improvements we need to make arising from this incident. Despite the report listing a number of improvements that would be made to procedures in country hospitals, no one has been held responsible or lost their job for leaving Chrystalle alone for twice the recommended period of time. It is something her family find particularly hard to accept. I work in the mining industry and if I didnt follow procedure I would get fired, McGrath said. And not only that, if I hurt someone because Ive worked outside of procedure, I would face jail. So for that not to be a red light for them is just amazing to me. How is our mining industry stricter than our hospitals? Her family also asked why Chrystalle was not offered the option of having someone with her at such a difficult time. The health service responded that staff were not asked by Chrystalle to call anyone to be with her, but acknowledged there is no reason why we should not actively ask a patient if we can call somebody to be with them or support them as part of our standard assessment. This has now been incorporated into a recommended improvement to be made in our triage and initial assessment process in ED. Regional WA has the second-largest suicide rate in the country, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Loading There were 21.9 suicides per 100,000 people last year. The average across Australia is 12.1. WA Country Health Service did not respond to questions about whether there was an adequate level of mental health support in Port Hedland. Instead, the health services director of psychiatry, Dr Samir Heble, said the hospital was adequately staffed on the day and the patient was receiving one-on-one, compassionate care from suitably qualified clinicians. Heble said a clinical safety assessment had taken place before Chrystalle was left alone and that the staff member did not intend to be away for more than a few minutes. We know this same staff member and their colleagues are devastated about what happened and feel deeply for the patients family and community, he said. The team at Hedland Health Campus are hardworking, dedicated and compassionate individuals who care about their community and their patients. Heble said the evaluation of suicide risk was an extremely challenging clinical task even for the most experienced and qualified specialists. And while clinicians around the world have several ways to assess suicidal risk in patients, we know these tools are not foolproof and dont always indicate what will happen next, he said. Chrystalles family want a coronial inquest so her death can be independently examined, and formal recommendations made to ensure no one has to go through the same pain. Someone needs to be held accountable, Chrystalles mother Mauretta said. They shouldnt have left her. This whole experience has opened our eyes up; to the systems, the health system, the legal system. I was told she should have been priority 1 that day ... but none of that was happening that morning. I dont think I suffer from relevance deprivation, Keating wrote, but he clearly suffers from a wounded ego. The fact is that Albanese and senior ministers cannot give Keating the time and attention he demands. He calls ministers on sitting days in parliament and expects them to drop everything so they can talk. Some will no longer take his calls. Loading So his solution is a tirade to cut them down to size because nobody can have any stature next to the giant of the past. This does not mean the AUKUS pact is beyond question. In fact, it reaches so far into the nations future that it must be questioned. The essential decision in government is that the alliances which have worked for Australia since the Second World War with the United States, but also with the United Kingdom and the Five Eyes intelligence community in the Anglosphere will continue to support the nations security and economic wellbeing. For how long? Well, the last of the eight AUKUS submarines could be built in Adelaide in the 2050s or the early 2060s there is uncertainty about whether each vessel will enter the water every two or three years and this means the boats could be operating in the 2090s. Keatings verdict is that nuclear-powered submarines are the wrong type for Australia, but he reaches his conclusion with idiosyncratic assumptions. One is that the only threat that really matters is an invasion: Chinese soldiers on Australian beaches. Yet the advice to Albanese and his cabinet ministers is that one of the threats is a blockade that stops trade and cuts off undersea cables. Another of his assumptions is that the submarines could not cross the very shallow plateau off the Chinese coast again, as if the only scenario is an attack on land. Yet the advice is that the boats are needed for their capabilities in the open seas. The argument from the Royal Australian Navy, and put by Albanese in an interview with 3AW host Neil Mitchell on Thursday, is that the future fleet must be nuclear-powered because the vessels will travel further, faster, more quietly and with less chance of detection. This question about their capability is separate from assumptions about their purpose. Australian National University professor Hugh White makes a cogent argument for a bigger fleet of conventional submarines. Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull raises the serious question of sovereignty because Australia will be so reliant on its ANZUS ally (which, of course, it already is for its fighter aircraft, armaments, intelligence and so much more). Keating, however, begins his attack with narrow assumptions about what the submarines are for. This weakens his case from the start. When one senior member of the government saw some of Keatings remarks at the National Press Club, his verdict was summed up in a word: sad. The sight of Keating trying to demolish the government on national security is incredibly depressing for ministers who used to regard him as a Labor hero and now have to worry about branch members joining him. Loading While his appearance offered compelling sport for some, it hardly gave him gravitas. The National Press Club treated Keating with generosity and respect by placing him in a studio in Sydney while journalists in Canberra had to ask questions to a television screen. He took advantage of the special treatment with sneering answers to reasonable questions from journalists going personal in almost every answer. Young women copped the worst. The vision of an old man treating young women with derision was jarring. What if John Howard had done the same? Or Clive Palmer? The political judgment from Albanese and his colleagues is that they must not wrestle Keating in a mudfight. They will try to dismiss his claims without engaging in personal rancour. They will portray him as being out of touch by citing two numbers: 1996, when he last held power; and 27 years, the time he has spent out of office. They will contrast the 1990s with the 2020s. Keating could, of course, win his battle for the branches simply because so many members want to believe in him. But this requires a tortured choice for Labor supporters who are otherwise happy with Albanese and senior figures such as Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who many see as the heart and soul of the party. Loading Keating said Albanese was weak, had never displayed an interest in foreign affairs and was fooled into wasting taxpayer money. He said Marles was seriously unwise and had been captured by the US. He said Wong was not up to the job of foreign affairs. Running around the Pacific islands with a lei around your neck handing out money, which is what Penny does, is not foreign policy, he said. Does anybody actually believe this? That Wong, who has worked without stop over the past 10 months to repair relations in the region, is a dud minister? Keatings assessment is a doddering delusion. In his twilight years, at 79, the former leader sounds deranged. If his view on ministers can be so bizarrely adrift from reality, can anyone trust his view on submarines? The polite response to Keating within the government is that he is diminished by his attacks that it is sad to see him fall so low. They believe it is best to respond gently. But the fracture in the party is impossible to ignore. The question is how far it spreads. A rift has opened between the eastern states over fresh warnings of winter gas shortfalls, with opinions split over the need for reservation schemes or new gas fields, while the Albanese government approaches a critical decision on imposing unprecedented export controls on gas producers. The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has warned gas demand in Victoria by far the countrys biggest consumer of residential gas could outstrip supplies as soon as this winter if cold weather drives up heating usage at the same time as a slump in output from wind farms or breakdowns at coal-fired power stations. The energy market operator is warning that gas supply could run short as gas fields in Bass Strait are rapidly drying up. Credit: Rob Homer As gas fields in Bass Strait, which have traditionally supplied the bulk of east-coast gas demand, are rapidly drying up, AEMO said there would be a risk of shortfalls across the nations south-east on days of peak winter demand until 2026. By 2027, states including Victoria, NSW and South Australia would face yearly gas supply deficits unless new gas supplies were made available, it said. Egypts Public Prosecution ordered on Wednesday the referral of a man to the criminal court over charges of murdering 7 members of his family, including his wife and 3 children, in Alexandrias Raml neighbourhood. The referral came after the prosecution accused him of deliberately and premeditatedly murdering his wife, his parents-in-law, brother-in-law, and three of his children as well as attempted murder of his fourth son, according to a statement by the Public Prosecutor. The deceased sons were two, three, and four years old. Their mother was in her mid-20s. His fourth seven-year-old son, who managed to flee the scene, was earlier reported to be dead while receiving medical treatment at the hospital after he was shot. However, the prosecution denied his death. The case dates back to 7 March when preliminary investigations at the time revealed that the man was at his parents-in-laws house in Abu Soliman area to settle a dispute with his wife and take her back after separation. After she refused to reconcile with him, the accused shot dead his wife and three children, and critically injured his fourth child. He also shot dead his parents-in-law and his brother-in-law. The Public Prosecution said on Wednesday it referred the 40-year-old suspect, a low-ranking policeman, to court after listening to the statements of 13 witnesses to the crime, and after examining the forensic reports of the autopsy of the seven bodies and medically examining the eighth person the fourth child. Moreover, it reviewed the reports of the General Department of the Criminal Evidence Investigation and examined the suspect's weapon and compared it with empty shotgun shells found in the scene. The referral also came after unloading the CCTV cameras that were placed in the vicinity of the crime scene, the statement added. On 8 March, Alexandria prosecution ordered the detention of the man for four days pending investigation into accusations of murdering his family members. Search Keywords: Short link: Istanbul:Russia plans to effectively take control of Moldova by the end of the decade, according to a leaked Kremlin document. Moscow drew up a detailed plan to bring the former Soviet nation into its orbit by 2030, several European media outlets and the Dossier Centre, a non-government organisation funded by Russias former richest man Mikhail Khodorkovsky, reported on Wednesday. New Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean says his people have been brainwashed by Russian propaganda. Credit: AP The plan to infiltrate Moldovan politics and media landscape would have meant Russia dominated national affairs without having to launch an invasion. Moldova is not part of NATO and pro-Russian separatists control the breakaway state of Transnistria. Moscow: A Russian local politician has been fined nearly $3000 for discrediting the armed forces by dangling spaghetti from his ears while listening to a speech by President Vladimir Putin, a human rights monitoring group said. Mikhail Abdalkin was convicted of a stunt, which he filmed and posted on social media, based on a Russian saying that someone who has been strung along or deceived has had noodles hung on their ears. Mikhail Abdalkin listening to Vladimir Putins speech, with noodles draped over his ears. The implication was that he did not believe the content of the state of the nation speech that Putin delivered on February 21, just before the first anniversary of his invasion of Ukraine. The monitoring group OVD-Info quoted Abdalkin, a Communist from the Samara region, as saying it had been an ironic gesture to express his dissatisfaction with the presidents silence about internal political problems. London: TikTok, the popular Chinese-owned social video sharing app, will be banned from British government phones used by ministers and public servants in response to growing concerns that users sensitive data could be accessed by the authorities in Beijing. UK Cabinet Office minister, Oliver Dowden, said on Thursday (UK time) the move was a precautionary measure because of the apps capability to collect and store huge amounts of peoples data which would potentially include sensitive government information. The UK government has become the latest to ban Chinese-owned social media app TikTok from official government phones. Credit: Getty The app has been banned on official devices in the US and Canada, while at least seven governments in Europe, as well as the European Commission, the Council of the European Union and the European parliament have restricted all or some of their staff from using the app on their phones. It has been alleged that the social media app hands data from users to the Chinese government, although TikToks firms owner ByteDance, which has its headquarters in China, has strongly denied this. What in the World, a free weekly newsletter from our foreign correspondents, is sent every Thursday. Below is an excerpt. Sign up to get the whole newsletter delivered to your inbox. Im writing to you on the San Diego waterfront, next to a 7.6-metre installation known colloquially as the kissing statue, which recreates a famous embrace between a sailor and a nurse celebrating the end of World War II. Behind it sits the USS Midway, a retired aircraft carrier filled with planes and helicopters that have been used in combats from WWII to Operation Desert Storm. The Unconditional Surrender statue (aka the kissing statue) on the waterfront in San Diego. Credit: iStock Not far away, on West Harbour Drive, Top Gun fans fill the tables at Kansas City Barbecue, an iconic restaurant and bar where Tom Cruise shot some of the movies most famous scenes (though to be honest, I was more interested in the baby back ribs than the film memorabilia). Known as the birthplace of California, San Diego is very much a military city, which made it a fitting location to unveil the biggest military leap in Australias history this week. Atalaia do Norte, Brazil: When Brazilian federal agents aboard three helicopters descended on an illegal mining site in the Amazon rainforest, they were met with gunfire, and the shooters escaped. But they left behind an increasingly familiar find for authorities: Starlink internet units. Starlink, a division of Elon Musks SpaceX, has almost 4000 low-orbit satellites across the skies, connecting people in remote corners of the Amazon and providing a crucial advantage to Ukrainian forces on the battlefield. The lightweight, high-speed internet system has also proved a new and valuable tool for Brazils illegal miners, with reliable service for co-ordinating logistics, receiving advance warning of law enforcement raids and making payments without flying back to the city. Brazilian federal agents destroy an illegal mining barge inside Yanomami Indigenous territory, Roraima state, Brazil, on Tuesday. Credit: Ibama/AP Agents from the Brazilian environment agencys special inspection group and the federal highway police rapid response group found one Starlink terminal up and running next to a pit on Tuesday, an officer who participated in the raid said. He spoke on condition of anonymity over concerns for his personal safety. They also seized mercury, gold and ammunition, and destroyed fuel and other equipment used by miners in an area known as Ouro Mil, controlled by Brazils most feared criminal organisation, known as the First Command of the Capital, according to federal investigations. Sign-Up By signing up you are confirming you are 16 or over. View our Privacy Policy. Press Release March 16, 2023 Pia reports highlights of official trip to the 146th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) held in Manama, Bahrain Privilege speech of Senator Pia S. Cayetano, March 15, 2023 Thank you, Mr President. I just arrived from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Manama, Bahrain today. And I'd like to report to our colleagues and to the Filipino people what we did there. Mr President, I was sent by the Senate President to attend the IPU's 146th Assembly in Manama, Bahrain. Take note, dear colleagues,that this is the 146th. I first attended the 112th. So marami na. But hindi naman yan one per year. Two per year. So, that was in 2005, your honors. So fast-forward to today, we attended the ASEAN+3 Meetings and then the Asia-Pacific Group Meetings. And I took the floor to promote our hosting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum in November. I took the opportunity to promote our hosting in these two meetings. And also at the APG meeting, my candidacy for a member in the Standing Committee on the United Nations Affairs was approved. So I will now be a representative of the Asia-Pacific Group for this Committee. And it so happened that there was a vacancy for the Sustainable Development group, so ora-orada, we submitted a handwritten nomination for Congresswoman Rachel Arenas [of Pangasinan's third district]. And she is now our representative. So I think it is timely that two women, one from the Senate and one from the House will be representing not just the Philippines, but the Asia-Pacific Region in these two committees, your honors. Next, your honors, on that same day, I had the opportunity to attend the Women Parliamentary Meeting, which is always held a day before the official opening. So you will see photos there of me more than 10 years ago, and me today. And in many ways, the issues are the same, which is good and bad. Good, because we are not letting go until discriminatory practices, until obstacles are removed. It can be frustrating, your honors, to the extent that after all this time, there are still countries that have a lot of issues. And we have our own, there is no country that's perfect. We are one of those who are still continually trying to address discriminatory practices. But it's important that we continue to keep aware of all of this. The specific topic was: Parliamentary Leadership in Addressing Insecurity and Crises: Putting Gender Equality at the Center of Water Security, Climate Resilience and Peace Sustainability. As your honors know, we are one of the few parliaments in the whole world that has a Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, Innovation, and Futures Thinking. So we took the opportunity to discuss this. But it serves also as a reminder to this representation, which I share with the body, that we should always look at our bills from a gender lens as well. Because when we can truly ensure that women are represented well, that women's concerns are addressed, then we know that it is a sign that there is true democracy and true partnership between men and women. Moving on, your honors, there was also a WHO Side Event on "Leveraging the Role of Parliamentarians towards [Universal Health Care]." And I was a speaker, I was part of the expert panel, sharing our experiences on health financing, particularly on the sin tax laws that we have passed over the past few years. So I delivered my intervention there. And then, of course, as your head of delegation, I attended the Governing Council session and delivered our statement during the General Plenary. I had the support of our colleagues from the House of Representatives, your honors. Finally, I attended one more session on UN Affairs, where I was not yet officially a member of, because my membership starts in October. But I was able to attend as an observer and a participant. And I also made my statement there during that session. I also put on record that I had the opportunity to meet with a colleague who is the President of UNITE, a Network of Parliamentarians for Global Health. I am the Chapter Chair for the Asia-Pacific, and UNITE has an observer status in the IPU. The Majority Floor Leader seems to have some questions. I will happily answer his questions later on. I still have the floor, your honors. So I think I have covered all. I'd just like to add also that there are approximately 54,000 Filipino nationals in Bahrain. We had the full support of the Embassy of course, [and] the Senate Secretariat, my staff as well, and I took the opportunity to greet all our kababayans who were very happy to see us because hindi naman daw ganun kadalas may bumibisita doon. Ang mga andyan na Pilipino ay nagtatrabaho doon. You see them all over, usually in the retail establishments. From the coffee shops, furniture shops, yung isang picture d'yan furniture shop yun. And even in the IPU itself, the people manning the coffee booths were Filipinos, your honor. So it's true that you can find Filipinos all over the world. So on that note, your honor, I submit this report and I will be sharing more learnings in the course of debates, because I always come home with more learnings having met different parliamentarians coming from all over the world. Thank you, your honor. More than 40,000 people in Greece demonstrated nationwide on Thursday to express outrage against last month's train tragedy that killed 57 people, police said, while labor unions went on a general strike grounding flights and extensively disrupting services across the country. The largest protests were held in Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city, and in the capital Athens, where thousands chanted this crime will not be forgotten as they reached a police cordon outside a private rail operator. Some 25,000 people were marching in Athens alone, a police spokeswoman told AFP, with many calling on Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to resign. Police said another 8,500 people were demonstrating in the country's second city of Thessaloniki and the same number in the western port city of Patras. The strike also kept ferries to the Greek islands at port, left public hospitals running with emergency staff, halted public transport services and led to class cancellations at state-run schools. "This crime will not be forgotten," demonstrators from the country's communist union PAME chanted as the crowd marched on parliament in the capital. Students shouted "murderers" and marchers threw flyers of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis wearing a stationmaster's cap, captioned "it's everyone's fault but mine". The accident occurred at around 11:30 pm on Tuesday (2130 GMT) near Larissa in the Tempe Valley of Thessaly, central Greece, about 380 kilometers (236 miles) north of Athens, on the main railway line between the capital and Thessaloniki. The passenger train, with 342 passengers and ten employees on board, slammed head-on into a freight train traveling on the same track in the opposite direction, officials said, in what is considered the country's worst-ever rail disaster. A fire broke out, apparently in the restaurant car that was among the three leading carriages. Most of the casualties were in the first three carriages, which included first-class seats. Dozens of people were hurt most of them students returning to Thessaloniki after a long Carnival weekend. While all ten train employees are believed to have died in the crash. Thursday's 24-hour strike is the biggest yet in days of industrial action that followed the disaster, this time called by Greece's leading private as well as public sector unions. The walkout shut down the civil service, flights and ferries. "Things have to change in this country, we simply cannot mourn all these deaths," said Athens' protester Stavroula Hatzitheodorou, in reference to deadly wildfires that have gripped Greece in recent years as well as the train crash. Search Keywords: Short link: The UN Security Councils support of an initiative aiming at forming a high-level Libyan team to follow up and prepare for elections in Libya is a clear violation of the role of the legitimate and elected Libyan state institutions, Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesman Ahmed Abu-Zeid stressed on Thursday. Egypt regrets the Security Councils encouragement of such initiative in a presidential statement issued by the global body on Libya yesterday, Abu-Zeid said in remarks reported by Egyptian states news agency MENA. The spokesman also expressed regret for UNSCs support for vague initiatives with undefined criteria and objectives in an attempt to legitimise their work. Abu-Zeid also criticised the presidential statements use of ambiguous terms, including "security actors," warning that this makes room for speculations and contradiction with the relevant Security Council resolutions. The encouragement of such initiatives would also increase the state of division and rivalry in Libya and undermine the chances of holding presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible within the framework of a Libyan national consensus, Abu-Zeid warned. Egypt has frequently called for fulfilling the necessary frameworks to hold the Libyan presidential and parliamentary elections simultaneously and as soon as possible under the supervision of a neutral executive authority that upholds the supreme interests of the Libyan state. Egypt has also affirmed that it looks forward to seeing the Libyan House of Representatives, as the only elected legislative body in Libya, and Council of State completing their efforts in preparing electoral laws. In February, Egypts Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry warned against attempts by external parties to divert Libya's political process to suit their interests. In a meeting with UN Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Libya Abdoulaye Bathily, Shoukry also stressed the necessity of not allowing "any internal Libyan party to hijack the political process through imposing a fait accompli." Libya has witnessed a political stalemate since it failed to hold long-awaited elections in December 2021. The country is currently divided between two rival governments; one based in Tripoli, led by Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah, and the other appointed by the east-based parliament and led by Fathi Bashagha. Egypt backs the government of Bashagha and has labeled Dbeibahs Government of National Unity (GNU) as outgoing. Search Keywords: Short link: Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry said on Thursday that he looks forward to receiving his new Cypriot counterpart, Constantinos Kombos, in Cairo as soon as possible. Shoukry congratulated Kombos in a phone call on assuming his duties within the framework of the ministerial formation of the new Cypriot government. The ministers praised the strong strategic relations between Egypt and Cyprus and the bonds of friendship that bind them, stressing the importance of continuing coordination and joint work between the two countries. The two ministers also touched on regional files and international issues of common concern and affirmed the continuation of consultations between them during the coming period. Over the past years, Egypt and Cyprus have been keen to enhance their bilateral cooperation and also their trilateral cooperation with Greece in various fields, especially regarding the economy and energy. Search Keywords: Short link: Cheyenne, WY (82001) Today Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 67F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Some clouds. Low near 40F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Egypt received 11.7 million tourists in 2022, up from eight million in 2021, marking a 46.2 percent increase, said Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Issa on Wednesday. The number of visitors to Egypt is expected to increase by 28 percent this year to 15 million, Issa added in a meeting with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly. Travellers to Egypt increased by 35 percent in January and February, compared to the same months of 2022, he noted. During the meeting, Madbouly said the recent growth in the number of tourists was the result of a host of key measures the government has adopted over the past year. Egypt has been working to ensure the recovery of the tourism industry, one of the countrys leading economic sectors, after it was hit by the coronavirus pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war. The Russian and Ukrainian markets are among the largest markets for tourism to Egypt. The government took numerous measures to stimulate the sector, including deciding in January to allow 180 nationalities to obtain tourist visas on arrival to Egypt provided they have a valid and used visa on their passports for either the United Kingdom, the United States, New Zealand, Japan, or the Schengen countries. The Ministry of Transport also launched in September its first-ever online platform to regulate the entry of yacht trips into the country as part of a newly developed strategy to leverage the countrys unique strategic geographical location and long coastal lines. Promoting tourism has gained further urgency in Egypt amid the global economic crisis, which has put pressure on the local currency and caused Egypt to face a shortage in foreign currency. Egypt targets tourism investments of EGP 7.4 billion in FY2022/2023, compared to EGP 6.2 billion in FY2021/2022, according to a statement by Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said in December. Search Keywords: Short link: Batavia, NY (14020) Today Overcast with rain showers at times. High 53F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Rain showers this evening transitioning to snow showers overnight. Low near 35F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of precip 60%. An Egyptian presidential decree was published in the Official Gazette on Thursday to teach French as a compulsory second language in Egyptian public schools, starting from the first grade of middle school, by the 2024/2025 academic year. The decree includes an amendment of a previously-signed partnership agreement between Egypt's cabinet and the French Development Agency (AFD) to provide a grant worth 500,000 Euros to the TreFLE project a project that supports the teaching of the French language in public schools. Thursdays decree will benefit nearly 3 million students in Egyptian public schools, according to a previous statement by the ministry. The decision to teach French was first announced on 9 March in a meeting between Egypt's Minister of Education and Technical Education Reda Hegazy and Ambassador of France to Cairo Marc Barety to celebrate the TreFLE. TreFLE is a project funded by the AFD. According to Hegazy, the project has trained 507 teachers and inspectors of French as a second language. These will, in turn, train 13,000 other teachers of French, according to Hegazy. The project started in 2020 as a joint project implemented by the French Institute in Egypt, France Education, and Reseau Canopee. Egypt pays special attention to strengthening cooperation with France in various fields, especially with regard to transferring French expertise and technology in all development fields to Egypt, Hegazy said, noting that the TreFLE is one of the fruits of strengthening cooperation between the two sides. Search Keywords: Short link: 11 Billion Increase in Defence Spending Is Not Enough to Combat Russia and China, Says MP Tobias Ellwood calls for 'political courage' and 'hard power' An Ajax Ares tank, an armoured personnel carrier, on the training range at Bovington Camp, a British Army military base in Dorset, England, on Feb. 22, 2023. (Ben Birchall/PA Media) An 11 billion increase in defence spending, announced in Chancellor Jeremy Hunts budget on Wednesday, will not be enough to regenerate the hollowed-out British Army, a senior MP has warned. Tobias Ellwood, a Conservative and former captain in the British Army who chairs Parliaments defence committee, said the bulk of the money announced by Hunt would go on the Dreadnought nuclear submarine programme and replenishing stocks of ammunition and equipment which had been given to the Ukrainians to fend off Russian invaders. On Monday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, during a trip to San Diego to sign the AUKUS submarine deal, announced an extra 5 billion would be pumped into the Ministry of Defences budget over the next two years to counter the malign influence of Russia and to curb Chinas increasingly belligerent stance in the Indo-Pacific and globally. Two days later Hunt said there would be an extra 11 billion in the defence budget over the next five years, which included the 5 billion announced by Sunak. U.S. President Joe Biden (C) participates in a trilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (R) and Australias Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (L) during the AUKUS summit at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego California, on March 13, 2023. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images) In the governments Budget Red Book it says, This will improve the resilience and readiness of the countrys forces, by bolstering our conventional stockpiles, enabling early investment for the AUKUS submarine alliance, and modernising our nuclear enterprise. Hunt told MPs: It will be nearly 2.25 percent of GDP by 2025. We were the first large European country to commit to 2 percent of GDP for defence and will raise that to 2.5 percent as soon as fiscal and economic circumstances allow. Earlier in the week Labours shadow defence secretary, John Healey, reminded MPs that Britain was contributing 2.5 percent of GDP when former Prime Minister Gordon Brown left office in May 2010. After the budget announcement, Ellwood took his own government to task in the Commons and said: Ive crunched the numbers already in the Red Book. Simply put, away from the Ukraine support, of ammunition replenishment, for the next two years theres 5 billion allocated of which 3 billion goes to the new nuclear enterprise, leaving just 1 billion a year to improve our conventional forces. Concern over Tank, Plane, and Troop Numbers Ellwood added: That will not allow our hollowed-out army to be regenerated. It will not allow all those cuts we saw in the last review to be reversed, such as tank numbers, troop numbers, armoured fighting vehicle numbers, even Typhoon numbers, Hercules aircraft numbers as well. The MP for Bournemouth East, who was a captain in the Royal Green Jackets, said, We should recognise, and I say this loud and clear, were sliding towards a new Cold War as Russia and China further align themselves to challenge and exploit the frailty of our global order. Ellwood, a junior defence minister under former Prime Minister Theresa May, said failure to invest in upgrading Britains peacetime defence posture would harm its economy as overseas markets were closed off and would diminish the UKs voice on the international stage. This is not the time to blink, but we must have the political courage backed by our hard power, he added. He said the governments own integrated review acknowledged there was a growing prospect that the international security environment will further deteriorate in the coming years, and the risk of escalation is greater than at any time in decades. An undated visualisation of what an SSN-AUKUS submarine might look like at sea, issued on March 13, 2023. (BAE) Sunak Constrained by His Own Fiscal Rule But Richard Hughes, chairman of the Office for Budget Responsibility, said any greater defence spending risked breaking Sunaks own fiscal rule of having debt falling as a proportion of the size of economy in 2028, a goal he has already delayed by two years. Hughes said: If you combine fuel duty, his aspirations on where he wants the tax regime on businesses to go and also the aspirations announced earlier on this week about defence spending and getting it to 2.5 percent of GDP, when you combine those things that busts his rules by a country mile. Ellwoods criticisms echo what Tim Ripley, a defence analyst and author of Little Green Men: The Inside Story of Russias New Military Power, told The Epoch Times earlier this week. He said there were many people, even within the British armed forces, who think the astronomical cost involved is not worth it, especially when it comes at the cost of properly funding the British Army, the RAF, and the rest of the Royal Navy. Referring to the money being pumped into the Dreadnought programme, Ripley said it would buy you an awful lot of tanks and artillery shells for the army. Labour MP and former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott wrote on Twitter on Thursday: Tories will raise defence spending by 11 billion over the next five years. But no money to pay teachers and other public sector workers properly. PA Media contributed to this report. 40 Percent of Children 14 and Under Are Not Living With Married Parents: Report About 40 percent of Canadian children ages 014 do not live with married parents, according to a new report by Cardus, a think tank. Data collected during COVID-19 suggested a significant decline in marriage rates, divorce rates, and fertility, according to the report, Canadian Children at Home: Living Arrangements in the 2021 Census, published Feb. 28. The report indicated it used previously unreleased Statistics Canada data from the 2021 census to examine the living arrangements of children from newborn to age 14 in Canadian families. Parental marital status and the portion of intact families is an indirect measure of family stability, suggested the report. Measuring instability in the family lives of children is important because instability is correlated with a higher risk of poor outcomes among children, it said. The report analyzed how many children live in single-parent families, married-parent families, and common-law families. It also considers children living in step-families, and compares the data to previous census cycles over a 25-year period. According to the report, 60 percent of children in Canada live in families with married parents. Back in 1996, about 73 percent of children lived with their married parents, but the report said although the number had been declining for decades, the numbers have held steady since 2016, declining only 0.3 percent. Similarly, the number of children in single-parent homes has remained relatively stable for the last five years. In Manitoba, Yukon, and British Columbia, the number of married-parent families saw a slight increase. One in five Canadian children are living with a lone parent, while roughly 17 percent of children live in common-law families. One in three children living in common-law families are in step-families, while less than 7 percent of children in married-parent families are in step-families. Stability Quebec affects the national numbers with its sizeable population, notes the report. About 43 percent of all couples in Quebec are common law. Nearly as many children in Quebec live in common-law families (38.9 percent) as in married-parent families (39.4 percent), it noted. Nunavut was also unique in this regard, with children more likely to be living in a common-law family (33.7 percent), or a single-parent family (28.3 percent) than in a married-parent family (26.5 percent), with the territory having the highest portion of children living in single-parent families and the fewest children living in married-parent families in Canada. Childrens living arrangements matter because while no family is perfect or immune to break-up, married families are generally less likely to dissolve than non-married familiesand children in healthy, stable homes tend to be happier and healthier, and to do better in school, suggested the report. Peter Jon Mitchell, the author of the report and family program director at Cardus, said in a news release on Feb. 28, Good kids come from all kinds of families, but governments should consider family structure when discussing inequality and childrens wellbeing. Given the benefits of healthy marriages, governments concerned about inequality should address barriers preventing young adults from forming stable marriages and families. The report notes that the divorce rate in Canada has been on the decline, but some analysts suggest this is the result of fewer people getting married. The decline in divorce may also be correlated with the fact that couples are marrying at older ages than in the past. Some social scientists theorize that older people are more selective in whom they marry compared to younger people, resulting in increased marital stability, said the report. 60 Percent of Americans Say China a Bigger Threat Than Russia in New Poll The Chinese regimes flags and American flags are displayed in a company in Beijing on Aug. 16, 2017. (Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images) About 60 percent of Americans surveyed in a new Quinnipiac University Poll have listed China as a bigger threat to the United States over Russia. The poll, which was conducted between March 913, asked 1,795 American adults about their views on a range of political topics. One question asked respondents to identify who they consider the greatest threat to the United States among the countries of China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba. A majority of 61 percent viewed China as the biggest threat to the United States, while 22 percent said Russia. Eight percent of respondents said North Korea poses the biggest threat and two percent said Iran. Less than a percent of respondents identified Venezuela or Cuba as the top threat, while three percent of respondents volunteered an unlisted option and four percent said they did not know. China was the top concern for respondents across party lines. 79 percent of Republicans, 64 percent of independents, and 47 percent of Democrats selected China as the leading threat to the United States. By contrast, 38 percent of Democrats, 18 percent of independents, and 10 percent of Republicans saw Russia as the leading threat. The Quinnipiac findings are similar to those from a recent Gallup poll, which showed that 50 percent of U.S. respondents considered China the biggest threat to the United States, compared to 32 percent who said that Russia was the bigger threat. That Gallup poll found even broader negative views of China, with more than eight in ten Americans expressing unfavorable views of the country. China and TikTok U.S. officials have shared increased concerns over China and its ruling communist party in recent months. In February, U.S. officials decried the transit of a Chinese high-altitude balloon over U.S. airspace, alleging the balloon was one of several recent efforts by the Chinese government to spy on the United States. U.S. officials have pointed to the popular social media app TikTok as another avenue for Chinese government actors to surveil Americans. TikTok is owned by a Chinese parent company called ByteDance. Multiple reports have indicated that TikTok and ByteDance employees can and have accessed U.S. user data from China. FBI Director Christopher Wray has also warned that TikTok could be used to conduct influence operations against U.S. citizens, manipulating users content to promote views favorable to the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The new Quinnipiac University poll found that a 49 percent plurality of U.S. respondents preferred banning the app in the United States, while 42 percent opposed a ban. Nine percent said they dont know whether either way where they stand on a ban. Views on the proposed TikTok ban differed with respondents political views: 64 percent of Republicans and 50 percent of independents said they support a ban on TikTok. A 51 percent majority of Democrats opposed a ban on the app, while 39 percent supported said they support a ban. The Origins of COVID COVID-19 has been another factor making Americans wary of the Chinese leadership, with the topic escalating again in recent weeks. In February, the U.S. Department of Energy assessed, with low confidence, that a lab leak was the probable point of origin for the deadly virus. That same week, the FBI reiterated its belief that COVID-19 most likely came from a lab leak. The FBI said its assessment was made with moderate confidence, according to the Wall Street Journal. Lab leak theory proponents specifically consider a virology lab in China, called the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), as the likely point of origin for COVID-19. The first cases of COVID-19 were recorded in Wuhan near the lab, and members of the lab were reported to have fallen sick in the early stages of the pandemic. On the origin of COVID-19, 64 percent of Quinnipiac University poll respondents said they consider the lab leak theory to be the most likely explanation, while 22 percent of respondents said the virus could have been the result of natural transmission, and two percent said it could have been caused by something else entirely. The lab leak theory is supported by 87 percent and 67 percent majorities of Republican and independent respondents respectively. The theory is also supported by a 42 percent plurality of Democrat respondents. From NTD News Alleged Beijing Interference in Vancouver Elections Deeply Concerning: NDP Leader NDP leader Jagmeet Singh speaks to reporters on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Dec. 7, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick) Opposition party leaders have reacted to the latest national security leak alleging that the Chinese regime interfered in the Vancouver municipal elections last year, with NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh expressing grave concerns. As somebody who represents Burnaby, a neighbouring city, the idea of a foreign government influencing our municipal election is deeply concerning. It should not be happening, Singh said during a press conference in Toronto on March 16. From what it sounds like it targeted Kennedy Stewart, the former mayor of Vancouver. The Globe and Mail, quoting from leaked Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) information, says that then-Chinese consul-general Tong Xiaoling made efforts to elect pro-Beijing politicians to the city council in the 2022 election. Tong had also reportedly discussed grooming Chinese-Canadian municipal politicians that would seek higher office to work for Beijings interest. The Globe reported that Stewart was briefed in May 2022 by CSIS and was asked many questions about the attacks Tong and Chinese-language media directed at him. Stewart has taken positions contrary to Beijings interests, and he has said he believes he was the target of a foreign interference campaign. A former NDP MP who was Vancouvers mayor from 2018 to 2022, Stweart lost the election to Ken Sim by almost 37,000 votes in the 2022 municipal election. The Epoch Times contacted Stewart for comment but didnt immediately hear back. Sim, who declined an interview request with the Globe, also did not return a request for comment by publication time. Singh said allegations of interference like the latest one concerning a large Canadian city show the need for holding a public inquiry into foreign interference. People need to know that their vote matters and they they need to know that their elections are free from foreign interference, he said. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has resisted calls to hold an inquiry and instead announced the appointment on March 15 of former Governor General David Johnston as independent special rapporteur on foreign interference. Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet also commented on the latest leak, saying that while it shows somethings wrong inside security agencies, hes glad the information is coming out to serve the public interest. But Blanchet said one has to be careful in making the claim that the election might have been compromised. Because the message it does send to the population is pretty serious, and because this cannot be clearly shown or demonstrated, he said at a press conference on Parliament Hill on March 16. Does it have an influence? Id say yes. Did this influence pick the winner? This cannot be demonstrated. National security leaks on interference by the Chinese Communist Party have been published in media outlets since last November. The revelations have led to all opposition parties requesting a public inquiry, and a related motion is soon to be presented in the House of Commons. Trudeau has put the decision to hold or not to hold an inquiry in the hands of Johnston. Singh said he trusts Johnston to do his work, noting he is independent and nonpartisan. The Conservatives and Bloc strongly oppose the appointment. Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre said Trudeau had appointed a family friend and pointed out that Johnston is a member of the Trudeau Foundation. Get real. Trudeau must end his coverup. Call a public inquiry, he said. Independently of the virtues that could be attributed to Mr. Johnston, Justin Trudeau once again has chosen a close relation, Blanchet said. A spokesperson for the Rideau Hall Foundation, which is chaired by Johnston, said the former governor general is not commenting on the appointment at this time. China's foreign minister on Thursday urged Kyiv and Moscow to restart peace talks "as soon as possible", while Kyiv said the call also raised the importance of Ukraine's territorial integrity. Beijing "hopes that all parties will keep calm, exercise restraint, resume peace talks as soon as possible and return to the track of political settlement", Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in a phone call. The call was the first official talks between the pair since the Chinese foreign minister took office in December. "China is concerned that the crisis could escalate and get out of control," Qin said. "China hopes that Ukraine and Russia retain hope for dialogue and negotiation," he added. China has been criticised by Western countries for failing to condemn Moscow's invasion of its European neighbour, and last month strongly denied US claims that it was mulling arms shipments to support Russia's war. Kuleba summed up the ministers' call on Twitter, saying it included discussion of "the significance of the principle of territorial integrity", without giving details. Beijing last month published a position paper on Moscow's war in Ukraine, calling for dialogue and seeking to position itself as a neutral mediator. Qin reiterated Thursday his support for that proposal, saying Beijing had "upheld an objective and just position on the Ukrainian issue, committed itself to promoting peace talks and called on the international community to create conditions for peace talks." Kuleba said that while speaking to Qin, he underscored the importance of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's proposals "for ending the aggression and restoring just peace in Ukraine". Search Keywords: Short link: Arizona Governor Criticized for Plans to Defy Execution Order Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs delivers her State of the State address at the Arizona Capitol in Phoenix on Jan. 9, 2023. (Ross D. Franklin/AP Photo) PHOENIXArizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is being criticized by a victims sister and a powerful county prosecutor for her plans to defy a court order to execute a prisoner next month for his conviction in a 2002 killing. The newly elected Democratic governor vowed nearly two weeks ago that she wouldnt carry out the Arizona Supreme Courts order to execute Aaron Gunches on April 6, citing a review that she has ordered of death penalty protocols due to Arizonas history of mismanaging executions. Hobbs has said executions will not be carried out until Arizonans can be confident the state isnt violating the law. She maintains that while the court authorized Gunches execution, its order doesnt require the state to carry it out. Over the last several days, lawyers for Karen Price, whose brother Ted Price was the victim in Gunches case, and Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell have told the states highest court that Hobbs doesnt have the legal authority to disregard the order. In a statement, Karen Price said the relief her family felt when the court scheduled Gunches execution was dashed by Hobbs announcement. Not only has our family been victimized by inmate Gunches and the emotional aftermath of Teds murder, we are now being victimized by the governors failure to recognize and uphold our constitutional rights to justice and finality, Price said. Aaron Brian Gunches. (Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry via AP) Nicholas Klingerman, an attorney representing Mitchell, said no constitutional violations have been found with the states execution protocols and that carrying out execution warrants isnt optional for the governor. Nothing in the Constitution or laws of Arizona or the warrant gives the governor discretion to ignore the warrant and grant what essentially constitutes a temporary reprieve from the death penalty, Klingerman wrote. In a filing Wednesday, lawyers for Hobbs advised the court against taking up Prices appeal, saying the corrections department lacks staff with expertise to carry out an execution and the state isnt currently prepared to carry out an execution in a constitutionally sound manner. They said the state doesnt have a contract right now for a pharmacist to compound the pentobarbital needed for an execution and that corrections officials are unable to find out the identity of the states prior compounding pharmacist, who primarily had contact with an official no longer with the department. They also said a top corrections leadership position thats critical to planning executions remains unfilled. Corrections Director Ryan Thornell said in a court filing that he was unable to find enough documentation to understand key elements of the execution process and instead has had to piece it together through conversations with employees on what might have occurred in past executions. Arizona, which currently has 110 prisoners on death row, carried out three executions last year after a nearly eight-year hiatus brought on by criticism that a 2014 execution was botched and because of difficulties obtaining execution drugs. Since resuming executions, the state was criticized in May for taking too long to insert an IV for lethal injection into a condemned prisoners body in and for denying the Arizona Republic newspapers request to witness the last three executions. Gunches was sentenced to death after pleading guilty to murder in the shooting death of Ted Price, his girlfriends ex-husband, near Mesa, Arizona. Gunches, who isnt a lawyer, represented himself in November when he asked the Supreme Court to issue his execution warrant so, he said, that justice could be served and the victims could get closure. In Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovichs last month in office, his office asked the court for a warrant to execute Gunches. But Gunches then withdrew his request in early January, and newly elected Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes later asked for the execution warrant submitted during Brnovichs tenure to be withdrawn. The state Supreme Court rejected Mayes request, saying it must grant an execution warrant if certain appellate proceedings have concludedand that those requirements were met in Gunches case. In yet another reversal, Gunches said in a filing a week ago that he still wants to be executed and asked to be transferred to Texas, where he wrote the law is still followed and inmates can still get their sentences carried out. Arizonas highest court has since denied Gunches request to transfer to Texas. Australians Could Struggle to Stay Warm This Upcoming Winter as Gas Shortage Looms Australians could struggle to stay warm this winter after the energy market regulator warned of a potential gas shortage. Daniel Westerman, CEO of the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), said that as the country transitioned to net-zero, the southernand colderstates of New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and South Australia could be affected. So overall, were forecasting sufficient annual supply to meet the demand for southeastern Australia until 2027. But there are risks of peak day shortfalls each winter if there are periods of very high demand for both gas for heating and gas for power generation at the same time, Westerman told ABC AM program. A big part of that is the decline in production from the Victorian gas fields, which is declining faster than the rate at which we are electrifying our homes and businesses, and, of course, we are seeing an ongoing need for gas as a firming generation to enable more renewables into the power system. AEMO is calling for investment in new gas supplies to overcome these forecasted shortfalls by completing infrastructure and supply projects on time. He also said governments needed to facilitate additional gas storage and pipeline development, noting that liquified natural gas (LNG) import terminals could play a role. The photo shows eggs being cooked in a cast iron pan over flames on a natural gas-burning stove in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., on Jan. 12, 2023. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) Gas is critical for electricity generation. We see that every day, and we certainly saw it through some of the disruptive periods last year. Gas is critical to help the electricity supply as our coal-fired power generators get older and retire. It also enables more renewables generations into the system and helps reduce emissions, Westerman said. AEMO says they do not believe annual gas consumption and demand for gas will increase over the long term. However, winter maximum gas daily demand for power generation is forecast to nearly double from 2023 to 2042, due in part to the electrification of heating, he added. Energy Prices Set to Soar Again The call from the regulator comes as Australian households struggle with higher living costs and expected pressures from the upcoming winter. On March 15, the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) revealed its draft version of the default market offer (DMO) for the 2023-24 financial year, highlighting increases of up to 23.7 percent compared to current prices. The DMO is the maximum rate energy retailers can charge residential and small business customers in three regions that are part of the National Electricity Market: New South Wales (NSW), South Australia and southeast Queensland. Following the release of the DMO, Energy Minister Chris Bowen said that more needed to be done to help households and businesses. The minister also said the federal government would continue to work with states and territories to deliver energy bill relief in the May Budget. We know there is more to do, which is why our Energy Price Relief Plan also included consumer and small business rebatesadditional, targeted assistance to those who need it most, Bowen said in a statement. And over the medium to long-term, we are driving the transformation to 82 percent renewables by 2030 with Rewiring the Nation and our Capacity Investment Scheme because firmed renewable energy is the cheapest form of energy. Government to Provide $1.5 billion in Energy Price Relief Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has blamed the rise in electricity prices on Russias invasion of Ukraine while warning Australia is not immune from global economic trends. The bottom line is theres been a war in Ukraine that has put up global power prices. And because of our energy market and the way that it works, that has an impact on Australian prices as well. That is the truth of the matter, Albanese said on Thursday. The increase would have been far greater. What we saw was a halving of the forecast wholesale power price increases as a result of the action that we took as a federal government. He also said the federal government is looking to provide $1.5 billion of energy price relief. Alfred Bui contributed to this report. Biden Admin Warns TikTok It Could Be Banned in US The TikTok app logo is pictured in Tokyo on Sept. 28, 2020. (Kiichiro Sato/AP Photo) The Biden administration has warned TikTok it may be banned in the United States if its Chinese parent company doesnt sell its stake in the popular video app, according to a TikTok spokesperson. The U.S. regulator for foreign investments in America, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), issued the warning to TikTok, the company told Reuters on Wednesday. The ban would be a significant development in a recent series of moves by U.S. officials and lawmakers, with some whove been concerned the app may effectively be a Chinese spy balloon in your phone. TikTok has 100 million users in the United States and 1 billion users worldwide. Its Chinese ownership, however, makes the app dangerous, according to FBI Director Christopher Wray. As a China-based company, ByteDance is subject to Chinese law, which requires any company within its borders to hand over data to its ruling communist regime. TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter said CFIUS recently laid out steps for TikTok to satisfy the governments national security concerns. This includes demands that the Chinese owners of the app sell their shares or face a total ban. Former President Donald Trump tried to ban TikTok in 2020, citing the same concerns, but was blocked by U.S. courts. The fresh threats are now being led by President Joe Biden, a Democrat. If protecting national security is the objective, divestment doesnt solve the problem: a change in ownership would not impose any new restrictions on data flows or access, a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement to The Epoch Times. The best way to address concerns about national security is with the transparent, U.S.-based protection of U.S. user data and systems, with robust third-party monitoring, vetting, and verification, which we are already implementing. In 2020, CFIUS unanimously recommended that ByteDance divest TikTok. Under pressure from then-President Trump, ByteDance unsuccessfully sought to finalize a deal with Walmart and Oracle Corp. to shift TikToks U.S. assets into a new entity. According to the spokesperson, TikTok believes the best way to address national security concerns is to continue with its Oracle project to route user data through Texas with robust third-party monitoring, vetting, and verification. Chinese Spy App TikTok has more than 100 million users in America, with many earning an income from the app. Some lawmakers and security experts have described the app as a spy balloon into your phone. In line with actions taken by global leaders, the White House on Feb. 20 ordered the Chinese-owned app purged from all government devices and systems to keep U.S. data safe. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released guidance to all federal agencies requiring them to prohibit internet traffic from reaching the Chinese-owned company as part of the purge. According to the OMB memo, while some uses of the app on government devices may be permittedsuch as for national security, law enforcement, or security research activitiesblanket exemptions for entire agencies will not be permitted. However, agency leaders must approve such activities, according to the memo. National security concerns have heightened around China after the Chinese spy balloon recently floated over the United States, hovering over military installations before being shot down after several days. Multiple elected officials and security experts have expressed concerns about TikTok being used as a tool for Chinese spying. This is a tool that is ultimately within the control of the Chinese government, and it, to me, it screams out with national security concerns, FBI Director Wray told senators at a March 8 hearing on Worldwide Threats. Canada, India, Taiwan, the European Union, and several U.S. states have already ordered similar bans on government devices. Canada considers the app to present an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security. The EU cited similar concerns. The Epoch Times has previously reported that TikTok has called these bans political theater. After the app was banned on government devices, TikTok expressed concern that a blanket ban could follow. We hope that when it comes to addressing national security concerns about TikTok beyond government devices, U.S. Congress will explore solutions that wont have the effect of censoring the voices of millions of Americans, a TikTok spokesperson told The Epoch Times. The Epoch Times contacted the White House and the Treasury Department for comment. Biden Family Got $1 Million From Hunter Associate After China Wire: GOP Oversight Chair House Oversight committee says Hallie Biden also received payments in 2017 Hunter Biden (L) kisses his nephew Hunter, son of Beau Biden, as they stand with Beau's widow Hallie (3L), then-Vice President Joe Biden and Beau's daughter Natalie before his funeral, at St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church in Wilmington, Del., on June 6, 2015. (Patrick Semansky/AP Photo) The Biden family received more than $1 million from an associate linked to Hunter Biden after that associates account was wired money from a Chinese state energy company, according to Republicans on the House Oversight Committee. The associate, John Robinson Rob Walker, worked with Hunter Biden, now-whistleblower Tony Bobulinski, and President Joe Bidens brother James Biden in an incorporated joint venture in Delaware in 2017 with the founder of CEFC China Energy, Ye Jianming, according to corporate documents obtained by The Epoch Times in late 2020. House Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) on Thursday stated he obtained new records after subpoenaing Bank of America, which found that at least three family members received payments from accounts tied to Walker. His panel also released a letter (pdf) via Twitter saying that the account was named Robinson Walker, LLC, while it noted that Hallie Biden, the widow of President Joe Bidens son Beau, received some of the payments. While Republicans claimed that the wire was evidence that a Chinese state company was linked to the Biden family, Thursdays letter only indicated that the funds were transferred from Walkers account to Biden family accounts in March 2017. State Energy HK Limited, a separate Chinese company, wired $3 million to Robinson Walker, LLC on March 1, or several weeks after Joe Biden left office as vice president. After the Robinson Walker, LLC account received $3 million from State Energy HK Limited, Biden family members and their companies began receiving incremental payments over a period of approximately three months, the memo said. The recipients of the money included Hallie Biden, companies associated with Hunter Biden and James Biden. Meanwhile, around the same time, more than $1 million was wired from Robinson Walker, LLC to European Energy and Infrastructure Group in Abu Dhabi, a company associated with James Gilliar, another of Hunter Bidens business associates. The letter said that an unknown bank account with the name Biden also received payments totaling about $70,000. Oversight Republicans said they have not determined who that Biden is. Meanwhile, as Hallie Biden was receiving wire transfers worth about $35,000 between March and May of that year, she was reportedly romantically involved with Hunter Biden, according to House Oversight Republicans. Between March 2017 and May 2017, an account labeled Owasco P.C., associated with Hunter Biden, received some $500,000, Oversight Republicans said. An account linked to James Biden, named JBBSR INC received about $360,000 in the same time frame from Walkers account. The Epoch Times contacted a spokesman for James Biden and a lawyer for Hunter Biden comment. An email account associated with Hallie Biden has not returned a request for comment. Neither Hunter Bidens lawyers nor other members of the Biden family have issued public comments about Comers latest revelation. Concerned Comer said in a statement that Oversight Republicans have not yet determined why the payments were given to the Biden family or what services were rendered. The Oversight Committee is concerned about the national security implications resulting from President Bidens family receiving millions of dollars from foreign nationals, Comer said in a statement. We will continue to follow the money trail and facts to determine if President Biden is compromised by his familys business schemes and if there is a national security threat. A spokesperson for the White House on Thursday told several news outlets that the Oversight Committees investigation into the Biden clan is a waste of time. Republicans, the White House spokesperson said, are engaging in a politically motivated investigation. Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, delivers remarks during a hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, on Feb. 01, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Instead of bizarrely attacking the Presidents family, perhaps House Republicans should focus on working with the president to deliver results for American families on important priorities like lowering costs and strengthening health care, the spokesperson said, adding that Comer has now decided to go after Beaus widow with new allegations. The top Oversight Democrat, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), accused Comer and Republicans of targeting Biden instead of former President Donald Trump. He claimed this week that Comer dropped a demand for accounting records of Trumps accounting firm Mazars USA. Your apparent decision to permit former President Trumps attorneys to speak on behalf of the Committee and allow Mazars to stop producing evidence of President Trumps own misconduct is, by itself, an astonishing delegation of the legislative power of the Chair to a twice-impeached former President whose Executive Branch actions are still actively under Committee investigation, Raskin said in a letter on Sunday to Comer. Comers committee said that a number of questions need to be answered about the wire transfers, including a response to why those transfers to the Biden family members were made via incremental payments to different bank accounts, what services Bidens family provided to receive those payments, the identity of the Biden account holder, and why Hallie Biden received payments from Robinson Walker, LLC, when she was working as a school counselor. Bidens Green Budget Threatens Americans Access to Affordable Energy: Senate Republicans Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) speaks during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Jan. 11, 2022. (Sarah Silbiger/File Photo/Reuters) In a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and 21 of his colleagues denounced what they described as the Biden administrations most recent attempt to use the tax code as a weapon against American energy producers. The March 16 letter is in response to President Joe Bidens fiscal year 2024 budget request and concentrates on the $100 billion in targeted tax increases on energy, including coal, gas, and oil extraction. The senators drew attention to the ways in which these taxes would destroy jobs, drive up energy costs for U.S. households, and give American adversaries like Russia an advantage in international energy markets. In the letter lawmakers expressed grave concerns, arguing that the administrations hostility towards American energy production is harming working families and small businesses facing high energy prices. The letter highlights the Treasury Departments general explanations of the administrations 2024 revenue proposals, which suggested $4.7 trillion in new tax increases, including more than $100 billion in targeted tax increases on fossil fuels. The authors argue that the proposals are neither policy neutral nor consider the high tax rates already paid by the fossil fuel industry. Unbelievably, the administration would willingly suppress domestic energy production knowing it means fewer jobs and higher prices for the American people. These crushing tax proposalspaired with the administrations heavy-handed regulations and mandateswould threaten American families access to affordable and reliable energy, while giving our adversaries the upper hand in the global energy markets, the senators wrote. America is fortunate to have abundant energy resources. Our nation needs to be focused on unleashing American energy and innovation instead of throwing away one of our biggest economic and geopolitical advantages. The letter also points out that many of the proposed tax hikes would repeal cost recovery provisions and deny necessary deductions for energy producers. Examples include the proposed repeal of expensing for Intangible Drilling Costs and the elimination of Percentage Depletion. Critics say these provisions are essential for independent and family-owned production companies, as well as farmers and ranchers who rely on small royalty payments. Yellen made headlines just days before the letter was sent when she said that higher corporate taxes are needed for investing in the economy. The treasury secretarys comments came the day after Biden unveiled the fiscal year 2024 budget on March 9. The budget proposes a 28 percent corporate tax rate, up from the current 21 percent. The administration estimates that it would generate $1.32 trillion in revenues. If enacted, the United States would have one of the highest corporate tax rates among advanced economies, only behind Japan (30.62 percent), Australia (30 percent), and Germany (30 percent). It would also be higher than Chinas 25 percent level. The Department of Treasury declined to comment on the letter. BNSF: Arizona Train Derailment Feared to Involve Hazardous Materials Was Carrying Corn Syrup The Burling Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway corporate headquarters is seen in Fort Worth, Texas, on Nov. 3, 2009. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images) A freight train that derailed in western Arizona on Wednesday and was initially believed to be carrying hazardous materials was reportedly hauling a type of food syrup, according to Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway. BNSF Railway, one of Americas leading freight transportation companies, confirmed in a statement on Thursday that the train was carrying corn syrup when it derailed at approximately 7:40 p.m. in Arizonas Mohave County, which is near the border with California and Nevada, Reuters reported. There were no injuries as a result of the derailment, and preliminarily reports indicate there are no hazardous materials involved, the company said. It was not immediately clear if the train belonged to BNSF or the exact cause of the derailment. Mohave County Sheriffs Office spokeswoman Anita Mortensen told media outlets on Wednesday that the train was reportedly hauling hazardous materials. Mortensen noted that she was unaware of any spills or leaks when the train derailment occurred near milepost 9 of Interstate 40, a rural, non-residential area about 20 miles north of Lake Havasu City. The spokeswoman added that she had no information on the number of cars on the train or what kind of materials it had been carrying when it derailed. According to BNSF, the accident involved about eight train cars, Reuters reported. Mortensen said the sheriffs office notified the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and BNSF, which would both respond to the incident. BNSF, owned by conglomerate holding company Berkshire Hathaway Inc., operates railroad networks in North America and several Canadian provinces. The company has roughly 35,000 employees and employs nearly 8,000 locomotives. Wednesdays derailment comes amid heightened attention to rail safety nationwide following a fiery derailment last month in Ohio. On Feb. 3, a 151-car freight train operated by Norfolk Southern Railway that was carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in East Palestine, about a mile from the Pennsylvania border, igniting a fire and causing hundreds of people to be evacuated. A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk Southern trains, on Feb. 6, 2023. (Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo) When the train crashed, 38 rail cars derailed. A fire ensued, damaging an additional 12 cars. According to the NTSB, of the 20 cars carrying hazardous materials, 11 derailed. Meanwhile, Ohio State Attorney General Dave Yost said on Tuesday that the state has filed a 58-count civil lawsuit against Norfolk Southern, citing his concern that the rail companys accident rate has increased 80 percent over the past 10 years. Norfolk Southern Railway violated numerous state and federal laws, caused the release of over 1 million gallons of hazardous chemicals, and created hidden dangers for the health of residents and Ohios natural resources, Yost said during an online news conference. The Associated Press contributed to this report. From NTD News Bostons Italian Restaurants Sue Mayor, Alleging Racial Discrimination Then Boston Mayor-elect Michelle Wu addresses supporters at her election night party, in Boston, on Nov. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds) In one of the bluest states in the country, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is being accused of racial discrimination against one of Americas most iconic ethnic groups. Bostons North End is home to some of the oldest generations of Italian immigrants in the United States. The cantinas and trattorias, which generations of Italians continue to run throughout the waterfront quarter, draw thousands from all over the country for the authentic fare and ethnic culture they serve up. But this summer, it will be the only Boston neighborhood where visitors to the popular New England city wont be able to enjoy an outdoor meal, which has grown substantially in popularity due to the pandemic. Last month, Wu announced that she will be allowing outdoor dining everywhere in the city, except for, that is, the North End. The restaurants have fired back with a discrimination lawsuit filed this week against Wu. The restauranteers accuse Wu of making racially motivated decisions against them. This is one of the last white European neighborhoods, not just in Boston, but the entire country and Wu wants to ethnically cleanse it, North End restaurateur and resident Jorge Mendoza-Iturralde, who is of Italian descent, told The Epoch Times. Mendoza-Iturralde, owner of Monicas Trattoria and Vinoteca di Monica in the North End, said he has been called a white supremacist on social media for speaking up against Wu. Wus office refused to answer questions about the discrimination allegations, but instead sent The Epoch Times an email with a Feb. 16 press release on the issue. In it, Wu explained that her decision to ban outdoor dining in Bostons North End was based on anticipated strain in the already congested North End from two road projectsthe scheduled closure of the nearby Sumner Tunnel and an ongoing bridge construction project on North Washington Street. The two projects, Wu said, would make it harder for residents and first responders to navigate the area over the summer. But Mendoza-Iturralde and other restaurant owners called the explanation nonsense, noting that Wu is allowing dining in the equally congested districts of heavily-trafficked Newbury Street in Copleys Square and Bostons tight-fit Back Bay. Richard Chambers, an attorney representing the North End restaurateurs, told The Epoch Times that Wu has a clear racial bias against white people, especially white men. He alleged that Wus entire staff is made up of Asians, African Americans, and members from the LGBTQ+ community. There isnt a straight, white mans face on her staff, Chambers said. Mendoza-Iturralde said another example of Wus plain bias is her silence on Bostons Chinatown, another heavily congested Boston neighborhood with a predominantly Asian population. In an attempt to bolster their claim of discrimination by Wu, the Italians also pointed to allegedly racist comments Wu made last year at Bostons annual St. Patricks Day Brunch, a longstanding roast hosting notable Massachusetts politicians. Im getting used to dealing with problems that are expensive, disruptive, and white, Wu stated at the brunch. In a March 12 editorial, Boston Broadsidethe citys only conservative newspaperwrote that if she had used substituted the word BLACK, or HISPANIC, or TRANSGENDER for WHITE, she would have been dunked in Boston Harbor. In their lawsuit, the Italians allege that Wu discriminated against them for being white persons of Italian descent. Existing Discrimination Lawsuit The racism allegation against Wu was added to an already pending discrimination lawsuit filed by North End restaurateurs last year against Wu, a Democrat. The original suit was based on the high fees that Wu was imposing against them for outdoor dining before announcing last week that she was banning it altogether in the North End. According to Chambers, Wu was allowing restaurants in other parts of the city to set up outdoor dining for free while requiring the North End eateries to pay a $7,500 fee for a permit plus an average of $1,000 per month for the parking spaces they would be taking up. If that is not obviously designed to price us out of our own neighborhood, then the woke is winning, said Mendoza-Iturralde. In justifying the new fees, Wu stated that with about 95 restaurants in just over a third of a square mile, the North End has the densest per capita number of restaurants in the state, she said. Mendoza-Iturralde called the numbers inflated, saying its more like 60 restaurants. Attorney Chambers admits that politics could be influencing the policies that Wu is posing against the North End restaurant owners. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu as seen in a file photo. (Scott Eisen/Getty Images) When Wu ran for office in 2019, the almost-all Italian neighborhood did not support her. The then 36-year old Harvard grad went on to win with 64 percent of the vote. In her victory speech, Wu vowed to create a Boston for everyone. Were ready to be a Boston that doesnt push people out, but welcomes all who call our city home, she said. Killing the Old-Fashioned Italian Vibe Both Mendoza-Iturralde and Chambers said there is plenty of evidence that Wus Boston for everyone does not include the Italian-Americans restaurant owners that make up the North End. He said there was a farmers market that Wu used $26 million in taxpayer money to help establish next to the North End, which has hurt existing local produce shops run by multi-generation Italian families. He also pointed to a 63,000 square foot hotel complex the city has pushed through in the North End. It that will replace single story buildings and include space for two ground floor restaurants plus a seasonal rooftop dining terrace. Artistic rendering of the 63,000-square foot hotel complex recently approved by the city of Boston for the citys North End. (Boston Planning and Development Agency) So much being wanting to ease congestion, Mendoza-Iturralde said. No, what it is, really, is she is doing everything to kill the old-fashioned Italian vibe of the North End and the pride and the white heritage that built it. At the height of the pandemic, North End restaurant owners spoke publicly about their financial struggles that came with shutdowns, followed by costly requirements to comply with a series of newly implemented COVID safety protocols. In 2021, Christian Silvestri, an owner of Rabias Dolce Fumo, said, We have been getting killed by this whole pandemic. And now, right when you think you can get a little head start, make some money at last, you get hit again. Silvestri is now among the restaurant owners suing Wu. Wider Support for Restaurants Outside the North End, it appears the Italian restaurateurs have their share of support. According to a March 10 poll conducted by Boston.com of 2,000 city residents, most said they disagree with Wus latest decision to ban outdoor dining in the North End. The North End/Waterfront Residents Association (NEWRA) did not respond immediately to enquiries from The Epoch Times. The restaurant owners are seeking $1.5 million in damages against Wu in the lawsuit. Chambers likened the dispute to a major legal battle that the city of Boston lost last year when it banned a Christian group from flying its religious flag on a city-owned community flag pole after favorable treatment of other groups. The matter went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in what was considered a landmark case reinforcing the religious rights, that the city could not ban the Christian group if it was allowing other special interest groups to fly their flags on the pole. What Wu is doing is just as unconstitutional, Chambers said. Attorneys for Wus office have filed a motion asking the court to dismiss the restaurant owners claim on the grounds that there is no fundamental right in Boston to operate a restaurant in a public way and that the city has the right to sent certain requirements for outdoor dining licenses in Boston. It was a cold December night when Darlene Tanner looked out her car window and spotted the unworldly sight of light pillars in the sky. The Canadian hobby photographer regularly braves darkness and freezing temperatures in search of natures finest light shows; she has been chasing such celestial phenomena for over a decade. Hailing from Alix, Alberta, Tanner started out taking storm photos on her phone, before seeking to capture the northern lights and eventually investing in a DSLR, upgrading cameras as her passion grew. Tanner has been lucky enough to witness light pillars near her home several times. The rare optical phenomenon occurs when airborne ice crystals and extreme cold converge, causing artificial lightusually street lightsto cast a sort of reflection upon the sky, reaching upward toward the heavens. A photograph of light pillars taken in central Alberta, Canada, in December 2022. (Courtesy of Dar Tanner) On Dec. 24, 2022, at around 10 p.m., Tanner snapped some of her most impressive light pillar photos to date. It was really cold at night, probably minus 20, she told The Epoch Times. [The ice crystals are] kind of like snowflakes, but theyre not snow. So I looked out my window and saw them and I just ran out the door. I took a bunch of shots and drove around as much as I could before they disappeared. Theyre very tricky, she said, sometimes appearing, only to vanish minutes later. Shes always checking the temperature and knows that on a very cold night, theres half a chance theyll appear. The warmest I think Ive seen them in is probably minus 13 degrees Celsius, she said. The coldest Ive seen them in is over minus 40. A photograph shows light pillars in central Alberta, Canada, in December 2022. (Courtesy of Dar Tanner) The hexagon-shaped ice crystals caused by sub-zero temperatures float near the ground, Tanner said, and are illuminated by artificial light between dusk and dawn. According to AccuWeather, the pillars refractions usually take on the color of the light source. Lately, Tanner shoots with a Canon EOS 60D and Sony A7 III camera, both being well-suited for low-light photography. She drives as far as 25 miles (40 kilometers) from her home searching for the lights, her favorite photo spots being near Red Deer, Blackfalds, and Lacombe. Id go every night if I could, if it wasnt cloudy or if it wasnt snowing, said Tanner, who shares her work on Instagram. A photo of pink, purple, and red northern lights taken in central Alberta, Canada. (Courtesy of Dar Tanner) A bright pink, purple, and red aurora borealis appears over central Alberta, Canada. (Courtesy of Dar Tanner) The photographer said her current favorite photo depicts northern lights in the wee hours of Nov. 4, 2022, between her hometown and workplace in Lacombe. Oh man, that was so crazy, she said. I knew it was a GTM solar storm, so I had actually stayed up until 1 a.m. taking pictures, but I knew something big was coming. I thought, Well, Ill go to sleep for three hours and then Ill get up at 4 a.m. because I have to work anyway. I set my alarm, then I ran out the door and looked outside, and sure enough, the northern lights were above my head. Quickly getting ready, she ran out and started driving to work, taking a series of shots along the way. I called my team and said, Im gonna be late! I was late, it was well worth it, she said. To see the yellow, and the pink, and the red, and the purple all together, that is pretty rare. Light pillars appear due to ice crystals, extreme cold, and artificial light in central Alberta, Canada. (Courtesy of Dar Tanner) A tornado and storm clouds over central Alberta, Canada. (Courtesy of Dar Tanner) Tanner credits a lot of practice, a lot of patience, and a lot of YouTube videos for her photographic prowess. That practice began with storm photography, storm season lasting 10 weeks starting in June. She saw that the aurora borealis appears from August through May, presenting an opportunity to keep shooting. Come June again, twilight lasts throughout the night and the auroras die downbut hey, the storms return. Tanner has traveled to Yellowknife and Iceland chasing the lights. Its beautiful over there because youre closer to the Arctic Circle, she said. She warns that caution is warranted when chasing storms. You have to be careful, know what youre doing, know which way everythings traveling, she said. You always have to have an escape route plan, you have to be able to get out of there, quick. A photo of light pillars over central Alberta, Canada. (Courtesy of Dar Tanner) (Courtesy of Dar Tanner) The exhilarating chase to capture natures spectacles is a reward in itself, Tanner says, while sharing these sights is also something she enjoys. A lot of people live where I do and they say theyve never seen them in their life, ever, she said. I just want people to see what I see. More Photography by Darlene Tanner Light pillars over central Alberta, Canada. (Courtesy of Dar Tanner) Light pillars photographed by Darlene Tanner. (Courtesy of Dar Tanner) A photo of light pillars taken over central Alberta. (Courtesy of Dar Tanner) Light pillars appear over a rural compound in central Alberta, Canada. (Courtesy of Dar Tanner) Light pillars photographed over a country road in Alberta, Canada. (Courtesy of Dar Tanner) Light pillars appear overhead in central Alberta, Canada. (Courtesy of Dar Tanner) Light pillars appear over a residential area in central Alberta, Canada. (Courtesy of Dar Tanner) Light pillars appear in the sky over a rural compound. (Courtesy of Dar Tanner) Light pillars in the sky in central Alberta, Canada. (Courtesy of Dar Tanner) Light pillars appear over a country road in central Alberta, Canada. (Courtesy of Dar Tanner) Aurora borealis displays pink, red, and purple overhead. (Courtesy of Dar Tanner) Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter Canada to Drop Mandatory COVID-19 Testing for Air Travellers From China Travellers walk with their luggage at the departure hall of the Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong on Dec. 30, 2022. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images) Canada is dropping the COVID-19 testing requirement for air travellers from China, Hong Kong, and Macau that went into effect after the Beijing regime announced a sudden reopening of Chinas borders in January. The temporary pre-departure testing requirement will be dropped as of 12:01 a.m. EDT on March 17, 2023, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) said in a statement on March 16. Air travellers to Canada on flights originating from the Peoples Republic of China, Hong Kong or Macao will no longer be required to provide evidence of a COVID-19 test result before boarding. This means that there will no longer be any federal COVID-19 border measures in place after that time, the statement said. The measure was first put in place on Jan. 5, which PHAC said was in response to the surge of COVID-19 in the Peoples Republic of China and given the limited data available at that time on those cases. A number of other countries introduced similar measures at the time, as China saw an explosive number of infections and deaths after the Chinese Communist Party abandoned its draconian zero-COVID policy on Dec. 7, 2022. China officially reopened its borders on Jan. 8, allowing residents to travel outside the country after three years of lockdowns and personal restrictions. PHAC told The Epoch Times that its decision to drop the temporary testing requirement is based on several factors, including data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the international community suggesting a decrease in the number of COVID-19 case counts, hospitalizations, and deaths in China. The agency also said available data from China and traveller-testing by other countries have not shown any new variants being detected originating from China. Canadas wastewater testing programs have also not detected new variants, PHAC said. COVID-19 case counts in Canada have remained stable and hospitalizations have peaked, the agency added. Media reports, however, have shown a discrepancy in the COVID-19 data provided by Chinese authorities and the actual number of cases, with the World Health Organization and other experts raising concerns that the number may be significantly underreported. When asked about these concerns, PHAC didnt immediately provide a response. The United States reveals whether it believes Russias latest downing of a U.S. drone was intentional or not, as Moscow vows to recover the drones debris likely containing classified technology. House Republicans are trying to find solutions to the border crisis. But House Democrats say theyre going about it wrong. Republicans are unveiling an energy bill they designate as a top priority. Whats in their plan, and can it move forward in a divided Congress? A Chinese dissident is being held in custody in New York. Prosecutors allege he defrauded investors out of over a billion dollars. A retired Marine officer shares with us his experience with the military vaccine mandate. He says that even though the mandate is rescinded now, problems still remain. In a matter of days, Saudi Arabia carried out blockbuster agreements with the worlds two leading powers China and the United States. Riyadh signed a Chinese-facilitated deal aimed at restoring diplomatic ties with its arch-nemesis Iran and then announced a massive contract to buy commercial planes from U.S. manufacturer Boeing. The two announcements spurred speculation that the Saudis were laying their marker as a dominant economic and geopolitical force with the flexibility to play Beijing and Washington off each other. They also cast China in an unfamiliar leading role in Middle Eastern politics. And they raised questions about whether the U.S.-Saudi relationship frosty for much of the first two years of President Joe Biden's term has reached a detente. But as the Biden administration takes stock of the moment, officials are pushing back against the notion that the developments amount to a shift in the dynamics of the U.S.-China competition in the Middle East. The White House scoffs at the idea that the big aircraft deal signals a significant change in the status of the administration's relations with Riyadh after Biden's fierce criticism of the Saudi-led OPEC+ oil cartel move to cut production last year. "Were looking forward here in trying to make sure that this strategic partnership really does in every possible way support our national security interests there in the region and around the world," White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said of the U.S.-Saudi relationship. He spoke after Boeing announced this week the Saudis would purchase up to 121 aircraft. But China's involvement in facilitating a resumption of Iran-Saudi diplomatic ties and the major Boeing contract one the White House said it advocated for have added a new twist to Biden's roller-coaster relationship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. As a candidate for the White House, Biden promised consequencesafter the OPEC+ oil cartel announced in October it was cutting production, a move that the administration said was helping Russia. Now, Washington and Riyadh seem intent on moving forward, and at moment when China is at least dabbling in a more assertive Middle East diplomacy. Saudi officials kept the U.S. up to date on the status of talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia on restarting diplomatic relations since they began nearly two years ago, according to the White House. Significant progress was made during several rounds of earlier talks hosted by Iraq and Oman, well before the deal was announced in China last week during the country's ceremonial National Peoples Congress. Unlike China, the U.S. does not have diplomatic relations with Iran and was not a party to the talks. The Iran-Saudi relationship has been historically fraught and shadowed by a sectarian divide and fierce competition in the region. Diplomatic relations were severed in 2016 after Saudi Arabia executed prominent Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Protesters in Tehran stormed the Saudi Embassy and Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, vowed divine revenge for al-Nimrs execution. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan earlier this week said China was rowing in the same direction with its work at quelling tensions between the Gulf Arab nations that have been fighting proxy wars in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq for years. This is something that we think is positive insofar as it promotes what the United States has been promoting in the region, which is de-escalation, a reduction in tensions, Sullivan said. But privately White House officials are skeptical about China's ability, and desire, to play a role in resolving some of the region's most difficult crises, including the long, disastrous proxy war in Yemen. Iran-allied Houthis seized Yemens capital, Sanaa, in 2014 and forced the internationally recognized government into exile in Saudi Arabia. A Saudi-led coalition armed with U.S. weaponry and intelligence entered the war on the side of Yemens exiled government in 2015. Years of inconclusive fighting created a humanitarian disaster and pushed the Arab worlds poorest nation to the brink of famine. Overall, the war has killed more than 150,000 people, including over 14,500 civilians, according to The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. A six-month cease-fire, the longest of the Yemen conflict, expired in October, but finding a permanent peace is among the administration's highest priorities in the Middle East. U.S. special envoy to Yemen Tim Lenderking is visiting Saudi Arabia and Oman this week to try to build on the U.N.-mediated truce that has brought a measure of calm to Yemen in recent months, according to the State Department. Beijing swooped in on the Iran-Saudi talks at a moment when the fruit was already ripening on the vine, according to one of six senior administration officials who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private White House deliberations. The Iran-Saudi announcement coincided with Chinese leader Xi Jinping being awarded a third five-year term as the nations president. The official added that if China can play a "reinforcing role in ending hostilities in Yemen the administration would view that as a good thing. But both the White House and Saudi officials remain deeply skeptical of Iran's intentions in the Yemen war or more broadly acting as a stabilizing force in the region. To date, China, which has a seat on the U.N. Security Council, has shown little interest in the Yemen conflict, Syria, or the Israeli-Palestinian situation, according to administration officials. Yet, Xi this week called for China to play a bigger role in managing global affairs after Beijing scored a diplomatic coup with the Iran-Saudi agreement. "It has injected a positive element into the peace, stability, solidarity and cooperation landscape of the region, Chinas Deputy U.N. Ambassador Geng Shuang told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday. We hope it can also create conducive conditions for improving the situation in Yemen. The administration officials said that Beijing has shown modest interest in reviving the seven-party Iran nuclear agreement of which it is a signatory that President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from in 2018. The Biden administration put efforts to revive the nuclear agreement on hold last fall after protests broke out in Iran following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody for allegedly flouting Irans strict dress code for women. To be certain, China a major customer of both Iranian and Saudi oil has been steadily increasing its regional political influence. Xi traveled to Riyadh in December and received Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Beijing last month. But Miles Yu, director of the China Center at the Hudson Institute, said that Xi's call to be a more active player on the international stage would require Beijing to dramatically change its approach. China's diplomatic initiatives have been based on one thing: money, said Yu, who served as a China policy adviser to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during the Trump administration. They've made friends in Africa and Asia, but mostly it was monetary. These kind of transactional dealings do not forge permanent friendship. Not every move China takes to engage more deeply with the Middle East necessarily harms the United States, noted Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat and a frequent critic of Saudi Arabia. But its probably true that China should pick up some of the cost of securing the oil that frankly, is probably more important to them than to the United States in the long run," Murphy said. I think China has benefited by being a free rider on U.S. security investments in the region for a long time." The White House is not particularly concerned at the moment about the Saudis reorienting themselves toward China for several reasons, including that the Saudis' entire defense system is based on American weapons and components, administration officials said. The officials added that it would take the Saudis at least a decade to transition from U.S. weapons systems to Russian or Chinese oriented systems. Saudi Arabias reliance on U.S.-made weapons systems and the American military and commercial presence in the kingdom some 70,000 Americans live there have played a big part in the relationship weathering difficult moments over the years, said Les Janka, a former president of Raytheon Arabian Systems Co. who spent years living in the kingdom. It would take "an unbelievable amount of activity to dismantle, given the reliance on American weapons, American technology, American training, everything that goes into it, Janka said. *This story was edited by Ahram Online Search Keywords: Short link: Cassidy Accuses Biden of Dodging Meetings on Social Security Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) talks with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 12, 2021. (Susan Walsh/AP Photo) Frustrations rose on the Senate Finance Committee as Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) questioned Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen about President Joe Bidens intention concerning Social Security, which is projected to become insolvent in nine years. During the March 16 hearing, Cassidy zeroed in on the apparent lack of consideration for the ailing retirement program in the presidents 2024 budget proposal. He also vented frustration over repeated unsuccessful attempts to schedule bipartisan meetings with Biden to discuss the matter. Is the president aware that when Social [Security] goes broke in nine years, under current law, theres a 24 percent cut in benefits for people who are currently receiving? Cassidy said. More pointed questions followed. Of the $4.5 trillion in taxes the president has proposed, are any of those taxes going to shore up Social Security? Cassidy asked. Then, Why doesnt the President care? Yellen began to say that the president stands ready to work with Congress on fixing Social Security, but Cassidy interrupted mid-sentence. Thats a lie, he said, telling Yellen that a bipartisan group of senators has made multiple requests to meet with the president about Social Security but has received no reply. So if youve been told to say that he stands ready to me, I will tell you theres absolutely no evidence because we have not gotten our meeting, Cassidy said. At the conclusion of the exchange, Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) issued a warning on decorum. I would just caution colleagues that there are plenty of differences here, but accusing witnesses of lying is over the line, Wyden said. Cassidy defended his statement saying, I did not mean that for the Madame Secretary, who was merely saying what shes been told. The next speaker, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), broke the tension, saying lightheartedly, Welcome to the Finance Committee, Secretary Yellen. Cassidy was not alone in voicing concern about the future of the nations popular retirement program and asking that the president take action. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) had earlier questioned Yellen on Bidens intention to safeguard Social Security. The presidents budget includes no proposal to extend the solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund, Grassley said. Can Congress expect to see the presidents proposal to put Social Security on a sound fiscal basis, replicating the leadership of President [Ronald] Reagan and Tip ONeill? said Grassley, who has served in the Senate since 1981, when the Republican Reagan was president and Massachusetts Democrat ONeill was Speaker of the House. President Biden stands ready to work with Congress to shore up Social Security and discuss possible approaches. So thats a conversation that its important for us to have, Yellen said. CDC Bought Phone Data to Monitor Americans Compliance With Lockdowns, Contracts Show The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta on April 23, 2020. (Tami Chappell/AFP via Getty Images) The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) purchased data from tracking companies to monitor compliance with lockdowns, according to contracts with the firms. The CDC paid one firm $420,000 and another $208,000. That bought access to location data from at least 55 million cellphone users. The contracts, approved under emergency review because of the COVID-19 pandemic, were aimed at providing the CDC with the necessary data to continue critical emergency response functions related to evaluating the impact of visits to key points of interest, stay at home orders, closures, re-openings and other public heath communications related to mask mandate, and other merging research areas on community transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the contracts, obtained by The Epoch Times, state. The CDC said it would use the tracking data to assess home-by-hour behaviors (i.e. curfew analysis) by exploring the percentage of mobile devices at home during specific period of time. The data could also be integrated with other information to provide a comprehensive picture of movement/travel of persons during the COVID-19 pandemic to better understand mandatory stay-at-home orders, business closure, school re-openings, and other non-pharmaceutical interventions in states and cities. Under a heading labeled potential use cases for the data, the CDC said they could be used to try to connect the forced closures of bars and restaurants with COVID-19 infections and death rates and to assess the effect of state restrictions on close contact between people outside of their homes. The data could also be used to monitor adherence to mandated or recommended quarantines after arrival from another state and to examine the correlation of mobility patterns and spikes in COVID-19 cases at facilities such as churches, concerts, and grocery stores. It would also enable examining movement restrictions such as curfews to show patterns and compliance, the contracts state. The contracts were previously reported on by Vice News, but the outlet only released a screenshot of a single page. Together, the contracts are 71 pages. Both were signed in 2021, the same year new medical codes for COVID-19 vaccination status were approved. Early Research Published, Unclear What Purchased Data Used For The CDC, early in the pandemic, received the data for free from the firms, SafeGraph and Cuebiq. CDC researchers in 2020 published two studies using the data. One focused on data from four U.S. metropolitan areas, finding that people moved around less when measures such as social distancing were imposed. Another found that harsh lockdown orders led to decreased movement, while there was more movement after states began lifting the orders. Other researchers have also used the mobility data for studies. No CDC studies were published after the agency bought the data, and a CDC spokesperson didnt provide examples of what the purchased data were used for. For COVID-19, the insights derived from these data provide essential information on the impact and effectiveness of policies and COVID-19 mitigation measures (e.g., jurisdictional stay-at-home orders and business closures) that had profound effects on communities, Scott Pauley, the spokesperson, told The Epoch Times via email. These data provide important insights to protect public health and have been used to understand population-level impacts of COVID-19 policies and can shed important light on other pressing public health problems, like natural disaster response, and toxic environmental exposures. CDC does not and could not use these data for monitoring compliance with COVID-19 orders or individual tracking. Although the data are anonymized, they can be used to identify people, researchers have shown. The data CDC received were aggregated and anonymous, had extensive privacy protections, and could not be used to identify individuals. They cannot be tied to an individual and have multiple layers of privacy protections to prevent misuse or re-identification, Pauley said. Firms such as SafeGraph and Cuebiq receive phone data from applications before passing them on to customers in sets. The sets from SafeGraph included neighborhood patterns, which showed how often people visited places of interest, where they came from, and where else they went. The sets from Cuebiq included a shelter-in-place index that measured the percentage of mobile devices at home during a certain period of time, and an out-of-state traveler set to estimate what percentage of people who came from another state were failing to shelter in place. A SafeGraph spokesperson told The Epoch Times via email that the firm compiles and provides objective, verifiable facts about physical locations around the worldlike the address or operating hours of a particular point of interest. The spokesperson also said the data the company sells cant be de-anonymized, or used to identify or to track the movements or behavior of individual persons. Thats accomplished in part by introducing randomized noise, the company said. Cuebiq didnt respond to a request for comment. Congressional Concerns Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), the top Republican on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, expressed concern about the purchase of the mobility data, asking the CDC who approved the purchase and whether it shared the data with other agencies. It remains unclear why the CDC tracked millions of Americans during the pandemic and whether it continues to do so. In response to COVID-19, the CDC should have been prioritizing the development of treatments, effective testing, and vaccine safety rather than tracking Americans daily lives, Johnson wrote to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. Walensky said in response that the data were part of using the best science available to inform our understanding of the public health impacts of interventions and to inform recommendations. The CDC has also used location tracking data from Google but never paid for the data, Walensky said. She also said that the purchased data werent shared with any other agency or private companies. Chinas Exports to US Decline for 7 Straight Months Analyses say the trend will likely continue Aerial view of shipping containers stacked at Yangshan Deepwater Port in Shanghai, China, on May 19, 2021. (Shen Chunchen/VCG via Getty Images) Chinas exports to the United States have declined for seven consecutive months. Analyses show that this trend may continue as U.S.China relations further deteriorate. Data released by Chinas General Administration of Customs on March 7 showed the total trade value between the United States and China in the first two months of this year was 702.98 billion yuan (about $102 billion), dropping 10.6 percent year-over-year. Among them, Chinese exports to the United States were 494.11 billion yuan (about $71.7 billion), a decrease of 15.2 percent, while imports from the United States were 208.87 billion yuan (about $30.3 billion), an increase of 2.8 percent. The substantial decrease in exports reduced Chinas trade surplus with the United States to 285.24 billion yuan ($41.4 billion), down 24.9 percent over last year. Chinas exports to the United States have experienced a seven straight months decline, with a continuing trend. According to the Bank of China Research Institute, the value of the countrys exports to the United States dropped 3.8 percent year-over-year last August. Meanwhile, the decline in exports to the United States continued to expand in the following three months, respectively 11.6 percent in September, 12.6 percent in October, and 25.4 percent in November. The decline slowed slightly to 19.5 percent in December. The drop in Chinese exports is especially evident in container freight rates. According to the World Container Index released by Drewry, a UK-based maritime research consultancy, container freight rates have declined for over a year, with steep drops after last August. The index on March 9 showed that the freight rates for a 40-foot container from Shanghai to Los Angeles and New York were $1,916 and $2,707, respectively, a decrease of 83 percent and 79 percent compared to the same period last year. According to a Wall Street Journal report on March 2, traffic from Chinese ports has slowed significantly, as empty containers are stacked six high and trucks with no cargo dot the highway leading to the major terminals. [And] The worlds largest box-ship operator plans to return dozens of chartered vessels to their owners. Data released by the U.S. Department of Commerce last month showed that Mexico, Canada, and Japan were the top three countries with record exports to the United States in 2022, in which China had dropped to fourth place from first-ranked in 2020. A report (pdf) published by the Bank of China Research Institute on Feb. 28 indicates that the United States is Chinas largest export destination, and the weakening of exports to the United States has seriously inhibited Chinas overall export growth. The reports analysis said the trend would likely intensify in the future due to various factors, including U.S.China trade conflicts, the decoupling of industrial supply chains from China, and companies shifting their manufacturing out of the country, which would all lead to a reduction in Chinas exports to the United States. In addition, Beijing has been selling U.S. debt for five consecutive months. Data released by the U.S. Department of Treasury in mid-February and cited by Nikkei Asia showed Chinese holdings of Treasury securities fell to $867 billion at the end of last December, the lowest point in 12 years. Last year, it sold 173.2 billion worth of U.S. Treasury bonds, up 17 percent over the previous year. Regarding Beijings move to offload U.S. debt, Shi Jin (a pseudonym), a former financial analyst at Chinas Bank of Communications, said that the move may be a precaution against possible U.S. sanctions and diversify financial risks. He told The Epoch Times on March 13 that the debt securities have a high rate of return and are guaranteed by the U.S. federal government, making them a stable investment. However, as U.S.China relations continue to deteriorate, Beijing worries that Washington may apply restrictions on its U.S. debt holdings in the face of sanctions. U.S.China relations have reached an unprecedented low point after the recent Chinese spy balloon incident. A Gallup poll released on March 7 showed that only 15 percent of Americans view China favorably. Regarding economic and military strength, 66 percent of American adults believe that the Chinese military poses a critical threat to the vital interests of the United States, while 27 percent think its an important but not a critical threat, and only 6 percent said its not an important threat. Chinas Green Lasers Over Hawaii Signal a Coming War: Expert Richard D. Fisher Jr. (L), International Assessment and Strategy Center, gives a book titled "China's Military Modernization" to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) after a Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on Chinas Worldwide Military Expansion at the Rayburn House Office Building at U.S. Congress in Washington on May 17, 2018. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) The appearance of Chinas green lasers over Hawaii signals a coming war, warns Rick Fisher, a senior fellow at International Assessment and Strategy Center. In late January, Japanese astronomers stationed in Hawaii noticed mysterious green laser beams being fired over the island. The laser beams are being shot down from space over one of the largest mountain ranges in Hawaii. When they first reported these beams to the public, the astronomers said they came from a NASA satellitethey were thought to be American lasers. But just a week later, the Japanese astronomers issued a correction saying that the green laser beams were not from a U.S. satellite, but instead, they were more likely from a Chinese satellite. According to NASAs assessment, it was likely caused by Chinas Daqi-1 satellite, which is a Chinese atmospheric environment monitoring satellite launched in April 2022. This weather satellite passing over Hawaii, shooting its lasers, its atmospheric measuring lasers, down from on high is very much a signal to the United States that if there is a confrontation over the future of democratic Taiwan, they are ready to target American military forces, which will definitely impact American civilian lives in the state of Hawaii, Fisher told the China in Focus host on NTD, the sister media outlet of the Epoch Times. The expert disagreed that the Daqi-1 satellite is solely for environmental research. While this satellite indeed can be used to advance environmental research, the lasers that it uses to assess the atmosphere can also be used to provide key measurements of atmospheric density, wind direction, all of which are essential for the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) to be able to target its latest weapons known as hypersonic glide vehicles, he said in the interview. In reality, this is a classic example of a Chinese Peoples Liberation Armys dual-use system, he noted. Hypersonic Glide Vehicle According to Fisher, the hypersonic glide vehicle is designed to exploit low altitudes as it travels at speeds above five times the speed of sound. Now, at that speed, a hypersonic glide vehicle is very vulnerable to changes in the weather, minute changes in atmospheric density, the change in direction of the wind, he said. So, the PLA would want the Daqi-1 satellite or a satellite with that capability, to have reconnoitered the weather over the target, the weather over Hawaii, the weather over Pearl Harbor, it wants the hypersonic glide vehicle to be as accurate as possible, he added. He said that its ability to travel at lower altitudes enables the satellite to avoid radar detection until it approaches the target. It means less time for the Americans to mobilize missile defenses, if they have them, or to target this missile. And in addition, [the] hypersonic glide vehicle is designed to be maneuverable. So as it approaches the target, it can make evasive maneuvers, he said. The fact that the Chinese satellite targeted Pearl Harbor also made the American nuclear attack submarines based there vulnerable to any threat. Those submarines would provide a very significant margin of the American deterrent and combat power in the event of confrontation or war, he said. So China would attach an extremely high priority to attacking Pearl Harbor and destroying American naval assets, including those submarines, he added. Close-Run According to Fisher, the United States can counter hypersonic glide vehicles with its air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM), which he said: offers the advantage of being able to intercept the bomber thats carrying the missile early on in its mission. If the hypersonic glide vehicle missiles are on ships, then the ships can be intercepted and dealt with at a far distance from potential targets as well. But if the missiles are air-launched ballistic missiles, that means the missiles are in the air, [and] it becomes important to try to intercept the missile as far away as possible from the target before the hypersonic glide vehicle becomes a freely maneuvering and evasive target itself, he said. The United States has that intercepting capability, he noted. Still, its a close-run situation as the hypersonic glide vehicle is very fast, very maneuverable, and can also execute violent maneuvers. It means that the United States would have to launch a significant number of intercepting missiles in order to be able to assure the destruction of an incoming hypersonic glide vehicle, Fisher said. Chinas Model County on One-Child Policy Now Faces Severely Aging Population The number of seniors is climbing in China. A young couple born in the 80s are the sole caregivers of four aging parents. (Getty Images) Once touted by the Chinese Communist Party as Chinas model county in family planning in the 1970s and 1980s, Rudong County in eastern Chinas Jiangsu Province has now become the Chinese county with the oldest population, with 39 percent of its total population aged 60 or above. Located in Chinas eastern coastal region facing the mouth of the Yangtze River and Shanghai, Rudong County had a total population of 879,500 at the end of 2021a decrease of 0.08 percent from the previous year, according to a statement released by the county government. Of the total population, 71,700 are aged 0 to 14, accounting for 8.1 percent; 464,800 are aged 15 to 59, accounting for 52.9 percent; and 343,000 are aged 60 or above, accounting for 39.0 percent. The countys birth rate is 4.07 per thousand, while the death rate is 12.64 per thousand. The natural population growth rate is -8.57 per thousand. Chinese news portal Sohu reported on March 5 that in the past, Rudong County was once rated as a national model county for family planning every year, with 95 percent of families strictly complying with the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) one-child policy for several decades. It was even praised by the CCPs top official newspaper, the Peoples Daily, as a model county in family planning. However, due to the younger generation leaving the county to work elsewhere, most of the permanent residents in the county today are elderly people over 60 years old. If you walk on the streets, you will notice that almost all the pedestrians are old people. The Epoch Times was able to reach the government office of Rudong County by phone on March 9. Li Wei (pseudonym), a government employee, told The Epoch Times that in those years when the one-child policy was enforced, almost every family in Rudong County only had one child. Decades have passed and the number of deaths now exceeds the number of births. It has been like this for some years, with a precipitous drop in the birth rate. Naturally, the demographic trend is toward an older population, he said. It is estimated that by 2030, the proportion of individuals aged 60 and older in the county will reach 57 percent. The Epoch Times also spoke to an employee at the Rudong County Education Bureau on the same day. Zhang Yang (pseudonym) revealed that there used to be three or four elementary schools in the town, and later they were merged into one. There are almost no schools in rural areas, and local students in villages and township have to go to the county to attend middle schools, he added. Now, the number of students is decreasing. Although the government now promotes the two-children and three-children policy, due to heavy economic burdens and pressures, very few people dare to have children. Ma Yan (pseudonym), a Nantong resident, told The Epoch Times on March 9 that the current declining birth rate is the result of the CCPs self-inflicted disaster. It still makes me feel scared when I think of the one-child policy in the old days. If someone conceived a second child, the couple will be fired from their public office position and face financial penalties. Even the supervisors in their workplace would be punished. So no one dared to have a second child back then. Now, there are fewer children and young couples are allowed to have more than one child, but many people have lost their jobs in the three years of the epidemic. They can no longer afford to have more children, Ma said. In an interview with The Epoch Times on March 12, freelance writer Zhuge Mingyang commented that the CCPs inhumane family planning policy has exhausted Chinas demographic dividend, and that CCP officials at all levels, especially in rural areas, were truly brutal when enforcing the political policy of one family, one child. He shared one of his personal experiences. It was 1987. I went on a business trip to Jiangxi Province. The local village Party boss and director of the Womens Federation treated me to dinner. While we were eating, they told me that their village was also a model village for family planning, and there is no family that dares to violate the rule. I asked them why the peasants were so obedient. They answered boastfully, We have our own method. If someone gives birth to a second child, we send a car of militiamen, armed with guns and doctors, and go to his house to do sterilization operation on the spot. Who would dare not listen? Their words made my hair stand on end. It was just horrible! The regime treats Chinese civilians like pigs and dogs, Zhuge said. Chinese Cities Stumble Under Heavy Debt Burdens Weight of debt forcing Chinese towns to slash basic services Commentary Debt weighs heavily today in China. Past articles in this space have described the origins of some of this debt, and the ill effects it has hadand will haveon Chinas economy. A look at what is happening in many Chinese cities makes that burden clearer still: In some places, the weight of servicing these debts has even forced the cancellation of basic public services. As was the case when the failures of property developers first became evident, Beijing has, foolishly, made no plans to help. Chinese cities debt problems have three roots. One is three years of Beijing-dictated lockdowns to implement misguided zero-COVID policies. Not only did interruptions in business activity cut deeply into city revenues, but the need for tax breaks to keep businesses afloat compounded the financial shortfall across China. At the same time, the enforcement of Beijings strict lockdown rules added greatly to municipal expenses, as did the need for testing and the maintenance of quarantine centers. According to a recent provincial budget report, these activities added the equivalent of $22 billion to city expenses over the last three yearsin the province of Guangdong alone. A second burden has emerged from the housing slump prompted by the failures of major property developers. Since land sales have historically accounted for some 40 percent of local government revenue, the associated drop in real estate sales and prices have dealt city revenues another major blow. Third, Beijing last year launched an infrastructure initiative to bolster the economy, and that required local governments to issue special bonds to finance the effort. A man is pictured working at the construction site of a residential skyscraper in Shanghai on Nov. 29, 2016. (Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images) To make ends meet under these pressures, Chinese cities have borrowed heavily. Last year, local government debt jumped some 15 percent to the equivalent of $5.1 trillion. Interest payments on this debt have run up to the equivalent of $148 billion a year. However, this does not include what the Chinese refer to as hidden debtborrowing carried out on behalf of cities by special-purpose entities to keep the transactions off cities balance sheets. According to Mars Macro, a Hunan-based research firm, this hidden debt now amounts to the equivalent of $10 trillionsome 20 percent above a 2021 estimate and double the amount recorded in 2016. Chinese government debt already exceeds Chinas gross domestic product (GDP). The burden has become so onerous that several cities have had to cut back on basic services. Citizens of the city of Hegang in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang have had to go without heat periodically because the local government can no longer provide the usual subsidies. According to Chinese state media, Hegang City has already had to go through a restructuring due to debt distress, while the Chinese news website Caixin has recorded civil service salary cuts of up to 30 percent in the wealthy eastern provinces of Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu. Leiyang in Hunan province and Yangjiang in Guangdong province have suspended bus services. Despite this debt distress and the threat of more, Beijing has made clear that it will not help. The Ministry of Finance stated clearly to local governments that the central government wont bail [you] out. If that were not clear enough, the ministry added: If it is your baby, you should hold it yourself. Such tough talk is hardly fair, since Beijings policies are the cause of much of the borrowing that has taken place. Quite aside from questions of fairness, Beijings high-handed attitude could well come back to roost. It is the same mistake Beijing made over a year ago when the problems of real estate developers first emerged. This childish tough-guy stance then led to a contagion of financial problems that grew ever larger until, late last year, Beijing finally stepped in to ease the strain. It seems that the leadership in Beijing has learned nothing from their mistake with the developers and are eager to make a similar blunder again this time with local governments. They are inviting a new financial contagion that they will have to face at a later date, when Beijings lack of responsiveness will have made the problems that much more severe, as was the case with the property developers. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. A prominent Chinese cardiologist has acknowledged that COVID vaccines can cause severe myocarditis, and has proposed the establishment of centers focusing on diagnosis enhancement and treatment training. An expert in cardiovascular internal medicine, Wang Daowen is the Director of the Internal Medicine Department at Tongji Hospital, Wuhan, and a professor at Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan. Wang is also a political figure, as he is a delegate to Chinas rubber-stamp legislature. During the recent Two Sessions meetingthe plenary sessions of the National Peoples Congress and the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative ConferenceWang advised Chinas National Health Commission to establish facilities to target the widely prevalent phenomenon of fulminant myocarditis. Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle, and can reduce the hearts ability to pump bloodthus causing chest pain, shortness of breath, and a rapid or irregular heartbeat. Its fulminantor sudden and severeform, however, can lead to death from cardiac shock, arrhythmia, or multi-organ system failure. Wang said he has treated several cases of fulminant myocarditis caused by COVID vaccination. He said, Whether it is a protein vaccine, inactivated vaccine, or mRNA vaccine, there is the possibility of causing fulminant myocarditis, according to a Chinese media report. High Mortality Wang told Chinese media on March 10 that the mortality rate of fulminant myocarditis is above 50 percent. He said the COVID Omicron variantwhich is the predominant virus strain in the United Stateshas caused many cases of fulminant myocarditis in China. According to Wang, all vaccines available against COVID-19 also have the ability to cause the sever form of myocarditis. He explained that fulminant myocarditis is predominantly caused by viral infections, and that children and young adults are highly susceptible to this illness. It is a life-threatening condition characterized by a rapidly progressive course, with fatigue, circulatory failure, hypotensive shock, or even sudden death, he said, according to the report. Wang also stated that reliable diagnosis is available. However, he said that Most doctors arent familiar with it, often take it to be a cold, and miss the early treatment, Wang said. The report has caused a heated discussion among Chinese netizens. One said, Its been two years since the vaccination: I often have chest discomfort, and the hospital cant give me an answer. Another said, Theyre still forcing children to be vaccinated! Shameless! while a further asked, If this is the case, who will bear the responsibility? After the city began vaccinating children between the ages of 3 and 11, this child was pictured receiving the COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine at a school in Handan in Chinas northern Hebei province, on Oct. 27, 2021. (AFP via Getty Images) Flaws of Chinese-Made Vaccines Serious adverse reactions associated with the COVID-19 vaccines are not just limited to myocarditis, however. Previously, The Epoch Times has reported on high incidences of leukemiaand particularly in children aged three to 11after injections of Chinese-made vaccines. When the victims of the adverse reactions related to the Chinese vaccines sought help from the government, they were subjected to endless harassment and suppression. In 2021, then Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director, Gao Fu, admitted that Chinese vaccines dont have very high protection rates. However, he later denied making the comments, and claimed that the media over-interpreted words that he had meant as a suggestion for further investigation to confirm the effectiveness of vaccines against COVID-19. Gaos accidental admission of the truth in 2021 may have cost him his job. He was dismissed as CDC director in July 2022. Li Jing contributed to this report. Chinese Regime Tightens Online Censorship, Clamps Down on Influencers A sign above an office of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) is pictured in Beijing, China on July 8, 2021. (Thomas Peter/Reuters) The Chinese communist regimes Cyberspace Administration (CAC) has begun a two-month purge to strictly control the dissemination of information on Chinas internet and to increase the censorship of online citizen journalists, which has caused an uproar online. A popular Chinese social media influencer fell victim to the newly tightened censorship rules on March 15. In its Notice on Carrying out the Special Action of Purging and Rectifying Citizen Journalism Chaos, the CAC announced on March 12 that it will strengthen the control and management of the whole process and whole chain of online information. The notice stated that the cyberspace administration would devote funding to strengthen the online supervision of so-called citizen journalism. It would also focus on policing social-networking, short-video, webcasting, and other types of online platforms, and resolutely crack down on and strictly punish violators. The Chinese regime will enhance cooperation with the police and strengthen online censorship in the areas of account registration, operation, and the shutting down of citizen journalists accounts. The notice sparked heated discussions among netizens. Twitter user @wu_inoue wrote, The CCP has started to crack down on social media influencers now! Another, Gudong Baby, wrote, Where are the media that let the common people speak out? Influencer Banned From All Chinese Platforms The accounts of Chinese social media influencer Zhou Libo were suspended across all major Chinese platforms on March 15, including his Sina Weibo account, with 34.65 million followers, and his Toutiao account, with 2.93 million followers. Chinese media reported that the direct reason for the ban was an anti-Russian post he published on March 12: Putin the Great! Warrior nation! Why are there always some Chinese who use these grandiose words to describe Russia? Is it because Russia (i.e., the Soviet Union) bullied us?! Is it because they occupied 5 million square kilometers (1.93 million square miles) of greater Chinese territory and have not returned it?! They have weakened! Do you still worship them? Being friendly with them is okay, but enough with the grovelling. The post also included a pre-1949 map of the Republic of China, which is considerably larger than todays communist Peoples Republic of China. Zhou wrote next to the map: Remember this map! Chinas territory will eventually return to its original! That is the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation! An online image shows the territorial differences between the pre-1949 map of the Republic of China, which encompassed the full extent of the red-colored area, and the Peoples Republic of China. (Online screenshot via The Epoch Times) Despite the patriotic tone of Zhous post, he was censored because it wasnt in line with the Chinese communist regimes rhetoric, U.S.-based China affairs commentator Qin Peng told NTD. In the long-term propaganda of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), there has never been a distinction between the party and the country, Qin said. Loving the party and the country must be unconditional. You can only love the one party [CCP], and hate the people or countries that the party wants you to hate. Qin said Zhous silencing on all Chinese social media platforms shows that the order banning him must have been the result of a high-level order from the Cyberspace Administration of China, rather than a decision made by an internal administrator of a single website. While the CCP has successfully turned Chinas internet into the worlds largest intranet through censorship and control, its impossible to completely silence the common people, U.S.-based current affairs commentator and Epoch Times contributor Wang He said on March 15. Now the public is full of grievances, including people within the CCPs system, and all kinds of inside information are being revealed to the public one after another, Wang said. That information is largely about policies, economic situations, major disasters, key social events, etc. that affect the interests of the general public. These have become hot topics with hundreds of millions, or even billions of hits on the internet, which created a lot of public opinion-based pressure on the regime. This time, the CCP focused on clamping down on the citizen journalists because it felt scared, so it instinctively stepped up its crackdown, Wang said. Its entire thinking and policies are aggressive and rigid. What will be the final result? Like all tyrants in history, they will be overthrown by the people. Chris Christie Reveals When Hell Decide Possible 2024 Presidential Candidacy Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie looks on prior to a game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Dec. 4, 2022. (Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) Chris Christie, a former governor of New Jersey, said this week that he will decide on whether to run for the Republican presidential nomination in the next 45 to 60 days. I think running for president of the United States is an intensely personal decision, Christie told the Washington Examiner. And thats one that anybody whos considering it should have the right to make on their own regardless of anybody elses thoughts on it. Christie noted that hes actively contemplating launching his presidential campaign, adding that he believes former President Donald Trumps political magic is fading. You have a number of people both in the race and considering the race against what is, in essence, an incumbent president. I think that tells you, just by definition, that hes weaker than he was in the lead-up to 2020, Christie said. With Donald Trump at the top of the ticket, you can be sure of the fact that well have another four years of Joe Biden, and that to me is not acceptable for this country, he added. Christie, who endorsed Trump in the 2016 race for GOP presidential nomination after dropping out of the race himself, also cast doubt on Trumps run for a second term and predicted the former president would lose, starting an online spat. President Donald Trump (L) speaks with Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) after he delivered remarks on combatting drug demand and the opioid crisis in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Oct. 26, 2017. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images) In response, Trump blasted Christie on Truth Social as a failed governor after the 60-year-old told ABC News This Week that he thinks Trump would not be able to defeat 80-year-old Democrat incumbent President Joe Biden. Sloppy Chris Christie, the failed former Governor of New Jersey, spent almost his entire last year in office campaigning in New Hampshire for the Republican Nomination for President, Trump wrote. Much like his term in office, where he left with an Approval Rating of just 9 percent, his Presidential campaign was a complete disaster. He endorsed me the following day, later recommended Chris Wray for the FBI (how did that work out?), went down in flames. Hours later, Christie snapped back at Trump on Twitter, saying Trump was the only man to lose to Biden outside Delaware. Im the target of Donald Trumps new tantrum. None of his lies about me today bothered him when he asked me to prep him for every general election debate or offered me 3 different cabinet posts, Christie said. Republicans Angling to Run Trump formally announced his presidential candidacy on Nov. 15, 2022, at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. So far, two more candidates have entered the contestformer U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who both entered the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination in February. Vivek Ramaswamy, author of Nation of Victims and Woke, Inc., in New York on Nov. 3, 2022. (Jack Wang/The Epoch Times) Other prominent Republicans who have hinted at a possible White House run, but have not yet formally announced their candidacy, include Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.). Several Republicans, meanwhile, have declared their support for Trumps return. Im for Donald Trump because I know what Im going to get, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said after formally declaring he would back Trump in the 2024 campaign. We need somebody that on day one can get this country back on track. That can secure our border and bring order out of chaos. Somebody that the Russians and the Chinese fear. Somebody that can take the fight to the terrorists. Dorothy Li contributed to this report. From NTD News Claims of Foreign Interference in Canadas Elections Not Based on Facts, Says Liberal MP The West Block of Parliament Hill is pictured through the window of the Sir John A Macdonald building in Ottawa on May 11, 2022. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press) Claims of foreign interference in Canadas last two federal elections are speculative and not based on facts, says Liberal MP Yaara Saks, who also said the federal Conservatives are spreading misinformation on the matter. Saks, who represents the constituency of York Centre in Toronto, made the comments during a meeting of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (PROC) on March 14, as first reported by Blacklocks Reporter. Saks said the nature of the world we live in consists of misinformation spreading quickly and creating stereotypes and frankly racist tropes and hatred towards communities. It moves at warp speed, she said, going on to reference a media report she said she recently read, which stated recent claims of foreign interference in Canadas 2019 and 2021 elections are based on speculative information. Its not based on clear markers of information thats been provided, she said. Its a lot of talk and its moving at warp speed. Reports of Beijing interfering in Canadas past two federal elections began circulating after reports by Global News and the Globe and Mail cited secret intelligence documents and sources detailing the Chinese regimes interference attempts. Foreign Interference Sakss comments came during a PROC meeting in which the Liberal members of the committee spoke in turn for a whole day to avoid voting on a motion supported by all opposition parties to have Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus chief of staff appear before the committee for testimony on election interference. All opposition parties have also called on Trudeau to initiate a public inquiry into allegations of foreign interference in the last two federal elections, but he has ruled it out on more than one occasion. The prime minister has also previously voiced similar concerns to those held by Saks about anti-Asian racism spreading as a result of Beijings alleged interference in Canadian elections. One of the things weve seen, unfortunately over the past years, is a rise in anti-Asian racism linked to the pandemic, and concerns being raised or arising around peoples loyalties, Trudeau said on Feb. 27. Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet responded to Trudeaus comments several days after, saying its ridiculous for the prime minister to refer to racism when questioned on election interference by a foreign government. There is a sort of reflex, under any circumstance, to use the word racismits as though the word racism is the glutamate of politics, he told reporters on March 1 in Ottawa. Noe Chartier contributed to this report. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said he will only meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan if Turkey withdraws troops from northern Syria, according to a Russian media interview published on Thursday. His comments come one day after he met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is seeking to repair ties between Erdogan and Assad severed after the 2011 Syrian war. "(Any meeting) is linked to our reaching the point when Turkey is ready -- fully and without any uncertainty -- for a complete withdrawal from Syrian territory," Assad told Russia's state-run RIA-Novosti news agency. The Syrian leader, who arrived in Moscow on Tuesday, demanded that Turkey end its "support for terrorism" alongside a withdrawal, a reference to rebel groups that control regions of northern Syria and oppose Damascus. "This is the only way in which my meeting with Erdogan could take place," Assad was cited as saying. "What significance would any kind of meeting have -- and why organise it -- if it doesn't lead to a conclusion of the war in Syria?" he added. Erdogan and Assad had amicable relations in the 2000s after years of tensions between their countries following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire. But Syria's civil war, which has left some 500,000 people dead and displaced millions, strained relations between Damascus and Ankara, which has long supported rebel groups opposed to Assad. Diplomats from Iran, Russia, Turkey and Syria are due to meet in Moscow this week to pave the way for a foreign ministers' meeting, according to Turkish media. Search Keywords: Short link: Cory Morgan: The Rapporteur Investigation Into CCP Interference Has Failed Before Its Begun Then-governor general David Johnston and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau embrace during a farewell reception at the end of Johnston's term of office, in Ottawa on Sept. 28, 2017. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick) Commentary If there was any chance the appointment of a rapporteur to investigate Chinese Communist Party (CCP) interference in two Canadian elections would instill confidence in Canadas democratic system, the chance evaporated when Prime Minister Trudeau appointed David Johnston to the role. Its more than evident Trudeau is trying to avoid having a full, public inquiry into the still unfolding CCP election interference scandal. He has deked, dodged, and obfuscated on the issue for weeks in the vain hope the issue would fade. Instead, the controversy only grew as continued leaks of CSIS documents indicated serious CCP interference in federal elections, party nominations, and now in the recent Vancouver municipal election. Polls indicate that most Canadians are very concerned with the issue and want a public inquiry. Trudeaus response to the pressure for an inquiry was the creation of the position of rapporteur and he assured Canadians that the person in this role would get to the bottom of the issue. The only way citizens might accept the conclusions of this rapporteur is if the person appointed to the role appeared impeccably impartial. The person appointed could not demonstrate an indication of bias or be in a potential conflict of interest in the role. Trudeau failed dismally with his choice. David Johnston has had a long and distinguished career as an academic and later as Canadas governor general. But there are several issues that make him an inappropriate choice for the role of rapporteur. To question his selection to the role is not to undermine his accomplishments. In a CTV interview in 2016, Mr. Johnston talked about his close relationship with the Trudeaus and how his kids and the Trudeau brothers bonded while their families had joint ski trips to Mont Tremblant long ago. He spoke of how Justin Trudeaus children now play with his grandchildren and sounded more like a doting uncle or close relative to the prime minister than a colleague. That is all fine and nobody begrudges people from forming close relationships, even among statesmen. That close relationship, however, makes it impossible for people to accept Johnstons lack of bias when it comes to the Trudeaus. Further, David Johnston serves as a member of the Trudeau Foundation. The Trudeau Foundation is immersed in the CCP influence scandal and recently returned $200,000 it had received in donations from an individual tied to Beijing once CSIS leaks said the money originated from the CCP. Morris Rosenberg was the head of the Trudeau Foundation when questionable donations were received. Rosenberg was then appointed to report on the 2019 and 2021 Canadian elections where he found no evidence of wrongdoing. Rosenbergs conclusions may have been accurate, but only a full, public inquiry free of any influence from people with potential conflicts of interest could confirm that. It is astounding and bizarre after the Rosenberg mess that Trudeau would think people would accept another senior member of the Trudeau Foundation as an investigator into election malfeasance. Yet here we are. David Johnstons history with a past public inquiry also brings his judgment into question. When the Oliphant inquiry was created to investigate allegations of impropriety between former prime minister Brian Mulroney and businessman Karlheinz Schreiber, David Johnston advised then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper to keep Airbus out of the inquiry. The Airbus scandal was deeply tied to the Mulroney government and it should have at least been referenced during the Oliphant inquiry. Why on earth was Johnston determined to keep that out of it? There may have been good reasons, but they were never disclosed. It is surprising that David Johnston would even accept the appointment to the role. For one, he is almost 82 years old and the job is a pretty weighty task to assume while in retirement. Secondly, as such an accomplished man, he should know as well as anybody that his impartiality, in this case, would be immediately questioned. Perhaps he just cant bring himself to say no to the nice young man he watched growing up in Ottawa. Prime Minister Trudeaus attempt to calm the CCP election interference scandal through the appointment of a rapporteur has already failed before the investigation begins. People will doubt the credibility of Johnstons report no matter what it concludes. Mistrust in the integrity of Canadas democratic system will continue to fester until nothing less than a full, public inquiry is held to clear the air. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. County IDA Responds to Stricter Oversight Proposed by Sen. Skoufis The office building that houses the Orange County Industrial Development Agency in New Windsor, N.Y., on Feb. 22, 2023. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times) The head of Orange Countys Industrial Development Agency (IDA) says the agency is already under sufficient state oversight and needs no more from New York state Sen. James Skoufis. Bill Fioravanti, the agencys CEO, said it already reports to the New York State Authorities Budget Office and Comptrollers Office and operates within the general municipal law. We are under strict oversight and monitoring already, he told The Epoch Times. These agencies have had no issue with how we operate the IDA nor any projects we have incentivized. IDAs are public benefit corporations empowered by state law to use tax incentives to spur economic development and job growth. On Jan. 13, Skoufis advanced an oversight measure into the Senates version of the state budget, which would create the position of a monitor with powers to reject deals approved by the county IDA. Skoufis represents New Yorks 42nd District, which covers most of Orange County, and chairs the state Senates Committee on Investigations and Government Operations. As a state senator, he has been vocal about what he calls years of bad deals out of the development agency, which he often equates to corporate welfare at the cost of local tax dollars. Last month, he opened an investigation into the county IDA over the $3 million in tax incentives granted to a longtime Goshen-based food manufacturer. He called it the worst deal ever by the county agency at a news conference, given that the applicant said the project would happen regardless of the incentives, although at a slower pace. Fioravanti says tax incentives approved by the agency follow industry-standard cost-benefit analysis, with a focus on industries that the county seeks to attract, such as food and beverage makers. Plus, IDA incentives shouldnt be viewed in isolation but against the backdrop of the unfavorable business environment in the state of New York, he added. We are looking for Sen. Skoufis and the state government to make New York more competitive for businesses, Fioravanti said. If he can bring those conditions about, wed gladly close up shop and focus our energies elsewhere. Up for Review Fioravanti concedes that the agency isnt perfect, and says he looks forward to a review and revision of the agencys uniform tax exemption policy in the summer, which lays out directives and rules governing the tax incentives approval. The policy was last updated in June 2019. Run by a seven-member, all-volunteer board, the county IDA gets its entire operating money from application fees; taxpayers can voice opinions on projects through public hearing sessions. Since Fioravanti came on board about two years ago, the county IDA hasnt rejected a single application from businesses, he told The Epoch Times. Three tax incentives commonly sought are sales tax exemptions, mortgage recording tax exemptions, and real property tax abatements. He added thats because businesses that applied had already self-qualified based on agency policy. Skoufis Responds The fact that Mr. Fioravanti freely admits the agency hasnt denied a single application for tax incentives should raise eyebrows, Skoufis said in a statement to The Epoch Times. Why should taxpayers trust the IDA to be a responsible gatekeeper when Mr. Fioravanti throws the gates wide open? That admission itself justifies the need for additional state oversight, he said, adding that the current oversight structure doesnt allow for evaluations of the merits of IDA decisions. The oversight measure introduced by Skoufis is part of the state Senates one-house budget, which still needs to be negotiated with the state assembly and Gov. Kathy Hochul. A state budget is due by April 1. In the past, Skoufis has successfully secured funding in the budget for an audit of IDAs statewide thats underway and will likely conclude this year. In 2021, three former county IDA officials pleaded guilty to corruption charges over using their public posts to benefit private companies in which they had a personal interest. They were ordered to pay a combined amount of more than $1 million in restitution. Data of 328,000 Customers Stolen in Hack of Australian Financial Firm Over 328,000 customers of Latitude Financial have had their data stolen during a sophisticated and malicious cyber-attack. On March 16, the Melbourne-based consumer finance providerone of the biggest non-banking lenders in the countrycalled for a halt to trading and revealed the incident had been isolated. The company said the hackers obtained employee login credentials and were able to steal personal information via two service providers or contractors. As of today, Latitude understands that approximately 103,000 identification documents, more than 97 percent of which are copies of drivers licences, were stolen from the first service provider. Approximately 225,000 customer records were also stolen from the second service provider, the company revealed in an investor announcement (pdf). Latitude apologises to the impacted customers and is taking immediate steps to contact them. The company said it would continue to respond and do everything in its power to contain the incident. Latitude is working with the Australian Cyber Security Centre and has alerted the relevant law enforcement agencies. Cyberattacks on Large Organisations an Ongoing Trend The attack on Latitude is the latest in a series of cyberattacks targeting Australias largest firms, including Optus (the second-largest telecommunications provider), Medibank (the largest private insurer), Woolworths MyDeal, and the Australian Department of Defence. Rob Nicholls, associate professor at the University of New South Wales, said the major challenge for Latitude going forward would be winning back the confidence of consumers. Weve seen Telstra and Vodafone take on a significant number of customers in the last quarter, primarily as a result of the breach of Optus, he told The Epoch Times. And that is a loss of trust. It becomes even more critical for a business thats providing financial services. Nicholls also said that the fact an external service provider was responsible for losing the data did not abrogate Latitude from its responsibilities. A service provider could be the data host or credit reference provider used by Latitude. The fact that Latitude has taken customer informationentrusted to Latitudes usewithout ensuring those service providers have adequate cybersecurity is entirely problematic, he said. He pointed to the 2022 court case, ASIC v RI Advice Group Pty Ltd, that found financial service providers may be personally liable if a contractor has inadequate cybersecurity. Nicholls also said too many businesses were quick to say sophisticated actors were behind cyberattacks. Even when the cyberattack isnt terribly sophisticated, they claim there are state actors behind it, he said. When there are high-value targets, like financial services that keep the information, or businesses that might be persuaded to pay a ransom for their own data set. You dont need a state actor involved. To Counteract Cyberattacks, Labor Ups Regulation The federal government has responded to the increasing cyberattacks on Australian public and private institutions by introducing an amendment to the Privacy Bill on Oct. 26. The amendment will significantly increase penalties to organisations for serious or repeated privacy breaches, a move the Labor government hopes can compel businesses to do more on cybersecurity. It will also strengthen the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme to ensure the Information Commissioner has knowledge of an incident and the data compromised. These amendments are targeted and measured, Attorney General Richard Dreyfuss said. They respond to the most pressing issues arising from the Optus data breach and other recent cyber incidents. Yet Nicholls has previously warned that these measures are simply increasing red tape for businesses, saying a part of the problem is the amount of data companies are required to obtain under law. The real problem with keeping it is that it creates whats called in cyber-attacks, a honeypot. The value of the data in a breach is higher because it has more items which actually identify the people involved, he previously told The Epoch Times. He said companies were required to obtain identity documents under the Know Your Customer guidelines that, include birth certificates, drivers licenses, or passport numbers. Defence, Economy on the Agenda as Biden Makes an Overdue Canada Visit Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with U.S. President Joe Biden at the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, Calif., on June 9, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick) When U.S. President Joe Biden visits Canada next week, topics up for discussion when he meets with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau include defence cooperation, ongoing efforts to support Ukraine, and enhanced collaboration to address the synthetic opioid crisis that has devastated both countries, according to a White House press statement. During Bidens two-day visit March 23 to 24, the two leaders will also discuss strengthening trade ties, building resilient supply chains, and advancing cooperation in the Arctic as they continue to increase collaboration on defence and security, climate action, and immigration, says a statement issued by Trudeaus office. Although several other topics were noted and the two statements included similar content, they led with slightly different emphases. Notably, neither statement mentioned China. It will be Bidens first trip to Canada as president for a meeting with Trudeau, which some see as overdue. Robert Huebert, political science professor at the University of Calgary, says such leaders summits have capped off or led to important developments over the decades. This has always been a critical element of the so-called special relationship. And what weve always understood is that North America, of course, is one continent, and particularly on issues of security and on issues of economics, that we function the best when we work together, Huebert said in an interview. U.S. President Barack Obama hosted Trudeau in Washington in March 2016, and Trudeau returned the favour the following June. Obama addressed Parliament on that visit, which Biden will also do on March 23. Biden visited Canada as vice-president in December 2016 following President Donald Trumps election victory. Trump just wasnt interested in U.S.-Canadian relations, and so that kind of went by the wayside, Huebert said. It was then compounded. I think it became pretty obvious that Trudeau had little interest in trying to facilitate any meeting, given the fact that there was an obvious deterioration in the personal relationship between the two. Whats surprising, he added, is how long it has taken for the meetings between the two countries leaders to resume. We are now going into the third year of the Biden administration, and its only now that were seeing the summit meeting coming forward. In February, a Chinese spy balloon and three unidentified flying objects were shot down over North America, something Huebert expects the leaders will talk about again. He sees the intrusions as having dual purposes. I have no doubt that they probably had all their satellites, surveillance systems turned on, they probably had listening posts listening to our communications, he said. But a smart enemy would also utilize them as a means of testing the capabilities of North America. Economy, Looming Threats The White House statement on the visit led with the issues of security, prosperity, and values, especially defence cooperation and modernizing the North American Aerospace Defense Command, strengthening supply chain resilience, taking bold action to combat climate change and accelerate the clean energy transition. James Fergusson, a political studies professor at the University of Manitoba, says the meeting comes amid a changing political, military, and economic environment in the world. Ive a suspicion the major thing will be economic, given the two bank failures in the United States, given American investments in green technology, those will be the primary issues for Canada and the United States trying to ensure for the Canadian perspective, that we remain competitive, Fergusson said in an interview. They will also talk about the war in Ukraine and problems, of course, with procuring the necessary materials to support Ukraine by sustaining our own capabilities. There will be probably some discussions about the Arctic issues with regards to Russian and growing Chinese presence in the Arctic, but nothing related to sovereignty. Scott Edward Bennett, a political science professor at Carleton University, expects the visit will include discussion of the nations mutual interests and shared concern over looming threats. Defence will be of importance because of the many conflicts and potential conflicts that are underway and which Canada can no longer ignore. It must be more willing to accept American help in monitoring the North as well. We will not likely get our act together on our own, Bennett told The Epoch Times. No doubt Washington is taking notice that Saudi Arabia and Iran are making nice now. Never thought I would see that. Bennett suspects that subtle pivots in policy may be advanced in the leaders private discussions, the evidence for which will manifest in future months. I think the Biden administration is starting to figure out that they have been going down the wrong path with a variety of issues relating to defence, natural resources, immigration, and international relations, he said. It will also be the subtle beginning of more cooperation in developing traditional forms of energy, cooperating in surveillance and defence, guarding technology from foreign interests, adapting to rapidly changing alliances in the rest of the world and dealing with illegal immigration. Illegal Immigration Roxham Road, about 50 kilometres south of Montreal, has long been a route for asylum-seekers who would rather try to immigrate to Canada than to the United States. It has sparked deeper political interest in recent weeks. Quebec Premier Francois Legault has asked the federal government to settle the new asylum-seekers in other provinces, provide more funding to pay for their care, and close the irregular border crossing, which is located between official points of entry. This prompted Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre on Feb. 21 to call on Trudeau to shut down the crossing within a month. The two nations share a Safe Third Country Agreement that says individuals entering Canada at a land port of entry continue to be ineligible to make a refugee claim, and will be returned to the U.S. Trudeau wants that agreement renegotiated to extend to illegal border crossings and has indicated it will be on the discussion table when he sees Biden. Don Dusserud, political science professor at the University of Prince Edward Island, says its an example of an issue not only of Ottawas bilateral relationship with Washington, but also with one of its own provinces. The people that are coming in are not coming to Quebec. Theyre coming to Canada as far as theyre concerned. Quebec may have a point that just because the road is there, it doesnt mean that they have to deal with them, because theres an expense involved, Dusserud told The Epoch Times. He said Americans have far greater concerns with their southern border, which opens the possibility that accommodating the Canadian request may not be a large hurdle. I know theres a symbolism involved with that, but the open border is never meant to be a free-for-all, Dusserud said. Whether Biden is open to this or not, I dont know. But there are a lot of people in United States, particularly in border states, that depend upon and rely upon and are quite happy with Canadian trade, and they have a strong voice there as well. So I think theres a possibility of something coming out of that one. Fergusson believes a two-day visit is routine, but Dusserud thinks differently. Two days I think is a significant statement. Now, what kind of statement is trickier, he said. The United States pays no attention to whether we are the first country that the American president visits when its a new American president, and how quickly they make that visit, and Canada reads a lot into that. This is relatively late for an American president to visit. One way to offset any hard feelings is to extend your visit so that its a significant visit. Despite Californias Mass Shootings, Biden Wants to Emulate Its Gun Laws Commentary President Joe Biden traveled to Monterey Park, California, the site of a mass public shooting that left 11 dead in January, to announce new executive actions on gun control. He touts the proposals as necessary to reduce gun violence and make our communities safer. But California already has all the gun control laws that Biden put forward, and yet, it has a higher per capita rate of mass public shootings than the rest of the country. Measures already in place include background checks on all transfers of firearms, red flag gun confiscation laws, and an assault weapon ban. Even if Bidens ideal background check law had been in effect and perfectly enforced, it wouldnt have stopped one mass public shooting this century. Biden exaggerated the support for his background check proposals. The surveys he cites compress long, complicated proposals into one-sentence summaries. But when people are told that these laws would turn someone into a felon just for temporarily lending a handgun to a woman who is being threatened by a stalker, survey respondents answer that they oppose the regulation. One proposal would force people who sell or transfer only a few guns to obtain a federal firearms license. But even licensed dealers face an uphill regulatory battle. Bidens zero-tolerance (zero tolerance for what?) policy drives licensed dealers out of business. The end effect is to stop gun sales. But Biden has another goal. Despite federal law explicitly forbidding a national gun registry, the president has begun putting together a national database on gun ownership. By the beginning of last year, there were almost a billion entries. Forcing gun transfers to go through licensed dealers will help create a more complete registry. And thats about all it will do, since gun licensing and registration dont solve any crime. The bottom line is to drive up the price of guns for law-abiding citizens and therefore stop gun sales altogether. In other countries, and even in parts of the United States, registration is consistently used to eventually take away peoples guns, and given Bidens constant call to ban all semi-automatic weapons, which make up about 85 percent of all guns sold in the United States, that is a real concern here. Biden wants to improve public awareness and increase the use of red flag laws (Extreme Risk Protection Orders). But this diverts focus from better laws already on the books in all 50 states. Involuntary commitment laws provide for evaluations by mental health experts, an emergency court hearing, and a lawyer. These laws give judges more options, such as mandatory outpatient mental health care, drivers license suspensions, or taking away their guns. By contrast, red flag laws only take away a persons guns. If a person is truly suicidalalmost all the red flag cases involve concerns over suicidethere are so many other methods that are just as likely to be successful (hanging oneself, walking in front of a train, jumping from a height). Simply taking away someones legally owned guns isnt a serious solution. Gun control advocates claim that Californias 1990 assault weapon ban is responsible for its 55 percent drop in firearm mortality from 1993 to 2017. But Californias murder rate peaked in 1993 at 13.1 per 100,000 people, rising from 10.9 in 1989, the year before the state enacted its assault weapons ban. So why did the murder rate fall by 10 percent in 1994 and not in 1990, and continue falling by 53 percent by 2000? Californias tough three-strikes criminal punishment law started on March 7, 1994. Biden says we need national gun control laws to protect states like California, but that ignores the fact that the guns used in Californias mass public shootings were from California. Indeed, the firearms in all but two mass public shootings over the past 25 years were from the state where the attack occurred. Gun control measures arent just ineffective against mass public shootingsthey actually encourage attacks. The shootings keep occurring in places where people cant have concealed handguns. In Los Angeles County, where two mass public shootings occurred in January, there is only one permit for every 5,660 adults. In San Mateo County, where another attack occurred, there is one permit per 24,630 adults. By comparison, there is one permit holder for every nine people in the 43 right-to-carry states. Concealed handgun permit holders make a difference in those 43 states. Indeed, people legally carrying guns stopped at least 37 mass public shootings since 2020. And when Americans are allowed to legally carry concealed handguns, they stop about half of the active shooting attacks in the United States. Mass public shooters purposefully pick targets where they know their victims cant protect themselves. The perpetrator of a mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, last year wrote in his manifesto: Areas where CCW [carrying a concealed weapon] are outlawed or prohibited may be good areas of attack . .. Areas with strict gun laws are also great places of attack. Other mass murderers have made similar statements. These killers may be crazy, but most arent stupid. Yet, states like California, New York, and New Jersey are moving to create more gun-free zones, where mass murderers wont have to worry about victims protecting themselves. Unfortunately, the gun control Biden pushes wont stop mass public shootings and will only make problems worse. Gun control failures are used to call for more gun control laws. The solutions that would actually work arent being discussed. From RealClearWire Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. DOJ Inspector General Seeking Testimony of Former FBI Agent Steve Friend, Contradicting Democrat Claims The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector Generals Office intends to interview former FBI special agent Steve Friend regarding allegations he has raised about the agency. Last fall, Friend came forward with concerns about the FBIs handling of child sexual abuse cases and its arrests of individuals involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. Friend alleged the agency was excessively using heavily armed SWAT teams to arrest individuals suspected of committing misdemeanor offenses on Jan. 6. He objected to one such SWAT raid on Aug. 24. Friend further alleged that the FBI has departed from its everyday case management practices and has widely listed field offices around the country as the lead investigators in domestic violent extremism (DVE) cases while agency officials in Washington are actually directing the cases. Friend alleged the FBI had pressured its agents to prioritize these DVE cases, which created an inflated sense of the threat posed by domestic extremists. At the same time, Friend said the FBI had explicitly taken its focus off child sexual abuse cases, telling him that such cases are no longer an FBI priority. On Monday, DOJ Assistant Inspector General Sean ONeill responded (pdf) to a March 6 letter (pdf) by the whistleblower organization Empower Oversight, confirming the Office of the Inspector General intends to schedule an interview with Mr. Friend regarding his disclosures. Empower Oversight has been representing Friend throughout his raising allegations against the FBI. After making allegations against the FBI, Friend was suspended from the agency without pay. The agency revoked his security clearance, credentials, firearm, and badge. Friend ultimately resigned from the FBI in February. Just The News reported he had gone without pay for 150 days between his suspension and his decision to end his time working for the agency formally. Democrats Claimed IG Already Dismissed Friends Claims Earlier this month, the Democratic minority on the House Judiciary released a report (pdf) disputing the allegations raised by Friend and two other former FBI officials, George Hill and Garret OBoyle. The March 2 Democratic report disputed Republican characterizations of Friend, Hill, and OBoyle as whistleblowers. Without that whistleblower status, the Democrats said Friend and the other former FBI officials do not qualify for protection from retaliation. The three individuals we have met are not, in fact, whistleblowers,' the minority report states. These individuals, who put forward a wide range of conspiracy theories, did not present actual evidence of any wrongdoing at the Department of Justice or the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The Democrat report said Friend admitted to having no knowledge of a specific discussion by the FBIs leadership to depart from its usual case and could not clearly explain why such a departure might be harmful. The report also said Friend has not reviewed the decision-making matrix for using SWAT teams during arrests and acknowledged the arrest targets of the Aug. 24 SWAT raid he opposed were known by the FBI to be armed and dangerous. The minority report said the DOJs inspector general had already rejected Friends claims. Empower Oversight followed up on the DOJ inspector generals handling of Friends claims, asking whether the Democratic claims that the DOJ had dismissed Friends allegations were valid. [ONeills] letter corrects widely circulated false claims that the DOJ-OIG has rejected Friends allegations and indicates that an interview of him will be scheduled shortly, Empower Oversight wrote on Wednesday. Government Weaponization Investigations Friend and the other former FBI officials provided closed-door testimony to the House Judiciary Committees Weaponization of the Federal Government subcommittee earlier this month. After those interviews, chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) called for further testimony from 16 current and former FBI officials, whom Friend, Hill, and OBoyle named in congressional interviews. The Democratic minority report said the witnesses brought forward by the Republican side, such as Friend and the other two former FBI officials, are entirely lacking in credibility. Committee Democrats thus conclude that Republicans are not running good-faith investigations, the Democrats added. Instead, they are using this committee as a political messaging campaign designed make sure that Donald Trump wins in 2024. From NTD News US Group May Have Double-Billed Government for Research in China: Investigators Security personnel stand outside the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on Feb. 3, 2021. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images) The U.S.-based group that funneled taxpayer money to the laboratory in Wuhan, China, where the first COVID-19 cases were detected, may have double-billed the U.S. government, an investigative team has found. A team led by Diane Cutler, a former federal investigator, uncovered evidence of potential double billing by the EcoHealth Alliance, a New York organization that funneled money to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The evidence was provided to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Inspector General, according to Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), who hired Cutler. The information we provided to the USAID indicates our concerns backed with documentary evidence of potentially double billing, Marshall told The Epoch Times via email. Cutler told CBS, which first reported the concerns, that there are signs that EcoHealth Alliance billed the government twice for items such as medical supplies and salaries. What I found so far is evidence that points to double billing, potential theft of government funds, she said. It is concerning, especially since it involves dangerous pathogens and risky research. USAID, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the USAID inspector general didnt respond to requests for comment. We look forward to a complete and thorough review by USAID and other federal agencies on USAIDs and NIHs work and funding for research in China, Marshall said. USAID granted EcoHealth Alliance $8.6 million in 2021, following a $2.5 million grant that ended in 2019, for research in China. EcoHealth also received millions more as a subrecipient of another grant. NIH has awarded approximately $8.2 million to EcoHealth since fiscal year 2018, including $1.2 million for bat coronavirus research in China. NIH cut off funds to the Wuhan lab after a failure to provide key information but has allowed EcoHealth to remediate its own problems and gave the organization a fresh award of $2.7 million in 2022. The NIH failed to monitor the funding awards to EcoHealth and couldnt fully understand the research being done with the money, a watchdog reported in January. The investigation led by Cutler is into the origins of COVID-19 and includes U.S. grants to China, Marshalls office said. Marshall previously urged USAID to suspend all awards to EcoHealth and investigate the groups oversight of foreign projects, but USAID hadnt done so. EcoHealth Denies Accusations EcoHealth said it hasnt double-billed the government. USAID and NIH supported two different projects that are complementary, but distinct, and do not involve duplication of effort, it said in a statement. When a proposal is flagged for funding by a US government agency, there is an interagency review prior to the award being made, to make sure that there is no duplication of effort. We were told by agency staff that these reviews had occurred for these two lines of funding and that they concluded there was no duplication of effort. In response to the denial, Marshall said that pending the review by U.S. authorities, EcoHealth should provide documents to support its position. EcoHealth should have no problem with showing the American public where and how they spent taxpayers money, he said. Reports Coming EcoHealth also said that its projects will be outlined in an upcoming report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), which has been analyzing U.S. funding of research in China. A GAO spokesman confirmed to The Epoch Times that the agency is working on examining federal funding for research to entities in China. A report on the work should be issued in the spring, the spokesman said. We cant discuss what we are finding until the report is completed and released, he said. GAO is also planning to release a report first, likely in early April, on funding to Chinese entities. That one looks at the amount, type, and purpose of funding obligated by U.S. agencies through assistance and contract awards to entities located in China from fiscal years 2017 through 2021, the spokesman said. Gain-of-Function Research EcoHealth took issue with describing its work as risky in its new statement. It said its research on coronaviruses concerned bat viruses that havent been shown to infect people. The group also said the work was not risky. At least one of the government awards to EcoHealth funded gain-of-function research, a type of research that boosts a feature of a virus such as its transmissibility, according to records the NIH released in 2021. Many experts say the work is dangerous because of the potential for the viruses to be released, accidentally or intentionally. Gain-of-function research can lead to pathogens that are potential weapons of mass destruction, Richard Ebright, told a congressional panel in 2022. Inexpensive, accessible, easily distributed weapons of mass destruction. The framework for oversight of risky projects funded by the NIH could be updated soon after no projects were reviewed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Evacuation Order Lifted for Mira Mesa Apartments After Car Crash Breaks Off Gas Line Apartment complexes at 10200 Black Mountain Road is seen in this picture. (Screenshot via Google Street View) SAN DIEGOAn evacuation order issued for two apartment complexes in Mira Mesa following a natural gas leak caused by a vehicle collision was lifted March 15 evening. One person was injured in the crash and taken to Palomar Medical Center, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. The leak was reported at 3:18 p.m. at Gold Coast Drive and Black Mountain Road, with firefighters arriving at 3:25 p.m. The collision occurred at the same location, according to police. According to the fire department, Black Mountain Road, between Gold Coast Drive and Carroll Canyon Road, was closed at 4:45 p.m. and will remain closed for several hours. The leak involved a large-diameter gas main break with a vehicle on top, Monica Munoz of the agency said. Authorities evacuated apartment complexes at 10200 and 10232 Black Mountain Road. San Diego Police Department officers were called to assist firefighters with evacuations, Munoz said, adding that 20 apartment units were evacuated. Evacuees were taken to Miramar College, according to Munoz. San Diego Gas & Electric stopped the flow of gas but had not made repairs to the line, according to the utility. The evacuation order was lifted at 6:27 p.m., a police officer said. It was unclear what caused the collision or if anyone else was injured. EXCLUSIVE: Internal Capitol Police Email, Court Testimony Reveal Senior Official Knew 3 Million Might Attend Jan. 6 Rally Crowds of people gather as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to supporters from The Ellipse near the White House in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) The United States Capitol Police had information at least two days before the events of Jan. 6, 2021, indicating that attendance at President Donald Trumps rally at the Ellipse on that day could swell to 3 million people, according to a federal trial exhibit and court testimony from a senior USCP commander. An email sent by USCP Capt. Jessica Baboulis at 1:13 p.m. on Jan. 4, 2021, said that organizers of the Trump rally expected 3 million people to show up at the Ellipse near the White House on Jan. 6. Activity on the 6th. Women for America. March for Trump (POTUS attend at 11) 20k (organizer says 3 million to attend), the email read. Babouliss email was entered into evidence on Feb. 22 as a defense exhibit in the third Oath Keepers criminal trial in U.S. District Court in Washington DC. Six Oath Keepers defendants are on trial for charges including conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of an official proceedingaiding and abetting, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, and other charges stemming from Jan. 6. The trial began on Feb. 2 and went to the jury for deliberations on March 14. Baboulis earlier testified for the prosecution about conditions at the Capitol on Jan. 6, when she served as acting inspector in charge of the USCP Library Division. During cross-examination by defense attorney Juli Haller, Baboulis said the document in question was actually not an email, but rather notes to myself. An email written by U.S. Capitol Police Capt. Jessica Baboulis on Jan. 4, 2021, says organizers of the March for Trump event at the Ellipse on Jan. 6 expected 3 million people to attend President Donald Trumps speech. (U.S. District Court/Screenshot via The Epoch Times) And so its fair to say that you knew thator the U.S. Capitol Police anticipated that there would be 3 million people attending the POTUS event, right? Haller asked. Baboulis replied, It says that the organizers say 3 million, according to the trial transcript. After reviewing the document, Baboulis told Haller, I think what this notes is notes that I had taken probably from a phone call regarding events transpiring across DC for that day. Such a large crowd estimate is not mentioned in any of the Jan. 6 law enforcement intelligence documents made public to date. Event intelligence leading up to Jan. 6 said the days events were expected to be similar to election-fraud protests held in Washington on Nov. 14 and Dec. 12, 2020. The USCP Civil Disturbance Unit Operational Plan issued on Jan. 3, 2021, read in part: The protests/rallies are expected to be similar to the previous Million MAGA March rallies in November and December 2020, which drew tens of thousands of participants. At this time there are no specific known threats related to the Joint Session of Congress Electoral College vote certification, the document said. Its not clear who else at USCP knew of the 3 million crowd projection and with whom, if anyone, the information was shared. Prosecutor Alexandra Hughes asked U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta to order a portion of the email addresses in Babouliss email redacted. He granted the request. The Epoch Times asked Baboulis for comment on the email but did not receive a response by press time. The newspaper asked former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund for comment on Babouliss email and the 3 million crowd estimate but did not receive a reply by press time. After describing the possibility of 3 million people at the Ellipse, Baboulis wrote, At 1300 [1 p.m.] they will come to the Capitol unorganized. A grenade tossed by D.C. police officer Daniel Thau explodes over the heads of protesters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Metropolitan Police Department/Screenshot via The Epoch Times) The now-defunct January 6 Select Committee concluded that the huge crowds that came to the Capitol engaged in an organized insurrection, fueled by Trumps speech. The first breaches of police lines at the Capitol occurred some 25 minutes before the president finished speaking at the Ellipse. Federal prosecutors and law enforcement officials often describe the violence that erupted at the Capitol as an organized attack to prevent the peaceful transfer of power from Trump to President-elect Joe Biden. We Are Part of the Problem The palace guards. We are part of the problem, Baboulis wrote in the email, sent either to herself or to a blind-copy distribution list. In the document, Baboulis described the March for Trump event at the Ellipse and noted that six protest events were granted USCP permits for the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6. Those included the Stop the Steal/One Nation Under God rally in Area 8, near the Senate east front, organized by Stop the Steal founder Ali Alexander. The permit was valid from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Jan. 6. The event never took place. Keynote speaker Roger Stone opted to stay at his hotel, and violence broke out at the Capitol before any speakers could get to Area 8. Alexander told The Epoch Times that Capitol Police never told his event planners at Resource Group of any restrictions on ingress or egress across the grounds on Jan. 6. Speeches at the event had been scheduled to begin after President Trump finished speaking at the Ellipse. One thing that no one has covered is that the U.S. Capitol police we were talking to each day through my contracted event planner never told about any restricted area or fencing, Alexander said in a text message. Never mentioned verbally or written to us. The event permitissued on Jan. 5 and signed by Chief Sunddoes not mention fencing, that any parts of the Capitol property would be restricted grounds, or that protesters on the grounds would be subject to criminal charges. We were set up, Alexander said. Police fire munitions into the tightly packed crowd along the barricades on the west front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Metropolitan Police Department/Screenshot via The Epoch Times) The One Nation Under God protest permit was emailed at 3:02 p.m. on Jan. 5 to Resource Group by Police Officer Shakia Michael of the USCP Special Events Section, according to a copy of the email Alexander provided to The Epoch Times. The permit says various event restrictions on equipment, stage size, signage, the height of displays, and advertising were put in place to assure the safety and convenience of all people in the exercise of their right to visit the Nations Capitol, to call at the offices of Representatives and Senators, to observe public proceedings of Congress, to petition the Congress for redress of grievances. The Stop the Steal/One Nation Under God event permit was approved by Assistant Chief Yogananda Pittman and Assistant Chief Chad Thomas on Jan. 4, 2021. It had been approved by the USCP Protective Services Bureau on Dec. 31, 2020. The permit application was filed on Dec. 21, 2020. White Supremacists? The permit was granted despite a Jan. 3 USCP intelligence assessment that said Stop the Steal has the propensity to attract white supremacists, militia members and others who actively promote violence, according to the USCPs official Timeline of Events for January 6, 2021 Attack. Asked if Stop the Steal had such a propensity, Alexander told The Epoch Times, No, not at a higher rate than the DNC [Democrat National Committee] or the RNC [Republican National Committee]. In fact, far less. The USCP Intelligence and Interagency Coordination Division rated the threat likelihood for Alexanders event as highly improbable, according to the Demonstration Permit Assessment attached to the One Nation Under God permit. Defense attorneys in many of the more than 1,000 criminal cases brought against protesters have tried to raise the issue of the permit-approved events in open court, but not with much success. A former attorney for Oath Keepers member Kelly Meggs said USCP approval of the permits gave permission for the public to traverse the grounds. Capitol Police assessed the Stop the Steal / One Nation Under God rally as a low threat for violence on Jan. 6, 2021. (U.S. Capitol Police/Screenshot via The Epoch Times) Thus, not only were there no notices to legally effect a restriction, but the U.S. Capitol Police affirmatively invited demonstrators onto the U.S. Capitol Grounds to attend any or all of six (6) different demonstrations, Jonathan Moseley wrote in a March 14 email. Because human beings generally cannot fly through the air, these permits issued by USCP authorize people to walk across the Capitol grounds to and from the permitted demonstration locations, and even among them, Moseley wrote. Muddy Intel Picture The revelation of the 3 million crowd projection is the latest development in an already muddy picture of law enforcement intelligence leading up to Jan. 6. Three days after Jan. 6, Eric Hoar of the USCP intelligence division sent an email titled Intelligence Failures to top Capitol Police commanders. Hoar said USCP received detailed information in the weeks prior to Jan. 6 from the FBI, Homeland Security Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, and DC Metropolitan Police that right-wing extremists were plotting to storm the Capitol and attack lawmakers. There is no mention of such information in the Jan. 3 USCP Civil Disturbance Unit Operational Plan. Arrests are not anticipated for this event, the plan said. A situational information report issued by the FBIs Norfolk Division late on Jan. 5 said a collaborative source indicated the possibility for violence in connection with the Jan. 6 protests. The alleged threatened violence was tied to unlawful lockdowns, the bulletin said. There was no mention of the 2020 presidential election. It quoted an online thread that said: Congress needs to hear glass breaking, doors being kicked in, and blood from their BLM and Pantifa slave soldiers being spilled. Get violentstop calling this a march, or rally or a protest. Go there, ready for war. We get our president, or we die. NOTHING else will achieve this goal. Final Report Into NS Mass Shooting to Be up to 3,000 Pages When Released Tara Miller, who represents relatives of Aaron Tuck and Kristen Beaton, addresses the Mass Casualty Commission inquiry into the mass murders in rural Nova Scotia in Truro, N.S. on Sept. 20, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Andrew Vaughan) The public inquiry into Nova Scotias mass shooting says its final report will be bound in seven volumes that total up to 3,000 pages. The report is to be released on March 30 at an event in Truro, N.S., that will be webcast on the commissions website. In an email, the inquiry said that while the report is still being finalized, its anticipated to be between 2,000 to 3,000 pages, and there will also be an executive summary with an overview. In all, 22 people were shot to death on April 18-19, 2020 during the rampage, which ended when the gunman was killed by two RCMP officers at a gas station north of Halifax. The public inquirys mandate included examinations of the police response, the killers access to firearms, gender-based violence, the assistance offered to those most affected, and the steps taken to inform the public as the rampage unfolded. The commission is expected to make recommendations to improve community safety across Canada. The inquiry says in a release the commissioners recognize their report cannot be digested in one day and encourage people to take the time needed to read it before beginning the sustained work required to turn the recommendations into reality. The United Arab Emirates has pledged $3 million to support the reconstruction of a Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank that was raided by Israeli settlers, state media said Thursday. Deadly violence and arson by settlers targeted the town of Huwara in the northern West Bank late last month, hours after two Israeli settlers were shot dead by an alleged Hamas militant as they drove along a road that passes through the area. Thirty houses were burned and damaged, according to local officials, after dozens of Israeli settlers set them ablaze. Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's finance minister and an extreme-right settler, later said "Huwara needs to be wiped out", sparking widespread condemnation, including from the UAE, the UN, the United States, and France. Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan ordered "the provision of $3 million to support the reconstruction of the Palestinian town of Huwara and those affected by the latest events", the official WAM news agency said. The initiative reflects "the UAE's humanitarian efforts to support the brotherly Palestinian people", WAM added. The UAE and Israel have steadily deepened ties since they normalised relations in 2020 as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords. But the Gulf state has also issued a spate of condemnations against Israeli forces this year, including for storming the Palestinian camp of Jenin and the city of Nablus. Anwar Gargash, a senior adviser to the UAE president, called the $3 million pledge an "authentic" expression of the country's "consistent and firm" support for the Palestinian people. The West Bank, which Israel has occupied since the 1967 Six-Day War, is home to about 2.9 million Palestinians. It also houses an estimated 475,000 Jewish settlers who live in state-approved settlements considered illegal under international law. Since the start of the year, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed the lives of 81 Palestinian adults and children, including militants and civilians. Thirteen Israeli adults and children, including members of the security forces and civilians, and one Ukrainian civilian have been killed over the same period, according to an AFP tally based on official sources from both sides. Search Keywords: Short link: Flair Airlines Sues Leasing Corporation After One-Fifth of Fleet Repossessed During Busy Weekend A Flair Airlines plane is seen in this undated handout photo. (Flair Airlines/Handout via The Canadian Press) Flair Airlines has filed a $50-million lawsuit after four leased passenger jets in active use were allegedly repossessed in the middle of the night on March 11 by a creditor, causing the cancellation of dozens of flights. Flair Airlines said in a March 15 news release that Airborne Capital took unlawful and immeasurably destructive actions at a time when many customers were travelling with children on spring break from school. The lawsuit claims damages and alleges breach of contract, fraudulent misrepresentation, and conspiracy, and further alleges there was a payment arrangement in place when the creditor took steps to seize the aircraft. Calling the repossession of the four Boeing 737 Max aircraftrepresenting one-fifth of Flairs 19-plane fleetunexpected and unwarranted, the discount airline said it caused enormous disruption to the companys customers. Flair said that it had been relentless in trying to make air travel affordable to Canadians, but since its inception in 2017, had faced significant resistance in challenging the status quo of an industry weighted by monopolistic practice. The discount airline, which flies to 35 destinations in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, claims to have saved Canadians over $252 million in 2022, and stated it employs 1,000 people across the country. In September, the discount carrier said it planned to expand its fleet by the end of this year to 30 aircraft flying on 70 routes. In legal documents filed in Ontario Superior Court, Flair Airlines alleges that Airborne Capital and other affiliated leasing corporations secretly found a more profitable leasing arrangement for the aircraft leased to Flair. The discount airline also alleges the Dublin, Ireland-based creditor set Flair up for defaulting on its payments, and illegally terminated the leases without notice. The lessors sent agents to seize the aircraft in the middle of the night as passengers were boarding planes for spring break vacations, said Flair. According to the company, agents showed up at airports in Toronto, Edmonton, and Waterloo, Ontario, at 3 a.m. EDT on March 11, confiscated the registration certificates, and removed the technical logs from onboard the airplanes, rendering them unable to legally fly. The seizures were orchestrated in a bad faith and malicious manner that inflicted the maximum possible harm on Flair, including by interfering with its passenger relationships and trust, said Flairs statement of claim, which has not been proven in court. Flair did not return requests for comment by press time. Alleged Arrears For its part, Airborne Capital, which also did not return requests for comment by press time, stated earlier this week that Flair had regularly been late or missed payments in the five previous months, with arrears of millions of dollars. Terminating an aircraft lease is always a last resort, and such a decision is never taken lightly. In this case, following numerous notices to Flair, it again failed to make payments when due and Airborne took steps to terminate the leasing of the aircraft, said a company statement on March 14. Flair, based in Edmonton, issued a notice on Twitter on March 11, stating passengers had experienced service disruptions due to what the airline called a commercial dispute. Customers were told they would either be rebooked or could rebook their own travel on an alternate airline and receive a reimbursement from Flair within seven days. A number of Flair flights were cancelled on the morning of March 11, but the airline said it repositioned three spare aircraft to fill the gap. To complicate the issues faced by Flair, the Ottawa International Airport Authority (OIAA) announced March 15 that it was revoking the license of Scotland-based Menzies Aviation, following written warnings and a degradation of service levels, according to Canadian Aviation News. Both Sunwing Airlines and Flair use the company to handle baggage loading and plane marshalling as part of ground operations at the Ottawa airport. The issues reached untenable levels in the past week, leading the OIAA to provide Menzies with a 30-day notice of termination of its operating license at the airport on Monday, March 13, said OIAA. The Canadian Press contributed to this report. Goodfellas Actors Widow Questions Oscars Memorial Snub Amid Political Bias Allegations Paul Sorvino and Dee Dee Sorvino attend Museum Of The Moving Image 30th Annual Salute honoring Warren Beatty at 583 Park Avenue in New York City on Nov. 2, 2016. (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images) Author and television personality Dee Dee Sorvino is questioning why Sundays Academy Awards show excluded her late husband, Goodfellas actor Paul Sorvino, from their In-Memoriam segment. The widow shared concerns that her late husbands conservative political views may have put him at odds with the socially liberal Hollywood gathering and contributed to the snub. Actor John Travolta presented the In-Memoriam segment by paying tribute to his Grease co-star Olivia Newton-John, who passed away in August. Actor and song-writer Lenny Kravitz played the song Calling All Angels as the awards show paid its tribute to dozens of actors. As the memorial segment came to an end, viewers began to notice several notable actors and actresses were left out of the segment, including Sorvino. Dee Dee Sorvino has criticized the Oscars snub in the days since the award show aired. She recently told Fox News that her husbands exclusion left her crying and sick to her stomach. Its so cold and callous, she said. Dee Dee Sorvino said her friends and critics of the Academy Awards began to reach out on social media, raising claims that the awards shows organizers had taken issue with Paul Sorvinos past support for gun rights and for former President Donald Trump. I dont know if thats the case, Dee Dee said of the allegations that political bias contributed to the memorial snub. Its just conjecture. For now, she said she hopes it was a simple oversight by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)which hosts the awards showand not a deliberate decision motivated by politics. I just want to give them the benefit of a doubt that it was just a mistake, she told Fox News. A spokesperson for AMPAS told NTD News that the organization receives hundreds of requests to include industry colleagues in the Oscars In Memoriam segment and an executive committee has to narrow down selections for the show to fit a limited time slot. Sorvino has called this defense of her husbands exclusion from the memorial segment pathetic and ridiculous. One social media user commented that it would have been easy to feature Paul Sorvino alongside late actor Ray Liotta, who was included in the memorial segment. The two shared screen time together in Goodfellas along with Tony Sirico, who was also excluded in the memorial segment despite passing away in July. AMPASs website, A.Frame, does feature a more complete list of film industry members who passed away, including Sorvino. Sorvinos Political Views In a 2017 Fox Business interview, Paul and Dee Dee Sorvinowho has also worked as a Republican political strategistdescribed the political alienation they felt in Hollywood for supporting Trump. I think the studio people, the business peopleI think they are a little cooler about it. But its these actors, these crazy actors they are insane Unless you say you hate Trump, you are not part of their club, Dee Dee Sorvino said at the time. In that same 2017 interview, Paul Sorvino questioned comments his Goodfellas co-star Robert DeNiro made about punching Trump in the face. Paul Sorvino had pulled out a firearm and warned-off his daughter Amandas ex-boyfriend during a 2007 confrontation after her ex allegedly approached her at a motel and began pounding on her door. In June, Dee Dee Sorvino shared a photo of her husband assembling a double-barreled shotgun with the caption, You liberals who are talking about gun grabs. Try and come get our guns. Dee Dee Sorvino has said politics shouldnt be a factor in AMPASs decisions on whether or not to recognize film industry members. It should be a meritocracy, she told Fox News. It should not be about that. And that is why its so upsetting, because nobody can say Paul is a bad actor. Nobody can say he was mediocre. Everybody said Paul was one of the best actors ever and thats what he should be judged on. From NTD News GOP Leaders Allowed to Defend NC Abortion Pill Restrictions in Court After Democrat AG Refusal Mifepristone (Mifeprex) and Misoprostol, the two drugs used in a chemical abortion, are seen at the Women's Reproductive Clinic, in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, on June 17, 2022. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images) Two of the top Republicans in the North Carolina Legislature are allowed to intervene in a lawsuit to defend laws that place restrictions on abortion pills, a federal judge said in an order (pdf) on March 10. North Carolina law requires the abortion pill mifepristone be dispensed in person after a 72-hour waiting period and only after patients receive state-mandated counseling and, in some cases, an ultrasound, according to the lawsuit (pdf) filed in the Middle District of North Carolina in January. House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger requested through their attorneys from Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF)a non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of lifeto intervene as the states Democrat Attorney General Josh Stein refused to do so. Stein, a 2024 gubernatorial candidate, argued the states laws do not supersede Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules which do not place as many limits on accessing the abortion drug, according to the Associated Press. Health care decisionsincluding those involving reproductive healthshould be made by patients & their providers, not politicians, he said in a Tweet last month. The state of NCs restriction of womens use of the prescriptions they need to exercise their reproductive freedoms violates federal law and the Constitution. Physician Argues FDA Reigns Supreme over State Law The challenge to the state abortion pill restriction was filed in January by physician Amy Bryant. Bryant argues the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution invalidates five North Carolina statutes and a chapter of the Division of Health and Human Services facility safety codes. The suit notes in 2000, the FDA approved marketing of the drug under the name Mifeprex for the medical termination of intrauterine pregnancy in a two-drug regimen with Misoprostol. In doing so, the suit claims the FDA imposed regulatory controls that were commensurate with the drugs risks while not unduly burdening patient access or the healthcare system. Republican speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, Tim Moore, speaks to the press in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Dec. 7, 2022. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images) In doing so, FDA determined that any risk-mitigation benefits from additional restrictions would be outweighed by added burdens on patient access and the healthcare system, attorneys for Bryant argued. The suit further states after two decades, the drug has been found a safe and effective option for ending early pregnancy and has been used for more than five million abortionsand now accounts for more than half of abortions nationwide. The [rules do not require], because FDA has affirmatively determined it should not, that mifepristone be provided by physicians only, that it be provided in person or in specially certified facilities, or that it be preceded by an ultrasound in all cases. Bryant argues North Carolinas laws impose a complex web of requirements relating to the provision of the abortion drug that apply across patients and providers in the state, including her. Without the state statutes, she argues she would be able to provide medication abortion care to a larger number of patients at lower cost, adding the restrictions imposed by the state could increase risk by pushing patients outside the time-critical period they could use the drug, thus requiring more involved and expensive procedures. Republicans Argue State Rights in Defense of Laws The two Republican leaders argued through attorneys that after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the lawsuit tries to usurp North Carolinians authority through their elected representatives, to reasonably regulate abortion in their state. They say the argument in the suit incorrectly challenges common sense health-and-safety laws by viewing the FDAs decision to make the drugs more freely available as superior to any state laws to regulate the chemical abortion drugs. This case proves the necessity and wisdom of North Carolinas choice about who can speak on the States behalf in federal court, they wrote in their memo (pdf) seeking approval to intervene. Attorney General Joshua Stein is a named defendant who publicly opposes North Carolinas laws regulating abortion. He informed the Legislative Leaders that he [will] not defend the challenged laws in this case and will affirmatively support Plaintiffs challenge. They further argue the FDA does not issue federal law mandating access to drugs or the medical profession in the United States, much less any individual state. Federal courts consistently recognize that states have great deference in regulating how doctors provide medical care to citizens in each state, attorneys for the Republican leaders added. Women who become unexpectedly pregnant should be empowered with life-affirming options and resources to make the best choice for themselves and their unborn babies, said ADF Senior Counsel Denise Harle in a press release. Tragically, many women turn to abortion as a last resort, unaware of the harms of chemical abortion or the resources available to them. No one benefits more from this situation than abortionists, who profit with each abortion they sell. Were pleased the court allowed Speaker Moore and President Pro Tempore Berger to enter this case and help defend North Carolinas pro-life and pro-woman laws. The March 10 ruling by the judge gives until March 24 for the men to file their official response to the lawsuit with the court now that they are formally intervening as defendants. Governor Hochul Files Appeal in Quarantine Camp Lawsuit New York Governor Kathy Hochul speaks at Antonio Delgado swearing in ceremony as N.Y. State Lieutenant Governor at New York City governors office on May 25, 2022. (lev radin/Shutterstock) Commentary Late in the day on Monday, March 13, 2023, just hours before the deadline, New York Attorney General, Letitia James, filed an appeal to try to overturn our successful lawsuit that struck down Governor Hochuls unconstitutional Isolation and Quarantine Procedures regulation. The case, Borrello v. Hochul, which we won last July, was brought against the Governor and her Department of Health, on behalf of a group of NYS Legislators, Senator George Borrello, Assemblyman Chris Tague, Assemblyman (now Congressman) Mike Lawler, together with our citizens group, Uniting NYS. The main premise of the case was breach of Separation of Powersmeaning the Governor and her Department of Health did not have the authority to make their dystopian Isolation and Quarantine Procedures regulation. The Regulation For anyone unfamiliar with this regulation, it allowed the Department of Health to pick and choose which New Yorkers they could lock up or lock down, with no proof that you were ever even exposed to, let alone actually sick with, a communicable disease. They could have locked you down in your home, or they could have removed you from your home and forced you to quarantine in a facility of their choosing. There was no time restriction, so you could have been quarantined for however long they requireddays, weeks, months. There was no age restriction, so they could have done this to you, to your child, to your grandchild, etc. In the true fashion of a totalitarian regime, they could have told you what you could and could not do while in quarantine. They literally could have controlled your every move. The regulation allowed them to use law enforcement to enforce their orders of isolation or quarantine, which means you could have received a knock at the door from your local police or sheriff telling you that you had to go with them by order of the Health Department. Furthermore, the regulation had no procedure by which you could be released from quarantine, no way for you to try to negotiate your way out. And it was not COVID-19 specific. There was a laundry list of communicable diseases that could have triggered this nightmare loss of freedomdiseases such as Lyme, Toxic Shock Syndrome, COVID-19 and so many others. The Timeline We first filed our case in April 2022, and after months of fighting the Attorney General in NYS Supreme Court, Judge Ronald Ploetz rendered his decision in July 2022. Within days, the Attorney Generals office filed a Notice of Appeal which then gave them six months to file their appeal papers. We had statewide elections in November, and both Governor Hochul and Letitia James were running for election. Interestingly, they did not file their appeal to try to overturn this horrific regulation before that crucial election. Then, just days before their six months was going to expire in January 2023, they made a request for an additional two months to file their appeal! Despite our objection, the court granted the extension thereby giving the Attorney General until March 14, 2023 to file the appeal. Mere hours before the deadline, they filed their appeal. Press Release Here is the statement that was released by plaintiffs Senator Borrello, Assemblyman Tague and Congressman Lawler Please help us win this unprecedented fight for freedom! We need all hands on deck. There are several ways you can help us. Sign up for my weekly Substack where she will keep everyone updated on our progress: AttorneyCox.Substack.com Visit our web page about this lawsuit at UnitingNYS.com/lawsuit Sign up for our weekly newsletters at UnitingNYS.com From the Brownstone Institute Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Mortality rates among American children and adolescents rose by almost 20 percent in just two years, with non-COVID injuries being a top reason for increased deaths. Between 2019 and 2020, all-cause mortality rates for Americans in the age group of 1 to 19 years jumped by 10.7 percent, according to data collected and published by JAMA Network from the American Medical Association. This was followed by an 8.3 percent spike between 2020 and 2021. The total mortality rate in the two years between 2019 and 2021 was 19 percentthe biggest increase in at least 50 years. These increases, the largest in decades, followed a period of great progress in reducing pediatric mortality rates, the editorial stated. This reversal in the pediatric mortality trajectory was caused not by COVID-19, but by injuries, the editorial stated. In 2020, the COVID-19 mortality rate at ages 1 to 19 years was 0.24 deaths per 100 000, but the absolute increase in injury deaths alone was nearly 12 times higher (2.80 deaths per 100 000). Between 2019 and 2020, injury mortality rose by 22.6 percent among those between the ages of 10 and 19, with homicides rising by 39.1 percent and drug overdose deaths jumping by 113.5 percent. Among children aged 1 to 9 years, injuries accounted for 63.7 percent of the increase in all-cause mortality in 2021. Weve now reached a tipping point where the number of injury-related deaths is so high that it is offsetting many of the gains weve made in treating other diseases, said Elizabeth Wolf, an author of the editorial and an assistant professor in the department of pediatrics at the Virginia Commonwealth Universitys School of Medicine. Non-COVID Death Causes The editorial points out that the increase in injury deaths predates the pandemic. For instance, suicides among individuals between 10 and 19 years of age began to rise in 2007, with homicide rates starting to increase in 2013. Between 2007 and 2019, mortality rates for suicide rose by 69.5 percent. Between 2013 and 2019, homicide rates increased by 32.7 percent. The editorial blamed the increase in suicide and homicide rates on a deepening mental health crisis and access to firearms. Despite the fear created by the pandemic, the share of COVID-19 in deaths among children and young people (CYP) was lower when compared to other causes, according to a Jan. 30 study published in JAMA Network. The study identified 821 deaths among CYP aged 0 to 19 years between August 1, 2021, and July 31, 2022, in the United States and compared it with other causes of death in 2019 prior to the pandemic. COVID-19 was ranked eighth among all causes of death within this demographic, accounting for 2 percent of all causes of death. According to data from the National Center for Health Statistics, unintentional injuries were the leading cause of death among children in 2020, accounting for 12.5 percent of deaths below the age of 12 and 31.4 percent of deaths among adolescents aged 12-17. COVID-19 accounted for 0.3 percent of deaths in children under the age of 12 and 0.8 percent of deaths among those aged 12-17. Mental Stress Among Children Mental health among children and adolescents worsened during the pandemic per a paper published in The Lancet Psychiatry that analyzed emergency department visits. The analysis found a 22 percent jump in youth visits for suicide attempts when comparing the period prior to the pandemic to the pandemic period until July 2021. This surge in suicide visits happened even though there was a 32 percent reduction in pediatric emergency department visits for health-related reasons during the pandemic. In addition, there was also an 8 percent increase in visits for suicidal ideationreferring to individuals who entertain suicidal thoughts. A study on the National Poison Data System found that suspected suicide attempts through self-poisoning among children rose by 26.7 percent between 2015 and 2020. We need to be vigilant for the warning signs associated with suicide risk in our children, said Dr. Christopher Holstege, chief of the division of medical toxicology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. Our study is one of a number that demonstrates that we are experiencing an unprecedented mental health crisis in younger age groups. As a society, we must commit more resources to the mental health needs of our children. Hongkonger Brings Cat Art Into New Neighbourhood Cafe, Merging Coffee and Hong Kong Flavours in UK Eddie Chan (R), a Hong Kong native who migrated to the United Kingdom, opened a coffee shop in Nottingham and invited his old friend, Japanese illustrator Mango Naoko (L), to set up an art exhibition in his cafe. (Courtesy of Eddie Chan) For a few years, artisan coffee was a trend in Hong Kong. You would see new cafes popping up all over the city. But that changed when the anti-extradition bill hit. The city was never the same againpeople started leaving Hong Kong, their once-family home, seeking safety and freedom in other countries. Eddie Chan was one of them. Chan is a former journalist who ran coffee shops in Hong Kong until he moved to the United Kingdom. Chan is reigniting his dream as a cafe owner in his new home in Nottingham, United Kingdom. In 2023, Chans Hong Kong-style cafe in Nottingham allowes Hongkongers to gather and meet their neighbours over a coffee. His cafe is also a place for the curious to learn more about Hong Kong. The Hong Kong coffee shop will continue in Nottingham, allowing Hong Kong immigrants and local residents to experience greetings from Hong Kong. Eddies cafe, Espresso Galley, held an art exhibition, Cats x Hong Kong. The paintings use a cat as the tour guide to show the world around Hong Kong and bring the flavors of Hong Kong to the UK neighborhood in Nottingham, England in January 2023. (Courtesy of Eddie Chan) Chan, who loves photography and art, has invited his old friend, Mango Naoko, a Japanese illustrator, to send some paintings of her choice as the first art exhibition of Eddies new shop. The friendship between Naoko and Chan began in Chans cafe in Hong Kong, where Naoko was a regular customer. Soft, relaxed pastel strokes guided Naoko to document roadmaps of Hong Kong districts using watercolor. The Japanese artist illustrated Hong Kong as a city full of cats. Her paintings take UK residents on a journey of the beauty of Hong Kong. But the journey of Chan, Naoko, and the cafe is also a promise kept with two million Democratic people. Friendship Rooted in Coffee Beans Chan used to have a coffee shop and a photo studio in Hong Kong. It was a place for busy people to slow down and catch their breath. At the same time, they were exchanging their passion for photography over a cup of coffee. He became a business owner for the first time with three other photographers in 2003. The quadruple opened their photos-themed cafe in a walk-up building next to Times Square, Causeway Bay. From 2003 onward, Chans love for photography only grew stronger. His open-to-share personality has gained him lots of friends. Along the way, he also learned a lot of creative skills. Chans creation, Develop Film with Coffee, was Hong Kongs first-ever photography workshop using coffee to develop photos. That was also one of Chans professional highlights in his business journey. This is the first postcard Mango Naoko drew for Eddie. It depicts Eddies old photography studio, named Latent Image. (Courtesy of Eddie Chan) In the corner of Latent Image, Chan noticed Naoko, who was painting. The aroma of dark roasted coffee beans accompanied her delicate brush strokes. Her paintbrushes slowly outlined every corner of Latent Image: a bench sitting in the studio, bookshelves, and toys. Naokos added cat characters brought the quiet coffee shop to life on paper. During their chat, Chan got to know that Naoko was from Japan. After she got married, she relocated to Hong Kong and began drawing the local scenery. Her paintbrushes became her closest tools for getting to know the new city. The more she drew, the more she became fascinated by the Hong Kong views. She started imagining cats living as everyday people in the neighborhood she would visit, and the characters blended into the Hong Kong neighborhood she painted. Of all the places in Hong Kong, cafes have become her favorite place to stop. Naokos first-ever art exhibition was in a coffee shop, where the path between Chan and Naoko crossed. When Naoko gifted Chan her painted postcard of Latent Image, it took him by surprise. The postcard also became precious evidence of their memory of the cafe as it was closed four years later. A painting by Mango Naoko depicts the cafe One Little Room. (Courtesy of Eddie Chan) Mango Naokos calendars were sold in Eddies coffee shop in 2017 in Hong Kong. (Courtesy of Eddie Chan) Naoko suddenly found herself very busy after her cat characters became popular and in demand. Later, many brands would want to collaborate with Naoko and invite her to their events. Chans old cafes, One Little Room Cafe and Master Room, also started selling Naokos hand-painted postcards and calendars. The two have been working closely, supporting each other. Mango Naoko, a Japanese illustrator, regularly paints her impressions of Hong Kong. The photo was taken in Hong Kong in 2017. (Courtesy of Eddie Chan) Good times came to an abrupt end, as the political and economic situation in Hong Kong had been deteriorating. Chan moved away from Hong Kong and migrated to the United Kingdom with his family. He could still remember when he told Naoko the news of his departure. Naoko broke down and cried. A friend she has come to know well is suddenly leaving. Truth be told, I was overwhelmed but moved simultaneously, Chan recalled. In 2022, Mango Naoko released House Meow On a Sunny Day, which shares the characteristics of old-style housing estates in Hong Kong. The photo was taken in November 2022 in Hong Kong. (Courtesy of Eddie Chan) An Old Community Greets New Hongkongers After settling in his new home in Nottingham, Chan still dreamt of opening a coffee shop in the United Kingdom. But being an immigrant, the business license application is complicated, and there is no definite timeline for approval. The lengthy application is why One Little Room did not open until early 2023. Chan decided to keep the original cafes signage: Espresso Gallery. Espresso Gallery was the name of the cafe before Chan took over. Chan thought the signage was part of the neighborhood that he should not take away. This place originally was already a community coffee shop, very popular with the neighbours, and often hosted community activities. So I decided to keep the signage of Espresso Gallery. I also keep the previous staff on a roster for the neighborhood to welcome the change. For Chan, keeping the signage and keeping those familiar faces was also a great way to blend in with his new neighbourhood. Eddies community cafe Espresso Gallery by One Little Room, in January 2023 in Nottingham, England. (Courtesy of Eddie Chan) When preparing for the cafe opening, Chan planned to hold the first art exhibition in the new cafe to showcase Naokos nostalgic work depicting scenes in Hong Kong. When Naoko received Chans invitation, she immediately agreed, selected 11 watercolor paintings, and sent them to Chan, Eddie is a long-time friend. We have always supported each other. Naoko has always enjoyed showcasing her paintings in cafes. The ambiance is casual and relaxed. People get to enjoy her cat paintings while sipping coffee. She always believes people cross paths for a reason: the universe has a plan. So the location does not matter to Naoko. Mango Naokos paintings are ready for customers to enjoy while sipping coffee. (Courtesy of Eddie Chan) Cats in Hong Kong An exhibition where Naoko uses cute-looking felines as tour guides to show people the hidden gems of Hong Kong, unique places that only the locals know. Naokos art is captivating because she integrates city life into her sketches. She knows the zig-zag shuttling between markets, tea restaurants, industrial buildings, and old houses, with her signature Japanese painting style. Naoko hopes the UK locals can better understand Hong Kong other than its usual tourist attractions and the everyday people. I love all the 11 paintings I brought over she said. But if I must choose one as my all-time favorite, it must be the teahouse in Fuk Loi Estate, Tsuen Wan. Dim Sum With Cats The painting shows the restaurants panorama from a birds eye view. Naoko imagines the cats as customers and tea drinkers while a service cat sells dim sum delicacies from a dim sum trolley. Shrimp dumplings, shumai (finger dumplings with various fillings), steaming rice rolls, and cha siu buns (BBQ pork buns), Naoko believes Cantonese dim sum is a cultural introduction for foreigners. One of Naokos paintings exhibited in the UK is a scene in a teahouse in Tsuen Wan. (Courtesy of Eddie Chan) Exhibiting her paintings has been a surreal experience at Espresso Gallery for Naoko. Chan and Naoko have known each other for almost a decade, but this is their first full exhibition collaboration. Even more surprising is that it is in the UK. The experience has been magical for Naoko. For Chan, Espresso Gallery by One Little Room is not just a neighborhood cafe but also a promise kept for Hongkongers: until we meet again. Chan wants his cafe to become a place where Hongkongers can gather and bring Hong kong flavours to the people in the neighborhood. Western morality is based on 10 very old and very good rules for living: the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments (sometimes known as the Decalogue, or Ten Words, are the commands given by God to Moses at Mt. Sinai, which Moses brought down the mountain engraved on two stone tablets. These commands address the central issues of human behavior toward God and ones fellow human beings. The first part of the commandments regulate conduct between humankind and God. The last part of the commandments regulate conduct between peoplethat is, how human beings are to relate to each other. According to Philo, a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher of Roman times (circa B.C. 20A.D. 50) the commandment to honor thy father and mother is the bridge between the first and last section of the commandments. Podcaster and public speaker Dennis Prager said it is the only commandment that comes with a reason for observing it: That your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. As Prager points out, we are told to love God, our neighbors, and even the stranger, but not our father and mother. These we must honor. No matter how challenging this is, we must maintain a relationship with our parents that honors them. We dont even have to like our parents, Prager says, but we must honor them. Moses by Hendrick de Somer. Private collection. (Public Domain) The Basic Building Block Why is it so important to honor our parents? Respect for our parents and family has a ripple effect in society. We learn to respect all others, as respect for our parents will be reflected in all of our other relationships. Those who have been taught to respect their parents and their elders are more likely to be functioning adults in society. In Phyllis Schlaflys book Who Killed the American Family, she references a piece by Jason DeParle that the New York Times published. In this piece, noted Schlafly, DeParle was making the obvious, yet frequently denied, observation that children are a lot better off when they are reared by both parents than when a single mother has to make do on her own. DeParles argument is essentially that two parents are better than one and that the difference between a single mother and a married couple is qualitative as well as quantitative. According to Prager, men who are likely to treat their wives well and their co-workers fairly are men that were brought up to respect their parents. Women who have been brought up to value their parents are more likely to be better mothers and care-givers. They are more likely to choose mates that will see the importance of the family. One who has been taught to value what the family unit brings to society is therefore more likely to pass these values on to his or her children. At the same time, showing respect for those who gave us life and love sets an example for future generations. Children who see their grandparents treated well will likely model this behavior with their parents. In sum, in a society in which children are taught to honor their father and mother, the society will survive. The ripple effect extends beyond society to honoring our civilization. The intergenerational memories that families have are like the threads of a tapestry. They are the needle that pulls the threads of our shared bonds together. A family tethers us to the memories of who we are and where we come from. One only has to consider the Jewish calendar with its strict adherence to tradition and the honoring of it. Honoring your parents is a kind of daily Shabbat. It must be observed lest the fabric of your life frays. Parents are the bedrock of the family, and the importance of a family cannot be underestimated. A family is, in a sense, a boundary that protects one from the outside world. It is our civilizations building block as well. It seems that is reason enough to honor them. Honoring the Creator By honoring our parents, we recognize that there is a moral authority above us to whom we are accountable. For that reason, honoring a parent is recognizing the hierarchy that exists within a family, and correspondingly, a larger hierarchy, at the top of which, of course, is the Creator. Fr. Hans Jacobse, an Orthodox priest for over 30 years, believes that God wove the hierarchy of patriarchy into the very structure of creation itself: a is the protector of a woman and family. He is the authority figure to whom we look to for leadership and protection.(need source) Implicit within this supposition that honoring our parents honors God is a way of recognizing the sanctity of human life and the importance of treating each other with respect, integrity, faithfulness, decency, and dignity. A civilization in which children dont honor their parents ensures that civilization declines. Recently, in an impassioned speech, the populist Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni said: Why is the family an enemy? Why is the family so frightening? We will defend the value of the human being. [E]ach of us has a unique genetic code that is unrepeatable that is sacred. We will defend it. We will defend God, country, and family. Her speech went viral. Honoring in Action How can we honor our parents? There are simple ways. For some, it may be asking ones parents for mentoring advice. For others, it may be including them in decision-making that involves the family. Honoring ones parents can be upheld by honoring family traditions. One way may be to keep family dinner rituals. Another may be by maintaining a kind of family grammara way of behaving with ones parents in order to denote respect. Perhaps it is in the way one dresses when one visits parents. Certainly, it is in the language one uses in the company of ones parents. A degree of formality might be maintained from the cradle to the graveand beyond. A visit to a gravesite might be a way to honor those who have passed on. If one is fortunate enough to have aging parents who are experiencing the finiteness of the individual life, there are lessons to be learned. They know that they are looking towards the sunset. They also know that there is probably not a brighter morning coming. Perhaps one of the greatest gifts one can give ones parents is to be a source of support for them as they age. Instead of showing impatience at stories about those good old days, we can learn to listen to their recollections and, yes, learn from them. As you are serving them a piece of their favorite cake, chances are they will be gifting you with an anecdote that may be a teaching moment: how they responded to difficulties, how they rose to challengesthese are life lessons that possibly your children will not be taught on social media. Join them when they meander down memory lane. Allow them to reminisce as they metaphorically swing on a hammock under the trees. Yes, this is nostalgia, but nostalgia allows us to recapitulate and reconstruct an overview of our lives, it allows us to partake in what was valuable to our parents. More Than Obedience In his book The World Under Gods Law: Criminal Aspects of the Welfare State, the Revered T. Robert Ingram says that as those who believe in God, we should see the family as the squad in the army. It is essential to the strength and safety of the army and to the plans and operations of the commander that the files be obedient to the corporal. More than obedience is required. The legal application as understood in the Bible is to honor. And we may observe that the only legal obedience required by the law of God is to father and mother. No other authority is supported by unqualified divine law. Hundreds Protest in California Against CCPs Persecution on Anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Tibetans and supporters rally in front of City Hall in San Francisco for Tibetan National Uprising Day on March 10, 2023. (Xue Mingzhu/The Epoch Times) Hundreds of Tibetans and supporters held a rally in front of San Francisco City Hall on March 10 to commemorate the 64th anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan uprising. Protesters said the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) used its zero-COVID policy as an excuse to further persecute Tibetans. Under [the] CCPs tyranny, Tibetans have been suffering so much. People in the free world, especially Americans, should stand up to these injustices happening all over the world. This is not for the future of Tibetans or Uyghurs, but for the future of all nationalities throughout the world, Tenzin Rangdol, former president of the Tibetan Association of Northern California, told The Epoch Times. Lobsang Chodon from the San Francisco Regional Tibetan Youth Congress told The Epoch Times: We remember our suffering brothers and sisters; we remember Tibetans who still struggle under CCP governing. As we are in a free nation, we have the rights to rally and protest; we have the rights to parade and speak out. We can say whatever we want to say. So we have to speak out loudly for our brothers and sisters who cannot speak out. We will fight until the end, until Tibet is freed, until we can get back to our homeland. The Tibetan uprising took place in March 1959. The Dalai Lama was invited to attend a theater performance at the CCPs Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) headquarters near Lhasa, according to the Dalai Lamas memoirs. The day before the performance, PLA officers told the Dalai Lamas bodyguards not to accompany the Tibetan leader to the show and also not to tell anyone he would be leaving Potala Palace. The bodyguards became suspicious and publicized this information. The next day, March 10, an estimated 300,000 Tibetans surrounded the palace in an effort to protect the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama managed to evade the CCP and escape into exile. Photographs of people who performed self-immolations in protest of the Chinese Communist Partys persecution of Tibetans, displayed on the steps of City Hall in San Francisco on March 10, 2023. (Xue Mingzhu/The Epoch Times) Since then, March 10 has been commemorated as Tibetan National Uprising Day. Hong Kong organizations and other groups also attended the rally. We should speak for those who cannot. We should defend for those who cannot defend themselves. A lot of Tibetans and Uyghurs are put into labor camps; they cannot speak out. If we dont speak out for them, once we are deprived of our freedom, who will speak out for us? Tony Tang, a Christian from China, told The Epoch Times. Christianity and other religions, including Islam, are also persecuted by the CCP. In 2019, the CCP officially decided to rewrite its own versions of the Bible and Quran in an effort to reflect socialist values. At the rally, there were performances to demonstrate the CCPs persecution of Tibetans during the pandemic, as well as songs and chants. The gathering at San Francisco City Hall was part of an all-day series that also included rallies at Berkeley City Hall, the San Francisco Chinese Consulate, and San Franciscos Union Square as well as marches between locations in San Francisco. Xue Mingzhu and Lear Zhou contributed to this report. Huntington Beach Residents React to Dueling Housing Lawsuits: State vs. City I dont want [Huntington Beach] to become another Santa Monica, Gayline Clifford, a 37-year resident, said in response to the states demands for the Orange County coastal city to have more housing. While the city faces pressure from the state to build more housing, including that which is affordable, some residents said they fear doing such might change its small-town Surf City vibe. Francesco, who declined to provide his last name, is a 10-year resident originally from Italy and said he works as a restaurant server in the citys downtown. He said changing Huntington Beach to accommodate working class residents like himself could also make it lose the reason people like him moved there. I chose to live here in Huntington Beach because I like it how it is otherwise I could [have] chosen Santa Monica, he told The Epoch Times. He said as someone originating from outside the United States, he feels Californias minimum wage is fair, and that its understandable for tourist destinations like Huntington Beach to cost more. People enjoy the beach in front of the pier in Huntington Beach, Calif., on March 28, 2020. (Michael Heiman/Getty Images) Comparing Huntington Beach to his former home in Rome, he said in such places, its common some workers may need to find cheaper housing elsewhere. How many people can live [in] downtown Rome and work in Rome, he said. In Italy, they dont say they need to build more houses in downtown Rome [so] people can live there. Mandatory Housing Plan Californias Department of Housing and Community Development has mandated Huntington Beach zone for 13,368 units of housing by Oct. 2029, as part of a mandatory housing plan, called a housing element, which is updated every eight years. The requirement for zoning is one portion of the plan, which quantifies how many units of housing a city must zone for in what is referred to as the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA). In a lawsuit against the state, which the city announced March 9, officials argue that this cycles allocation, which was first revealed in October 2021, is disproportionate to other jurisdictions, and if measured by square mileage of city land is the highest RHNA number of any other city throughout the entire State of California (for the current Planning Cycle). James Banta, who now lives in Huntington Beach after vacationing there for 20 years, said he supports the citys decision to battle the state, even at the potential loss of taxpayer dollars. I think the city should be able to legislate itself, he said. Building more houses here is not going to make it more accessible for anyone. Its just going to make it more crowded like [Los Angeles]. The state of California initially filed a lawsuit against Huntington Beach March 9 for what it says is its continued attempts to evade housing laws, officials said in a press release. In return, city officials filed their suit in federal court the same day against the state, claiming a violation of constitutional rights over land use matters. But state officials warned that exceptions wont be made when it comes to housing. My Administration will take every measure necessary to hold communities accountable for their failure to build their fair share of housing, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in the press release issued by Attorney General Rob Bonta. Huntington Beach city officials gather with residents to challenge state housing laws in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Feb. 14, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) Local vs. State Authority In their lawsuit, the state is seeking to overrule Huntington Beachs decision March 7, to stop processing applications for accessory dwelling unitsknown as ADUs or granny flatsand those that fall under SB 9which was passed by the Legislature in 2021 and went into effect in 2022, allowing up to four homes on lots that were previously zoned single-family. But some residents said they would like to see more development in the city. If we have more density, it becomes a more walkable city, Edward Rohaly, a resident of 10 years, told The Epoch Times. I would love to be able to walk to a market to buy supermarket vegetables and [other] things. He also said more affordable housing is a must. You cant drive far to work for cheap wages, he said. If you want to go to a restaurant and have the restaurant open, somebody [has to] work there, and they [need] to live nearby. But a new conservative council majority, elected in the Nov. 8 general election, has stated several times they intend to challenge the states control over how the city should plan for its residents housing needs. In their lawsuit, the city claims if it doesnt act against the state, then the state will continue with an unbridled power play to control all aspects of the City Councils land use decisions. Doing such, according to the lawsuit, would eliminate the suburban character of the City and replace it with a high-density mecca. Debate Over Methodology Councilmember Casey McKeon told The Epoch Times that the state hasnt provided any evidence to justify some of its housing rules, such as the zoning mandate for the over 13,000 units. We dont understand the methodology used to determine those numbers, he said March 9. The California State Auditor, last year in April, said that [those] numbers are fraudulent. According to McKeon, the number of units the city has been mandated to zone for is far more than other cities, especially those in coastal communities. He pointed to San Bernardino, which has a similar population to Huntington Beachs 200,000 and is five square miles larger, but is only being asked to plan for 8,000 units. City leaders also use Huntington Beachs status as a charter city, allowing more self-governing, as a reason for not following state housing laws. California is using unconstitutional legislative and administrative means stripping Charter cities of their ability to make their own land use decisions, the city posted on Facebook March 9. The state is also threatening to amend its lawsuit to include further claims of violations if Huntington Beach proceeds with plans to ban a provision under state housing law known as builders remedy. The City Council at its March 7 meeting approved in a 4-3 vote the first reading of an ordinance to challenge the provision, which kicks in when cities dont have a state approved housing plan and allows developers to sidestep local zoning for affordable housing projects. Residents gather in front of city hall as city officials talk about housing issues with the the state in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Feb. 14, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) The issue will be heard again in an upcoming council meeting, and if fully approved, it means the city would stop taking such applicationsat least until such legal issues are resolved. If our citizens wanted an urban community, they would move to Los Angeles, Mayor Tony Strickland said during the March 7 meeting. Its fundamental for us as a council to fight on their behalf. Bonta, the states attorney general, reminded Huntington Beach officials in the most recent March 9 press release that their actions have consequences. Todays lawsuit seeks to hold Huntington Beach accountable for their knowing disregard for state housing law, and put a stop to their unlawful attempt to obstruct crucial projects that bring much needed additional housing to our communities, he said. Other Cities Push Back California cities were required to have an approved housing plan by Oct. 15, 2022. Twenty Orange County cities and 241 cities statewide currently do not, according to data on the states housing department website. Huntington Beach wouldnt be the first charter city to dispute the state against some of its laws. Last March, Redondo Beach, Torrance, Carson, and Whittier filed a petition with the Los Angeles Superior Court to prohibit SB 9, due to what the cities said was a violation of the state constitution, stating: It is undisputed that planning and zoning laws are matters of municipal affairs. Huntington Beach Councilmember Dan Kalmick, who has consistently voted against the new councils direction, feared a state lawsuit would come. I understand this new council majority wants to sue the state to assert their authority. But no one said anything about getting sued by the state, he said during the March 7 meeting. In February, after city officials first proposed to ban the builders remedy provision, Newsom said Huntington Beach was another city where elected officials are resorting to cheap political stunts to avoid their responsibility to build desperately needed housing. California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a press conference in Universal City, Calif., on June 15, 2021. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images) Bonta, also in February, warned the City Council to reverse course, after it first announced the idea. Our state is facing an existential housing crisis, Bonta said in a press release at the time. My office is ready to take action as necessary to enforce our laws, but Huntington Beach still has time to course correct. City staff are expected to introduce a revised housing plan at the councils March 21 meeting that should comply, officials said, with the states requirements. If approved by the council, the states housing department has 90 days to review the citys latest submission. If the council was serious about wanting a certified housing element, it would not proceed with a direct violation of state housing law in the middle of trying to get our housing elements certified, Councilmember Natalie Moser, who has voted with the councils minority against fighting the state on the issues, said March 7. Three Canadians testified at the National Citizens Inquiry that they were injured by COVID-19 vaccines yet their doctors did not fill out Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI) forms. I had incredible fatigue, which led to shortness of breath, and then eventually a tinge of chest pain when I was laying on my back, Chet Chisholm said on March 16. Then I went outside to help my dad, who had just taken down a tree in the yard, and I got stabbing chest pain just left my sternum that radiated into my back. The National Citizens Inquiry (NCI) describes itself as a citizen-led and citizen-funded initiative that is completely independent from government. The inquiry is hearing from Canadians and experts in order to investigate governments COVID-19 policies in a fair and impartial manner. The NCI will examine how the pandemic measures put in place by all levels of government impacted Canadians in the four categories of health, fundamental rights and freedoms, social well-being, and economic prosperity. According to The Blind Spot in COVID Vaccination Policies: Under-Reported Adverse Events, a study published on Jan. 12, case reports involving two academic researchers suggest that adverse events to COVID-19 messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccination are largely under-reported due to numerous clinical, systemic, political and media factors. The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are mRNA vaccines, which teach the recipients cells how to make a protein found on the surface of the virus that causes COVID-19. This activates the persons immune system to create a response, such as antibodies, against the foreign protein. The study was published on Jan. 12 in the International Journal of Vaccine Theory, Practice, and Research. On the NCIs first day, March 16, Dr. Patrick Phillips also testified that he filled out a total of 10 AEFI forms for his patients suffering from probable COVID vaccine injuries, but only one applicationwhich was the least severewas accepted. American cardiologist Dr. Peter McCullough, who testified virtually at the inquiry that morning, said over 200 peer-reviewed studies have shown cardiovascular syndromes, such as myocarditis and pericarditis, are directly attributed to COVID-19 vaccination. Two studies have indicated that 2.5 percent of people who take the vaccine suffer heart damage and about half of them are asymptomatic. And it is conclusive that in a fraction of those who have received the COVID-19 vaccine, that heart inflammation or myocarditis is fatal, he said. Maybe Its Just Spasms Chisholm, a paramedic in Nova Scotia for over 12 years, said he initially declined the COVID vaccine in December 2020, even though he was eligible as a front-line worker. I was a pretty health young guy, so I said, no thanks, give it to people who are vulnerable.' When COVID vaccines became available for the general public, Chisholm thought it was appropriate to get his shots since he often worked with vulnerable people. Chisholm said he initially felt fine after getting his first dose on May 21, 2021, but he says that changed in the coming days as he experienced fatigue, shortness of breath, and severe chest pain. Chisholm was taken to the hospital, where he says doctors found that his vitals were abnormal and he had high blood pressure. But the doctors didnt find anything conclusive in Chisholms blood work, he said. They said, maybe its just spasms and sent me on my way, he told the inquiry. Chisholm said the shortness of breath and chest pain persisted, causing him to be bedridden on some days. He ended up in the emergency room three more times over the summer, until a doctor ordered him an echocardiogram. None of the doctors considered that the COVID vaccine could have caused his symptoms, nor did they fill out an AEFI form, according to Chisholm. Because Chisholm didnt get his second vaccine dose, he was barred from gyms, restaurants, and bars. He was also unable to visit his friend in the hospital, who was dying from cancer. Chisholm said his injury has had a significant impact on his mental and physical health. He added that not being able to return to work because of his workplaces vaccine policy has been infuriating. Its detrimental to the well-being of everybody in this province that there are people like me who want to go back to work, and who would like to help and fix the problem, as the EMS system is crumbling, but were told no. Cardiologist: Patients Pericarditis, Myocarditis From the Vaccine Artur Anselm said he was hesitant to get the COVID vaccine but was required to in order to keep his job at the Canadian National Railway. I was getting phone calls daily from supervisors and everybody and telling me that after the 15 of November, I would be off work. So I decided to bite the bullet and get it. On Nov. 13, 2021, Anselm got his first and only vaccine dose. He said got seriously ill with a very bad flu a week afterward, and then started developing weakness, shortness of breath, and stinging chest pain. Anselm eventually went to the hospital to make sure he wasnt having a heart attack, but the doctors said his vitals were fine and sent him home, he said. His family doctor was also dismissive of his symptoms, he said, and refused to fill out an AEFI form or issue a vaccine exemption. I told him that after the vaccine I was having chest pains and shortness of breath. He said, no, its probably not from the vaccine. Just dont smoke anything or drink alcohol, and youll be fine,' he said. After seeing a cardiologist, Anselm learned that his heart was inflamed, he said. I had pericarditis, myocarditis, and the cardiologist said, This is from the vaccine.' Anselm was unable to get a vaccine exemption, he said, meaning he was laid off from his job until the mandates were dropped in September 2022. Anselm said his heart condition has impacted him in every aspect of his life. Physically, I cant really do the things I used to anymore. Mentally, I was down and it impacted my fatherhood. Things That I Enjoyed Doing, I Dont Enjoy Anymore Susan Leigh Anne Coolen said she had been hesitant to get the vaccine because of the speed with which they were produced, but she needed to do so to keep her job. On May 27, 2021, Coolen got her first and only dose of the Pfizer vaccine. A few weeks later, on June 20, she awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of her husband on the phone, she said. He was on the phone with the paramedics because Id had a stroke. So the ambulance came, and the next thing I knew, I had paramedics at the foot of my bed. They took me to the hospital and I was there for five days, she said. Coolen went through several tests in the hospital and was put on a Heparin drip to help clear up blood clots in her arteries, she said. She admitted she has Factor V Leiden, a hereditary disorder that causes an increase in blood clotting, but said her hospital wrote a report claiming they didnt believe that was the cause of the stroke. The 41-year-old said she has no other comorbidities that could have led to her stroke. Her nurse practitioner said they thought the COVID vaccine had something to do with the stroke, Coolen said. Because Coolen chose not to get a second COVID-19 vaccine, she ultimately ended up losing her job. She claims to still suffer from cognitive issues as a result of the stroke. Its like I dont know myself anymore. My thoughts come quickly, I just cant organize them to get them out. Things that I enjoyed doing, I dont enjoy anymore, she said. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Thursday that Iran has agreed to halt covert weapons shipments to its Houthi allies in Yemen as part of a China-brokered deal to re-establish diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia. The newspaper quoted US and Saudi officials as saying that the move could inject new momentum into efforts to end one of the regions longest-running civil wars. If Tehran does stop arming the Houthis, it could put pressure on the militant group to reach a deal to end the conflict, the US and Saudi officials explained. The WSJ, however, reported that the Iranian delegation to the United Nations declined to comment when asked whether Tehran would suspend arms shipments. Soon after exploding in 2014, Yemen's conflict turned into a proxy war between Saudi Arabia, which led a military coalition backing Yemens internationally recognized government, and Iran, which has aided the countrys Houthi rebels. Iran has long been accused by western governments and U.N. experts of providing weapons to the Houthis. Western militaries have repeatedly intercepted Yemen-bound ships carrying Iranian weapons in the Red Sea. Tehran has denied the accusations of arming the Houthis. Search Keywords: Short link: Insulate Britain M25 Protesters Cleared by Judge Who Says Charges Would Not Be Proportionate District judge says protesters had 'enormous sincerity' Protesters from Insulate Britain block the M25 at junction 31, near to the Dartford Crossing in Thurrock, Essex, on Oct. 13, 2021. (Insulate Britain/PA) A judge has cleared four climate change protesters who blocked access to Britains busiest motorway during a protest in 2021 after ruling that a conviction on a charge of wilful obstruction of the highway would not be proportionate. Police arrested 38 activists from the campaign group Insulate Britain after junctions 9 and 10 of the M25 were obstructed for 13 minutes from 7.57 a.m. on Sept. 21, 2021. But on Wednesday, District Judge Amanda Kelly, sitting at Horsham Magistrates Court in West Sussex, ordered Venetia Carter, Diana Warner, Stephen Gower, and Susan Hagley to be found not guilty of wilful obstruction of the highway contrary to the Highways Act 1980. The activists had argued their actions were legitimate under Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. Insulate Britain is demanding the government insulate all British homes to reduce energy bills and consumption. Giving her ruling, Kelly said, This was a relatively short protest in respect of an issue of considerable importance by four individuals who believed with enormous sincerity in the need to exercise their Article 10 and 11 rights at that particular time and date and at that particular moment in history. She said, I find that the prosecution has failed to make me sure that a criminal conviction would be proportionate. Although I find that the protest caused significant disruption to a large number of people, I have not been provided with evidence of any grave consequences being caused to any individual person or business over and above the sort of inconvenience that is routinely caused by delays on the M25, such as those caused by accidents or other obstructions entering the road, Kelly added. She went on to say that her ruling was based on the facts of the case itself and did not offer immunity to any future protests on the M25. Carter and Hagley glued themselves to the carriageway in an attempt to make it harder for police officers to move them, but were still removed after just 13 minutes. Protester Feels Vindicated Hagley, 67, from Ipswich, said she felt vindicated and relieved. She added: The demands of Insulate Britain have never been more important or relevant at this time of the cost of living crisis and rising fuel poverty. Its scandalous that in the sixth richest nation in the world thousands die each year from fuel poverty and the climate crisis is affecting millions of people around the world. None of us can be insulated from climate collapse. Kelly said: I have not been provided with evidence of the impact of the delay on any individual motorists. Although the police put out a request on social media for anyone to contact them if they had been severely impacted by the protest, I was told that nobody had responded. She said she had not heard any evidence about any emergency vehicles being hindered or delayed and she said the disruption was very short-lived. Kelly added, Nevertheless, I take judicial notice of the fact that a large number of ordinary members of the public would have been significantly inconvenienced by the delay to the journey and in some cases caused real discomfort or even distress at missing important appointments or being unable to take a comfort break. She also said she felt a conviction for the four would be unlikely to have a deterrent effect on future protesters. Policing of Insulate Britains Protests Cost 4.3 Million In December 2021, figures obtained by the PA news agency under Freedom of Information revealed that at least 4.3 million had been spent on policing Insulate Britains road-blocking protests between Sept. 13 and Nov. 20, 2021. On its website Insulate Britain says: We need the government to insulate Britains homes to save thousands of lives and prevent economic and social collapse Insulating the homes of Britain will save lives and provide warm homes while pound for pound making the most effective contribution to reducing carbon and providing meaningful jobs. The Insulate Britain protests were followed by demonstrations by Just Stop Oil protesters, who climbed up onto gantries above the M25, forcing it to close for several hours and causing huge delays to traffic. Earlier this week National Highways unveiled a new design for motorway gantries, which would make it harder for protesters to climb up them. National Highways said, Although security issues did not form part of the original specification, the new design will be more resilient to trespassers due to entry being concealed within the pillars, making it more difficult to access without authorisation. The London-based architecture company Useful Studio produced the winning design. PA Media contributed to this report. Italy Finds 5 More Bodies From Feb. 26 Shipwreck, Taking Death Toll to 86 A piece of the boat and a piece of clothing from the deadly migrant shipwreck are seen in Steccato di Cutro near Crotone, Italy, on Feb. 28, 2023. (Remo Casilli/Reuters) ROMEItalian authorities have found the bodies of five more victims of a shipwreck last month off the coast of Calabria, bringing to 86 the death toll from one of the worst migration disasters in recent European history. The tragedy was followed by another shipwreck on Sunday in which 30 people are missing and feared dead. A boy aged around seven or eight, a three-year-old girl, two men, and a woman were the latest confirmed victims of the night-time shipwreck near the seaside town of Steccato di Cutro, a provincial government official said on Wednesday. They were on the wooden boat that had set off from Izmir, Turkey, and crashed near the shore of Calabria in Italys southern toe with about 180 people aboard on Feb.26, according to an account to parliament by Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi. The minister said 80 people survived, meaning that about 15 remain unaccounted for. More than two weeks after the tragedy, Italys coast guard, firefighters, and border police are still searching for them. Police boats tried to intercept the boat before it sank, but failed to reach it due to rough weather. Jacob Chansleys Lawyers Confront DOJs Claim It Didnt Suppress Jan. 6 Evidence Jacob Chansley is seen outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Brent Stirton/Getty Images) The Department of Justices (DOJs) latest objection to allegations that it suppressed evidence in its prosecution of Jan. 6, 2021, defendant Jacob Chansley flies in the face of the Sixth Amendment, current and former attorneys of Chansley told The Epoch Times in separate interviews this week. They are hiding. They affirmatively are electing not to disclose [exculpatory evidence], Albert Watkins, Chansleys former attorney who negotiated the Navy veterans 41-month sentencing agreement in 2021, told The Epoch Times on March 14, referring to the DOJ. Theyre doing so in a fashion which, in my opinion, gives rise to an inescapable conclusion that the Department of Justice has done more damage to our democracy by how it has treated Jan. 6 defendants than anything that had occurred on January 6. Watkins was reacting to the DOJs March 12 court filing on another Jan. 6, 2021, defendants case, in which the government confronted, for the first time in court, the newly surfaced surveillance footage of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach aired by Fox Newss Tucker Carlson Tonight. Among the footage was a clip showing Chansley, unarmed, walking along with several Capitol Police officers who didnt attempt to remove him from the Capitol building, which Carlson said shows that Chansley was less violent on Jan. 6, 2021, than described by the government. Despite the video records of the Navy veterans behavior, Chansleys current and former lawyers argued that the government violated Chansleys rights by suppressing this evidence during his trial, in response to the DOJs claims to the contrary on March 12. The answer to this debate is important because it shines a light on the governments prosecutorial conduct in handling Jan. 6, 2021, cases, many of which have ended with swift sentencing. Chansley is currently serving a 41-month sentence in federal prison after pleading guilty to an obstruction charge in September 2021. Government Shared All Evidence: DOJ In a filing on March 12, the DOJ stated that it provided the footage to Chansleys attorney during the discovery phase of Chansleys trial in 2021, therefore satisfying the requirement of producing exculpatory evidence, or evidence favoring the defendant, to the defense counsel. The filing was in response to a motion to dismiss filed by the attorneys of Dominic Pezzola, a Jan. 6, 2021, defendant currently on trial, which alleged that the footage shown on Tucker Carlson Tonight shows that the government withheld evidence in prosecuting participants of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach. Attorney Steven Metcalf (2nd L), representing defendant Dominic Pezzola for his alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach, arrives at the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse on Dec. 19, 2022. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) The CCTV footage is core evidence in nearly every January 6 case, and it was produced en masse, labeled by camera number and by time, to all defense counsel in all cases, the DOJ wrote in its filing. The department cited Brady v. Maryland, a 1963 case in which the Supreme Court held that prosecutors must make available to the defense counsel exculpatory evidence. As a part of that requirement, the DOJ cited Bradys text establishing that a Brady violation requires the material in question to be something that is being [suppressed] by the prosecution. Pezzolas Brady claim therefore fails at the threshold, because nothing has been suppressed, the DOJ wrote, basing it on the claim that it had provided Watkins with the necessary tools to identify relevant CCTV evidence notwithstanding the voluminous discovery. Accordingly, the volume of discovery does not excuse defense counsel from making reasonable efforts to ascertain whether an item has been produced, let alone before filing inaccurate and inflammatory allegations of discovery failures. DOJ Suppressed Evidence: Chansleys Lawyers Chansleys lawyers disagreed with the DOJs claims, saying that the bar for suppression is lower than what the government claims it to be. Suppression is not the nefarious burying of evidence, Bill Shipley, Chansleys current counsel, said in an interview with The Epoch Times on March 13. It just means it wasnt brought to light by the government. The government knew what was there and did not illuminate the fact that it was there. He says the government may have violated Brady because they didnt identify the footage and its nature as potentially exculpatory evidence during Chansleys trial. Making them available without making sure the defendant knows of the existence of the footage may constitute suppression, he said. Suppression simply means it went undiscovered by the defendant beyond a point at which it could be made use of, said Shipley, who was a federal prosecutor for 21 years. If the government produced thousands of hours of video and said, Theres a minute of evidence thats favorable to Jacob Chansleygood luck, that production is not an effective Brady disclosure. The video footage is relevant for reasons beyond proving Chansleys innocence or guilt, he told The Epoch Times, noting that its important to answer the question of whether Chansleys sentence was fair under due process considerations. The question is: Were Jacob Chansleys rights to due process and effective assistance of counsel violated? Were the procedural requirements complied with such that the process and outcome of his case was a fair proceeding? Shipley asked. Theyre clearly the kinds of videos that, had Judge [Royce Lamberth] seen them at sentencing, he might have concluded that Mr. Chansey is not the personification of evil in the way the government has made him out to be. Lamberth presided over Chansleys trial. That might have caused Judge Lamberth to think that maybe 41 months was too much time to give him, taking into consideration all of his conduct, as opposed to just the precise conduct the government gave, Shipley said. Not the 1st Time, Allegedly For Watkins, the DOJs filing on March 12 rung in his mind vivid images of deja vu that date to 2021, when the department recommended to the courts a 20-year sentence for Chansley for his alleged actions on Jan. 6, 2021. Watkins said the government lowered that sentence to 41 months only after Watkins requested Chansleys military records that demonstrated his mental health problems. Prior to entering into a plea, Jake was fighting for his sanity and life in solitary confinement. He had been diagnosed 15 years earlier by the government with a mental health issue, but the government never told him of the diagnosis, Watkin told The Epoch Times, noting that that the government had records of Chansleys mental health issues since about the time that Chansley was in the military, but withheld that record before offering a 20-year sentencing after Jan. 6, 2021. Jacob Chansley (C) and other protesters are seen inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Manuel Blace Ceneta/AP Photo) The government didnt provide [Chansleys mental health records] to me. They had control of that as well. I asked them for it, they did not give it. And it wasnt until I literally, after screaming and yelling for help from the Department of Justice and from the Bureau of Prisons and from the court itself, I finally got out there with a very vulgar and high-profile characterization of many of the January 6 defendants, and lo and behold, within a matter of 24 hours or 48 hours, I get a call from the military record staffers, Listen, I found them, Im getting them to you right now. It wasnt until we got the medical records, and only after a very public involvement pleading for them, that we were able to convince the government that indeed, maybe Jake wasnt the leaderthat Jake wasnt leading the charge into the Capitol. He said Chansleys mental health record, which he characterized as a piece of exculpatory evidence, was key to lowering the governments 20-year sentencing recommendation to 41 months. Fast forward to March 12, Watkins said the DOJs rebuttal is erroneous and that the government has denied some of Chansleys right to counsel as defined in the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution. Not producing [exculpatory evidence] when you have it is suppressing it. And its not [just] suppressing itits shrouded in secrecy, which is even more problematic, he said. When a criminally accused enters into the federal court system, that criminally accused has constitutional rights [including] the ability to see the evidence that has been amassed by a prosecuting party prior to making a decision about whether to enter into a plea of guilty, or to take a case to trial. Jacob Chansley, the so-called QAnon Shaman, was escorted around the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Fox News contended in a special aired on March 6, 2023. (U.S. Department of Justice/Screenshot via The Epoch Times) The government, by not affirmatively discharging its duties to Jake, denied Jake his ability to enter into a plea agreement from a position of knowledge and to freelyknowingly, and in an informed and voluntary fashionenter into that plea. Those requirements are vital. They are fundamental tenants of our federal judicial criminal system. Judge Should Issue Show-Cause Order: Legal Expert Mike Davis, president of the Article III Project, a legal nonprofit, echoed Shipleys and Watkinss view in an interview with The Epoch Times on March 15, noting that Lamberth should reopen the case and ask the government to explain their rationale for prosecuting Chansley. The government violated Brady by failing to give Jacob Chansley reasonable access to the exculpatory video evidence played on Tucker Carlsons show before Chansley pled guilty, said Davis, a former clerk under Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. Judge Royce Lamberth should issue a show-cause order. He should have issued it the day after Tucker Carlson aired those videos. According to Davis, the governments process of getting Chansley to agree to the 41-month plea deal constituted fraudulent inducement. I would call this fraud in the inducement of the plea agreement. They had access to these videos and didnt provide them, and they induced Jacob Chansley into a fraudulent plea agreement based upon this omission, he said. The Department of Justice declined to comment. Jewish Groups Criticize Second Gentlemans Comparison of Anger at School Board Meetings to Holocaust Hatred U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (R) and her husband Doug Emhoff (L) about to board a flight before departing from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Sept. 11, 2021. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Jewish organizations have condemned Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff for comparing anger at school board meetings to hatred surrounding the Holocaust. Recalling his recent visit to Europe, Emhoff told MSNBC host Symone Sanders that his experience meeting a Holocaust survivornow a Ukrainian refugee in Germany following Russias invasion of Ukrainemade him think of a parallel between the hatred in the United States, including at school board meetings, and the vitriol related to the Holocaust. Sanders is a former senior adviser for Emhoffs wife Vice President Kamala Harris. I met one woman who was saved [from] the Holocaust in Germany. [She] settled in Ukraine and is now a refugee again back in Berlin where she originally left as a Jew in the Holocaust, he said at the South by Southwest conference in Texas on March 15. These are the stories that are happening out there. And so this stuff is so important. This hate is interconnected. You see it in the discourse in the country right now. You see it in the divide that we have [the] hate that is out there and weve got to step up and speak out, he continued. And weve got to call out the cowards. People, as my wife likes to say, the so-called leaders because you cant be in leadership if youre not going to lead. Nationwide, there have been parents confronting, mostly peacefully, school boards over the teaching of far-left curricula including critical race theory, and stocking what many see as pornographic books in their libraries. In emailed statements to The Epoch Times, Jewish organizations blasted Emhoff for the comparison. I am a child of Holocaust survivors, said Zionist Organization of America president Morton Klein. How dare Emhoff absurdly and mindlessly compare Nazis demonizing Jews as causing every evil in the world and supporting the murder of Jewsto parents who promote Jewish values by opposing teaching young children about various sexual issues and urging children to think about what gender they may really be. Emhoff is a dangerous and silly fool who should not be taken seriously. The Republican Jewish Coalition slammed Emhoff for the parallel and said this exemplified a bigger issue. Jews do not feel safe on the streets of Joe Bidens America, and rightfully so. Antisemitic hate crimes in the United States are at the highest on recordwith a 20 percent increase from 2020 to 2021, according to the FBI, said the groups national political director, Sam Markstein. The Biden administration should stop making Holocaust-trivializing platitudes and take real substantive action to combat this rising threat. However, the Democratic Majority for Israel, which seeks to elect pro-Israel Democrats, took issue with the backlash to Emhoffs comments. The Holocaust was a unique historical event and few understand that better Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, who has been a hero in the fight against antisemitism, said the groups president Mark Mellman, a prominent Democrat pollster. Mellman called the characterization of critics who say that Emhoff was comparing hatred at school board meetings to the Holocaust totally false and inaccurate. In fact, he talks emotionally about his visit to Auschwitz and the vital lessons learned there, then separately about the need to combat all hatred, Mellman continued. Its Republicans who have regularly compared the FBI to the Gestapo, vaccines to yellow stars, and made other odious and dangerous remarks belittling the Holocaust. The Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, an umbrella organization of Jewish groups, declined to comment. Kaine Calls for Senate to Move on 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said on March 16 that the Senate needs to move to address the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF). Kaine made these comments to The Epoch Times just hours after the Senate voted to move toward a final vote a bill that would repeal the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs. The first allowed the United States to enter the Gulf War, where Iraqi President Saddam Husseins forces were driven out of Kuwait. And the second allowed the U.S. military to go into Iraq following reports that Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. The United States captured him in 2003 and he was executed in Iraq in 2006. Heres what we need to do. Ben Cardin, Chris Murphy, Rand Paul, when we were in the Foreign Relations hearing last week said, Hey, look, as soon as this ones done, weve got to get to 2001,' Kaine said. Democratic Sens. Cardin and Murphy are from Maryland and Connecticut, respectively, while Republican Paul is from Kentucky. Kaine explained that the 2001 AUMF is not subject to the bill that would repeal the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs due to varying opinions from lawmakers about the 2001 authorization, which goes after those that attacked the United States on 9/11. Some would repeal it. Some would announce you were repealing it in six months and hope [to] put pressure on to revise it; some feel it needs to be revised, he said. But we have been focused on do this first, then turn our attention to it, Kaine continued. I think virtually everybody agrees at a minimum it should be revised. But theres different opinions about [it]from full repeal to significant revision. And we just have to kind of do the hard work [on] hammering out a position. When it comes to what would be in a revised 2001 AUMF, he said it depends on who you ask, but his position is a more precise definition of the enemy in that the initial definition is vague. Kaine noted that the AUMF has been used against forces that werent behind 9/11. He said that while those groups may be adversaries of the United States, the AUMF has been used beyond what was originally intended. The 2001 AUMF states [t]hat the president is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons. Man Pleads Guilty to Drowning Family Dog in Laguna Beach SANTA ANA, Calif.A 48-year-old man pleaded guilty and was sentenced to time already served in jail for drowning a family dog in Laguna Beach, according to court records obtained March 15. Jason Douglas Creager pleaded guilty Tuesday to a felony count of cruelty to animals, according to court records. He was sentenced to a year in jail, but he had already served that time. Creager accepted a plea deal from Orange County Superior Court Judge Derek Johnson, who placed him on one year of informal probation. Police were called to a family disturbance about 8:05 p.m. April 27, Laguna Beach Police Department Sgt. Cornelius Ashton said. Jason Douglas Creagers family said he drowned their pet dog, Ashton said. The dog was 13 years old, blind, and nearly unable to walk, Creagers attorney Cameron Talley said. Mr. Creager has no memory of what happened as he was suffering a psychotic episode and found the dog only after he recovered his state of mind, Talley said. Family-run Sapthre Maple Products uses maple syrup to create a one-of-a-kind spirit When the snow starts melting, magic starts flowing in this little grove of maple trees in southeastern Minnesota. Since time immemorial, maple trees have been tapped for their sap harvests. Early Americans learned the practice from indigenous peoples hundreds of years ago. As the centuries passed, the sophistication of large-scale maple syrup productions evolved, but the harvesting at the heart of it all remains naught but simple tradition: the right weather and the right trees. Maple sap runs as freely and clearly as water, vastly different from its delectable, amber, slow-moving counterpart that we douse our pancakes with. Maple is a beloved flavor of autumn, a well-known sister of pumpkin, caramel, and apple. And while small-batch maple syrup producers exist all over the northern sweep of the United States, one small Minnesota crew is one of the very few to give their maple sap a stronger punch. Miskey is currently only available locally through select retailers. (Courtesy of Sapthre Maple Products) Tapping Trees Sapthre Maple Products is a small, family-driven business that stewards a 24-acre maple grove near Adams, Minnesota. For most of the year, owner-operator Kevin Sathre is a crop and hog farmer. He decided to start tapping maple trees for the fun of it with a friend. About 50 or so trees, he remembers. Intrigued, they tapped another hundred more, then another hundred more. They purchased sap heating, storage, and cooking equipment. Quickly, for the fun of it turned into heading aliterallyuntapped market of 300 or so maple trees. It turned out that the phosphorus-rich lands of southeastern Minnesota were teeming with maples. In Sathres grove alone, he estimates that at least 90 percent of the trees are maples. Sapthres maple products are 100 percent pure and tapped from Kevin Sathres 24-acre maple grove. (Courtesy of Sapthre Maple Products) Sapthre Maple was born. Its name combines Kevins last name, Sathre, with sap, as in maple sap. The business was quick to produce and sell maple syrup but found that the syrup concentrate would spoil if harvested but not used for several days. Sathre started to research what could be done with the unused productand found an interesting correlation to how whiskey is made. That correlation, simply enough, is sugar. The raw grain, whether barley, rye, corn, or wheat, is malted and mashed to a porridge-like consistency to allow access to the grains sugars for fermentation, the stage in which those sugars are consumed by yeast to create alcohol. What if, Sathre wondered, this were attempted with the sugars present in maple syrup? The maple trees are tapped using tubes and eight miles of piping. (Courtesy of Sapthre Maple Products) One-of-a-Kind Distillery As he discovered, it really is that simple. The syrup concentrate, combined with yeast in a wort tank, yielded alcohol the same way grain sugars would. Sapthre Maple applied for the proper licenses, stockpiled syrup, andafter five years of waiting and testing and a brief hiatus to produce hand sanitizer for hospitals during the pandemic, with their shipments making it as far as Key West, Floridarolled out its first whiskey made from maple syrup (which Sathre has dubbed miskey) on shelves in 2021. And yet, this small Minnesota businesss creation isnt exactly a whiskeythat alcohol is defined as made from cereal grains. It isnt a bourbon either; that would mean at least half of its grains were corn. Rum would be a closer comparison, since rum is made from sugarcane, but this is maple sugar, not sugarcane. It has the taste of rum, but the smoothness of bourbon, Sathre says. Miskey is certainly not to be confused with maple-syrup-infused whiskey either, which is a grain whiskey combined with maple syrup. Miskey is just thatmiskey. Why isnt every distillery making this spirit that tastes so smooth and so unlike any other? Sap isnt an easy crop to harvest, and certainly not in high volumes. The Sapthre miskey creation is one of few, if not one of a kind. After experimentation, Sapthre Maple Products discovered that maple syrup concentrate, combined with yeast in a wort tank, yields alcohol the same way grain sugars do. (Courtesy of Sapthre Maple Products) Its not really done, and the reason why is because it costs so much to go get that much syrup, Sathre said. But because of the abundant maples in southeast Minnesota, and the resultantly abundant sap and syrup, Sapthre can. It takes just 22 gallons of syrup to make 30 gallons of whiskeybut it takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. Spring days suitable for harvesting sap, however, are in precious low supply, making the production of maple whiskey even more difficult. Harvest can only take place when the days are warmer than 40 degrees and the nights are still below freezingthe temperature fluctuations trigger the sap to flow up and down within a tree. Humidity, snow, drought, and weather conditions create a frustratingly short and unpredictable window of opportunity. Across 2,400 taps and eight miles of piping, Sapthre gathers sap 24/7 during this window. The Sapthre team enjoys the grueling process every step of the wayeven when standing in the frigid slush of a Minnesota forest-swamp in mid-March weather to harvest. The effort has created something all their own, something to share with others. And thats what the tradition of a small-time farmwhether growing produce or selling chicken or harvesting maple sapis all about. Currently, miskey is only available locally through select retailers, but to be alerted when the product is available via mail, check in at SapthreMapleProducts.com. Microsoft Cuts AI Ethics Team as It Invests Billions More Into AI Technology, Report Says The last remaining members of an ethics and society team within Microsofts artificial intelligence (AI) department didnt survive a recent round of mass layoffs, according to a report. The change comes as Microsoft signs a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar investment deal with OpenAI, the startup behind AI-powered image and text generators like DALL-E and ChatGPT, and upgrades its Bing search engine and Edge internet browser to incorporate a new, next-generation OpenAI large language model that is more powerful than ChatGPT. The team, as reported by tech news site Platformer, was tasked to make sure Microsofts ethical standards regarding AI were actually reflected in product designs. The team was also reportedly working to identify potential risks posed by integrating OpenAIs technology into a range of Microsoft products. The team was at its peak size of 30 members in 2020, according to the report. Following a reorganization in October 2022, however, only about seven people remained. Microsofts corporate vice president of AI, John Montgomery, told Platformer that there was great pressure from chief technology officer Kevin Scott and chief executive Satya Nadella, who wanted to get the most recent OpenAI models into customers hands as quickly as possible. Microsoft still maintains its Office of Responsible AI, which focuses on creating company-wide rules and principles to guide AI development. But employees told Platformer that the ethics and society team was playing a key role in bridging the gap between principles and products. Ai-Da Robot, the worlds first ultra-realistic humanoid robot artist, appears at a photo call in a committee room in the House of Lords in London on Oct. 11, 2022. (Rob Pinney/Getty Images) Microsoft didnt respond to a request for comment, but it told Platformer that with the ethics team gone, the overall amount of work dedicated to responsibly has increased. Microsoft is committed to developing AI products and experiences safely and responsibly, and does so by investing in people, processes, and partnerships that prioritize this, the company said in a statement to Platformer. Over the past six years we have increased the number of people across our product teams and within the Office of Responsible AI who, along with all of us at Microsoft, are accountable for ensuring we put our AI principles into practice. We appreciate the trailblazing work the ethics and society team did to help us on our ongoing responsible AI journey. The report also comes as Microsoft and Google continue their race to integrate generative AI technology into their services. On March 14, Google announced a series of new AI-powered features, including new options to compose full letters in Gmail, and to proofread, write, and rewrite documents in Google Docs. Meanwhile, Microsoft is expected to unveil at the March 16 Future of Work With AI event how ChatGPT-like AI will work in Office software, such as Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint. US Military Recruitment Flatlines as American Propensity to Serve Fades The Times Square military recruiting station displays insignia for each military branch in New York. (Bebeto Matthews/AP Photo) The United States military is facing recruitment shortfalls with only the Marine Corps and the newly created Space Force meeting 2022 enlistment quotas, an issue that could undermine the Pentagons readiness to address the pacing challenges posed by the Peoples Republic of China and Russia. The U.S. Army in 2022 missed its recruiting goal by 15,000 active-duty soldiers, or 25 percent of its target, leaving the nations largest military force 7 percent smaller than it was just two years ago. The U.S. Navy came within several dozen enlistees of its 2022 goal but only after lowering its recruiting quota, increasing its oldest enlistment age to 41 from 39, and relaxing other standards. Recruits run sprints at U.S. Navy boot camp training at Naval Station Great Lakes in Illinois. (Spencer Fling/U.S. Navy) While the U.S. Air Force met its 2022 recruiting goal, in 2023, it anticipates it will miss its recruiting goal for the first since 1999, according to Alex Wagner, assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs. Wagner was among eight officials representing the individual military branches and the Pentagon to testify on March 15 before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committees Personnel Subcommittee about issues confronting the militarys 2.1 million active-duty members, the departments 700,000 civilian employees, and their families. Today the military faces a recruiting crisis, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said, noting that in 2023, its expected that the Army and Navy will miss the mark by 10,000 each, fostering an unprecedented challenge that will be the nine-member subpanels top priority to fix in the coming two years. Shrinking Recruit Pool Pentagon and service branch officials said the shortfalls are partly attributable to endemic obesity, educational deficiencies, mental health problems, and criminal backgrounds that disqualify more than three-quarters of the nations service-eligible population from serving in the military. Officials also cited a historically strong job market, salaries, housing, access to health care, and the demands of active duty service among factors contributing to the recruitment shortfalls. Taking care of military families and individual service members needs is just as much a readiness issue as having the weapons and equipment to fight, Subcommittee Chair Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said. Warren cited plans within the Biden administrations $886.3 billion Fiscal Year 2024 budget request to enhance access to health care, child care, and upgrade military family housing all part of a campaign to boost recruitment. Among Pentagon initiatives to improve recruiting is a proposed $40 million marketing campaign that will complement and amplify each service branchs recruitment programs. U.S. Navy recruitment poster, for the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) program, features two uniformed women in dress whites as they walk together in the early to mid-1940s. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images) We need to do a better job of telling our story and marketing ourselves, Gilbert Cisneros, the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, told the panel, noting it was the largest marketing request of this type ever made by the Pentagon separately from the individual service branches. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) said her proposed Enlist Act would expand recruiting to include childhood arrivals and other longtime residents who can pass background checks and meet standards as one way to boost enlistments. Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) asked why the Pentagon doesnt allow service members to work with organizations such as Our Community Salutes. Budd also asked Cisneros if the Defense Department is reaching out to those booted from the military for not complying with the Pentagons COVID vaccine mandate. That would be a question that would be better answered by the services, he said, although the Pentagon has made it clear that service members can apply for an accommodation and that the services have told members theres a process they can apply to be exempted. The Military-Civilian Divide Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) said mental health guidelines that prohibit enlistment for those whove seen psychiatrists or have been on specific mental health medications for six months or more should be reviewed. Thats just the wrong message, he said, adding prospective recruits are either going to lie or not seek help. Such a revision could be a piece of the puzzle, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs Thomas Constable said, noting that the department revised its asthma prohibitions with a change that allowed thousands in. A drill instructor corrects recruits on their deficiencies at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., on Nov. 16, 2019. (Lance Cpl. Godfrey Ampong/U.S. Marine Corps) The real issue, however, is a military-civilian divide and a fading propensity to serve among contemporary Americans, Cisneros said. He said, in 1995, 65 percent of Americans knew someone serving, or who had served, in the military. Now, only 15 percent do. In 1995, 40 percent of Americans had a parent who had served in the military. Now, less than 13 percent do, he said. Americans propensity to serve is the lowest we have seen in decades, Wagner said. Were now 50 years into an all-volunteer force and [marketing, recruiting] has not been able to reach all communities. The militarys best recruiting tool is a uniformed member telling his story and talking about his experiences, he said, but with so few Americans exposed to active duty military, you cant be it if you cant see it. Cultural Things Also Afoot The nine-member panels four Republicans all agreed that quality-of-life programs for military and defense families must be addressed as part of a comprehensively retooled recruitment effort. But several suggested other factors are at play. I think there are cultural things going on, Sullivan said, referring to the Biden administrations demand that the Pentagon impose its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) standards on the armed forces. Scott said the DEI emphasis inserts culture war issues that dont make sense into its recruiting policies, noting those on active duty dont need to have time wasted in pronoun training classes. When it comes to the armed forces, the question should solely focus on the mission of intimidating the hell out of our enemies and defeating them if necessary rather than meeting racial and gender quotas. This administration is forcing a diversity metric into recruiting that has created nice talking points but is hurting national defense. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said the U.S. Armywhich is dealing with the most acute recruiting shortagebarely addresses what it will do. He said one 26-page report barely mentions recruiting. Deterred by Wokeness I do hope this statement is not a reflection of the department priorities, he said. We have a recruiting problem and yet this statement, some 26 pages, does not say anything about recruiting until page 20. Much of the statement is related to abortion, diversity, inclusion, equity. Why Democrats are constantly trying to revise the Defense Department and military personnel policies with misplaced priorities is odd, Wicker said, because the military has largely served as a model for how minorities can thrive and advance. The United States military has been decades ahead of the rest of our society in inclusion, he said, calling it the greatest civil rights organization in the history of the world. The GOP senators said because of DEI and other woke policies being imposed by the Biden administration on the Pentagon, some young, conservative, patriotic Americans dont want to join the military. But according to an Associated Press survey, Army leaders said very few [active-duty military] say they are deterred from enlisting due to wokeness, with only 5 percent listing it as a reason to not enlist. Sullivan said recruiting needs to be simplified and revised to get back to whats really needed: Americans who demonstrate they want to deploy, they want to defend the country, they want to fight. We cannot lose that aspect to recruit the men and women who want to do it. After struggling to conceive, first-time parents from Mississippi have welcomed rare quintuplets and among them, four are identical baby girls. As their babies go from strength to strength in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), the delighted parents are looking forward to taking them home. Haylee and Shawn Ladner welcomed five of their babies on Feb. 16 at Wiser Hospital for Women and Infants at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), where Haylee had been staying since Jan. 11 under the care of Dr. Rachael Morris, UMMCs associate professor of maternal-fetal medicine. The babies were delivered via cesarean section at 28 weeks and one day. She is the strongest mother Ive ever met despite the tremendous challenges of carrying a quintuplet pregnancy, Morris said of Haylee, according to a UMMC statement. After five long weeks in the hospital, Haylee started showing signs of preterm labor. We were ready! The collaborative efforts from many disciplines were instrumental in a safe, high-risk delivery of five premature neonates. Shawn and Haylee Ladner report that their babies are thriving in the NICU during a news conference at Wiser Hospital for Women and Infants at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. (Courtesy of UMMC Communications and Marketing) The first to be born were the four identical baby girls: Adalyn Elizabeth, Everleigh Rose, Malley Kate, and Magnolia Mae. Their brother, Jake Easton, came into the world last. Jake was the heaviest baby and weighed 2 pounds 5 ounces (1.05 kg), while Malley was the lightest and weighed 1 pound 11 ounces (76o grams). Morris said reports of spontaneous quintuplets are about one in 60 million, while the odds of having identical quadruplets is roughly one in 15 million. All babies were born via cesarean section and admitted to the hospitals NICU for monitoring. [LR]: Dr. Ashley Doucet, assistant professor of neonatology, Dr. Mobolaji Famuyide, chief of the Division of Newborn Medicine, and Dr. Rachael Morris, associate professor of maternal-fetal medicine. (Courtesy of UMMC Communications and Marketing) After more than two years of struggling to conceive, including suffering a miscarriage, Haylee, a middle school teacher, and Shawn, a maintenance employee of the soft drink manufacturer Wis-Pak, tried intrauterine insemination (IUI)a procedure that involves placing a healthy sperm in the uterus as close to the time of ovulation as possible. One of the couples fertilized eggs was divided four ways, resulting in identical quads. Surprised and overjoyed, Haylee and Shawn had some concerns ahead of the birth. Shawn started a GoFundMe page to help with costs related to Haylees leave from work and childcare, and a friend of Haylees put her in contact with the Center for Maternal and Fetal Care. An OB-GYN nurse called within days to set up an appointment with Dr. Morris. Shes absolutely wonderful and we adore her, Haylee said of Morris. Shawn echoed similar sentiments. He said: All our concerns, all our worries weve had about the delivery, she acknowledged them and explained how they would care for those issues. Weve felt like weve been cared for the best we possibly could be. Morris collaborated with Dr. Mobolaji Famuyide, chief of the Division of Newborn Medicine, to plan for the birth. They reserved an entire labor and delivery room and assembled a team of 30, including neonatologists; neonatal nurses; and experts in obstetrics, gynecology, hematology, respiratory therapy, anesthesiology, and surgery. The doctors prepared the room with ample supplies for five preemie babies, including massive 30 cord clamps rather than the usual three, and drew up a daily schedule for the duration of Haylees hospital care. [T]eam members were willing and happy to be called in, even if this happened at 2 a.m., Famuyide said. Shawn and Haylee Ladner are surrounded by members of their care team at UMMC. (L-R): Dr. Ashley Doucet, Dr. Mobolaji Famuyide, Dr. Rachael Morris, Dr. Ahmed S.Z. Moustafa, and Dr. Kimberly Sullivan. (Courtesy of UMMC Communications and Marketing) A week after giving birth, Haylee was able to hold three out of five of her babies. Theyre thriving, she said, and were looking forward to the day when they can come home. They are the greatest blessing of my entire life. As a guest on the Good Things with Rebecca Turner podcast, Haylee said: We wanted to share this story for two reasons: one, because we believe they are miracles given to us by God, and two, we wanted to do it to hopefully help other couples who have gone through infertility to know that they have some hope out there in the world, as well. Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter Press Release March 16, 2023 'KLABARZON Society' to hosts trade, housing forum in Laguna CITY OF CALAMBA - The 'KLABARZON Society' will host its second town hall meeting on public policy today, March 16, right at the heart of the City of Calamba in Laguna. KLABARZON Society convenor Senator Francis 'TOL' N. Tolentino said the second town hall forum will focus on trade and housing, and how they could boost the efforts of local government units (LGUs). The said event will take place inside the historic Rizal Shrine and will be also graced by Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Ana Carolina and National Housing Authority (NHA) General Manager Joeben Tai, who are expected to conduct an in-depth talk with officials from different LGUs in Laguna on how can the said government agencies effectively respond to the needs of every localities in the said province. Aside from the two named officials, Laguna Governor Ramil Hernandez, District Rep. Charisse Anne Hernandez, and Calamba City Mayor Roseller Rizal are expected to grace the said town hall forum. Last month, Tolentino spearheaded the creation of KLABARZON Society, a region-based organization which aims to enhance the overall welfare and socio-economic well-being of people living in Region-4A (Calabarzon). 'KLABARZON'--which stands for "Kabite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon" focuses on achieving economic growth, better quality of education, as well as the promotion of sustainable regional tourism, cultural heritage and environmental awareness and protection within the boundaries of the Southern Tagalog Region--considered as the cradle of Philippine Independence. Being the main convenor of KLABARZON Society, Senator Tolentino believes that since the organization's main goal is to achieve significant positive change for the country's biggest region, it is only befitting that its second event to be formally held at the birthplace of the country's national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal. KLABARZON will assist every respective local government units (LGUs) in the region in position itself as the premier growth center of the Philippines through the attainment of a peaceful, resilient, and inclusive system of good governance. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday fiercely defended disputed legal reforms on a visit to Berlin, where German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged him to reconsider a compromise. The package of judicial reforms has sparked weeks of protests in Israel since its introduction by Netanyahu's hard-right coalition, prompting Israel's president to warn the nation may be on the brink of "civil war". Scholz admitted he was watching the debate unfold in Israel "with great concern" and said that "as Israel's friend, we hope that the last word has not been spoken" on President Isaac Herzog's proposals for compromise. Herzog, who holds a largely ceremonial role, on Wednesday presented compromise plans -- swiftly rejected by Netanyahu who said they would "only perpetuate the existing situation and do not bring the required balance between the powers". In Berlin, Netanyahu put on a defiant front, arguing his plans merely sought to bring Israel's democracy "in line with what is common and acceptable in just about every Western democracy". He also hit out at "slanders and falsifications" against his own and his coalition's intentions. "Israel is being constantly... maligned. I'm supposed to be some... potentate who's abolishing democracy and all this nonsense," he charged at a press conference, standing next to Scholz, adding, "this is absurd, it's preposterous". But following a separate meeting with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Netanyahu took on a more conciliatory tone. Referring to nationwide demonstrations that have persisted over 10 weeks, the Israeli premier told journalists he was "attentive to what's happening in the country". The coalition has proposed a two-stage process to a key element in the reform, "an immediate fix and then balancing things out", he said, adding however that president Herzog had "discarded" the offer. 'Civil War' Threat Netanyahu's coalition, which includes ultra-Orthodox and extreme-right parties, says the reforms are needed to limit judicial overreach, but protesters say they threaten Israel's liberal democracy by weakening key checks and balances. With the strife far from easing, Herzog warned late Wednesday that "anyone who thinks that a genuine civil war, with human lives, is a line that we could never reach, has no idea what he is talking about. "It is precisely now, in the State of Israel's 75th year of independence, that the abyss is within touching distance. Today, I say to you what I told them: civil war is a red line. "I will not allow it to happen," he said, adding he was convinced the majority of Israelis want a compromise. The changes proposed by the coalition would allow lawmakers to override Supreme Court decisions that strike down legislation with a parliamentary majority, and then deny the court the right to review such a move. It would also make it harder for the Supreme Court to strike down legislation it deems to contravene Basic Laws, Israel's quasi constitution. Israeli protesters returned to the streets on Thursday, with some holding up placards saying the reforms spelled "the end of democracy". In Berlin, several hundred protesters also turned out at the Brandenburg Gate, a short distance from the chancellery where Netanyahu and Scholz held talks. Among them was Israeli Oren Goldberg, 44, who had travelled from the Netherlands to Berlin to demonstrate. "I'm here to give a big welcome to the want to be dictator in Israel, to show him we won't accept it," he told AFP. 'Normal Guest' The controversy in Israel puts Germany in an uncomfortable position. The two nations forged strong diplomatic ties in the decades after World War II, with Berlin committed to the preservation of the Israeli state in penance for the Holocaust. Successive German governments have described Israel's national security as a crucial foreign policy priority. But in carefully worded statements, German leaders have voiced their worries over the legislative overhaul. On Wednesday, Steinmeier said he planned to raise the issue with Netanyahu. Israel is the "only democracy in the whole region, a country with a strong constitutional state", he said. "What I would like to see is that what we have admired about Israel... is preserved." The German presidency did not release a statement following the meeting. But a senior Israeli official said the discussion mainly focused on Russia, with Steinmeier urging Netanyahu to use his ties with Vladimir Putin to help end the war in Ukraine. Netanyahu was sceptical, noting that interests trump personal ties, but stressed he would do anything he could to stop the carnage in Ukraine, the official added. Search Keywords: Short link: Newborn Found Dead in Iowa Ditch; Mother, Grandfather Charged The mother and grandfather of a newborn found dead in a ditch in Iowa have been charged with first-degree murder, and court documents say they told investigators the baby was still alive when they put him in a trash bag and abandoned him. Megan K. Staude, 25, of Norfolk, told police the child was born at home on Feb. 24, according to a police affidavit. She told authorities that she put him in a box and didnt provide any care for two days before she and her father Rodney A. Staude, 64, put him in the bag. Rodney Staude also confessed and said he helped his daughter dispose of the bag in a ditch near Norwalk, according to the documents. Both the Staudes initially told police the baby died on the way to the hospital after it was born, authorities said. Megan Staude said she buried him in a cemetery in Cumming, Iowa, but authorities found no evidence of a fresh grave at the cemetery. Rodney Staudes mugshot was provided in Indianola, Iowa on March 15, 2023. (Warren County Jail via AP) Law enforcement officers received a tip from Megan Staudes co-workers on March 8, leading to the discovery of the body. On March 13, a witness showed authorities a text conversation with Megan Staude, in which the witness asked her, Was the baby alive when you left him? and she replied, A little, the complaint says. Its just a tragic set of circumstances on a number of levels, Norwalk Police Chief Greg Staples told The Des Moines Register. That baby didnt have the choice to decide his own fate and now theres people in jail because of it. The results of an autopsy are pending and the investigation is ongoing. Rodney and Megan Staude are each being held in the Warren County jail on $1 million bond. Authorities told the Register they dont know who the childs father is. Iowa has a law that allows someone to leave an infant up to 3 months old at a hospital or health care facility without facing legal action. By Margaret Stafford Nine Injured, One Person Missing After Fire Engulfs Historic Building in Old Montreal Firefighters survey the scene of a fire in Old Montreal on March 16, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes) At least one person is missing after fire engulfed a building in Old Montreal this morning that left nine people injured. A Montreal fire department spokesman says six of the injured had to be rescued from the three-storey building in the citys historic district by ladder. Fire chief Martin Guilbault says those saved were transported to hospital for burns to the hands and face, and there were three people with injuries deemed more serious. Later in the day, fire officials confirmed they were looking for at least one person who was unaccounted for after someone who knew them came to the scene to inquire about their whereabouts. Patrick Fournel, a fire operations chief, says Montreal police are aiding fire department to track the person down, and firefighters used an infrared camera to search the building and will need to ensure it has cooled and is stable before searching further. Firefighters were called at about 5:43 a.m. for the fire at a building that houses an architectural firm and residences, and it quickly escalated to a five-alarm blaze involving 130 firefighters. Guilbault said one firefighter was also slightly injured in the eye but was treated on scene. Credit Suisses financial troubles echo through stock markets worldwide. Find out what caused the banks shares to tumble, and whats being done to help. Another storm hit California earlier this week, causing more flooding and mudslides in the state. Thousands were evacuated and over 100,000 were left without power. A Chinese billionaire critical of the CCP was arrested in New York on March 15. Gou Wengui is accused of cheating investors in an alleged $1 billion fraud scheme. Topics in this episode include: 1. Credit Suisse to Borrow Up to $54 Billion From Swiss Central Bank 2. Judge Mulls Banning Abortion Pill Mifepristone 3. California Hit By Storm Causing More Mudslides, Floods 4. Exiled Chinese Businessman Arrested in New York 5. Honduras China Switch Driven By Taiwan Debts: Minister 6. Video: Dramatic Rescue of 3-Year-Old 7. Fasting Tips for Beginners 8. Couple Preserves Tradition to Help Achieve Artistic Visions Ontario Familys Trips on Flair Airlines Fraught With Cancellations, Highlighting Air Passenger Rights Problems: Advocate An Ontario family has had six flight experiences with Flair Airlines, and says the experience became progressively worse, with one flight delayed and five completely cancelled without notification. The most recent return flight for Nick Hardman, his wife, and their 4-year-old son, departing from Palm Springs to Toronto on March 11, was cancelled the same weekend that the small airline had four of its aircraft seized by creditors. With few options to get his family home, Hardman told The Epoch Times he was lucky to have relatives willing to drive 10 hours round tripfive hours to an airport in Las Vegas and five hours back home again. There was nothing flying out of Palm Springs. We were completely stranded. They sent us hotel vouchers, with no hotels available, and meal vouchers not available in our area, he said. The family ultimately purchased a $700 Swoop flight out of Vegas to make it back home. Hardman says Canadians need stronger consumer protection to force airlines to compensate people for cancelled flights. The Hardmans experience illustrates a common problem with the Air Passenger Protection Regulations, administered by the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), according to Gabor Lukacs, president of Air Passenger Rights, a nonprofit passenger advocacy organization. The biggest issue, Lukacs told The Epoch Times, is that Canada has not adopted the European Unions gold standard for passenger protection. Canadas system has so many loopholes, so many sub-categories. Its a failure by design, he says. Lukacs recalled a small claims court hearing in Halifax two years ago on an airline passenger compensation matter, where the adjudicator was exasperated because it took more than 1,000 pages of documents to decide the fate of $400 in compensation to a passenger. Lukacs said the airlines have exclusive control over the information that determines passenger eligibility for compensation and there are no consequences when airlines refuse to follow the regulations and compensate passengers. There is a complete lack of enforcement, he said. In Europe, this is public knowledge, as to whether there was an act of terrorism, a major snowstorm, a volcanic eruption. In Canada, we have seen many cases where the airline claims there is a safety issue, but really there is a pilot shortage. Thats not safety, we know that, added Lukacs. The Canadian regulations are disproportionately complex compared to the amount of compensation passengers are entitled to, and airlines are taking advantage of that, he says. The Hardmans, who live one hour southwest of Toronto, in Ellora, Ontario, told The Epoch Times they do not think they are eligible for a refund for their last cancelled flight under the CTA compensation program because their flight was paid for with a Flair flight credit they received last year. That flight credit, ironically, was issued by Flair Airlines last summer, after another one of the familys flights, this time from British Columbia to Toronto, was cancelled without notice by the airline, once again leaving the family stranded with a small child. Lukacs said, This may be Flairs position, but it is not what the law is. Flair has to compensate the passengers for their extra expenses under the federal Carriage by Air Act, specifically, Schedule VI (known as the Montreal Convention), Article 19. Flair did not respond to requests for comment by press time. Statistics from the CTA for the period from April 2022 to December 2022 indicate that Flair Airlines received the highest number of complaints in Canada for a Canadian airline. In a nine-month period, there were an average of 13.4 complaints per 100 flights operated by Flair Airlines Ltd. Sunwing Airlines received 12.6 complaints year-to-date average, followed closely by Swoop Inc. at 12.2 complaints. Air Canada had 3.8 complaints, Westjet received 5.2, and Air Transat received 2.9, the lowest number of complaints on average. It was only in December that the CTA published a dashboard allowing Canadian consumers to track the number of passenger complaints. The Hardmans, frequent fliers with family across the country, are disappointed there is such a gamble if they do take advantage of the competitive rates offered by a discount airline. Economically, we are well over $5,000 in the negative because we purchased tickets from Flair, said Hardman. Oppose Digital CurrencyCommunism Beyond Marxs Dreams In this photo illustration a visual representation of the digital currency Bitcoin sinks into water in London, England on Aug. 15, 2018. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) Commentary For years, we have known that our government is spying on us, that the phones in our pockets and purses are literal homing devices capable of tracking our every move, even when turned off. Thats bad enough, but the looming possibility of digital currency takes the war on individual freedom to a different level, creating a kind of communist control system beyond Karl Marxs wildest imagination. The specter of this possibility is all around us, especially now with markets and banks crashing. This puts the imposition of digital currency squarely in the crosshairs of Rahm Emanuels You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. Emanuel elucidated, And what I mean by that is its an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before. And what would that opportunity portend in the current situation? With its digital, real-time ability to track every dollar spent by every citizen and consequently dictate where they could spend their now-digital money, along with the means to shut off the tap instantly should they disobey, the U.S. (or global) government would have a level of control that would make every totalitarian from Stalin to Xi green with envy. Overstep your allotted carbon footprint? Bye-bye. Donate to a certain proscribed cause or religious institution? Bye-bye. And so it goes. Combine that with Googles proven mind-control capabilities and you indeed have a form of communism thats light years beyond Marx. It isnt paranoid to say that, as time goes on, the average citizen would be trained via something eerily similar to the old Pavlovian method to forget the concept of individual human freedom altogether. After all, the absolute necessities of lifefood, shelter, health carewould be under even more government supervision than they are now. Digital currency must be opposed at all costs, also because it will be, in the short term, seductive. As with other technological advances that also should be scrutinized, it offers modern convenience and will be sold to us that way. ATMs and cash will disappear. No fear of robbery there. Tedious check writing will be a thing of the past. All transactions will be immediate (unless forbidden). Even banks themselves will no longer exist, at least in their present form. Something similar to the blockchain will prevail. Again, how modern. But dont be misled. The banks, the chosen ones anyway, will still get theirs under a new structure. The only ones to suffer will be the employees, more of whom will be irrelevant and will have to find work elsewhere. That wont be simple, since the installation of digital currency will also portend the digitization, not to mention robotization, of more of societys work. Digital currency is a dangerous and significant partner to the increasing pervasiveness of artificial intelligence (AI) in our lives. This argues for the further dominance of machines (computers) over humans. To verify this, I asked the man er, the machine itself at chat.openai.com. My question: Do you think digital currency is a good idea? Its reply: As an AI language model, I dont have personal beliefs or opinions. However, I can provide information and perspectives on digital currency. It went on and on, but I refocused, for computer-like specificity. Second question: Does digital currency further take away an individuals control over their life? Its reply: Whether digital currency takes away an individuals control over their life depends on how it is implemented and used. On the one hand, digital currency can give individuals greater control over their financial transactions. With digital currency, people can send and receive money without relying on intermediaries such as banks, which can reduce transaction fees and processing times. Additionally, digital currency can be more secure and private than traditional payment methods, which can enhance individual autonomy and control over their financial information. However, digital currency can also pose risks to individual autonomy and control. For example, some people may feel uncomfortable with the lack of physical presence or central authority associated with digital currencies. Additionally, the high volatility of digital currencies and the potential for fraud or theft can put individuals at risk of losing their investments or savings. In summary, the digital currency has the potential to enhance or diminish an individuals control over their financial life, depending on various factors such as the implementation, regulation, and adoption of digital currencies. Take that for what its worth, but personally, I find that ominous. Who told or inputted to the machine that there would be a lack of central authority? It seems to me there would be more of one. Doing your best to stop it doesnt make you a Luddite. It makes you a freedom-loving, autonomous human being. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Opposition Leaders Voice Concern Over Trudeaus Appointment of Johnston as Special Rapporteur on Foreign Interference Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks at a news conference in the Foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Mar. 12, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Justin Tang) Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre and Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet have voiced concerns over Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus appointment of former governor general David Johnston as the governments independent special rapporteur on foreign election interference. Justin Trudeau has named a family friend, old neighbour from the cottage, and member of the Beijing-funded Trudeau foundation, to be the independent rapporteur on Beijings interference, Poilievre told The Epoch Times in a statement on March 16. Among other points, Poilievre was making reference to Trudeau calling Johnston a family friend in 2017 when he was replaced as governor general by Julie Payette. Blanchet told reporters in Ottawa on March 16 he recognizes Johnstons political experience, but voiced concern over Johnstons close relation to Trudeau. Blanchet also expressed concern about Johnstons views on China, which he characterized as admiration for the regime. However, Blanchet also said he is unconcerned about this being a source of interference in Johnstons work as rapporteur. Poilievre and Blanchets comments come a day after Trudeau appointed Johnston as the rapporteur tasked with looking into foreign interference in Canadas past two federal elections and with making recommendations to the government based on his findings. Trudeau said the Liberal government will implement any recommendations Johnston makes, which could include a formal public inquiry or judicial review. Johnston Johnston, 81, served as governor general for about seven years after being appointed in 2010 by then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Johnston has received criticism from a number of opposition MPs for being a member of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, which was created in the name of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau to provide scholarship programs. The foundation returned a $200,000 donation in early March after the Globe and Mail reported that it was made by a wealthy businessman with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), who was then reimbursed by the CCP for making the donation. Trudeau previously said he has had no ties to the foundation since he was elected to public office. Calls for Public Inquiry In his statement on March 16, Poilievre once again called on the prime minister to call a public inquiry, which NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh also called for shortly after. Singh told reporters in Toronto that he believes Johnston will carry out his role as rapporteur with integrity and in a non-partisan manner, but added that he still believes the prime minister should call for a public inquiry into foreign interference regardless of Johnstons recommendations. Mr. Johnston is someone of strong reputation, of integrity, Singh said on March 16. And he is someone thats independent and nonpartisan, and so I certainly trust him to do his work. Singh added that he hopes Johnstons mandate from Trudeau includes all the information important to assess what the Prime Minister knew about election interference. Trudeau has said he will give Johnston a wide mandate for the role and that it will be made public as soon as its finalized. Noe Chartier contributed to this report. Orange County Leaders Ban TikTok From County Devices The download page for the TikTok app is displayed on an Apple iPhone in Washington DC, on Aug. 7, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Orange County leaders are banning China-based social media app TikTok from county-issued devices and equipment following recommended federal guidelines. County supervisors unanimously approved the ban March 14 to ensure the security of county data from potential hacking by the communist regime of China, according to a county statement. Vice Chairman Andrew Do, who proposed the ban along with Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes, said in a March 14 statement the county is taking proactive steps to ensure the county is protected. Barnes echoed Dos concern in the same statement, saying that the action is necessary to combat the national security threat posed by TikTok. KC Roestenberg, the countys chief information officer, also said in the same statement that China-based apps are a risk to county information and data. Because TikToks parent company, ByteDance, is headquartered in Beijing, China, the Chinese regime may demand TikTok hand over private user data to authorities without a warrant, according to the countys statement. The headquarters of ByteDance, the parent company of video sharing app TikTok, is seen in Beijing on Sept. 16, 2020. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images) Such datawhich is recorded by the app regardless of whether the user uploads any contentcould potentially be used by the Chinese regime to identify, arrest, or persecute political opponents, religious groups, ethnic minorities, and social activists, the statement said. By banning TikTok from county devices, we will mitigate the high-security risks associated with the app and ensure the protection of our constituents private data, Roestenberg said. Social media plays an important role in the countys ability to communicate and perform community outreach. As such, it is critical that the social media platforms we use are trusted and comply with a reasonable level of regulation. The countys ban on TikTok follows the guidance of the federal government Feb. 27, which issued a memo last month banning TikTok on government devices citing cybersecurity concerns. The White House March 7 also supported a U.S. Senate bill called the RESTRICT Act that would grant the government the ability to ban foreign apps and technology if officials fear they pose a threat to national security. Additionally, both county and state officials have expressed concern over TikToks influence on children and youth. In the statement, Barnes warned the public of the negative influence of the social media app on children. I also encourage the public, particularly parents, to consider the potential for compromised data and negative influence on users and take action to secure your personal devices, Barnes said. Earlier this month, California Attorney General Rob Bonta launched an investigation into TikToks potential involvement in the worsening mental health crisis among children. Bontas investigation will examine the potential mental health harms TikTok can cause to young users, along with what TikTok knew about those harmsincluding techniques used to boost young user engagement and increase the amount of time and frequency spent on the app, according to a March 2 statement. Pandemics Are Not the Real Health Threat Commentary The Western world has been caught in a spiral of self-harm and debasement for the past three years. Aspects of the underlying psychology have been discussed in abstract terms, regarding mass anxiety and the actions of crowds. Little has been said about the possibility that we are simply terrified of death. This is a fear we may need to address if we are to stop acting like fools. Death in Life Death was once part of life. A visit to an old cemetery will reveal that many earlier gravestones are memorials to young children and women of child-bearing age. This is because, obviously, a large proportion of children died before they turned 5, and about 1 in 10 (or more) women died in childbirth. Death happened, and people also traveled, had parties, went to concerts, and lived fulfilled lives. In wealthy countries, better hygienic conditions, better food, antibiotics, and surgery have largely removed the barriers to a long life. Elsewhere, people still face these threats. However, the average person in Africa or South Asia is not cowering under their bed, obsessing about the latest virus, terrified of going outdoors or of meeting neighbors. That is a modern, affluent population obsession. Recent lockdowns in African and Asian countries were mostly responding to external pressure from very wealthy individuals and institutions or to local grabs for increased authoritarian control, rather than genuine fear of a new and deadly threat. Many in the West now reach adulthood without ever seeing someone die or even seeing a dead body. Most have never experienced a friend dying, and many have not even been to a funeral. Very few have sat with someone as they passed from life. Death is rarely talked about, and coping with kins death is often left to the individual and the support of professional experts. Public mourning is unfamiliar and can be an embarrassment. If we believe the lie that humans are merely organic constructs, then death may also be a terrifying blankness of nothing. Coping With Our Response to COVID Enter COVID-19. At its height in the United States, despite financial incentives to boost reporting and criteria sufficient for the label COVID-19 death such as a positive PCR test a month earlier, COVID-19 was associated with less annual mortality than cardiovascular disease or cancer. Our society responded by putting it front and center of our lives, wrecking economies and livelihoods. We even used children as human shields, injecting them with novel pharmaceuticals in the vain hope of protecting ourselves. We can indulge in inquiries on the origins of COVID-19, and on the pros and cons of aspects of the response. We can call for Nuremberg II tribunals. We can debate the actual causes of increasing excess death. These are important discussions, but they are missing the point. We need an inquiry, particularly self-inquiry, on why we, or those around us, were open to being led by obviously self-interested people into deeply irrational actions. Our Deaths Belong to Us, Not to Tyrants Rather than relying on more government panels to tell us what went wrongwhat others did to uswe need first to understand what is wrong with ourselves and our communities. This will involve familiarizing ourselves with forgotten aspects of life, including death. We need to stop transferring mourning to the professionals, undo the taboos about the fact that life on earth ends for all of us, and bring it into conversation. Then we can start putting it into context, rather than running from the whole idea. That may help to face the difficult issues of what kills us more or less, and how such risk stacks up against going out, seeing the worlds wonders, and sharing time and intimacy with those we love. Understanding the reasons for societys loss of grip during COVID-19 matters, because the intent of those who profited from COVID-19 is to do it all again. They are building an international bureaucracy whose sole purpose is to identify more novel viruses, claim they are an existential threat, and repeat what we have just been through. Over and over again. This relies entirely on people believing the false premise that the threat of deadly pandemics is increasing, that they are killing more than before, and that they are an existential threat to all of us regardless of age and underlying health. We are not asked to fear the predominant causes of death, such as obesity; we are encouraged to embrace that as beautiful. We are, rather, being asked to believe many obvious lies. We need to build understanding and resilience to withstand such manipulation. Saving society from eating itself with fear and stupidity will rely on us educating ourselves. Societys experts are doing very well from pandemics and have no incentive to provide such education. This will require each of us to find time. Time for discussion, time for self-reflection, and time for thought on what life actually is. We need to calmly sum up what is happening around us and take the risk of exploring what it is that we really value. Then we can stop others from abusing our ignorance. From the Brownstone Institute Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, joined by Mara Karlin performing the duties of deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, holds a media briefing at 2:30 p.m. ET on March 16. Peter Menzies: Calgary Mayors Bylaw to Silence Protests She Disagrees With Goes Against Democracy Jyoti Gondek speaks to the media after being sworn in as the mayor of Calgary on Oct. 25, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh) Commentary Imagine, if you would, a major North American city so overwhelmed with wokeness it feels compelled to muzzle the speech of citizens whose views its mayor finds disagreeable. Welcome to Calgary. Deemed by some studies as the continents most livable city, it can now cheerfully stake claim to being a hillbilly haven of tin-pot dictatorship. Totalitarians R Us, the citizens of the city once known as Cowtown may now proudly proclaim. The story began when some people protested childrens storytime events put on by transgender performers at city libraries. Other malcontents, apparently, have shown up at pools concerned that, going forward, their daughters will view male genitalia in the change room. Imagine. These complaints, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek decided, are beyond the pale and rooted in hatred. We have performers being targeted for weeks & now vitriol in front of children at the library, she Tweeted concerning the storytime protests.These are not peaceful protests. This is hate. The kind of hate we rallied against for so long. There was certainly some misconduct at one of the events that led to police charging a man with mischief and causing a disturbance while motivated by hatred. So, while we await the outcome in the courts, if Gondek thinks others have broken the law, she should call the cops. Hate speech is illegal in Canada. We dont know if she has or will file a complaint, but the available evidence suggests the Criminal Codes legal bars may be too high for her liking. She definitely got angry. As The Epoch Times reported: Gondek posted a video clip of a Jan. 17 city council meeting on Twitter, where she stated, Unfortunately, some members of our population thought it would be a good idea to protest this event, which is, Im just going to use my opinion, a horrible thing to do. Which youd think would be the end of it. While there was a cancellation, stories got read to children whose parents approved, protesters who disapproved got to voice their disapproval, and Her Whatever (Gondek has eschewed the honorific Your Worship for being overtly colonial) got to voice her disapproval of the disapproving points of view. There was an apparent breach of the law and police intervened. Thats how liberal democracy works, right? Well, not in Calgary apparently. And not anymore. Gondek, as mayor, has a significant pulpit from which to preach whatever fire and brimstone sermon she wishes. But her actions indicate she is convinced her perspective on the world is The One To Be Followed and so she has chosen to use her power not as a light but as a sword. In a dangerously Orwellian move, she had her staff create a Safe and Inclusive Access bylaw. The move, approved March 14, has been panned by lawyers as clearly unconstitutional. And not just the usual suspects have raised eyebrows. Adrienne Smith, a non-binary social justice lawyer, told the CBC that there are plenty of protections already available, including human rights legislation and the Criminal Code of Canada. No reasonable person can object to the part of the bylaw that ensures access to public facilities is not blocked by protestsalthough a 100-metre no-go zone is way over the top. But get this: the bylaw is discriminatory and limited to protests that object to or disapprove of any race, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, disability, age, place of origin, marital or family status, sexual orientation or income source. Not satisfied with curating what manner of protests are targeted (anti-Jordan Peterson and Rex Murphy event demos would, for instance, be fine), Gondek also had her righteous colleagues update their public behaviour bylaw to include intimidation. Never mind that, as Smith pointed out, intimidation is already against the law. The maximum penalty for breeching this bylaw has been increased to a $10,000 fine or a year in prison. I dont know if all the protesters views are rooted in hatred as Gondek suggested. If some are, for the record, I dont like that. But I rather doubt most of the people involved have a regular role in the society salons where Gondek hangs out, so I dont think she knows any better than I do what the thoughts of protesters are rooted in. For all I or she or anyone else knows, they are founded in a desire to avoid confusing their children with sexual discussions for as long as possible, however mis- or otherwise guided that may be. At the end of the day, what people think is none of Gondeks business, Nor mine. What they do publicly is different, and if protesters of any ilknot just those specified by Gondek and her speech-sifting colleaguesengage in intimidation or hate speech, call 911. But if you hold public office and you simply cant tolerate free speech, or if your instincts are to presume the motivations of others and muzzle their constitutional rights, you are a far, far greater threat to the safety and security of democratic society than any citizen standing outside a pool with a placard. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Frances government on Thursday invoked a special constitutional power to enact a contentious pension bill without a vote in parliament, in a risky move by President Emmanuel Macron. The decision was made just a few minutes before the vote was scheduled because the government had no guarantee that the bill would command a majority at the National Assembly, Frances lower house of parliament. The bill will raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, and is the flagship legislation of Macron's second term. The unpopular plan has prompted major strikes and protests across the country since January. The move is expected to trigger a quick no-confidence motion in Macron's government. Frances showdown over a bill raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 heads toward a climax Thursday, either via a parliamentary vote or through a special presidential move to force it through the legislature. The Senate adopted the bill Thursday morning in a 193-114 vote, a tally that was largely expected since the conservative majority of the upper house of parliament favors a higher retirement age. The bill now moves to the lower house, the National Assembly, where its fate is uncertain. President Emmanuel Macron had an early morning meeting with some leaders of his centrist alliance to discuss the complex political situation in the National Assembly. He is expected to meet them again at noon. Macrons alliance lost its parliamentary majority last year, forcing the government to count on conservative lawmakers to pass the bill. Leftists and far-right lawmakers are strongly opposed and conservatives are divided, making the outcome unpredictable. The French leader wants to raise the retirement age so workers put more money into the system, which the government says is on course to run a deficit. If he cant get a majority vote in parliament, he has the constitutional authority to impose unpopular legislation unilaterally. Macron has promoted the pension changes as central to his vision for making the French economy more competitive. Union leaders remained defiant before the vote in the National Assembly and called on lawmakers to vote against the reform plan that is unjust and brutal. They denounced the governments legal shortcuts to move the bill forward as a dangerous denial of democracy. The elected representatives of the people must respect the will of the people and therefore vote against the bill, Philippe Martinez, the secretary-general of the CGT union, told reporters outside the parliament. Nearly 500,000 people protested against the bill around the country Wednesday. Students planned to march to seat of the National Assembly on Thursday as garbage workers kept up a strike that has caused trash to pile up around the French capital. Macron wishes to have a vote proceed at the National Assembly, his office said following a Wednesday night strategy session with Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and ministers in charge of the bill. Labor minister Olivier Dussopt, speaking after the Senates vote, acknowledged the government still has no guarantee that the text a reconciliation committee approved Wednesday will command a majority at the lower house. We are determined to build that majority, he said. Thats our work, our commitment in the coming hours. Approval in the National Assembly would give the plan more legitimacy, but rather than face the risk of rejection, Macron could instead at the last minute invoke his authority to force the bill through parliament without a vote. Economic challenges have prompted widespread unrest across Western Europe. In Britain on Wednesday, teachers, junior doctors and public transport staff were striking for higher wages to match rising prices. And Spains leftist government joined with labor unions to announce a historic deal to save its pension system by raising social security costs for higher wage earners. Search Keywords: Short link: Poland to Become First NATO Member to Send Fighter Jets to Ukraine Poland announced on March 16 it will send fighter jets to Ukraine, becoming the first NATO member to do so. When it comes to the MiG-29 aircraft, which are still operating in the defense of Polish airspace, a decision has been taken at the highest levels, said Polish President Andrzej Duda at a press conference. We can say confidently that we are sending MiGs to Ukraine. Duda told CNN on March 9 that Warsaw is ready to hand over our MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine as a part of an international coalition. Polands move could be a turning point for Ukraine in repelling Russias invasion as Kyiv has asked for fighter jets since last yearonly for Washington and other NATO allies to refuse. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on March 16 that Poland notified the United States of its decision to send fighter jets to Ukraine. We continue to closely coordinate with our allies and partners, including Poland, as we provide assistance to Ukraine, she said. National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said on March 16 that Polands move will not prompt the United States to send fighter jets, namely F-16s. It doesnt change our calculus with respect to F-16s, he said. These are sovereign decisions for any country to make and we respect those sovereign decisions, he added. Kirby also said, They get to determine not only what theyre going to give but how theyre going to characterize it. He would not say whether the Biden administration supported or opposed Polands move. I wouldnt think its our place to characterize Polands decision one way or another, Kirby said. Last year, Poland proposed sending MiG-29s to Ukraine through an American-NATO base, but the United States declined to conduct the transfer. During a State Department press briefing on March 13, spokesperson Ned Price sidestepped a question by The Epoch Times about why the United States wont send F-16s to Ukraine. On the question of the F-16, what we have done is to provide our Ukrainian partners with what they need for the battle they are facing at the moment and the direction in which that battle is evolving. And you dont have to take our word for the effectiveness of that approach. You can look at the determination, the resilience, the grit of our Ukrainian partners but also the success that has translated to, and that in some ways has been enabled by the massive amounts of security assistance that the United States and some 50 countries around the world have provided. These are decisions that we make on a dynamic basis, looking at precisely what the needs are in conversation with our Ukrainian partners, in conversation with our partners in Europe, in NATO, and around the world as well. Poways Hidden Haven for Therapeutic Horse Riding A student rides a horse guided by staff members at Ride Above Disability Therapeutic Riding Center in Poway, Calif. (Courtesy of the Office of San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson) Hidden among the rolling hills of Poway, San Diego lies Ride Above Disability Therapeutic Riding Center, a nonprofit ranch and prized gem of the community. Founded in 2014, Ride Above Disability provides therapeutic horseback riding lessons to those with disabilities and is open to people of all ages. Starting as volunteers at other ranches, co-founders Allie Sarnataro and Katie Cram used their passion and experience to create their own therapeutic horse-riding organization. Their enthusiasm for this mission is evident and contagious. Every day is like a miracle, Sarnataro added. The students accomplish so many things every time they come. Weve had students who said their first words on the back of a horse. Ride Above Disability staff and volunteers receive recognition from the Office of San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson. (Courtesy of the Office of San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson) Lead instructor Rebecca Palter first learned about therapeutic riding while working as a personal care assistant for a child with a severe brain injury. He had tried everything else, music therapy, speech therapyeverything, Palter recalled, but things clicked for him at therapeutic riding that werent elsewhere. Miracles are abundant among the volunteers and instructors at Ride Above Disability, Palter said, recalling a student who defied all odds. We had a student that started when he was five. His parents were told that their child would never walk or speak and that he would never be able to do anything [alone]. Through our program, he learned to walk, trot, and canter on his own. He gained independence. Cram described how one student who struggled with attention and impulse control grew up with us riding. It was great to see her transform into this amazingly intelligent young woman who became this social butterfly. She was able to progress in her riding and going to competitions. Students are encouraged to participate in inclusive events all around San Diego, admirably competing alongside riders without disabilities. The organization views therapeutic horseback riding as a dynamic outlet for growth and, as demonstrated by the centers year-long waitlist, the local community agrees. A student connecting with one of the Ride Above Disability Centers horses. (Courtesy of the Office of San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson) The Office of San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson recently presented volunteers and staff with certificates of recognition for their honorable service and commitment to the Poway community. Ride Above Disabilitys remarkable staff and volunteers enhance the lives of the most vulnerable in our community, Anderson said. I am honored to recognize the inspiring and dedicated work that happens every day at the Therapeutic Riding Center here in Poway. The support of community members is integral to Ride Above Disabilitys ongoing success. The generosity of local patrons covers the care of all horses and maintains the affordability and accessibility of student lessons. Its all about the community and our supporters. [They] are the foundation of what keeps our program going, Sarnataro said. There are always opportunities to support the Ride Above Disability Therapeutic. Volunteers of all ages and experience levels are welcome. The center also accepts and greatly appreciates equipment or monetary donations. To learn more about Ride Above Disability Therapeutic Riding Center in Poway, visit radtrc.org. Jack Andolina is a legislative intern for San Diego County Supervisor Joel Andersons Office. Readers Say They Enjoy Original Spiritual Sharing From How Humankind Came To Be Falun Gong founder Mr. Li Hongzhis article How Humankind Came To Be offers original spiritual understanding outside organized religions, readers say. Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, encourages adherents to live by the universal principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, and teaches meditative exercises. Its about time people started voicing the truths from a different perspective than religion, Mary Bevan, a Utah resident, told The Epoch Times. I felt it was a good article emanating the same truths that Jesus propagated and people misinterpreted. And its just basic, and its about time the world woke up to that. Bevan, a 73-year-old public school substitute teacher, said she had studied the hexagrams and I Chingan ancient Chinese divination text known as the Book of Changesfor 20 years. But, to her, this knowledge, in the intersection of science and spirituality, has nothing to do with religion. She said that Mr. Lis article resonated with her as truth. There are basic truths that have to be taught before you can live with what that article is implying, or not implying, but actually stating, she said, adding that karma and reincarnation were two such concepts she called hidden reality from the mainstream religions or the Western culture. She said if children were taught karma and reincarnation, they would learn, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If more people knew the truth, the world would change. And thats where were at right now, I believe, she added. And when you call it the end of times, its just change. It will be a huge change that needs to wake people up to their behavior, their unconscious behavior. Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance Debi Preston, 59, said he really, really loved Mr. Lis article. The most important thing is truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, especially of whats going on today, she told The Epoch Times. Its palpable whats going on with people. You can see their anger, which comes out of frustration, because theyre basically focusing on the things that they have to do that are very difficult now for them to do, like buying groceries, or buying gas, or dealing with the school system. I mean, people are just so involved and all that, and I think they forget whats really, truly important is Gods grace. The Florida resident found Falun Gongs tenants of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance reflected in Mr. Lis article: And in this place that is devoid of truth, they could, by holding fast to the higher truths taught by God and persevering in goodness and kindness, achieve the elevation of their souls. She said truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance didnt come across as slogans. Its actionable to her, she added, saying that anyone can use them in how they behave. I dont think its just a slogan. I think its a way of life. Health-wise, its very beneficial as well. Over the past 23 years, millions of Falun Gong adherents have been held in labor camps, mental asylums, drug rehabilitation centers, unofficial black jails, or other detention facilities. However, the followers peaceful resistance to the Chinese Communist Partys persecution persisted. Many attributed their courage to stay steadfast to their beliefs and the power of faith. Preston said she believes even though you go through really hard times, you still have to keep your joy in your faith. And Mr. Lis article solidified these thoughts of hers. She considers herself a Christian but doesnt care for religion. Manmade religion is not really my thing. The church wants to tell you what to believe in. So its all interpretation. She added that some religious texts were even an interpretation of another interpretation. Yet, Mr. Lis article came across to Preston as an original, not an interpretation. I thought it was almost from a higher calling, a power that he could see and put into practice that would help people be open, she added. I love how he [Mr. Li] defined the planes that people are inthe hardest and the lowest is where you go through all the suffering to try to get through this to get to heaven, she said. Record Breaking Cyclone Freddy Moves Southern Californians Towards Assistance An area of the city of Blantyre, Malawi, after Cyclone Freddy in mid March, 2023. (Davis Galero) REDONDO BEACH, Calif.Pastor Kurt Dahlin and Los Angeles County-based Breakwater Church are launching a fundraising effort for medical supplies, food, and water purification equipment for victims of a cyclone that hit the East African nation of Malawi in February. To date, 255 have died since the cyclone wreaked havoc with heavy rains and flooding on the small nation and 41 remain missing, according to wire reports. For Dahlin, the calling to help Malawians came to him in the 1990s after visiting the impoverished nation on several missionary trips. He subsequently founded the nonprofit Water Wells for Africa, to bring clean, safe water to the regions villages. Water Wells for Africa founder Kurt Dahlin in Southern Malawi on June 28, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) According to Dahlin, since the cyclone, many of the villages he knows so well remain off the grid and have yet to report in with their statuses. According to World Meteorological Organization Tropical Cyclone Officer Anne-Clarie Fontan, the cyclonenamed Freddywas an exceptional weather phenomenon in terms of its longevity, intensity, distance covered and impact. The scale of the flooding in Malawi, in particular, has just been overwhelming, she told The Epoch Times. The organization additionally said the cyclone may have broken the record for the longest-lasting tropical cyclone in the world. Destruction caused by Cyclone freddy in Blantyre, Malawi in mid March, 2023. (Davis Galero) In the south, some Malawians have taken to Facebook to display photos and videos that showed the larger city of Blantyre with road collapses, major flooding, and property destruction. Over half the nations population lives below the poverty line so the repercussions of the storm will continue to intensify as families lose homes, businesses, and local school buildings, Dahin said. After Cyclone Freddy, the rebuilding process is going to take a long time after the extensive damage our friends are facing over there right now in Malawi, he said. This is one of the most underdeveloped countries on Earth, and help is needed in these dire circumstances. According to Dahlin, his contacts in Africa have told him a number of homes and churches have been destroyed. Southern Malawis Thyolo Distict in the early hours of June 28, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) A local Blantyre pastor, Davis Galero, told The Epoch Times March 15: The region of Malawi has been devastated many homes and properties are lost. Last night we could hear rumblings, buildings falling, [and] already one of our churches in Machinga, Madalitso Church, has collapsed, he said. Those wanting to help can make a donation on the website or send a check to Breakwater Church, P.O. Box 2410, Manhattan Beach, CA 90267 Attn: Malawi Relief. Do not ask yourself why [you should help]. Ask yourself why not, Dahlin said. The time is now to jump in and serve. Redefining Capitalism: The Chalmers Prescription Commentary The Australian Federal Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, recently published a 6,000-word essay, entitled Capitalism after the Crises. In it, he argues that it is Australias mission to redefine and reform our economy and institutions in ways that make our people and communities more resilient, and our society and democracy stronger as well. He advocates for a new, values-based version of capitalism. By this, he means that our economies need to embed and express more than one notion of value. To this end, he argues that his understanding of capitalism will seek to achieve the following three objectives: First, an orderly energy and climate transition introducing cleaner, cheaper, more reliable and increasingly renewable energy, and adopting practices and technologies that limit our emissions. Second, a more resilient and adaptable economy in the face of climate, geopolitical and cyber risks, unreliable supply chains, and pressures on budgets from an ageing population. Third, growth that puts equality and equal opportunity at the centre. The essay, though, is an incoherent collection of platitudes. It fails to address the subject matter of its title, and it demonstrates some serious deficiencies in understanding issues of economic importance. This lack of understanding may well facilitate the adoption of disastrous policies that must be addressed and rectified if capitalism is going to survive as Australias economic system. People shop for fruit and vegetables at Victoria Market in Melbourne, Australia, on July 5, 2022. (William West/AFP via Getty Images) In attempting to redefine capitalism as something different before or after any crisis, Chalmers revisits an economic system that has been under attack even by Plato and Aristotle. These ancient philosophers agreed that some aspects of a specific kind of human flourishing would be harmed by exposure to market forces, a position from which many philosophers, including Marx, certainly drew their theories. Indeed, Karl Marx was inspired by these philosophers when he formulated and articulated his calamitous utopian theories which, in turn, spawned the malicious socialist/communist movements we have inherited today. Uprooting Our Foundations Websters Dictionary defines capitalism simply as a System of individual ownership of capital or wealth. Australias home-grown Macquarie Dictionary, under the influence of Professor Manning Clark, defines capitalism as a system under which the means of production, distribution, and exchange are in large measure privately owned and directed. But it contaminates this definition by adding that capitalism is the concentration of capital in the hands of a few, or the resulting power or influence and a system favouring such concentration of wealth. Surely, the role of government in a capitalist economy should be to protect the entrepreneurial liberty of people and the ownership of private resources. By contrast, socialism/communism promotes the seductive theory that everybody owns everything. However, the implementation of a socialist/communist society requires powerful and influential controllers to re-distribute wealth that has been created by motivated and industrious people. Such re-distribution generally suffers from the law of diminishing returns and unintended consequences. Re-distribution of other peoples wealth often suffers from nepotism, corruption, and cronyism, involving the award of desirable jobs to useful relatives and friends. Opposition supporters hold a banner reading No More Socialism during a gathering with Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, in Caracas, on Feb. 2, 2019. (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images) The central pillar of the Chalmers Plan is the mirage of replacing the reliable hydrocarbon energy base that has given us the prosperity we enjoy today with fanciful, unreliable energy that is anything but clean behind its smokescreen of deception that has enriched its promoters and is impoverishing us all. Our economy, which has been built on cheap and abundant hydrocarbon energy, is being undermined by a fear-driven campaign that demonizes a trace gas on which life on Earth depends. As seen above, Chalmerss first of its three objectives is an orderly energy and climate transition introducing cleaner, cheaper, more reliable and increasingly renewable energy. In the words of the hero of an iconic Australian movie, The Castle, Tell him hes dreamin. Ignoring the Massive Costs Preposterously vast and literally out-of-this-world quantities of raw materials would have to be mined and processed to harness intermittent, dilute, unreliable energy sources, rewire the country, produce batteries, and dispose of quantities of toxic waste to replace the efficient and abundant hydrocarbon fuels, coal, oil, and gas. Apart from investigating the renewables industry and its unproductive offshoots, such as the egregiously named carbon trading, the Australian government should be addressing a trillion-dollar debt that must be paid out and exploring and developing Australias vast, untapped minerals and energy resources. This picture shows a conveyor bridge dumping soil and sand removed at another area of the mine in the town of Singleton, in Newcastle, Australia, on Nov. 5, 2021. (Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images) Additionally, the government should also revitalize peoples limitless resources of imagination and motivation by comprehensively overhauling a stultifying tax system, which is currently incapable of improving the quality of life for Australians and our trading partners. However, Chalmerss essay seeks to crucify the previous Coalition governments by repeatedly referring to the wasted decade. The coming decade is shaping up to be worse than wasted if we continue to follow the diktats of unelected committees of political poseurs at their annual climate change talkfests, quaintly but accurately, called Conference of Parties. Some people may find Chalmerss essay to be inspirational, but it does not address any of the real economic problems of Australia. It is, essentially, a collection of motherhood statements that lack intellectual rigour and only manage to prove that capitalism is in crisis because of disastrous government decisions. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Rooftop Solar Feed-In Charges Unlikely in Qld Workers install solar panels at a photovoltaic power station in Hami in northwestern China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Monday Aug. 22, 2011. (Chinatopix via AP) Queensland is unlikely to charge homeowners for feeding solar power back to the grid, the government says, amid concerns it may follow similar proposals in New South Wales (NSW). Solar Citizens wants the state government to rule out feed-in charges it says are being pushed by private electricity network operators over the border. Energy Minister Mick de Brenni played down those concerns for Queensland, where transmission lines are publicly owned and operated, saying private investors call the shots in southern states. What were seeing in other states in terms of those rules and those policies, were unlikely to see changes here in Queensland that will put a disincentive on the households or businesses to adopt solar, he told reporters on Thursday. The ministers comments came after the Queensland regulator said regional homeowners could be paid more for the solar energy they fed into the grid from July. In the heavily-populated southeast, feed-in tariffs are set and paid by retailers, with Solar Citizens saying that, in many cases, they pay homeowners a pittance. Earlier on Thursday, Solar Citizens deputy director Stephanie Gray called on the state government to rule out feed-in charges like those on the table in NSW. In NSW, network companies have proposals sitting with the Australian Energy Regulator to charge solar owners for putting cheap solar energy into the grid during the middle of the day, she said. Its an outrageous sun tax and were calling on the state government to rule it out for Queensland. The Queensland Competition Authority is set to allow retailers outside the southeast to lift household electricity bills by $432 (US$286) to $1928 and business bills by $215 to $2334 in 2022/23. However, the regulator is mulling raising the feed-in tariff, the amount paid to regional homeowners with solar panels by state-owned Ergon Energy, from 9.3 cents to 12.95 cents per kilowatt hour. The Australian Energy Regulator is also considering allowing electricity retailers in the southeast to hike annual residential power bills by $321 to $1941 and small business bills by $669 to $4115 from the next financial year. The regulators draft determination would also allow retailers to hike bills by $383 to $2344 for households in the region, with separate meters for appliances such as hot water storage systems. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said households and small businesses would be given rebates on their electricity bills in the state budget. The rebates will be determined by federal support and the regulators final determination in May, but she has promised they will be bigger than the $175 offered in the current financial year. Rubio to Yellen: Do Not Allow Chinese Communist Party to Exploit SVB Collapse Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) speaks during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies hearing on Capitol Hill on May 17, 2022. (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images) Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has called on the Department of the Treasury to prioritize U.S. national security in response to the recent closures of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank. In a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (pdf), Rubio emphasized the need to prioritize the countrys geo-economic competition with China in its response. Rubio urged the department to ensure that foreign adversarial regimes and companies subject to their jurisdiction dont exploit the moment for their own material benefit. As the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) continues to work to effect an auction of SVB, I request that Treasury ensure that none of its assets end up in the hands of hostile, foreign adversaries, he wrote. The senator further requested that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) carefully review any transactions under its jurisdiction to assess potential national security risks. According to the agency, such transactions include those that could pass control of a U.S. company into foreign hands. Beijing rarely allows an opportunity to exploit a crisis to pass by, so CFIUS must work diligently to ensure that promising American firms working in critical technologies do not end up acquired by Chinese conglomerates and others, the letter reads. Highlighting SVBs ties to Chinese start-upswhich may be eligible for the anticipated bailoutRubio stressed that the Treasury should ensure that Chinese Communist Party actors are unable to exploit this moment for their own material benefit. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen arrives for a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on March 10, 2023. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Zai Laba Shanghai-based medical services start-uprevealed in a recent statement that SVB held at least $20 million of the companys capital as of December 2022. The start-up claimed to have more than $1 billion in cash or cash equivalents, making the SVB balance relatively small. Foreign Depositers The Treasury and Federal Reserve havent commented on this matter or specified whether foreign depositors will be included in the bailout. However, U.S. regulators have announced that all depositors will be made whole in the coming months. In a joint statement, Yellen and Fed Chair Jerome Powell vowed to address the bank failures in a manner that fully protects all depositors. A plan to distribute U.S. funds to foreigners may run into some domestic opposition. Americans should be asking how much taxpayer money will backstop funds sent to mainland China in connection with the bailout of SVB, Christopher Iacovella, president of the American Securities Association, told The Epoch Times. Why is it necessary to send any more than the $250,000 FDIC guaranteed deposits to accounts held by companies or individuals in China? Rubios letter comes amid growing concerns about the influence of China on the U.S. economy and the regimes efforts to acquire U.S. technology through mergers and acquisitions. Rubio underscored the recent bipartisan push to ensure that critical U.S. assets and technologies arent controlled by foreign entities that could pose a threat to national security. Sen. David Richards: Battles Are Won Before They Are Fought Commentary You fight the enemy where hes not, said Sun Tzu a few millennia ago. The Chinese general and philosopher should be listened to, for this is what China is doing in their relations with United States. Dont worry about Canada. I dont mean to be impolite, but it seems our government doesnt, so why should we? Nor am I blaming this government alone. I have lived long enough to know this downward spiral into modern complacency has existed for quite a while through multiple governments, from the time of the Avro Arrow on, and is now almost a state of officious policy. It was American pilots in F-22s who shot that impertinent balloon and UFOs out of the sky. The signal is implicitCanada cannot act on its own behalfand this is no ones fault but its own. I sometimes think Canada is being led not by those I knew in schoolwho suffered and loved and studied on their own, worked peeling pulp and lent a hand to the forsaken, and with the little money they earned bought coats for their brothers rather than presents for themselves, and cared when no one else didbut by those fine fellows I remember who once joined the glee club, and ran to the principal to tattle if anything in their attire was amiss. Who knows what leader will bring us forward, turn around like Avril Lavigne and simply tell someone to get the blank off the stage. Chinese police stations intimidate our citizens, and we who mention this are called anti-Asian. That is not true. In fact, it is Asians we might be trying to protect. China is mapping out the Arctic and meddling in our elections, and instead of being outraged at this, we attack ourselves in order to look fair-minded. The self-doubting family is always the one to blame themselves, or point fingers at their own, so those outside the family will approve. Sun Tzu said that battles are often won before they are fought. Canada is an example of a country which, if not careful, will someday defeat itself. Does that mean I want conflict? No, I want diligence and a sense of obligation to ones own, of standing up to outsiders and protecting those we care for. We cant seem to make a decision in time, or until pressed by such obligation that it becomes an embarrassment not to act. And then we act, as in the case of purchasing second-hand Australian F-18s, so late it is against simple common sense. The F-35s will be obsolete by the time we acquire them. Our frigate program is years behind schedule. Woke notions of the world have complicated our military so much that our fighting men and women, as great as they are, have been left in an odd limbo biosphere, where recruitment has fallen below the radar and we cant even muster a division. As good as our Rangers are, the North is almost undefended, and our seacoasts are woefully open. Our air defences must rely upon NORADthat is we must rely upon the U.S. participation within NORAD out of Alaskan basesand we no longer can fuel our own planes up north. When President Zelenskyy spoke to our Parliament and asked how we would like it if our flag was taken away, he was speaking to a government that had already lowered our flag for over a year in unfelt theatrics. We were being punished by a government that continually signals virtue much more than it feels compassion. What might this say about us? It says this: Our country is devouring itself, slowly. Without batting an eye, and without knowing. And if you mention this, they say you do not love your country. Many people, and many in government, who believe they are tolerant, are filled with such horrid bias toward those simple, hard-working countrymen and women they have never met. They seem to have no shame. I want the environment to be clean as wellour lakes and rivers clear, our fish and wildlife protected, First Nations to be respected. But if wethat is all of us as a nationdo not protect ourselves, and those we love, and those we want to cherish, and the borders we claim, who will? Do we have the will to do so? I am not sure anymore. Though many might not know, many politicians have an affinity with Prince Harry these days. He has accused and berated, smirked and lessened and outed and blasphemed all those he ever knew and who actually cared for him, and still demands an apology, and says there can be no reconciliation without one. Yes, he is the new man in the new world. A man who no longer believes in duty or sacrifice and has traded it all in for a gloomy self-fascination that becomes ever more painful the more it is seen. The last thing he recognizes is that anyone elseeven those who cared about and loved himmight have suffered as well, might have had to fight trauma themselves, might have been lonely and forgotten, but never once thought of airing a grievance to a rapacious opera. So he demands others continually tell him he has suffered more than they. Like self-absorbed Harry, many in Canada are better at self-pity. It is better to berate our own nation, pretending it is bravery that allows us to do so. If the United States has a reasonable ally among the former colonies, it is not Canada. It is Australia, and it should be. They are far less gullible about their position of moral superiority in saving the planet from carbon or exporting their brand of feminism and cutie-pie tolerance. They dont believe they are a post-nation nationthey think they have boundaries that are involatile, and theirs. They believe there might be something to fight for. Yes, they have as many internal problems. They have suffered from racism and stigmatization as well. They have their own horror stories, but they know that in order to solve these difficulties they must hang together and be vigilant because there is an enemy at the gates. The United States is fighting a theory proposed by the master Sun Tzu. They are always fighting or supporting a fight on four fronts. The Chinese are content to be fighting the enemy where he is not. The madman is loosed in Russia, the psychopath in the Hermit State. Taiwan is under sanction, and the Middle East is the Middle East. All of this benefits the military aspirations of Xi and puts the United States in a precarious situation. While we, in Canada, are many days like ferrets attacking each other in a hole. We can dismiss our obligation to ourselves. We can say our American cousins are imperialists with an empire. We can sit in our dens in our suburban homes and pontificate and determine we are too moral and just to take a stand. But if we doif we dothere will at some point come a time where we wont want to answer the door. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Senate Moves 1 Step Closer to Repeal of Iraq War Authorizations The U.S. Senate has advanced a bipartisan measure toward a final vote to repeal two U.S. authorizations for military action against Iraq. The Senate voted, 6827, on March 16 to invoke cloture, surpassing the needed 60-vote threshold, on legislation that would undo the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force (AUMFs). The first authorization allowed the United States to enter the Gulf War, during which Iraqi leader Saddam Husseins forces were driven out of Kuwait. The second allowed the U.S. military to go into Iraq following reports that Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. The United States captured him in 2003 and he was executed in Iraq in 2006. Ahead of the vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) lauded the bill, which was introduced by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.). Now, almost 20 years to the day that U.S. Military operations began in Iraq, the United States Senate begins the process of repealing the Iraq AUMFs, the ones of 2002 and 1991, putting the final remnants of those conflicts squarely behind us, Schumer said. The United States, the nation of Iraq, and the entire world have changed dramatically since 2002 and its time the laws on the books catch up with these changes. The Iraq War has itself been long over. Schumer, who voted for both of the AUMFs, went on to say that Americans are tired of endless wars in the Middle East. He said that if the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs arent repealed, future administrations could abuse them, bypassing Congresss sole authority to declare war in accordance with Article I of the Constitution. In his remarks ahead of the vote, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said that the repeals wouldnt make America a pacifist nation, rather it would make the United States a Constitutional nation. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on March 15 that repealing the AUMFs wouldnt affect the United States response to the threat from Iran. President Joe Biden supports repealing the AUMFs, according to a statement from the White House. The administration noted that the United States conducts no ongoing military activities that rely primarily on the 2002 AUMF, and no ongoing military activities that rely on the 1991 AUMF, as a domestic legal basis. Repeal of these authorizations would have no impact on current U.S. military operations and would support this Administrations commitment to a strong and comprehensive relationship with our Iraqi partners. That partnership, which includes cooperation with the Iraqi Security Forces, continues at the invitation of the Government of Iraq in an advise, assist, and enable role. While the measure is set to pass the Democrat-controlled Senate next week, its fate in the Republican-controlled House is less certain. Senate Republicans Introduce Bill Codifying Right to Bear Arms Outside the Home It would also allow citizens to sue government for infringement of rights Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Senate Republicans are set to introduce on a bill on Thursday that would codify the right to bear arms for self-defense outside the home. The bill would incorporate elements from the Supreme Courts 2008 District of Columbia v. Heller decision and the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen decision from 2022, he said. In Heller, the court affirmed an individuals right to own a firearm. The Bruen decision affirmed the individuals right to carry a gun for self-protection outside their home. Graham said the bill would enshrine those rights in federal law. It would also give citizens the right to sue any government agency or official who tried to infringe on that right. When you live in an autocratic environment, you dont own; the government does, Graham said during a March 16, 2023, press conference. [The Act is] to give you a cause of action so you can fight back. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) walks to the Senate Republican Luncheon in the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on Aug. 2, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Graham was joined by Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). Kennedy said Americans must respect the courts decisions, regardless of whether or not they agree. He said some Democrats have been taking the position that its okay to ignore rights they disagree with. Their copy of the Bill of Rights goes from amendment one to amendment three, Kennedy said. According to Graham, the Democratic Party is continuing an assault on Americans fundamental constitutional rights and the institutions set up to protect those rights. He said a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on protecting public safety in the wake of the Bruen decision is an example. In that hearing, gun control advocates told how the Bruen decision had impacted other laws, especially the prohibition of firearms ownership for those subject to domestic violence protection orders. In Bruen, the court established a text and history test for courts deciding a laws constitutionality. Under this test, if a law does not conform with how similar laws have been enforced, it would not be considered constitutional. The Supreme Court building in Washington on March 26, 2020. (Juliet Wei/Sound of Hope) Victims of domestic violence and gun control proponents told the committee that this test was used by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to remove protections. In that case, Zackey Rahimi had been involved in several altercations in which he fired a gun while subject to a civil protection order. Based on the Bruen decision test, Rahimi pleaded guilty to that charge but successfully appealed. Second Amendment advocates told the committee that Rahimi should have been imprisoned for his gun crimes. Instead, he was released by the courts, which allowed him to commit more crimes. According to Graham, the hearing was one step in finding ways to chip away at a basic constitutional right by undermining a Supreme Court decision. Graham said liberals in the Democratic Party are committed to their political agenda above all else. He said that after the recent Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization decision, overturning the constitutional right to abortion and sending the decision back to the states, certain liberal Democrats began to talk of packing the court. He said attempts to remove the filibuster and President Joe Bidens recent executive order expanding background checks, increasing public scrutiny on gun dealers and redefining what it means to deal in firearms are part of that plan. President Joe Biden speaks about his efforts to reduce gun violence at The Boys & Girls Club of West San Gabriel Valley, in Monterey Park, Calif. on Mar. 14, 2023. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images) The executive order evades the American legal system to get a political outcome, said Graham. They want an outcome, and they dont give a damn how they get it. Cornyn said Congress should go even further in affirming Second Amendment rights and called for national reciprocity. Under national reciprocity, concealed carry permits and firearms licenses would be honored in every state, just as drivers licenses are. A concealed handgun license should be treated the same way, he said. Acknowledging that driving is not a constitutional right, Kennedy said it is still considered a right for Americans to drive cars. He pointed out that law-abiding drivers are not penalized for those who drive drunk. After a speech on the Senate floor in support of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) talks to reporters as he walks through the Capitol Rotunda in Washington on June 23, 2022. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) We dont solve that problem by revoking everybodys license. We focus on the problemthe drunk driver, Kennedy said. Gun rights organizations have criticized all three senators for supporting a gun control bill Biden has touted as the most significant gun safety bill in 30 years: The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Cornyn in particular has come under fire for his role in negotiating provisions of the bill for Red Flag laws. These laws allow the government to seize guns from persons a court has ruled a danger to themselves or the community. The Texas lawmaker stood by his efforts, saying the law would keep guns out of the hands of criminals and those who are not competent to own guns. Any suggestion that I dont support the Second Amendment is false, Cornyn said. Its just a lie. United States Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. John Aquilino said Thursday that Washington does not seek to contain China, nor seek conflicts in the region, but it would take action to support the region against coercion and bullying by authoritarian regimes. Speaking at a lecture in Singapore, Aquilino said the era of globalization has evolved into one of renewed great power competition where the security environment influences economics, trade and investment. My concern is that this foundation of this rules-based international order is under direct assault by authoritarian regimes, he said, without naming any nations, though he noted recent actions by China to grab a foothold in the Solomon Islands. A security alliance between China and the Solomon Islands a year ago sent shudders throughout the South Pacific, with many worried it could set off a large-scale military buildup. Aquilino also addressed China's protests over US vessels and aircraft in the Taiwan Strait, where Beijing has renewed its threats against Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory to be brought under its control by force if necessary. While the US is not seeking conflicts nor supporting Taiwans independence, he said the military will continue to fly, sail and operate in the region to uphold the navigational rights and freedom of all nations. Revisionist powers seek to disrupt and displace the current system in ways that benefit themselves, and at the expense of all others. They use coercion, intimidation to achieve their objectives and they justify their action under a theory of 'might equals right,' he said. They make illegal excessive territorial claims not based on anything other than revisionist history. They empower law enforcement entities to harass nations operating legally within their own exclusive economic zones. They break formal commitments. They ignore international legal rulings. They avoid requirements delivered under the UN Charter, he said, in a reference to aggressive Chinese actions in the South China Sea and rising Chinese incursions into Taiwanese air defense zones. Aquilino said China has a role to play in the world if it adheres to the rules-based order, especially in regards to North Korea. In 2022 alone, Pyongyang launched 70 missiles, which Aquilino called the most provocative action in history. He noted that earlier Thursday, North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile hours before the leaders of South Korea and Japan were to meet at a Tokyo summit. Pyongyang's actions have threatened South Korea and Japan and it has developed the capabilities to threaten the United States as well," he said. It is destabilizing, it's unpredictable, it's continuing, it's not slowing down. The potential for the People's Republic of China to help to dissuade the DPRK from executing these events would be helpful, Aquilino added, using the official names of China and North Korea. Search Keywords: Short link: Senior Military Officer Acquitted of Sexual Assault Sues Government, PM for $6M Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin speaks to members of the media following an acquittal in his case at a Gatineau, Que., courthouse on Dec. 5, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Spencer Colby) Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin, a senior military officer who was acquitted of a sexual assault charge late last year, has filed a $6-million lawsuit against the Canadian government. Fortin, who was dropped as the lead for Canadas COVID-19 vaccine program in early 2021, has named 16 high-ranking officials in a wide-ranging suit, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, chief of the defence staff Gen. Wayne Eyre, former defence minister Harjit Sajjan and former health minister Patty Hajdu. A statement of claim filed on Wednesday with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice accuses the officials of reprehensible, extreme, flagrant and high-handed conduct and seeks $5 million in general damages and $1 million in punitive damages. The document alleges that Fortin suffered the damages due to defamation and misfeasance in public office. It also accuses the officials of negligent investigation, the inappropriate public disclosure of private facts, breach of confidence and conspiracy to cause damages. He was not afforded due process, Fortins lawyer, Thomas Conway, said in an interview. Its caused him the kind of grief that you expect anyone would go through, facing the kinds of allegations that he had to face publicly. Fortin was removed as head of the governments COVID-19 vaccine rollout in May 2021 pending the investigation of a historical allegation stemming from his time at military college in 1988. He was charged with sexual assault in August 2021 and acquitted of the charge last December in the Quebec Superior Court. The lawsuit alleges that the investigation was grossly negligent and that there was never any basis to make a criminal prosecution in the first place. It accuses officials of dismissing Fortin from the prominent vaccine role for political reasons. There is a certain, I would say, chill that has descended over the Canadian Armed Forces relating to all of these allegations of sexual misconduct, Conway said. And we are not by any means trying to trivialize that issue. Not by any means. Its a serious issue. However, unfortunately, everyone seems to have tossed out the notion that someone is entitled to a fair process. He added that despite Fortins acquittal, there is a stain on his reputation. That stain, that damage, is not something that is ever going to be removed unless he seeks redress for what has happened in the courts by way of civil remedy, Conway said. The military formally cleared Fortin of misconduct on the balance of probabilities in January, and said it would assign him to a new role. But the lawsuit alleges the Canadian Armed Forces is either refusing or unreasonably delaying his reintegration. The statement of claim says thats because defendants it names as political actors have made it clear to the militarys leadership that Fortin cannot return to his regular duties, have tarnished his reputation with the military itself and have created a climate in which someone who has done nothing wrong cannot advance their career once someone else makes an allegation. The Defence Department still intends to reassign Fortin to appropriate duties commensurate with his rank and experience, spokesperson Jessica Lamirande said in a statement. We will review the statement of claim and will not be commenting further at this time, she said. The Prime Ministers Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. No statement of defence has been filed responding to the allegations in the lawsuit. Separate proceedings are still ongoing at the Federal Court of Appeal, in which Fortin is appealing a Federal Court decision that tossed out his request for reinstatement last year. In that matter, Fortin has argued that he was ousted from the vaccine role due to political interference and without due process. The government has denied those claims. A spokesperson for Fortin said a date has not been set for further proceedings. Fortin, who previously served as commander of the NATO training mission in Iraq and as commander of the 1st Canadian Division, also initiated a complaint with the Military Police Complaints Commission after his acquittal. When asked about whether Fortin pursued a settlement with the government before filing the suit, Conway would only say that Fortin does not have any interest in getting into extended litigation with his former colleagues, and with an institution he served for more than 30 years. Believe me, this is the last thing he wanted to do. Defendants named in the Fortin lawsuit include: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Gen. Wayne Eyre, the chief of the defence staff Harjit Sajjan, former defence minister and current international development minister Patty Hajdu, former health minister and current Indigenous services minister Janice Charette, clerk of the Privy Council Office Iain Stewart, former head of the Public Health Agency of Canada and current president of the National Research Council Jody Thomas, former deputy minister of national defence and current national security adviser to Trudeau Lt.-Col. Eric Leblanc, commander of the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service Retired colonel Bruce MacGregor, former director of military prosecutions Brig.-Gen. Simon Trudeau, the militarys provost marshal Retired brigadier-general Dyrald Cross, who was the supervisor of the complainant in the sexual assault case Laurie-Anne Kempton, the assistant deputy minister of public affairs at the Defence Department George Young, Sajjans then-chief of staff and current acting chief of staff to the fisheries and oceans minister Warrant Officer Denise Hachey, a military police investigator Brig.-Gen. Alan Mulawyshyn, then-chief of staff for Eyre and now a deputy executive director at Veterans House The Attorney General of Canada, who is named in the suit as a defendant in the proceeding on behalf of the Canadian Armed Forces, the Department of National Defence, the Ministry of Health, the Prime Ministers Office, the Privy Council Office and the Public Health Agency of Canada. Southern California Rescinds Rule Limiting Outdoor Watering After Storms An automated sprinkler waters grass in front of homes in Alhambra, Calif., on April 27, 2022. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images) LOS ANGELESWith recent storms helping alleviate severe drought conditions that were plaguing the state, Southern Californias water wholesaler announced March 15 it is rescinding emergency outdoor watering restrictions it imposed last year. The Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern Californias Board of Directors voted Tuesday to rescind the restrictionswhich impacted six local water agencies in Los Angeles, Ventura, and San Bernardino counties that are heavily dependent on supplies from the State Water Project. The affected agencies, covering roughly 6 million people, were ordered to restrict outdoor watering to one day per week, beginning June 1, 2022. But as winter storms began hitting the region and rain and snow replenished supplies, the state announced in January that it would deliver 30 percent of the requested allocations. That figure increased to 35 percent in February. At the beginning of December, the state Department of Water Resources announced that water agencies throughout the state would be receiving only 5 percent of the allocations they requested from the state. Water district officials noted that while it is lifting the restriction, the states water supply remains limited so residents should continue to conserve wherever possible. The wholesaler also noted that its member agencies can continue to impose watering restrictions at their discretion. We know these last nine months were a sacrifice for the dozens of communities under mandatory restrictions, MWD board chair Adan Ortega Jr. said in a statement. On behalf of Metropolitan, I want to express our deep appreciation to all those who helped us stretch our available water supplies to get us through the acute emergency. He also noted that the community reached a 35 percent reduction in water use. While we certainly appreciate the improved water supply conditions, I want to caution everyone that our challenges are not over, MWD General Manager Adel Hagekhalil said in a statement. We ask everyone to remain diligent in saving water regardless of the weather. We also continue to face major uncertainties on our water supplies from the Colorado River, he said. The federal government has directed California and six other states to develop plans to cut their reliance on Colorado River water beginning next year. The once-a-week water restriction did not impact most Los Angeles residents, who are serviced by the LA Department of Water and Power. Citing more robust supplies, city officials opted to allow watering twice a week, down from the original three. Under the citys more lenient restriction, watering is permitted at odd-numbered street addresses on Mondays and Fridays, and even-numbered addresses on Thursdays and Sundays. Stanford Employee Charged With Lying About Rape to Get Revenge on Coworker A 25-year-old Stanford employee faces two felony counts of perjury and two misdemeanor counts for intentionally lying about being raped twice on the California universitys campus last year, according to a press release from the local District Attorneys office. On Aug. 9, 2022, Jennifer Gries, a Neighborhood Housing Service Center Supervisor at Stanford, told county sexual assault forensic exam nurses that she had been attacked by an unknown black man in a campus garage. According to the DAs Office, Gries said she did not want law enforcement to contact her at that time. She did, however, sign a consent form, thus acknowledging the nurse attending her as a mandated reporter who was obliged to notify law enforcement. News of the attack triggered campus-wide safety alerts, fear, and campus unrest. The Stanford Daily published a student-written op-ed that deplored the omnipresence of rape culture on Stanford campus. Two months later, on Oct. 7, Gries reported being attacked again, claiming that this time she was raped in a basement storage closet, and once more by an unknown black man. Gries again declined to speak to law enforcement. Stanford Reacts Given the perceived public safety risk, Stanfords Department of Public Safety continued its investigation into the two alleged sexual assaults. The investigation revealed that Gries had made a sexual harassment complaint against a coworker earlier that yeara young black man who fit the description of the alleged rapist. The investigation also revealed that Gries had told an acquaintance that she was in a relationship with the man, who she had named. She claimed that she had been sexually assaulted by him, becoming pregnant with twins. Gries allegedly claimed to have suffered a miscarriage, but the DAs investigation revealed that she was not pregnant at that time. The lab results from both of Gries sexual assault examination kits also proved to be inconsistent with her story. The DAs investigation eventually found that Gries had made up the stories to take revenge on a co-worker. The DA also stated that Gries twice applied for monetary support from the California Victim of Crimes Board, attesting that she was sexually assaulted. This is a rare and deeply destructive crime, DA Rosen said. Our hearts go out to the falsely accused. Our hearts go out to students who had to look over their shoulders on their way to class. Our hearts go out to legitimate sexual assault victims who wonder if they will be believed. In a statement released by the University on Wednesday, Co-Chair of the Community Board on Public Safety, Patrick Dunkley, and Director of Stanford University Department of Public Safety (SUDPS), Laura Wilson, wrote that These false reports are damaging, both for true survivors of sexual assault and for the members of our community who experienced fear and alarm from the reports, adding that false reports like these are extremely rare. Gries has since written a letter of apology to the man she falsely accused. According to The New York Post, the man said the incident had scarred him during a time when he was caring for his ill mother, who has since passed away. Gries is booked at Santa Clara jail, and her initial bail is set at $25,000. From NTD News Supreme Court May Wade Into Fight Over Trumps Former DC Hotel The Trump International Hotel is seen in Washington, on Sept. 28, 2020, in this file photo. (REUTERS/Erin Scott) The Supreme Court may soon decide whether to take up a long-running dispute between former President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats over the former Trump International Hotel in the nations capital. The justices are scheduled to discuss the case at their closed-door conference on March 17. If four of the nine justices vote to hear the case, oral argument will be scheduled. If the case is heard and Democrats prevail, going forward the minority party in Congress would gain a great deal more power to investigate a presidents administration of the opposite party even if the minority party lacks the committee votes required to issue a subpoena. The Democrats attorney, David Vladeck, told The Epoch Times it is an important case, but refused further comment. Vladeck, a Georgetown University law professor, is a former chairman of the Federal Trade Commission. University of Cincinnati College of Law professor Bradford Mank told USA Today that if the Democratic challengers win, There would be more members of the opposite party who would file suits. There would be much more danger that ideologues on both sides would try to use the statute to embarrass a sitting president, Mank said. The case goes back to 2017, when Trump had just become president and Republicans controlled both houses of Congress. At that time several Democrats on the House Oversight Committee demanded that the Trump administration produce records concerning how Trump acquired the rights to develop the historic Old Post Office building, a few blocks away from the White House, as a luxury hotel. The Trump administration refused. Trump critics have alleged that the deal smacked of corruption and said that various organizations, including foreign governments, booked the hotel to curry favor with the administration. But The Trump Organization said the leasing process was conducted fairly. More than 20 hotel companies bid on the project and Trumps company said it was awarded the job based on the strength of Trump development capabilities, financial wherewithal, vision for the property, and dedication to the preservation of the historic structure. Trump left the presidency in January 2021 and The Trump Organization sold the lease to the property in May 2022 to CGI Merchant Group for an undisclosed sum. The transaction marks the highest price per key ever achieved in Washington D.C., the highest price per key in U.S. history for a leasehold interest, and the largest sale of a historic hotel in over 15 years, The Trump Organization said. Media reports based on unnamed sources indicated at the time that the lease was sold for $375 million and may have netted the Trump family business up to $100 million in profits. The hotel is now known as the Waldorf Astoria Washington D.C. and is part of Hilton Worldwide. The case is Carnahan v. Maloney, court file 22-425. Robin Carnahan is the Administrator of the General Services Administration, an independent agency of the U.S. government that manages federal property and provides contracting options for government agencies. Former Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a Democrat from New York, chaired the U.S. House Oversight Committee until she left office on Jan. 3. The legal issue is whether individual members of Congress have standing under Article III of the U.S. Constitution to sue an executive agency to compel it to disclose information that the members have requested under 5 U.S.C. 2954. That law provides that a request for information must be acted upon if just seven members of the House Oversight Committee or five members of its counterpart in the Senate demand it. Article III of the Constitution is the article that created the federal judiciary. A federal district judge threw out the Democrats lawsuit in 2018, finding they lacked standing to bring the case. The court found the lawmakers were not injured by being denied the documents and that there was no historical precedent for members of Congress to even attempt to enforce unmet demands through the federal courts. But a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit overturned that ruling on a 21 vote in 2020, finding that the lawmakers had the right to sue. The panel sent the case back to the lower court for reconsideration, stating, The separation of powers, it must be remembered, is not a one-way street that runs to the aggrandizement of the executive branch. In the case at hand, the Biden administration sided with the former Trump administration in defense of presidential authority. In the petition (pdf) filed with the Supreme Court in November 2022, U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar approvingly quoted the dissenting circuit court judge, Neomi Rao, a Trump appointee, who wrote that members of the minority party could use the law to harass presidents. Rao said the panel decision meant that the more fractious members of Congress would be at liberty to enlist the courts in their political conflicts and strategically threaten executive agencies with protracted litigation. Vladeck filed a brief (pdf) Feb. 6 urging the Supreme Court not to grant the petition and leave the circuit court ruling in place. The Biden administrations claim that this case merits review is wrong and wrong again. The case presents no recurring constitutional issue warranting this Courts attention. To the contrary, it involves a once-in-a-decade, virtually unprecedented rejection of a Section 2954 request, the brief said. The Epoch Times asked the U.S. Department of Justice, the GSA, and The Trump Organization to comment but had not received a reply from any of them as of press time. Talent Crisis Looms for American Aviation, Senate Committee Is Told No pilot shortage, but mechanics, other staff in short supply; women underrepresented Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who was a helicopter pilot in Iraq in 2004, speaks during an aviation hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation in Washington, on March 16, 2023. (Janice Hisle/The Epoch Times via screenshot of live video) American aviation is in good shape now, but action is needed to head off a shortage of workers in many high-paying aviation jobs, witnesses told a U.S. Senate committee on March 16. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), herself a pilot, warned about the consequences of failing to act. Without a properly trained, equipped, and compensated workforce, the safety of the flying public will be put at risk, she said during the hearing in Washington. And the delays weve experienced over the past few years will seem mild by comparison. Duckworth suggested that Congress consider devoting $100 million annually to aviation-workforce-development grants, a tenfold increase. That investment would pay off, witnesses told the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation. The committees hearing on Strengthening the Aviation Workforce is part of its work to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administrations funding and operations for the next five years. Cooperation among government, industry, and education leaders is essential to address the looming talent crisis in aviation, said Rebecca Lutte, distinguished professor at the University of Nebraskas Aviation Institute. Rebecca Lutte, distinguished professor at the University of Nebraskas Aviation Institute, speaks to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation in Washington, on March 16, 2023. (Janice Hisle/The Epoch Times via screenshot of live video) Aviation must attract and retain the best possible talent from the widest possible pool, she said, noting that women have historically been vastly underrepresented in that field. While much attention has focused on a purported shortage of pilots, the head of an international pilots union denies any such deficiency. Witnesses told the committee that they are more concerned about adding workers to fill important but less-noticeable positions such as aircraft mechanics. Capt. James Ambrosi, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, declared, The big airlines have far more pilots [now] than they had before the pandemic, and pilot-training programs are full. The problem, he said, is a training backlog. During the coronavirus pandemic, airlines furloughed pilots and made other cost-cutting measures while fighting to keep the lights on, Ambrosi said. Retraining all of those pilotsand new pilotsis time-consuming and costly, he said. But that problem will take care of itself as airlines get caught up with that training. Shortage of Technicians A more significant concern: By 2040, 134,000 technicians will be needed to support North American commercial airlines. The U.S. is ill-poised to meet that demand, Sheree Utash, president of Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech), said in written testimony. Young children know what a pilot is, but they are unfamiliar with all the people that make that plane fly, Utash stated during the hearing. WSU Techs National Center for Aviation Training has been working hard to attract young people and train them, she said, and the program has gained national recognition. The program annually draws dozens of high schoolers, and 92 percent of the programs graduates went on to work in Kansas aerospace jobs, she said. Delta Air Lines jets are parked at Kansas City International Airport, Mo., on May 14, 2020. (Charlie Riedel/AP Photo) Funding is needed for WSU Tech to expand its program to all Kansas high schools. Her school applied for federal grants but has been denied, she said. Utash said she reviewed other applications that were also turned down, apparently for lack of funding, and found many other equally worthy programs. Thats why she supports Duckworths proposal to boost grant funding dramatically. Lutte said a key to getting young people involved is to expose them early to the exciting world of aviation. Theres something about aviation that hooks you in from the first time that you look up and see the airplane, and you know thats your dream. The message needs to be clearer: If you have a passion for it, theres a place for you, Lutte said. Impact Is Global No other industry connects humanity like aviation; it expands to all corners of the globe and all aspects of our lives, she said in written testimony. She is particularly concerned that very few women are involved in aviation, which shrinks the industrys talent pool. A complex system of barriers impedes the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women in aviation, she said. That includes training costs, work-life balance concerns, and allegations of bias and harassment in the workplace. In a 2018 survey, 71 percent of aviation women reported experiencing sexual harassment in work settings. Despite such obstacles, Lutte said she remains hopeful and excited about future improvements. During her 30 years in aviation, Ive never seen so much momentum to expand the aviation workforce, she said. Ted Cruz Launches New Senate Probe, Demands Answer From Big Tech Chiefs Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is seen on stage during the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit held at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Fla., on July 22, 2022. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has launched a new Senate probe into Big Tech through the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation (CST). Cruz sent four letters to the chief officers of TikTok, Meta, Twitter, and Google asking for information about their platforms algorithms. In each of the four letters Cruz, the ranking member of the CST committee, cited each of the platforms use of proprietary algorithms that determine what kind of content does and does not make it to a users social media feed. As you are well aware, social media companies rely on algorithms to not only moderate content, but also to surface personalized recommendations to users, Cruz said. He emphasized the ways these algorithms play a tangible role in politics, noting that Recommendation systems play an increasingly ubiquitous role in selecting content for individual consumption, including by promoting some content, using product design elements to prominently display recommendations, and downranking or filtering disfavored content and accounts. Later in the letters, Cruz wrote, In a world where seven out of ten Americans receive their political news from social media, the manner in which content is filtered through recommendation systems has an undeniable effect on what Americans see, think, and ultimately believe. At their best, Cruz added, recommendations help users discover interesting or relevant content that they might not otherwise find on a platform. For instance, social media algorithms can connect users with people they may know, groups, artists, events, or posts that may be interesting, and other personalized relevant content. But at their worst, Cruz said, these algorithms can be a recipe for addiction and a pipeline to obscene or harmful material, or can be redirected for partisan ends. [R]ecommendation systems can also fuel platform addiction by feeding users an essentially infinite stream of content, Cruz said, adding that these algorithms can be especially dangerous when recommendations make it easier for vulnerable users, especially teenagers, to find objectively harmful content, such as content that promotes eating disorders and self-harm. During the last Congress, the Senate heard whistleblower testimony from a former Meta employee who revealed the ways that social media can guide users and young children to content like the kinds referenced by Cruz. The Twitter Files Cruz also cited the Twitter files, a trove of documents released by billionaire Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter. The documents revealed the ways that Twitter coordinated with the federal government to suppress certain ideas, stories, or perspectives. In comments on Fox News, Cruz said the Twitter files would be included in the investigation. Often, such suppression was carried out through the algorithms mentioned by Cruz, which can detect content that tech executives wish to limit the reach of. This can be done through outright removal of the content, suspension of a user or account, or through shadow banning, a covert means of ensuring that the reach of certain posts is highly restricted. Taken as a whole, these systems have an outsized impactwhether positive or negativeon the reach of content and accounts and, by extension, speech, Cruz wrote. Cruz relayed arguments from some critics who say that such limitations on the reach of content do not entail censorship or First Amendment concerns. In an article indicative of this attitude for WIRED, a critic of GOP attitudes toward Big Tech said, Freedom of speech does not equal freedom of reach. Cruz rejected this approach, saying: This kind of soft censorship is still censorship. Likewise, manual and algorithmic interventions that reduce the reach of contentincluding filtering content from recommendationsare analogous to other interventions, such as content removals, in that they still restrict the posters legitimate speech. Cruz cited as an example the targeted suppression of a 2020 New York Post story detailing findings from the laptop of then Presidential candidate Joe Bidens son Hunter Biden. The content of the laptop raised a series of ethical concerns for the Bidens. Photos found on the device showed the presidents son accompanied by an underage girl in lingerie; other photos show the younger Biden smoking crack cocaine. Section 230 Cruz fit the letter into an ongoing dispute about the privileges and obligations that Big Tech companies should honor. For most kinds of media curators, criminal laws against libel apply. Libel laws make an individual or firm legally responsible for untrue, harmful things they publish. Under section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, online media platforms are exempt from these laws, so long as they do not curate content. The exact definition of curation, however, is disputed. Liberal supporters of Big Tech policy often say that policies against purportedly harmful material, and the removal of such material, do not constitute curation. Conservatives have argued that because the user bases of social media platforms have a clear liberal bent, and because conservative content is more often removed or censored, that these platforms do act as censors. When the bill was passed, the Internet was in its early infancy; since then, it has become intimately integrated into the day-to-day life of many. Thus, many have called for a reconsideration of the 1996 legislation, which is nearly 30 years old. Cruz is not the only congressional Republican investigating Big Tech. Currently, Republicans are leading a series of investigations on issues ranging from Big Tech to potential influence-peddling by President Joe Biden in his sons business dealings. On Feb. 15, for instance, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) subpoenaed Big Tech executives as part of an ongoing investigation into the Weaponization of the Federal Government. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) also is investigating Big Tech as part of his own probe. Teslas Plans for Zero Rare Earth EV Motor Could Undermine Beijings Secret WeaponIts Rare Earth Monopoly Tesla cars are parked in front of a Tesla showroom and service center in Burlingame, Calif., on May 20, 2019. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) News Analysis At its 2023 Investor Day presentation in Texas, Tesla revealed its plans to produce its next generation EV motor without any rare earth minerals. As a global leader in the electric vehicle market, Teslas plan for zero rare earth permanent magnet motors, if successful, could have a significant impact on the rare earth marketparticularly Chinas rare earth monopoly. As the world transitions to clean energy, the demand for rare earths is really increasing dramatically, and not only will it be a little harder to meet that demand, but mining rare earths has environmental and health risks, said Colin Campbell, VP of Powertrain Engineering at Tesla. We have designed our next drive unit, which uses a permanent magnet motor, to not use any rare earth materials at all, he announced. Currently, Teslas Model Y uses three types of rare earth materials: approximately 500 grams of one, and 10 grams of two others. But in Teslas next generation permanent magnet motor, zero rare earths will be used, according to Campbells presentation. Campbell did not specify which materials would be used to replace the rare earth components. Tesla also stated that from 2017 to 2022, its use of rare earth materials in the Tesla Model 3 had decreased by 25 percent due to improved efficiency in its powertrain system. Shortly after Teslas announcement to remove rare earths from its EVs motors, Chinas largest rare earth supplier, Northern Rare Earth (600111.SHA), saw its stock price drop by nearly 10 percent as of March 10. The stock prices of two other major rare earth suppliers, China Rare Earth (0769.HKG) and Shenghe Resources (600392.SHA), also fell by 5.9 percent and 10 percent, respectively. Compared with the traditional excitation generators, permanent magnet motorsespecially rare earth permanent magnet motorshave higher magnetic energy product and coercive force: the ability to resist demagnetization. This makes them reliable and highly efficient. The energy conversion efficiency of rare earth permanent magnet motors typically reaches 90 percent, with the best achieving over 98 percent. However, the supply of rare earths has been highly monopolized by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). According to data released this year by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), in 2022, Chinas rare earth reserves accounted for 34 percent of the worlds known reserves, and its rare earth production accounts for 70 percent of global production. As a result, the supply and price of rare earths in the global market are largely under the control of the CCP. In addition, the supply of rare earths may not keep pace with the rapid expansion of the global EV market, especially Neodymium-Iron-Boron (NdFeB) permanent magnets, a key component in advanced electric motors. In the wake of heightened tensions between the United States and China, minimizing or eliminating the use of rare earth elements without affecting product performance would be beneficial to supply chain stability. Zero Rare Earth Technology May Have Wide Impact In 2022, Tesla delivered more than 1.31 million EVs, accounting for 18.2 percent of the global EV market and ranking first in the world. Since 2018, Tesla has taken over more than 60 percent market share of the American EV market. In Europe, Teslas Model Y and Model 3 were the two most popular EVs in 2022. This dominant position gives Tesla tremendous influence in the EV industry. According to rare earth consulting firm Adamas Intelligence, EV motors account for 12 percent of global consumption of NdFeB magnets, of which Tesla accounts for 15 percent to 20 percent. If Tesla succeeds in removing rare earths from its motors, Adamas estimates that the global market for NdFeB will lose only 2 to 3 percent of demand in the short term. However, in the long term, it is estimated to lose 3 to 4 percent at most, assuming Tesla can maintain its leadership position in the EV market. But this analysis did not take into account that other EV companies will likely follow suit if Tesla is successful, as this innovation has cost-saving potential and helps to rid industry reliance on the vulnerable and costly rare earth supply chain. In addition to new energy vehicles, rare earth permanent magnet motors are also used in several other areas, including wind turbines, traditional automotive motors, home appliances that use frequency conversion technology (air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, etc.), industrial robots, and energy-saving elevators. Therefore, the development of zero rare earth permanent magnet motor technology may have broader implications, potentially affecting demand for rare earths from China. Soil containing various rare earth elements for export at a port in Lianyungang, China, in a file photo. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) CCPs Secret Weapon The CCP sees rare earths as a political bargaining chip. In 2010, after China escalated its sovereignty dispute with Japan over the Diaoyu Islands, the CCP began restricting the export of all 17 rare earth materials to Japan as a means of coercion. This move alerted Western countries to the risks of relying on Chinese supply chains. The CCP has been establishing a so-called rare earth strategic reserve system since 2011, treating rare earths as strategic resources, and collecting and stockpiling large amounts of rare earth raw materials. At the same time, through a quota system that controls the total volume of rare earth mining and smelting in China, the CCP has concentrated rare earth production in the hands of a few government-controlled rare earth groups, further strengthening its control over global rare earth supply and prices. Beijing began seriously considering rare earth export restriction to the United States in May 2019, amid the escalation of U.S.-China trade war. Since the United States announced its decision to include Huawei on its Entity List, speculation has been rife that China may restrict or even stop its exports of rare earths to the United States, the CCPs mouthpiece Global Times warned in a May 2019 article. We believe that if the White House continues to intensify its pressure on China, it may only be a matter of time before China wields rare earths as a weapon. Around the same time, Peoples Daily also issued a harsh warning, saying that the United States should not underestimate Chinas ability to counteract. Texas Bill Enables Prosecutors to Hand Down Murder Charges for Producing, Selling Fentanyl Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw speaks with Gov. Greg Abbott at a news conference to discuss measures to address the problem of fentanyl in the state, in Beaumont, Texas, on Oct. 17, 2022. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images) The Texas Senate voted unanimously on March 15 to pass a bill that would increase the penalties for the manufacturing or distribution of fentanyl, including tougher penalties when an individual overdoses and dies. Senate Bill 645 was introduced by state Sen. Joan Huffman, a Republican, as part of the states tough-on-drugs approach amid the opioid epidemic. Under the bill, the penalty for manufacturing or delivering less than one gram of fentanyl would increase from a state jail felony to a third-degree felony. In cases where an individual overdoses and dies from fentanyl, the penalty would be enhanced to a second-degree felony, a move designed to address the one-pill scenario, in which individuals die after taking just one of the lethal pills. Additionally, the bill includes possession of fentanyl with intent to deliver in the organized criminal activity statute and clarifies penalty levels for drug offenses to ensure more efficient prosecution of these crimes. Death certificates must also include the term fentanyl poisoning if a toxicology examination finds that an amount of the drug sufficient enough to be considered lethal is present in the body, or autopsy findings are consistent with an opioid overdose as the cause of death, meaning prosecutors could effectively weigh murder charges. Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid that was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat acute pain. It is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. It is also extremely addictive. Texas Is Fighting Back As little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, which notes that around 42 percent of pills tested for fentanyl contained at least two milligrams of the drug, considered a potentially lethal dose. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 107,689 people in the United States died of drug overdoses and drug poisonings in the 12-month period ending in October 2022. Texas officials have said the growing border crisis and the influx of illegal immigrants have worsened the issue in the state, which has designated Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations. Mexican cartels are known to import fentanyl from China before pressing it into pills or mixing it into other counterfeit pills made to look like Xanax, Adderall, or oxycodone, and selling them to unaware buyers who then accidentally overdose. Cartels have also reportedly been using xylazine, a central nervous system depressant used to tranquilize animals, as a cutting agent for fentanyl. In a statement introducing her bill in January, Huffman noted that Gov. Greg Abbotts Operation Lone Star working with the Texas Department of Public Safety, has seized over 353 million lethal doses of fentanyl, which is enough to kill nearly every person in the United States. Senate Bill 645 sends a clear message to those manufacturing and peddling this lethal poison that the State of Texas is fighting back, said Huffman. Border Crisis Impacting Texas Drug Sales Every day, Texans are losing their lives to fentanyl, Huffman said. Because of our proximity to the border, we must pass legislation like SB 645 that will severely punish those who are flooding our communities with the most lethal street drug we have ever seen as a society. Huffmans bill would increase penalties for manufacturing, delivering, or possessing larger quantities of fentanyl. Under the bill, having 200 grams or more but less than 400 grams would be considered a first-degree felony, and come with a possible 10 years or life behind bars and a fine of up to $100,000. Possessing more than 400 grams would also be a first-degree felony punishable by at least 15 years in prison or a life sentence and a fine of up to $250,000. However, the bill may still face challenges among opponents, such as the nonprofit Network for Public Health Law, which argues that increasing penalties for those who possess and sell fentanyl do not work in improving or saving the lives of drug users, and instead serve to worsen the current epidemic. Instead, the nonprofit, along with some Democrat lawmakers, argue that harm reduction measures such as drug-checking equipment and increased distribution of naloxone, which is used to treat a narcotic overdose in emergency situations, are more effective. The drug may also face problems when it comes to actually proving whether the individual selling or distributing the drug knew that it contained fentanyl. Abbott praised the bills passing on Twitter, declaring: You kill Texans with fentanyl. You get charged with murder. Texas Education Agency Announces Takeover of Houston ISD People hold up signs at a news conference in Houston, Texas, on March 3, 2023, while protesting the proposed takeover of the city's school district by the Texas Education Agency. (Juan A. Lozano/AP Photo) Texas officials on Wednesday confirmed earlier rumors of the states takeover of Houston Independent School District. Education Commissioner Mike Morath announced the takeover in a letter to Houston ISD Superintendent Millard House II and the districts nine school board members (pdf). Republican Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Morath in 2015. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner (D) spoke out against the rumors earlier this month during a City Council meeting. Turner pointed out that several lawmakers had informed him of the Texas Education Agencys (TEAs) plan to take control of the district. In January, the Texas Supreme Court reversed a temporary injunction blocking the agency from replacing school board members with state managers. I have carefully reviewed the Texas Supreme Courts opinion. I have also considered the information presented by the district during the previously granted formal review, Morath wrote in the letter. As a result of those deliberations, and to best support the students, teachers, and school community of Houston ISD, I am appointing a Board of Managers to the district as an intervention action required by law, the letter continued. HISD is the largest public school district in Texas and the eighth-largest district in the country, with nearly 195,000 students attending its 274 schools. The TEA first attempted to oversee the district in 2019 following allegations of misconduct by school trustees, which included inappropriate influencing of vendor contracts, and years of low academic scores at Phillis Wheatley High School. The majority of the districts school board members have since been replaced. HISD sued to block the TEA from taking over the district. The following year, Texas lawmakers approved SB 1365, which lawyers for the TEA argued provided the agency authority to proceed with its plans. Superintendent Millard House, hired in 2021, developed a five-year plan to address the issues within HISD. I stepped into my role understanding the obstacles we faced as a district, including a looming TEA intervention. Todays announcement does not discount the gains we have made district-wide, House wrote on Twitter following the announcement. Since Houses taking over as superintendent, Wheatleys rating improved from unacceptable to a C during the 2021-2022 school year. I am proud to say, in the last 19 months, we have already seen vast improvements, House said in a statement. Because of the hard work of our students, teachers, and staff, we have lifted 40 of 50 schools off the D or F TEAs accountability ratings list. The superintendent said he would focus on working with school board members and the TEA to ensure a smooth transition without disruption to our core mission of providing an exceptional educational experience for all students. Since 1991, the state has taken control of 15 districts, including North Forest ISD, Shepherd ISD, La Marque ISD, and Kendleton ISD, all of which are in the Houston area, KHOU reported. Texas Judge Considering Fate of Abortion Pill; Ruling Expected As Soon As Possible A woman looks at an abortion pillRU-486, or mifepristonedisplayed on a smartphone in Arlington, Va., on May 8, 2020. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images) A federal judge in Texas will decide whether the abortion pill, mifepristone, should be restricted or taken off the market. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, who heard arguments from both sides during a hearing in Amarillo on Wednesday, told lawyers he would issue a ruling as soon as possible, the Associated Press reported. The hearing is part of a civil lawsuit filed in November against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, a coalition of pro-life medical groups and physicians that upholds and promotes the fundamental principles of Hippocratic medicine, according to its website. (pdf) Today we asked the court to put the health and wellbeing of women and girls first by undoing the harms that the FDA [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] has caused by illegally approving dangerous chemical abortion drugs and removing necessary protections, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) Senior Counsel Erik Baptist said in a statement on Wednesday following the hearing. ADF represents the plaintiffs, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, in the case. The plaintiffs lawyers had filed a motion seeking a preliminary injunction to remove mifepristone from the market, arguing the drug is unsafe and that it was improperly approved more than 20 years ago. Justice Department Lawyer Julie Strauss Harris for the FDA asked the court to deny the motion claiming the drug is safe and taking it off the market would cause harm to patients who rely on the drug, NPR reported. About the Drug In 2000, the FDA approved the chemical abortion pill for ending pregnancies at up to seven weeks gestation or less. In 2016, the FDA extended the use in pregnancies at up to 10 weeks gestation. Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, the abortion drug has been increasingly prescribed and has become the most common method of abortion in the United States. A policy implemented by the Biden administration allows the drugs to be distributed by mail. Last month, Attorney General Ken Paxton joined a Missouri-led multistate coalition warning pharmacies, including CVS, Walgreens, and others, not to send abortion-inducing drugs via mail. Many people are not aware that federal law expressly prohibits using the mail to send or receive any drug that will be used or applied for producing abortion,' the letter reads, adding that doing so is a federal crime. (pdf) Mifepristone (Mifeprex) and Misoprostol, the two drugs used in a chemical abortion, are seen at the Womens Reproductive Clinic, in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, on June 17, 2022. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images) How the Drug Works First, the woman takes mifepristone orally. The drug cuts off the supply of progesterone to the uterus. Progesterone is necessary for the baby to continue developing and growing. Next, 2448 hours later, the woman is instructed to take a second drug, misoprostol, to induce labor and delivery of the baby. Between January and October 2022, there were 17,203 abortions recorded by Texas Health and Human Services. Of those, 11,719 were chemical abortions. Arguments Each side had two hours to present their arguments during Wednesdays hearing. Lawyers for the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine argued that the FDA had overlooked the harmful complications of chemical abortion drugs. The [FDA] ignored the potential impacts of the hormone-blocking regimen on the developing bodies of adolescent girls in violation of the Pediatric Research and Equity Act (PREA), according to court documents. And the FDA disregarded the substantial evidence that chemical abortion drugs cause more complications than even surgical abortions. One study found that more than 35 percent of women who took the chemical abortion drugs visited the ER within 30 days, according to ADF. The FDA has also reduced the number of required in-person office visits for chemical abortion from three to one, expanded who can prescribe and administer the drugs, and eliminated the requirement for abortionists to report non-fatal complications, the documents state. ADF lawyers argued that the FDA did not have the authority to grant the drugs approval. It did so based on a regulation that authorizes the FDA to grant accelerated approval of certain new drug products that have been studied for their safety and effectiveness in treating serious or life-threatening illnesses and that provide meaningful therapeutic benefit to patients over existing treatments, according to the documents. The plain text is clear it applies to illnesses, Baptist for ADF argued. Mifepristone is used to end pregnancies, and pregnancy isnt an illness. Government lawyers said the terms of mifepristones use were replaced more than 10 years ago by subsequent FDA programs created by Congress, making the argument irrelevant. An injunction here would interfere with the interests of every state in the country, Straus Harris said. At one point during the hearing, the judge said that the ADF lawyers outline for the order of their arguments tracks the elements for an injunction nicely. Any relief you grant must be complete and apply nationwide, Baptist said. The harms of these abortion drugs know no bounds. Possible Outcome If the judge rules in favor of the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, the Justice Department would file an appeal and likely seek an emergency stay while the case proceeds. Kacsmaryk was appointed as a U.S. district judge of the Northern District of Texas by former President Donald Trump in 2019. A growing number of Korean businesses are paying into a government fund that is to compensate Korean victims of forced labor during the Japanese occupation. Steelmaker POSCO, which was among the prime beneficiaries of lump-sum reparations Japan paid under a 1965 treaty normalizing diplomatic relations, gave W4 billion for the fund on Wednesday (US$1=W1,304). "We decided to voluntarily contribute W4 billion based on a past agreement to contribute W10 billion," the steelmaker said. POSCO's board pledged back in 2012 to donate W10 billion to the fund and already paid W6 billion. KT, another beneficiary from the reparations, said it will "actively consider" paying into the fund. Tories Denounce Johnstons Appointment as Special Rapporteur on Foreign Interference New Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Gov. Gen. David Johnston at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Jan. 10, 2017. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld) The federal Conservatives are denouncing Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus appointment of former governor general David Johnston as the Liberal governments independent special rapporteur on foreign election interference. Trudeau announced Johnstons appointment to the role on March 15, saying in a news release that he made the decision following consultations with all parties in the House of Commons. However, sharp criticism came shortly after the appointment from one of the Conservative Partys deputy leaders and a number of its MPs. Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman pointed out that Johnston is a member of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, which made headlines in late February after a Globe and Mail report said a Chinese diplomat instructed a wealthy businessman with ties to the Chinese Communist Party to make a large donation to the Trudeau Foundation, for which the CCP would reimburse him. The foundations president announced just days after the story broke that it would be returning the $200,000 donation after learning of its potential connection between the Chinese government. Referring to Johnstons appointment as special rapporteur, Lantsman said the prime minister has appointed a Trudeau Foundation insider to tell us that we dont need a public inquiry into Beijings donations to the Trudeau Foundation & their election interference. They got $200,000 from Beijing, Lantsman wrote on Twitter on March 15, referring to the Trudeau Foundation. Maybe it would be best to find someone not associated with it? Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer made similar comments on the matter, calling the Trudeau Foundation a partisan group of elite insiders that received funding from Beijing. No one associated with it can be trusted on this issue. Call a public inquiry now, he wrote on Twitter on March 15. The Epoch Times contacted the foundation for comment but did not hear back. The foundation was created in the name of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau to provide scholarship programs. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said hes had no ties to the foundation since being elected to public office. Special Rapporteur As the independent special rapporteur on foreign interference, Johnston will have a wide mandate to look into foreign interference in the last two federal general elections and make expert recommendations on how to further protect our democracy and uphold Canadians confidence in it, according to Trudeaus March 15 news release. The release said a mandate for Johnstons role will be finalized in the coming days and made public. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has yet to comment on Johnstons appointment. However, the partys finance critic Jasraj Singh Hallan said on Twitter on March 15 that Johnston is another random Liberal tasked by Trudeau to support his corruption and scandals, while Conservative transport critic Mark Strahl repeated on the same day his partys call for a public inquiry into election interference. Strahl wrote on Twitter that Trudeau shouldnt be trying to protect himself and his party by appointing a family friend as special rapporteur. The prime minister called Johnston a family friend in 2017 at the end of Johnstons term as governor general. In the news release on March 15, Trudeau said he is confident that Johnstons review of foreign election interference allegations will be impartial. He added that his government will comply with and implement his [Johnstons] public recommendations, which could include a formal inquiry, a judicial review, or another independent review process. Noe Chartier and Marnie Cathcart contributed to this report. Trump Allies Pressure DeSantis Over Florida Resign-to-Run Law Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to Iowa voters gathered at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa, on March 10, 2023. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) A political action committee (PAC) allied with former President Donald Trump is seeking an ethics investigation against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a presumed challenger to Trumps bid to become the 2024 Republican presidential nominee. Taylor Budowich, head of a PAC called Make America Great Again Inc., alleges that DeSantis has been running an illegal shadow campaign for president of the United States while skirting Floridas resign-to-run law. The allegations, including concerns about DeSantis-aligned fundraising and expenditures, are detailed in a 15-page letter asking the Florida Commission on Ethics to investigate DeSantis activities. The PACs website says the groups mission is to ensure a second Trump administration and to promote America First candidates. But the PAC also cites a standard Federal Elections Commission (FEC) disclaimer, saying it is not authorized by any candidate or candidates committee. Responding to the PACs ethics accusation, Taryn Fenske, communications director for DeSantis, texted The Epoch Times: Adding this to the list of frivolous and politically motivated attacks. Its inappropriate to use state ethics complaints for partisan purposes. Lynn Blais, a spokeswoman for the ethics commission, told The Epoch Times that she could neither confirm nor deny whether a formal complaint was lodged against DeSantis or anyone else. Initial complaints with that office remain confidential. But she said that specified commission actions are made public, including findings of probable cause following investigations. Undeclared Candidate On Book Tour Budowichs letter says DeSantis is already a de facto candidate for president while conducting a multi-state tour to promote his new book. DeSantis tour began in Florida on Feb. 28. His book, The Courage to be Free: Floridas Blueprint for Americas Revival, soared to No. 1 on the New York Times Bestseller List. The Courage to Be Free: Floridas Blueprint for Americas Revival, by Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, soared to No. 1 on Amazon on the day of its release, Feb. 28, 2023. (Nanette Holt/The Epoch Times) Last week, the governor-author then traveled to Iowa and Nevada, both states that hold early presidential primaries. DeSantis book-promoting talks in those states were widely regarded as preludes to an official presidential campaign. Candidates vying for the Republican presidential nomination covet success in such states. So they try to woo voters there early and often. Yet DeSantis remains an undeclared presidential candidate. Trump declared his candidacy in November 2022. Since then, four others have jumped into the frayformer South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, entrepreneur and author Vivek Ramaswamy, Michigan businessman Perry Johnson and Steve Laffey, a former mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island. But none has drawn as much attention as the still-undeclared DeSantis. DeSantiss failure to declare his candidacy is no mere oversight; it is a coordinated effort specifically designed for him to accept, as unethical gifts, illegal campaign contributions, and certain personal benefits, Budowichs letter alleges. Budowich also claims that DeSantis actions have rendered him irreparably conflicted and have left the statehouse vacant while he embarks on his national book tour as cover for his presidential campaign. Governor DeSantis will be on his book tour for much of Floridas legislative session, Budowich wrote. He also urges the ethics commission to investigate the terms of DeSantis contract with his book publisher to ensure that such contractual relationship will not further conflict with the full and faithful discharge of his public duties. Resign-To-Run Law Presents Hurdle As governor of Florida and a presumptive presidential candidate, DeSantis faces an unusual predicament. Floridas resign-to-run law requires the resignation of any state officeholder who qualifies for an overlapping federal office term. However, when that resignation must be tendered is in dispute, The Epoch Times has reported. DeSantis became Floridas governor in 2019. In January, he began his second four-year term. If he resigns, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez will ascend to the governorship. Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez takes to the podium at the Republican National Convention in Washington on Aug. 25, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) A news release from Budowichs PAC says: Florida law has unique and unambiguous restrictions related to state officials accepting gifts, personally benefiting from outside income, and being influenced into making specific decisions. The PAC alleges that DeSantis improperly solicited and accepted gifts with the understanding that he will run for president and resign as Florida governor. Such activities are alleged to be in direct violation of state ethics laws, the spirit and the letter of the states resign-to-run law, and his commitment to Americas taxpayers, the PAC said. If the ethics commission investigates and finds DeSantis in violation, the PAC says the commission should penalize him, possibly by removing him from office and disqualifying him from any future ballot in Florida. Possible Law Change Draws Opposition Amid rumblings that some Florida lawmakers may be considering changing the resign-to-run law, opposition to such a plan has emerged. Laura Loomer. (Courtesy of Laura Loomer) The Citrus County Republican Club passed a resolution calling for enforcement of the existing right-to-run law, reports Laura Loomer, a former Congressional candidate who frequently comments on politics via social media. The resolution says that DeSantis should be obligated to hold office for the entire four-year term for which he was elected. The resolution also asserts that the law shouldnt be changed to accommodate any individuals political aspirations. Loomer wrote on Twitter that she drafted the Citrus County resolution as a concerned Florida citizen and voter, in cooperation with precinct committeemen from Lake and Citrus counties. On Twitter, Loomer predicted that additional counties would pass similar resolutions, asking state lawmakers to oppose any alteration of the right-to-run law. Truth Must Prevail: First Day of Citizens Inquiry Into Canadas COVID Measures A customers COVID-19 QR code is scanned at a restaurant in Montreal on Sept. 1, 2021, as the Quebec governments COVID-19 vaccine passport comes into effect. (The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes) The National Citizens Inquiry into the effectiveness of Canadas COVID-19 measures kicked off on March 16. Two physicians testified to the commission that they were removed from their positions for questioning whether the public health measures were doing more harm than good. The National Citizens Inquiry (NCI) describes itself as a citizen-led and citizen-funded initiative that is completely independent from government. It will examine how the pandemic measures put in place by all levels of government impacted Canadians in four categories: health, fundamental rights and freedoms, social well-being, and economic prosperity. In her opening statement, NCI Commissioner Janice Kaikkonen said she believes truth must prevail in all discussions around the pandemic. Im hoping for open discussion and debate to come back into this country, and that freedom of expression and our constitutional rights and freedoms are honoured to once again serve as the bedrock of our foundation, she said. NCI Commissioner Bernard Massie, who worked at the National Research Council of Canada as a biotechnology researcher for over 30 years, said during the pandemic he was hearing things from the scientific community and medical community which to me didnt jive with my understanding of the science. He continued, So thats why I thought I could join the inquiry and listen to people that can actually bring their perspective on what happened during this crisis. Over the course of two months, the inquiry is holding hearings in nine cities across Canada: Truro, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver. The commissioners are expected to produce a final report in late June. Since the NCI was first announced, over 50,000 Canadians have signed a petition calling for an independent inquiry into the governments COVID response. Former Reform Party leader Preston Manning chairs the group of citizens launching the NCI and he announced it in November 2022. He said during the announcement that the magnitude of the public health measures require a comprehensive, transparent, and objective inquiry. We need to determine what worked, what didnt, and how we can respond better in the future, Manning told reporters at the time. Manning said that while similar inquiries would usually be commissioned by governments under the provisions of the federal or provincial Inquiries Acts, in this case, the federal government would be investigating itself for wrongdoing, resulting in a biased inquiry. If the Liberal government took the initiative, the public would say this is a whitewash. But if the opposition gets too militant on it, people would say this is a witchhunt. So its best to keep the parties not directly involved, Manning said. The NCIs first witness was Dr. Chris Milburn, who has practiced medicine in Nova Scotia for 22 years. At the beginning of the pandemic, Milburn was Chief of Emergency Medicine for Eastern Nova Scotia, tasked with implementing pandemic policies and procedures in the region. Milburn said there were initially concerns that COVID-19 had a high mortality rate and that everyone was at risk. But he said a few months into the pandemic, it was clear that the risk profile was extremely low for young people with zero comorbidities. In Milburns area of Nova Scotia, there were just six COVID patients, all of whom were elderly or had comorbidities, he said. But this paled in comparison, he said, to the impacts that public health restrictions had on the health of people in the region. Because of hospital shutdowns, for instance, I can rhyme off several patients who died of cancerwho I believe didnt need to diebecause their care was delayed. I had patients who were scheduled for joint replacements who suddenly saw the waitlist stretch out over the horizon. I saw patients locked down in nursing homes stop eating and die because they were essentially prisoners and couldnt see their family, he said. Milburn testified that he sent several emails to higher-ups in public health, including Nova Scotias Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang, asking for justification for the COVID measures. I either got no response, or they said our committee decided during private meetings, but they didnt give any justifications, he said. Strangs office did not immediately reply to The Epoch Times inquiry. In June 2021, Milburn went on a radio show where he expressed concern about school closures, vaccine passports, and the safety and efficacy of vaccines. A week later, Milburn was removed from his position as Chief of Emergency Medicine for Eastern Nova Scotia for spreading vaccine hesitancy, he said. Milburn, who did get vaccinated for COVID-19, said he stands by his statements at the time that the vaccine was new and its side effects were unknown. Its just become more and more true over time. An Ontario Doctors Testimony Dr. Patrick Phillips testified that Ontarios College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPSO) temporarily suspended his medical license on May 3, 2022, for holding a medical opinion that is contrary to the public health directives. Phillips said that early on in the pandemic, he became concerned that public health measures were causing more harm to Canadians than the virus itself. Phillips said the pandemic switch from in-person medical care to phone-based care led to doctors basically doing guesswork on their patients, leading to a devastation to both the physical-health and the mental-health patients. According to Phillips, initial concerns that hospitals would be overrun with COVID patients ended up being unfounded. Our emergency rooms were empty and there was very little COVID in our communities. Nevertheless, because of the media, the people in our communities were still afraid to come in. When treating a 60-year-old woman suffering from COVID, Phillips prescribed her Ivermectin after having seen studies indicating the drug could reduce the virus mortality. He said the pharmacist reported him, and he was ordered to cancel that prescription. Health Canada has said there is no evidence that Ivermectin, a prescription antiparasitic drug, works to prevent or treat COVID-19, and it is not authorized for this use. When the COVID vaccines were rolled out in 2021, Phillips said he filled out a total of 10 Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) Reporting forms but all except one were rejected. The only AEFI form that was accepted was for a woman experiencing a light rash post-vaccination. Phillips testified that he also prescribed Ivermectin to a person he believed to be vaccine-injured. He said this improved her symptoms, but another pharmacist reported him and his license was temporarily restricted. Phillipss repeated prescribing of Ivermectin, handing out of vaccine and mask exemptions, and comments on social media eventually led to his license being suspended. The CPSO claimed that Phillips engaged in disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional conduct and that he failed to maintain the standard of practice of the profession in relation to his communications around COVID-19 and related issues. As far as providing treatment with Ivermectin, providing exemptions to people who are being coerced against their will, for reporting adverse events, and speaking out on social media to give people the other side of the story I would totally do that again, even knowing I would lose my license, Phillips said. Two Edmonton Police Officers Fatally Shot While Responding to Early Morning Call Police investigate the scene where two officers were shot and killed on duty in Edmonton on March 16, 2023. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press) EDMONTONTwo Edmonton police officers were shot and killed while responding to a call early on March 16. According to a social media post by Staff Sergeant Michael Elliott, former president of the Edmonton Police Association, the incident happened near the neighbourhood of Inglewood in northwest Edmonton. No words can describe what our members & their families are feeling at this moment. Our entire service & community are mourning & Im devastated, Elliott said. Police have closed access to the area of the incident and set up command posts in the area. Police Chief Dale McFee and other authorities will be making statements on the tragedy later today. Condolences from police agencies and other officials poured in from across the country. Jon Reid, president of the Toronto Police Association, said it was devastating to hear the tragic news. There are no words to describe how our members & their families are feeling today, he said. The Calgary Police Service also offered its condolences. With immense sadness and heavy hearts we mourn the tragic loss of two @edmontonpolice officers killed in the line of duty. We share in the profound grief and loss of the fallen officers. They made the ultimate sacrifice in serving their communities. On behalf of the CPS, we send our deepest condolences to their families, friends and colleagues, the police force said. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also issued a statement on the tragedy. Every day, police officers put themselves in harms way to keep people safe. The news that two Edmonton Police officers have been killed in the line of duty reminds us of that reality. Im sending my condolences to the officers loved ones and colleagues were here for you, he said. Before the latest incident, Constable Daniel Woodall was the last Edmonton police officer killed while on duty, on June 8, 2015. He was attempting to make an arrest of a suspect on charges of criminal harassment. A second officer was injured in that shooting. The Canadian Press contributed to this report. Two Young Edmonton Police Officers Killed in Line of Duty Identified Edmonton Police Chief Dale McFee provides details about two police officers who were shot and killed on duty in Edmonton on Thursday, March 16, 2023. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press) EDMONTONConst. Travis Jordan and Const. Brett Ryan have been identified by the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) as the two officers killed on March 16 while on duty. Jordan was 35 years old, and had served eight and a half years with the EPS. Ryan was 30 years old, and had been a police officer with the force for five and a half years. Chief Dale McFee provided the details at a news conference on March 16, alongside Alberta Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis, Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, and other police officials. Constables Jordan and Ryan were valued members of our EPS family. I cant tell you how devastated we are with their loss, McFee said. Calling the murder of the two officers an unthinkable and horrific tragedy, McFee said the police would be providing statements and updates as information becomes available. Travis Jordan, 35, was fatally killed while on duty in Edmonton on March 16, 2022. (Courtesy of Edmonton Police Services) Constable Brett Ryan, 30, was fatally killed while on duty in Edmonton on March 16, 2022. (Courtesy of Edmonton Police Services) At approximately 12:47 am, Constables Jordan and Ryan, of EPS West Division, responded to a family dispute, at an apartment building near 114 Avenue and 132 Street in northwest Edmonton, according to police. Upon arrival the two patrol members went inside building, approached the suite and were shot by a male subject. At this time, all indications are, they did not have a chance to discharge their firearms, said McFee. Jordan and Ryan were rushed to hospital by fellow police officers who worked valiantly to save their lives en route, said the chief. Both officers were declared dead at the hospital. McFee said a young male subject is also deceased, believed to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The female who called 911, was related to the subject, police said. She was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries, and remains in serious, but stable condition, according to police. We ask for your patience and understanding for our members, and the multiple families impacted by todays incidents. Please give space to our officers who are mourning their colleagues. We are all grieving, McFee said. Ellis extended condolences from the government of Alberta and said this was a reminder of how dangerous police work is on a daily basis. As a former police officer myself, this hits very close to home, he said. Tell my brothers and sisters out there, my heart is with you. A visibly tearful Sohi also spoke, saying, Im here before you today with a very heavy heart. We are all devastated. The contributions of Const. Ryan and Const. Jordan will always be remembered. When you see an officer working to keep you safe and other community safe, please thank them for their service, he said. Premier Danielle Smith and Ellis issued a joint statement following the news conference, declaring their support for the police service. Alberta would not be the great province it is today without the support of the courageous men and women who patrol our streets every day to keep our communities protected, the statement said. The province is here to support the Edmonton Police Service during this tragic loss. To honour the service and dedication of these lost officers, the flags at the legislature will be lowered to half-mast. UK Bans TikTok From Government Phones The TikTok startup page is displayed on an iPhone in Ottawa on Feb. 27, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick) The UK on March 16 became the latest to ban the Chinese social media app TikTok on government devices, following similar moves by Belgium, the European Union, Canada, and the United States. It also comes after TikTok stated that its facing a total ban in the United States unless the companys Beijing-based parent ByteDance sells its stake. Announcing the ban in parliament, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Oliver Dowden said the decision is based on an official review which concluded that it is clear that there could be a risk around how sensitive government data is accessed and used by certain platforms. Social media apps collect and store huge amounts of user data, including contacts, user content, and geolocation data. On government devices, that data can be sensitive, he said. The TikTok ban applies to government corporate devices within ministerial and nonministerial departments but not personal devices. Very limited exemptions can be granted when its required for operational reasons by security teams on a case-by-case basis, with ministerial clearance provided as appropriate, according to Dowden. Access to third-party apps will also be limited to a list of pre-approved apps. Dowden said the measure has already been in use in some departments and will now be rolled out to all government departments, agencies, and arms-length bodies. Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden announces the ban of TikTok on government devices in the House of Commons in London on March 16, 2023. (House of Commons via PA) Asked about the devolved administrations, Dowden responded to deputy opposition leader Angela Rayner that he had written to the leaders in Scotland and Wales and the appropriate officials in Northern Ireland regarding the matter. He also said the government is updating the guidance on noncorporate communications to ensure a consistent approach across the government. Former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith, a co-founder of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, urged the government to go further and ban TikTok on ministers and senior officials private devices because they are and will be used for government businesses. Dowden defended the governments approach, saying its the correct approach on balance. Because its the case that many social media apps have huge amounts of data harvesting, and it is also the case that sophisticated foreign hostile state actors are perfectly capable of using many mechanisms to obtain bulk data aside from direct ownership. So on the balance, we believe that this is the correct approach, he said. Representatives from TikTok and ByteDance didnt respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment. Other Bans The Epoch Times previously revealed that ByteDance had been employing Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members in its highest ranks. The company, like many organisations in China, is also bound by the regimes National Intelligence Law, which requires all organisations and citizens to support, assist, and cooperate with national intelligence efforts. TikTok has said that users personal data collected by the app can be remotely accessed in China but denied it had or would ever provide the data to the CCP. The promise has done little to assure security experts who warned against trusting the Chinese regime. Arthur Herman, a senior fellow at the U.S. think tank the Hudson Institute, previously told The Epoch Times that the app harvests an enormous amount of data that can be used to picture, in the case of the United States, where American vulnerabilities lie. Its algorithms can also turn the app into a brainwashing app by filtering content disliked by the CCP. A growing number of jurisdictions have banned the app on official devices over security concerns. India banned TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps in June 2020, while Taiwan banned TikTok and some other Chinese apps on state-owned devices and in December 2022 launched a probe into the social media app over suspected illegal operations on the island. Earlier this month, the White House ordered the removal of the TikTok app from all government devices and systems within 30 days, following similar moves in some U.S. states. EU bodiesthe European Commission, the Council of the European Union, and the European Parliamentbanned their officials from having TikTok on government and personal phones earlier this month. UK, German Fighter Jets Intercept Russian Plane Near Estonia British and German air force fighter jets are scrambled to intercept a Russian aircraft flying close to Estonian airspace on March 14, 2023. (Ministry of Defence via AP) LONDONBritish and German air force fighter jets were scrambled to intercept a Russian aircraft flying close to Estonian airspace, the UK Defense Ministry said Wednesday, amid mounting concerns about confrontation in the skies near Russia and Ukraine. The UK and Germany are conducting joint air policing missions in Estonia as part of NATO efforts to bolster its eastern flank in response to Russia. The Typhoon jets responded Tuesday after a Russian air-to-air refueling aircraft failed to communicate with Estonian air traffic control, the UK ministry said. The Russian plane didnt enter the airspace of Estonia, a NATO member. British and German planes are patrolling together as part of the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission until the end of April. Wing Commander Scott Maccoll, Commander of the Royal Air Forces 140 Expeditionary Air Wing, said it was great to see the UK and German elements operate as one team. UK armed forces minister James Heappey said this joint UK and German deployment in the Baltics clearly demonstrates our collective resolve to challenge any potential threat to NATOs borders, whilst demonstrating our combined strength. Such interceptions are routineeven before Russia invaded Ukraine last year, NATO planes were involved in about 400 interceptions a year with Russian aircraft. Germanys Defense Ministry said Tuesdays incident was the 28th time Luftwaffe planes had scrambled since German forces were stationed in Estonia last summer. But the incident comes amid heightened tensions after a collision between a Russian jet and a U.S. drone over the Black Sea. Washington and Moscow gave conflicting accounts of Tuesdays incident. The United States said a Russian Su-27 fighter jet struck the propeller of a MQ-9 Reaper drone, and U.S. forces had to bring down the unmanned craft. Russia said the drone crashed after making a sharp maneuver. The incident appeared to be the first time since the height of the Cold War that a U.S. aircraft was brought down after an encounter with a Russian warplane. It highlighted the risk of confrontation between Russia and the West amid the war in Ukraine. UK Health Group Warns Over Fast Track Drug Approval Plans A nurse uses a wireless electronic tablet to order medicines from the pharmacy at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images) A new government partnership plan to fast-track new medical products by piggybacking on international drug regulators risks turning the UK watchdog into a pharmaceutical industry enabler, a health pressure group is warning. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced on Wednesday that 10 million will be given to the UK regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), to help streamline approvals for new medical products. Under the plans, drugs that have already been approved by regulators elsewhere could be rubber-stamped with rapid, often near automatic sign-off in the UK. The first regulatory partners MHRA intends to build new recognition routes with are agencies in the USA, Europe, and Japan. The MHRA said it will still be responsible for the approval of all recognition route applications. Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt leaves 11 Downing Street with his ministerial box, before delivering his Budget at the Houses of Parliament, London, on March 15, 2023. (Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire) Near Automatic Sign-Off In his Budget speech on Wednesday, Hunt said: We are lucky with the MHRA to have one of the most respected drugs regulators in the world, indeed the very first to licence a COVID vaccine. From 2024, they will move to a different model which will allow rapid, often near automatic sign-off for medicines and technologies already approved by trusted regulators in other parts of the world such as the United States, Europe or Japan. At the same time from next year, they will set up a swift new approval process for the most cutting-edge medicines and devices to ensure the UK becomes a global centre for their development. And with an extra 10m of funding over the next two years they will put in place the quickest, simplest, regulatory approval in the world for companies seeking rapid market access. Alison Dennis, life sciences expert at international law firm Taylor Wessing, said: The MHRA has had to recognise that outside the EU, the UK is a relatively small market and for which a separate regulatory system would be a barrier to placing medicines and devices on the market. By recognising other authorities decisions (both for medicines and devices), the MHRA can ensure that regulation is not a barrier to market entry into the UK, she added. Enabler of the Pharmaceutical Industry Consultant pathologist Dr. Clare Craig told The Epoch Times that she believed that the MRHA was at risk of moving from watchdog to becoming an enabler of the pharmaceutical industry. Craig is part of HART, a group of UK doctors, scientists, and other academic experts set up to share concerns about policy and guidance recommendations relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thats the first strategy, to become an enabler of the pharmaceutical industry. But thats not what the public needs them for, the public needs them to be a watchdog, she said. Craig said that there isnt a campaign where patients are saying things are moving too slowly. It doesnt mean that patients cant get drugs that they need, because doctors are able to prescribe things off-license if the circumstances mean that thats a sensible thing to do, she added. Its being spun as if there are all these patients who are desperate to have drugs and they just, they miss out on them because it wasnt approved in a 100 days and thats just a fancy really, thats not the issue, she said. HART has criticised and written to MRHA regarding short and long-term safety concerns about COVID-19 vaccines, especially for children. I think watching the last few years has shown that we need to be doing the opposite and getting them to be more careful about safety, she said. Craig said that authorities need to be independent, otherwise it could serve the interests of pharmaceutical companies. She said that there is a ridiculous sort of peer pressure to race to become the first to approve. Then once that one of them does it, it becomes very, very hard for another regulator at the country to go against that tide, she added. Ambitious Vision Academics as well as representatives of the pharmaceutical industry welcomed the Chancellors news. Sir Martin Landray, professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Oxford, said the plan makes sense. So a default position of adopting an approval that has been issued by another sophisticated regulator such as U.S. FDA or European Medicines Agency makes sense, and frees up resource to focus on medicines that have particular scientific or clinical issues or where approvals in other countries seem inappropriately slow for non-scientific reasons, he said. In a statement, British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) Chief Executive Richard Torbett said: The Chancellor has announced welcome support for the MHRA. An increase in long-term funding, measures to speed up approvals for new medicines, and a commitment to increase collaboration with global regulators will all support pharmaceutical companies bringing new medicines to UK patients, he added. The Epoch Times contacted the MRHA for comment. PA Media contributed to this report. UK Prepared to Consider Leaving ECHR If It Blocks Illegal Immigration Bill: Raab Britain is prepared to consider leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) if it prevents the government from implementing its plans to crack down on illegal immigration, Justice Secretary Dominic Raab has warned. The Illegal Migration Bill, unveiled on March 7, aims to ban anyone who arrives in the UK illegally from claiming asylum. If it becomes law, illegal entrants will be swiftly removed from the UK to their home country or a safe third country like Rwanda, and will be banned from reentry. The bill would enable powers to be granted to detain immigrants for 28 days without recourse for bail or judicial review, and then indefinitely for as long as there is a reasonable prospect of removal. Illegal immigrants react onboard UK Border Force vessel HMC Speedwell after being picked up at sea, as they are brought into the Marina in Dover, southeast England, on Dec. 21, 2021. (Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images) Opposition parties and pro-immigration campaigners have claimed that the bill is incompatible with the UKs obligations under the ECHR. The Strasbourg-based ECHR has acted against the UKs immigration policy before. In 2022, the court granted an injunction that effectively grounded a UK deportation flight sending illegal immigrants to Rwanda. But the government said it believes the bill is consistent with the convention and said it is ready to fend off any legal challenges. Talking to the House of Lords Justice Committee on Wednesday, Raab said: We are committed to staying within the ECHR but weve said if asked that we could not rule out forever and a day that we would have to revisit that position. But that would depend on the responsiveness of the Strasbourg court to the vital issues that we are trying to pursue in this country including stopping the small boats. Raab said he had already met with senior ECHR judges to discuss the UK governments concerns over the courts injunctions against deportation flights. UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman arrives in Downing Street, central London, on March 7, 2023. (Leon Neal/Getty Images) Compatibility in Question Home Secretary Suella Braverman has previously admitted that the new bill may come into conflict with the UKs obligations under the ECHR. In a letter to Conservative MPs and peers last week, she wrote, This does not mean that the provisions in the Bill are incompatible with the convention rights, only that there is a more [than] 50 percent chance that they may not be. Both Houses will have an opportunity to thoroughly scrutinise the bill and, once approved, the measures in the bill will have been expressly endorsed by Parliament and we would expect the courts to take that into account, she added. On the front page of the Illegal Migration Bill, Braverman acknowledged that she cannot assure Parliament that the legislation is compatible with the convention but adds that the government nevertheless wishes the House to proceed with the bill. Announcing the bill in the House of Commons on March 7, the home secretary alluded to the bills legal complexities. Some of the nations finest legal minds have been, and continue to be involved in, its development, she said. Braverman said last years ruling by the Strasbourg court which grounded a flight to Rwanda was deeply regrettable. She told MPs: We are addressing that particular issue in this bill to avoid that scenario playing out again. But in our view this bill complies with our international obligations and we must take these measures now promptly. Up For the Fight Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks during a press conference following the launch of new legislation on illegal Channel crossings, at Downing Street, central London, on March 7, 2023. (Leon Neal/Getty Images) Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he is up for the fight against any legal challenges to his plan to crack down on illegal immigration via small boats in the English Channel. According to government figures, a record 45,755 illegal immigrants arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel in 2022. More than 3,000 have already made the journey this year. Sunak named stop the boats as one of the five priorities of his premiership. At a Downing Street press conference on March 7, the prime minister said the government is prepared to challenge any legal action. Of course were up for the fight, I wouldnt be standing here if we werent, he said, adding, But were confident that well win. Sunak said there is absolutely nothing improper about his new legislation and said he is confident the government would win any court action. We believe we are acting in compliance with international law, in compliance with the ECHR, and if challengedas you may well be right, weve seen in these matters we do get challengedwe will fight that hard because we believe were doing the right thing and it is compliant with our obligations, he added. Sunak said we dont believe it is necessary to leave the ECHR but did not rule out the move when asked at his press conference. PA Media contributed to this report. US Attorneys General Condemn Credit Card Firms After Pause on Gun Sale Code After Visa and Mastercard paused work on a merchant payment code (MCC) to detect gun sales in the United States, a coalition of Democrat attorneys general condemned the move on Thursday. Both Visa and Mastercard, the two largest credit card firms in the United States, confirmed to The Epoch Times last week they would halt work on the category code as a number of states have advanced legislation that would restrict its usage. Because of the legislation, it would cause confusion and inconsistency, the firms said. The code, aimed at identifying firearms sellers, would identify the type of store where consumers shopped, though not the individual items they bought. Gun rights groups said that it would represent a serious breach of privacy and also potentially lead to infringements on Americans Second Amendment rights. However, a coalition of 14 attorneys general issued a letter to the two companies and accused them of bowing to political pressure. The letter was led by Democrat New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin. We see no valid reason why these companies, who process millions of transactions in firearms, ammunitions, gun kits, and more, would renege on their pledge to take steps to help flag potential gun traffickers and mass shooters, said Platkin in the letter. Others who joined Platkin include attorneys general in Delaware, Massachusetts, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia, according to his office. Platkin dismissed Republican claims that using an MCC would hardly be an invitation to violate the Second Amendment, but failing to apply it is an invitation to criminals to purchase firearm products with impunity and commit violent acts in our communities. We implore Mastercard, Visa, Discover, and American Express to stand up and make good on their pledge to help protect against gun violence, he said. Their actions can help prevent innocent school children and others from dying needlessly at the hands of a gunman. Sens. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) have also called on federal regulators to help speed up the adoption of the code by payment networks. Meanwhile, gun control activists said the payment card companies were caving in to political pressure, and that critics have misrepresented the surveillance risks of the new code, which cannot track individual items purchased. Reasons Why In explaining why the code wouldnt be used, a spokesperson for Mastercard said it would cause inconsistency regarding how it could be used. Its for that reason that we have decided to pause work on the implementation of the firearms-specific MCC, a spokesperson said. Weapons at a gunworks store in Delray Beach, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) There is now significant confusion and legal uncertainty in the payments ecosystem, and the state actions disrupt the intent of global standards. Accordingly, Visa is pausing implementation of the MCC, a Visa spokesperson told The Epoch Times last week. An American Express spokesperson told Reuters that cited state bills were driving the companys decisions. Discover Financial Services said it was removing the new code from its next network update planned for April to continue alignment and interoperability with the industry. The Epoch Times has contacted Visa and Mastercard for comment following Thursdays letter. Last week, when the firms announced the change, Republicans celebrated the move. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) wrote: Ive led efforts pushing back on attempts to block legal transactions and tracking gun purchases. Law-abiding gun owners should not be discriminated against. The companies shouldnt just pause their implementation of this plan they should end it definitively, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, a Republican, said in a statement. The Geneva-based International Organization for Standardization approved the new MCC in September to help detect suspicious firearms and ammunition sales. Reuters contributed to this report. Relations chilled to less than zero when the Supreme Court here ruled in 2018 that a 1965 treaty between the two countries cannot override individual claims for compensation and ordered Japanese firms to pay. Their meeting heralds the resumption of annual shuttle diplomacy after Korea announced plans to compensate victims of forced labor during the Japanese occupation from a fund financed by Korean businesses. President Yoon Suk-yeol arrived in Japan for a two-day visit on Thursday and meets with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in the afternoon. Yoon and Kishida will now discuss the lifting of export restrictions Japan placed on high-tech semiconductor materials in retaliation, and the resumption of regular security consultations. The two leaders apparently see eye to eye on setting up a joint committee promoting business cooperation. Kishida is expected to suggest a roadmap to put Korea back on Japan's whitelist of favored trading partners. The Korean government has already come up with 100 joint projects to pursue with Japan in the fields of new technology. In an interview with Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun daily, Yoon said trilateral cooperation between Seoul, Tokyo and Washington to deal with the North Korean nuclear threat is "very important." Just a couple of hours before Yoon's departure, North Korea fired another intercontinental ballistic missile into the East Sea at around 7 a.m., which brings home the need for closer security cooperation between Seoul and Tokyo. But Yoon faces considerable opposition to his compensation plan. The Japan Business Federation already expressed its willingness to contribute to a proposed scholarship fund for young people, but companies like Nippon Steel and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries that were directly responsible for forcing Koreans to labor during World War II apparently do not intend to take part. It also remains unclear whether Kishida will promise to abide by previous Japanese apologies and admissions of guilt for the country's wartime atrocities. US Senators Introduce Legislation to Track, Identify High-Altitude Balloons Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a suspected Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon that was downed by the United States over the weekend over U.S. territorial waters off the coast of Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Feb. 5, 2023. (U.S. Fleet Forces/U.S. Navy photo/Handout via Reuters) U.S. Sens. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) introduced legislation on March 15 that would enable the government to monitor and identify high-altitude balloons operating in the nations airspace. Budd and Kelly put forth the SOAR Act following a flurry of U.S. military interventions last month with flying objects in the skies above the nation. (SOAR Act is the short form of Seeing Objects at Altitude Regularly Act.) North Carolina Republican candidate for Senate, Rep. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), celebrates his Republican nomination at a primary election night watch party at Kinderton in Bermuda Run, N.C., on May 17, 2022. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images) A U.S. Air Force fighter jet shot down what was later determined to be a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4. The balloon had traveled from Alaska over Canada and then across the continental United States before being intercepted. China maintains that the object that the United States shot down was a weather balloon that had traveled off course. U.S. military fighter jets soon shot down three more flying objectsall of which remain unidentifiedon Feb. 10 above the waters off Alaska, on Feb. 11 over the Canadian Yukon territory that borders Alaska, and on Feb. 12 over Lake Huron near Michigan. Budd and Kelly are particularly concerned about surveillance balloons. The recent shootdown of a Chinese spy balloon that traversed the skies over our country for more than a week highlights the immediate need for the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] to re-evaluate how we track objects flying over American airspace, Budd said in a joint statement. Kelly said, At a time when our adversaries are using hostile surveillance tactics, there is no reason why our country should have to wonder whether an object in our airspace is a threat, weather balloon, or science project. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) speaks during the Senate Finance Committee hearing on the nomination of Chris Magnus to be the next U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner, on Capitol Hill on Oct. 19, 2021. (Rod Lamkey/Pool/AFP via Getty Images) The senators may be considered a particularly appropriate lawmaking tandem to take on airspace, national security, and safety matters. Kelly is a decorated Navy combat fighter pilot and astronaut who spent more than 50 days in space and commanded the Space Shuttle Endeavour on its final mission. Budd is a licensed private airplane pilot. Elements of the SOAR Act A provision of the SOAR Act calls on the FAA to create the Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC), which would be made up of members from the aviation industry, including aviation experts and representatives from the Department of Defense. The ARC would develop and make recommendations to assist the FAA in updating, improving, and introducing new regulations and technologies that the FAA uses to track and identify high-altitude balloons. The SOAR Act requires that, within two years, any high-altitude balloon traveling and positioned higher than 10,000 feet above sea level must have tracking technology that sends and emits data on the balloons altitude, identity, and location. The legislation also directs the FAA to coordinate and work with the International Civil Aviation Organization to develop equivalent standards for high-altitude balloons launched elsewhere in the world. Vaccine Makers, Immune From Liability Aaron Siri talks about taking on Big Pharma, the most protected industry in America If the product is safe, asks Aaron Siri, why does the manufacturer need blanket immunity to liability for injuries the product causes? In a recent episode of American Thought Leaders, host Jan Jekielek and Siri discussed vaccine manufacturers and their unprecedented protections from liability for injuries and even death caused by their products. Siri, a managing partner at Siri & Glimstad, has led several high-profile lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers and federal health agencies since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jan Jekielek: Youre very serious about mandates of any foreign substance being put into someones body, and your firm has done a number of related court cases, most recently around the COVID-19 genetic vaccines. How did you get into this? Aaron Siri: I was a commercial litigator for years. Somebody I had worked with contacted me and said, Im going to work for the Department of Justice. Ive got a case where this nurse was seriously injured from a flu shot, and I cant represent her, because Id be conflicted. Its the Department of Justice that defends against lawsuits brought by people claiming a vaccine injury. If youre injured by a vaccine, you cant sue the manufacturer, you have to sue the federal government, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, through the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. He asked if I would be interested, and I took the case, and we ended up obtaining compensation. Id taken on a number of related cases as well. Mr. Jekielek: So youre suing the secretary of Health and Human Services? Mr. Siri: That was one of the first things I learned about vaccines. I was always told the vaccines are safe. If the product is safe, why does the manufacturer need blanket immunity to liability for injuries the product causes? If its safe, there shouldnt be any injuries or there should be one in a million, as you often hear. So why did they get this immunity? After the vaccine manufacturers asked Congress to give them this immunity, claiming that otherwise they would be forced to stop producing three routine childrens vaccines because of the liability costs, in 1986 Congress granted them immunity. Had Congress done nothing, and just let the market forces do what they do, would those vaccine manufacturers have gone out of business? No, theyre in the business to make money. They probably would have retooled and made a better, safer product. But Congress gave them immunity, not only for those three vaccines, but for any future recommended childhood vaccines. That act of immunity has set off the cascade of events we see today around these vaccines: how the public views them, how our health authorities treat them, and how pharma has been able to run amok. Mr. Jekielek: Youve been involved in quite a few high-profile cases. One is the V-safe lawsuit. What is that? Mr. Siri: The core of our vaccine practice is the vaccine policy work. Most of that is done on behalf of the nonprofit Informed Consent Action Network. They asked us to get the data from the V-safe database. The V-safe database is what the CDC calls its premier safety system for COVID-19 vaccines. For decades, the CDC said that their VAERS [Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System] database was their premier database for assuring vaccine safety. But just as the first COVID vaccine was about to be authorized in December 2020, the CDC and the FDA changed their tune, after lots of reports started coming into VAERS. They said there were issues with VAERS and rolled out V-safe. In designing V-safe, the CDC offered a list of check-the-box options regarding the vaccine. One category asked questions of people: Did they need medical care? Did they miss school or work? Were they unable to perform normal daily duties? ICAN, my client, wanted to know at what rate people needed medical care after a COVID-19 vaccine. We asked the CDC to provide that data, but it refused. As usual with our health agencies, despite their claims of transparency, we had to sue them in federal court to get the information. They finally capitulatedit took almost a year and a halfand provided the data. We then saw why they didnt want the public to have it, because it showed that 7.7 percent of V-safe users, out of a little over 10 million users, reported needing medical care after a COVID-19 vaccine. These 10 million users were the enthusiasts, the ones clamoring for the shot. Nobody was yet being mandated to get it. When 7.7 percent are reporting they needed medical care, its probably a good reflection of the full population that got the vaccine. Another 25 percent reported being unable to go to school or work and to perform normal daily activities. So 32 percent of folks reported having some issue. Whats concerning here is the CDC transparency. During the year and a half they were hiding this data from the public while we fought to get it, they published over a dozen studies using V-safe data to assure the public these vaccines were safe. But those studies only included the first week of V-safe data reporting, of people needing medical care after the shot. And that rate was something like half a percent. But this idea that the first week is representative of safety, they know thats not the case. For the first six weeks, for example, the numbers are way larger. They never disclosed this to the public. By the way, COVID has made many people really look at vaccines for the first time. They saw the clinical trials, the coercion, the rollout, and how some of the science was being mucked with on natural immunity. Theyre now paying attention. Scientists who take issue with these products are getting on the media and being interviewed. But there were such scientists for many of the other vaccines. I know them. Mr. Jekielek: Are you telling me this has happened in the past, just on a smaller scale? Mr. Siri: From my vantage point, what is happening with the COVID vaccine is little different from what has happened with other vaccines in the past. The difference is the publics interest in this particular vaccine and the views of those not in lockstep with pharma and the health agencies. Mr. Jekielek: But presumably because you see a safety signal early on, you can stop the use of a product, which has happened before. Mr. Siri: There are basically two ways you can assure product safety. The way you really assure it is letting class action and product liability attorneys sue the manufacturer if their product has a safety issue. With the vaccine manufacturers immune from legal action, you have taken away the primary way we can assure product safety in this country. Regulatory oversight is the second way we assure safe products, but its far weaker in this case. The Department of Health and Human Services is the department under which you have the CDC, the FDA, the NIH, and a list of over 20 health agencies. That department is responsible for promoting vaccines, yet its also responsible for the safety of vaccines. Those two things are in conflict. You tell an agency to promote this product, and then you tell them to ensure its safety. Finding any safety issue undermines the promotion function, leaving our health agencies in many ways hopelessly conflicted. Mr. Jekielek: Are you an anti-vaxxer? Mr. Siri: We get labeled with that pejorative. But these groups out there are fighting for everybody, even those who dont realize it. ICAN, the nonprofit we represent, isnt looking to take a vaccine away from anybody. Theyre not looking to pass laws that prevent you from getting shots. Theyre fighting to assure your rights to informed consent and bodily integrity, and your right to say no. Its that ability to say no that is so critical, because it is the last stop on that train to protect you and your child from a product that you think might harm you or your child. If you cant do that without being kicked out of school, thrown out of your job, or excluded from civil society, then you dont really have the right to say no. And hopefully one day, we will recognize that these nonprofits were performing an incredible public service. Mr. Jekielek: A subcommittee on the weaponization of the federal government has been formed. If you had a wish list for this committee, what would that be? Mr. Siri: First, that the federal government would stop coercing people to get medical products they dont want. Second, that the government quit violating the First Amendment by trying to control the media and social media. I hope we can return to appreciating and respecting those rights. That is my hope in 2023 for our country. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. We Are All Amqui, Legault Tells Quebec Town Reeling After Pedestrian Deaths Quebec Premier Francois Legault sets flowers at a memorial for the victims, in Amqui, Que., on March 16, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Jacques Boissinot) Quebec Premier Francois Legault promised to boost mental health services in the province Thursday as he visited the town where two people were killed and nine injured when a pickup truck crashed into pedestrians. Joined by opposition leaders and other politicians, Legault met with residents of Amqui, the small community in the lower St-Lawrence region. Afterwards, he said the tragedy had prompting soul-searching on what more can be done to prevent a repeat. We feel a little guilty, me first of all, he told reporters after the visit. He said the province has to do more for mental health. Its not always easy because people have to accept to go get help, he added. Sometimes we have to, maybe, force them to go seek help. On Monday, a man drove a truck down one of Amquis main streets, allegedly hitting several groups of pedestrians in what police have described as an intentional act. Gerald Charest, 65, and Jean Lafreniere, 73, died in the crash. Steeve Gagnon, 38, is facing two counts of dangerous driving causing death, and prosecutors have said more charges will follow. The prosecutor in the case told reporters on Tuesday that no mental health assessment had been requested by either the Crown or defence. Prosecutor Simon Labelle said the accused has a presumption of aptitude and said that, at that early stage, he had no reason to believe Gagnon was not mentally fit to stand trial. Legault arrived shortly after 11 a.m. and went through the crowd, shaking hands and expressing sympathy. He also added a bouquet of white flowers to a memorial to the victims. Several in the crowd told the premier they knew someone who was hurt or killed in the crash, and some said it was their first time venturing out to the streets since the tragedy. Over and over, Legault encouraged people to stay strong, to support the survivors and to seek help if they need it. Today, all of Quebec is Amqui, he told the news conference. Legault told reporters that violent incidents allegedly linked to poor mental health are rising all over the world, and he said more resources are needed, including ensuring mental health services are offered locally in small towns. He said one of the biggest obstacles to improving services is recruitment, because many positions go unfilled and personnel cant be trained quickly. He said mental health professionals would remain in Amqui over the next days and weeks to ensure citizens who need help wont have to drive to the bigger city of Rimouski, about an hour away. While he told people to support each other in their mourning, he also encouraged them to move forward, reclaim the downtown and gradually return to normal life. Madness cant triumph over hope, he said. We have to be able to rediscover the joy of living. Police have said those injured in the crash range in age from less than a year old to 77. Two people were still in critical condition as of Thursday morning. Were All in This Together Was Always a Lie Commentary The Epoch Times, along with the Spectator Australia, were two of very few media outlets around the world that came out against the lockdowns from virtually day one and never wavered. We knew and argued that these policies were wrong on the data; wrong in principle for any society with a passing commitment to freedom and civil liberties; wrong in terms of sensible decision-making by throwing out carefully laid-down pandemic plans that focused on protecting the vulnerable in favour of a sledgehammer approach to attack just one perceived threat, without undertaking any cost-benefit analysis of doing so. Pretty much every other media outlet adopted what Canadian-Australian writer James Allan calls the Pravda approach of being cheerleaders/fearmongering agents for the government. In other words, the fourth estate abdicated en masse from its role in a liberal democracy; that of holding the government to account for its decisions, telling us ad nauseam that were all in this together, even though they all kept their jobs and pay while so many others didnt. At the same time, governments made neighbours, friends, and even relatives turn on each other, turned the police into thugs (who could forget what happened to Zoe Buhler), and conscripted the army to force people to stay indoors. I could go on. Police and the Australian military patrol the banks of the Yarra River in Melbourne, Australia, on July 23, 2020. (Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) However, over the last couple of weeks, our arguments on this score were shown to be right all along via the Matt Hancock Lockdown Files scandal. Matt Hancock was the UK Health Secretary for nearly all of the COVID period. However, he had to resign after being caught on CCTV cameras in Westminster kissing his mistress in breach of lockdown rules. Last year, he approached journalist Isabel Oakeshott to ghost-write his memoirs on the COVID years. To do this, Hancock gave her all of his encrypted WhatsApp texts to everyone that mattered in pandemic decision-making. In return, Oakeshott signed a non-disclosure agreement. After publishing the book, Oakeshott decided to break the non-disclosure agreement and gave all of the messages (some 100,000 amounting to 2.3 million words) to the UK Telegraph. They reveal the scale to which the British public was misled by their political leaders. Rules for Thee but Not for Me The messages show, for example, how Hancock rejected advice to reduce the time required for COVID-19 isolation because to do so would simply say weve been wrong, and that he planned to frighten the pants off everyone, and that school students in England were forced to wear face masks because officials declared it was a measure not worth an argument. In other words, they knew there was no scientific evidence for doing so, but the politics of enforcing it were good. We knew from the outset that the chances of a healthy person under 30 dying from COVID was less than one one-thousandth that of someone over 75. It was essentially zero. They knew it too. Then there was the explicit targeting of sceptics and dissenters, including some of the best epidemiologists in the world, to discredit them and have them silenced because that was undercutting the messaging. In the messages, Hancock even addresses the video of him kissing his girlfriend, pleading with his advisers to stand this up. Then-Health Secretary Matt Hancock leaves 10 Downing Street in London, England, on April 9, 2020. (Peter Summers/Getty Images) As Senior Fellow of the Institute of Public Affairs, John Roskam, points out, Hancocks WhatsApp messages arent just about British politics. During COVID-19, governments around the world copied each other, and here in Australia, those in the media who barracked hardest for lockdowns and mask mandates regularly referred to what was occurring in the UK, the United States, and China. In Australia, Daniel Andrews, the Premier of Victoria, who enforced the worlds longest lockdownoften brutallywas also exposed in documents recently made public. A Freedom of Information release in Victoria exposes the failures of a premier who was blind to the distinction between policies in the public interest and those that were in the interest of boosting his own public image. Correspondence between the premiers department and research company QDOS reveals that Andrewss personal approval ratings became the prime metric for measuring success. The best advice of senior advisers on health, economics, education or social policy was acceptable only when it aligned with the primary goal of keeping the premier in power. Not Yet Time to Put It All Behind Of course, so far, nearly all of the Australian media has carefully avoided any mention of the Hancock Lockdown Files. Many media outlets have similarly ignored the Andrews story. Indeed, Isabel Oaskeshott has been pilloried by other journalists for betraying Hancock. However, as Oakeshott says, the public interest for people to see these texts and know that their political class was comprised of charlatans and heartless zealots fired by self-interest. They often made it up as they went along, all the while declaring they were following the science even though the primary consideration was not peoples health, but politics, which far outweighed any considerations about keeping promises. A COVID-19 warning sign is seen at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, on July 10, 2021. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas) What is more, without the disclosure of these messages, any inquiry (one has recently been announced in the UK) was likely to be a whitewash. In other words, Oakeshott was doing her job. The journalists criticising Oakeshott (or not even covering the story) are the same journalists who havent done their jobs for three years and who, for most of that time, told us to unquestioningly obey the government. As Roskam states, it would disturb the narrative for journalists to admit to the public or to themselves that so much of what we were told to do during the COVID-19 crisis by politicians was the product of the selfishness and self-interest of those politicians. All the while, Sweden has the OECDs lowest cumulative excess deaths from the start of the pandemic, while Australias are 13 percent above expectations, thanks to lockdowns and other useless COVID mandates. There may be a reluctance to revisit the COVID-19 period, not just among politicians, bureaucrats, and journalists, but the public who would prefer to put bad memories behind them. However, as the Lockdown Files and Andrews polling scandals show, it must be revisited to ensure such abuses of power never happen again. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. White House Is Encouraging ChinaUkraine Talks National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby speaks during the daily briefing in the James S Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, on Nov. 28, 2022. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images) The Biden administration is welcoming a potential meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Chinese communist leader Xi Jinping. The White House would encourage such an arrangement in order to help the Chinese regime gain a better understanding of the needs of the Ukrainian people, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. We think it would be a very good thing if the two of them talked, Kirby said during a March 16 press call. We think its really important for the Chinese to get the Ukrainian perspective and not just Mr. Putins. Kirby also said that the White House had been encouraging such a meeting for quite some time and said that the administration would be cautious of any attempt by China to broker a peace deal without consulting deeply with Ukraine first. We would certainly be concerned by any proposals coming out of [China] that would be one-sided and reflect only the Russian perspective, he said. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which rules China as a single-party state, is attempting to position itself as a mediator, althoughto datethe regime has openly supported Russias attempted conquest and hasnt held any substantive talks with Ukrainian officials. In February, the regime released a 12-point position paper, which it touted as a peace plan, although the document largely parroted Russian propaganda and blamed the war on the United States and NATO. Zelenskyy said the papers emphasis on preserving national sovereignty necessarily meant that Russian troops would need to leave Ukraine. What they are saying looks like respect for territorial integrity, Zelenskyy said of the CCP document. It doesnt mention the country, but its our territorial integrity that has been breached. Territorial integrity implies withdrawal of Russian troops. If its not there, that means it is not OK with us. Likewise, Kirby said that the CCPs push for a ceasefire without Russian withdrawal would serve only to help Russia rearm and train its troops for another offensive. While [ceasefire] sounds perfectly reasonable and it sounds like a good thing, a ceasefire right now would basically ratify Russias conquests, Kirby said. It would, in effect, recognize Russias gains and all of its attempts to conquer a neighbors territory by force. If a peace is going to be enduring, if its going to be a just peace, if its going to be sustainable, it cant be one-sided. It has to absolutely include and be informed by Ukrainian perspectives and Ukrainian decisions. Why Are the Chickens So Sick? Commentary As the nation suffers through yet another high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak, questioning the orthodox narrative is more important than ever. At a time when people are screaming about overpopulation and the worlds inability to feed itself, surely we humans need to figure out how to reduce these kinds of losses. Numbers change each day, but at the last count, about 60 million chickens (mainly laying hens) and turkeys died in the last year. A bit more than a decade ago, it was 50 million. Are these cycles inevitable? Are the experts funneling information to the public more trustworthy than those who controlled press releases during 2020s COVID outbreak? If thinking people learned only one thing from the COVID pandemic, it was that official government narratives are politically slanted and often untrue. In this latest HPAI outbreak, perhaps the most egregious departure from the truth is the notion that the birds have died as a result of the disease and that euthanasia for survivors is the best and only option. First, of the nearly 60 million claimed deaths, perhaps no more than a couple million have actually died from HPAI. The rest have been killed in a draconian sterilization protocol. Using the word euthanized rather than the more proper word exterminated clouds the actual story. Euthanizing refers to putting an animal out of its misery. In other words, its going to die and is in pain or an incurable condition. Very few of the birds killed are in pain or even symptomatically sick. If one chicken in a house of a million tests positive for HPAI, the government brings full law enforcement force to the farm to guarantee all live birds die. Quickly. In not a single flock have all the birds died from HPAI. Every flock has survivors. To be sure, most are exterminated prior to survivors being identified. But in the cases of delayed extermination, a few birds appear immune to the disease. To be sure, HPAI is and can be deadly, but it never kills everything. The policy of mass extermination without regard to immunity, without even researching why some birds flourish while all around are dying, is insane. The most fundamental principles of animal husbandry and breeding demand that farmers select for healthy immune systems. We farmers have been doing that for millennia. We pick the most robust specimens as genetic material to propagate, whether its plants, animals, or microbes. But in its wisdom, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has no interest in selecting, protecting, and then propagating healthy survivors. The policy is clear and simple: Kill everything that ever contacted the diseased birds. The second part of the policy is also simple: Find a vaccine to stop HPAI. If a farmer wanted to save the survivors and run a test on his own to try to breed birds with HPAI immunity, gun-toting government agents prohibit him from doing so. The scorched earth policy is the only option, even though it doesnt seem to be working. In fact, the cycles are coming faster and seem to be affecting more birds. Someone ought to question the efficacy. Some do. When HPAI came through our area of Virginia about 15 years ago, federal veterinarians from around the nation descended to oversee the extermination. Two of them had heard about our pastured poultry operation and asked to come out for a visit on their own personal time. They werent together; they came a couple of weeks apart, independently. Both of them told me that they knew the reason for the outbreak: too many birds too densely packed in too many houses too geographically close together. But then both of them said that if they breathed that idea publicly, they would be fired the next day. Talk about censorship. In its Feb. 24 edition, The Wall Street Journal headlined America Is Losing Bird-Flu Battle. Interestingly, while the article touts the official narrative about wild birds spreading the disease and farmers spreading it on their shoes, one farmer dares to say that his largest facility houses about 4 million cage-free chickens, which are too many chickens in one locale. We would never do that again, he said. New facilities will be smaller, housing about 1 million birds each, he said, and spaced farther apart to help thwart the threat of continued outbreak. Yet a couple of paragraphs over, the article quotes Dr. John Clifford, former U.S. chief veterinary officer, as saying, Its everywhere. If its everywhere, what difference does reducing flock sizes and putting more space between houses make? Clearly, the farmer in this story has a hunch shared by my two visiting federal veterinarians many years ago: too many, too dense, too close. To be sure, even backyard flocks are susceptible to HPAI, but many of these miniature flocks are on filthy dirt spots and suffer terrible hygienic conditions. Even so, keeping a million birds in a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) happy and hygienic is harder than a backyard flock, and the disease data supports this. The USDA and the industry desperately want to blame wild birds, backyard flocks, and dirty shoes rather than looking in the mirror and realizing this is natures way of screaming Enough! Enough abuse. Enough disrespect. Enough fecal particulate air creating abrasions in my tender mucous membranes. When Joel Arthur Barker wrote Paradigms and brought that word into common usage, one of his axioms was that paradigms always eventually exceed their point of efficiency. The poultry industry assumed that if 100 birds in a house was good, 200 was better. With the advent of antibiotics and vaccines, houses increased in size and bird density. But nature bats last. For the record, any agricultural system that views wildlife as a liability is an inherently anti-ecological model. The WSJ article notes that workers have installed netting over lagoons and other spots where wild birds gather. Lagoons are inherently anti-ecological. Theyre cesspools of disease and filth; nature never creates manure lagoons. In nature, animals spread manure out over the landscape where it can be a blessing, not a curse like a lagoon. Perhaps the real culprit is the industry making manure lagoons infecting wild ducks, not the other way around. Its guilt by association, like saying since I see fire trucks at car wrecks, the fire trucks must be causing the car wrecks. Notice the kind of bad guy slant on this WSJ sentence: Buzzards, wild ducks or pests that sneak into barns also can spread the flu virus through mucus or saliva. Doesnt this read like a proverbial conspiracy, with wild things sneaking around? Its all eerily similar to the COVID virus sneaking around, needing to be contained with quarantines and masks. One feather contains enough HPAI to affect a million birds. You cant lock down a chicken house from an errant feather or its microscopic molecules from wafting into a house. Its absurd. If our current ag policy is insane, what is a better alternative? My first suggestion is to save the survivors and begin breeding them. Thats a no-brainer. If a flock gets HPAI, let it run its course. Itll kill the ones itll kill, but in a few days, the survivors will be obvious. Keep those and put them in a breeding program. The beautiful thing about chickens is that they mature and propagate fast enough so that in a year you can move forward two generations. Thats relatively fast. Let survival determine tomorrows genetic pool. Second, how about working on conditions that increase hygiene and happiness? Yes, I said happiness. All animals have optimal herd and flock sizes. For example, you never see more than a couple hundred wild turkeys together. Even when populations are high in an area, they break up into smaller groups rather than joining forces in flocks of 1,000. Other birds do join up in big flocks. Why the difference? Nobody has made a definitive study of why, but we do know that optimal sizes do exist for stress-free living. For chickens, its about 1,000. An elderly poultry industry scientist visited our farm once and told me that if houses would break up chickens into 1,000-bird groups, it would virtually eliminate diseases. He said it was OK to have 10,000 birds in a house as long as they were in 1,000-bird units. That way their social structure can function in natural interactions. Animals have a hierarchy of bullies and timids. That social structure breaks down above optimal size. With most herbivores, the size is huge, as noted by herd sizes on the Serengeti and Bison on the American plains. Honeybees divide when the hive reaches a certain size. Elk have optimal herd sizes. Mountain goats are in small flocks. Wild pigs too seek a group size seldom exceeding 100. The point is that the first line of defense is to figure out where the stress-free sweet spot is and respect it. Finally, treat the chickens like chickens. In addition to proper flock size, give them fresh pasture in which to run and scratch. Not dirt yards. Not little aprons around a CAFO. With mobile shelter, on our farm we move the flocks every day or so to fresh pasture. That keeps them on new ground thats been host free for an extended period of rest. They dont sleep, eat, and live every moment of every day on their toilet. The American Pastured Poultry Producers Association is a trade organization promoting protocols for this kind of immune-boosting model. Thousands of practitioners adhere to mobile infrastructure that allows appropriate-sized flocks access to fresh air, sunlight, bugs, worms, and succulent green material. On our farm, we use the Millennium Feathernet and Eggmobile, welcoming wild ducks and red-winged blackbirds into the vicinity all as part of a symbiotic ecological nest. While I dont want to sound flippant or above HPAI susceptibility, incident rates definitely indicate less vulnerability in well-managed pastured flocks. Creating an immune-building protocol surely merits research as much as overriding the immune system with vaccines and trying to stay ahead of disease mutations and adaptations with human cleverness. How about humbly seeking nature for solutions rather than relying on hubris? The parallels between HPAI expert orthodoxy and COVID orthodoxy are too numerous to mention. Fear porn is rampant in our culture. The HPAI worry feeds food worry, which makes people clamor for government security. People will accept just about anything if theyre afraid. Does anyone really think human cleverness is going to beat migratory ducks? Really? Think it through and then embrace a more natural remedy: well-managed decentralized pastured poultry with appropriate flock sizes. From the Brownstone Institute Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Yellen Says Republican Debt Ceiling Plan Risky and Dangerous Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen takes her seat as she arrives for a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 10, 2023. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen offered senators no assurance that a Republican plan to prioritize payment of the nations bills to avoid default could be achieved due to the size and complexity of the governments payment operation. There is a reason that Treasury secretaries of both parties have rejected this incredibly risky and dangerous idea, and its never been tried before. I cannot give any assurances about the technical feasibility of such a plan, Yellen told the Senate Finance Committee on March 16. The Default Prevention Act, introduced by Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), would allow the government to continue paying high-priority obligations in the event the nation reached its statutory debt ceiling. Under the proposed law, interest payments on the national debt and Social Security benefits would be prioritized for payment. Members of Congress would not be paid. Blank checks at the U.S. Treasury printing facility in Philadelphia, Pa., on July 18, 2011. (William Thomas Cain/Getty Images) The government on average makes millions of payments each day and our systems are built to pay all of our bills on time and not to pick and choose which bills to pay, Yellen said. That would be an exceptionally risky, untested, and radical departure from normal payment practices of agencies across the federal government. Yellen said also that the Republican plan to prioritize payments, if successful, would ensure that China, which holds a portion of the U.S. debt, would be paid ahead of Social Security recipients. She called the plan default by another name. The secretarys remarks echoed her March 9 comments to the House Ways and Means Committee, which is considering the Default Prevention Act. The debt ceiling is the statutory limit on the amount of debt the government can hold at one time. It is currently $31.4 trillion. Because the country has almost always operated on a deficit budget, the limit must be continually increased to pay for spending already authorized by Congress. America approached the debt ceiling on Jan. 19 but forestalled defaulting on the nations obligations by taking extraordinary measures. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that those measures will be exhausted by late summer. President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) held a meeting on Feb. 1 to discuss raising the debt limit but reached no agreement. McCarthy insists on future spending cuts in exchange for any increase in borrowing. Biden has refused to negotiate on raising the limit because a default would put the full faith and credit of the United States at risk. The idea of prioritizing bill payments has been floated during past negotiations over raising the debt ceiling. In 2013 former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew also told the Senate Finance Committee that the scheme probably wouldnt work. Well, Mr. Chairman, I have to tell you, I do not believe there is a way to pick and choose on a broad basis, Lew said in response to a question. The system was not designed to be turned off selectively. So anyone who thinks that it can be done just does not know the architecture of our multiple payment systems, which are very complex. They were designed properly to pay our bills. They were not designed to not pay our bills. Yellen told the current Finance Committee that refusing to increase the debt ceiling is not an option. I consider it essential that Congress come together to recognize that raising the debt ceiling is their responsibility to protect the full faith and credit in the United States, she said. President Yoon Suk-yeol told the Yomiuri Shimbun a day before his departure to Japan, "I believe that there are many fields in which we can create synergistic effects by complementing each other's strengths and weaknesses." He pointed to semiconductors, space technology and biotechnology as potential areas of cooperation and added that if Korea's capabilities in the digital sector are combined with Japan's strengths in precision materials, components and machinery, "both countries will encounter more opportunities to enter new markets." The two manufacturing powerhouses maintained extremely close economic cooperation for more than 50 years. Korea's mainstay semiconductor industry cannot grow without Japanese materials, parts and machinery, and Japan's industries require Korean semiconductors. The government's announcement on Wednesday to create the world's largest semiconductor mega-cluster needs Japanese materials, parts and machinery, while the two countries' petrochemical, steel and chemical sectors are interconnected like finely-tuned cogwheels. If Korea's exports grow, its imports from Japan also increase and vice versa. Due to the policies of the past administration, Korea-Japan relations deteriorated and almost half of Korean businesses in Japan pulled out. Both countries were busy shooting themselves in the foot for the last three to four years. Honduras switching ties to China from Taiwan TEGUCIGALPA: Honduras will establish diplomatic relations with China, President Xiomara Castro said on Tuesday (Mar 14), a move that would result in the severing of longstanding official ties with Taiwan. Chinesepolitics By AFP Thursday 16 March 2023, 09:09AM A woman walks past a flag of Honduras (centre) at the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei yesterday. Honduras is one of only 14 countries that recognise Taiwan but the Central American country is now preparing to establish diplomatic relations with mainland China. Photo: AFP Castro wrote on Twitter that she had instructed Foreign Minister Eduardo Reina to undertake the opening of official relations with the Peoples Republic of China. The switch - which Castro pledged to make while on the campaign trail - comes weeks after her government announced that it was negotiating with China to build a hydroelectric dam. Under Beijings One China principle, no country may maintain official diplomatic relations with both China and Taiwan. Beijing said it welcomed the decision, with foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin telling journalists: On the basis of the One-China principle, China is willing to develop friendly and cooperative relations with Honduras and other countries in the world. Honduras is one of only 14 countries that officially recognise Taiwan, a self-ruled island that China considers part of its territory to be retaken one day, by force if necessary. The Honduran government did not immediately confirm whether it had officially severed ties with Taipei. Yesterday, Taiwans foreign ministry expressed serious concern at the announcement. We ask Honduras to carefully consider and do not fall into Chinas trap and make the wrong decision to damage the long-term friendship between Taiwan and Honduras, it said in a statement. Yesterday morning, an AFP journalist saw the Honduran ambassador to Taipei, Harold Burgos, arrive at Taiwans foreign ministry. Neither side made any immediate comment regarding the meeting. Diplomatic battleground Latin America has been a key diplomatic battleground for China and Taiwan since the two split in 1949 after a civil war. Honduras is among three Central American states - alongside Belize and Guatemala - that still recognise Taiwan. It is one of its few remaining allies in Latin America after China poached Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica in recent years. Other diplomatic allies of Taiwan include the Vatican, Eswatini, Paraguay and Haiti, as well as seven small island nations in the Caribbean and the Pacific. Beijing has stepped up diplomatic, military and economic pressure on Taiwan since the 2016 election of President Tsai Ing-wen, who has taken a more robust approach to the question of independence for the island. As part of that push, China has stepped up investment in Latin American countries in recent years. When announcing plans to build the new dam in February, Honduran Foreign Minister Reina said the Patuca II project, financed by China, would help the country improve its energy supply. At the time, Reina also denied speculation that Tegucigalpa was going to switch diplomatic allegiances. China has already financed the construction of another dam, dubbed Patuca III, through a US$300-million loan. Patuca III was inaugurated in 2021 by then president Juan Orlando Hernandez. Economic leverage Castros 2022 swearing-in ceremony was attended by Taiwanese Vice-President William Lai, whose brief exchange with US counterpart Kamala Harris there was the first such public interaction in more than four decades. The United States is one of Taiwans closest allies and its biggest arms supplier, but it recognises only Beijing diplomatically and opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side. Analyst Raul Pineda told AFP that if Honduras were to establish diplomatic relations with China, it might impact relations with the United States. Right now China-US relations are very tense. From that point of view it would be a very unfortunate decision by the Castro government, he said. Alexander Huang, a political analyst at Taipei-based Tamkang University, said Taiwan had limited resources with which to resist Chinas economic might in the diplomatic arena. Taiwans formal diplomatic allies are relatively small and have limited ability to resist attractions from mainland Chinas market and business opportunities, he told AFP. (Hondurass announcement) adds yet another record of losing diplomatic allies to the Tsai administration. Police shoot fellow cop on gun rampage BANGKOK: A 27-hour siege at a house in Bangkoks Sai Mai district, where a mentally disturbed police officer fired his weapon more than 50 times, ended early yesterday (Mar 15) afternoon. violencehealthpoliceSafety By Bangkok Post Thursday 16 March 2023, 08:57AM Task force police in front of the house in Sai Mai district, Bangkok, during the standoff. Photo: Metropolitan Police Bureau Pol Lt Col Kittikarn Saengbun, 51, an inspector attached to the Special Branch Bureau (SBB)s Intelligence Development Centre, was shot and wounded by police commandos just after midday, ending the standoff, the Metropolitan Police Bureau said. The wounded man was taken to hospital. No one else was injured, reports the Bangkok Post. National police chief Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas apologised to those affected. Police will provide compensation to houses damaged in the incident as soon as possible, he said. Pol Maj Gen Atthapol Anusit, commander of Metropolitan Police Division 2, who is responsible for the case, said initial investigations suggest the incident stemmed from the officer having a mental episode after learning he did not pass a performance assessment and a mental health test. Sai Mai police and the Arintharat special task force were deployed to the scene after shots were heard in a housing estate on Soi Jeeramakorn in Sai Mai district around 11am Tuesday. Pol Lt Col Kittikarn began firing shots into the air and inside his house on Tuesday as well as overnight. More shots were fired yesterday morning. The officer fired more than 50 rounds using two pistols. A policeman on the street outside, Pol Sgt Sathaporn Kaewphuang of the Arintharat task force, was hit by a stray bullet on his helmet but was unhurt. Efforts to calm the agitated officer failed. Around 2:30am yesterday, Arintharat task force officers fired about 20 tear gas canisters into the house. Then at 5:05am, task force officers and police commandoes placed a ladder up to the second-floor balcony and threw stun grenades into the house. Negotiation attempts resumed as police tried to persuade Pol Lt Col Kittikarn to surrender, but there was no response. However, at 10:57am, Pol Lt Col Kittikarn agreed to talk via mobile phone, and asked for cigarettes from negotiators, according to reports. At 12:17pm police stormed the house and an exchange of gunfire occurred, ending the siege. Power outage to hit Wichit today following last minute warning PHUKET: The Phuket branch of the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has announced a power outage that will affect residents and businesses along Ao Yon Khao Khad Rd today (Mar 16). By The Phuket News Thursday 16 March 2023, 07:00AM The notice announcing the area to be affected by the power outage on Mar 16 (posted at 10.20pm on Mar 15). Image: PEA Phuket A map showing the area to be affected by the power outage on Mar 16. Image: PEA Phuket The power outage, from 9am to 4:30pm, was announced by PEA in an a last minute Facebook publication posted at 10pm yesterday (Mar 15). According to the announcement, the power supply will be temporary suspended to allow maintenance and repairs on the high-voltage distribution system in the northern part of Cape Panwa. The area to be affected is given along Ao Yon Khao Khad Rd from Soi Baan Borae all way down to Lom Nuea by the Beach Bar. Both sides of the road to Ao Yon are to be affect as well as Pracha Ruamjai Rd and the whole length of Soi Baan Borae (Muang Thong Ao Yon Rd) from Sakdidet Rd to Khlong Mudong. Phuket PEA apologised for any inconvenience caused by the power outage People with enquiries about the power outage have been invited to call the office at 076-354379 or the PEA hotline 1129. PSU Phuket Hospital to be finished by 2027 with B3bn budget PHUKET: The Cabinet has approved a budget of B3.14 billion for the construction of the PSU Hospital Phuket to be built at the site of the International Andaman Health Center to be built at Mai Khao. healthtourismeconomics By The Phuket News Thursday 16 March 2023, 06:06PM Assoc Prof Dr Phan Thongchumnum, Deputy Dean of Prince of Songkla University (PSU), Phuket Campus, confirmed the news, saying the hospital is now expected to be complete by 2027. Project organisers have already found a contractor and are reviewing the design, which is expected to be completed within eight months, Dr Phan said. If everything goes as planned; the construction will start within the next budget year [starting Oct 1, 2023]. The construction is expected to be completed in 2027, he added. Initially, the hospital was planned with 300 beds, but with the budget received the hospital will now be expanded to 500 beds, Dr Phan noted. According to a recommendation from Cabinet, the hospital will accept only patients with complicated diseases who are transferred from government hospitals. There are patients with complicated diseases in the Andaman provinces of Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga being transferred from Vachira Phuket Hospital, the main government hospital in the area, to the PSU Hospital in Hat Yai for treatment, Dr Phan said. Recent figures recorded 13,500 patient transfers from Vachira, accounting for 9,000 patients, in just the past year, he said. This means there are some patients who were repeatedly transferred [from Vachira to Hat Yai]. This shows that we need to have a hospital capable of supporting these people, Dr Phan explained. The hospital is to be built as part of the International Andaman Health Center, which Cabinet last year approved a total budget of B5.116bn to complete, with the budget allocated to be spent from 2023-2027. The International Health College will help to create medical manpower, and will include PSU Phuket Hospital, which will accept patients with complicated diseases, as well as the Digital Dental Center, a Thai traditional medicine and a Medical Science Center, which will be the health checkup and screening lab, as well as a centre providing health advice to people to interntaional standards, Dr Phan explained. The centre will build confidence in medical care among locals and tourists visiting Thailand and provinces in the Andaman region, he said. He noted that PSU Phuket is preparing for the upcoming hospital by opening the international program of the Faculty of Medicine, of which one class has graduated already. The second class is currently underway. The PSU Phuket campus is also providing an international program under the Faculty of Nursing as well, which also has already produced graduates. In addition, the PSU Phuket campus offers 25 programs for qualifying in specific specialised areas of medical expertise. Kritsada Mueanhawong Public Health officials give Anutin star rating BANGKOK: Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has won high approval from public health officials and the public, both in his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and his roll-out of public healthcare programmes, according to the Public Health Ministry. COVID-19healthpolitics By Bangkok Post Thursday 16 March 2023, 12:00PM Anutin. Photo: Bangkok Post Dr Rungruang Kitpati, the ministrys spokesman, said Anutin has more support from officials than his predecessors did, according to an assessment by the ministrys technical committee between Feb 15 and Mar 7. It is the ministrys tradition to assess the performances of its top-level executives as they approach the completion of their term, he said. Based on the findings, people are satisfied with Anutins performance, especially his handling of the pandemic and his building of support and cooperation from all stakeholders, reports the Bangkok Post. Anutins role in the development of the public health system and its programmes has also won praise from both sides, according to Dr Rungruang. The upgrade in primary healthcare, free kidney dialysis services and the cancer coverage he engineered have been found to reduce serious illness and deaths, patients expenses and economic losses. The countrys COVID-19 response was a success story in terms of pandemic recovery, with Thailand becoming one of the first Asian countries to reopen to tourism, which stimulated economic recovery. The spokesman said the minister raised public health officials morale when he agreed to recruit more than 45,000 workers and increase risk allowances for medical workers and welfare benefits for public health volunteers. Dr Rungruang said public health officials were hugely impressed by Anutins leadership and his building of international cooperation in public health. As a result, Thailand has been chosen as the new site for the Asean Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases. KYODO NEWS - Mar 16, 2023 - 23:13 | All, Japan, World Japan and South Korea agreed in their summit Thursday to resume reciprocal visits by their leaders, which had been suspended for 12 years, and bilateral security talks, to help get relations back on track by seeking to resolve a major row over a wartime labor dispute. During the talks in Tokyo, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Yoon Suk Yeol, the first South Korean president to visit Japan in four years, confirmed they will maintain "close communication" and boost political, economic and cultural exchanges. Yoon's two-day visit to Japan came after South Korea announced a proposal to settle the wartime labor issue last week. Kishida called the decision a "big step" toward a thaw in Tokyo-Seoul relations, which some pundits say deteriorated at one point to the lowest level since the end of World War II. At a joint press conference with Yoon after the talks, Kishida said bolstering bilateral relations is an "urgent matter," adding he will consider visiting South Korea "at an appropriate time." Yoon also said South Korea's announcement of the solution "laid the foundation for the two nations to discuss future-oriented development from now on." In the face of North Korea's escalating missile and nuclear threat and China's increasing military assertiveness, Kishida said Japan will soon restart security talks with South Korea involving bilateral discussions between foreign and defense ministry officials. Such talks were last held in 2018. Yoon said South Korea has "completely normalized" the General Security of Military Information Agreement with Japan, an intelligence-sharing pact called GSOMIA, which his predecessor Moon Jae In had previously threatened to scrap. Earlier Thursday, North Korea fired what appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions imposing economic sanctions on the nation. The ballistic missile is believed to have fallen outside Japan's exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan. Before departing for Tokyo, Yoon held a National Security Council meeting, during which he said North Korea would have to pay the price for its reckless provocations. Kishida and Yoon also agreed to set up an economic security dialogue that will allow both countries to discuss ways to strengthen semiconductor supply chains to help meet the challenge of a global chip shortage. Related coverage: North Korea fires ICBM-class missile ahead of Japan-South Korea summit Earlier in the day, the Japanese government said it will lift export controls on materials used in semiconductor and display panel manufacturing, imposed on South Korea in 2019. In return for the decision, South Korea pledged to retract its complaint with the World Trade Organization over Japan's export controls in a sign of improving bilateral ties. After the summit, Kishida, Yoon and their wives went to a Japanese beef hot pot restaurant in Tokyo's upscale Ginza district. Later, they went to another restaurant, famous for its omelet over rice dish, one of the president's favorites. Relations between Tokyo and Seoul plunged to the lowest point in decades under Moon after South Korea's top court in 2018 ordered the two Japanese companies -- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Nippon Steel Corp. -- to compensate the plaintiffs. Under the latest proposal, a South Korean government-backed foundation will pay compensation to plaintiffs who won lawsuits over their alleged forced labor during Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula instead of the firms that were sued. Technically, the right of the foundation to demand compensation from the Japanese companies has not been abandoned. Kishida and Yoon said they do not expect the foundation to request the firms to pay the compensation that it pays. The last time that a South Korean president visited Japan was in June 2019 for the Group of 20 summit in Osaka. At that time, then President Moon did not hold bilateral talks with then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. But Yoon, who took office in May 2022, has been trying to improve ties with Japan while deepening military cooperation with the United States as North Korean missile launches continue jeopardizing regional security. Kishida, who became prime minister in October 2021, has said the proposal by South Korea will help restore "healthy" relations between Tokyo and Seoul. The South Korean public, however, is divided, with a recent opinion poll showing that nearly 60 percent of respondents are not in favor of the proposal as it does not include an apology or compensation from Japan. With some opposition party members saying the Yoon administration's proposal is "humiliating," three surviving South Korean plaintiffs have rejected the government's compensation plan. Reciprocal visits by Japanese and South Korean leaders, called "shuttle diplomacy," have been halted since December 2011, when then President Lee Myung Bak came to Kyoto for talks with then Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. Related coverage: South Korea pres. hopes to move forward with Japan, not focus on past Japan, South Korea eye resumption of security talks between officials Japan PM Kishida mulls visiting South Korea in summer amid thaw in ties The following is a list of recent events related to ties between Japan and South Korea. Oct. 30, 2018 -- South Korea's Supreme Court orders steelmaker Nippon Steel Corp. to compensate Korean plaintiffs for forced labor during Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. The court issues a similar ruling to machinery manufacturer Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. on Nov. 29. Nov. 21 -- South Korea announces dissolution of a foundation created under a 2015 bilateral agreement that distributed Japanese money to Korean women forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II as well as their relatives. Dec. 21 -- Japan says a South Korean destroyer locked its fire-control radar on a Japanese defense force patrol plane over the Sea of Japan. South Korea denies the accusation. June 27, 2019 -- Then South Korean President Moon Jae In visits Japan to participate in the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, but holds no bilateral talks with then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. July 4 -- Japan tightens the control of exports to South Korea of three materials used for the production of semiconductors and display screens for smartphones. Aug. 2 -- Japan decides to revoke South Korea's preferential status as a trade partner for the purchase of goods that can be diverted for military use. Aug. 22 -- South Korea says it has decided to scrap the General Security of Military Information Agreement, an intelligence-sharing pact called GSOMIA, with Japan. The decision is retracted later. Sept. 27, 2021 -- A South Korean district court orders sale of local assets seized from Mitsubishi Heavy after the company refused to pay damages as ordered. A similar decision on Nippon Steel assets comes on Dec. 30. Oct. 4 -- Fumio Kishida becomes Japanese prime minister, replacing Yoshihide Suga, Abe's successor. May 10, 2022 -- Yoon Suk Yeol becomes South Korean president, replacing Moon Jae In. Nov. 13 -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Yoon meet in Cambodia, the first official summit between the two countries since December 2019, agreeing to work for an "early settlement" of the wartime labor issue. Jan. 12, 2023 -- South Korea, during a public hearing, unveils a plan centered on a government-backed foundation paying equivalent money to plaintiffs as the most likely solution. March 6 -- South Korea announces it will implement the solution to the wartime labor dispute. March 16 -- Yoon visits Japan for talks with Kishida. Saint-Laurent, CA (H4T1V6) Today Periods of rain. Morning high of 58F with temps falling to near 50. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch.. Tonight Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 41F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Saint-Laurent, CA (H4T1V6) Today Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 76F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Clear to partly cloudy. Low 56F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Have an interesting bit of news youd like to see mentioned in the Along the Way column? Email it to Natasha Connolly at news@thesunchronicle.com. KYODO NEWS - Mar 16, 2023 - 12:16 | All, Japan Japan on Thursday deployed Ground Self-Defense Force units including missile squads to a remote southern island near the disputed Senkaku Islands and Taiwan, apparently in response to China's intensifying military activities in nearby waters. Some 570 or fewer GSDF members will be stationed at a newly established garrison on Ishigaki Island in Okinawa Prefecture, with some assigned to land-to-ship and land-to-air missile units, according to the Defense Ministry. The island is located less than 200 kilometers south of the Senkaku island group in the East China Sea, controlled by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing. Chinese coast guard vessels have repeatedly entered Japanese waters around the uninhabited islets. It is also situated some 300 km east of Taiwan, a self-ruled democratic island seen by the Chinese government as a breakaway province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary. Japan has been enhancing deterrence and response capabilities against China by building defense footholds on the Nanseis Islands, a chain that stretches southwest from Kyushu toward Taiwan. The GSDF set up garrisons on Yonaguni Island in Okinawa in 2016, and on the prefecture's Miyako Island and Amami Island in Kagoshima prefecture in 2019 with missile units. Japan pledged to strengthen its defense capabilities and improve infrastructure in the southwestern region when the government updated its defense policies, including long-term guidelines of the National Security Strategy, in December last year. The GSDF deployment plan on Ishigaki Island has faced opposition from some local residents since it emerged around 2014, but the mayor said in 2016 that the city of Ishigaki would accept it. A rally was held near the front gate of the garrison on Thursday, with around 30 people including local residents calling for the removal of "the missile base" from Ishigaki Island. "Here in Ishigaki, we had never seen an SDF member in a camouflage uniform," said Sachiko Fujii, 75, a local civic group member who joined the protest. "We will never give up until the base is removed." In the final phase of World War II in 1945, Okinawa became the site of the conflict's bloodiest ground battle on Japanese soil with more than 200,000 civilians and soldiers from the Japanese and American militaries killed. KYODO NEWS - Mar 16, 2023 - 22:32 | All, Japan, Travel/Tourism The government in the western Japan prefecture of Kagawa has called on local hotel operators to stop asking foreign residents for identification when they check in, local officials said Thursday. Citing a notice issued Monday by the Kagawa prefectural government to hotel operators, the officials said it is "problematic on human rights grounds" to ask foreign residents to show their passport or other forms of ID when checking into a hotel. The hotel business law requires only foreigners who live outside of Japan to present ID. But hotel receptionists sometimes ask foreigners who live in Japan for ID based on their name or appearance. "If a guest provides a domestic address, even if their name or other information suggests they are a foreign national, no further confirmation is required," the notice says. The notice comes after a case in August last year in which a South Korean woman living in Osaka was asked to show her residence card ahead of a stay at a hotel in Utazu. An official at the hotel said it has "asked for ID from foreign nationals living in Japan on a voluntary basis." Similar cases have emerged at other accommodations across the country, with some even stating on their websites that they will "refuse" guests who do not comply. "While there may not be any malicious intent behind the requests, they are effectively an infringement of human rights," a Kagawa prefectural government official said. Mun Gong Hwi from the Osaka-based nonprofit organization the Multi-Ethnic Human Rights Education Center for Pro-existence said that "changing one's response based on nationality with no logical reasoning is discrimination. I want to spread the knowledge of Kagawa Prefecture's approach as a good example." Related coverage: Japan city stumbles over plan to recognize foreigners as citizens Cabinet approves proposals for Japan immigration law changes City officials learn easy Japanese as number of foreign residents increases NED BRISTOL is a retired editor of The Sun Chronicle who writes occasional columns for the newspaper. Drop him a line at news@thesunchronicle.com . KYODO NEWS - Mar 16, 2023 - 23:21 | World, All, Japan Japan will ease export controls of key chip materials against South Korea after Seoul decided to retract its complaint with the World Trade Organization over the matter, the two countries' industry ministries said Thursday in the latest sign of improving bilateral ties. The decisions came as Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held talks with visiting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol the same day. Kishida said in a joint press conference after their meeting that there was "progress" in discussions regarding export controls. "Dialogue among relevant ministries and agencies will advance from now on," Kishida added, a few hours after the announcement on eased regulations on exports of three materials. The Japanese trade ministry also said it will continue to study whether to reinstate South Korea as a preferential trade partner, that status having been removed after the export controls were imposed. In July 2019, the Japanese government tightened controls on exports to South Korea of three materials -- fluorinated polyimide, resists, and hydrogen fluoride -- used in the production of chips after bilateral ties worsened over wartime labor and other issues. It also removed South Korea from the list of so-called Group A countries, formerly known as "white list countries," entitled to receive minimum restrictions on purchasing goods such as electronic components that can be diverted for military use. Once South Korea returns to Group A, controls on the three goods will be fully reverted to the conditions prior to the tightened export controls, said an official of the Japanese trade ministry. Bilateral ties hit their lowest point in decades after South Korea's Supreme Court in 2018 ordered two Japanese firms to compensate Korean plaintiffs for alleged forced labor during Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. While Japan said the export controls were based on security concerns, South Korea viewed the measures as retaliation against the court rulings and filed a complaint against the export restrictions with the WTO. The soured bilateral relations also triggered a move to boycott Japan-made goods in South Korea. Upon the announcement of a solution to the wartime labor dispute by South Korea earlier this month, the two countries said they will begin talks on lifting export controls. The move coincides with a recent trend among some U.S. allies and partners ratcheting up efforts to boost supply chain resilience of crucial goods in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's growing military clout. In February, Japan, South Korea, the United States, and Taiwan held the first meeting of senior officials under a new U.S.-led initiative, dubbed the "Chip 4" alliance, aimed at maintaining supply chain resilience in times of natural disasters and other contingencies. That same month, senior officials of Japan, the United States and South Korea held the inaugural meeting of a trilateral dialogue on economic security in Hawaii. They discussed quantum and space technologies, as well as how to improve supply chain resilience for semiconductors, batteries and critical minerals. Related coverage: Japan to restrict tech exports to South Korea amid frayed ties Japan, U.S., South Korea, Taiwan launch 'Chip 4' talks for supply chain SEAN BERGEL, Wheeler, Baseball, Junior; Bergel struck out eight and allowed only five hits as Wheeler defeated Griswold in its season opener. Bergel walked just one batter and allowed two earned runs. CAMI BROWN, Stonington, Softball, Junior; Brown finished 11 for 16 in four games for the Bears. Brown doubled four times, tripled twice and drove in nine runs. CASEY MACERA, Westerly, Girls Lacrosse, Freshman, Macera scored five goals in a Division III win against Rocky Hill. Westerly ended a 15-game losing streak with the victory. ADAM CARPENTER, Chariho, Baseball, Sophomore; Carpenter pitched a two-hitter in his varsity debut as the Chargers beat East Providence. Carpenter carried a no-hitter into the sixth. He struck out 10 and did not walk a batter. Vote View Results On Wednesday, James OKeefe, the former founder of Project Veritas who was recently ousted due to accusations of financial mismanagement and unkind behavior, announced the launch of his new venture, the OKeefe Media Group (OMG). During an interview on the Charlie Kirk Show, OKeefe claimed that OMG consists of some of the top journalists in the world and aims to restore ethics to journalism by creating a citizen army of journalists who use the hidden camera content he is known for. OMG will provide subscribers with tools to record and report on their own operations, and these subscribers will also sponsor independent journalists around the country. OKeefe referred to the business plan as Uber for journalism and hopes to have reporters in every school board and city council office. The announcement of OMG was accompanied by a video of OKeefe dancing and eating a sandwich, stating that a sleeping giant has been awoken and that they plan to build an army. After OKeefe left Project Veritas, the group lost over 200,000 Twitter followers. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) Israeli Arab affairs expert Dr. Mordechai Kedar spoke with Arutz Sheva about the recent troubling report of the resumption of diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Dr. Kedar, a retired lecturer in the Arabic department at Bar-Ilan University and a research fellow at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University, said: The story began years ago with the progressive distancing of the US from Saudi Arabia, which is perceived by the Saudis as an American knife in the back. It began in 2015 with the signing of the nuclear agreement by Obama. The Saudis saw this as a betrayal. In 2018, there was the Khashoggi story and the US almost severed relations with Saudi Arabia. The Saudis dont think that relations between countries should be based on a private case of human rights as severe as it was. In 2019, when the Iranians attacked the Saudi oil industry and destroyed about half of Saudi Arabias oil export facilities, paralyzing about half of Saudi oil export capacity for months, the world and the US did nothing. Trump did nothing, apart from condemning it. Dr. Kedar continued by placing blame on President Biden for attempting to return to the 2015 nuclear agreement, another US betrayal. When you betray Bedouins, they dont forgive you even if its at their expense, he said. Dr. Kedar believes that Saudi Arabias move to restore ties with Iran was part of the theory that if you cant beat them, then join them. They understand that the US and Western Europe are falling, especially in the wake of whats happening in Ukraine. The coalition of Russia, Iran, China, Venezuela, and others is the winning coalition in the world against the American-Israeli-Western European coalition that is retreating. Dr. Kedar also referred to the ongoing left-wing protests in Israel. The balagan that has been going on in Israel for two months now gives it a very weak image. If Israel was once seen as a strong body that could be relied on, especially against Iran, now we hear that a pilots revolt can ground entire squadrons and they realize that Israel might be a paper tiger. As long as our image and that of the US and Europe continues to deteriorate, the bond between Saudi Arabia and Iran will tighten, he warned. In answer to Arutz Shevas question whether the renewed ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia means that the possibility of Israeli-Saudi ties no longer exists, Dr. Kedar responded that he believes that Iran conditioned its agreement with Saudi Arabia on the loosening of ties with Israel. In my opinion, this is what went on behind the scenes, even if it wasnt published. (YWN Israel Desk Jerusalem) Author and political commentator Thomas Friedman once again engaged in extremist rhetoric against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in an opinion article in the New York Times, this time comparing him to a mass murderer. Friedman compared Netanyahu to Turkeys Erdogan and Hungarys Orban in an NYT opinion article in January but apparently, he now feels he wasnt strident enough. In an article published on Tuesday, entitled: Putin and Netanyahu Show Why Bad Things Happen to Bad Leaders, he compares Netanyahus plan for judicial reform to Putins plan to capture Ukraine. Ignoring the fact that Putins plan involved the murder, maiming and displacement of millions of people and led to Russias international isolation, he brazenly lists the reasons why Netanyahus plan for judicial reform is just as wrong as Putins plan for incorporating Ukraine into Russia. He then writes: How could two leaders get so many things wrong, despite having been in power for so many years? The question answers itself: Theyve been in power for so many years. Friedman feels he can compare Putins maintenance of power via iron rule versus Netanyahus repeated victories at the election booths in the Middle Easts only democracy. Whatever policy disagreements one may have with Netanyahu, to compare him to a mass murderer and war criminal like Putin is obscene, offensive, and unjustifiable, wrote Arsen Ostrovsky, the head of The International Legal Forum. Tom Friedman has entirely lost the plot, with an unhinged obsession and hatred against Israel and Netanyahu. (YWN Israel Desk Jerusalem) Press Release March 16, 2023 Tolentino commends PH contingent's heroic deeds during aftermath of Turkiye-Syria earthquake MANILA - Senator Francis 'TOL' N. Tolentino commended the courageous efforts of the 82-man Philippine contingent recently deployed in the devastated quake-hit regions of Turkiye and Syria. "This humble representation is standing up again to express this institution's heartfelt gratitude, and salute to the 82-man team... who brought assistance to those heavily affected by the strong earthquake," said Tolentino in his Wednesday's co-sponsorship speech in connection with Senate Resolution No. 535--a resolution commending the Philippine government contingent for their valor and acts of service in the rescue and recovery operations following the Magnitude 7.8 earthquake that devastated vast portions of southern and central Turkiye and northern and western Syria. The Philippine contingent is composed of rescue and medical personnel from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Department of Health (DOH), Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force, Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Police. Tolentino who previously chaired the MMDA also expressed his pride to the nine-man rescue personnel coming from the agency he used to lead, for remaining steadfast to their sworn duty to save lives. The nine-man MMDA team in the Philippine contingent was the same team formed and sent by the MMDA under Tolentino during the April 2015 Nepal Earthquake. "Perhaps my pride and sentiment today in honoring the 82-strong contingent- nine (9) of whom I've worked with when I was the MMDA Chairperson can be best summed up by the words of William Shakespeare in his immortal play, Henry V: 'From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remembered- We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me, Shall be my brother'," said Tolentino. According to Tolentino, the Philippine contingent's cause is not only for the country, but "in the service of humanity," especially of those ravaged by the force of nature. KYODO NEWS - Mar 16, 2023 - 19:18 | All, Japan, World The major business lobbies in Japan and South Korea said Thursday they will each establish a foundation to jointly tackle common issues, including energy, and promote youth exchanges, a move that could help repair bilateral relations, which soured over a wartime labor compensation dispute. The announcement by the Japan Business Federation and the Federation of Korean Industries to launch their "future partnership" foundations came after South Korea last week announced a plan to settle the long-running dispute with Japan. The two groups are expected to contribute 100 million yen ($752,000) each to their respective foundations and will discuss the details on how to utilize the funds. The foundations will also solicit funding from private companies, with the Japanese foundation open to contributions from Nippon Steel Corp. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., which were sued by the Korean plaintiffs who won lawsuits over their alleged forced labor during Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. Under the plan, recently announced by Seoul, a South Korean government-backed foundation will pay compensation to plaintiffs instead of the Japanese companies that were sued. The business lobbies said they will also conduct research and undertake projects in areas such as energy security and decarbonization, as well as dealing with aging societies and geopolitical risks, bearing in mind the regional security situations involving China and North Korea. "It is a big step forward to improve bilateral relations. We will make sure to pave the way to building a future-oriented partnership," said Masakazu Tokura, chairman of Japan's largest business lobby also known as Keidanren. The business lobbies also plan to make it easier for South Korean students to find jobs and internships at Japanese companies. The announcement by the business groups also coincided with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's visit to Japan for talks with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. An improvement in bilateral relations is also expected to increase trade between the two countries. The Japanese government separately said Thursday it will lift export controls of key chip materials against South Korea. The controls have been in place since 2019. South Korea has a competitive advantage in the global semiconductor market, with Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc. among the leading chipmakers. Japan, for its part, has a large global market share in chip materials. Related coverage: Japan, South Korea agree to resume mutual visits by leaders: PM Kishida 57% of Japanese back S. Korea's solution to wartime labor row: poll 60% of South Koreans oppose Japan wartime labor dispute resolution A business tycoon long sought by the government of China and known for cultivating ties to Trump administration figures including Steve Bannon was arrested Wednesday in New York on charges that he oversaw a $1 billion fraud conspiracy. Guo Wengui, 54, and his financier, Kin Ming Je, faced an indictment in federal court in Manhattan charging them with various crimes, including wire, securities and bank fraud. Guo was charged in court papers under the name Ho Wan Kwok. U.S. prosecutors said the indictment stemmed from a complex scheme in which Guo lied to hundreds of thousands of online followers in the United States and around the world before misappropriating hundreds of millions of dollars. Kin Ming Je, 55, has not been arrested. Guo was expected to appear in court Wednesday. His attorney did not immediately comment. The top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, said in a release that Guo was charged with lining his pockets with the money he stole, including buying himself, and his close relatives, a 50,000 square foot mansion, a $3.5 million Ferrari, and even two $36,000 mattresses, and financing a $37 million luxury yacht. Guo was once believed to be among the richest people in China. He left in 2014 during an anti-corruption crackdown led by President Xi Jinping that ensnared people close to Guo, including a top intelligence official. Chinese authorities have accused Guo of rape, kidnapping, bribery and other offenses. Since then, has been highly sought by that nations government, relying on the U.S. for protection. As he lived in New York as a fugitive he became an outspoken critic of the ruling Communist Party and developed a close relationship with Bannon, President Donald Trumps former political strategist. Guo and Bannon in 2020 announced the founding of a joint initiative they said was aimed at overthrowing the Chinese government. Guo has long argued that the allegations against him in China were false, saying they were intended to punish him for publicly outing corruption there and criticizing leading figures in the Communist Party. For years, his case was the subject of a debate over whether China was abusing international law enforcement cooperation efforts, including Interpol, in seeking his arrest. He sought political asylum in the U.S., saying he feared that if he were forced to leave the country, it might lead to his arrest in a nation with less power to resist Chinese demands. It was on Guos 150-foot (45-meter) yacht that Bannon was once arrested on federal charges. Just before he left office, Trump made the case against Bannon dissolve with a pardon. U.S. prosecutors accuse Guo of lying to his victims, promising them outsized returns if they invested or fed money to his media company, GTV Media Group Inc., his so-called Himalaya Farm Alliance, GCLUBS, and the Himalaya Exchange. Williams said that, between September 2022 and this month, the U.S. government has seized approximately $634 million from 21 bank accounts, representing the majority of the proceeds of Guos alleged fraud. He said law enforcement on Wednesday also seized assets that were purchased with proceeds of the alleged fraud, including a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Roadster. The Securities and Exchange Commission also brought civil charges against Guo on Wednesday, saying in a Manhattan federal court filing that Guo led others in committing multiple frauds since April 2020. The SEC said Guo targeted retail investors through online and social media posts and videos, deceiving them with lies such as a claim that a crypto asset security called H-Coin was backed by gold reserves. The SEC said Guo and Je raised about $452 million through an unregistered offering of GTV common stock from April 2020 to June 2020, claiming they would build the most popular and safest social media and transaction platform independent of the Chinese governments censorship and monitoring, allowing the people of China and the world to realize the freedom of speech and trade. (AP) Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he spoke to his Russian counterpart on Wednesday about the destruction of a U.S. drone over the Black Sea, which had brought the two countries closest to direct conflict since Moscows invasion of Ukraine a year ago. It was the first call between Austin and Defense Secretary Sergei Shoigu since October. I just got off the phone with my Russian counterpart, Minister Shoigu, Austin said at a Pentagon press briefing. As Ive said repeatedly, its important that great powers be models of transparency and communication, and the United States will continue to fly and to operate wherever international law allows. The U.S. military said it ditched the Air Force MQ-9 Reaper in the sea after a Russian fighter jet struck its propeller while it was flying in international airspace. Russia has denied that it caused the incident. The U.S. has said it was working on declassifying surveillance footage from the drone that would show Tuesdays crash. That Austin and Shoigu were talking underscored the seriousness of the encounter over the Black Sea. Since Russias invasion of Ukraine, contact between U.S. and Russian military leaders has been limited, with Russian officials refusing to take U.S. military calls in the early months of the war. Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he also planned to talk to his Russian counterpart, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the General Staff of the Russian armed forces. Gerasimov was named the new commander of the Russian forces in Ukraine in January and its previous commander demoted in an apparent sign of Russian President Vladimir Putins dissatisfaction with the state of the war, which has been stalemated. There were still questions as to whether Russia meant to down the drone, even though the moments that led up to its crash were intentional, Milley said. We know that the intercept was intentional. We know that the aggressive behavior was intentional, Milley said. However, whether the collision itself was intentional was still unclear, he told reporters at the briefing. Milley said the drone likely sank in waters that were 4,000 to 5,000 feet (1,200 to 1,500 meters) deep. If the call between Austin and Shoigu was de-escalatory in private, it was not apparent from Russias public statements. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters earlier Wednesday that Russia has declared certain areas of the Black Sea off-limits to any aerial traffic during the conflict and suggested the U.S. was trying to provoke an escalation through the flights. The drone crashed near Ukraines Crimean Peninsula, which Russia seized in 2014 and illegally annexed. Any incidents that could provoke confrontation between the two great powers, the two largest nuclear powers, raise very serious risks, Lavrov said. Austin and Shoigu first spoke about Russias invasion of Ukraine in May 2022. At the time it was the highest level U.S.-Russian contact of the war. In October, they spoke twice in three days as the threat of an escalation was high. Shoigu had accused Ukraine of planning to use a dirty bomb, a claim that was strongly rejected by U.S. and Western allies, who accused Russia of seeking a false pretext to justify further escalation, potentially including the use of a tactical nuclear weapon. The downed $32 million U.S. drone, which contains sensitive technology, has not been recovered. The U.S. does not have military ships operating in the Black Sea, which has been closed since early 2022 to military vessels that do not have a home port along its shores. U.S. officials said Russia has already sent ships to the area and attempted to recover pieces of the drone. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. (AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Syrian leader Bashar Assad in the Kremlin on Wednesday for talks that were expected to focus on rebuilding Syria after a devastating civil war and mending Damascus ties with Turkey. Welcoming Assad at the start of the meeting, which took place on the anniversary of Syrias 12-year uprising-turned-civil war, Putin emphasized the Russian militarys decisive contribution to stabilizing the country. Russia has waged a military campaign in Syria since September 2015, teaming up with Iran to allow Assads government to fight armed opposition groups and reclaim control over most of the country. While Russia now concentrates the bulk of its military resources in Ukraine, Moscow has maintained its military foothold in Syria and kept warplanes and troops at its bases there. Assad thanked Putin for backing Syrias sovereignty and territorial integrity, noting that the Kremlins support has remained strong despite the fighting in Ukraine. Even though Russia now is also conducting the special operation, its position has remained unchanged, Assad said, using the Kremlins special military operation term for the Russian action in Ukraine and voicing support for Moscows effort. The two rounds of talks between the two leaders, the first one involving senior officials from both countries and then a one-on-one encounter over lunch, lasted for more than three hours. The Russian and Syrian defense ministers also met separately to discuss military cooperation. Assads office said on Twitter that the two leaders discussed joint cooperation in various forms and developments on the regional and international arenas. It noted that Assad renewed Syrias position in support of Russias right to defend its national security. Moscow has provided robust political support to Assad at the United Nations and actively mediated to help repair his governments ties with regional powers. Some Arab countries that had called in the past for the downfall of Assad have sent aid following the catastrophic Feb. 6 earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria killing more than 50,000 including over 6,000 in Syria. International sympathy following the quake appeared to have sped up the regional rapprochement, with some calling for dialogue with Syria and for bringing the country back to the 22-member Arab League more than a decade after its membership was suspended over the crackdown in the early months of the uprising that turned into war. As part of the ongoing rapprochement, the foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan recently made their first visit to Damascus since the conflict began in March 2011 and met with Assad. On Wednesday, Assad also thanked Putin for sending rescue teams and engaging its military based in Syria to conduct salvage efforts and help deal with the quakes aftermath. Prior to the earthquake, Russia had been mediating talks between Turkey and Syria. Turkey has backed armed opposition groups in Syria that have sought to overturn Assads government during the civil war, which has killed nearly 500,000 people and displaced half of the countrys prewar population. Syria has demanded that Turkey withdraws from an enclave it controls in northwestern Syria in order for Damascus to normalize its relations with Ankara. In December, Moscow hosted surprise talks between the Syrian and Turkish defense ministers. Arab media reported that one of the main topics that Assad will discuss with Putin during their meeting on Wednesday is reconciliation between Syria and Turkey. Asked if Putins talks with Assad could play a role in restoring Syrias ties with Turkey, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded that the issue of the Syrian-Turkish relations will undoubtedly be part of the talks agenda. Even though Turkey has backed Syrian opposition fighters in the north, Ankara and Damascus share dismay over the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in Syrias northeast. Turkey-backed opposition fighters have clashed with the SDF in the past, accusing them of being an arm of Turkeys outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. The PKK has for decades waged an insurgency within Turkey against the government in Ankara. Assads government has cast the SDF as a secessionist force that has been pilfering the countrys wealth while controlling Syrias major oil fields. Assads office said in a statement after the talks that Putin and Assad talked about regional initiatives supported by Moscow and Assad emphasized that Syria supports dialogue if it leads to achieving the interests of the Syrian people and the unity and integrity of the Syrian territory and leads to clear results, the first of which is the continuation of the fight against terrorism and the exit of illegal foreign forces present on its territory. It didnt elaborate. The Syrian, Turkish and Russian deputy foreign ministers and a senior Iranian envoy were expected to hold talks Wednesday and Thursday in Moscow to discuss counterterrorism efforts in Syria, although Syrias Deputy Foreign Minister Ayman Sousan was quoted by pro-government media as saying that the meeting is still under discussion. (AP) Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his colleagues rejected a compromise plan presented by President Isaac Herzog as the Peoples Framework on Wednesday evening. The outline presented by Herzog, who was a left-wing politician before becoming president, fails to address key issues the coalition promised its voters to address it nixes the Override Clause, allowing the Supreme Court to continue to override Knesset laws and it fails to allow elected Knesset members to maintain a majority vote on the judicial selections committee, allowing Supreme Court judges to continue to have the power to elect their left-wing colleagues only. Additionally, although judges will no longer be able to override ministerial appointments or government decisions based on the unreasonableness clause, Herzogs plan will still allow judges to use the clause in certain areas. Finally, Herzog plan continues to allow legal advisers to the government, including the attorney-general, to have the final authority over government decisions instead of simply fulling their positions as legal advisers. Netanyahu, who had delayed his trip to Berlin in order to examine Herzogs plan, responded by stating: I think that any attempt to reach an agreement and to negotiate is certainly appropriate and therefore coalition representatives spoke with the president multiple times while the opposition representatives refused to do. Unfortunately, the outline the president presented was not agreed upon by the coalition and key sections only perpetuate the existing situation and do not bring the required balance between the authorities in Israel. This is the unfortunate truth. The head of the coalition parties issued a statement, saying. The presidents proposal means the complete revocation of the necessary changes in the judicial system. It is one-sided, biased and unacceptable. The proposal ignores the root problems presented by the president in his first speech and even exacerbates them. Transportation Minister Miri Regev stated that the outline is an insult to the publics intelligence. This is a framework that takes a clear side, against the people and the government. Sorry President Herzog, wrote activist Yishai Fleisher. Judges must not pick other judges. Legal advisors must not be the law. Thats not democracy, its the dictatorship of the Supreme Court and their cronies. You came towards a tiny violent minority and did not come towards the ruling majority. Law professor Eugene Kontorovich stated: So Israels president, a largely figurehead role not elected by the people, is presenting a peoples framework on judicial reform, while Netanyahu, the clear winner of (many) democratic elections, is suspended from even talking about it by a totally unelected official, the attorney-general. Following widespread harsh criticism of his outline, Herzog stated on Thursday morning that his plan is not the end of the discussion, but only the beginning. (YWN Israel Desk Jerusalem) Left-wing protesters, including senior politicians, have crossed red lines in their protest against the government of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, including besmirching Israel to Western media outlets But former prime minister (convicted criminal) Ehud Olmert managed to cross a red line that has yet to be crossed when he called on world leaders to boycott Netanyahu, in an interview with Channel 12 News. Even the show host, not known for his right-wing views, was visibly shocked by Olmerts words. The former jail-sitting Olmert began by calling to turn to the international community, saying every prime minister who categorizes himself as a friend of Israel needs to protest with all their might against the government of Israel. This [the Netanyahu] government is anti-Israel. Channel 12 News host: One minute, I need to understand. Youre calling on world leaders, for example, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is currently meeting with Netanyahu in Berlin Olmert: Yes, to boycott the prime minister. Channel 12 News host: To that degree! Olmert: Definitely. Channel 12 News host: But thats not boycotting the prime minister, its boycotting the State of Israel. Olmert: No, no, no. Thats exactly the issue. I call on every prime minister who respects Israel to condemn the prime minister of Israel. The State of Israel is not represented by the person who is going to destroy the democratic infrastructure of Israel. Therefore I very much hope this comes to fruition on his present visit [in Germany]. I very much hope that the British prime minister will cancel the visit of the Israeli prime minister. Im very happy that the US president isnt inviting the Israeli prime minister. I very much hope that the US president and the British prime minister reevaluate their ties with the Israeli government. Meanwhile, as Olmert spews his vile rhetoric and hate, Netanyahu continues his dedicated work on behalf of Israel. In the video below, he is seen walking with Scholz on Platform 17 at the Berlin-Grunewald railway station, where tens of thousands of Jews were sent to their deaths. A total of 35 trains transporting 17,000 Jews departed from Platform 17 directly to Auschwitz. By the end of the war, over 50,000 Jews had been deported from the platform. (YWN Israel Desk Jerusalem) A week after the second-largest bank collapse in U.S. history, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is set to tell the Senate Finance Committee that the nations banking system remains sound and Americans can feel confident about their deposits. Yellen will be the first Biden administration official to face lawmakers over the decision to protect uninsured money at two failed regional banks, a move that some observers have criticized as a bank bailout. The government took decisive and forceful actions to strengthen public confidence in the U.S. banking system, Yellen says in prepared testimony released before her appearance. I can reassure the members of the Committee that our banking system remains sound, and that Americans can feel confident that their deposits will be there when they need them. In less than a week, Silicon Valley Bank, based in Santa Clara, California, failed after depositors rushed to withdraw money amid anxiety over the banks health. Then, regulators convened over the weekend and announced that New York-based Signature Bank also failed. They ensured all depositors, including those holding uninsured funds exceeding $250,000, were protected by federal deposit insurance. The Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission have since launched investigations into the Silicon Valley Bank collapse. Thursdays hearing is meant to address President Joe Bidens budget proposal, but it comes after the sudden collapse of the nations 16th-biggest bank and go-to financial institution for tech entrepreneurs. While Yellen will be prepared to talk about spending proposals, the hearing will inevitably turn to the governments decision-making process to intervene in the bank failure. Lawmakers will likely question whether the money committed to make depositors whole is a bailout, the degree to which taxpayers will be on the hook for the intervention and the possibility of new regulation impacting the banking system. Yellen said on CBS Face the Nation last Sunday that a bailout was not on the table, stating, were not going to do that again, referring to the U.S. governments response to the 2008 financial crisis, which led to massive government rescue policies to large U.S. banks. Yellen, a former Federal Reserve chair and past president of the San Francisco Federal Reserve during the 2008 financial crisis, was a leading figure in the resolution this past weekend, which was engineered to prevent a wider systemic problem in the banking sector. This weeks actions demonstrate our resolute commitment to ensure that depositors savings remain safe, she says in her Thursday testimony. (AP) Polands president said Thursday that his country plans to give Ukraine around a dozen MiG-29 fighter jets, which would make it the first NATO member to fulfill the Ukrainian governments increasingly urgent requests for warplanes. President Andrzej Duda said Poland would hand over four of the Soviet-made warplanes within the next few days and that the rest needed servicing and would be supplied later. The Polish word he used to describe their number can mean between 11 and 19. They are in the last years of their functioning but they are in good working condition, Duda said of the aircraft. Duda did not say whether other countries would be making the same move, although Slovakia has said it would send its disused MiGs to Ukraine. On Wednesday, Polish government spokesman Piotr Mueller said some other countries with MiGs also had pledged them to Kyiv, but he did not name them. While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pleaded for Western supporters to share fighter jets, NATO allies have expressed hesitancy. Before Russias full-scale invasion, Ukraine had several dozen MiG-29s it inherited in the collapse of the Soviet Union, but its unclear how many of them remain in service after more than a year of fighting. The debate over whether to provide non-NATO country Ukraine with fighter jets was initiated over a year ago, but NATO has been wary of making the war escalate. Duda made the announcement during a joint news conference in Warsaw with the visiting Czech president, Petr Pavel. Duda said Polands air force would replace the planes it gives to Ukraine with South Korea-made FA-50 fighters and American-made F-35s. Poland was also the first NATO nation to hand German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, last month. Poland is a crucial ally in the Ukraine crisis. It is hosting thousands of American troops and is taking in more people fleeing the war in Ukraine than any other nation, in the midst of the largest European refugee crisis in decades. It has suffered invasions and occupations by Russia for centuries and still fears Russia despite being a member of NATO. (AP) British authorities said Thursday that they are banning the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok from government mobile phones on security grounds, following similar moves by the U.S. and European Union. Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden told Parliament that the ban applies with immediate effect to work phones and other devices used by government ministers and civil servants. He described the ban as a precautionary move, and said it does not apply to personal phones and devices. Given the particular risk around government devices, which may contain sensitive information, it is both prudent and proportionate to restrict the use of certain apps, particularly when it comes to apps where a large amount of data can be stored and accessed, Dowden told British lawmakers. The U.S. government mandated last month that employees of federal agencies have to delete TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices. Congress, the White House, U.S. armed forces and more than half of U.S. states already had banned the app. The European Union, Belgium and others have also temporarily banned the app from employee phones. The moves were prompted by growing concerns that TikToks parent company, ByteDance, would give user data such as browsing history and location to the Chinese government, or push propaganda and misinformation on its behalf. The company has insisted that such concerns are based on misinformation and said it was taking steps to boost protection of user data from the U.K. and Europe. We believe these bans have been based on fundamental misconceptions and driven by wider geopolitics, in which TikTok and our millions of users in the U.K, play no part, the company said. We remain committed to working with the government to address any concerns but should be judged on facts and treated equally to our competitors. China accused the United States on Thursday of spreading disinformation and suppressing TikTok following reports that the Biden administration was calling for the short-form video services Chinese owners to sell their stakes in the popular app. Last year, Britains Parliament shut down its TikTok account, which was intended to reach younger audiences, just days after its launch after lawmakers raised concerns. (AP) Eighteen men, women and children were slaughtered on the evening of September 1, 1826 when their camp was attacked by mounted police. The massacre of the Wonnarua people was revenge for the murder a few days earlier of two convict workers accused of raping their women. It was one of the bloodiest episodes in the Frontier Wars of New South Wales between the early settlers and aborigines. And it took place in the Hunter Valley, now better known for its coal mines and full-bodied Shiraz wine. Sacred ground: Glencore is locked in a dispute over plans to expand a coal mine on a site where it is believed eighteen aboriginal people were massacred in 1826 Almost 200 years later, Glencore is locked in a long-running dispute with indigenous leaders and local authorities over plans to expand a coal mine on the site where the massacre is believed by some at least to have taken place. Planning permission has already been turned down and Glencore is now fighting a proposed heritage listing designed to protect it from being dug up. It is the latest salvo in a much bigger conflict, which escalated three years ago when Rio Tinto detonated Juukan Gorge, a sacred 60,000-year-old site in Pilbara, Western Australia. Mining companies across Australia, accused for years of paying lip service to the original owners of the land, are now having to tread very carefully. The case in the Hunter Valley is less clear cut than Juukan Gorge, which brought global condemnation of Rio Tintos actions. Glencore is eyeing 135m tons of coal lying beneath the ground, worth more than 10billion at todays prices. This deposit holds the key to extending the life of the open-pit Glendell mine, currently due to close next year, until 2044. The war in Ukraine has caused the price of thermal coal to soar to record highs, giving miners like Glencore extra incentive to dig up more of it. The problem Glencore faces is that the coal is buried under a remote rural homestead called Ravensworth, consisting of a ramshackle stone farmhouse, and a couple of out buildings. This has been identified by some oral indigenous traditions as the site of the slayings. This place is hallowed ground for us, says Scott Franks, who is a local archaeologist and a Wonnarua man. He added: But Glencore has shown us no respect, they are only after the coal. The reality though, is that the precise location of the massacre is unknown. So while the site is deemed sacred by some indigenous locals, others have dismissed the significance of the site and believe the killings took place elsewhere. Remote: The Ravensworth site consists of a ramshackle stone farmhouse and a couple of out buildings This uncertainty has formed the basis of Glencores case. It has already gone to great lengths. It has hired a local historian who concluded that although Ravensworth was the scene of a number of attacks by aboriginal warriors and retaliations by settlers, the massacre is more likely to have taken place more than 15 miles away. Ravensworth, which lies around 100 miles north of Sydney, is thought to have been built in 1832 for Dr James Bowman, a few years after the massacre. Dr Bowman, from Carlisle in Cumbria, was the chief surgeon on early convict ships to Australia and was later appointed as the principal surgeon for the colony of New South Wales. He became a pastoralist, grazing sheep on 12,000 acres of land. Bowmans former estate is now owned and maintained by Glencore, which bought the mining lease for the land 26 years ago. The FTSE 100-listed firm has submitted a proposal to move the buildings to a local farm, or to a nearby village called Broke, rebuild it stone by stone and open it up to the public. This has received the support of a group of residents and business people, as well as neighbouring Singleton town council. But its planning application was blocked in October by New South Wales Independent Planning Permission. It accepted the conclusion of both the states heritage and planning departments that the massacre is unlikely to have occurred on the Ravensworth estate. But it still ruled that destroying the property or moving it, and that mining the ground for coal, would desecrate a culturally significant colonial-era landscape. To make matters worse for Glencore, the states heritage council is now seeking a heritage listing for Ravenscroft, broadening it to span an area of more than 1,200 acres. The company fears that this would force it to shut down the Glendell mine and abandon its expansion plans. Amid global targets to move away from fossil fuels, and hit net zero carbon emissions targets, many might argue this can only be a good thing. But it will come as a blow to many in the local community, with hundreds of local workers set to lose their jobs when the mine closes. Glencore is now mulling over its next move, including whether to submit a fresh proposal to expand the mine. A spokesman for the company said the heritage listing proposal does not present a balanced or factual assessment of the significance of the homestead and its surrounding landscape. By Mariko Tamura, KYODO NEWS - Mar 16, 2023 - 12:09 | Arts, Feature, All An Israeli sociologist says there are significant downsides when society limits women to certain roles or expectations, particularly if their aversion to having children is not respected, a theme tackled in her taboo-shattering book, "Regretting Motherhood." "We must have the opportunity to decide whatever we want about our lives. There is no one certain way to be a woman. There is no one certain way to be a feminist," Orna Donath said in a recent interview with Kyodo News. Donath said people must acknowledge the potential of "a spectrum of feminine identities," and also urged them to be more willing to listen to women who are unhappy about being a mother. Her book, first published in Germany in 2016 and then in other countries including Japan in March 2022, details how 23 Jewish-Israeli women of different ages and financial statuses say they would not have gone down the path of motherhood if they had their time again. "There is a universal expectation for women to become mothers," Donath said in the late February interview. "It seems still in 2023 that this is the main essence of women's lives and they need to do their job." Part of the criticism of women who regret motherhood stems from the mistaken belief that they, therefore, do not love their children, she said. Invalidating their feelings is "really cruel," she added. "As long as we don't talk about the possibility of regretting motherhood, we are not talking truth." Her book also resonated with women who prefer to remain childless. Donath has moderated groups of women for 10 weeks annually since 2015, giving them an opportunity to discuss their misgivings about becoming mothers. Donath also hit out at subtle and overt messages from people who believe that there is something fundamentally wrong with women who regret having children or those who choose to be childless. Childless women are "still being expected to prove that they have an essence in their lives," she said. The sociologist knows there is a long, difficult road ahead on which traditional concepts about women will be reassessed. She recognizes that the relentless societal pressure toward certain ideals limits the panoply of "road maps" for women. She believes the gender role division -- that of acting "like a woman" or "like a man" -- is also limiting women's options. "Either you are a real woman and therefore you want to be a mother...(or) you don't want to be a mother then you have no option but to be like a man and have a career," she said, adding that societal pressure is "gaslighting" women. Donath wants women to be free from being forced to constantly improve themselves and for them to be able to say, "I don't want to improve. I don't want to prove. I'm just not a mother, that's all, and I don't want to participate in this chase after ghosts." Donath said it is helpful to be aware of how capitalism, the patriarchy and other systems affect society's expectations of women, and by doing so, one can protect one's identity from pressure to conform. "History is not a linear process. We can also see it also in the United States about the laws against abortion," she said, speaking about the controversial recent roll-back of abortion rights in many U.S. states. "The rights that we have are not necessarily ours forever. It can go back and be worse." Ultimately, her message is simple. "We are the owners of our bodies, our minds, our emotions, our dreams, our yearnings, our abilities." The future of Royal Mail boss Simon Thompson is in doubt after he was criticised by MPs and regulators. In a damning report published today, the House of Commons business committee accused him of either an unacceptable level of incompetence or an unacceptable level of cluelessness. It also said Thompson intentionally or inadvertently misled MPs and called on Ofcom to investigate prompting a further broadside from the regulator. Grilling: Royal Mail boss Simon Thompson (pictured) was accused of 'either an unacceptable level of incompetence or an unacceptable level of cluelessness' Royal Mails recent performance is clearly well short of where it should be, Ofcom said. Were very concerned about this and have asked the company to explain what its doing to bring service levels back up, as a matter of urgency. 'Ofcom is preparing its own assessment and wont hesitate to take enforcement action. The comments pile pressure on Thompson as he struggles to turn Royal Mail around in the face of a wave of strikes and mounting losses. In its report, the committee said it had breached its universal service obligation (USO), which compels it to deliver letters six days a week. It cited evidence some workers were told to prioritise parcels over letters. MPs also asked the Information Commissioner to investigate claims Royal Mail used data from personal digital assistants (PDAs) to track workers. The company denies this is its policy. But the report accused Thompson of intentionally or inadvertently misleading MPs when he said it was not his understanding PDA data was used to monitor performance. I find it hard to believe that such widespread breaches of company policy and legal obligations are down to a national network of rogue workers conspiring against management, said committee chairman Darren Jones MP. We were inundated with evidence from postal workers challenging the accuracy of answers given by Simon Thompson. The failures in company policy which Mr Thompson admitted to can only be due to either an unacceptable level of incompetence or an unacceptable level of cluelessness about what is happening at Royal Mail. Hiding behind the pandemic as a driving factor in failures does not cut it. Ofcom must start enforcement proceedings to ensure everyone gets a consistent service wherever they are. Royal Mail rejected claims it misled the committee, saying it had answered in detail the questions asked and was reviewing policies around deliveries. It said challenges facing the business and the USO cannot be ignored. We urge the Government, Ofcom and all stakeholders to work with us to ensure we have a financially sustainable universal service for many years to come, a spokesman said. London suffered a fresh blow as a major investor called for British American Tobacco (BAT) to ditch the City for New York. Asset manager GQG Partners, the fifth biggest shareholder, said it makes no sense for BAT to stay on the London Stock Exchange (LSE). The 76billion US-based funds founder Rajiv Jain urged bosses at the Lucky Strike and Pall Mall maker to scrap its London listing after more than a century. Withdrawal symptoms: Asset manager GQG Partners, the fifth biggest shareholder, said it makes no sense for British American Tobacco to stay on the London Stock Exchange Jains call raised fresh questions about the attractiveness of the LSE and follows a series of high-profile snubs for the Square Mile. British microchip designer Arm is to float on Wall Street, dashing hopes of a dual listing. Its Japanese owner SoftBank was said to have been put off by City rules. Fintech star Oaknorth warned it would float in New York instead of London and 30billion building materials giant CRH plans to move its shares to the US as companies seek better access to capital and higher valuations. Jain said BAT is an orphan in Europe and highlighted the US focus of its business. He told the Financial Times: Whats the point of remaining listed in London? Jain added: We are a large shareholder, so they listened to us and they werent committal in one way or the other. But drivers have been left 'absolutely fuming' over the 'crazy' scheme Furious drivers are being charged an automatic 120 'deposit' when they fill up at Tesco petrol stations. The deposit charge was first quietly piloted at selected pumps in June 2021 to replace a 1 pre-authorisation charge as part of attempts to stamp out fuel theft. But the supermarket has been slammed after a driver was charged 120 after filling up with 15 of fuel at an Esso Tesco in Ardwick Green, Manchester, this week. Another driver was also left 'absolutely fuming' after noticing the same charge had been made to her account after filling up at the same site a week earlier. The driver, Scott, told Manchester Evening News he was shocked when he checked his account and saw the deposit had been taken. The supermarket has been slammed after a driver was charged 120 after filling up with 15 of fuel at an Esso Tesco in Ardwick Green, Manchester, this week Unable to contact his bank, he returned to the petrol station and spotted a sign inside warning customers of the charge. The warning said: 'Please note, paying at pump with your card will automatically charge 120 then refund the difference back to your account from your fuel total.' What is the 120 Pay-at-Pump 'pre-authorisation fee' and how does it work? The 'pre-authorisation' system aims to stop people who don't have enough funds from filling up their vehicles and to stamp out theft. It will be replacing the 1 fee currently charged at most pumps. To use the stations customers will need to enter their PIN. A 'pre-authorisation' check will 'ring-fence' a sum of cash up to 120 to ensure the driver has enough funds. Motorists will then be charged for the amount of fuel they purchased. The remainder will usually immediately be refunded once they have finished filling up. He said: 'I was gobsmacked, the financial implications of this are huge. They shouldnt be putting this in in the first place. Have more security at pumps if that is the issue. 'What if there was a family filling up on their way to Tesco and only had 120 left in their bank and then went to try and do a food shop and couldn't pay? 'It is crazy. The sign is inside the shop so how is someone supposed to know about it if they pay at the pump? 'Im lucky that I have access to funds until the money comes back into my account but its the principal.' All supermarkets and energy suppliers are understood to be imposing the holding fee soon, with an amount up to 120 being ringfenced in customers' accounts for a short time until the unused sum is immediately released. Asda tried the same scheme in 2018 but scrapped it following a similar outcry from drivers, saying at the time that 'we always want to do the right thing for our customers'. Scott said he has been left waiting more than 12 hours and had still not received the 105 holding fee back into his account. Tesco is expected to roll out the system across all petrol garages by the end of the year. The system only impacts customers who pay at the pump, with those paying at the kiosk being charged the normal amount. The supermarket says the fee has been introduced in line with Mastercard and Via requirements, adding that the money should be released back into customers' accounts immediately. A spokesman for Tesco said: 'Were really sorry to hear about this. The funds that are reserved whilst a customer refuels at Pay at Pump should be immediately released back into the customers account. 'If this has not happened, we would recommend that the customer contacts their card issuer to resolve the issue.' A statement from Mastercard added: 'Although customers may notice in their banking apps an initial transaction for a higher pre-authorised amount than the fuel they bought, this is very temporary, as almost immediately after the sale is made the exact value of fuel dispensed is withdrawn from their account, and any remainder of the pre-authorised amount is released for use. 'Should cardholders experience any issues or have any questions regarding this new process they should contact their bank.' KYODO NEWS - Mar 16, 2023 - 21:20 | World, All China reiterated Thursday its warning against Japan's plan to begin releasing treated radioactive water into the sea from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant sometime this spring or summer, saying Tokyo "has not seriously responded to international concerns." Sun Xiaobo, director general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Arms Control Department, stressed at a press briefing that in addition to China, stakeholders such as South Korea, North Korea, Russia and many Pacific island countries are not "fully convinced" about the safety of the planned water discharge. "Countries and the media need to speak now to Japan to face up to its responsibilities, not to take any irresponsible action in a hasty way," Sun said. The Japanese government and the Fukushima Daiichi plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., aim to soon begin discharging the treated water, which contains trace amounts of tritium, into the Pacific Ocean. Following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami, vast quantities of water are still needed to continually cool the melted fuel and fuel debris at the plant. The water pumped into the plant for this purpose has mixed with groundwater and rainwater, accumulating in storage tanks at TEPCO's crippled complex after being treated with an advanced liquid processing system that removes most radionuclides. The International Atomic Energy Agency has conducted several safety reviews of the water release plan to ensure the discharge is in line with international safety standards and poses no harm to public health and the environment. An IAEA task force said after observing the Fukushima plant in January that Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority is "implementing an appropriate inspection program" focusing on safety aspects of the planned water discharge. However, Sun said the task force has not reached a final conclusion yet. He also cast doubt on the trustworthiness of data related to the water discharge plan, citing a past data tampering scandal involving TEPCO. Related coverage: FOCUS: Japan set to release treated water off Fukushima despite fears Japan seeks G-7 endorsement on discharge of Fukushima treated water Micronesia president says "transparency" eased Fukushima water concerns KYODO NEWS - Mar 16, 2023 - 13:52 | All, Japan, Feature The number of cybercrimes uncovered by police in Japan hit a record high in 2022, rising 160 to 12,369 cases, with notable growth in reports of ransomware attacks, the National Police Agency said Thursday. The daily average of suspicious internet access cases, including cyberattacks, has also hit a record high of 7,707.9 per internet protocol address, the agency said. With the rise in remote working due to the coronavirus pandemic, the number of ransomware attacks, in which hackers demand payment in exchange for restoring access to data, soared 57.5 percent from the previous year to 230 cases across 37 of Japan's 47 prefectures, according to the agency's data. The scale of business operations was not a factor in the ransomware attacks, with half of the victims small and medium-sized firms, the data showed. (Anadolu Agency/Getty/Kyodo) (Anadolu Agency/Getty/Kyodo) A new bureau and special investigative team tasked with tackling serious cybercrime cases were established at the National Police Agency in April last year. The manufacturing sector was the hardest hit with 75 cases, followed by services at 49 and the medical sector at 20. Of the 182 attacks in which the modus operandi was revealed, 119 involved "double extortion ransomware," involving both the encryption and exfiltration of a victim's data that a perpetrator threatens to disclose unless a payment is made. In a survey of affected companies, 63 of the 102 valid responses said an attack was launched via a virtual private network service, 19 involved remote desktop software with a hacker gaining control of a device, and nine were linked to suspicious emails. Half of the respondents said it took less than a month to restore their systems, although some answered that it took more than two months. The majority said the overall cost for restoration totaled between 10 million yen ($75,000) and 50 million yen. The daily average of suspicious internet access cases, including cyberattacks, nearly tripled from 2,752.8 in 2018. The majority originated abroad, with the increase believed to be linked to the spread of smart home appliances. Among the total 12,369 cybercrime cases in which the police launched investigations, 3,304 were scams, while 1,560 involved violations of the child prostitution and pornography laws, and 522 of the unauthorized computer access law. Japan and South Korea agreed to drop an almost four-year-old trade dispute on high-tech materials on Thursday, an emphatic sign they aim to rebuild a relationship strained by history and work together against deepening security threats. The announcement came during Yoon Suk Yeols visit to Japan on Thursday, the first for a South Korean president 12 years, as the two neighbours look for common ground in the face of frequent North Korean missile launches. Japan will remove curbs on its exports to South Korea of critical materials for smartphone displays and chips while Seoul will drop a World Trade Organization (WTO) complaint against Tokyo, South Koreas trade ministry said. Tokyo imposed the curbs in 2019 as tensions over a decades-old row with Seoul deepened. Thursdays announcement is likely to be seen as a sign of Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishidas desire to present a united front against growing regional tension and cooperate on supply chains. In doing so, they look to leave behind years of animosity sparked by Japans 1910-1945 occupation of the Korean peninsula. The urgency of regional security and the threat posed by North Korea were underscored in the hours before Yoons arrival, when the North fired a long-range ballistic missile that landed in the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan. Yoon has said that he expects to invigorate security cooperation and the two leaders are preparing to confirm the restart of a bilateral security dialogue which has been suspended since 2018, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK. Tokyo and Seoul are also expected to revive shuttle diplomacy of regular visits between the leaders, according to a Yomiuri daily report citing Japanese government sources. Still, Japan remains cautious about immediate improvements in relations, with a Japanese government official who requested anonymity saying that Japan and South Korea relations are looking up, but its still a step-by-step process. Yoon also faces scepticism at home. In a poll by Gallup Korea published Friday, 64% of respondents said there was no need to rush to improve ties with Japan if there was no change in its attitude, and 85% said they thought the current Japanese government was not apologetic about Japans colonial history. Despite the strain, economic ties are strong. The two were each others fourth-largest export markets in 2021, according to the IMF. Japanese exports to South Korea totalled $52 billion, while South Korean exports totalled $30 billion, the data showed. FRESH REMINDER In a fresh reminder of the long-running tensions, two South Korean victims of wartime forced labour filed a lawsuit, seeking compensation from Japanese company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (7011.T), their representatives said on Thursday. Relations between the two countries have been strained over the wartime labour issue as well as disputed islands, and Korean girls and women forced to work in Japanese wartime brothels, made headway last week when Seoul announced a plan for its companies to compensate former forced labourers. The victims who filed the lawsuit reject that plan. Kishida has welcomed the labour compensation move and spoke of hopes of bolstering relations with Yoons visit. Japans biggest business lobby, Keidanren, said it and its South Korean counterpart, the Federation of Korean Industries, agreed to launch foundations aimed at future-oriented bilateral relations. Park Hong-keun, floor leader of South Koreas main opposition Democratic Party, said Yoons visit should not stop at his trip down memory lane and asked Yoon to earn a true apology and resolution from Japan on forced labour issues during his trip. The two leaders also met in November on the sidelines of the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Cambodia. South Korea and Japan at the time agreed to exchange real-time intelligence on North Koreas missile launches, which experts say will help both countries better track potential threats. Japan said the strategic challenge posed by China is the biggest Japan has ever faced in a defence strategy paper released in December. Tokyo worries that Russias invasion of Ukraine has set a precedent that will encourage China to attack self-ruled Taiwan. Chinas coast guard entered waters around disputed East China Sea islets on Wednesday to counter what it called the incursion of Japanese vessels into Chinese territorial waters. SOURCE: REUTERS KYODO NEWS - Mar 16, 2023 - 21:37 | All, Japan, World North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile Thursday just hours before Japan and South Korea hold a summit in Tokyo to discuss issues including cooperation in responding to Pyongyang's threats. The ICBM-class missile is believed to have fallen outside Japan's exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan at around 8:19 a.m. after flying for 70 minutes, the Defense Ministry said, with officials saying there were no reports of damage to aircraft or vessels. It was North Korea's second missile test since South Korea and the United States began joint military exercises on Monday. The missile flew for 70 minutes and traveled about 1,000 kilometers at a maximum altitude of over 6,000 km, before falling around 200 km west of Oshima-Oshima, a tiny island west of Hokkaido in northern Japan, according to the ministry. Japan lodged a protest with North Korea and strongly condemned its first ICBM test since Feb. 18. "We must cooperate even more closely with our allies and like-minded countries" to ensure regional peace and stability, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters. Convening a National Security Council meeting before his departure for Tokyo, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said North Korea will have to pay the price for its reckless provocations. He also called for the strengthening of trilateral security cooperation between South Korea, Japan and the United States. North Korea has denounced U.S.-South Korean military drills as a rehearsal for invasion. The missile was fired on a steep vertical path or "lofted" trajectory from the Sunan area of Pyongyang, according to the South Korean military. A South Korean military official said it resembled a "Hwasong-17" ICBM that North Korea test-fired last November, which could potentially travel over 15,000 km and reach the U.S. mainland if launched on a normal trajectory. U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said the United States "strongly condemns" North Korea's latest ICBM test, which "needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region." The United States will take all necessary steps to ensure the security of its homeland, Japan and South Korea, its key Asian allies, she said in a statement. Later Thursday, Japan's Defense Ministry released footage showing a fireball-like object that is believed to be related to the North Korean missile, falling almost vertically toward the sea. The ministry said an F-15 fighter jet of the Air Self-Defense Force filmed it over waters near where the missile is presumed to have splashed down. Related coverage: Japan, South Korea agree to resume mutual visits by leaders: PM Kishida North Korea fired 2 missiles from land on March 14.: KCNA North Korea fires 2 short-range ballistic missiles: South Korea The PSNI has asked for 330 officers from the rest of the UK to assist with a massive security operation during a visit to Northern Ireland by US President Joe Biden. Mr Biden has confirmed he will visit Northern Ireland and the Republic as part of the celebrations around the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement next month. Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd said that while there was no confirmed date for the presidential visit, the police service would have contingencies in place. He said: We have asked for approximately 330 officers from across the United Kingdom to support the policing operation. The mutual aid officers will be used to provide additional search capabilities and a range of other specialist policing functions during this period. Mutual aid officers are a vital part of the vast policing and security operation for these events. They will be provided with the necessary equipment and familiarisation training. They are coming to Northern Ireland to assist with the security operation and not every day policing of Northern Ireland. PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne, who is currently in Washington, said it would be a unique policing operation for which the PSNI would require support. It is going to be a stretch and it is going to be a huge policing operation, he told the BBC. Mr Byrne added: We are in close dialogue already with colleagues in England and Wales because we are likely to be asking for hundreds of specialist officers to come into Northern Ireland to support what will be a unique policing operation. We are really proud to play our part in 25 years of all the good news and optimism that fell out of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. If you think of the busy period across our summer months, we dont normally ask for help from other parts of the UK. An operation like this, even if we are at full resource, we will have to rely on some specialist support. The scale of this means it will be a bigger ask than normal. My anticipation is that hundreds of officers from England and Wales will support what we are doing. He added: We are a strong and resilient organisation and we have shown time and time again that we can step up to the challenge even in tough times. This is an operation which has been very carefully planned, we are getting advice and learning from recent events elsewhere in the UK and we want to do our part in making sure everybody can enjoy a celebration of the Agreement, and move around peacefully and without interruption. Mr Byrne has previously raised concerns about PSNI resources due to an ongoing funding shortfall. He said that would form part of his message during meetings in the US. He said: I come here with two messages. One is to investors that Northern Ireland is the safest part of the UK, but at the same time we need a police service that is sufficiently resourced to meet the challenges. We are not returning to the awful scenes of the past, the terrorist threat at the minute is about attacking the police service, it is not about deterring investors. Asked about the condition of senior detective John Caldwell, who was shot several times in an attack in Co Tyrone last month, Mr Byrne said: John is receiving tip-top care but he remains seriously ill. [March 15, 2023] Meridian Recognized as one of the 2023 Achievers 50 Most Engaged Workplaces TORONTO, March 15, 2023 /CNW/ - Meridian, Ontario's largest credit union, and second largest in Canada, has been named one of the 2023 Achievers 50 Most Engaged Workplaces in North America. The annual award recognizes top employers demonstrating leadership in innovative employee engagement and recognition. "At Meridian, our employees and their experience in the workplace is a top priority. Our goal is to create a positive workplace environment and culture that promotes employee engagement and recognition, helping to inspire our employees to excel and be their best selves," said Patty Johns, Chief People & Culture Officer, Meridian. "We are proud to be acknowledged among peers as one of the 2023 Achievers 50 Most Engaged Workplaces. This prestigious recognition speaks to our commitment to our employees and their positive experience working at Meridian." The award evaluates organizations based on the eight elements of employee engagement, including manager empowerment, culture alignment, wellbeing, recognition and awards, purpose and leadership, professional and personal growth, accountability and performance, and belonging, equity and inclusion. "Amid economic turbulence and a rapidly changing work landscape, it has never been more vital to prioritize employee engagement. However, building a workplace that effectively engages and supports all employees is no easy feat," said Jeff Cates, CEO, Achievers. "We're proud to announce this year's 50 Most Engaged Workplaces and recognize an impressive group of companies who are truly redefining employee engagement excellence." Meridian has implemented a number of programs, initiatives and practices to promote employee engagement and wellbeing: The Voice of Emloyee program offers an effective listening mechanism for critical employee feedback, giving insight and measuring what is important to employees. The most recent survey had an 87% participation rate and a 76% employee experience score which is considered top quartile. The Tuition Assistance program encourages personal and professional growth by providing financial support for employees to pursue a course or designation, helping to develop knowledge and gain new skills. IApplaudu, the online reward and recognition program, allows leaders and colleagues to publicly recognize and celebrate employee milestones or achievements. Gifted points can be redeemed by employees for prizes and rewards. In 2022, Meridian became a certified Living Wage Employer. With a commitment to paying above and beyond a minimum wage, employees can cover their basic living expenses while also supporting their children's healthy development, and fully participate in work, family life and community activities. In support of overall wellbeing, the mental health benefit maximum was increased to $5,000 per employee. Additionally, employees have access to enhanced disability benefits, generous paid time off policies and where possible, flexible work arrangements. official website here. About Achievers Achievers' employee voice and recognition solutions bring your organization's values and strategy to life by activating employee participation and accelerating a culture of performance. Achievers leverages the science behind behavior change, so your people and your organization can experience sustainable, data-driven business results. Visit us at www.achievers.com . About Meridian We acknowledge the land on which we operate is the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabe, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Metis. We also acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit. With more than 75 years of banking history, Meridian is Ontario's largest credit union, and second largest in Canada, helping to grow the lives of our more than 360,000 Members. Meridian has $30.0 billion in assets under management (December 31, 2022) and delivers a full range of financial services online, by phone, by mobile and through a network of 89 branches across Ontario, and business banking services in 15 locations. Meridian cardholders also have access to over 43,000 surcharge-free ABMs in North America with THE EXCHANGE Network and the Allpoint Network in the US. For more information, please visit: meridiancu.ca, follow us on Twitter @MeridianCU or visit us on Facebook. SOURCE Meridian Credit Union [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] New IDC Spending Guide Forecasts Worldwide Security Investments Will Grow 12.1% in 2023 to $219 Billion Worldwide spending on security solutions and services is forecast to be $219 billion in 2023, an increase of 12.1% compared to 2022, according to the new Worldwide Security Spending Guide from International Data Corporation (IDC). Investments in hardware, software, and services related to cybersecurity are expected to reach nearly $300 billion in 2026, driven by the ongoing threat of cyberattacks, the demands of providing a secure hybrid work environment, and the need to meet data privacy and governance requirements. "Spend on security products and services will continue to outperform growth in overall IT spending," said Serena Da Rold, associate research director, IDC Data & Analytics. "Almost all industries and company size segments will see low double-digit growth through 2026, driven by the expansion of cloud and container deployments, the need to secure remote access to resources, and the compliance requirements of privacy and data protection legislation. The more mature industries, and largest spenders, will grow faster than average as they continue to invest in cutting edge security solutions to prevent and fend off ransomware attacks on their distributed workforce and to protect critical infrastructure, which is increasingly connected to the IT network." The industries that will deliver the largest investments in security products and services in 2023 are Banking, Discrete Manufacturing, Professional Services, and Federal/Central Government. Both banks and discrete manufacturers will invest about evenly in software and services with the largest expenditures going toward managed security services to protect against cyberattacks. In comparison, Professional Services will see notably greater investments in software with a focus on governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) and endpoint security. Services spending will also be the largest area of focus for Federal/Central Government. Combined, these four industries will account for more than a third of all security spending in 2023. The industries that are expected to have the fastest spending growth over the 2021-2026 forecast period are Securities & Investment Services, Telecommunications, and Banking. Software will be the largest technology group in 2023, representing nearly half of all security spending this year. Endpoint Security will be the leading software category, followed by Identity and Digital Trust software and Cybersecurity Analytics, Intelligence, Response, and Orchestration software. Services will be the second largest technology group, led by the Managed Security Services category with $42 billion in spending expectd this year. Hardware spending will be dominated by Network Security Appliances. Software will be the fastest growing of the three technology groups with a five-year compound annual growth rate of 13.7%, followed by Services at 11.0%. A graphic illustrating the spending share of the top 5 security technology categories in 2023 is available by viewing this press release on IDC.com. The United States will be the largest geographic region for security spending in 2023. Discrete Manufacturing and Professional Services will the leading industries for security spending in the USA. The second largest region for security spending will be Western Europe, where the Banking and Discrete Manufacturing industries will be the leading investors. Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan and China) and the People's Republic of China will be the next largest regions for security spending this year. China is forecast to see the fastest spending growth over the 2021-2026 forecast period with a five-year CAGR of 18.8%. "The total IT security spending in Europe will keep on growing at more than 10% over the forecast period. The biggest portion of that spending will still be represented by services, which will be increasingly leveraged especially by organizations with limited competences in the security area to protect their data and assets from the threat of ransomware attacks exacerbated by the current geopolitical situation in the region. The top IT security spending sectors in Europe will be finance - which will also have to constantly ensure regulatory adherence - and manufacturing - which will need to defend against increasingly frequent cyberattacks on production plants," said Stefano Perini, senior research analyst, IDC European Data & Analytics. The Worldwide Security Spending Guide quantifies the global revenue opportunity for both core and next-generation security purchases with detailed forecast data for security spending by 20 industries across nine regions and 48 countries, and five company size bands. About IDC Spending Guides IDC's Spending Guides provide a granular view of key technology markets from a regional, vertical industry, use case, buyer, and technology perspective. The spending guides are delivered via pivot table format or custom query tool, allowing the user to easily extract meaningful information about each market by viewing data trends and relationships. For more information about IDC's Spending Guides, please contact Monika Kumar at [email protected]. Click here to learn about IDC's full suite of data products and how you can leverage them to grow your business. About IDC International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,300 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology, IT benchmarking and sourcing, and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world's leading tech media, data, and marketing services company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com. Follow IDC on Twitter at @IDC and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the IDC Blog for industry news and insights. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005198/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] INVESTOR ALERT: Law Offices of Howard G. Smith Announces Investigation of First Republic Bank (FRC) on Behalf of Investors Law Offices of Howard G. Smith announces an investigation on behalf of First Republic Bank ("First Republic" or the "Company") (NYSE: FRC) investors concerning the Company's possible violations of federal securities laws. On March 13, 2023, First Republic led a decline in bank shares over concerns that it may not have sufficient liquidity, even after securing emergency funding from other institutions. Raymond James downgraded the stock, stating that, "[d]espite the added liquidity sources, we believe deposit balances will remain under pressue in the immediate near term." On this news, First Republic's stock price fell $50.55, or 61.8%, to close at $31.21 per share on March 13, 2023, thereby injuring investors. If you purchased First Republic securities, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Howard G. Smith, Esquire, of Law Offices of Howard G. Smith, 3070 Bristol Pike, Suite 112, Bensalem, Pennsylvania 19020 by telephone at (215) 638-4847, toll-free at (888) 638-4847, or by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.howardsmithlaw.com. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230315005961/en/ [March 15, 2023] Toshiba to Provide Samples of Clock Extension Peripheral Interface Driver/Receiver IC That Contributes to Wiring Harnesses Reduction Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation ("Toshiba") will this month start to provide test samples of "TB9032FNG," an automotive driver/receiver IC for the physical layer interface defined in the Clock Extension Peripheral Interface (CXPI) [1] , the standard for automotive communications protocols. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230315005074/en/ Toshiba: TB9032FNG, an automotive driver/receiver IC for Clock Extension Peripheral Interface(CXPI) (Graphic: Business Wire) The electrification of automobiles is increasing the number of electronic components in automotive systems, adding to their complexity, and also to vehicle weight, as more wiring harnesses are required. The solution to this issue lies in changing the current system, where a human machine interface (HMI) [2] connects switches and sensors in a one-to-one manner, for a system that uses multiplex transmission in-vehicle communications to reduce wiring harnesses. HMI integrates an area network (CAN) [3] and a local interconnect network (LIN) [4]; the former is costly, the latter lacks responsiveness. CXPI, the in-vehicle communications protocols developed in Japan, and now adopted as an international standard, includes in-vehicle subnetworks that cost less than CAN and that are more responsive than LIN. TB9032FNG combines Motor Driver IC and CXPI communications, and provides as a network interface for in-vehicle body applications, or as an interface for zone electronic control units (ECUs) [5]. It can control functions such as door locking and side mirror control. The new product can be switched between commander node and responder node via an external terminal. In addition, it features current consumption (Sleep) (I BAT_SLP ) of 5A (typ.)[6], with low current consumption on standby. It is also equipped with fault detection functions that include overheat detection and low voltage detection, and is house in a P-SOP8-0405-1.27-002 package. With an operating temperature range of -40 to 125C, the product has been designed to conform to AEC-Q100 (Grade1), a qualification standard for automotive electronic components. Toshiba plans to use the CXPI physical layer technical assets it has cultivated to develop an interface IC that also integrates the CXPI controller and the protocol-control hardware. Notes: [1] CXPI (Clock Extension Peripheral Interface): A communications standard, developed in Japan, for in-vehicle sub-networks derived from LIN. [2] HMI (Human Machine Interface): A mechanism enabling interactions between humans and machines [3] CAN (Controller Area Network): A serial communications standard, primarily used for automotive communications networks [4] LIN (Local Interconnect Network): A communications standard for lower-cost, lower-speed on-board subnetworks than provided by CAN [5] ECU (Electronic Control Unit): Electronic control units, which are primarily installed in motor vehicles [6] Measuring conditions: V VIO =4.5 to 5.5V, V BAT =7 to 18V, Ta=- 40 to 125C, NSLP=L, TXD=H, BUS=V BAT Applications Automotive equipment Body control system applications (steering wheel switches, meter cluster switches, light switches, door locks, door mirrors, etc.) Zone ECUs Features Physical layer interface conforming to CXPI, the standard for automotive communications protocols High-speed response suitable for automotive body system applications (compared with LIN [3] ) ) Switchable between commander node and responder node via an external terminal Built-in sleep mode Low current consumption (Sleep) : I BAT_SLP =5A (typ.) =5A (typ.) Various fault detection functions: overheat detection, low voltage detection and dominant timeout P-SOP8-0405-1.27-002 package To be AEC-Q100 (Grade1) qualified Main Specifications (Ta=-40 to 125C unless otherwise specified) Part number TB9032FNG Standard ISO 20794-4 (Automotive communications protocol standard CXPI physical layer) Function Physical layer interface Nodes selection Possible (Switchable between the commander node and responder node via an external terminal.) Absolute maximum ratings Power supply voltage 1 V BAT (V) Ta=25C -0.3 to 40 Operating ranges BAT normal operating range V BAT (V) 7 to 18 VIO normal operating range V VIO (V) 4.5 to 5.5 Operating temperature range T a (C) -40 to 125 Current consumption (Sleep) I BAT_SLP (A) typ. 5 Communications speed (kbps) max 20 Fault detection functions Overheat detection, low voltage detection and dominant timeout Package Name P-SOP8-0405-1.27-002 Size (mm) typ. 6.04.9 Reliability test To be AEC-Q100 (Grade1) qualified Mass production March 2024 Follow the links below for more on the new product. TB9032FNG Follow the link below for more on Toshiba's products for automotive network communications. Automotive Network Communications * Company names, product names, and service names may be trademarks of their respective companies. * Information in this document, including product prices and specifications, content of services and contact information, is current on the date of the announcement but is subject to change without prior notice. About Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation, a leading supplier of advanced semiconductor and storage solutions, draws on over half a century of experience and innovation to offer customers and business partners outstanding discrete semiconductors, system LSIs and HDD products. The company's 23,000 employees around the world share a determination to maximize product value, and promote close collaboration with customers in the co-creation of value and new markets. With annual sales now surpassing 850-billion yen (US$7.5 billion), Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation looks forward to building and to contributing to a better future for people everywhere. Find out more at https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/ap-en/top.html View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230315005074/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 15, 2023] LRQA India improves its footprint in 'green' hydrogen LRQA's Inspection Services team in Eastern India has been awarded a three-year contract with UK-based Humble Hydrogen to provide certification for its new 'green' hydrogen plant in India. MUMBAI, India, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The three-year contract to provide certification for the export of green hydrogen bundles and cylinders, represents a significant steppingstone for India. This demonstrates knowledge in hydrogen storage systems by Humble Hydrogen and key Hydrogen Certification capabilities offered by LRQA. The partnership validates Indian government's vision that Green Hydrogen Indian Technology is available for the local and international market today. The collaboration between a certification agency and key hydrogen players will be of high significance to Indian export in the future and this is a great example of how LRQA is delivering strategic priority of Market leading revenue growth. Humble Hydrogen is a green hydrogen solution provider and manufacture multi cylinder packs, electrolysers and fuel cells as well as dispensing facilities. Green hydrogen is a low carbon fuel and the products will contribute towards reduction in the effects of global warming and pollution with more and more companies shifting their energy source from fossil fuel/hydrocabons to clean energy in the form of 'green' hydrogen. Principal Consultant Inspection Services, Nilay Ball, headed the project and commented: "Humble Hydrogen has an ambition to become one of the leading global manufacturers of green hydrogen generation and storage equipment. Our numerous engagements showcasing our agility, proactiveness and technical competency led them to put their trust in LRQA as their certification partner. This partnership will be critical for strengthening our foot hold in this part of Asia as a major player in the green hydrogen space." Claud Gurney, Chairman of Humble Hydrogen, said: "We are pleased to be working with LRQA, a leading certification agency, and are also pleased to be leading the development of the hydrogen in India and globally with our dispensers, electrolysers, and storage systems. We look forward to furthering our relationship with LRQA." About LRQA: LRQA has experts on international committees around the world and is highly experienced in the development of standards and regulations that protect safety and quality, build confidence in the market, and inspire investment. Since 2003 LRQA has been active in several international hydrogen initiatives including the International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy (IPHE) Regulations, Codes, Standards & Safety (RCSS), the Mission Innovation Challenge on Clean Hydrogen, and the International Energy Agency Safety Task. Working with local regulators and vendors, and with an understanding of the supply/ demand risks, LRQA staff help to ensure delivery of the right products at the right time. For more information on LRQA's Hydrogen services, visit: https://www.lrqa.com/en-in/hydrogen-services/ Contact: Hasan Surve Area Marketing Manager - SAMEA, LRQA +971552504482 [email protected] Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1994890/3869267/LRQA_Logo.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/lrqa-india-improves-its-footprint-in-green-hydrogen-301773025.html [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] Hero Future Energies signs MoU with Andhra Pradesh Government to develop Renewable energy capacity NEW DELHI, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hero Future Energies is delighted to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Govt. of Andhra Pradesh per which it will be setting up a renewable energy facility in the state and work closely with the state Government to catalyze economic growth in Andhra Pradesh. The MoU, signed on the sidelines of the Andhra Pradesh Global Investor's Summit 2023, states that Hero Future Energies plans to invest a sum of Rs. 30000 Crores to set up RE facilities (Solar & Wind) for C&I customers, Utility projects and Green hydrogen Derivatives in state of AP, over the next three to five years. These facilities are expected to generate employment for approximately 10000 persons in the state. The MoU was signed in the presence of Mr. K. Vijayanand, Special Chief Secretary to the Govt. of Andhra Pradesh, Department of Energy and Mr. Arun Tripathi, Head Energy Business, HFE. Speaking on this occasion, Mr. Arun Tripathi said, "We are extremely happy to partner with the Govt. of AP in their sustainable growth journey. HFE plans to make the most of the conducive policy environment for renewables sector in Andhra Pradesh and help the state emerge as a leading hub for renewables in the country. This MoU reflects HFE's commitment to not only accelerate green growth across the country but also create more green jobs." About Hero Future Energies Established in 2012, Hero Future Energies is present across multiple states in India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Singapore, Ukraine and the UK. The company is an independent power producer (IPP) with about 1.6 GW of operating assets across utility and commercial & industrial sectors. The company plans to invest progressively in grid connected solar and wind, rooftop sectors, energy storage and green hydrogen over the next few years in India and internationally. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2033905/HFE_signs_MoU_with_Govt.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/hero-future-energies-signs-mou-with-andhra-pradesh-government-to-develop-renewable-energy-capacity-301773792.html [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] SEGi takes 'borderless learning' to new heights as MetaMentor goes live PETALING JAYA, Malaysia, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SEGi University & Colleges, one of the biggest groups of higher education institutions in Malaysia hits a new milestone in offering education in the traditional classroom setting with the launching of MetaMentor held today at its flagship university campus in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya. MetaMentor is an online platform featuring an expanding list of live courses, which covers a wide range of interests from academics to practical guides various computer software or specific skills that are essential to students and working adults as well as general interest. Tentatively, there are about 30 courses available on the app, all taught by professional and experienced tutors for a minimal fee. "The ideology behind the creation of MetaMentor is simple to make education affordable and accessible to all. This has always been our vision, showcased through our delivery of programmes offline and online," said Stella Lau, Managing Director of SEGi University & Colleges. Lau then shared that MetaMentor is the epitome of moving away from the traditional brick-and-mortar classroom setting. "Each course is conducted live in small groups with like-minded individuals of different academic and professional backgrounds. Participants can also connect with the tutor through 1-on-1 live chats for personalised sessions and build a deeper understanding of the discussed topic. Most importantly, the courses are flexible where you can schedule lessons according to your availability and learn at your own pace without any constraints of time and place," Lau elaborated. "The phrase 'every master was once a beginner' speaks volumes as MetaMentor is not only available for participants seeking new knowledge or skills, but also those who want to share their knowledge and skills with others. The platform is open to all at https://metamentor.com.my/. I urge everyone to the advantage of MetaMentor. Seize the day!" With 46 years of achieved excellence, SEGi is renowned for setting high benchmarks as a pioneer university in many areas of the higher education sector. Since 2013, SEGi has gone digital to offer academic and micro-credential programmes online with the approval of the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE). It also achieved another "first" on 1 July 2022 with the opening of SEGi MetaCampus, the first-of-its-kind university in the metaverse to revolutionise the way students learn, interact, and connect. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/segi-takes-borderless-learning-to-new-heights-as-metamentor-goes-live-301773798.html SOURCE SEGi University & Colleges [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] KYODO NEWS - Mar 16, 2023 - 18:34 | World, All, Japan A team of lawyers representing South Korean plaintiffs who were awarded damages in 2018 in a wartime labor case against Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. said Thursday it has filed a fresh lawsuit in Seoul to collect compensation from the major Japanese engineering company. The lawsuit comes with Mitsubishi Heavy continuing to reject the payment of compensation in line with Tokyo's stance that the wartime issue has already been resolved. Meanwhile, Seoul has proposed a plan to have South Korean companies compensate the plaintiffs through a public foundation. The lawsuit filed Wednesday was on behalf of those awarded damages by the South Korean Supreme Court in the 2018 ruling but who have rejected the planned payment by the South Korean foundation. The plaintiffs, Yang Gum Dok, 93, and the bereaved family of another former wartime laborer, seek to collect compensation by cashing in a monetary claim held by Mitsubishi Heavy against an affiliated MH Power Systems Korea Ltd. in Seoul, the defense team said. Their counsel said it had already seized Mitsubishi Heavy's monetary claim in 2021. The counsel said it is "making efforts to receive compensation for the victims, who are rejecting the solution measures (by the South Korean government), by swiftly converting (Mitsubishi Heavy's monetary claims) into cash" as such a method would provide compensation to the plaintiffs more quickly. In November 2018, the South Korea's Supreme Court ordered Mitsubishi Heavy to pay damages to two groups of South Koreans for wartime forced labor, following a similar order the previous month against another Japanese company. The back-to-back rulings by the Supreme Court provoked fierce opposition from the Japanese government, which maintains the issue of compensation over Japan's 1910-1945 colonization of the Korean Peninsula as already settled under a 1965 treaty, and further deteriorated already frayed bilateral ties. In an effort to mend ties, the government of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who took office in May last year, announced steps to resolve the issue on March 6. The solution proposed a government-backed foundation, supported by donations from South Korean businesses, paying a sum of money equivalent to the amount ordered by the top court. Some plaintiffs have opposed the solution, demanding Japan issues a fresh apology and Japanese companies pay compensation directly. Related coverage: Japan, South Korea agree to resume mutual visits by leaders: PM Kishida 60% of South Koreans oppose Japan wartime labor dispute resolution South Korea announces solution to wartime labor row with Japan [March 16, 2023] LDRA Simplifies CAST-32A & A(M)C 20-193 Compliance With Complete Lifecycle Support LDRA tool suite streamlines certification for multi-core processor applications with integrated timing measurement, data and control flow analysis, requirements traceability, and more BENGALURU, India, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- LDRA, the leading provider of automated software verification, source code analysis, unit testing tools, and consultancy services, today announced the enhanced CAST-32A & A(M)C 20-193 validation capabilities of the LDRA tool suite for safety-critical, multi-core processor (MCP) applications. These innovative features cover the entire software development lifecycle and provide a robust certification framework in support of DO-178C Software Considerations for Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification. "Manufacturers of critical multi-core processor systems are choosing LDRA because of our comprehensive support of CAST-32A & A(M)C 20-193 guidelines from requirements to development to testing," said Ian Hennell, Operations Director, LDRA. "No other software vendor combines timing measurement, data and control flow analysis, automated test generation, and requirements traceability into a compliance package that also fits easily into today's agile development processes." CAST-32A & A(M)C 20-193 support ensures robustness of multi-core processor applications The LDRA tool suite has long been the standard for simplifying and accelerating compliancefor mission- and safety-critical systems. CAST-32A has matured into the de-facto guidance for the adoption of MCPs in civil aviation in the form of the current European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AMC 20-193, and the upcoming Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) AC 20-193 guidelines. With the enhanced CAST-32A & A(M)C 20-193 support offered by the LDRA tool suite, development teams now get: Industry-leading CAST-32A & A(M)C 20-193 coverage that includes worst case execution time (WCET) measurements on target hardware, the capability to exercise specified interference channels, WCET histograms aligned to the CAST-32A & A(M)C 20-193 objectives, and LDRA's patented analysis of data and control flow couplings Flexible analysis and reporting options that support different operating system guarantees, including verifying components in isolation or in the context of the entire application Rapid creation of certification evidence with reports and graphics aligned to the CAST-32A & A(M)C 20-193 papers Robust and automated regression testing that re-validates WCET analysis after every code change Comprehensive command line interface that simplifies integration into any continuous integration and DevOps framework "The LDRA tool suite's support for CAST-32A & A(M)C 20-193 enables any manufacturer to collect timing evidence and tell their certification story faster than ever before," Hennell added. "When development teams are feeling the integration crunch, LDRA eliminates the complexity and effort needed to certify multi-core processor applications by integrating WCET support into every aspect of safety-critical development." About LDRA For more than 45 years, LDRA has developed and driven the market for software that automates code analysis and software testing for safety-, mission-, security-, and business-critical markets. Working with clients to achieve early error identification and elimination, and full compliance with industry standards, LDRA traces requirements through static and dynamic analysis to unit testing and verification for a wide variety of hardware and software platforms. Boasting a worldwide presence, LDRA has headquarters in the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, and India coupled with an extensive distributor network. For more information on the LDRA tool suite, please visit www.ldra.com . Readers may direct questions to: Mark James Email: [email protected] Media contacts: Neeraja Nair, LDRA, Assistant Manager - Marketing Communications Tel: +91-80-40808707, Email: [email protected] Mark James, LDRA, Marketing Manager Tel: +44 (0) 151 649 9300, Email: [email protected] Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1022210/LDRA_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/ldra-simplifies-cast-32a--amc-20-193-compliance-with-complete-lifecycle-support-301773805.html [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] BIGO Technology Offers Assistance and Resources to Singapore Startups Expanding into MENA Region, Highlights Business Opportunities and Government Support in Jordan SINGAPORE, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BIGO Technology (BIGO), one of the fastest-growing Singapore technology companies, announced that it will be providing assistance to Singapore startups and small-medium enterprises (SMEs) which are looking to expand into the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. BIGO, which first established its MENA hub office in Amman, Jordan in 2019, said that its efforts in empowering SMEs are part of its sustained commitment to developing the technology ecosystem. BIGO's initiatives to help Singapore SMEs establish themselves in the Middle East include extending the use of BIGO's co-working space and facilities in its MENA office for up to half a year, business matchmaking and networking opportunities, and assistance in logistical requirements such as employment permits. These initiatives were announced during a panel discussion titled "Accessing the Jordan Market" held jointly with Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE) on Thursday, 9 March 2023. The event also highlighted opportunities for Singapore businesses in the Middle East, and was graced by distinguished guests and speakers, Her Excellency Ms. Kholoud M. Saqqaf, Minister of Investment at the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; His Excellency Samer Anton Naber, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the Republic of Singapore; Mr. Mothanna Gharaibeh, Chair of Enjez and Nova outsourcing, CEO of Fifth Advisory Services and Former Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship of Jordan; and Mr. Mike Ong, Vice President, BIGO. With the Kingdom having one of the fastest-growing startup ecosystems in the Middle East, the discussion served as a platform for sharing unique insights into Jordan's technology and startup ecosystem, its vibrant innovation scene, and its plethora of investment opportunities, bolstered by strong government support and a favourable business environment. The event was attended by an audience of close to 100, comprising the founders, C-suite executives, and leaders of various organisations, of which nearly two-thirds were startups. "Jordan has been a key hub for BIGO's MENA operations, with its favourable business environment, competitive talent pool, supportive investment policies, extensive Free Trade Agreements, and strong political stability," said Mike Ong, Vice President, BIGO. "One key factor that led us to establish our operations in Jordan in 2019 was the rich potential the Kingdom holds in the business and info-communications technology sectors, making it an ideal springboard for us as we continue to grow our presence in the MENA region." BIGO's operations in the MENA region have scaled from 50 to over a thousand employees today, with a second office being set up in Irbid, Jordan's second-largest city. This makes BIGO one of the biggest Singapore companies in the Kingdom. "We recognise many synergies between Singapore and the Kingdom of Jordan, including our strong connectivity as a portal into the wider region, bolstered by our deep commitment towards multi-culturalism, education, and a diversified economy," said His Excellency Samer Anton Naber, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the Republic of Singapore. "In 2019, the World Economic Forum (WEF) included 27 Jordanian startups among the top 100 in the Arab World although Jordan comprises only 2.5% of the population of the Arab World. With the highest number of engineers per capita in the world at one engineer out of every 40 people and a literacy rate of more than 98 percent, Jordan provides an ideal ecosystem for startups looking to expand and develop in the region, aided by a wealth of tax incentives for the technology sector." "BIGO's growth and development in the MENA region has benefited greatly from the strong and longstanding relations between Singapore and Jordan," added Mr. Ong. "As a homegrown Singapore company that has grown from strength to strength, BIGO is continually finding ways to create opportunities that contribute to Singapore's technology ecosystem and grow alongside each other on the world stage." BIGO has had the privilege of hosting key government representatives at BIGO's first MENA office in Amman, namely Dr. Maliki Bin Osman, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister for Education & Foreign Affairs in 2022, and Mr. Shamsher Zaman, Singapore Ambassador to Jordan, who visited for a second time in March 2023. For more information on BIGO's initiative for Singapore startups looking to expand into the MENA region, please contact us at [email protected]. About BIGO Technology BIGO Technology (BIGO) is one of the fastest-growing Singapore technology companies. Powered by Artificial Intelligence technology, BIGO's video-based products and services have gained immense popularity, with nearly 400 million monthly active users in more than 150 countries. These include Bigo Live (livestreaming) and Likee (short-form video). Visit www.bigo.sg for more information on BIGO's brands and products. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/bigo-technology-offers-assistance-and-resources-to-singapore-startups-expanding-into-mena-region-highlights-business-opportunities-and-government-support-in-jordan-301773821.html SOURCE BIGO [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] Sophos Demonstrates How to Make ChatGPT a Cybersecurity Co-Pilot OXFORD, United Kingdom, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sophos, a global leader in innovating and delivering cybersecurity as a service, today released new research on how the cybersecurity industry can leverage GPT-3, the language model behind the now well-known ChatGPT framework, as a co-pilot to help defeat attackers. The latest report, GPT for You and Me: Applying AI Language Processing to Cyber Defenses, details projects developed by Sophos X-Ops using GPT-3's large language models to simplify the search for malicious activity in datasets from security software, more accurately filter spam, and speed up analysis of living off the land binary (LOLBin) attacks. Since OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT back in November, the security community has largely focused on the potential risks this new technology could bring. Can the AI help wannabee attackers write malware or help cybercriminals write much more convincing phishing emails? Perhaps, but, at Sophos, weve long seen AI as an ally rather than an enemy for defenders, making it a cornerstone technology for Sophos, and GPT-3 is no different. The security community should be paying attention not just to the potential risks, but the potential opportunities GPT-3 brings, said Sean Gallagher, principal threat researcher, Sophos. Sophos X-Ops researchers, including SophosAI Principal Data Scientist Younghoo Lee, have been working on three prototype projects that demonstrate the potential of GPT-3 as an assistant to cybersecurity defenders. All three use a technique called few-shot learning to train the AI model with just a few data samples, reducing the need to collect a large volume of pre-classified data. The first application Sophos tested with the few-shot learning method was a natural language query interface for sifting through malicious activity in security software telemetry; specifically, Sophos tested the model against its endpoint detection and response product. With this interface, defenders can filter through the telemetry with basic English commands, removing the need for defenders to understand SQL or a databases underlying structure. Next, Sophos tested a new spam filter using ChatGPT and found that, when compared to other machine learning models for spam filtering, the filter using GPT-3 was significantly more accurate. Finally, Sophos researchers were able to create a program to simplify the process for reverse-engineering the command lines of LOLBins. Such reverse-engineering is notoriously difficult, but also critical for understanding LOLBins behaviorand putting a stop to those types of attacks in the future. One of the growing concerns within security operation centers is the sheer amount of noise coming in. There are just too many notifications and detections to sort through, and many companies are dealing with limited resources. Weve proved that, with something like GPT-3, we can simplify certain labor-intensive processes and give back valuable time to defenders. We are already working on incorporating some of the prototypes above into our products, and weve made the results of our efforts available on our GitHub for those interested in testing GPT-3 in their own analysis environments. In the future, we believe that GPT-3 may very well become a standard co-pilot for security experts, said Gallagher. Learn more about how GPT-3 can be used to assist defenders in GPT for You and Me: Applying AI Language Processing to Cyber Defenses on Sophos.com. Learn More About About Sophos Sophos is a worldwide leader and innovator of advanced cybersecurity solutions, including Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and incident response services and a broad portfolio of endpoint, network, email, and cloud security technologies that help organizations defeat cyberattacks. As one of the largest pure-play cybersecurity providers, Sophos defends more than 500,000 organizations and more than 100 million users globally from active adversaries, ransomware, phishing, malware, and more. Sophos services and products connect through its cloud-based Sophos Central management console and are powered by Sophos X-Ops, the companys cross-domain threat intelligence unit. Sophos X-Ops intelligence optimizes the entire Sophos Adaptive Cybersecurity Ecosystem, which includes a centralized data lake that leverages a rich set of open APIs available to customers, partners, developers, and other cybersecurity and information technology vendors. Sophos provides cybersecurity-as-a-service to organizations needing fully-managed, turnkey security solutions. Customers can also manage their cybersecurity directly with Sophos security operations platform or use a hybrid approach by supplementing their in-house teams with Sophos services, including threat hunting and remediation. Sophos sells through reseller partners and managed service providers (MSPs) worldwide. Sophos is headquartered in Oxford, U.K. More information is available at www.sophos.com. [March 16, 2023] Advancements in Deep Learning Reinforce Machine Learning Industry Growth - Grand View Research, Inc. SAN FRANCISCO, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The machine learning industry size will witness a notable gain in the wake of the growing use of AI and IoT devices, according to the "Machine Learning Industry Data Book, 2023 2030," published by Grand View Research. Forward-looking companies have exhibited traction for machine learning (ML) to streamline tasks with efficiency, agility and reliability across business verticals. For instance, ML has received an impetus in cybersecurity to create antivirus software. An unprecedented spike in data and the use of various sorts of data to train ML models will further gain ground. Organizations are expected to bank on ML-powered services for applications, including voice transcription, sentiment analysis, text-to-speech, translation and anomaly detection. The upheaval created by the COVID-19 pandemic furthered the demand for ML across the healthcare and e-commerce sectors. Notably, customized experiences accentuated the trend for hyper-personalization and enhanced customer experience. The technology also provided impetus in the early detection of diseases, research and treatment. Additionally, AI has the innate ability to update patients' charts and assess images and tests, thereby helping doctors in diagnoses. Deep learning technology has become sought-after to learn from past instances to make judgments in complex situations. Chipset manufacturers and cloud service providers are expected to receive an impetus from surging penetration of data mining and image recognition. The trend for face-recognition technology in smartphones, diagnostic imaging in healthcare and the rising demand for self-driving cars have come on the back of the soaring footfall of deep learning. Moreover, manufacturing sites have shown an inclination for deep learning to automate and streamline operations. Order your copy of the Free Sample of "Machine Learning Industry Data Book - Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing Market Size, Share, Trends Analysis, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030" Data Book, published by Grand View Research In essence, Japan is counting on technology to foster industrial robots. The robots use image recognition technology with deep learning and 3D images to enhance operation. Besides, the manufacturing sector has depicted traction for deep learning to reduce turnaround and expedite throughput in production. The deep learning market was valued at USD 34.83 billion in 2021 and will witness 34.3% CAGR during the forecast period. Industry leaders have upped their investments in natural language processing (NLP) to boost decision-making, reduce cost and bolster productivity. NLP has provided a fillip to companies counting on chatbots to enhance customer experience. Sentiment analysis has received an uptake in search engines to complete queries, while the trend for NLP has become pronounced to decide patterns in voice recognition to offer expected responses from smart assistants. The natural language processing market size stood at USD 18.51 billion in 2021 and could expand at 41.3% CAGR during the assessment period. The growth trajectory is partly attributed to increasing adoption of language-based AI tools across emerging and advanced economies. Go through the table of content of Machine Learning Industry Data Book to get a better understanding of the Coverage & Scope of the study Some trends that are expected to redefine the global outlook are highlighted below: The advent of ChatGPT, the brainchild of OpenAI, has brought a paradigm shift in NLP and AI to store information and offer detailed responses based on a prompt of user inputs. In January 2023 , Microsoft announced an infusion of USD 10 billion into OpenAI following the former's investment in the latter in 2019 and 2021. , Microsoft announced an infusion of into OpenAI following the former's investment in the latter in 2019 and 2021. The use of ML algorithms will be noticeable for data processing, reasoning and automated computation. The Asia Pacific market will contribute significantly towards the global market in light of the rising penetration of ML in automotive, healthcare and manufacturing sectors and electronic products. North America machine learning industry share will witness an upward trajectory with bullish demand across defense, BFSI, healthcare, retail and manufacturing sectors. The manufacturing industry has invested in the technology for quality control, predictive maintenance, cybersecurity, product development and inventory management. To put it in perspective, the U.S. and Canada have sought ML to foster intelligence and surveillance and forecast any anomalous, illegal or threatening activities. ML can be used to combat cyberattacks and propel intrusion detection. For instance, in January 2022, the U.S. Department of Defense chose Scale AI to provide readily available technology, underpin operational AI/ML capabilities and solve AI challenges across the U.S. government. The company will focus on ML, neural networks and deep learning with an emphasis on NLP-powered products and services, image analysis and autonomous systems, among others. The competitive scenario alludes to investments in organic and inorganic strategies to tap potentials and bolster RoI. An emphasis on product offerings, technological advancements, innovation, collaboration and mergers & acquisitions will encourage forward-looking companies to enhance their footprint. To illustrate, in October 2022, Google was reported to be contemplating pouring at least USD 200 million into Cohere, an AI start-up. It is worth mentioning that the latter makes NLP software that can be used for Chatbot tools. Check out more Industry Data Books, published by Grand View Research About Grand View Research Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research Helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead. Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc. Phone: 1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: [email protected] Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/sector-reports-list Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/661327/Grand_View_Research_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/advancements-in-deep-learning-reinforce-machine-learning-industry-growth---grand-view-research-inc-301773883.html [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] Quarterhill to Announce Q4 and Fiscal 2022 Financial Results TORONTO, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Quarterhill Inc. ("Quarterhill") (TSX: QTRH) (OTCQX: QTRHF) will release its financial results for the three- and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2022, on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Bret Kidd, President and CEO, and John Karnes, CFO, will host a conference call and audio webcast at 10:00 a.m. ET the same day. Webcast Information The live audio webcast will be available at: https://app.webinar.net/EoQa9rN92eK Webcast replay will be available for 365 days at: https://app.webinar.net/EoQa9rN92eK Traditional Dial-in Information To access the call fro Canada and U.S., dial 1.888.664.6383 (Toll Free) and U.S., dial 1.888.664.6383 (Toll Free) To access the call from other locations, dial 1.416.764.8650 (International) Rapidconnect To instantly join the conference call by phone, please use the following URL to easily register and be connected into the conference call automatically: https://bit.ly/3GLDzZO Telephone Replay Telephone replay will be available from 1:00 p.m. ET on March 22, 2023, until 11:59 p.m. ET on March 29, 2023, at: 1.888.390.0541 (Toll Free North America) or 1.416.764.8677. Conference ID: 98071629 and Replay Passcode: 071629# About Quarterhill Quarterhill is a leading provider of tolling and enforcement solutions in the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) industry, as well as, through its Wi-LAN Inc. subsidiary, a leader in Intellectual Property licensing. Our goal is global leadership in ITS, via organic growth of the Electronic Transaction Consultants, LLC (ETC) and International Road Dynamics Inc. (IRD) platforms, and by continuing an acquisition-oriented investment strategy that capitalizes on attractive growth opportunities within ITS and its adjacent markets. Quarterhill is listed on the TSX under the symbol QTRH and on the OTCQX Best Market under the symbol QTRHF. For more information, visit www.quarterhill.com. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/quarterhill-to-announce-q4-and-fiscal-2022-financial-results-301773828.html SOURCE Quarterhill Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] Real Matters Announces CFO Transition Real Matters Inc. ("Real Matters" or the "Company"), a leading network management services platform for the mortgage and insurance industries, today announced the appointment of Rodrigo Pinto as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer effective April 10, 2023. Mr. Pinto succeeds William (Bill) Herman who has notified the Company of his intention to pursue other opportunities. Mr. Herman will remain at the Company through May 5, 2023, to support a seamless transition. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005320/en/ (Photo: Business Wire) "We are very pleased to welcome Rodrigo to Real Matters. He is a well-rounded and deeply experienced leader with extensive financial and real-estate industry experience, and I'm confident that his expertise will be an asset to the team," said Real Matters Chief Executive Officer Brian Lang. Rodrigo Pinto has more than 20 years of experience in finance and accounting across various industries including financial services and real estate. Mr. Pinto joins Real Matters from Royal Lepage Real Estate Services where he led the teamresponsible for financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting and taxation, and played a key role in the company's long-term strategy and acquisitions. Prior to Royal Lepage, Mr. Pinto served as Chief Financial Officer of The Nationwide Group of Companies and MBAC Fertilizer Corp. (TSX: MBC). He started his career with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Brazil and in the United States. Mr. Pinto worked as a management consultant at Fannie Mae and subsequently moved into senior accounting and finance positions at Yamana Gold (TSX:YRI, NYSE:AUY, LSE:AUY) and TD Bank Group (TSX,NYSE: TD). Mr. Pinto is a Chartered Professional Accountant in the U.S. and Canada. "Bill has been an integral part of the team at Real Matters for nearly seven years, including providing critical leadership and guidance through our IPO process and transition to a public company. During his tenure, Bill built a strong team and helped navigate the business through a number of mortgage market cycles. On behalf of the Company and our Board, we thank him for his dedication and stewardship, and we wish him well," added Real Matters Chief Executive Officer Brian Lang. "I am proud to have been part of Real Matters, to work alongside such a talented team and to have witnessed the Company's accomplishments since our IPO. With a solid strategy and strong balance sheet, I am confident that the Company is well-positioned to achieve its long-term objectives and I look forward to watching its continued success in the coming years," said Herman. About Real Matters Real Matters is a leading network management services provider for the mortgage lending and insurance industries. Real Matters' platform combines its proprietary technology and network management capabilities with tens of thousands of independent qualified field professionals to create an efficient marketplace for the provision of mortgage lending and insurance industry services. Our clients include top 100 mortgage lenders in the U.S. and some of the largest insurance companies in North America. We are a leading independent provider of residential real estate appraisals to the mortgage market and a leading independent provider of title services in the U.S. Headquartered in Markham (ON), Real Matters has principal offices in Buffalo (NY) and Middletown (RI). Real Matters is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol REAL. For more information, visit www.realmatters.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005320/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] Missouri's Second Amendment Sanctuary Ruling Could Impact 1,000-plus Jurisdictions Nationally U.S. LawShield: WHAT: On March 7, 2023, a federal court in Missouri issued the first federal decision on so-called Second Amendment Sanctuary laws. These laws grew in popularity, reaching a peak in 2021, and have now been passed in several hundred jurisdictions across the country. Judge Brian Wimes ruled that Missouri's law violated the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution and held that the statute as a whole was unconstitutional. This could have serious implications for the hundreds of other jurisdictions with such laws. In addition, there are several other legal challenges ongoing across the country. This decision is certain to result in an extensive appellate process and even possibly a redrafting of the law in an attempt to comply with the new decision. According to U.S. LawShield, Second Amendment Sanctuary laws differ from state to state and even from municipality to municipality. They range from local ordinances simply voicing their support for the Second Amendment all the way to state-wide bans on funding for any enforcement of unconstitutional gun laws. Additional insights: While this decision only applies to Missouri, courts in other jurisdictions, if challenged, could adopt the reasoning from this ruling. Second Amendment sanctuary resolutions have been adopted by about 1,200 local governments in the U.S., including Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Illinois and Florida. (See map.) The state of Missouri has said they will appeal this decision to the federal appellate courts. This decision is certain to result in an extensive appellate process and even possibly a redrafting of the law in an attempt to comply with the new decision. There are also other pending cases in Missouri in front of different courts and may see different rulings; therefore, we may have competing decisions, which all work their way through the appellate courts and possibly the U.S. Supreme Court before we have a final answer. WHO: An attorney and president of U.S. LawShield, Kirk Evans has practiced law in Texas for 25+ years and spent the last decade focusing on self-defense cases and constitutional issues across the country. He has authored several firearms legal publications, including Texas Gun Law: Armed and Educated. A Texas native, Kirk earned his undergraduate degree at Texas A&M and graduated with honors from the University of Houston School of Law. WHERE: Interviews & Video: Kirk Evans is available for interviews: email [email protected]. Editors/producers can also extract video of Kirk's commentary. WHY: "The laws on firearms can differ from state to state, county to county and city to city," said Evans. "On top of that, complex judicial decisions can impact those laws instantly, without warning. Education is the key to safe, responsible gun ownership." About U.S. LawShield Founded in 2009, U.S. LawShield, America's premier Legal Defense for Self-Defense organization, offers coverage in 46 states and has served more than two million members. A network of 200+ Independent Program Attorneys is readily available, plus access to a 24/7/365 hotline and protection for members throughout the legal process after acts of self-defense. Educate. Prepare. Protect.TM U.S. LawShield is committed to informing and updating you on self-defense laws, providing comprehensive instruction and training, and defending you in your greatest time of need. For more information on U.S. LawShield and its Legal Defense for Self-Defense program, visit uslawshield.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005223/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] Resec and Sepio partner to offer a new Zero-Trust approach to device risk management TEL AVIV, Israel, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Resec, a cyber security company that protects organizations from malware and ransomware at the organization's gateway, announced its partnership with Sepio, a leader in Asset Risk Management. The joint offering provides an end-to-end solution to organizations looking to prevent threats coming from connected devices, whether from the devices themselves or from files transferred from them. "Connected devices present a major threat to enterprises", said Tal Yatsiv, CEO of Resec. "Partnering with Sepio allows us to offer our customers a complete solution to the problem, enabling safe usage of removable devices without hindering business flows". Sepio and Resec combine unique innovative technologies that are overcoming the limitations of existing solutions and revolutionizing how organizations secure themselves from such threats. The Sepio platform sees, assesses, and mitigates all known and shadow assetsat any scale, instantly prioritizing risks and blocking unauthorized assets in real time. Resec's Zero Trust Prevention platform enables the use of removable media by eliminating all file-based threats transferred from the device while processing at scale and in real-time. "Sepio and Resec complement each other extremely well", said Yossi Applebaum, CEO of Sepio. "As Sepio is establishing itself as the leader of the Asset Risk Management category, we are excited to partner with Resec and address threats from device file transfers". About Resec Resec provides organizations with ultimate protection from known and unknown file-based malware threats from email, removable devices, and various file-transfer threat vectors (web uploads/downloads, API, File Server). Always positioned between the threat and the organization, Resec's Zero Trust Prevention platform provides unparalleled security with unmatched usability. Resec is deployed globally in highly sensitive organizations from diverse industries, including finance, critical infrastructure, defense, government, telecommunications, and airlines. Learn more at resec.co or contact Resec at [email protected]. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/resec-and-sepio-partner-to-offer-a-new-zero-trust-approach-to-device-risk-management-301774132.html SOURCE Resec and Sepio [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] TWTStake Introduces Community Pools for a New Way to Stake TWT Riga, Latvia, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The project combines different plans and incentivizes users through an affiliate program. TWTStake offers a unique solution that allows anyone to participate in the crypto staking trend. A New Way to Approach the Crypto Staking Trend TWTStake founders launched this project to solve the problem of low returns in crypto staking with several new ideas. The platform uses advanced algorithms to optimize rewards. It provides users with attractive staking rewards when they stake their TWT tokens on Trust Wallet or other Web3 wallets. Blockchains decentralized nature ensures a secure and transparent staking process, while Trust Wallet integration provides users with a user-friendly interface. TWTStake intends to promote wider token adoption and contribute to the growth and development of the staking communities. The project will lead to higher demand and value for TWT tokens by providing a user-friendly platform for staking. Different Staking Plans for All Crypto Enthusiasts TWTStake provides a variety of staking plans to meet the needs of all cryptocurrency enthusiasts. Users can choose from four different staking periods, with an annual percentage rate (APR) fixed throughout the period. The 40-day duration staking plan offers a daily return on investent (ROI) of 3%, with total earnings of 120%. For a 64-day staking period, users can expect a daily ROI of 2.6%, with total earnings of 166.4%. The 128-day duration plan offers an ROI of 1.6% per day and a total return of 204.8%. Finally, the team designed a separate staking plan for those who want to stake indefinitely. The infinite duration option offers a daily ROI of 1% and total earnings of 365% per year. Combining these staking options gives users the flexibility to choose the best plan that suits their needs and preferences. By choosing TWTStake, users can access a secure, easy-to-use platform with attractive staking rewards. About TWTStake Watch Youtube Tutorial: Earn TWT Tokens with TWTStake: The Ultimate Earning Platform TWTStake is a decentralized platform developed on BNB Chain, which enables users to stake their TWT tokens securely and conveniently. The platform provides users with an easy-to-use interface that allows both beginner and experienced users to easily stake their tokens. In addition to staking, TWTStake allows users to participate in airdrops of TWT tokens. This allows users to increase their TWT holdings and use their staked tokens. The project's affiliate program further builds on the platform's mission to provide users with comprehensive services and incentives. Through the affiliate program, users can earn commissions by inviting new users to join TWTStake. The multi-level referral system allows those who invite users to also receive rewards from their referrals' invites. This creates a network of referrals that has the potential to generate significant rewards. To join TWTStake's Affiliate Program, users must have at least one deposit at TWTStake. TWTStake's website and the social media pages below provide more detailed information about the program and its features. Telegram | Twitter Arturs Stabinis admin-at-twtstake.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] WBE Canada secures funding from WES to fast track Women Entrepreneurs in corporate and government Supply Chains TORONTO, March 16, 2023 /CNW/ - WBE Canada's Women's Day Celebrations held virtually in front of an audience of 500+ yesterday, March 8 2023 got off to a very exciting start as the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development announced that WBE Canada has been awarded funding from the WES Ecosystem Fund from the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES) at ISED (Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada). "This International Women's Day, we're celebrating the incredible talent and achievements of women and the concrete action our government is taking to make sure every woman counts. Time and again, Canadian women have proven themselves to be hard-working and dedicated entrepreneurs, yet many still face barriers to reaching their full entrepreneurship potential. Today's announcement marks another big step toward ending gender bias and helping women from all walks of life bring their talents and skills to market for the benefit of all Canadians." The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) works with Canadians in all areas of the economy and in all parts of the country to improve conditions for investment, enhance Canada's innovation performance, increase Canada's share of global trade and build a fair, efficient and competitive marketplace. The Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES) aims to increase women-owned businesses' access to he financing, talent, networks and expertise they need to start up, scale up and access new markets. As announced by Minister Ng, the WES Ecosystem Fund focuses on supporting not-for-profit organizations who provide business support for women entrepreneurs to strengthen the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Canada. The fund prioritizes projects in areas of strength for women, as well as projects providing services to women entrepreneurs in rural and remote areas of the North. In partnership with researchers at the University of Manitoba and the University of Calgary, WBE Canada will utilize WES funding to expand its current work to help reduce the barriers that prevent Canada's diverse suppliers and especially women-owned entrepreneurs from accessing supply chains and thereby contributing to the economic growth in local and regional, as well as Canada wide communities. WBE Canada will be reaching out to its membership community as well as partner organizations to compile relevant information from supply chains in Canada and share newly developed tools and recommendations with the buyer and supplier communities. "This support will create a much needed boost to our existing efforts and create a lasting impact on the Canadian women business community and we greatly appreciate it," said Silvia Pencak, President & CEO, WBE Canada during her remarks at the 2023 Women's Day event hosted by WBE Canada. "I want to recognize our partners who will be working closely with us on this project - University of Manitoba and University of Calgary. The journey ahead of us is long, ISED support means a lot." About WBE Canada Women Business Enterprises Canada Council (WBE Canada) is a Canadian nonprofit organization with a mandate to empower and facilitate the success of women-owned businesses with equitable access within supply chains to drive innovation, social value and economic growth in communities across Canada. We have a fast-growing network of over 500 certified Canadian Women Business Enterprises (WBEs) and 66 Corporate Members - organizations that are committed to supplier diversity. WBE Canada's core values are Leadership, Innovation and Integrity. Our key activities include accelerating supplier diversity, development and maintenance of the Canadian WBE database and empowerment of women-owned businesses. Our network represents women-owned businesses of all sizes, backgrounds, categories, industries and intersectionalities (BIPOC, 2sLGBTQ+, etc.). We connect WBEs to companies and organizations in automotive, construction, finance, food & beverage, government, tech, telecom and other sectors. About University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba is western Canada's first university, established in 1877. The University serves more than 29,000 undergraduate and graduate students. From 2006-2009, its supply chain management (SCM) department, led by its Head, Dr. Paul D. Larson, developed and wrote a new C.P.P. curriculum for the Purchasing Management Association of Canada (PMAC). Since then, the C.P.P. has been re-labeled SCMP, and PMAC is now Supply Chain Canada. About University of Calgary The University of Calgary was established in 1944 as the Calgary Campus of the University of Alberta and instituted into a separate autonomous university in 1966. The campus hosts fourteen faculties, 55 departments, and 85 research institutes and centers. Twelve research centres are hosted within the Haskayne School of Business, including the Canadian Centre for Advanced Leadership in Business, the Hunter Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and the Canadian Centre for Advanced Supply Chain Management and Logistics. SOURCE WBE Canada [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] By Keita Nakamura, KYODO NEWS - Mar 16, 2023 - 22:35 | World, All, Japan The resumption of reciprocal visits by the leaders of Japan and South Korea may help the two Asian countries pave the way for adopting a well-balanced diplomatic strategy toward each other, foreign affairs experts said. On Thursday, Yoon Suk Yeol became the first South Korean president to make a trip to Japan in four years and held talks with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, during which they agreed to restart mutual visits by the leaders. The meeting came after the Yoon administration last week announced its solution to a wartime labor compensation dispute that had soured bilateral relations, eliciting a positive reaction from Japan. While it remains to be seen whether South Korea will steadily implement the plan amid public opposition, Kishida and Yoon can spot potential problems between the two nations by regularly holding in-person talks and maintaining communications, the experts said. The reciprocal visits by the leaders of Japan and South Korea, known as "shuttle diplomacy," were agreed to in 2004 by then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and then President Roh Moo Hyun. Nevertheless, the practice had stalled since 2011, when then President Lee Myung Bak visited Kyoto but was at odds with then Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda over the issue of Koreans who worked as "comfort women" in Japan's wartime military brothels. After South Korea's top court in 2018 ordered two Japanese companies -- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Nippon Steel Corp. -- to compensate plaintiffs for alleged forced labor during World War II, ties between Tokyo and Seoul plunged to the lowest point in decades. Since Yoon replaced Moon Jae In, known for his anti-Japan position, as president in May 2022, Seoul has been trying to build a future-oriented relationship with Tokyo. Naoko Kumagai, a professor at Aoyama Gakuin University, said the reciprocal visits would allow Japan and South Korea to manage bilateral ties candidly and create conditions whereby matters of concern could be "nipped in the bud" at an early stage. "Shuttle diplomacy will enable constant and close information sharing and communication between the two countries" and, therefore, should have been restarted "as soon as possible," she said. Japan has been considering inviting Yoon as a guest to a Group of Seven summit scheduled for May in the western city of Hiroshima, diplomatic sources said, while Kishida voiced eagerness to visit South Korea "at an appropriate time." Such plans emerged after Seoul decided on the solution to the wartime labor issue on March 6, which centers on a government-backed foundation paying compensation to former Korean laborers and their relatives on behalf of the two Japanese firms. The two companies have refused to comply with the rulings, citing Tokyo's stance that all issues stemming from Japan's 1910-1945 colonization of the Korean Peninsula were settled "completely and finally" under a 1965 bilateral agreement. After the Yoon administration unveiled the solution earlier this month, Kishida hailed it, but the announcement has triggered a backlash in South Korea as the plaintiffs have requested that Japan convey a fresh apology and pay compensation to them directly. A recent opinion poll conducted by a South Korean research firm showed that nearly 60 percent of respondents did not favor the proposal, while 35 percent supported it. Kumagai, well versed in international relations and wartime compensation issues, said anti-solution campaigns are expected to continue in South Korea, but shuttle diplomacy might contribute to preventing bilateral ties from deteriorating further. Meanwhile, Kan Kimura, a professor at Kobe University's Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies, said the resumption of reciprocal visits is important, especially for Yoon ahead of his trip to the United States in April for talks with President Joe Biden. To promote Japan-U.S.-South Korea trilateral defense cooperation in the face of North Korea's missile and nuclear threat, as well as China's military buildup, Biden had hoped that the wartime labor row would be resolved soon, Kimura said. The Korean area studies expert added a "strong U.S. push" was partly responsible for Yoon's quick decision on the solution. Biden issued a statement immediately after the announcement by Seoul, saying he had highly evaluated it. In the planned talks with Biden, Yoon can "display his achievement" in improving relations with Tokyo and confidently say that South Korea is "now getting along with Japan," in turn benefiting the United States, Kimura said. Still, concerns linger that South Korea may overturn the latest solution, given that in 2019 Moon's government unilaterally scrapped a 2015 agreement with Japan to settle the so-called comfort women matter "finally and irreversibly." Kimura urged Japan to reach a diplomatic accord with South Korea on the solution to the wartime labor dispute during the five-year tenure of Yoon, saying it is still "nothing more than a de facto agreement that is light and nonbinding." Aoyama Gakuin's Kumagai asked the Kishida administration to "keep consistently showing an attitude" that Japan will support Yoon's policy, although his decision on the solution was "audacious" but "slightly hasty." Yoon has provided an opportunity for Japan to improve ties with South Korea, and Kishida "must not miss it," Kumagai said, reiterating the necessity of accelerating mutual visits by the leaders of the two countries. Related coverage: Japan, South Korea leaders vow to resume mutual visits amid thaw in ties South Korea wartime laborers file suit to collect money from Japan firm South Korea pres. hopes to move forward with Japan, not focus on past [March 16, 2023] Stablz Launches Cannavest pools, with 30% APR on USDT deposits! San Francisco, CA, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stablz, a cutting-edge yield capturing protocol, has announced the launch of its new Cannavest pools, offering an enticing 30% APR on USDT deposits. Stablz aims to simplify yield earning by providing a safe and transparent platform for users to store their liquidity and earn as much real yield as possible. The Cannavest pools offer an attractive 30% APR on USDT deposits, paid out weekly in USDT to receipt token holders. This corresponds to a monthly dividend of 2.5%, which is an excellent return in today's market. Users can deposit USDT and obtain receipt tokens in exchange for a portion of the weekly dividend. With customer deposits secured for a year, the platform maintains the greatest levels of safety and security. While deposits are locked for one year, users can sell their tokens on the site over-the-counter (OTC) for bespoke pricing, allowing new users to enter. This adaptability is critical for customers who wish to abandon their positions early or capitalize on market conditions. The OTC option ensures that users can always access their funds and retain full control of their investment. Stablz's ability to continually evolve within the dynamic landscape of blockchain and Decentralized Finance ensures that it remains at the forefront of the latest advancements while prioritizing user safety and security.The network's dedication to transparency and fund non-custody makes it an appealing alternative for consumers searching for a reliable platform to earn a meaningful return on their liquidity. Finally, Stablz's Cannavest pools provide users with an exciting opportunity to earn a genuine income on their USDT deposits, with an appealing 30% APR paid out monthly. Because of the platform's emphasis on safety, security, and transparency, users may store their liquidity with confidence, knowing that they have complete control over their cash. Stablz is at the forefront of the newest innovations in blockchain and Decentralized Finance, providing customers with the greatest levels of safety and security as it expands its offers to stable but non-stablecoin pairings and other goods. About Stablz: Stablz was inspired by the ethos of decentralized finance (defi), where transparency and non-custody of funds are of utmost importance. As such, Stablz assumes as little liability as possible, ensuring that users have full autonomy of their funds. The platform earns fees from generating and locking in yield for its users, with no hidden costs or risks involved. Website: https://stablz.one/ CMC: Https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/stablz/ Brian S. Obrick Stablz contact(at)stablz.one [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] ITM to Present Phase III COMPOSE Poster and Host Satellite Symposium on Radiotheranostics in NET cancer at ENETS Conference Garching / Munich, March 16, 2023 ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE (ITM ) , a leading radiopharmaceutical theranostics company, today announced that the company will present an overview of genetic tumor and blood profiling in its ongoing phase III clinical trial COMPOSE ( NCT04919226 ) in a poster presentation at the 20th Annual European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (ENETS) Conference held from March 22-24, 2023 in Vienna, Austria, and virtually. COMPOSE evaluates the companys lead radiopharmaceutical candidate, ITM-11 (n.c.a. 177Lu-edotreotide) compared to standard of care in patients with well-differentiated high grade 2 and grade 3 somatostatin receptor-positive gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (G2+G3 SSTR+ GEP-NETs). ITM will also host a hybrid in-person and virtual radiotheranostics satellite symposium titled Transforming the Therapeutics Landscape for Neuroendocrine Tumors featuring presentations and discussions between leading endocrine oncology and nuclear medicine clinicians and researchers. A recording of the event will be available following the discussion. Visit https://www.itm-radiopharma.com/events/enets-2023/ for the full agenda and further details. ITM will host a medical exhibition booth, as well as a virtual booth during the conference. Poster Presentation Details Title: Genetic tumor and blood profiling in the randomised controlled phase III COMPOSE trial comparing 177Lu-edotreotide and best standard of care for well-differentiated aggressive grade 2/3 gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors Abstract No: 3603 Poster No: M01 Time: Available starting on Wednesday, March 22, 8:00 am CET Presenter: Jaume Capdevila, MD, PhD, Medical Oncology Department, Gastrointestinal and Endocrine Tumor Unit, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona Symposium Program Time and Location: March 23, 2023 from 7:45 am - 8.45 am CET in Hall F Title: Transforming the Therapeutics Landscape for Neuroendocrine Tumors Chair: Prof. Kjell Oberg, Professor of Endocrine Oncology, Uppsala University A short story of NET therapy from cold to hot somatostatin: Prof. Kjell Oberg, Professor of Endocrine Oncology, Uppsala University, Sweden NET tumors current treatment status, history, and new treatment modalities with focus on Theranostics; Biomarkers and deep dive into genetic profiling: Prof. Aldo Scarpa, Professor and Director of the Department of Pathology, University and Hospital Trust of Verona, Italy The role of dosimetry: Prof. Wolfgang Weber, Professor and Chair of the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany Beyond GEP-NET future perspective of NETs: Prof. Heloisa Soares, Associate Professor, Division of Oncology, Huntsman Cancer Hospital, University of Utah, USA - End - About Targeted Radionuclide Therapy Targeted Radionuclide Therapy is an emerging class of cancer therapeutics, which seeks to deliver radiation directly to the tumor while minimizing radiation exposure to normal tissue. Targeted radiopharmaceuticals are created by linking a therapeutic radioisotope to a targeting molecule (e.g., peptide, antibody, small molecule) that can precisely recognize tumor cells and bind to tumor-specific characteristics, like receptors on the tumor cell surface. As a result, the radioisotope accumulates at the tumor site and decays, releasing a small amount of ionizing radiation, with the goal of destroying tumor tissue. The precise localization enables targeted treatment with potentially minimal impact to healthy surrounding tissue. About ITM-11 (n.c.a. 177Lu-edotreotide) ITM-11, ITMs therapeutic radiopharmaceutical candidate being investigated in the phase III clinical studies COMPETE and COMPOSE, consists of two components: the medical radioisotope no-carrier-added lutetium-177 (n.c.a. 177Lu) and the targeting molecule edotreotide, a synthetic form of the peptide hormone somatostatin that targets neuroendocrine tumor-specific receptors. Edotreotide is designed to bind to these receptors and places the medical radioisotope n.c.a. lutetium-177 directly onto the diseased neuroendocrine cells so that it accumulates at the tumor site. N.c.a. lutetium-177 is internalized into the tumor cells and decays, releasing medical radiation (ionizing -radiation) with a targeted maximum radius and aim to destroy tumor tissue. ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE ITM, a leading radiopharmaceutical biotech company, is dedicated to providing a new generation of radiomolecular precision therapeutics and diagnostics for hard-to-treat tumors. We aim to meet the needs of cancer patients, clinicians and our partners through excellence in development, production and global supply. With improved patient benefit as the driving principle for all we do, ITM advances a broad precision oncology pipeline, including two phase III studies, combining the companys high-quality radioisotopes with a range of targeting molecules. By leveraging our nearly two decades of pioneering radiopharma expertise, central industry position and established global network, ITM strives to provide patients with more effective targeted treatment to improve clinical outcome and quality of life. www.itm-radiopharma.com ITM Contact Corporate Communications Julia Hofmann/Svenja Gartner Phone: +49 89 329 8986 1500 Email: [email protected] Investor Relations Ben Orzelek Phone: +49 89 329 8986 1009 Email: [email protected] Attachments ITM at ENETS 230316_ITM ENETS [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP, a Leading Securities Fraud Law Firm, Announces Investigation of First Republic Bank (FRC) on Behalf of Investors Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP ("GPM"), a leading national shareholder rights law firm, today announced that it has commenced an investigation on behalf of First Republic Bank ("First Republic" or the "Company") (NYSE: FRC) investors concerning the Company's possible violations of the federal securities laws. If you suffered a loss on your First Republic investments or would like to inquire about potentially pursuing claims to recover your loss under the federal securities laws, you can submit your contact information at www.glancylaw.com/cases/First-Republic-Bank/. You can also contact Charles H. Linehan, of GPM at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, or via email at [email protected] to learn more about your rights. On March 13, 2023, First Republic led a decline in bank shares over concerns that it may not have sufficient liquidity, even after securing emergency funding from other institutions. Raymond James downgraded the stock, stating that, "[d]espite the added liqidity sources, we believe deposit balances will remain under pressure in the immediate near term." On this news, First Republic's stock price fell $50.55, or 61.8%, to close at $31.21 per share on March 13, 2023, thereby injuring investors. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook. Whistleblower Notice: Persons with non-public information regarding First Republic should consider their options to aid the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower Program. Under the program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Charles H. Linehan at 310-201-9150 or 888-773-9224 or email [email protected]. About GPM Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP is a premier law firm representing investors and consumers in securities litigation and other complex class action litigation. ISS Securities Class Action Services has consistently ranked GPM in its annual SCAS Top 50 Report. In 2018, GPM was ranked a top five law firm in number of securities class action settlements, and a top six law firm for total dollar size of settlements. With four offices across the country, GPM's nearly 40 attorneys have won groundbreaking rulings and recovered billions of dollars for investors and consumers in securities, antitrust, consumer, and employment class actions. GPM's lawyers have handled cases covering a wide spectrum of corporate misconduct including cases involving financial restatements, internal control weaknesses, earnings management, fraudulent earnings guidance and forward looking statements, auditor misconduct, insider trading, violations of FDA regulations, actions resulting in FDA and DOJ investigations, and many other forms of corporate misconduct. GPM's attorneys have worked on securities cases relating to nearly all industries and sectors in the financial markets, including, energy, consumer discretionary, consumer staples, real estate and REITs, financial, insurance, information technology, health care, biotech, cryptocurrency, medical devices, and many more. GPM's past successes have been widely covered by leading news and industry publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, Reuters, the Associated Press, Barron's, Investor's Business Daily, Forbes, and Money. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005302/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] New Survey Finds That Small Business Lending Remains Stable Despite Turbulence in Big Banks LEHI, Utah, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Lendio, the nation's leading small business financial solutions provider, released the findings of a new polling of the top 21 lenders and funders in its marketplace, in the wake of the FDIC's recent takeover of two large banks, to better understand the current state of lending and access to funds for U.S. small-and-medium-sized businesses (SMBs). The poll found: 100 percent of surveyed lenders and funders report no change in their lending capacity, indicating stability in the state of small-and-medium-sized business lending; All respondents reported no change to their liquidity, further showing stability for the industry; However, approximately 38% of respondents said they are evaluating potential changes to their underwriting criteria, suggesting some heightened aversion to future risk. "Small businesses are a bedrock in our communities and for our economy, and maintaining access to capital and funding options is crucial to their growth and continued impact," said Brock Blake, co-founder and CEO of Lendio. "In the face of recent commotion and changes at larger banks, it's important to see this data around the resilience of SMB funding and offer reassurance to SMBs across America. Lendio remains committed to being an integral part of and connector in a world where small businesses surviveandthrive." According to data from the White House and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), small businesses in the U.S. employ 61 million people, nearly 50 percent of all private-sector workers. Domestically, gross revenue from small businesses totals $13.3 trillion. "In speaking with our funding partners over the past several days, we are pleased to see the stability and confidence there for SMBs," said Mark Cottle, Lendio Executive Vice President. "In 2021 and 2022, the U.S. saw more small business funding applications than ever before, and we're eager to support these businesses as they grow, scale and seek funding partners to help them realize their dreams." About Lendio Lendio is the nation's leading small business financial solutions provider. With its diverse network of lenders, Lendio enables small business owners to apply for multiple business financing options with a single application. The company has facilitated more than 330,000 small business loans for more than $13 billion in total funding, including $9.8 billion in PPP loan approvals as part of government COVID-19 relief. Lendio has become the fintech company to watch in the industry, helping reduce bias in lending and cutting back on loan approval time exponentially. In addition to creating access to small business capital, Lendio offers time-saving financial SaaS products designed to streamline business operations. Lendio is a mission-driven organization striving to provide equal access to capital to underserved communities and America's smallest businesses. For every new marketplace loan Lendio facilitates, Lendio Givesan employee-contribution and employer-matching fund in partnership with KIVA, Lendio provides a microloan to low-income entrepreneurs around the world, continuously re-investing the fund. More information about Lendio is available at www.lendio.com. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-survey-finds-that-small-business-lending-remains-stable-despite-turbulence-in-big-banks-301774377.html SOURCE Lendio [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] NTHU Signs Memorandum of Understanding With the University of Illinois System National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in Taiwan has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Illinois System on March 15, one of the top public universities in the United States, which includes student and faculty exchanges as well as joint research in areas such as semiconductors, biomedicine, electric vehicles, materials science, and Chinese language education. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005049/en/ NTHU president W. John Kao (right) and University of Illinois System president Timothy L. Killeen (left) signed Memorandum of Understanding. (Photo: National Tsing Hua University) The University of Illinois System includes 3 universities in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago, and Springfield. The University system has a wide range of programs, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, which wa the earliest one established in 1867, has produced 18 Nobel Prize winners over the years. NTHU first signed a memorandum of cooperation with the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in 2020 and 2021, respectively, and will soon extend this collaboration agreement to include the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS). The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by NTHU president W. John Kao and University of Illinois System president Timothy L. Killeen. The signing ceremony was held at NTHU and was witnessed by representatives of the Ministry of Education. The ceremony was followed by a dialogue on the topic of "Global Higher Education-Opportunities and Challenges." Both presidents emphasized the importance of cultivating students' ability to engage in interdisciplinary and diverse learning in order to face the challenges of the next generation. Kao pointed out that one of the key elements of NTHU's development strategy is education with interdisciplinary and diversity. Both schools are highly rated in terms of academic performance, and the latest memorandum of cooperation expands their existing relationship in breadth and depth for students and faculty alike. Killeen said this was the fifth or sixth time he visited Taiwan. The University of Illinois System values the partnership with NTHU as well as cultivating students' diverse abilities. For example, when Covid-19 broke out, we need a comprehensive solutions combining knowledge of medical and social economics. This MOU is vital for us to develop new collaborations to increase interactions between our faculty and students, such as semiconductor and environmental sustainability. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the extent of collaboration between the two institutions was relatively less during the past few years, but now that borders are beginning to reopen, the number of student and teacher exchanges is expected to increase rapidly. In fact, three NTHU students are currently getting ready to begin exchange programs at UIUC and UIC. Beginning in the fall semester 2023, Yu-he Liu, a second-year M.A. student of the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, will spend a year at UIC. She said that UIC has one of the best medical schools in the United States, adding that, "My research field is visual imaging and sensing, and I expect to learn a lot in this area during my time in the United States." View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005049/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] Investor Alert: Sohocapitalgroup Be an informed investor - Don't be fooled by fraudsters misrepresenting themselves TORONTO, March 16, 2023 /CNW/ - New Self-Regulatory Organization of Canada (New SRO) is warning Canadian investors not to be fooled by Sohocapitalgroup. On their website, www.sohocapitalgroup.com/, the company is implying they are regulated by the former Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) and is a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF), by displaying both member logos at the bottom of their homepage. Sohocapitalgroup is not a member of New SRO and was never registered with IIROC to sell forex or crypto assets, or any other investment products. Sohocapitalgroup accounts are not protected by CIPF. All investors must be informed and ask themselves important questions before purchasing higher-risk investment products that do not trade on stock exchanges. Investors should know that unregulated crypto-asset trading platforms are different from regulated marketplaces and may be missing key investor protections. Registered investment firms are regulated, and individuals must meet our high standards and deal fairly, honestly and in good faith with Canadian investors. We urge Canadian investors to exercise caution when dealing with non-registered firms. Investors should confirm investment firms are registered with New SRO, formerly IIROC, or with the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA). Investors can also check the background, qualifications and any disciplinary history of investment advisors registered with New SRO by checking the free AdvisorReport for investment dealers, or the CSA's National Registration Search for mutual fund dealers. If you believe you have been a victim of this or a similar scam, contact your local police, or the CSA for your provincial securities commission contact information, and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. About New SRO New Self-Regulatory Organization of Canada (New SRO) is the national self-regulatory organization that oversees all investment dealers, mutual fund dealers and trading activity on Canada's debt and equity marketplaces. New SRO is carrying on the regulatory functions of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada and the Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada, and is committed to the protection of investors, providing efficient and consistent regulation, and building Canadians' trust in financial regulation and the people managing their investments. For more information, visit www.newselfregulatoryorganizationofcanada.ca. SOURCE New Self-Regulatory Organization of Canada (New SRO) [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] Fenix24 Secures Funding from Leading InsurTech Investor Eos Venture Partners New Investment will help Fenix24 scale operations to meet growing market demand for ransomware response and recovery CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. , March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fenix24, an industry-leading cyber disaster recovery firm that is transforming the post-breach restoration process and impact, announced a $5 million investment by Eos Venture Partners, a prominent InsurTech investor. Zach Powell, General Partner of Eos Venture Partners, will join Fenix24 as a board member. Faster, Better Post-Breach Restoration Fenix24, a sister company of Conversant Group, provides a professional cybersecurity force focused exclusively on restoring companies after cyber breach events. The firm redesigned the recovery paradigm after recognizing that traditional breach response could not manage foreign adversaries' increasingly destructive tactics and the corresponding increase in business downtime and interruption. Fenix24's expert-led model focuses on faster, more effective post-breach restoration and drives proven reductions in business downtime. Their approach: Starts involvement at Hour One post-breach, rather than the industry standard of waiting days or weeks to begin restoration. Accelerates the gathering and preservation of essential data for forensics, which enables a more rapid and modularized restoration strategy. Drives faster up-time in critical systems through aligning an executive view of business operations with front-line, technical and batte-tested expertise. Reduced business interruption and associated costs for customers by up to 50%. Become the restoration partner-of-choice, growing revenue 650% annually. Increased headcount by 400%. Partnering with Cyber Insurers Cyber insurers have also begun to partner with Fenix24 to target the increasing cost of business interruption post-breach. "As Ransomware-as-a-Service has grown, the business impact of cyberterrorists' ransomware attacks has also increased significantlymore than 60% of total cyber losses to an insurance carrier now are estimated to come from business interruption," said Mr. Powell. "With the need for a better response on behalf of those impacted by ransomware and the entire cyber insurance eco-system, Eos is proud to support Fenix24's rapid growth and reputation as the world's fastest restoration company. Leading cyber insurance companies now understand that active loss managementbeyond pre-breach underwriting and risk controlsis a critical component of an effective cyber program. We are excited to build further strategic partnerships between Fenix24 and the cyber insurance ecosystem." $5 Million Investment Eos' investment will support Fenix24 in serving additional customers and further reducing downtime costs and financial impacts after a cybersecurity incident. With Fenix24, global cyber carriers, brokers and reinsurers can empower policyholders and target the most critical, damaging parts of a ransomware attack post-breach. "We are excited to partner with Eos Venture Partners and very proud of what this investment says about Fenix24's innovative approach and resulting impact on behalf of victims of ransomware and their insurance carriers," said Mark Grazman, CEO and co-founder of Fenix24. "The world needs a defensive civilian cybersecurity force ready to help victims of ransomware navigate the treacherous waters of a ransomware attack." About Eos Eos Venture Partners is a strategic venture capital fund focused exclusively on InsurTech, investing in early and growth stage technology businesses that accelerate innovation and transformation across the insurance industry and value chain. Working with global (re)insurers, Eos' model is based on a partnership-driven approach with incumbents and early-stage InsurTech founders. Eos' ambition is to positively impact 500 million lives over the next decade while generating top quartile financial returns. eosventurepartners.com About Fenix24 Fenix24, part of the Conversant Group family of companies, is raising the bar for post-incident disaster recovery and restoration with a fast, thorough and professional operation. Our battle-tested professionals execute the most intelligent and strategic recovery playbook to minimize business interruption and the cost of incident response. Learn more at fenix24.com . Media Contact: Lindsay Smith [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fenix24-secures-funding-from-leading-insurtech-investor-eos-venture-partners-301773070.html SOURCE Fenix24 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] Blend360 Names Adam Mincham SVP of GTM Strategy COLUMBIA, Md., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Blend360, a global provider of data, analytics, and talent solutions for Fortune 500 companies, announced today the appointment of Adam Mincham, SVP of Go-To-Market (GTM) Strategy. Under Adam's leadership, Blend360 aims to double down on their Customer First perspective, making the business easier to buy, while providing more innovative use case and industry relevant solutions to solve client challenges and drive value faster. Blend360 names Adam Mincham SVP of GTM Strategy Co-Founders Tim Berry and Patrick Hennessy identified five key growth drivers to help Blend360 reach its target of $500 million by 2026, one of those being the Go-to-Market (GTM) strategy. "We needed a skilled senior leader with a growth-oriented mindset and direc experience in growing a business. Adam was the perfect fit as he built and established our B2B consultancy and value proposition and secured impressive clients. We believe Adam's passion for B2B marketing will be valuable in generating revenue and collaborating with business units, capabilities, and client leaders to promote innovation and expansion," says Patrick Hennessy, CEO and Co-Founder of Blend360. Adam's role encompasses several key areas under the GTM umbrella, including developing Blend's strategy for building out the brand and establishing a GTM plan. As the head of the Marketing team, Adam will be responsible for sharing Blend's story and working closely with industry analysts such as Forrester and Gartner to attract new clients and top talent. He will also provide support to Partnership teams by leveraging the Marketing platform and providing GTM platform and strategy guidance for other areas including Innovation, Verticalization and Business Development. With his expertise and leadership, he will help optimize our operations and drive growth across the organization. "I am excited to take on the challenge of building a new Go to Market for Blend360, one that shows just how our Customer is at the center of everything we do and puts a spotlight on the amazing talent and innovation we have within Blend360. We are keen to take Blend360 to the next level and be world-renowned within the industry," Adam added. About Blend360? Blend360 is an award-winning provider of data, analytics, and talent solutions for Fortune 500 companies. The company has made the Inc. 5000 list of Fastest Growing Companies every year they have been in business and has been awarded a world-class ranking in client satisfaction for the past four years. It has over 600 employees with offices domestically in NY, MD, CO, and CA and internationally in India and EMEA. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/blend360-names-adam-mincham-svp-of-gtm-strategy-301774331.html SOURCE Blend360 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Austal USA Awards Contract to Fairbanks Morse Defense for Cross Company Portfolio of OPC WMSM-919 Equipment Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management (Arcline), has been awarded a contract by Austal USA for a portfolio of equipment to support the construction of WMSM-919, the U.S. Coast Guard's next Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC). The portfolio includes systems from the company's multiple brands, reinforcing FMD's position as a single-source defense contractor capable of providing fully integrated solutions for maritime defense. Click here for related images. "Receiving this contract from Austal encapsulates what we've been working toward in recent years through the acquisition of several strategic maritime suppliers," said FMD CEO George Whittier. "The industry recognizes the tremendous added value we can bring through our ability to provide projects with a comprehensive equipment portfolio that spans all of our brands. We look forward to working with Austal on this program and further demonstrating our wide range of capabilities." Four of FMD's recently acquired companies will be involved in this contract. The cross-company package for WMSM-919 includes the following: FMD was previously contracted to provide the main propulsion engines for the Argus (WMSM-915), Chase (WMSM-916), Ingham (WMSM-917), and Rush (WMSM-918). Last year, the Coast Guard awarded FMD a contract for opposed-piston engine parts for its Bay Class icebreaking tugboats. For more than 100 years, FMD has provided products and services to the Coast Guard and Navy. Today, the defense contractor powers over 65% of the Coast Guard's ships with medium-speed applications and supplies davits to 4 different classes of Coast Guard vessels. The defense contractor has rapidly expanded its array of best-in-class marine technologies, OEM parts and turnkey services for marine defense customers through expansion and acquisitions of companies that include Federal Equipment Company (FEC), Hunt Valve, Maxim Watermakers, Research Tool & Die (RT&D), Ward Leonard, and Welin Lambie. FMD is unlocking the future of maritime technology through its recently launched Center of Technology Excellence. About Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD) Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD) builds, maintains, and services the most trusted naval power and propulsion systems on the planet. For more than 100 years, FMD has been a principal supplier of a growing array of leading marine technologies, OEM parts, and turnkey services to the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, Military Sealift Command, and Canadian Coast Guard. FMD stands ready to rapidly support the systems that power military fleets without compromising safety or quality. In times of peace and war, the experienced engineers, sailors, and technicians of FMD demonstrate our commitment to supporting the mission and vision of critical global naval operations wherever and whenever needed. FMD is a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management. To learn more, visit www.FairbanksMorseDefense.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005147/en/ [March 16, 2023] Tekion Hires a New Leader for Customer Support and Makes Big Investments Showcasing Its Commitment to Dealer Success Tekion, innovator of Automotive Retail Cloud (ARC), the first and fastest cloud-native automotive retail SaaS platform, today announced their ongoing commitment to dealer success with the hiring of new Vice President of Global Support, Mike Runda, as well as investing more in strategic initiatives to further enhance all levels of customer support and success. Runda brings a strong proven history of leading successful global support organizations at companies such as Avaya, Oracle, Intuit, Symantec and most recently, ServiceNow. With his significant experience in scaling high-performing teams, Runda will infuse new insights to ensure dealers receive the highest value from the ARC platform and their partnership with Tekion. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005612/en/ Tekion's Support Center of Excellence in West Chester, Ohio, USA (Photo: Business Wire) "Tekion is an exciting cloud technology company, but what I've learned is retail automotive is a people business," said Runda. "Tekion's commitment to deliver meaningful long-term value to its partners aligs with my background and I look forward to incorporating my learnings and experience to take Tekion's support to the next level." In addition to adding Runda as a new key leader, Tekion has invested and expanded its Support Center of Excellence in West Chester, OH, adding on to the majority of technical support and dealer training staff that already work out of the facility. The center will also welcome dealers who want to become professionally certified on the Tekion platform, enabling them to facilitate their own department-focused training programs. "After our last fundraising round in October 2021, we committed to invest in enhancing our Support operations and making it best-in-class for our customers," said Jay Vijayan, Founder and CEO of Tekion. "We kept up to our commitment, made significant investments, implemented best-in-class systems and processes run by the right people delivering the highest level of customer service as we scale and continue to grow our business." Tekion's support model goes beyond terms of service, it's based on consistently delivering more value than expected in every way: experience, efficiency, customer satisfaction, product usage and continuous success. Tekion's dealer partnership involves the following three dealer-facing teams that seamlessly work together to deliver delightful experiences and value to its dealers and their staff: Implementation - The implementation team establishes dealership engagement right away and prepares diligently for a successful and expedited launch. They work closely with dealership department leaders to establish an immersive training schedule while also ensuring the application is configured to their business. - The implementation team establishes dealership engagement right away and prepares diligently for a successful and expedited launch. They work closely with dealership department leaders to establish an immersive training schedule while also ensuring the application is configured to their business. Technical Support - Available 24/7/365, Tekion Support engineers and analysts engage with dealers who need immediate platform assistance via phone, email and in-application chat. They also proactively monitor the application to resolve issues. - Available 24/7/365, Tekion Support engineers and analysts engage with dealers who need immediate platform assistance via phone, email and in-application chat. They also proactively monitor the application to resolve issues. Partner Success - Once a dealer is onboarded to the Tekion platform, they are assigned a dedicated Partner Success Manager (PSM). PSMs are industry experts who have decades of automotive retail experience. They work with dealers as trusted advisors to ensure adoption, usage and success on the Tekion platform. About Tekion Positively disrupting an industry that has not seen disruption in over 50 years, Tekion has challenged the paradigm with the first and fastest cloud-native automotive platform that includes the revolutionary Automotive Retail Cloud (ARC) for retailers, Automotive Enterprise Cloud (AEC) for manufacturers and other large automotive enterprises and Automotive Partner Cloud (APC) for technology and industry partners. Tekion connects the entire spectrum of the automotive retail ecosystem through one seamless platform. The transformative platform uses cutting-edge technology, big data, machine learning, and AI to seamlessly bring together OEMs, retailers/dealers and consumers. With its highly configurable integration and greater customer engagement capabilities, Tekion is enabling the best automotive retail experiences ever. Founded in the Silicon Valley, Tekion employs over 2,500 innovators globally. For more information, visit www.tekion.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005612/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] KYODO NEWS - Mar 16, 2023 - 23:04 | All, World, Japan The defense ministers of Japan, Britain and Italy on Thursday in Tokyo vowed success in developing a next-generation fighter jet by 2035, a plan unveiled late last year. In the first trilateral defense ministerial meeting, Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada and his British and Italian counterparts, Ben Wallace and Guido Crosetto, also discussed their cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, where China has been intensifying its military activities, Japan's Defense Ministry said. "The fighter jet project will build the foundation for cooperation in the generations to come and contribute considerably to strengthening global security," Hamada said at the meeting, part of which was open to the media. Wallace said that the three nations will make a future partnership that is "strong and successful," and their "forward-leaning programs" will produce well-being for them. The three-way project was unveiled last December by the leaders of Japan, a close U.S. security ally, and the two NATO members, as they have been facing increasingly severe security challenges, including Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022. Crosetto said that Europe and Asia had been considered to be "very far, but that is not the case" now, and the future of Italy and Britain are "deeply related to the events" occurring in the Indo-Pacific region as well. It is the first time Tokyo is engaged in defense equipment development with a nation other than the United States. Representatives of Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Britain's BAE Systems plc and Italy's Leonardo S.p.A., the main companies involved in developing the aircraft, were invited to the meeting, and they vowed to work together closely with the governments, the Japanese ministry said. Japan plans to deploy new fighter jets in 2035 to replace about 90 aging F-2 fighters operated by the Air Self-Defense Force that are to start retiring the same year, according to government officials. The co-developed fighters will replace 144 and 94 Eurofighter jets in Britain and Italy, respectively, the officials said. The three nations' leaders also pledged in the December joint statement to build on their "long-standing defense relationships" while vowing to further strengthen supply chains and industrial bases. Before and after the three-way gathering, Hamada held separate bilateral meetings with Crosetto and Wallace, agreeing to collaborate on the realization of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, according to the ministry. The free and open Indo-Pacific vision has been promoted mainly by Tokyo and Washington as an apparent counter to Beijing's maritime assertiveness in the region. On Wednesday, Wallace visited Chiba, near Tokyo, to deliver a speech at a large defense equipment trade exhibition where a booth to introduce the next-generation fighter jet project has been set up. Related coverage: Japan, Britain, Italy eye defense chiefs meeting in Tokyo in March [March 16, 2023] Inszone Insurance Services Completes Acquisition of Larry Fu Insurance Agency Inszone Insurance Services: a rapidly growing, national provider of benefits, personal and commercial lines insurance, announced today the acquisition of Larry Fu Insurance Agency, Inc. The addition of Larry Fu Insurance Agency to the Inszone Insurance team is a strategic move that brings together two trusted insurance providers with a shared commitment to exceptional customer service. Founded in 1979, Larry Fu Insurance Agency has built a strong reputation as a family-owned and operated business, providing exceptional service to its clients for over 40 years. Larry and Shirley Fu started their business from the ground up, and their dedication and hard work have earned them a loyal clientele from all over the Bay Area and Southern California. "Larry Fu Insurance Agency has a long-standing reputation for exceptional customer service and market expertise, making them a perfect fit for Inszone Insurance," said Chris Walters, CEO of Inszone Insurance Services. "Teir values align with ours, and we are excited to welcome the Larry Fu Insurance team to the Inszone Insurance family." As part of the acquisition, clients of Larry Fu Insurance Agency can expect to receive the same exceptional service and care they have come to expect from Larry Fu Insurance Agency, now under the Inszone Insurance brand. This acquisition is just one of many that Inszone Insurance Services plans to make as it continues to expand its national footprint and serve clients with exceptional insurance placement capabilities and personalized service. Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Sacramento, California, Inszone is a full-service insurance brokerage firm that provides a broad array of property & casualty insurance, along with employee benefits solutions. With a strong, experienced management team, Inszone continues to grow organically, as well as through acquisitions. With 40 locations across California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, Oregon, Texas, and Illinois, the company is looking to further expand throughout the United States. For more information about Inszone, please visit www.inszoneinsurance.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005024/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] SentinelOne Expands Distributor Network with New Partners and Extended Partner Relationships SentinelOne (NYSE: S), an autonomous cybersecurity platform company, today announced new and expanded distributor relationships with Carahsoft, Exclusive Networks, and Ingram Micro. With increased routes to market and larger teams of dedicated SentinelOne experts, partners are better positioned to take full advantage of all SentinelOne offerings, accelerating the company's penetration into key verticals across North America. "We are excited to announce our newest distribution partnership with Ingram Micro and to grow our existing relationship with Exclusive Networks and Carahsoft," said Ken Marks, VP Global Channels, SentinelOne. "Distribution's ability to assist in Partner recruitment and enablement will be a significant value to SentinelOne's expanding reseller network. We look forward to further accelerating our channel growth and are pleased to make more SentinelOne offerings available to our customers through our partner ecosystem." As SentinelOne's newest distributor in the US and Canada, Ingram Micro will help support and grow existing SentinelOne Silver and Gold resellers serving the enterprise and commercial markets. Ingram Micro's ability to assist in Partner recruitment and enablement, branding, marketing demand generation programs, and alternative financing options will add value throughout the SentinelOne partner ecosystem. "Ingram Micro's Emerging Business Group is the channel's go-to-team for identifying and engaging new and emerging channel-ready technology vendors," said Eric Kohl, vice president, Security and Networking, Ingram Micro. "We are thrilled to be SentinelOne's new North American distribution partner and look forward to working ogether to help our channel partners achieve new standards in enterprise security." SentinelOne is also expanding its relationship with Exclusive Networks Group, a global SentinelOne Distributor since 2016. Exclusive Networks will extend its SentinelOne practice throughout North America focusing on new partner recruitment and multinational organizations. Exclusive Networks' footprint with organizations with diverse networks spread across multiple geographies helps SentinelOne reach a key target market that is well positioned to benefit from comprehensive autonomous protection. "We're excited to expand our partnership with SentinelOne in North America as they move to a Tier 2 Distribution Model," said Brian Vincik, Sr. Vice President, Exclusive Networks. "Exclusive Networks commitment to providing value added support with a dedicated approach is a key differentiator for our partners." SentinelOne partnered with Carahsoft in 2020 to bring its endpoint, cloud and IoT security solutions to the U.S. public sector. As SentinelOne's Master Government Aggregator, Carahsoft continues to provide SentinelOne with a high volume of proactive sales and marketing activities, and access to a robust reseller network to increase adoption of the Singularity Platform to better protect federal, state, local, and tribal government agencies. Carahsoft also offers a portfolio of contract vehicles to simplify procurement for government customers. "We are proud to offer SentinelOne's FedRAMP-certified Singularity Platform to our Public Sector customers," said Chris Clarke, Director of the SentinelOne Team at Carahsoft. "SentinelOne's technology helps agencies realize a higher level of protection and visibility. We look forward to working with the SentinelOne team and our reseller partners to better secure the Public Sector against evolving threats." For more information on SentinelOne partnerships visit the SentinelOne Partner Portal. About SentinelOne SentinelOne's cybersecurity solution encompasses AI-powered prevention, detection, response and hunting across endpoints, containers, cloud workloads, and IoT devices in a single autonomous XDR platform. About Ingram Micro Ingram Micro helps businesses realize the promise of technology. It delivers a full spectrum of global technology and supply chain services to businesses around the world. Deep expertise in technology solutions, mobility, cloud, and supply chain solutions enables business partners to operate efficiently and successfully in the markets they serve. Unrivaled agility, deep market insights and the trust and dependability that come from decades of proven relationships set Ingram Micro apart and ahead. Discover how Ingram Micro can help you realize the promise of technology. More at www.ingrammicro.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005643/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] Patented New Video Software Expands Video File Functionality San Jose, C.A., March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Video Plus, Inc. has launched Video+, a patented software that can embed data files into a single video file, allowing for interactive content that works with all video formats. The software patent (US Patent 11,557,015 B2) was granted on January 17, 2023. Developed by experienced software developers Mike Barnett and Roger Hector, the Video+ software dramatically expands the potential uses of video files. For example, a single Video+ file could contain a movie blended with a playable interactive video game; a video college course could include all coursework, documents, photos and test questions; or a film could be made multi-lingual with multiple audio and closed caption tracks. Existing software that integrates data and video files require a developer to undergo many steps to transfer a video to a new format. Video+ allows videos to be easily moved from one format to the other while retaining error-free data. For example, Video+ would enable a user to start with a flash video, add Video+ data to it, and save it as an MP4 video. (To see a demonstration of the patented process, visit The Next Generation of Video ). Video+ is compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux, and can be transcoded without degrading the data contained in the video. Additionally, there is an internet-wide problem involving the proliferation of inappropriate or undesirable content, especially on social media platforms. Video+ intends to solve the undesirable video problem by creating a shared database and using silent watermarking. There are a number of new benefits and functions with Video+, including the ability of companies to sift out undesirable content, said Hector. For example, Facebook could determine that a video violates clear guidelines and is offensive enough to be removed. The team can then place an entry in the shared databases blacklist. If that video were attempted to be uploaded to a different website, the site will see that Facebook blacklisted the video and can block the upload. About Video Plus: Video Plus was co-founded by Roger Hector and Mike Barnett. Hector, CEO, has produced over $5 billion in work for numerous organizations including Universal Studios and Walt Disney Company. Barnett, Video+ inventor and tech architect, has worked with a broad portfolio of tech companies. The developers are familiar with the patenting process, having accrued 15 patents collectively prior to the launch of Video+. For more information about Video Plus or the patent, visit www.videoplusinc.com or contact Alex Elliott at [email protected]. ### Alex Elliott [email protected] C : (336) 655-7767 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] Polyplexus - the Award-Winning Interdisciplinary Science R&D Platform - Will Host the ARPA-H Dash to Accelerate Health Outcomes The online competition will use the platform to collect and identify bold ideas with the potential to transform health in the United States NEW YORK, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Polyplexus (polyplexus.com) will host a national competition for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) (arpa-h.gov) to identify revolutionary, evidence-based ideas with the potential to transform health in the next 20 years. Cash prizes of up to $15,000 will be awarded to ideas that reach competition quarterfinals and beyond, as well as the chance for further development with ARPA-H Program Managers. Polyplexus is hosting a national competition sponsored by ARPA-H to identify ideas to transform health in the U.S. Called The ARPA-H Dash to Accelerate Health Outcomes (ARPA-H Dash), the online competition will use a bracket format and online discussion, debate, and voting to evaluate and narrow idea submissions and award winners from March 29 May 16, 2023. It is open to visionary entrepreneurs, researchers, and clinicians across health, scientific, and technology communities and community advocates, policymakers, patients, and the general public. "The parallels between the Polyplexus and ARPA-H missions are remarkable we're both working to open up the future of innovation to a broader pool of contributors in order to surface, evaluate, refine, and then activate the ideas and talent that will have the greatest potential impact," said Michael Goldblatt, former head of the Defense Sciences Office and Polyplexs co-founder. "It is incredibly exciting to work with an organization that truly echoes the ethos of Polyplexus." Polyplexus initially funded by the Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency is spearheading a faster and more efficient interdisciplinary research and development process to accelerate solutions to big and emerging problems. The open social platform disrupts the standard research paradigm by connecting researchers beyond traditional siloes with sponsors looking for innovative talent and ideas. ARPA-H aims to benefit the health of all Americans by investing in breakthrough science to reimagine essential areas of medicine and catalyze health breakthroughs that cannot readily be accomplished through traditional research or commercial activity. To do this, ARPA-H seeks new methods for applying a more streamlined awards process, enabling it to act quickly to pursue cutting-edge biomedical and health research. Key ARPA-H Dash Facts and Dates: All competition activities occur on the ARPA-H Dash portal page on the Polyplexus platform at polyplexus.com/healthdash . Participants must create a free Polyplexus account to participate. . Participants must create a free Polyplexus account to participate. The ARPA-H Dash will accept idea submissions via the Polyplexus competition portal page from March 29 April 7, 2023 . . Sixty-four submissions will be selected by ARPA-H subject matter experts and organized into tournament-style brackets representing ARPA-H's four focus areas: Health Science Futures, Scalable Solutions, Proactive Health, and Resilient Systems. For details on the ARPA-H mission and focus areas, visit arpa-h.gov/research/. Brackets will be published at 8 am Eastern Standard Time on Monday , April 17, 2023, and the first round of head-to-head comparisons will be open for online discussion and voting. , April 17, 2023, and the first round of head-to-head comparisons will be open for online discussion and voting. From April 17 May 12, 2023 , ideas will compete in head-to-head matchups, where they are debated and voted on by the Polyplexus community, with facilitation from ARPA-H Program Managers. , ideas will compete in head-to-head matchups, where they are debated and voted on by the Polyplexus community, with facilitation from ARPA-H Program Managers. The competition will conclude on May 16, 2023 , with a prize awarded to the winning transformation, a runner-up, two semi-finalists, and four quarter-finalists, as determined by the judges. In addition, smaller prizes will also be awarded to voters based on the number of correct votes they contribute. More on Polyplexus: Polyplexus, recognized by Fast Company as a World Changing Idea, hosts an online community focused on exploring cross-disciplinary science questions. An open, global platform, Polyplexus accelerates access to scientific evidence, hypothesis development, research proposal generation, and sponsor engagement. Developed for scientific researchers, research sponsors, and the curious, Polyplexus reinvents the social platform by advancing evidence-based conversations, focusing the discussion through the lens of what we already know in the pursuit of what we might discover. Become a member at Polyplexus.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/polyplexus--the-award-winning-interdisciplinary-science-rd-platform--will-host-the-arpa-h-dash-to-accelerate-health-outcomes-301774501.html SOURCE Polyplexus [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] Millennia opens brand new headquarters in Cary, North Carolina CARY, N.C., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Millennia (the "Company"), a leader in patient payment and patient engagement for hospitals, health systems, and medical groups, is excited to announce the grand opening of its new corporate headquarters in Cary, North Carolina, just outside of Research Triangle Park (RTP). Millennia moves into new headquarters in Cary, North Carolina . Millennia's Class A office space within the 170,000-square-foot building offers Millennia colleagues and their clients a modern and open space designed to optimize collaboration, develop new patient engagement technologies and solutions, and drive a culture of excitement and innovation. The office space is reflective of Millennia's commitment to future growth and adding jobs to the Triangle, with most of its hiring efforts focused on local candidates in the Raleigh-Durham area. Millennia intends to add positions in sales, business development, marketing,data, analytics, and product development over the next few years as the company continues its rapid growth. "After having spent the last couple of years remote, our team is excited to have this new, amazing space to call home. Our intention is that our colleagues will have a stunning space available as we look to drive more in-person opportunities to create, brainstorm, and meet on a regular basis. We look forward to sharing this space with all of our clients as well," says Tom Ormondroyd, Chief Executive Officer of Millennia. Cary is an ideal location for Millennia's headquarters. It is situated eight miles southeast of the Research Triangle Park (RTP), a hub of top companies in both the tech and life sciences industries. Proximity to RTP allows Millennia to recruit top technical talent, as the business continues to expand. With several major universities nearby, such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, and North Carolina State University, Millennia will have access to the next generation of tech leaders. Millennia is also investing in a state-of-the-art call center facility in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, slated to be open later this year. This facility will allow Millennia to hire concierge agents in the Rocky Mount and surrounding area, providing a collaborative and energetic workspace that will support the Millennia client base across the country and maintaining our commitment to only using US-based agents when speaking to patients. About Millennia: Millennia is how healthcare providers engage with their patients from patient intake to the final payment. It means a better experience for your patients and more revenue for your organization. Founded in 2012, Millennia provides technology-driven patient pay and engagement solutions for more than 1,700 provider locations in 43 states, supporting over 40 million patient interactions every year. Millennia supports clients across all care settings including acute care, post-acute, medical groups, and specialty practices. To learn more, visit Millenniapay.com. Contact Information Millennia Lisa Scott 919-501-8072 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/millennia-opens-brand-new-headquarters-in-cary-north-carolina-301774221.html SOURCE Millennia [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] Andrew Cardno to Speak at the Indian Gaming Association about Protecting Sovereignty and Your Data SAN DIEGO, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- IGA and Quick Custom Intelligence ("QCI") jointly announced that Andrew Cardno will be speaking at this year's conference. Tribal sovereignty is the cornerstone which has allowed Native American gaming to prosper today. However, that principle is fragile and must be protected from attacks on all fronts. Panelist Andrew Cardno, Stasi Baran and Steve Bodmer will be speaking at the upcoming IGA Conference about the importance of tribal data sovereignty and how to protect it. Cardno, the Co-Founder and CTO of Quick Custom Intelligence, will detail five steps you can take to protect your data sovereignty. Bodmer, who is the General Counsel for the Pechanga Tribal Government, will review the legal sovereignty issues involved in both housing and utilizing your data. Baran is COO of nQube, and will talk about sovereignty issues in the emerging world of artificial intelligence. Panel moderator, Buddy Frank, a consultant with a long background in casino slot operations, will lead the discussion. "Protecting the sovereignty of your data should be a priority, not an afterthought, when working in the cloud," said Victor Rocha, Conference Chairman, Indian Gaming Association, who went on to say that we are honored to have Andrew Cardno and all panelists speak about such an important topic." Cardno says, "Once lost, sovereignty is hard, if not impossible, to recover. Consider the example where in ten years a state government decides to impose a tax on the use of tribal gaming data. If the data and services are housed in servers on state land, there may be little the tribal nation can to do avoid payment of these taxes. Furthermore, Cardno wet on to say that there are over five hundred government agencies that have the right to investigate data and if this data is housed outside of tribal land, the agency may not even have to notify the tribal nation of the investigation." This important panel will be held on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 in Room 22 of the San Diego Convention Center. More information about the IGA event is available on this link: Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention 2023 | Indian Gaming Association ABOUT IGA Entering its 37th year, the Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention has established itself not only as the premier event for the Indian Gaming industry but as the figurative heartbeat of Native American success. The largest gathering of tribal leaders and casino executives in the country, the Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention is both the meeting place where the community gathers to learn, network and exchange industry-specific ideas and a cultural celebration of success, strength and self-reliance. The Indian Gaming Association is a non-profit organization of sovereign tribal nations with other non-voting associate members representing organizations, tribes and business engaged in tribal gaming enterprises around the country. As the go-to resource for the community on education, legislation and public policy issues, Indian Gaming Association works to advance the social, economic and political success of its members and the Indian community, at large. For more information, visit www.indiangaming.org. ABOUT QCI The QCI Platform aligns player development, marketing and gaming with powerful real-time operational tools developed for the gaming and hospitality industries. QCI has installed their ground-breaking, highly configured software in over 100 casino resorts in North America, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Central America and The Bahamas. QCI products provide tooling for gaming operators managing over $20 billion in annual gross gaming revenue, these products are built on the QCI Platform, a best-in-class on-premises, hybrid or cloud-based technology that enables fully coordinated activities across gaming or hospitality operations. This data-driven software allows for quick, informed decisions in the ever-changing world of the casino industry and assists casinos in their efforts to optimize resources and profits, manage marketing campaigns and increase customer loyalty. QCI was founded by Dr. Ralph Thomas and Mr. Andrew Cardno. Based in San Diego, QCI also has offices in Las Vegas, St. Louis, Dallas & Tulsa. Main phone number: (858) 299.5715 www.QuickCustomIntelligence.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/andrew-cardno-to-speak-at-the-indian-gaming-association-about-protecting-sovereignty-and-your-data-301774514.html SOURCE Quick Custom Intelligence [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] CIBL, Inc. Reports Preliminary (unaudited) Full Year Operating Results CIBL, Inc. ("CIBL" or the "Company"; OTC Pink : CIBY) announces that at December 31, 2022, it held $22.7 million in liquid assets or $1,807 per share, based on the 12,561 shares outstanding at that date, 20 shares of LICT Corporation common stock and 10,000 shares of Solix Inc., a private outsourcing firm that provides, among other services, billing and collection for the telecommunications industry. In addition, CIBL's operations consist of Bretton Woods Telephone Company and World Surfer, Inc. providers of broadband and communication services in Northern New Hampshire ("New Hampshire Operations"). For the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, the New Hampshire operations generated $1,863,000 in revenues, a 1.9% decrease from the $1,899,000 reported for the year ended December 31, 2021. EBITDA from the New Hampshire operations was $452,000 in the 2022 period as compared to $549,000 in 2021. During 2022, the Company acquired 2,188 of its shares at an average price of $1,802 per share. We now have 12,561 shares outstanding. Since its spin-off from LICT Corporation in 2007, CIBL has repurchased 13,555 of its shares for $18.7 million, or an average price of $1,380 per share. To the extent this release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, it should be recognized that such information is based upon assumptions, projections and forecasts, including without limitation business conditions and financial markets, and the cautionary statements set forth in documents filed by CIBL on its website, www.ciblinc.com. Thus, such information is subject to uncertainties, risks and inaccuracies, which could be material, and there can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate. CIBL is a holding company with interests in broadband operations. CIBL is listed on OTC Pink under the symbol CIBY and information can be obtained on our website: www.ciblinc.com. CIBL, Inc. and Subsidiaries Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) (In Thousands, Except Common Share and Earnings per Share Data) Attachment A Three Months Ended December 31, Year Ended December 31, 2022 2021 2022 2021 Revenue Total revenue $ 455 $ 470 $ 1,863 $ 1,899 Costs and expenses Costs of revenue, excluding depreciation 291 264 1,146 1,080 General and administrative costs of operations 51 64 265 270 Corporate office expenses 280 184 897 715 Management fee 31 31 125 125 Depreciation and amortization 32 73 179 267 Total operating expenses 685 616 2,612 2,457 Operating loss (230 ) (146 ) (749 ) (558 ) Other income (expense): Interest income 199 3 331 9 Equity in income (loss) of limited partnership investment 44 22 35 128 Other (19 ) (35 ) (19 ) (17 ) Total other income 224 (10 ) 347 120 Net loss before income taxes (6 ) (156 ) (402 ) (438 ) Income tax benefit 2 25 97 211 Net income (loss) $ (4 ) $ (131 ) $ (305 ) $ (227 ) Earnings Per Share Net income (loss) $ (0.31 ) $ (8.83 ) $ (23.07 ) $ (14.69 ) Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding 12,916 14,831 13,222 15,448 Actual shares outstanding 12,561 14,749 12,561 14,749 CIBL, Inc. and Subsidiaries Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) (In Thousands, Except Common Share and Earnings per Share Data) Attachment B December 31, 2022 December 31, 2021 Assets Current Assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 10,647 $ 3,179 Investments in United States Treasury Bills 9,940 21,998 Investment in equity securities 400 -- Investment in equity method limited partnership 1,743 1,708 Accounts receivable, net of allowance of $1 200 181 Prepaid expenses 155 155 Materials and supplies 59 59 Other current assets (includes deferred taxes of $14 in 2022) 265 188 Total Current Assets 23,409 27,468 Telecommunications, plant and equipment at cost 4,292 4,289 Accumulated depreciation (3,616 ) (3,442 ) Net property, plant and equipment 676 847 Goodwill 337 337 Other intangibles, net 52 57 Other investments 100 100 Other assets 85 93 Total Assets $ 24,659 $ 28,902 Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity Current Liabilities Accounts payable and accrued expenses $ 227 $ 219 Accrued liabilities 385 276 Total Current Liabilities 612 495 Deferred income taxes - 101 Other liabilities 70 82 Total Liabilities 682 678 Stockholders' Equity Common stock, par value $.01, 30,000 shares authorized; 26,115 issued; and 12,561 and 14,749 outstanding -- -- Contributed capital 5,612 5,612 Retained earnings 37,033 37,338 Treasury stock, 13,555 and 11,367 shares at cost (18,668 ) (14,725 ) Total Stockholders' Equity 23,977 28,225 Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity $ 24,659 $ 28,902 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230313005764/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] Avail Medsystems as Keynote at the LSI USA 2023 Emerging Medtech Summit Daniel Hawkins, CEO of Avail Medsystems, and Frederic Moll, the "Father of Robotic Surgery," to Discuss the Evolution of the Digital Operating Room Keynote Panel Session, March 22, 2023, at 8:05am (Track 2) in Dana Point, California SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Avail, the digital hub of the operating room (OR) enabling the medical technology (MedTech) and healthcare industries to work smarter together to advance patient care, announced today that Daniel Hawkins, CEO of Avail Medsystems, will participate in a keynote panel session at Life Science Intelligence's (LSI) Emerging MedTech Summit USA 2023. Daniel will be alongside Frederic Moll, M.D., current Chief Development Officer at Johnson & Johnson and widely recognized as "the father of robotic surgery." The two will discuss the Evolution of the Digital Operating Room, and how a platform in the OR is needed to enable the digital transformation to extend beyond robotics. Presentation Information: Keynote Session Title: Evolution of the Digital Operating Room Evolution of the Digital Operating Room Speakers: Panelist Daniel Hawkins (CEO of Avail Medsystems); Panelist Frederic Moll (Chief Development Officer, Johnson & Johnson); Moderator Henry Peck (VP, Strategy & Growth, LSI) Panelist (CEO of Avail Medsystems); Panelist Frederic Moll (Chief Development Officer, Johnson & Johnson); Moderator (VP, Strategy & Growth, LSI) Session Information: Keynote event on March 22, 2023 , at 8:05am (Track 2) in Dana Point, California Keynote event on , at (Track 2) in Registration and more information: lifesciencemarketresearch.com/medtech-summit-2023 Hawkins was the first non-technical hire at Intuitive Surgical, the company that developed the most prominently available multipurpose robotic surgery system, and he worked closely with Moll as co-founder of th company. During the LSI panel discussion, the two will discuss the possibilities of enhanced clinical capabilities when the operating room digitizes beyond robotics. Topics will include how a computing platform for the OR can address limiting factors, such as costs and increased complexity, while enabling OR's to reach the enhanced capabilities possible through digitization. "Robotics introduces important clinical capability that often comes with substantial complexity necessitating increased collaboration to effectively manage procedural workflows," stated Moll. "This complexity can also require additional support from industry. The need for increased collaboration by clinical teams and industry can be facilitated today by telepresence." Avail is a complete telepresence system and is built on a foundation of purpose-built hardware placed in facilities without capital cost. The hardware is designed to be a computing platform in the OR, enabling remote physicians and the MedTech industry to be virtually present in operating or procedure rooms and serving as a host to an array of digital tools. Clinical teams can invite remote healthcare providers and medical device experts to learn, share knowledge, collaborate, and provide product expertise by joining live procedures audibly and visually and sharing access to the digital tools. "The MedTech industry is at a crossroads of sorts where it must reinvent legacy processes to better support the increased capability and complexity inherent in surgical robotics and digital OR enablement," stated Hawkins. "Avail connects a network of procedure rooms with remote medical professionals, enabling clinical teams to collaborate and therefore better leverage the latest digital tools. Fred and I look forward to sharing our thoughts and observations on these important topics at this year's Emerging MedTech Summit and appreciate LSI inviting us to participate in the event." About Life Science Intelligence (LSI) LSI helps MedTech leaders build businesses that save lives. With LSI's ecosystem of partnering events, market research products, and media services, MedTech businesses can access the community, capital, and insights that enable growth. LSI's Emerging MedTech Summits (LSI USA and LSI Europe) bring innovators, investors, strategics, and service providers together at world-class venues to facilitate personalized partnering. Hundreds of MedTech companies have trusted LSI to deliver more enjoyable and more effective partnering experiences that create relationships and accelerate growth. Based in Huntington Beach, California, LSI is building an enduring company to impact millions of people's health. About Avail Medsystems Avail enables the MedTech industry and healthcare providers to work together more often and more efficiently, harnessing expertise and technology in and out of the OR to accelerate the innovation, adoption, and reach of tools and techniques to improve patient care. Avail does this by placing a consistent, mobile, hardware platform with integrated software into operating rooms, audibly and visually connecting remote participants and serving as the hub for advanced digital capabilities including AI and machine learning, in a secure cloud-based digital telepresence network. Today, 50 MedTech organizations have contracted with Avail to rethink commercial models, reduce inefficiencies, and enhance the reach and timeliness of collaboration. Avail was founded in 2017 by MedTech veterans with a vision to leverage Silicon Valley technology expertise to evolve the industry and enable MedTech and healthcare to deliver the best care possible. Avail.io View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/avail-medsystems-as-keynote-at-the-lsi-usa-2023-emerging-medtech-summit-301774557.html SOURCE Avail Medsystems Inc [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] CancerVax Files Non-Provisional Patent for Universal Cancer Vaccine LEHI, Utah, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CancerVAX, Inc., developer of a breakthrough universal cancer vaccine that will use the bodys immune system to fight cancer, announced that it has recently filed a non-provisional patent application to protect its invention which leverages cutting-edge bioengineering techniques such as CRISPR and mRNA to develop a breakthrough universal cancer vaccine (UCV). This is a very important milestone for us, said Ryan Davies, CancerVAX CEO. We previously filed a confidential provisional patent in October 2021 with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for our breakthrough universal cancer vaccine. Our regular utility patent application (nonprovisional) will now allow the USPTO to formally review our invention claims. If any claims are granted, we will have patent protection starting from the October 2021 provisional filing date. Mr. Davies stated, As we previously announced, our plan is to leverage existing cutting-edge biotechnologies, such as CRISPR and mRNA, to develop a breakthrough universal cancer vaccine. Much like the COVID-19 vaccines that train the body to recognize and destroy the coronavirus, we are developing cancer vaccines that will similarly leverage the bodys immune system to target and destroy cancer cells. Conventional cancer immunotherapy is based on finding protein markers or mechanisms that are naturally expressed in cancer cells and then developing custom antibodies or immune cells to target those specific protein markers for cell destruction, Mr. Davies continued. The main challenge with this approach is that human biology is not very predictable, and the natural protein markers often appear in healthy normal cell as well. As a result, any treatment targeting those natural markers often also affect normal cells. It is only through extensive human clinical trials that one can determine if a particular treatment is viable. Mr. Davies concluded, Instead, we plan to engineer a custom, non-naturally occurring protein marker for cancer cells to express, and then vaccinate against that. We believe that this is a novel approach which could help overcome cancer, a disease that according to the World Health Organization, is the second cause of death in the world. For more information about CancerVax, please visit http://www.cancervax.com/. About Us CancerVAX, Inc. is a pre-clinical biotechnology company developing a breakthrough universal cancer vaccine that will use the bodys immune system to fight cancer. Working with a team of experienced cancer researchers and physicians at UCLA, we intend to create a Universal Cancer Vaccine that will detect, mark, and destroy only the diseased cells with an incredibly high level of precision. Much like the COVID-19 vaccines that train the body to recognize and destroy the coronavirus, our cancer vaccine will leverage the bodys own immune system to destroy cancer cells. As we develop our universal cancer vaccine, we are also working with UCLA to develop single-disease cancer treatments targeting Ewing sarcoma, a rare but deadly bone and soft tissue cancer that primarily affects children and young adults. We look forward to the day when treating cancer will be as simple as getting a flu shot. Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this release is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. Press Contact: CancerVAX, Inc. Tel: (805) 356-1810 [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 16, 2023] NSC INVESTOR ALERT: Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP Files Class Action Lawsuit Against Norfolk Southern Corporation and Announces Opportunity for Investors with Substantial Losses to Lead Case Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP announced that it has filed a class action lawsuit seeking to represent purchasers of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) common stock between October 28, 2020 and March 3, 2023, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Captioned Bucks County Employees Retirement System v. Norfolk Southern Corporation, No. 23-cv-0982 (S.D. Ohio), the Norfolk Southern class action lawsuit charges Norfolk Southern and certain of Norfolk Southern's top executives with violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. If you suffered substantial losses and wish to serve as lead plaintiff of the Norfolk Southern class action lawsuit, please provide your information here: https://www.rgrdlaw.com/cases-norfolk-southern-corporation-class-action-lawsuit-nsc-html You can also contact attorney J.C. Sanchez of Robbins Geller by calling 800/449-4900 or via e-mail at [email protected]. Lead plaintiff motions for the Norfolk Southern class action lawsuit must be filed with the court no later than May 15, 2023. CASE ALLEGATIONS: Norfolk Southern is a rail transportation company that implemented a strategy known as "Precision Scheduled Railroading" ("PSR"), which is associated with hyper-efficient operational changes designed to increase revenues and decrease costs. Operational changes typically include reductions in staff; longer, heavier trains that can stretch up to miles in length; and tighter schedules. The Norfolk Southern class action lawsuit alleges that defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Norfolk Southern's PSR, including its use of longer, heavier trains staffed by fewer personnel, had led to Norfolk Southern suffering increased train derailments and a materially increased risk of future derailments; (ii) Norfolk Southern's PSR was part of a culture of increased risk-taking at the expense of reasonable safety precautions due to Norfolk Southern's near-term focus solely on profits; (iii) Norfolk Southern's PSR rendered Norfolk Southern more vulnerable to train derailments and train derailments with potentially more severe human, financial, legal, and environmental consequences; (iv) Norfolk Southern's capital spending and replacement pograms were designed to prioritize profits over Norfolk Southern's ability to provide safe, efficient, and reliable rail transportation services; (v) Norfolk Southern's lobbying efforts had undermined Norfolk Southern's ability to provide safe, efficient, and reliable rail transportation services; (vi) Norfolk Southern's commitment to reducing operating expenses as part of its PSR goals undermined worker safety and Norfolk Southern's purported "commitment to an injury-free workplace" because Norfolk Southern's PSR plan prioritized reducing expenses through fewer personnel, longer trains, and less spending on safety training, technology, and equipment such as hot bearing wayside detectors (a/k/a "hotboxes") and acoustic sensors; (vii) Norfolk Southern's rail services were, as a result of its adoption of PSR principles, more susceptible to accidents that could cause serious economic and bodily harm to Norfolk Southern, its workers, its customers, third parties, and the environment; and (viii) Norfolk Southern had failed to put in place responsive practices and procedures to minimize the threat to communities in the event that these communities suffered the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous and toxic materials. On February 3, 2023, eastbound Norfolk Southern Railway Company general merchandise freight train 32N derailed 38 railcars in East Palestine, Ohio, leaving behind what the Associated Press called "a mangled and charred mass of boxcars and flames." The derailed equipment included 11 tank cars carrying hazardous materials that subsequently ignited, fueling fires that damaged an additional 12 non-derailed railcars. On February 6, 2023, responders engaged in a controlled detonation and burn of the vinyl chloride, spewing massive volumes of chemicals into the vicinity. The chemicals released from the derailment entered the air and water of the surrounding residential areas, the closest of which were only 1,000 feet from the site of the accident. On this news, the price of Norfolk Southern stock fell. Then, on February 8, 2023, after lifting a previously issued evacuation order, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine stated that Norfolk Southern was "the one[] who created the problem. It's their liability. They're the ones who ought to pay for it." Following their return, numerous residents reported hazardous air quality and other health and environmental concerns. On this news, the price of Norfolk Southern stock again fell. Thereafter, on February 13, 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency stated that it had concluded that Norfolk Southern may be responsible for the cleanup costs of the derailment site or the costs incurred by the EPA for area cleanup. On this news, the price of Norfolk Southern stock once again fell. Next, on February 15, 2023, reports emerged that Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost was considering taking legal action against Norfolk Southern over the derailment. On this news, the price of Norfolk Southern stock again fell. Finally, on March 6, 2023, Norfolk Southern announced a 6-part plan to improve operational safety that included, among other things, adding about 200 temperature sensors along its tracks where existing sensors are at least 15 miles apart, reviewing the temperature levels that set off alarms for train crews, and adding more acoustic sensors that analyze vibrations for potential problems. On this news, the price of Norfolk Southern stock fell, further damaging investors. The plaintiff is represented by Robbins Geller, which has extensive experience in prosecuting investor class actions including actions involving financial fraud. You can view a copy of the complaint by clicking here. THE LEAD PLAINTIFF PROCESS: The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 permits any investor who purchased Norfolk Southern common stock during the Class Period to seek appointment as lead plaintiff of the Norfolk Southern class action lawsuit. A lead plaintiff is generally the movant with the greatest financial interest in the relief sought by the putative class who is also typical and adequate of the putative class. A lead plaintiff acts on behalf of all other class members in directing the Norfolk Southern class action lawsuit. The lead plaintiff can select a law firm of its choice to litigate the Norfolk Southern class action lawsuit. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff of the Norfolk Southern class action lawsuit. ABOUT ROBBINS GELLER: Robbins Geller is one of the world's leading complex class action firms representing plaintiffs in securities fraud cases. The Firm is ranked #1 on the most recent ISS Securities Class Action Services Top 50 Report for recovering more than $1.75 billion for investors in 2022 - the third year in a row Robbins Geller tops the list. And in those three years alone, Robbins Geller recovered nearly $5.3 billion for investors, more than double the amount recovered by any other plaintiffs' firm. With 200 lawyers in 9 offices, Robbins Geller is one of the largest plaintiffs' firms in the world, and the Firm's attorneys have obtained many of the largest securities class action recoveries in history, including the largest securities class action recovery ever - $7.2 billion - in In re Enron Corp. Sec. Litig. Please visit the following page for more information: https://www.rgrdlaw.com/services-litigation-securities-fraud.html Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Services may be performed by attorneys in any of our offices. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005748/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Tribute tonight as police investigation continues . . . Here's the word . . . After a month of searching, the 13-year-old's body was found last week in a Gladstone pond. Jayden's family and the community held a vigil for him Wednesday evening, to say goodbye. It was at the pond where Robker's body was found. About 200 people were there to show support. "So many that I just got chills," Aunt Susan Deedon said. Family, friends, strangers dress in purple for Robker. Through the tears, they prayed, sang, and lit candles for a bright spirit lost from this world too soon. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . . Vigil held to remember Kansas City teen found in pond KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Family, friends and a community honor the life of Jayden Robker, in the glow of candlelight. The 13-year-old's body was found last week in a Gladstone pond. It came as police had been looking for the 13-year-old for a month. Over 200 gather to remember the life of Kansas City teenager Jayden Robker Friends, family and supporters gathered Wednesday evening for a vigil remembering 13-year-old Jayden Robker. They gathered at the location of where his body was found: a pond in the area of North Broadway and Northwest Englewood Road. Supporters, many wearing the color purple in honor of Robker, took part in a candlelight vigil. Developing . . . Here's something VERY important going forward . . . At mid-March Kansas City keeps pace with last year's historic homicide count. 2022 witnessed the 2nd highest level of deadly violence in this town's history. Despite election season, a HUGE amount of cash dedicated to fight crime by way of local community groups and a new array of promises. The numbers remain constant. Here's the first report . .. Homicide 2000 block of Linwood This afternoon shortly before 2:45pm, officers were called to the 2000 block of Linwood on a reported cutting call. Upon their arrival, officers located the victim inside an apartment suffering from apparent trauma. EMS responded to the scene and declared the victim deceased. Officers have detained a subject of interest. Homicide detectives and Crime Scene Personnel have responded to the scene. They will be processing the scene to recover any evidence and speaking to any potential witnesses. Detectives are not looking king for any additional suspects at this time. Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 816-234-5043. Or if you wish to remain anonymous you can do so by calling the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS. We are working with Partners for Peace in all our homicide investigations to monitor risks for retaliation and provide social services to affected residents. ################# Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . . Kansas City 2023 homicide total reaches 32 following recent stretch of violence KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Wednesday marked the fifth day in a row that a homicide claimed a life in Kansas City. Kansas City police were called Tuesday to investigate two homicides just hours apart. From Jan. 1 through March 15, 32 people have died as the result of a homicide in Kansas City. Deadly week: 6 homicides have happened in Kansas City, Mo., in past four days It has been a busy four days for the Kansas City Police Department. Since Saturday, March 11th, there have been six homicides in Kansas City, Mo., bringing the total to 32 in 2023. The recent spike has caught Kansas City up with the pace set in 2022, when there were 31 at this time. Police investigate homicide Wednesday afternoon in Kansas City, Missouri KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City, Missouri, police said a woman was stabbed to death Wednesday in the 2000 block of Linwood Boulevard. The homicide, which is the fourth KCPD has investigated this week, occurred in an apartment in the area. The incident happened shortly before 2:45 p.m. Developing . . . Warmer weather approaches and Kansas City confronts the prospect of worsening violence. And so we check this quick review of court cases, metro crime reporting and more . . . Check TKC news gathering . . . Kansas City 2023 homicide total reaches 32 following recent stretch of violence KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Wednesday marked the fifth day in a row that a homicide claimed a life in Kansas City. Kansas City police were called Tuesday to investigate two homicides just hours apart. From Jan. 1 through March 15, 32 people have died as the result of a homicide in Kansas City. 2 more defendants sentenced to years in prison in child's fentanyl overdose death KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Two more defendants were sentenced this month to more than nine years in prison for their roles in a 2-year-old Johnson County, Kansas, child's death from a fentanyl overdose. On Tuesday, March 14, a Johnson County judge sentenced Jared Barraza to just more than nine years in prison in connection with the deadly overdose. Kansas City Police Department expanding internship program to help recruit potential future employees The Kansas City, Missouri Police department is looking for a few good interns this summer.The department is expanding its intern class to 20 after a successful inaugural year.The ranks at KCPD have fallen over the past couple of years with retirements, resignations, and a lack of recruiting classes, so the departmentThere are fresh police recruiting classes in April and July.The interns will get to see the training academy recruits go through. Home some call halfway house sparks debate in Hickman Mills neighborhood KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A home in the Hickman Mills United Neighborhoods is starting a debate. Nine people in a substance abuse program live inside, but neighbors and the Hickman Mills C-1 School District said they don't want them there. Excelsior Springs shooting leaves victim with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A shooting in Excelsior Springs left a victim with serious but non-life-threatening injuries Wednesday morning. A suspect was taken into custody. Officers and EMS were dispatched to the shooting in the 100 block of South Titus Avenue just before 6:00 a.m. 'Bigger than shoes': Student-run shoe store not letting thieves steal their purpose Hide Transcript Show Transcript THAT'S SLIGHTLY ABOVE THE RISE IN THE MONTH OF JANUARY. THE PEOPLE AT A LOCAL SHOE STORE ARE CLEANING UP AND ASSESSING THE DAMAGE AFTER AN ATTEMPTED BREAK IN. ONE PAIR, CASEY AT 55TH INTEREST IS RUN BY STUDENTS WITH THE GOAL OF GIVING HOPE AND CHANGING LIVES. Former Church Secretary Now Helping Save Lives Over The Phone For 18 years, Casey has picked up the phone when people in crisis have needed help, often times dire. Last year, Casey stayed on the phone with a young lady who was thinking of killing herself. The 16-minute conversation was long enough for help to arrive. Developing . . . For Haldimand Tract settlers watching ecosystems disappear over time have been frustrating. For ancestors of those who walked the land before, it's time for eco-rehabilitation and teaching. Andrew Palamarchuk is a reporter with Metroland Media Toronto and toronto.com. He has been covering the crime beat since 2002 and has a passion for giving a voice to those affected by tragedy and looking at societal issues that may have contributed to it. Tax season is upon us and with it comes the ever-present threat of fraud. Canadians should be wary of scammers posing as Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) employees who will trick their victims into sending them money or providing personal information that can be used to take over a bank account. Vietnamese staff members, bouquets in arm, welcome Chinese tourists at the Huu Nghi International Border Gate in northern Vietnam's Lang Son province, on March 15, 2023. Vietnam's tourism authority and northern provincial people's committee of Lang Son held a ceremony on Wednesday to welcome the first batch of Chinese tour groups in three years since the COVID-19 pandemic. The tour groups of 120 Chinese travellers were greeted at the Huu Nghi International Border Gate with beautiful gifts and traditional art performances. (Xinhua/Hu Jiali) HANOI, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's tourism authority and northern provincial people's committee of Lang Son held a ceremony on Wednesday to welcome the first batch of Chinese tour groups in three years since the COVID-19 pandemic. The tour groups of 120 Chinese travellers were greeted at the Huu Nghi International Border Gate with beautiful gifts and traditional art performances. Deng Guilin, a 67-year-old visitor who came from central China's Hubei province, said this was the first time he came to Vietnam. He would visit Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, and Halong Bay in Quang Ninh province "to experience the beauty of 1,000-year-old city and the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Vietnam." Peng Shituan, cultural counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam, said that the ceremony marked a historic moment in the resumption of tourism cooperation between China and Vietnam. "Every Chinese tourist is a people-to-people ambassador of China-Vietnam friendship," Peng said, noting the tourism industry's significant role in promoting people-to-people exchanges between the two neighbors. "Tourism cooperation is an important part of the cooperation between Vietnam and China. The tourism industry means a lot to Vietnam as the return of Chinese tourists will contribute greatly to the Vietnamese economy in 2023," Ha Van Sieu, deputy head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, told Xinhua. Tourism, one of Vietnam's leading foreign exchange earners, has suffered a setback due to the pandemic. The Southeast Asian country targets to receive over 8 million international visitors this year, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism. Ha Van Sieu (2nd R), deputy head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism presents souvenirs to tourists at the Huu Nghi International Border Gate in northern Vietnam's Lang Son province, on March 15, 2023. Vietnam's tourism authority and northern provincial people's committee of Lang Son held a ceremony on Wednesday to welcome the first batch of Chinese tour groups in three years since the COVID-19 pandemic. The tour groups of 120 Chinese travellers were greeted at the Huu Nghi International Border Gate with beautiful gifts and traditional art performances. (Xinhua/Hu Jiali) Chinese tourists wave to Vietnamese staff members at the Huu Nghi International Border Gate in northern Vietnam's Lang Son province, on March 15, 2023. Vietnam's tourism authority and northern provincial people's committee of Lang Son held a ceremony on Wednesday to welcome the first batch of Chinese tour groups in three years since the COVID-19 pandemic. The tour groups of 120 Chinese travellers were greeted at the Huu Nghi International Border Gate with beautiful gifts and traditional art performances. (Xinhua/Hu Jiali) Search News Archive : Fast Travel News Promotion Via Search, Social Media + Email Follow Us On : ADVENTURE GREAT HIMALAYA: A SAFE AND ENJOYABLE EXPERIENCE WITH ADVENTURE GREAT HIMALAYA'S PROFESSIONAL TEAM Industry: Adventure Discover the Majestic Himalayan Range with Adventure Great Himalaya's Everest Base Camp Helicopter Tour and witness the beauty of mount Everest from a different Perspective. (TRAVPR.COM) NEPAL - March 16th, 2023 - Adventure Great Himalaya, the Everest Base Camp helicopter tour operator, offers a great way to get a view of Mount Everest with its Everest Base Camp Helicopter Tour. The Himalayan Mountain Range, also known as the "Roof of the World," is home to some of the most majestic and breathtaking natural wonders in the world, including the tallest peak on earth: Mount Everest. "Our standard tour takes you from Kathmandu to Lukla and then on to the Everest Base Camp by helicopter, giving you a chance to see Everest up close and personal and giving you plenty of chances to take pictures of it from different angles. This tour is particularly great if you don't have much time or if you'd like to avoid the physical strain of trekking more than 10 hours in order to reach the base camp." Said a company representative. Adventure Great Himalaya is a tour operator based in Kathmandu, Nepal. The company has been in operation for over a decade. It has an excellent reputation for providing quality travel services and ensuring that each client is well cared for during their stay in Kathmandu. In addition to organizing tours within Nepal, the company also offers several Everest Base Camp Helicopter Tour packages, which allow visitors to witness the breathtaking views of Mount Everest from a helicopter. The tour begins from Kathmandu and takes tourists on a scenic flight to Lukla airport, known as the gateway to the Everest region, before making the way to the base camp. An Everest Base Camp Helicopter Tour customer explained, "This tour allows you to skip the strenuous trek to the base camp while still giving you ample time to explore this unique destination. Moreover, since it is only possible to visit this area via helicopter, this tour enables you to view the peak of Mount Everest from another perspective. The helicopter also provides you with a bird's-eye view of other mountains and glaciers that surround Mount Everest." About Adventure Great Himalaya Adventure Great Himalaya is a reputable and experienced adventure travel company in Nepal. They have a team of professionals dedicated to providing a safe and enjoyable experience for all their clients. Their Everest Base Camp Helicopter Tour offers panoramic views of the majestic Himalayan range from a bird's eye view. During the tour, tourists will also witness the Khumbu Glacier, one of the most stunning natural wonders in the region. For more information, please visit https://www.adventuregreathimalaya.com/everest-base-camp-helicopter-tour/. Contact: Saatghumti Adventure Great Himalaya Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal Phone: 9779841273869 ### Please contact the person or company listed above for information regarding the content of this press release. TravPR.com are not the issuers of this press release and are not responsible for the accuracy of the content. Share Release : CONTACT INFORMATION Name: Saatghumti Company: Adventure Great Himalaya Phone: 9779841273869 Email: info@adventuregreathimalaya.com Web: PRESS RELEASE TAGS Member of European Parliament Andrius Kubilius said that Georgians have a problem achieving the strategic goal to join the European Union and the reason for it is Bidzina Ivanishvili.Andrius Kubilius accused the ruling Georgian Dream party of creating a provocation by presenting 'Foreign Agents' law.In Kubilius's words, the members of the formal and informal authorities are united in their tactics to create new problems on the path of Georgia's European integration:"That's why Mikheil Saakashvili and Nika Gvaramia are in prison, and that's why we became eyewitnesses of history about 'foreign agents'. The initiative of the 'foreign agent' law was a deliberate provocation by the Georgian government, which was directed against the Georgian people. This behavior of the government is absolutely contrary to what the European Union demands from Georgia, i.e. depolarization of political life. It is very good that the Georgian people were able to protect their own path to European integration, but we should not be naive, this is not the last political and anti-European provocation of the government.Prime Minister of Georgia Gharibashvili made an important statement. I quote: "The European Parliament should take care of itself, the MEPs are involved in a corruption scandal, their goal was to drag Georgia into the war and destroy it together with Ukraine." The Kremlin should be jealous of such propaganda, but it does not lead to the status of a candidate, although we will continue to stand by the Georgian people," said Andrews Kubilius during the debate on the current situation in Georgia in the European Parliament.MEP Nacho Sanchez Amor said that not putting Georgia in the same line as other countries to which the European Union offered candidate status was a mistake because it strengthened the anti-European narrative of the Georgian Dream."I refuse to choose this false dichotomy between a jailed former president who has been advised by many sitting here not to return to the country and who entered the country illegally during the election campaign, and a government whose tendency toward authoritarianism is becoming increasingly apparent.However, it seems that we agree to support civil society, and from there, I mean pro-democracy and pro-European civil society, we will be able to reach a consensus. I repeat that it was a mistake when we did not put Georgia in the same line with other countries that we offered candidate status, because it strengthened the anti-European narrative of the Georgian Dream.We opened up a lot of space to fill this anti-European narrative, and it certainly didn't help to end the polarization that, as we said, we were already worried about. Now we have to rearrange the levers of our influence on the country in a situation that is much worse than it was a few months ago, although this is our obligation. I urge you all to support the civil society and not get involved in false dichotomies," said Nacho Sanchez Amor. BEIJING, March 16 (Xinhua) -- A group of Chinese astronomers identified a peculiar neutron star candidate in a binary system, 385 light years away from the Earth, which could be the nearest and lightest neutron star ever known if confirmed. The researchers from Peking University and the National Astronomical Observatories under the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported the discovery based on observations of China's Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) and the Nanshan 1-meter Wide-field Telescope (NOWT) in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The candidate, a dark companion to an old-age star, with only approximately 0.98 times the solar mass, is presumed to resemble an X-ray-dim isolated neutron star (XDINS), but in binary, according to the study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. To date, only seven XDINSs, peculiar objects with barely-detected radio signals, have been discovered. They are nicknamed the Magnificent Seven, about 391 to 1,630 light years away from the Earth. The neutron stars are previously believed to have taken shape through the core-collapse supernovae, but they tend to be above 1.17 times solar mass. LAMOST's spectral data also implied the presence of a small accretion disk around the neutron star candidate and/or a level of accretion disk activity, according to the study. The new findings hinted at the radio-quite, XDINS-like compact object possibly being born in an alternative channel like the collapse of a white dwarf after it accretes, said the researchers. BEIJING, March 16 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese defense spokesperson on Thursday urged the United States to immediately cease making irresponsible comments about and slandering the Chinese military. The Chinese military has been dealing with air and maritime encounters with foreign military forces in accordance with laws and regulations, and has always been a staunch force for world peace, said Tan Kefei, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, in response to a media inquiry about the recent comments from the United States Department of Defense concerning the Chinese military. China firmly upholds the freedom of navigation and overflight by all countries in accordance with international law, and safeguards the security of sea passages, as noted in the white paper titled "China's National Defense in the New Era," the spokesperson said. On the contrary, the U.S. side has been leveraging its hegemonic military power to execute coercion, lockdowns and warfare around the world, seek exclusionary blocs and incite confrontation, posing the greatest threat to global peace and stability, Tan said. The Chinese military is willing to join hands with military forces from other countries to resolutely deliver on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, fulfill its international responsibilities and obligations, and make positive contributions to building a human community with a shared future, said Tan. A role for Desperadoes Steel Orchestra..in suppressing crime..as it gets a spanking new state-of -the-art pan theatre. At this afternoon's handing over ceremony.. at George Street in Port of Spain.., Prime Minister Rowley called on Despers.. to be a catalyst for change in the community.. and to prevent violence from infiltrating the space..at all cost. Saudi Arabia is open to investing quickly in Iran after diplomatic relations between the two countries were restored, Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan said on Wednesday. Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore ties after officials of the two countries met in China last week. Speaking at the at the International Financial Sector (IFS) forum taking place in Riyadh, Al Jadaan said that Saudi investments have an opportunity in Iran, and that he does not foresee any problems in launching such investments. There are a lot of opportunities in Iran, and we provide a lot of opportunities, as long as goodwill continues, Al-Jadaan added. The IFS forum is taking place at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh on March 15th and 16th, is organized by Saudi Arabias Financial Sector Development Program partners. In the coming weeks, Canada will send thousands of combat and training ammunition and air defense missiles to Ukraine. Canada will donate approximately 8,000 rounds of 155mm ammunition, as well as 12 air defence missiles sourced from Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) inventory, to sustain the air defence systems currently deployed in Ukraine, Canadas Defence Minister Anita Anand announced following the 10th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. Moreover, Canada will donate more than 1,800 rounds of 105mm tank training ammunition for Leopard tanks. Defence Minister Anita Anand also confirmed that the CAF started the shipments of the additional Leopard 2 main battle tanks pledged by Canada at the end of February. Canada has committed eight Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine in total, four of which have already been delivered to Poland with a team of CAF personnel training Ukrainian soldiers on their use. All eight Leopard 2 main battle tanks, as well as the previously announced armoured recovery vehicle, ancillary equipment, and ammunition donated by Canada, are expected to be in Ukraine in the coming weeks, reads the statement. As noted, Canada has committed over $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine since February 2022. Photo credit: General Staff of AFU Latvia has already provided EUR 300 million worth of military aid to Ukraine, and with the implementation of a new package, this amount will grow to EUR 370 million. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said this at a joint press conference with his Latvian counterpart Krisjanis Karins in Kyiv on March 16, according to an Ukrinform correspondent. "Ukraine has already received more than EUR 300 million worth of military assistance from Latvia. And we thank you for the approval of a new aid package in the new budget, thanks to which this amount will reach EUR 370 million, or more than 1% of Latvia's GDP," Shmyhal said. He also said that Ukraine appreciates the efforts of Latvian partners to train the Ukrainian military according to NATO standards, which, according to him, brings Ukraine a step closer to victory. In addition, Shmyhal added that the Latvian government was one of the first countries to approve its national position on supporting Ukraine's membership in the EU, and thanked Latvia for such a decision and further consultation and advocacy work on this issue. "Ukrainians appreciate the fact that you fight side by side with us, helping us with everything you have for the fight against the aggressor," Shmyhal said. Austria has joined the coalition of countries supporting the creation of a special tribunal for Russia for its crime of aggression against Ukraine. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said this on Twitter, reports Ukrinform. "I'm grateful to Austria for joining the coalition of countries working to establish the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine. 33 states are already part of the Core Group. As the number grows, so does trust that Russia's leadership will be held to account," the minister said. In September 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky formed a working group led by Andriy Yermak, the head of his office, to study the issue of creating a special tribunal to prosecute Russia's leadership for committing the crime of aggression against Ukraine. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, European Parliament, NATO Parliamentary Assembly, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and a number of countries supported the creation of the tribunal. France will continue a project on the supply of fire engines, reaching a maximum height of more than 45 meters, to the Ukrainian Internal Affairs Ministry, as well as hand over a mobile DNA laboratory to the National Police of Ukraine. The relevant statement was made during a working meeting between Ukrainian Internal Affairs Minister Ihor Klymenko and Ambassador of the French Republic to Ukraine Etienne de Poncins, an Ukrinform correspondent reports, referring to the Ukrainian Internal Affairs Ministry. In the course of the meeting, Klymenko stressed the importance of construction and supply of boats for the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service, as well as deep humanitarian demining efforts within Ukraines water area. In his words, 30% of Ukraines territory has already been contaminated with mines and other explosives. According to de Poncins, the production of boats is already underway, and the first units will soon be delivered to Ukraine. The parties discussed further cooperation between France and Ukraine in order to strengthen Ukraines Security and Defense Forces, provide the Ukrainian State Emergency Service with special equipment required for firefighting and demining efforts, as well as investigation into Russian war crimes within the territory of Ukraine. Klymenko and de Poncins also considered the exchange of experience in the treatment and rehabilitation of soldiers, anti-corruption efforts and migration policy, namely aid to Ukrainian refugees. Ukraine is interested in studying Croatias experience in organizing the preservation of cultural heritage, both during the war and after it ends. The relevant statement was made by Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine Oleksandr Tkachenko during a joint briefing with Minister of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia Nina Obuljen-Korzinek and First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Emine Dzheppar in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. Today we have the honor of welcoming our Croatian colleague. I am glad that we were able to discuss a number of issues that unite us very much with Croatia. It is the only country in Europe that, unfortunately, has experience of military operations and the destruction of historical and cultural heritage. We discussed Croatias experience in preserving cultural heritage and organizing this process both during and after the war, Tkachenko told. In her turn, Obuljen-Korzinek mentioned that, during this visit, as well as during previous talks with Emine Dzheppar in Zagreb and online communication with Oleksandr Tkachenko, the parties considered Croatias experience in terms of providing immediate assistance with the protection of cultural and historical heritage, urgent measures for its rescue and evacuation, and the assessment of the damage caused by the war. I want to emphasize that Croatia was the first country for which the destruction of cultural heritage at the UN International Court of Justice was used to indict one of the officers of the Serbian army. What is happening in Ukraine today is a war crime not only against the civilian population and infrastructure but also against your cultural heritage, because the enemy wants to deny your right to your own identity, Obuljen-Korzinek noted. In her words, since the Russian full-scale invasion started, the Government of Croatia has been providing assistance to Ukraine in all areas, including defense, humanitarian support and aid to refugees. We will continue to support our friends and partners in Ukraine not only in the preservation of cultural heritage, but also provide support to Ukrainian artists and Ukrainian refugees in Croatia, for whom we also have cultural programs, Obuljen-Korzinek stressed. Meanwhile, Dzheppar paid attention to the fact that Croatia hosted the first ever Parliamentary Summit of the Crimea Platform. According to Dzheppar, Nina Obuljen-Korzinek has a very personal history of the war, as she is the daughter of the mayor of Dubrovnik, one of the most affected cities during the war. We want to show the face of war in the 21st century, and as the minister said, the question of the responsibility of the Russian Federation must be indispensable, Dzheppar said. In her words, Obuljen-Korzinek is also the Head of the Croatian Commission for UNESCO, so the agenda of her visit includes the exchange of experience between the relevant agencies of Ukraine and Croatia. A reminder that, on March 16, 2023, Minister of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia Nina Obuljen-Korzinek is paying a visit to Ukraine together with her team. Photo: Yevhen Kotenko, Ukrinform By Charlotte Hallqvist in South Sudan and Joel Smith in the Democratic Republic of the Congo | 16 March 2023 | Espanol | Francais Family shelters at the Malakal Protection of Civilians site where Jokino Othong Odok has lived, just a few kilometres from his former house, since 2013. UNHCR/Charlotte Hallqvist Sawibu Rashidi and Jokino Othong Odok both fled their homes in South Sudan in search of safety. But a decade since the conflict in their home country started, a return to security remains elusive, both for Sawibu, who fled to neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and for Jokino who sought refuge in a UN displacement site inside South Sudan. They are not alone. South Sudans refugee crisis remains the largest in Africa, with 2.3 million people living as refugees in neighbouring countries and an additional 2.2 million people internally displaced. The country continues to suffer the legacy of civil war, persistent ethnic conflict, and, more recently, the devastating impacts of climate change, leaving millions in need of assistance and making the sustainable return of refugees elusive. In the turmoil of flight in 2016, Sawibu was separated from members of his family when he fled to the DRC, some of whom found safety in Uganda, others in the DRC. He now lives in Biringi site, in the DRCs Ituri Province, with a wife and five of his children. There, he serves as a local Imam and leader in the refugee community. He observes that in the South Sudanese community in Biringi there is good integration of people from different backgrounds and faiths something that he hopes to eventually see in his native South Sudan. I am a leader of a Muslim community from South Sudan, but here in DRC we pray together in the same space as Congolese Muslims. Similarly, Christians from my community pray with the local Christians and we all share one market, says Sawibu. "First of all, people need peace." Despite the strong Congolese tradition of opening doors to those forced to flee, the country continues to see high levels of insecurity and large-scale violence impacting civilians, leaving many facing severe risks. While hosting South Sudanese refugees, the country is grappling with the largest internal displacement situation on the African continent, with 5.8 million people internally displaced. Many South Sudanese refugees in the DRC live in Ituri Province, a region of the country that has itself seen a significant escalation of violence in recent months. Across the province, waves of cyclical violence are forcing families to be displaced not once, but twice, three, or four times and continuing violence in the border regions has seen refugees repeatedly displaced in search of safety. Meanwhile, resources are stretched in host communities which themselves are straining under the pressures of sustained conflict. First of all, people need peace.. We have all fled fighting in South Sudan, but now the fighting in Ituri is getting closer to us, says Sawibu. We hear of killings and attacks. Given our backgrounds, it gives us a lot of fear. Sawibu Rashidi fled South Sudan in 2016 and lives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Ituri Province where he serves as a local Imam and leader in the refugee community. UNHCR/Joel Z Smith A boat takes people fleeing fighting in South Sudan's Upper Nile state to the Malakal Protection of Civilians site. Due to severe flooding, for many, the only way to flee is via the River Nile. UNHCR/Charlotte Hallqvist Jokino Othong Odok has lived at the Malakal Protection of Civilians Site for a decade. He wants to return to his house in Malakal town but says there is no protection there. UNHCR/Charlotte Hallqvist The Malakal POC is severely overcrowded, hosting three times the number of people it was meant to. New arrivals are staying in schools, pausing education for the many children in the site. UNHCR/Charlotte Hallqvist Meanwhile, across the border in South Sudan, ethnic tensions are on the rise again, with new internal displacements happening in eight out of 10 states in the country, spurred on by severe flooding and competition for resources. Before the start of what he refers to as the crisis in 2013, Jokino worked for the Catholic Dioceses of Malakal, serving his community as part of a church-based organization. He now lives just a few kilometres from his former house, sharing a small room with eight family members in the Malakal Protection of Civilians (POC) site in South Sudans Upper Nile State, a UN displacement site protected by UN peacekeepers. Despite its proximity to his house, he still can't go home due to persistent ethnic tensions. "We are fed up with living in the POC, says Jokino. We have our houses in Malakal town, which we cannot occupy now because other people are occupying them. And because there is no protection for us there, he says. We want to live freely like any ordinary citizen of the world. In Upper Nile State, conflict has broken out again, meaning that more people have continued to arrive at the POC, which is already severely overcrowded. Due to space constraints, the new arrivals are forced to settle in the camps schools, pausing education for children in the site, one of many issues facing residents. Why are our children different? asks Jokino. My hope is that there is peace, there is security, so that we can live freely, our children can access education, [and] live like any other children in the world. "We really want to love this country." Across borders, Jokino and Sawibu voice similar hopes for the future. They talk about education and livelihoods and their desire to apply the skills they have to support their communities and build their country. Sawibu explains that even members of our community who have education struggle to find work, painting a picture of an entire generation's future stunted by conflict. If there was peace not war, we could go back [home] and use their skills to develop our country. Jokino feels similarly: We live on things which are handed out, the goodwill of others but a human being with ambition to live a better life doesnt want to live like this. On 21 February, UNHCR together with 108 partners, including humanitarian, development and civil society actors, launched the 2023 Regional Refugee Response Plan, appealing for US$1.3 billion to provide life-saving assistance and protection to over 2.2 million South Sudanese refugees and asylum-seekers living in the DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Sudan. This appeal is to support neighbouring countries hosting South Sudanese refugees and complements the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan which aims to address humanitarian needs inside South Sudan. Above all, both men hold out hope for peace to return to their country. I need a peaceful South Sudan, where every South Sudanese can enjoy life, so that we dont have to hate our country, said Sawibu. We really want to love this country. JERUSALEM, March 16 (Xinhua) -- The first direct flight route between Israel and Ireland was launched on Thursday, Israel's Ministry of Transport and Road Safety said in a statement. Israel's flagship airline El Al inaugurated the route with a flight from Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv to Dublin International Airport. Before takeoff, a ceremony was held at the Israeli airport with the participation of Israel's Transport Minister Miri Regev, Irish Ambassador to Israel Kyle O'Sullivan, and other senior officials. "The direct flights will contribute to strengthening the economic, cultural, tourism, and academic ties between the two nations, and to improving the relationship between the governments," Regev said. "Every new direct route connecting Israel to destinations around the world shortens flight times, saves fuel and carbon emissions, and contributes to competition between airlines," she added. O'Sullivan said that "the relationship between the two countries is very important. Many Israelis work in Ireland, and thanks to the new route, tourism will flourish." The new route, which includes three weekly flights, will shorten the travel time between Tel Aviv and Dublin from at least 8 hours with a stopover, to less than 5.5 hours. BOGOTA, March 15 (Xinhua) -- At least 11 people were killed and 10 others remained missing after an explosion ripped through a coal mine Tuesday night in the Colombian department of Cundinamarca, local authorities said Wednesday. "We are making every effort with the Cundinamarca government to rescue the trapped people alive," Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Twitter. "The nation, department, municipality and relief agencies continue working to rescue the ten miners who are still trapped. The Ubate hospital is treating nine miners, six of whom have already been discharged," Cundinamarca governor Nicolas Garcia Bustos said on social media, adding that rescue teams were working to locate the missing miners at the risk of a secondary explosion, which could be caused by gas accumulation. When the incident occurred, 30 miners were inside the five interconnected 900-meter-deep mines for carbon; fortunately, seven escaped on their own, said Alvaro Farfan, commander of the Cundinamarca Fire Department. Farfan said that rescuers were trying to establish communication with the trapped miners to determine their state of health and facilitate the rescue. Family members of the missing miners gathered outside the coal mine, while the relatives of the deceased received psychological aid, Cundinamarca's government said. ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 16th Mar, 2023) President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has directed the provision of US$3 million to support the reconstruction of the Palestinian town of Huwara and assist those affected by recent events. The initiative will be implemented by the Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT), in cooperation with the Emirati-Palestinian Friendship Club, as part of the UAE's humanitarian efforts to support the Palestinian people. A meeting to discuss the mechanism for implementing the initiative and providing support was held by the DMT and attended by Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of the Department of Municipalities and Transport; and a Palestinian delegation which included Moeen Dmaidi, Mayor of Huwara Municipality; Jalal Odeh and Mohamed Abed al Hameed, Members of the Municipal Council; and Ammar Alkurdi, Chairman of the board of the Emirati-Palestinian Friendship Club. The meeting also discussed enhancing prospects for joint cooperation in the field of municipal work between the two sides. Al Shorafa welcomed the Palestinian delegation and reaffirmed the keenness of the UAE leadership to support the Palestinian people and contribute to the redevelopment of the affected area in Huwara. Berlin, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Mar, 2023 ) :German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday warned that it was crucial to provide Ukraine as soon as possible with fresh ammunition and pledged quick EU action. "It is very important that we quickly supply Ukraine with the necessary munitions," Scholz told the lower house of parliament, promising action at a summit in Brussels next week. He said member states would "pass measures to ensure even better, continuous supplies". "And we are prepared to open up our procurement projects to other member states as well," Scholz said. Ukraine's Western backers warn that Kyiv is facing a critical shortage of howitzer shells as it fires thousands each day in its fight against a grinding Russian offensive. Kyiv has told the EU it needs 350,000 shells a month to help fight back the Russian assault and allow it to launch its own counter-offensives. EU countries are currently wrangling over details like who would be responsible for placing the orders and whether they can only buy from European producers. They hope to agree on a two-billion-euro ($2. 1 billion) plan to raid their stockpiles and place joint orders for shells for Ukraine at a defence and foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday and then give their stamp of approval at the summit beginning Thursday. The first part of the deal would involve committing a further one billion Euros of shared funding to try to get EU states to further tap their shelves for ammunition. The second part would see the EU use another one billion euros to order 155-millimetre shells for Ukraine as part of a major joint procurement push aimed at bolstering the bloc's defence industry. EU internal market commissioner Thierry Breton last week said it was "absolutely mandatory that we move towards a sort of war economy mode" to "increase drastically our capacity to produce more in Europe". But German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said calls to put Europe's economy on a war footing went too far. "This would be a fatal signal" since it would mean that "we subordinate everything to the production of weapons and munitions," he said. "We -- the European Union and Germany -- are not at war." (@ChaudhryMAli88) ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Mar, 2023 ) :Finance Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Thursday assured that details of the staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will be made public. Speaking at the Senate Committee of the Whole, the minister said once the staff agreement is signed, it will be put on the website of the Finance Ministry and nothing will be concealed. The minister said that the regime of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had signed an agreement with IMF in 2019. The Finance Minister said he believes in transparency and fiscal discipline in the country. Responding to the points raised earlier in the Committee, he said nobody in Pakistan can compromise on the nuclear and missile assets of the country. "We are responsible citizens of Pakistan, we represent the people of Pakistan and we are here to guard the national interest of the country" he added. He further said that Pakistan was a sovereign nation and nobody in the world had the right to tell us what range of missiles we should have. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th March, 2023) Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' said that the closure of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, one of Orthodox Christianity's most sacred sites, by the Ukrainian authorities would violate the rights of millions of Ukrainian believers. Last week, the National Kiev-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve ordered the monks based in the monastery to leave it by March 29 after an interdepartmental Ukrainian commission accused the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) of violating the terms of an agreement on the use of state property. In light of these events, Patriarch Kirill addressed religious leaders and international figures with a message about the situation around the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and called the decision by Ukrainian officials to expel the UOC monks repressive. "I call for every effort to be made to prevent the forced closure of the monastery, which will lead to the violation of the religious freedom rights of millions of Ukrainian believers, guaranteed by Ukraine's constitution, as well as such documents as the United Nations charter and many other acts of international significance," the patriarch said in a video address, seen by Sputnik. The Kiev-Pechersk Lavra is in official free possession of the UOC. After the start of Russia's special military operation in February last year, Ukrainian nationalists launched regular attacks against churches, clergy and believers of the UOC. In May, the synod of the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) announced the creation of a religious organization to which it wanted to transfer one of the Lavra's churches, prompting illegal seizure concerns at the Moscow Patriarchate. The Ukrainian authorities also submitted to the country's parliament a bill to ban the UOC in Ukraine, seize its real estate and other property. The OCU was established on the basis of two schismatic organizations in late 2018. In 2019, the Patriarchate of Constantinople gave the OCU a "tomos of autocephaly" an ecclesiastical document essentially granting recognition which resulted in a serious conflict between Constantinople and Moscow. In particular, the Moscow Patriarchate and the UOC broke off Holy Communion with the Patriarchate of Constantinople in protest at its actions. TOKYO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th March, 2023) The missile fired by North Korea early on Thursday was presumably an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), flying at an altitude of 6,000 kilometers (3,728 miles), the Japanese Defense Ministry said. Earlier in the day, Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said that North Korea had fired a missile that had landed outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone. The missile was in the air for about 70 minutes. Its flight range is thought to exceed 15,000 kilometers, which means that the missile is able to cover the entire territory of the United States, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported, citing the Japanese Defense Ministry. Following the launch, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced a convening of the National Security Council meeting with key ministers. Meanwhile, the South Korean military suggested that the missile launched by North Korea was unlikely to have been a solid-fuel ICBM and suggested that it might have been the Hwasong-17 ICBM instead. "We cannot now make statements with 100% certainty and are still analyzing the data, but the probability (that it was a solid-fuel ICBM) is low. The indicators coincide with the Hwasong-17-type rocket ... There are different possible options, and it is impossible to completely exclude the possibility of launching a solid-fuel ICBM, because the interim analysis results will appear in a day or two," the South Korean military told a press briefing. The military also noted that North Korea had launched the ICBM as part of a "carefully planned reaction" ahead of the meeting between Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol scheduled for March 16-17. This is the second time North Korea launched an ICBM this year, the South Korean military said. In 2022, Pyongyang launched at least 73 ballistic missiles, eight of which were intercontinental in nature. MOSCOW, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held a phone conversation on Wednesday to exchange views on the causes and consequences of a U.S. drone crashing into the Black Sea on Tuesday. Shoigu pointed out that the causes of the incident were the U.S. non-compliance with the declared flight restriction zone set by Russia in connection with its special military operation as well as the strengthened U.S. intelligence activities against Russia, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement. Shoigu noted that the flights of American strategic drones off the coast of Crimea are of a provocative nature, which creates prerequisites for an escalation of the situation in the Black Sea region. Russia is not interested in such a development of events but it will continue to respond proportionately to all provocations, the ministry said, adding that the major nuclear powers, at the same time, must act as responsibly as possible, including maintaining military communication channels to discuss emergencies. According to the Russian Defense Ministry on Tuesday, Russian fighter jets were scrambled to identify a U.S. MQ-9 drone approaching the Russian state border, and the unmanned aerial vehicle crashed into the Black Sea due to its own sharp maneuvering. WASHINGTON DC For the past 15 years, a unique experiment in international justice played out in a repurposed Army headquarters on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. Hundreds of lawyers, translators, staffers and service workers made the daily trek west down National Road 4 to carry out the tedious work of trying five then four, three and two aging leaders of the genocidal Khmer Rouge. That chapter of justice for the murder of millions of Cambodians is over now. In September, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) issued its final verdict, rejecting an appeal from Khieu Samphan, the longtime figurehead of the Khmer Rouge, who at 91 is the last surviving defendant from the 1970s regime that pursued an agrarian utopia in Cambodia while driving its subjects often to death. In December, the United Nations-assisted Cambodian tribunal packed up and handed the building back to the military Samphan was moved from the courts jail to die in a state prison. For the next few years, a skeleton crew of lawyers and staffers working out of offices in central Phnom Penh will complete the residual phase of the ECCC, focused mainly on resolving final legal issues and telling Cambodians about the courts work. But theres a larger constellation of professionals and organizations and survivors who are still working toward justice and reconciliation work that has no end, given the scale of pain experienced in the 1970s and passed on through the generations since. For nearly two decades, their work has revolved around the tribunal and associated foreign funding for activities ranging from education, intergenerational dialogue, psychological services, public remembrance and engagement in the judicial process. Non-profits have built out programs that not only help heal old wounds, but seek to foster a society with less hate and more capacity to resolve disputes peacefully. And the leaders of these groups arent sure that international partners which have spent some $337 million on the tribunal alone will continue to support their work now that justice has been served through the tribunal. Dealing with the past context is like: Cambodia is no longer a post-conflict country so why do you have to respond to this area? So I think in terms of that particular context, there is a decline in funding support, said Suyheang Kry, the executive director of Women Peace Makers, a Cambodian non-profit focused on inter-ethnic conflict resolution. However, her organization still sees a need for building a bridge between remaining Khmer Rouge survivors and future generations of Cambodians, to ensure that the lessons learned from the countrys dark history arent lost. How are we going to ensure that the younger generations can also bring that; not just about knowing the past, but also how they can also reflect and use that as a tool for them to deal with the presentand build more non-violent types of response, Suyheang Kry said. A number of studies have found widespread secondary trauma among the children of Khmer Rouge survivors even if they grew up in the diaspora. Leakhena Nou, a sociology professor at the University of California Long Beach who has worked extensively with Khmer Rouge survivors, said she still sees signs of unresolved Khmer Rouge trauma throughout Cambodian society, including among younger generations. The legacy of the Khmer Rouge continues to live on vicariously through behavioral manifestations like gambling, domestic violence, drug addiction, she said, noting that violence is often present in everyday language and on social media. It just shows that society has not truly addressed the underlying trauma, Leakhena Nou said. Starting the Next Chapter The question facing organizations that have long focused on post-conflict work is whether donors will support efforts to face these ongoing challenges, as Cambodia begins the next chapter of its journey toward justice and reconciliation. For Kdei Karuna (KDK), a peacebuilding NGO that leads community efforts to grapple with the Khmer Rouges legacy, the initial signs have been worrying. I can see that funds have decreased, said Minea Tim, Kdei Karunas executive director, noting that some programs aligned with the ECCC are phasing out. Its a challenge for NGOs working in this area dealing with the past and especially what we have to do after the ECCC, he added. Some NGOs that work with this, now they dont have more funds to do that, and they change to do something else. Survivor advocates were hoping that the ECCCs principal donors might step forward as a group to help fund some of the items on their wish list: ongoing health care, monetary reparations, national education campaigns, physical memorials across the country. But its become clear that donors will keep a narrow focus on its core mandates: finishing the tribunals legal process, preserving its archives and informing civil parties thousands of individuals who offered testimony in the trials of the results of the trials. Neth Pheaktra, the ECCC spokesman, said the courts downtown building is also hosting mock trials for students and displaying some of its archives. But its unclear if even that will extend beyond the three-year residual phase. We will see if we get the mission from the Royal Government of Cambodia and the United Nations with the additional agreement between both sides, Neth Pheaktra said. We dont know yet. The NGOs that have long operated around the tribunal face similar uncertainty, but are taking a more active approach to staying alive and the stakes are high. With Cambodias government largely focusing its funding on the Khmer Rouge tribunal itself, nonprofits like Kdei Karunaand Women Peace Makers form the closest thing Cambodia has to a social safety net for Khmer Rouge survivors, and an advocacy network for their spiritual, psychological and legal needs. The Transcultural Psychosocial Organization (TPO) has created a mental health care system from nothing over the past two decades, focused largely on Khmer Rouge survivors. The Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam) has robust programs for archiving history, education and outreach. The Youth Resource Development Program (YRDP) has made sure lessons are passed from survivors to future leaders of Cambodia. And the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and Choeung Ek Genocidal Center have become important museums frequented by Cambodians and foreigners alike. Theres little question that the pool of Khmer Rouge-specific funding is shrinking along with the winding down of the tribunal. The challenge for leaders of these groups is convincing donors that there is still work to do, and that existing organizations are well-suited to do meaningful projects. Minea Tim of Kdei Karuna said he envisions a more efficient and collaborative network of nonprofits in which overlapping programs are eliminated and each organization narrows its focus to its highest expertise and best use. You know each partner has different expertise and I think it's time that we bring this expertise together, Minea Tim said. He added that hes currently trying to facilitate a joint project to foster this collaboration, creating learning and memory centers around the country through which different organizations would offer their services. The end of the tribunal also comes during a generational transition. Many of the remaining survivors of the regime, like its leaders, are old and dying. But the trauma has been passed on to their children and grandchildren, and many of the societal problems that fueled the Khmer Rouge are still very much present. Suyheang Kry of Women Peace Makers said thats a compelling reason why the world should continue supporting programs in Cambodia geared toward the younger generations. She said that Cambodian society is seemingly tolerant of diversity, but that some of the xenophobia that fueled the Khmer Rouge is still latent. It just needs a bit of a trigger, and it comes right up again, she said, noting anti-Vietnamese sentiment that emerged amid 2014 anti-government political protests. And she added that political violence and internal strife stretched back long before the Khmer Rouge. "Hatreds and all that are still deeply rooted," she added. "Education will be one of the keys in how we can celebrate the diversity and stuff, but also definitely we need to learn from the past to really avoid it happening again." American journalist Nate Thayer, best known for his coverage of the end of the Khmer Rouge and the emergence of modern Cambodia, died in early January at the age of 62. A unique group of Southeast Asian refugees recently held a memorial service in his honor. VOAs Chetra Chap was in Greensboro, North Carolina, for the ceremony. CAMERAMAN: Sisovann Pin When Sopheap married in 2018 she was happy to settle down and start a family with her husband, and she gave birth to a son soon after. But within a few years, her marriage descended into domestic abuse after her husband became an alcoholic. She faced regular beatings and insults by her husband, who works as a rattan basket maker in Kampong Chhnang province, and often had to stay with relatives together with her son to avoid abuse. Sometimes I feel like I've run out of emotions and am almost crazy. It has been very difficult, said Sopheap, adding that she had kept her family together for her sons sake. If he keeps using violence and does not change, I only have the choice to divorce, said the thin 43-year-old, who broke down in tears during a recent interview with VOA Khmer at her sisters house in the province. Sopheaps plight is not uncommon in Cambodia, where domestic abuse remains widespread. But women like her who wish to break free of abusive marriages face a range of cultural and legal barriers, while the law offers them weak protection, rights activists say. Activists said that in Cambodias male-dominated and conservative society, physical and sexual violence against women and girls is often surrounded by a culture of silence and a tendency to find fault with victims. Sothea, 50, from Battambang province, told VOA Khmer that she was raped when she was 18 years old by her brother-in-law, but she did not dare to file a police complaint because her family was ashamed and wanted to hush it up, while her father would not have been supportive as he often beat her mother. In the evening I told my mother and she told me not to speak about it, saying: If you tell your father he will beat me to death. After her parents passed away in 2014, she tried to file a complaint at her local police office but was told it happened too long ago to open a case. Traditions that tolerate domestic violence The lack of protection is particularly pressing in cases of domestic violence, which is often seen as a private matter by the victims family members and law enforcement authorities, as Cambodian culture traditionally views wives as subordinate to their husbands. Domestic violence is the most common form of abuse against women globally. A large 2015 study by UN Women and the World Health Organization found that some 20 percent of Cambodian women experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner in a relationship or marriage; a third of women experienced emotional abuse. Rates were higher in rural areas and a third of the time children were present during incidents of violence. The reason many women continue to be subjected to all forms of violence is because Cambodia still has a patriarchal mindset, meaning that men are given more priority in [gaining] education than women, are considered to have more decision-making power in the family and are economically powerful, said Norm Sina, community coordination manager of non-government organization called Gender and Development for Cambodia. She added that children who witness domestic violence suffer severe mental health impacts. The Chbab Srey, a centuries-old, traditional code of conduct for women that idealizes female submission to men and gender-specific roles in the household, was part of the official school curriculum until 2007 and still influences girls and womens mindset and place in society, a 2018 Cambodian Center for Human Rights paper said. A 2013 UN Women report found 98 percent of Cambodian women and 96 percent of men supported the idea that women should obey their husbands; 67 percent of women believed they should tolerate domestic violence to keep their families together. In 2016, the then-U.N. Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Cambodia criticized some local news reporting for lacking basic ethical standards, perpetuating gender discrimination stereotypes and normalizing genderbased violence. This prompted the government in 2017 to issue a code of conduct for news reporting on violence against women. Mediation instead of divorce or police complaints Seng Reasey, executive director of gender equality NGO SILAKA, said because of conservative attitudes, victims are often unaware of their legal rights, while commune chiefs, police and courts usually encourage them to accept mediation solutions instead of filing for divorce or police complaints. When authorities intervene, Seng Reasey said, Solutions are generally limited because in some areas awareness of the legal framework is limited and knowledge of [the impact of] violence is still limited. They think it should be tolerated because it is a family affair. And in some cases, women victims are blamed [for abuse] for not doing the housework. These practices foster impunity and the reoccurrence of violence by perpetrators, she noted. Sitha, a 50-year-old fishmonger at a market in Kandal Province with three children, one of whom lived with her, said she suffered threats and emotional abuse from her drug-addicted husband, but she had nowhere to turn for help after local police failed to respond to her requests. He always intimidates and insults me at home. In the worst case, he threatens me with an axe or knife Sometimes, I almost suffocate and [feel like I] stop breathing she said, adding that she still hoped for better as her husband recently entered drug rehabilitation. Punishments are few A 2017 paper by rights group Licadhobased on its consultations in 237 closed domestic violence cases in Cambodia that resulted in 12 deathsfound that about 30 percent of victims divorced, and 22 percent started a procedure that ended with criminal punishment. Some 43 percent returned to live with their violent partner, either through their own choice or mediation by commune chiefs, police and courts. The remainder of cases ended differently. The 2005 Law on the Prevention of Domestic Violence and the Protection of Victims allows local authorities to mediate and to interpret whether violent acts are a felony or severe misdemeanor that should be prosecuted under the Criminal Code, according to Licadho. The report said officials not only discourage divorce and police complaints because of conservative views, but also since Local authorities and police are under-resourced, poorly trained and are in general unfamiliar with the law In these circumstances it is just much easier, quicker and cheaper for local authorities to carry out reconciliations. Licadho added that many victims are also discouraged from pursuing justice because of Cambodias weak and corrupt court system. Police force spokespersons could not be reached or said they were unable to comment on domestic abuse cases when contacted by VOA Khmer. Cease law enforcement based on the old culture In the past decade, the Cambodian government has adopted several guidelines, national action plans and strategic plans to improve womens rights that have been welcomed by activists as significant steps, yet they say more resources, legal training and stronger protection under law are required. Seng Reasey said civil society groups operate support programs and hotlines for victims, while they have long campaigned to change attitudes in society and practices of police and the court system. They also advocated for amending the 2005 Law on the Prevention of Domestic Violence and the Protection of Victims to clarify and strengthen legal protection. Stakeholders must empower women and girls to understand their right to justice and to dare to report all abuses. These cases can only be dealt with effectively if the culture of blaming the victims is stopped, and by ceasing emotional law enforcement based on the old culture, she said. Sar Sineth, deputy director general of the Ministry of Womens Affairs General Department of Social Development, said her ministry had worked closely with civil society over the years to improve womens rights, but acknowledged that law enforcement authorities need to be more protective of victims who file complaints against abusive partners. Providing support services entails responding to their needs and considering what they want. And most importantly, try not to blame the victim, because blaming the victim is one thing that puts the victim in even more danger, Sar Sineth told VOA Khmer. (Names of victims in this story have been changed to protect their identities.) BEIJING, March 16 (Xinhua) -- China's State Council announced the appointment and removal of officials on Thursday. Li Fei was appointed vice minister of commerce. Rao Lixin was named deputy head of the State Taxation Administration. Wang Qiming became deputy head of the National Railway Administration. Han Jun was appointed deputy head of the Civil Aviation Administration. Mu Hong and Lian Weiliang were removed from their posts of deputy heads of the National Development and Reform Commission. Zhao Yong no longer serves as deputy head of the National Ethnic Affairs Commission. Tang Tao was removed from the post of vice minister of human resources and social security. Liu Lijian was removed from the post of deputy head of the State Taxation Administration. Long Mingbiao no longer serves as deputy head of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council. Zhou Zongmin was removed from the post of deputy editor-in-chief of Xinhua News Agency. Liu Keqiang no longer serves as deputy head of the National Railway Administration. From devastating cyclones and floods to an unrelenting drought, African countries are spending between 2% and 9% of their budgets to respond to extreme weather events, according to a report released by the United Nations on Wednesday. A committee of experts shared the findings at the annual U.N. conference of African ministers of finance and economic planning in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. "Climate change is having a devastating impact on Africa's economies, and the situation is expected to worsen in the coming years," Antonio Pedro, the acting executive secretary of the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa told The Associated Press. Climate change, alongside the war in Ukraine and a global economic slowdown have been identified as key factors that have led to Africa's economic decline from a growth of 4.6% in 2021 to just 3.6% in 2022, the U.N. report said. The meeting comes as weather extremes are crippling parts of the continent: A punishing cyclone in Malawi and Mozambique has so far claimed more than 225 lives, displaced over 100,000 people and destroyed infrastructure and property. In the east and Horn of Africa, a debilitating drought has put the region in the throes of a famine. Africa contributes less than 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions despite being home to 17% of the world's population. Many nations have limited capabilities to deal with the impacts of climate change. Some estimates say the continent will need investments of over $3 trillion by 2030 to adequately adapt to climate change and curb emissions. "Climate change has tremendous impacts in African economies and climate action is impossible without climate finance," said Nemera Gebeyehu Mamo, Ethiopia's planning minister. "Leveraging climate finance can fight poverty and inequality in Africa." A pledge by rich nations to provide $100 billion a year in climate finance has not yet been fully met. Pedro called on African countries to take matters into their own hands and raise funds by developing carbon credits, where companies and governments pay into reforestation schemes to offset their emissions. "If we take advantage of our rainforests and develop our carbon markets, we could unleash an estimated $82 billion a year in value," Pedro said, adding it could create millions of jobs across the continent. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, as well as other government officials and civil society leaders, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during the first stop of his visit to the African continent. Speaking at a press conference held at Addis Ababa University on Wednesday, Blinken highlighted the importance of democracy and human rights in Ethiopia, noting the United States is committed to promoting human rights and the rule of law in Ethiopia. Blinken also took a moment to reflect on the lives lost and the pain many endured in the two-year-long war that began in late 2020 and ended with a cease-fire brokered in November. The conflict was absolutely devastating, Blinken said. Hundreds of thousands killed. Widespread sexual violence against women. Millions forced to flee their homes. Many left in need of food and shelter, medicine. Hospitals, schools, and businesses were shelled and destroyed. He commended the peace effort that has taken root in the country, with the help of mediators from the African Union, Kenya and South Africa, and supported by the United States. The Cessation of Hostilities Agreement is a major achievement and step forward, saving lives and changing lives. The guns are silent, he said. Blinken praised the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan leadership for the cessation of hostilities. And he brought some good news, saying that the U.S., already the biggest bilateral donor to Ethiopia, will add to that total. Today I announced an additional $331 million in emergency food and humanitarian assistance that will reach billions of people, millions of Ethiopians affected by conflict, affected by drought. Joseph Siegle, director of research at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies said that the U.S. has a very critical role to play as a trusted actor, as a guarantor, in the ongoing peace process. The U.S., he said, can make sure the process is balanced by speaking up for Tigrayan interests while still ensuring that Ethiopian sovereignty and Ethiopian interests are also being respected. Although the cease-fire is an opportunity to pursue justice and hold those responsible for atrocities accountable, Siegle said that it is not a simple process. Its complicated because there are many actors involved in this conflict and atrocities were committed on all sides including from the Tigrayan side, the Eritreans who were involved as well, he told VOA. And although it might not be easy to get accountability to the full extent that human rights advocates might want, he added, there is room for considerable progress on that front. Blinken said that with peace taking hold, Ethiopia is moving in the right direction, and the U.S. shares its aspirations, but is not yet ready to welcome it back into the U.S. trade program known as the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). AGOA, a preferential trade agreement, allows some African businesses duty-free access to U.S. markets. Ethiopia was removed from AGOA at the beginning of 2022. Siegle said that it is not practical to expect an immediate return to normal for the Ethiopia-U.S. relationship. However, there is a sincere interest on both sides to resume a full-fledged robust relationship, he said. There's great interest on both sides to restart economic engagement, to open up trading opportunities, including the AGOA [the African Growth and Opportunity Act] accreditation, that was put on hold for Ethiopia. Ethipia needs considerable investment and trade to help rebuild, following the devastating conflict, and Ethiopia is a very important country in the Horn of Africa, in Africa more generally. It's one of the strongest partners the United States has in Africa. And so, I think the U.S. also wants to get things back onto a more normal footing. But human rights advocates say not enough has been done by the Ethiopian leadership in terms of making amends for war crimes and allowing investigators to document atrocities. Sarah Yager is the Washington director at Human Rights Watch, a New York-based advocacy group. She said Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed simply wants to move on from the war without accepting any blame. What he has been doing is downplaying the atrocities that have occurred by all warring parties, but also his own, by his own direction in places like Tigray, Yager said. He is looking to get economic relief from the United States. He is looking to get other partners around the world interested in being donor nations, in having free trade and bringing businesses back to Ethiopia. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed optimism Wednesday about the re-establishment of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. If this agreement actually bears out, and particularly if Iran follows through on the commitments that its apparently made, again, that would be positive, Blinken said during a news conference at Addis Ababa University during a visit to Ethiopia. From our perspective, anything that can help reduce tensions, avoid conflict, and curb in any way dangerous or destabilizing actions by Iran is a good thing, Blinken added. The top U.S. diplomat noted Chinas role in facilitating the agreement, saying, thats a good thing. I think its valuable that countries, where they can, take action, take responsibility for advancing security, for advancing peaceful relations, he said. After the agreement was announced last week, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters the deal could help reduce tension in the region, especially in Yemen, where the two countries have supported opposing sides during years of conflict. We welcome any efforts to help end the war in Yemen and deescalate tensions in the Middle East region, Jean-Pierre said. Central African economy ministers are calling for investing in energy and farming as Africa's poorest region struggles to recover from natural disasters, armed conflicts, and fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Heads of state from the six nations of regional bloc CEMAC meet Friday to discuss the challenges. Economy and integration ministers of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, CEMAC, say most of their 55 million civilians live in abject poverty that has only been made worse by the last few years of global troubles. Ministers of the six-nation-bloc, which includes Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo, met Thursday in Yaounde. President of CEMAC Daniel Ona Ondo, who was born in Gabon, said Russias invasion of Ukraine is the latest in a series of global disasters to impact the region. He said the ministers' meeting strongly recommended huge investments in agriculture and energy to end over dependency on imported food and petroleum products from Russia and Ukraine. Before Russias invasion of its neighbor, Central African states imports from Russia and Ukraine accounted for 60 percent of their fuel and 80 percent of their wheat. Last July, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, and Gabon reported fuel shortages they blamed on disruptions from Russia's war. CEMAC says the war caused a sharp increase in prices that member states paid for fuel and fertilizers and added pressure on the regions farmers, who were already struggling from conflict and climate shocks. Ondo said armed conflicts and political unrest in the region also added to the challenge for economies to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the setbacks, Cameroon's Minister of the Economy Alamine Ousman Mey voiced an optimistic outlook. Mey is also president of CEMACs council of ministers of the economy and integration. He said although central African states face many security and environmental shocks, and an influx of refugees and displaced persons, Cameroon, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Central African Republic, and the Republic of Congo have shown resilience. Mey said the economic growth rate was maintained at three percent in 2022. He said CEMAC will always work for the interest of its people despite the challenging world economy and severe crises. The ministers said they will propose a plan for improving conditions through energy and farming when heads of state meet in Yaounde on March 17. Ernest Moloua is an economist at the Cameroons University of Buea. He said the region's leaders should push harder for the free movement of people and goods as part of the African Continental Free Trade Area. Speaking via messaging app from Buea, he says the trade deal provides a lot of opportunities for CEMAC if the heads of state take it seriously. The most important thing for CEMAC is to improve on public infrastructure, improve on the communication and telecommunication infrastructure, improvement of roads, improvement of railway links. When this happens then the region places itself in an advantageous position to reap the benefits that will come from the continental free trade area," said Moloua. CEMAC says Friday's heads of state summit will focus on structural reforms to deal with the economic consequences of the COVID pandemic and Russias war on Ukraine. In a February visit to Sudan, the head of the U.N. World Food Program said 75% of the country's farmland goes unused, but with the help of investors, Sudan can go from receiving food aid to exporting food. But as Henry Wilkins reports from Khartoum, others say its more complicated than that. More than 100 Thai immigration officers are expected to face bribery-linked charges in the coming weeks after allegedly helping thousands of Chinese enter Thailand illegally to set up criminal businesses. Speaking to reporters March 9, Deputy National Police Chief General Surachet Hakparn said cases have been drawn up against the officers, including at least one with the senior rank of police general. Their files have been handed to the National Anti-Corruption Commission to bring charges on a variety of allegations involving malfeasance in office, including bribery. The development comes as Thai authorities try to stem the spread of illicit cash from China across its economy, from tourism-linked businesses to properties and nightlife enterprises. The ability of Chinese money to bend Thailands laws has alarmed Thais in recent months, after the arrest of Chinese national Chaiyanat Tuhao Kornchayanant late last year for allegedly laundering tens of millions of dollars through the kingdom. Tuhao is Mandarin for rich" and is a nickname often given to the new wealthy of China. Tuhao was married to a Thai police officer and was granted citizenship, taking the Thai name Chaiyanat Kornchayanant. Facing an arrest warrant on drug charges, he turned himself in in November and had properties, luxury cars, a private jet and cash totaling nearly $90 million confiscated by police. Authorities allege he used high-level Thai connections to operate a criminal ring that brought at least 4,000 Chinese nationals into Thailand to run spinoff businesses, including nightclubs where drugs were openly sold to Chinese customers. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and faces trial in the coming months. The investigation opened a window into the world of the shadowy front companies used by Chinese nationals to establish illegal business empires in Thailand, as well as dubious visa services offered by Thai immigration police to people who then established "gray businesses" in the kingdom, according to the police. We know they came in as tourists then changed their status to student and volunteer visas. But they have nothing to do with any educational or charity institutions, Surachet told reporters. They were all here to commit crime. Our investigation found that some Thai authorities are indeed corrupt, he said. Chinese money pouring in Chinese wealth has been pouring into Thailands condominium developments, resorts, restaurants and farms much legitimate, some not since China dropped pandemic movement controls on its citizens at the start of this year. Immigration police are supposed to be the countrys security guards, but instead theyre welcoming Chinese criminals with arms wide open, Chuvit Kamolvisit, a businessman and ex-politician whose whistleblowing uncovered the Tuhao scandal, told VOA. Chinas strict law against crime and corruption may have forced a small percentage of its population to venture out to operate their criminal activities in countries that have weak law and governance like Cambodia, Philippines and Thailand, he added. The negative headlines have also alarmed Chinese authorities. A Facebook post on March 2 by the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok conceded a small number of individuals were engaged in crime in Thailand but they by no means represent the mainstream of Chinese citizens and enterprises in Thailand. The embassy said it was cooperating with Thai police but suggested an unnamed third-party was attempting to use the issue of Chinese crime gangs to undermine friendly cooperation between Thailand and China. Beijing wants Thailands cooperation in its plans for high-speed railways across the Mekong region with Bangkok as the fulcrum point for lines running from southern China to Singapore. It also covets the sea access Thailand provides to both the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Thailand, as well as fruit, rice, pork and poultry from its farms, and investment opportunities for Chinese companies from 5G giant Huawei and e-commerce pioneer Alibaba to electric vehicle makers Great Wall Motors and BYD. For its part Thailand has edged closer to China in recent years as Beijing ramps up its strategic push into its neighborhood, experts say. Thailand is yet to fall into a client relationship with China, experts say, unlike neighbors Laos and Cambodia, whose small economies and populations have been consumed by the scale of Chinese investment. Thai-China relations arent 100% pro-Beijing which is how China wishes it would be, said Vorasakdi Mahatdhanobol, of Chulalongkorn Universitys Chinese Studies Research Unit. Thailands still very much got a hold on itself, he added. There are fears, though, over the long-term damage the proliferation of criminal wealth may do to Thai businesses and power structures, unless it is stemmed, he said. Thailand has many attractive elements for organized crime groups like the one led by Tuhao, he added, referring to corruption among police and politicians. Without them theres no way these Chinese gray businesses can find a home here, he said. Officials say Tropical Cyclone Freddy, one of the longest lasting tropical storms on record, has killed more than 350 people in southeastern Africa and displaced tens of thousands of others before dissipating over land Wednesday. Malawis disaster management agency said Thursday at least 326 people died as the result of flooding and landslides generated by the storm. President Lazarus Chakwera declared a 14-day period of national mourning Wednesday, calling it a national tragedy and appealing for international support. In neighboring Mozambique, where at least 53 deaths have been reported, officials also fear the death toll may rise as some villages have been completely cut off since the cyclone struck the nation a second time last week. The level of devastation is attributed to the storm's longevity. The U.N.s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said Freddy became a named storm February 6 in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Australia. It traveled across the entire ocean and made landfall in Madagascar February 21. It swept over the island nation, crossed the Mozambique Channel and initially hit Mozambique February 24. The WMO said the storm then returned to the Indian Ocean, where it strengthened significantly over the warm water. Freddy then reversed course to return with much more power, including wind gusts of up to 200 kilometers per hour. While no longer a tropical storm, the remnants of Freddy continue to bring rain to the region, along with the threat of additional flooding and landslides over the next few days. The U.S. space agency NASA said Freddy has set the record for the highest accumulated cyclone energy or ACE of any southern hemisphere storm in history. ACE is an index used to measure the total amount of wind energy associated with a tropical cyclone over its lifetime. The WMO said it is assembling a panel of experts to examine data to determine if Freddy has indeed set a record as the longest-duration tropical cyclone. The current record of 31 days was established by Hurricane/Typhoon John in 1994. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. Sudan is in a political stalemate, with a long-awaited transition to civilian government yet to materialize and the country's military rulers refusing to relinquish power. Ongoing protests against military rule have been met with force, with more than 100 protesters killed. In Khartoum, Henry Wilkins meets the family of a protester killed in February. Please be aware this story contains graphic images that many will find disturbing. The only European Union lawmaker of Iranian origin who lived in Iran until adulthood says EU foreign ministers are working to resolve obstacles to designating Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. The 27-nation EU bloc has already had sanctions in place for years against Irans top military force and its senior personnel in response to their perceived malign activities. But the EU has stopped short of applying the terrorist designation to the IRGC a step taken by the United States in 2019. European members of parliament, or MEPs, overwhelmingly approved a resolution on January 19 urging the executive EU Council to add the IRGC to its terrorist list. MEPs cited Irans violent crackdown on peaceful nationwide protests that erupted in September against the nations Islamist rulers and Tehrans provision of drones to Russia for its war on Ukraine. But EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters on January 23 that such a step cannot be taken without a court of some EU member state issuing a legal statement on the matter. Then we can work at the European level, but it has to be first a court decision, he said. German MEP Hannah Neumann tweeted in January that any terrorist listing of the IRGC should be legally waterproof. Adding #IRGC on terror list and then having a court annul that decision would be the worst of all signals, she wrote. While there has been no EU court ruling on the IRGCs status since January, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told U.S. news site Axios earlier this month that there was a growing consensus in the EU about a need for a terrorist designation of the IRGC. There are practical and legal issues that need to be sorted out, but I think we might be getting there," he said. Iran-born Belgian parliamentarian Darya Safai, who fled her native country for Belgium at age 25 to escape persecution, has been one of the EUs most outspoken advocates for adding the IRGC to the EU terrorist list. She submitted a resolution to the Belgian parliament in January supporting such a move and told VOA that she expects the assemblys foreign affairs committee to review it in the coming months. Safai discussed the outlook for the campaign on VOAs Flashpoint Iran program as she visited Washington to participate in a forum organized by National Union for Democracy in Iran. The following transcript of her interview, recorded Monday, has been edited for length and clarity. VOA: What can you tell us about the EU's latest efforts to designate the IRGC as a terrorist entity? Belgian Member of Parliament Darya Safai: Its very important for people to know that since the Iranian revolution inspired by the death of Mahsa Amini, we have been working on it. I even submitted a resolution to the Belgian parliament to support putting the IRGC on the terror list of Europe. And we made a huge manifestation of people Iranian and European in front of the European Parliament, to let them hear how important it is to put the IRGC on this terror list. The importance is not only symbolic. The IRGC organized terror and supported proxy wars in the whole region and gave the financial possibility to those terrorist groups to fight against Europe and other Western countries. So, this is how we can weaken the Islamic republics ideology and regime, by putting the IRGC on the terror list, where it belongs. VOA: There is a resolution that you proposed in the Belgian parliament. How does it advance this objective of achieving the designation? Safai: Actually, a resolution should not have been necessary for this. But when a majority of the people ask the government to do something, even though it is not obligated, it should act in one form or another, because that is what democracy demands of them. When a majority of the European Parliament approved of putting the IRGC on the terror list in Europe, and the parliamentary president spoke, she told the Iranian people: Listen, you are on the good side of the history, and we are with you, and we support you. This is what I would like to hear from European politicians and the people who have power in Europe. They should recognize that the Iranian revolution is not only about the future of Iran, it will change the policy of the whole world toward peace, freedom and prosperity. This is important for European politicians to know. VOA: EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said a few months ago that you need a court to rule on the status of the IRGC before the EU can do anything. How do you overcome that obstacle? Safai: That is obviously just an excuse. There is no political will to make it happen on the part of Josep Borrell, at least. But I should emphasize that this is not what all of the ministers of foreign affairs in Europe are thinking. A lot of them support putting the IRGC on the terrorist list. They are discussing a problem and will find a solution for it. I am sure that if we continue to show them the right direction, they will follow. VOA: Are you saying there doesn't have to be a legal ruling first? Safai: It is not necessary. Like in the case of Russia, when an aggressor shows itself to be aggressive, it is not necessary for you to base your assessment of that on one or other ruling of a court. I will guarantee you that this campaign is not finished. There is a lot of hope. There are lots of foreign ministers of countries who know how dangerous the IRGC and Islamic republic regime are for the whole world. And we will continue to fight for the victory of Iranian people. The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. South Korea and Japan agreed to ease tensions Thursday during a rare meeting between the countrys top leaders. The meeting in Tokyo came hours after North Korea fired a long-range missile, highlighting a security challenge faced by each country. More from VOAs Bill Gallo in Seoul. GAZA, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Wednesday warned Israel against any change in the status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, saying any change "would turn the area into an earthquake." Marwan Issa, deputy chief of staff of Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, made the warning in an interview with Al-Aqsa TV, a Gaza-based satellite channel run by the Hamas movement. The remarks came amid warnings of increased tensions between the two sides, especially in Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, as the holy month of Ramadan and the Jewish Passover holiday approach. "There is no political process, and the enemy (Israel) has annulled Oslo treaties (signed between Israel and the Palestinians in 1993), so that the coming days will be full of events and incidents," Issa said. He called for "igniting and supporting resistance action in all Palestine, mainly in the West Bank and Jerusalem," adding: "We will defend the Palestinian people with all force when direct intervention is required." In April 2022, Al-Aqsa Mosque compound witnessed violent clashes between Palestinian worshipers and Israeli police forces when Jews visited the holy site. Dozens of Palestinian worshipers were injured. The Hamas threats also came amid escalating tensions in the West Bank which flared up in January. The Palestinian Health Ministry said that 84 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since January, while 14 Israelis were killed during the same period. French President Emmanuel Macron imposed a highly unpopular bill raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 on Thursday by shunning parliament and invoking a special constitutional power. Lawmakers were shouting, their voices shaking with emotion as Macron made the risky move, which is expected to trigger quick motions of no-confidence in his government. Riot police vans zoomed by outside the National Assembly, their sirens wailing. The proposed pension changes have prompted major strikes and protests across the country since January. Macron, who made it the flagship of his second term, argued the reform is needed to keep the pension system from diving into deficit as France's population ages and life expectancy lengthens. The decision to invoke the special power was made during a Cabinet meeting at the Elysee presidential palace, just a few minutes before the scheduled vote, because Macron had no guarantee of a majority in France's lower house of parliament. Then, as Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne tried to formally announce the decision at the National Assembly, leftist members broke into the French national anthem, delaying her speech. The speaker had to briefly suspend the session to restore order. "Today, there's uncertainty" about whether a majority would have voted for the bill "by just a few votes," Borne explained. "We cannot take the risk to see 175 hours of parliamentary debate collapse We cannot gamble on the future of our pensions. That reform is necessary," she said. Borne said her government is accountable to the parliament, prompting boos from the ranks of the opposition. "In a few days, I have no doubts ... there will be one or several no-confidence motions. There will actually be a proper vote and therefore the parliamentary democracy will have the last say," she added. One by one, opposition lawmakers emerged from the Assembly demanding the government step down. One Communist lawmaker called the presidential power a political "guillotine." Others called it a "denial of democracy" that signals Macron's lack of legitimacy. One union leader called it "institutional violence" and called for more strikes and protests. Marine Le Pen said her far-right National Rally party would file a no-confidence motion, and Communist lawmaker Fabien Roussel said such a motion is "ready" on the left. "The mobilization will continue," Roussel said. "This reform must be suspended." The head of The Republicans party, Eric Ciotti, said his group won't "add chaos to chaos" by supporting a no-confidence motion, but some of his fellow conservatives at odds with the party's leadership could vote individually for such a motion. To be adopted, a no-confidence motion needs to be approved by at least half the seats at the lower house that is 287 now. In such case, which would be a first since 1962, the government would have to resign. If no-confidence motions don't succeed, the pension bill would be considered adopted. Earlier Thursday, the Senate adopted the bill in a 193-114 vote, a tally that was largely expected since the conservative majority of the upper house of parliament favors raising the retirement age. Macron's alliance lost its parliamentary majority last year, forcing the government to count on conservative lawmakers to pass the bill. Leftists and far-right lawmakers are strongly opposed and conservatives are divided, which made the outcome unpredictable. The French leader wants to raise the retirement age so workers put more money into the system, which the government says is on course to run a deficit. Macron has promoted the pension changes as central to his vision for making the French economy more competitive. The reform would raise the minimum pension age and require 43 years of work to earn a full pension, amid other measures. Union leaders reacted with fury and a determination to stage even more strikes a day after nearly 500,000 people protested against the bill. Francois Hommeril of the CFE-CGC, representing energy workers among others, said the government "forces a vote when it is sure to win it" and "prevents the vote when they know they would lose." Across the river Seine from the National Assembly, hundreds joined an unannounced rally at the Place de la Concorde, where security forces, backed by a water cannon, were on alert. Leftist leader Jean-Luc Melenchon told the crowd that Macron has gone "over the heads of the will of the people." Members of Melenchon's France Unbowed party were among the lawmakers singing the Marseillese in an attempt to thwart the prime minister's call to force the bill through without a vote. Economic challenges have prompted widespread unrest across Western Europe, where many countries, like France, have had such low birthrates that young workers might not able to sustain pensions for retirees. Spain's leftist government joined with labor unions Wednesday to announce a "historic" deal to save its pension system. Spain's Social Security Minister Jose Luis Escriva said the French have a very different, unsustainable model and "has not addressed its pension system for decades." Spain's workers already must stay on the job until at least 65 and won't be asked to work longer instead, the new deal increases employer contributions for higher-wage earners. Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera has assured people displaced by Cyclone Freddy that they will get the assistance they need. Chakwera made the announcement Wednesday during his first visit to evacuation camps in Blantyre since he declared a state of disaster in all the flood-hit areas this week. The president also attended a mass funeral for the storm's victims. The record tropical cyclone has killed more than 200 people in Malawi and scores more in neighboring Mozambique. Chakwera said his government has set aside about $1.6 million to assist thousands of people affected and displaced by the cyclone in 10 districts in southern Malawi. I will soon call for a Cabinet meeting to endorse what we have so far budgeted for the crisis," said the president. "Because if we try to follow financial approval procedures, we will put lives of the victims at risk. Displaced people say they lack food, clothes, clean water and soap. During the presidents visit, the government donated several kinds of relief items, such as flour, clothes and buckets. The president also attended a mass funeral for 28 people killed by the storm. Chakwera said his government has asked neighboring countries to assist Malawi with rescue airplanes to complement the search-and-rescue efforts under way in the country. Authorities in Malawi say more than 35 roads have been impacted by the floods, making it difficult to provide help to many cyclone victims. We are currently consulting our development partners for assistance, although they also are facing various problems, he said. We want them to assist us so we can assist our people who are badly affected by Cyclone Freddy. The U.S. government, through various agencies, is responding immediately to the crisis, said Namita Biggins, the public affairs officer at the U.S. Embassy in Malawi. We are providing emergency shelters to affected households in Nsanje and Chikwawa through our existing $2 million support through Catholic Relief Services," she said in an audio statement on Tuesday. "USAID has also initiated the process of swiftly allocating additional, lifesaving resources to provide essential humanitarian assistance to include blankets, buckets, tarps, chlorine tablets to ensure clean water, mosquito nets and more. Biggins said USAID has staff on the ground coordinating closely with the Emergency Operations Center in Blantyre to determine how the U.S. government can help the government of Malawi reach the hardest-hit communities. Weather experts in Malawi say Cyclone Freddy has now weakened, but the rains will continue for the next few days, largely because of an incoming weather front from Congo. North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile Thursday, hours ahead of a major Japan-South Korea summit that will focus in large part on the threat posed by Pyongyang. South Koreas military said North Korea launched the ICBM from the Pyongyang area at about 7:10 a.m. local time. The missile landed about 69 minutes later outside of Japans exclusive economic zone, according to Japans defense ministry. Japanese officials have not reported any damage from the missile, which landed about 250 kilometers west of Oshima Island in Hokkaido Prefecture, reported Japanese broadcaster NHK. North Korea has not commented on the launch. It usually does not disclose details about its launches until the following morning in state media. The launch highlights the challenges shared by Japan and South Korea, as the top leaders of both countries prepared to meet in Tokyo later Thursday. South Korean President Yoon Seok Yeols visit to Japan, the first by a South Korean president in 12 years, is aimed at improving bilateral ties that have been hampered by historical disputes related to Japans 1910-45 occupation of South Korea. Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who are expected to deliver remarks to the press after meeting Thursday, have said they would like a more forward-focused relationship that deals with common challenges, such as China and North Korea. North Koreas near-constant missile launches since early last year have served as a regular reminder of the threat posed by the nuclear-armed country. In 2022, North Korea launched over 90 missiles by far the most it has ever fired in a single year. Some of the missiles flew close to South Korea and Japan, prompting shelter warnings and air raid alerts. North Korea has conducted three rounds of launches this week. On Tuesday, North Korea reported firing two medium-range ballistic missiles; on Monday, it claimed a successful launch of two strategic cruise missiles from a submarine. The North Korean launches coincide with ongoing U.S.-South Korea military drills, which have been ramped up in response to North Koreas increased weapons tests. On Sunday, state media said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un promised a powerful response to U.S.-South Korean war provocations, which he said were nearing a red line. U.S. and South Korean officials insist their military drills are defensive in nature and necessary in order to maintain military readiness. North Korea also defends its launches as legitimate acts of deterrence and self-defense. However, North Korea is prohibited from conducting any ballistic missile activity under a series of United Nations Security Council resolutions. Plumes of smoke and tear gas spilled into the Dakar sky Thursday as police clashed with opposition protesters. It marked the third day of unrest in Senegals capital where opposition leader Ousmane Sonko is facing trial for alleged defamation. Hundreds of protesters surrounded the car taking Sonko to the courthouse as police in riot gear encircled the area. Just before the officers dispersed the crowd with tear gas, Sonko stepped out of the vehicle to send a message. Its the police that are preventing me from moving. Its the police that have prevented me from getting to my hearing, he said. This is Senegal. The face of Senegal is the dictatorship of Macky, with police repression. He was referring to President Macky Sall. A police spokesperson was not immediately available to comment on the allegation. Salls refusal to state whether hell run for an unconstitutional third term in next years elections has incensed many Senegalese. His administration has also been widely accused of silencing dissent through arbitrary arrests. Senegals government denies persecuting the opposition or moving away from democracy. Sonko is facing libel charges for allegedly accusing tourism minister Mame Mbaye Niang of embezzlement. Sonko also faces separate charges for rape, which his supporters say were fabricated to prevent him from running for the presidency. Sonko has denied all allegations. His arrest a year ago ignited a week of rioting that led to the deaths of 14 people. No deaths have been reported in this latest round of protests, but violence on Thursday was widespread. Demonstrators hurled rocks at police, burned down grocery stores and destroyed bus depots. They hauled parked cars onto streets to act as roadblocks, and smashed windows. Paulin Maurice Toupane is a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies in Dakar. Senegal, he said, is at a tipping point. Senegal must do everything it can to avoid reaching the level of instability we see in other countries in the region, Toupane said. West Africa has suffered a series of coups in the last few years, and instability in Senegal long considered the regions most solid democracy could ripple beyond its borders. Tensions are only expected to grow as the country gets closer to the presidential election in February 2024. Sonko came in third in the 2019 presidential election and has since grown in popularity, mainly among Senegalese youth. Twenty-six-year-old Mouhamad Diakho was among the protesters. I'm very sad about this situation in our country. I'm so sad, said protester Mouhamad Diakho, 26. I'm not happy about what is happening. I got this shame inside of me. I got this anger inside of me. Because we the Senegalese people don't deserve this. We deserve peace. We deserve love. A rally for Sonko on Tuesday drew an estimated 10,000 supporters. M23 rebels in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have withdrawn from several villages ahead of military deployments by a regional force, officials in the troubled region said Thursday. The Tutsi-led rebel group had advanced closer to Goma, threatening to cut off road links to the city of over 1 million people on the border with Rwanda. The M23, which DR Congo claims is backed by Rwanda, has seized swaths of territory in North Kivu province since reemerging from dormancy in late 2021. The seven-nation East African Community (EAC) began deploying a military force to eastern Congo in November in a bid to stabilize the region. But clashes between the M23 and the Congolese army continued, and several regional peace initiatives failed, including a cease-fire mediated by Angola that was to come into effect on March 7. The army was still clashing with M23 fighters at the end of last week, according to several sources, and exchanges of gunfire were also reported on Monday. On Thursday, Alphonse Habimana, a civil society leader in the North Kivu village of Mweso, told Agence France-Presse that the M23 had withdrawn from the area. "The population is asking what prompted them to withdraw without a fight," he told AFP by phone, saying the rebels had retreated to about three kilometers from the village. The EAC regional force has been tasked with overseeing an M23 withdrawal. An official in the force, who declined to be identified by name, said the rebels had retreated from several villages in North Kivu's Masisi territory, west of Goma. He added that soldiers from the EAC force's Burundian contingent had begun to deploy to the area. Some residents remain wary about M23's moves. "It is a false withdrawal," said Jean-Claude Bambaze, a civil society leader in the Rutshuru region north of Goma, adding that he thought the rebels were preparing for a fresh attack. Independent U.N. experts, the United States and several other Western nations have also concluded that the M23 is backed by Rwanda, though Kigali denies the accusation. U.S. anti-foreign bribery enforcement activity perked up last year after trending down for three consecutive years, according to a new report from TRACE International. The U.S. Justice Department and the Securities Exchange Commission, the two agencies responsible for enforcing anti-foreign bribery laws, brought a total of 11 enforcement actions in 2022, up from eight in 2021, the report said. TRACE International, which helps businesses comply with anti-graft laws, defines an enforcement action as a final resolution of a foreign bribery allegation. Foreign bribery is the bribing of government officials in any country by a company or individual in another country. Other researchers, using a broader definition of enforcement, show a higher number of actions taken by U.S. agencies last year. The Justice Department and the SEC investigate allegations of foreign bribery under the 1977 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The law, which makes it a crime to bribe a foreign government official, gives the two agencies broad jurisdiction over foreign companies that have subsidiaries in the United States or trade on U.S. stock exchanges. That means U.S. prosecutors can bring charges against the employees of a company that is headquartered in a foreign country. Historically, the United States has been a leader in fighting foreign corruption, investigating more cases than any other country in the world. But in recent years, U.S. anti-foreign bribery enforcement activity has been on the decline, and last years uptick did little to offset the downward trend, TRACE said in its report. Anti-foreign corruption activity by other countries has followed a similar pattern in recent years, falling moderately last year, according to the report, which also showed a slight decline in the number of open investigations of foreign bribery around the world. Nevertheless, TRACE President Alexandra Wrage said, I think we can have some confidence that the whole world is taking anti-corruption more seriously than they did a decade ago. In an ironic twist of sorts, increased cooperation between U.S. and foreign law enforcement agencies in recent years has had the unintended effect of slowing down the pace of already time-consuming investigations. As a result, investigations that were opened five or six years ago have yet to be concluded. The U.S. agencies are really prioritizing cooperation with foreign counterparts and trying to avoid what they call the piling on of multiple prosecutions for the same bad acts, and as a result of that they can take much longer to prosecute, Wrage said in an interview with VOA. In a case coordinated among authorities in the U.S., the U.K. and Brazil, Swiss mining and commodity giant Glencore International A.G. agreed last year to pay more than $1.1 billion to resolve the U.S. governments investigations into bribery and price manipulation. Glencore faced charges of engaging in a decade-long conspiracy to pay more than $100 million to third-party intermediaries, intending a portion of the money to be used to bribe officials in Nigeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Brazil, Venezuela, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In another internationally coordinated case, U.S.-based waste management company Stericycle Inc. agreed to pay $84 million to resolve parallel investigations by U.S. and Brazilian authorities into the bribery of foreign officials in Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina. In recent years, the Justice Department has revitalized a policy of targeting individuals involved in corporate corruption. In a speech earlier this month, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said the agencys focus on individuality accountability has paid off. Last year, the Justice Departments fraud section secured more individual convictions than in any of the previous five years, Monaco said. But that policy has tended to slow things down, Wrage said. Whereas companies settle very quickly, individuals tend to fight because their liberty is on the line, Wrage said. A rift is growing within the Republican Party over the degree to which the United States should continue to support Ukraine in its effort to expel the Russian forces that are attempting to take over large swaths of the country. While key Republicans in Washington are still broadly supportive of the U.S. effort, which has channeled tens of billions of dollars in money and materiel to Ukraine since the launch of Russias full-scale invasion in February 2022, dissenting voices are increasingly making themselves heard. This week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis became the latest high-profile Republican to suggest that the U.S. should back off its support for Ukraine. Though he has not officially announced his candidacy, DeSantis is widely expected to seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. On Monday, Fox News host Tucker Carlson tweeted out the text of DeSantis response to a question that the host sent to several potential Republican presidential contenders, asking about their positions on the war. While the U.S. has many vital national interests securing our borders, addressing the crisis of readiness within our military, achieving energy security and independence, and checking the economic, cultural and military power of the Chinese Communist Party becoming further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia is not one of them, DeSantis wrote. The governor described the U.S. commitment to Ukraine as a distraction from other serious challenges, criticized the Biden administration for offering a blank check to Kyiv, and denounced a policy of regime change toward Russia something the Biden administration has specifically said it is not pursuing. DeSantis comments received enough attention to merit a response from the Ukrainian government. Oleg Nikolenko, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, tagged the governor on Twitter, writing, We are sure that as a former military officer deployed to a combat zone, Governor @RonDeSantisFL knows the difference between a dispute and war. We invite him to visit Ukraine to get a deeper understanding of Russias full-scale invasion and the threats it poses to US interests. Trumps position Former President Donald Trump, who has announced he is running for the Republican nomination next year, has previously expressed extreme skepticism about U.S. involvement in Ukraine. However, in responding to Carlson, he was somewhat less clear about continued U.S. funding of the war. He said that opposing Russia in Ukraine is not a vital strategic interest for the U.S. However, while he demanded that European countries provide more financial support for Ukraine and reimburse the U.S. for some of what Washington has provided he seemed to hedge somewhat when it came to the prospect of shutting off the flow of funds. [T]ell Ukraine that there will be little more money coming from us, UNLESS RUSSIA CONTINUES TO PROSECUTE THE WAR, the former president wrote. Trump went on to call for immediate negotiations on ending the conflict, while insisting that the war never would have happened if he had been in office, and that he could broker an immediate peace. If I were President, that horrible war would end in 24 hours, or less, he wrote. Other contenders Other declared or potential Republican presidential contenders were more in favor of continued support of Ukraine. Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor who served as Trumps ambassador to the United Nations, said during an appearance in Iowa last week that it is imperative to provide Ukraine with the equipment it needs to defend itself. If we win this war, this will send a message to China. Itll send a message to Iran. It will send a message to Korea. Itll send a message to Russia, said Haley, who announced her candidacy last month. If we lose this war, we need to take dictators at their word. They said Poland and the Baltics are next, and youre looking at a world war. Former Vice President Mike Pence, a possible presidential contender, characterized continued aid to Ukraine as a policy that former President Ronald Reagan, a Republican icon, would have supported. "This is not America's war. But if Putin is not stopped and the sovereign nation of Ukraine is not restored quickly, he will continue to move toward our NATO allies, and America would then be called upon to send our own," he said. Criticism from Washington DeSantis comments on Ukraine drew disagreement and some outright rebukes from senior congressional Republicans. In an interview with Politico on Tuesday, Senator John Cornyn commented on DeSantis position. "I'm disturbed by it. I think he's a smart guy. I want to find out more about it. But I hope he feels like he doesn't need to take that Tucker Carlson line to be competitive in the primary," Cornyn said. "It's important for us to continue to support Ukrainians for our own security." On Twitter, Senator Lindsey Graham wrote, To those who believe that Russias unprovoked and barbaric invasion of Ukraine is not a priority for the United States you are missing a lot. Graham went on to compare those calling for decreased support of Ukraine to the European nations that ignored the rise of Adolf Hitler in the 1930s. The last time someone in Europe claimed the land of others, and tried to take it by force of arms, was Adolf Hitlers attempt to build a Third Reich, he wrote. Those who miscalculated Hitlers intentions paved the way for a wider war and missed many opportunities to stop him early on. Senator Marco Rubio, from DeSantis home state of Florida, seemed to suggest that the governors position might be a result of inexperience with foreign policy. I dont know what hes trying to do or what the goal is, Rubio said in an interview with conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt. Obviously, he doesnt deal with foreign policy every day as governor. Time will tell In an email exchange with VOA, Michael OHanlon, a senior fellow and director of research in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution, said he did not believe DeSantis comments on Ukraine are representative of the feelings of most elected Republicans. I am skeptical the GOP will really stop supporting the war, OHanlon wrote. DeSantis comment isnt indicative of the center of gravity, and he isnt even in Congress. Time will tell. However, while DeSantis position on the war in Ukraine might not put him in the mainstream among Capitol Hill Republicans, it is one that many Republican voters appear to be adopting as the war continues, and U.S. expenditures on it mount. Republicans are becoming more wary of the Biden administrations program to support Ukraine, Carroll Doherty, director of political research at the Pew Research Center, told VOA. While he stressed that its not a majority of Republicans who have turned against the war, it is a significant percentage. Republicans, essentially, are divided on this, he said. Souring public opinion The Pew center conducted a poll in March 2022, the month after Russias full-scale invasion began. The results showed widespread support for helping Ukraine, with 74% of Americans saying that the Biden administration was either providing the right amount of aid, or should provide more, including 72% of Republican and Republican-leaning respondents, and 77% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning respondents. Only 7% of respondents said the U.S. was doing too much, including 9% of Republicans and 5% of Democrats. Since then, the percentage of Americans saying the U.S. has given too much aid to Ukraine has steadily increased, hitting 26% in January, the last time Pew asked the question. However, the growth was much more pronounced among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, with 40% saying the U.S. has given too much, compared with 15% of Democrats and those who lean Democratic. The percentage of Republicans and people who lean Republican reporting that they see the Russia-Ukraine war as a threat to the U.S. has also changed dramatically, falling from 51% in March 2022 to 29% in January 2023. The percentage also fell for Americans as a whole, from 50% to 35%, and for Democrats and people who lean Democratic, from 50% to 43%. Doherty said that the sharp divergence between Republican and Democratic attitudes toward the war is a common feature of much political polling in recent years. You see it across many, many issues, once an issue becomes highly visible or becomes essentially a political issue, he said. Attitudes have become more and more polarized by partisanship. Parts of California are under water, the Rocky Mountains are bracing for more snow, flood warnings are in place in Nevada, and water is being released from some Arizona reservoirs to make room for an expected bountiful spring runoff. All the moisture has helped alleviate dry conditions in many parts of the western U.S. Even major reservoirs on the Colorado River are trending in the right direction. But climate experts caution that the favorable drought maps represent only a blip on the radar as the long-term effects of a stubborn drought persist. Groundwater and reservoir storage levels which take much longer to bounce back remain at historic lows. It could be more than a year before the extra moisture has an effect on the shoreline at Lake Mead that straddles Arizona and Nevada. And it's unlikely that water managers will have enough wiggle room to wind back the clock on proposals for limiting water use. That's because water release and retention operations for the massive reservoir and its upstream sibling Lake Powell on the Utah-Arizona border already are set for the year. The reservoirs are used to manage Colorado River water deliveries to 40 million people in seven U.S. states and Mexico. Still, Lake Powell could gain 45 feet (14 meters) as snow melts and makes its way into tributaries and rivers over the next three months. How much it rises will depend on soil moisture levels, future precipitation, temperatures and evaporation losses. "We're definitely going in the right direction, but we still have a long way to go," said Paul Miller, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service's Colorado Basin River Forecast Center. Federal forecasters are scheduled Thursday to roll out predictions for temperature, precipitation and drought over the next three months, as well as the risk for springtime flooding. California already has been drenched by a fire hose of moisture from the Pacific Ocean that has led to flooding, landslides and toppled trees. Ski resorts on the California-Nevada border are marking their snowiest winter stretch since 1971, when record-keeping began. In fact, the Sierra Nevada is on the verge of surpassing the second-highest snow total for an entire winter season, with at least two months still to go. In Arizona, forecasters warned that heavy rain was expected to fall on primed snowpack in the mountains above the desert enclave of Sedona. One of the main creeks running through the tourist town was expected to reach the flood stage and evacuations were ordered for some neighborhoods late Wednesday. "We've pretty much blown past all kinds of averages and normals in the Lower Colorado Basin," Miller said, not unlike other western basins. Forecasters say the real standout has been the Great Basin, which stretches from the Sierra Nevada to the Wasatch Mountains in Utah. It has recorded more snow this season than the last two seasons combined. Joel Lisonbee, with the National Integrated Drought Information System, said that's notable given that over the last decade, only two years 2017 and 2019 had snowpack above the median. Overall, the West has been more dry than wet for more than 20 years, and many areas will still feel the consequences. An emergency declaration in Oregon warns of higher risks for water shortages and wildfires in the central part of the state. Pockets of central Utah, southeastern Colorado and eastern New Mexico are still dealing with extreme drought, while parts of Texas and the Midwest have become drier. Forecasters are expecting warm, dry weather to kick in over the coming weeks, meaning drought will keep its foothold in some areas and tighten its grip elsewhere. Tony Caligiuri, president of the preservation group Colorado Open Lands, said all the recent precipitation shouldn't derail work to recharge groundwater supplies. "The problem or the danger in these episodic wet year events is that it can reduce the feeling of urgency to address the longer-term issues of water usage and water conservation," he said. The group is experimenting in the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado, the headwaters of the Rio Grande. One of North America's longest rivers, the Rio Grande and its reservoirs have been struggling due to meager snowpack, long-term drought and constant demands. It went dry over the summer in Albuquerque, and managers had no extra water to supplement flows. Colorado Open Lands reached an agreement with a farmer to retire his land and stop irrigating the about 1,000 acres. Caligiuri said the idea is to take a major straw out of the aquifer, which will enable the savings to sustain other farms in the district so they no longer face the threat of having to turn off their wells. "We've seen where we can have multiple good years in place like the San Luis Valley when it comes to rainfall or snowpack and then one drought year can erase a decade of progress," he said. "So you just can't stick your head in the sand just because you're having one good wet year." A senior Iranian official visited the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, just days after Tehran agreed to restore diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia in a Chinese-brokered deal that raised hopes of a broader rapprochement across Middle East. Ali Shamkhani, the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said his visit was a meaningful beginning for the two countries to enter a new stage of political, economic and security relations, Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported. It said he was accompanied by the head of Iran's central bank and other senior officials. He met with the president of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and other senior officials to discuss opportunities for enhancing cooperation between the two countries, the UAE's official WAM news agency reported. Sunni Arab rulers in the Persian Gulf have viewed Iran with suspicion since the 1979 Islamic Revolution toppled a U.S.-allied monarch in Tehran. Relations have worsened since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, as Shiite-majority Iran has spread its influence across the region and supported powerful armed proxies in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and the Palestinian territories. In the Chinese-brokered agreement, which built on talks held in Iraq in recent years, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore diplomatic ties which were severed in 2016, when Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shiite cleric and Iranian protesters stormed its embassy in Tehran. The deal raised hopes for a lasting peace in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia has been at war with the Iran-aligned Houthi militia since 2015. That conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed the Arab world's poorest country to the brink of famine. The UAE, a close Saudi ally that also intervened in Yemen, returned its ambassador to Iran last August for the first time since 2016, as did the Gulf Arab nation of Kuwait. Dubai, a major international business hub in the UAE, is home to a large Iranian community. Suspicions still run deep, however, especially following a series of attacks on oil tankers off the coast of the UAE, as well as Saudi oil facilities, in 2019, which were widely blamed on Iran. Last year, a drone strike launched by the Iran-backed Houthis hit Abu Dhabi, hurting the UAE's reputation as a safe harbor in the volatile Middle East. The UAE was the first of four Arab nations to normalize relations with Israel in the so-called Abraham Accords in 2020. The two countries were drawn together in large part because of their shared suspicions of Iran. Israel views Iran as its greatest threat, and the two countries have waged a shadow war for several years. The Saudi-Iran deal raised concerns in Israel, which has long hoped to forge an alliance with Arab Gulf states against Tehran. At least one person was killed and two were injured in an explosion that caused a fire at a building belonging to the border patrol of Russia's FSB security service in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don on Thursday, local authorities said. Footage captured by Reuters showed a plume of thick black smoke billowing into the air, near residential buildings and a shopping center in a built-up district of the city. Local emergency services said an explosion had occurred, igniting a fire that spread to an area covering 880 square meters. They said one person had been killed and two more injured in the incident. BEIJING, March 16 (Xinhua) -- "The ultimate goal of modernization is people's free and well-rounded development," Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said Wednesday in a keynote speech during the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-level Meeting. "Modernization does not fall into our laps automatically. It is the result of hard work with strong historic initiative," Xi said, stressing that political parties worldwide should integrate party building with national modernization. Xi also proposed the Global Civilization Initiative, emphasizing that tolerance, coexistence, exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations play an irreplaceable role in advancing humanity's modernization. International observers said Xi's remarks elaborate on the responsibilities of global political leaders in advancing humanity. As a role model for the world, Chinese modernization has provided great wisdom and opened up a new prospect for humanity's sustainable development. CHINESE MODERNIZATION NOT BUILT IN A DAY China's modernization embraces the masses while balancing development with the harmony of nature, setting an example for the world, said Dogu Perincek, chairman of the Patriotic Party of Turkiye. "The modernization of the People's Republic of China has followed a path that embraces the society as a whole and attaches importance to the spiritual enrichment of humanity," he said, adding it is admirable to achieve modernization with a population of 1.4 billion people thanks to Chinese socialism. Zaher Raad, foreign affairs commissioner of Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party, said Xi's speech answered many questions of concern to the participating parties and proposed that political parties should take on the responsibilities of promoting modernization. Ensuring people-centered modernization is the key to advancing the modernization cause. Xi further expounded his important proposition on modernization and development, which is conducive to reducing the Global North-South Gap and establishing a security and development model featuring fairness, justice, joint contribution and shared benefits, said Andres Alvarez, secretary of the International Relations Department of the Colombian Communist Party. With this model, he added that people worldwide would have more rights to make their own choices. The realization of Chinese modernization is not achieved overnight. It requires strong leadership and precise policy-making by a political party, said Benjamin Anyagre, general secretary of the Ghana-China Friendship Association. He added that the CPC, which is leading the Chinese people on the path of modernization, has set an example for African political parties. NEW TYPE OF INT'L RELATIONS In his speech, Xi called for leveraging the strength of a new type of party-to-party relations for the building of a new type of international relations and expanding global partnerships by fostering stronger partners with world political parties. Pakistan's political parties welcome the remarks, which promotes people-to-people exchanges, said Asif Luqman Qazi, director of foreign affairs of the Jamaat-e-Islami Party in Pakistan. As one of the major political parties in Pakistan, he said the Jamaat-e-Islami Party looks forward to further enhancing cooperation and exchanges with the CPC through think tanks, youth organizations, women's organizations and other channels. Gustavo Pinto, a Brazilian professor, said China's role in facilitating the resumption of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran demonstrates its responsibility as a major country. Pinto said Chinese civilization advocates inclusiveness and magnanimity, something other countries should understand further since it will create a better future for the world. The CPC is committed to upholding international fairness and justice, promoting world peace and stability, advocating and practicing genuine multilateralism, and safeguarding the international system with the United Nations as its core, according to Cavince Adhere, a Kenya-based international relations scholar. "Without peace, no country can develop. The Communist Party of China has set a good example in this regard for other political parties in other countries," said Adhere. NEW INITIATIVE MEETS NEEDS OF THE TIMES Xi's Global Civilization Initiative respects different civilizations, said Vanxay Tavinyan, deputy chief of the Propaganda and Training Board of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee. He noted that the initiative conforms to the call of the times and helps different civilizations coexist and learn from each other. Attending the conference, Sergey Sanakoev, deputy chairman of the Russian-Chinese Friendship Society and president of the Asia-Pacific Region Research Center, said that the initiative is a natural development in the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, adding that the new initiative would help build a multipolar world and promote common prosperity. Eleni Karamalengou, director of the BA in Archaeology, History and Culture of Ancient Greece at the University of Athens, said that China's efforts to enhance mutual learning among world civilizations are significant. Taking Greece-China cooperation as an example, Karamalengou, who has closely cooperated with Chinese universities in recent years, said deepening cooperation between the two countries in culture and education has helped promote more frequent and fruitful Greece-China collaboration. Countries should develop peacefully, and civilizations should respect each other. The Global Civilization Initiative will help the world work together to meet pressing global challenges, reduce conflicts and confrontation, and realize harmonious coexistence, said Stephanos Stephanou, secretary general of Cyprus' Progressive Party of Working People. Asadollah Badamchian, general secretary of the Islamic Motalefeh Party of Iran, noted that both Iran and China are ancient civilizations with thousands of years of history, and both have contributed to the development of world's civilization. He added that the Global Civilization Initiative would help people of all countries emerge from the shadow of colonialism, imperialism and hegemony. Two journalists in Togo who are currently in hiding have been sentenced to three years in prison for insulting public authorities, their lawyer said. The small West African state, ruled since 2005 by President Faure Gnassingbe, is often accused by rights groups of cracking down on opposition figures and the media. Ferdinand Ayite and Kokou Kouwonou, also known as Isidore Kouwonou, respectively director and editor of the biweekly publication l'Alternative, were charged in December 2021 with public contempt of authority and propagating falsehoods on social media. This followed complaints by Justice Minister Pius Kokouvi Agbetomey and Commerce Minister Kodjo Adedze over a YouTube broadcast. On Wednesday, a court in the capital, Lome, "sentenced Ferdinand Ayite and Isidore Kouwonou to three years in prison and handed down a $4,900 fine to each," according to their lawyer Elom Kpade. "An international arrest warrant was issued against them," he said, adding that he would consult his clients about a possible appeal. Ayite was briefly jailed alongside another journalist in December 2021. He and Kouwonou are currently in hiding. The Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ, a U.S. organization that promotes press freedom, has denounced the case. "Togolese authorities should immediately cease their legal harassment of journalists Ferdinand Ayite and Isidore Kouwonou and allow them to work freely," said Angela Quintal, the CPJ's Africa program coordinator. "Journalistic commentary on issues of public interest should never be criminalized, and the summonses issued to these journalists should be scrapped at once." Britain said on Thursday it would ban TikTok on government phones with immediate effect, a move that follows other Western countries in barring the Chinese-owned video app over security concerns. TikTok has come under increasing scrutiny due to fears that user data from the app owned by Beijing-based company ByteDance could end up in the hands of the Chinese government, undermining Western security interests. "The security of sensitive government information must come first, so today we are banning this app on government devices. The use of other data-extracting apps will be kept under review," Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden said in a statement. The British government had asked the National Cyber Security Centre to look at the potential vulnerability of government data from social media apps and risks around how sensitive information could be accessed and used. The United States, Canada, Belgium and the European Commission have already banned the app from official devices. "Restricting the use of TikTok on government devices is a prudent and proportionate step following advice from our cyber security experts," Dowden said. TikTok said it was disappointed with the decision and had already begun taking steps to further protect European user data. "We believe these bans have been based on fundamental misconceptions and driven by wider geopolitics, in which TikTok, and our millions of users in the UK, play no part," a TikTok spokesperson said. China said the decision was based on political considerations rather than facts. The move "interferes with the normal operations of relevant companies in the UK and will ultimately only harm the UK's own interests", its embassy in London said in a statement. Dowden told parliament government devices would now only be able to access third party apps from a pre-approved list. The TikTok ban does not include personal devices of government employees or ministers and there would be limited exemptions where TikTok was required on government devices for work purposes, he added. British government departments and ministers have been increasingly using TikTok and other platforms to communicate with voters. Energy Minster Grant Shapps said the ban on government devices was sensible, but he would stay on the platform on his personal phone. He posted a clip from the movie "Wolf of Wall Street" in which Leonardo DiCaprio's character says "I'm not f****** leaving", and "The show goes on". Britain's Ministry of Defense posted a video on the platform shortly before the ban was announced showing how the British army was training Ukrainian forces to use the Challenger 2 battle tank. A United Nations-brokered deal that Ukraine and Russia struck last year to allow grain shipments from Black Sea ports is due to expire Saturday, although negotiators are working on a 120-day extension. On Wednesday, VOA interviewed former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko via satellite about the grain deal, allegations about who was behind an attack on the Nord Stream pipeline last year, and international arms shipments resupplying Ukrainian forces. Poroshenko, who led Ukraine from 2014-2019, also discussed how he sees Chinas role as a mediator in the conflict. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. VOA: The whole world is waiting for the grain deal to be extended. It's one out of not many, if not the only, agreement with the Russian Federation that seems to be working. The United Nations and Turkey say that talks continue, and Ukraine rejected a Russian push for a reduced 60-day renewal, offering a 120-day one instead. From your point of view, how fragile is this agreement? Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko: First of all, everybody should understand the real purpose and goal of Russia. And the whole world has a food crisis because Russia tried to weaponize everything, food, energy, and everything else under their influence. With this situation, I am absolutely clear that we should thank the United Nations for motivation; we should thank Turkey. And I support Ukraine's position for extending the minimum term of 120 days. The second position with the Black Sea grain initiative, this is the official name of this project, is that Ukraine should demonstrate absolute openness and transparency, and accountability with access to the grain corridor of all the premium products because everybody should be completely sure that the access to the grain corridor is free, and support, fighting of the world against hunger, and support, Ukrainian ability to make an influence on this hunger. And with that situation, I keep my fingers crossed that our unity together with a whole democratic world, United Nations, and Turkey will definitely bring the results. VOA: American and German media, citing anonymous sources, reported about a pro-Ukrainian group that may have blown up the Nord Stream pipeline. Journalists say that this group has no ties to the Ukrainian government. You may have read those articles from The Washington Post and The New York Times. The United States is quite cautious about preliminary assessments of these explosions. And according to our sources, there is some tension on how this subject may or may not affect Kyiv's and Washington's cooperation on military aid. Do you think those concerns are relevant? Poroshenko: First of all, I always believe and keep believing that the Nord Stream project is, as I said before, not an energy project or an economic project. This is the symbol of Russia's weaponizing of the energy policy. VOA: As Ukraine's president, you urged your European partners about this. Poroshenko: Absolutely! And tried my best since 2015 to block, stop, and suspend this process of building up the Nord Stream. But at the same time, I want to confirm that I, as the fifth president of Ukraine, Ukrainian authority, and Ukraine as a state all the time, are acting only in firm accordance with international law. And I can see that this attack, no matter who has organized it, no matter who is releasing this information, this is an attack on transatlantic unity. And those who are beneficiaries of this attack are only Russia Russia which wants to disintegrate our unity at the most critical point of the war. And we definitely do not allow anybody to discredit our unity. This is my personal position. This is the position of Ukraine, my team, the Ukrainian government, and the position of the Ukrainian people. We should be united and not give any enemies of Ukraine, any aggressor, any chance to attack our unity. That's why it's important not to distribute fake news. That's important to provide a transparent investigation, if necessary, with the participation of Ukraine. The investigation that can deliver trust. And with that situation, I am absolutely confident that it will be exactly as I said. VOA: Briefly, do you see anything that may affect the weaponry flow from the Western allies to Ukraine? Poroshenko: This is definitely the sweet dream of Mr. (Vladimir) Putin. And definitely, we shouldn't give him any tiny chance to implement this dream. The fact which surprised the world and Putin from the very first day of the wide-scale attack was the unity in Ukraine we demonstrated, including my team, from the first hours since February 24. And now, the global unity, global solidarity with Ukraine, and total and complete isolation of Russia. This is also the key factor for the sustainable security situation on the continent. It is a key factor for our victory, a key factor for our peace. And today's (Wednesday's) meeting of Ramstein, which is going on right now, should deliver a new ammunition deal and supply which we needed as air. Many of my team and many of my close friends are now in Bakhmut. And this is a direct message I want to deliver to you from them: We have a lack of ammunition. Any delay of ammunition supply, any delay of the armored personnel carrier, air defense, long-range artillery, long-range missiles, or any suspension would not only affect the April counter-offensive operation. But this is the fact that Ukraine now pays a very high price on the whole front line. Please, let's do our best to accelerate the supply. And I very much welcome today's initiative in the United States Senate, a bipartisan initiative that demands accelerating the supply and increasing the volume of supply. This is vital. VOA: Mr. Poroshenko, you're saying that the world shouldn't trust Putin. But should the world trust China? Do you welcome China's attempt to mediate, even though they neither condemned nor tried to stop Russia from invading Ukraine? Poroshenko: First of all, everybody should understand that the key to peace is definitely not in Washington, Kyiv, or even Beijing. The key to peace is in the hands of Putin in Moscow. And we should use every tiny possibility to increase well-organized pressure on Putin, starting from the battlefield and finishing with good negotiations, to motivate Putin to stop the war, to withdraw Russian troops from Ukrainian soil. And with that situation, I can confirm that the role of China can be absolutely decisive. And if we can use the Chinese factor, we definitely need to do that as soon as possible. At the same time, we shouldn't allow any attempt to supply weapons to the military criminal, Mr. Putin. And in this situation, I think the document that the Chinese present is not a peace plan. This is the 12 points. This is the call for the process. And I definitely recommend that China should be involved in the process. But what is the way how China should be involved? During my presidency, we presented to the world, and this can definitely work until now: Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine. With this situation, it is vital that (Chinese) President Xi visits Kyiv, visits Ukraine. And that would have great, not only symbolic, but efficient importance. And I think that if we can do something to help it happen, from the United States to NATO to you from Ukraine, that would be extremely important. We use this experience when anybody goes to Russia on the way before meeting Putin. It would be extremely efficient if the meeting with the Ukrainian president (Volodymyr Zelenskyy) occurred. Let's together motivate China to follow this way. The United Nations envoy for Myanmar said Thursday that the prospect for a political settlement to that countrys military takeover is not likely. With both sides intent on prevailing by force, there is no prospect for a negotiated settlement, Special Envoy Noeleen Heyzer told the General Assembly in a briefing on the situation. Myanmar has been mired in chaos and violence since the military rejected the November 2020 election results and overthrew the democratically elected civilian government on February 1, 2021. Since then, rights groups say thousands of civilians, including many children, have been killed or arrested in a crackdown. The military has also arrested, tried and sentenced de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint, and other high-ranking officials from the ousted National League for Democracy party. Heyzer said violence is rising by the military junta, the opposition Peoples Defense Force also known as the PDF and ethnic armed groups. On 1 February, the military extended the state of emergency and intensified its use of force, including aerial bombing, the burning of civilian structures and other grave human rights violations, to maintain its grip on power, she said. Beheadings, mutilation The special envoy detailed other alleged military atrocities, including recent reports of the beheadings and mutilation of PDF fighters and a massacre days ago of 28 civilians at a monastery in southern Shan state. In response, she said, the resistance is using both nonviolent and violent means. A generation that benefited from Myanmars previous opening up, especially the youth, is now disillusioned, facing chronic hardship and many feeling they have no choice but to take up arms to fight military rule, the special envoy said. Myanmars military government denied reports that its troops were responsible for the mass killing of civilians at the monastery, instead suggesting pro-democracy resistance groups were responsible. Heyzer urged the international community to send a strong signal that violence must end and and that those seeking a way forward to a peaceful future must be supported. The overall situation in the country continues to deteriorate, with martial law being extended to 47 townships and humanitarian needs rising. The U.N. says 1.6 million people are internally displaced and 17.6 million need aid inside the country compared with just 1 million before the military coup. ASEAN role Early in the crisis, regional bloc Association of Southeast Asian Nations, known as ASEAN, put forward a five-point plan that included ending the violence and starting a national dialogue, but Myanmar military chief General Min Aung Hlaing has not implemented it. Heyzer told reporters that while all agree that ASEAN will take the lead in resolving the crisis, she had made it clear that the five-point consensus must have concrete steps that need to be implemented with a timeline, and that there should be greater accountability if thats not done. When I went to Naypyidaw to speak with the senior general, I stressed what some of those concrete actions could be: i.e., to stop aerial bombings, to stop the burning of civilian infrastructure, to put a moratorium on executions, to release political prisoners. She said ASEAN cannot do this all alone and there needs to be a wider regional approach as well as stronger, coherent, strategic and coordinated international action. Indonesia is the current chair of the 10-member ASEAN. Heyzer said she and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi are in close cooperation. The two envoys briefed the U.N. Security Council earlier this week in a private meeting. Indonesias ambassador said his government has been engaging with all stakeholders to better understand their views and positions and to find common ground. Our immediate goal is to end violence, ensure greater access for humanitarian assistance and pave the way for inclusive national dialogue, Ambassador Arrmanatha Nasir told the General Assembly. ASEAN is united that the Five PCs [the association's Five-Point Consensus, its peace plan for Myanmar] remain our primary and valid references to addressing this crisis in Myanmar. A crossroads Myanmar continues to be represented at the United Nations by the National League for Democracys envoy, as the junta has not been internationally recognized as the countrys government. Envoy Kyaw Moe Tun said his country is at a critical crossroads where it will either become a permanent military dictatorship or a democratic state. We hope that the international community, in particular our neighbors, will not pave the way to permanent military dictatorship, he said. On the other hand, there is a future the Myanmar people want and are fighting for. It is a democratic Myanmar with minorities rights protected and self-determination granted under a federal system. He appealed to the international community to stop the flow of arms, jet fuel and funds to the junta, to provide humanitarian assistance directly to the people, to protect Myanmar refugees and asylum-seekers, and to end the militarys impunity by supporting accountability either through the International Criminal Court or a special tribunal. United Nations investigators accused Russian authorities of a pattern of grave, wide-ranging human rights violations against Ukrainian civilians that, in many cases, could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. In its first comprehensive report on the situation in Ukraine since Russia invaded that country on February 24, 2022, the three-member International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has concluded that "the Russian authorities have committed numerous violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, in addition to a wide range of war crimes." The war crimes include attacks on civilians and energy-related infrastructure, willful killings, torture and inhuman treatment, unlawful confinement, rape and unlawful transfers and deportations of children from Ukraine to the Russian Federation. "The conflict in Ukraine has had devastating effects at various levels," said Erik Mose, chair of the commission. "Human losses and the general disregard for the life of civilians are shocking. "The number of displaced persons or those seeking refuge abroad is the highest in Europe since the Second World War," he said. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that more than 5.4 million people are internally displaced, and more than 8.1 million Ukrainians have fled as refugees to neighboring European countries. Mose said the destruction of essential infrastructure schools, health facilities, residential buildings and other facilities has had an immense impact on people's lives. "The effects of the aggression upon people and on the country will not be overcome without great effort and commitment," he said. Over the past year, the commission has traveled to Ukraine eight times, visited 56 localities, and interviewed nearly 600 women and men. "While the commission could establish a dialogue with Ukraine authorities and receive responses to its questions, it regrets that it was not able to establish such a dialogue with the Russian Federation," Mose said. Among its findings, the commission has gathered evidence of the use of explosive weapons by Russian armed forces in populated areas "with an apparent disregard for civilian harm and suffering." The report said the attacks were indiscriminate and disproportionate "in violation of international humanitarian law." According to the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, such attacks have caused 90.3% of civilian casualties in the conflict. Since the start of the war, the U.N. has recorded at least 8,000 deaths and nearly 13,300 injured, although it believes "the actual figures are considerably higher." The commission has collected evidence showing a widespread pattern of summary executions, which commissioner Pablo de Greiff said show that "Russian authorities have committed unlawful killings of civilians in areas which came under their control which are violations of the right to life and in certain cases are war crimes." The commission has documented numerous cases of rape and sexual and gender-based violence affecting women, men and girls ages 4 to 82 committed by Russian authorities "as they undertook house-to-house visits in localities under their control and during unlawful confinement." Commission member Jasminka Dzumhur said the group has investigated the situation of forced transfer and deportation of children from Ukraine to the Russian Federation. "The commission documented that Russian officials have taken legal and policy measures regarding Ukrainian children deported to Russian Federation. "This includes citizenship and family placement measures, which have profound implications for a child's identity," she said. "Such measures are in violation of the right of the child to preserve his identity, including nationality, name and family relations, without unlawful interference as recognized by international human rights law and may also amount to a war crime." The Ukrainian government reports that 16,221 children have been deported to Russia. The commission said it has not been able to verify these figures. The commission found that the Ukrainian armed forces in a limited number of cases violated international humanitarian law. It said they have used cluster munitions, which are banned under international law, and that Ukrainian troops in two incidents had tortured and abused Russian prisoners of war, which could amount to war crimes. The commission has drawn up a list of individuals identified as being responsible for war crimes. That list will not be made public and will be turned over to the U.N Human Rights Office for future prosecution. The commission is calling for all violations and crimes to be investigated and for those responsible to be held accountable either at the national or the international level. The report will be submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Council next week. With the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan beginning March 22, U.S. Special Envoy to Yemen Tim Lenderking is in Saudi Arabia and Oman this week, aiming to extend the U.N.-mediated truce in the Yemen conflict. Yemen's internationally recognized government and the Houthi rebels agreed to a truce during Ramadan last year, but it expired in October. Since his appointment by President Joe Biden in February 2021, Lenderking has made multiple trips to the region, including a visit to Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates last month. However, this is his first trip following a Chinese-brokered rapprochement deal last week between Saudi Arabia and Iran, backers of the warring parties in Yemen. Last week, in a deal brokered by Beijing, Riyadh and Tehran announced they had agreed to reestablish diplomatic channels that had been severed since 2016. Despite some observers views that Beijings ability to mediate a detente between the two archrivals amounted to a sign of receding U.S. influence in the region, White House officials have publicly welcomed the deal. However, they also warned that it remains to be seen whether the agreement will last. Saudi Arabia still has a right and a responsibility to defend itself and its citizens, said John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, in a briefing to reporters Tuesday. 70,000 of Saudi residents are Americans. And so we share that responsibility, and we'll continue to make sure that Saudi can defend itself. The civil war in Yemen began in 2014 when Shiite rebels backed by Iran known as Houthis took over the capital, Sanaa. Beginning in March 2015, with support from the Obama administration, a coalition of Persian Gulf states led by Saudi Arabia launched a campaign of economic isolation and airstrikes against the Houthis, in effect turning the conflict into a Sunni-Shiite proxy war between regional powers. An extension of the Yemen truce will be the first test of the credibility of the Saudi-Iran deal, said Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran program at the Middle East Institute. One thing is to have a photo-op, and another thing to actually for Saudi Arabia and Iran, for example to sit down and end the Yemen war, he told VOA. The White House would not confirm reporting by Saudi media that a truce extension in Yemen is imminent. Saudi and Iran calculus The Saudis have sunk hundreds of billions of dollars into the military campaign in Yemen and are keen to de-escalate as they focus on rebranding their country and attracting investors under their Vision 2030 blueprint, said Merissa Khurma, program director of the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center. At a time when it's in a really good place, given high oil prices, to invest in implementing its vision for diversification, for investments, they need to deal with it first, she told VOA. Meanwhile, with no sign of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action deal that suspends Irans nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief being resuscitated anytime soon and Tehran under additional Western sanctions for its treatment of pro-democracy protesters, Khurma said Iranians may feel this is a good time to begin talks to recalibrate its place in the region. But in reducing tensions, Riyadh and Tehran could not turn to Washington, which has not had diplomatic relations with Iran since 1980. Instead, the Saudis turned to China, which has trade ties and economic clout with both capitals, and in the process allows it to hedge relationships with major powers as the U.S. reduces engagement in the region to focus on propping up Ukraines effort to defend itself against Russias invasion, Khurma added. This does not mean relations with Washington will change. Just this week, the White House and U.S. lawmakers applauded an announcement by Boeing that it had secured orders for dozens of 787 Dreamliner jets with two Saudi Arabian airlines. US withdrawal Ironically, U.S. withdrawal from the region may also be a factor for Riyadh to make peace with its regional archrival. Particularly, the Saudis have perceived a lack of support from Washington for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen and an underwhelming U.S. reaction to the 2019 Iranian attacks on Saudi oil facilities. Things would have been different if the Saudis believed that U.S. leadership in creating a military coalition against Iran was serious, said Vatanka, of the Middle East Institute. "But if they cant confront Iran alone without the support of the U.S., then why confront Iran at all? he asked. Meanwhile, U.N. Special Envoy on Yemen Hans Grundberg on Wednesday said momentum to end the conflict had been renewed by the Saudi-Iran deal and urged warring sides to seize the opportunity to take steps toward peace. Intense diplomatic efforts are ongoing at different levels to bring the conflict in Yemen to an end, Grundberg told the U.N. Security Council. We are currently witnessing renewed regional diplomatic momentum, as well as a step change in the scope and depth of the discussions. The Yemen conflict has claimed nearly half a million lives and is considered to have produced one of the worst humanitarian crises on the planet. Margaret Besheer contributed to this report. One of the Islamic State terror groups most dangerous affiliates has its sights set on the West and could launch an attack before the year is out, according to a top U.S. military official. Despite sporadic skirmishes between Afghanistans ruling Taliban and Islamic States Afghan affiliate, known as IS-Khorasan or ISIS-K, the terror group is closer to taking its fight beyond Afghanistans borders, U.S. Central Commands General Michael Kurilla told lawmakers on Thursday. "They can do external operations against U.S. or Western interests abroad in under six months with little to no warning," Kurilla said. The CENTCOM commander said there was a higher probability that IS-Khorasan operatives would target Western or U.S. interests in Asia or Europe, noting it would be much harder for them to carry out an attack against the U.S. homeland. Kurillas assessment comes more than a year and a half after the last U.S. troops left Afghanistan, severely degrading the ability of the United States and its partners to gather intelligence on groups like IS-Khorasan or its rival, al-Qaida. It follows similar assessments by other top U.S. officials, who see evidence IS-Khorasan is looking to make a statement on the global stage. "It's a matter of time before they may have the ability and intent to attack the West," the chief of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lieutenant General Scott Berrier, told lawmakers at a hearing last week. In January, the top U.S. counterterrorism official told a virtual audience that IS-Khorasan is the "threat actor I am most concerned about. We see concerning indications of ISIS-Khorasan in Afghanistan and its ambition that might go beyond that immediate territory," said National Counterterrorism Center Director Christine Abizaid, declining to elaborate on how soon the IS affiliate might try to strike. Other countries are also seeing signs of a rising IS-Khorasan. Intelligence shared by member states for a U.N. report last month warned IS-Khorasan has anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 fighters who have established cells in Kabul and in Kunar, Nangarhar and Nuristan provinces. Smaller groups of IS-Khorasan fighters are thought to have established themselves in as many as five additional provinces, and the group is actively recruiting in multiple languages, from Pashto to Persian to Russian. The report further warned that IS-Khorasan is seeking to undermine the relationship between the Taliban and neighboring countries by targeting diplomatic missions." Kurilla is not the first U.S. official to suggest that an attack by the group on a Western target could be imminent. In October 2021, just months after the U.S. withdrawal, the No. 3 official at the Pentagon warned that IS-Khorasan was positioned to conduct external operations in as little as six to 12 months. That dire prediction did not come to pass, and until several months ago, most U.S. officials agreed the IS Afghan affiliate had shown few indications it could strike outside the region. U.S. military and intelligence officials have said getting a more accurate gauge on developments in Afghanistan has been difficult because of the lack of a presence on the ground and the distances American surveillance planes and drones have to cover before they can conduct surveillance. Our intelligence is degraded, Kurilla told lawmakers on Thursday. We're working to close that gap with alternative airborne ISR [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] and some of our other intelligence," he added, cautioning, I believe we can see the broad contours of an attack, [but] sometimes we lack the granularity to see the full picture." Syria and Iraq There are also concerns about IS activity in Syria and Iraq. While ISIS is significantly degraded in Iraq and Syria, the group maintains the capability to conduct operations within the region and has the desire to strike outside of it," Kurilla told lawmakers. A major worry is the 10,000 IS fighters being held in 26 mostly makeshift prisons across northeastern Syria. Kurilla said CENTCOM is working with the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces to consolidate those prisons by constructing newer, more secure facilities. Also concerning are the wives, children and other relatives of jailed or dead IS fighters, especially those at the al-Hol displaced-persons camp in northeastern Syria, which holds about 51,000 people, including more than 30,000 children. About 50% of the camp holds, espouses, some form of [Islamic State] ideology, Kurilla warned. The other half are trying to escape ISIS." The top leaders of South Korea and Japan hailed a "new chapter" in bilateral relations Thursday, agreeing to restore regular visits to each other's countries and ease longstanding trade and other tensions. The moves were announced Thursday during a rare summit in Tokyo between South Korean President Yoon Seok Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Yoon's trip to Japan is the first by a South Korean president for a bilateral visit in 12 years. "Today's meeting with Prime Minister Kishida has a special meaning of letting the people of our two countries know that South Korea-Japan relations, which have gone through difficult times due to various pending issues, are at a new starting point," Yoon said. Sitting across from Yoon, Kishida said he was very happy "to start a new chapter of a forward-looking future of Japan and South Korea relations on this day when we can feel the arrival of spring." According to South Korea's trade ministry, Japan agreed to lift restrictions on the export of key semiconductor components to South Korea. In return, South Korea will drop a related complaint at the World Trade Organization, it added. The two leaders also agreed to resume regular visits to each other's countries. Such visits, which were referred to as "shuttle diplomacy," have been suspended since 2011. Yoon and Kishida also agreed to "fully normalize" an intelligence-sharing agreement known as GSOMIA, Yoon said. The moves are part of Kishida and Yoon's efforts to establish a forward-focused relationship that can better deal with common challenges, such as China and North Korea. In a demonstration of those shared security concerns, North Korea on Thursday launched an intercontinental ballistic missile that landed just 250 kilometers west of Japan's Oshima Island in Hokkaido Prefecture. No damage was reported from the missile, which fell outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, according to Japan's defense ministry. In his opening remarks, Yoon said North Korea's nuclear and missile threat "is getting increasingly sophisticated by the day" and is "a huge threat to peace and stability, not only in East Asia but also in the international community." "South Korea and Japan should work closely together in solidarity, and wisely deal with such unlawful threats and dilemmas for the international community," Yoon also said, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency. North Korea's near-constant missile launches since early last year have served as a regular reminder of the threat posed by the nuclear-armed country. In 2022, North Korea launched more than 90 missiles by far the most it has ever fired in a single year. Some of the missiles flew close to South Korea and Japan, prompting shelter warnings and air raid alerts. Japan and South Korea also must deal with the challenges posed by China, which under Communist Party leader Xi Jinping has grown more authoritarian at home and more aggressive abroad. Though they face many of the same problems, Japan-South Korea ties have long been unstable, due to disputes related to Japan's 1910-1945 brutal colonial occupation of the Korean Peninsula. Relations reached their worst point in decades after South Korea's Supreme Court in 2018 ruled that Japanese companies must compensate South Korean victims who were conscripted into forced labor. Last week, Yoon unveiled a plan to resolve the forced labor dispute. Under Yoon's plan, the victims would be compensated through a public foundation funded by donations from South Korean companies, without the direct involvement of Japanese businesses. The plan has been heavily criticized by South Korea's opposition Democratic Party; multiple polls suggest about 60% of South Koreans oppose the proposal, with many saying that Japanese companies should offer compensation. Japan insists the forced labor and all other compensation issues were resolved by a 1965 treaty that established relations between Japan and South Korea. It is still not clear the extent to which Japanese companies may voluntarily contribute to the government-backed foundation, or other efforts to improve bilateral ties. During the summit Thursday, Yoon said he has no plans to seek reimbursement from Japan, Yonhap reported. Many analysts say the attempts at improved Japan-South Korea relations may falter if Japan does not offer significant reciprocal steps related to the forced labor issue. "Both Japan and South Korea have a stake in stabilizing their relationship with each other more than ever before," wrote Scott Snyder, a Korea specialist at the U.S.-based Council on Foreign Relations. "But the sustainability of such efforts will be subject to future reversals in the absence of acts of statesmanship by both Yoon and Kishida to build a lasting consensus capable of insulating the relationship from domestic political influence in both countries," Snyder said. BEIJING, March 16 (Xinhua) -- World leaders continued to extend congratulations to Xi Jinping on his election as president of the People's Republic of China. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said that Xi's election shows that the Chinese people have full confidence in his leadership, and it has an important impact on the international community. South Africa and China share the same development goals and extensive common interests, he said, noting that the two countries are closely united with their comprehensive strategic partnership continuing to flourish. South Africa is willing to continue to strengthen cooperation with China on the basis of traditional friendship and comradely relations, and work together to facilitate regional and multilateral cooperation, he said. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier sincerely wished Xi every success in the important position. Today the world is facing severe challenges and all parties should unite to deal with them, the president said. He expressed confidence in the future development of Germany-China relations and hoped that as the COVID situation improves, extensive people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries can be fully restarted and deepened. Expressing his sincere congratulations on Xi's election as Chinese president, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he is willing to maintain in-depth exchanges with Xi to further develop constructive cooperation and to deepen the open and pragmatic partnership for comprehensive cooperation between the two countries. Noting that Xi, as the helmsman of 1.4 billion Chinese people, shoulders immense responsibility, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that Xi's philosophy of governance has enlightened many. He said he firmly believes that under Xi's leadership, China will achieve the goal of building a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful. The two countries always respect each other, and enjoy mutual benefits and a shared future, he said, noting that Malaysia will always be at the forefront of actively developing relations with China. President of the Republic of Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso said the fruitful results of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between his country and China are encouraging. The president said he is ready to work together with Xi to strengthen the bilateral cooperative relations for the benefit of the people of both countries. President of Botswana Mokgweetsi Masisi said Xi leads China to forge ahead toward the grand goal of Chinese modernization under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Xi's unanimous election attests to the absolute trust of the Chinese people in his excellent leadership, Masisi said, noting that Botswana and China share common core values and Botswana will continue to push forward the friendly relations between the two countries. Surinamese President Chandrikapersad Santokhi said that his country has always been committed to deepening Suriname-China relations and friendship, abiding by the one-China principle, supporting China-proposed important initiatives, and appreciating China's constructive role in safeguarding multilateralism, promoting global development and building a community with a shared future for mankind. Those also sending congratulatory messages to Xi include: Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar, Moldovan President Maia Sandu, Governor-General of Jamaica Patrick Allen, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Chairman of Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Leonid Slutsky, President of the Party of Communists of Kyrgyzstan Iskhak Masaliyev. The revived Raymond Carver Writing Festival (RCWF) is back for its second year with an emphasis on poetry. Located in Clatskanie, Oregon where the world-famous poet and short story writer Raymond Carver (1938-1988) was born, the two-day festival, May 19-20, will be preceded by a poetry contest in April Poetry Month with the theme from Carvers poem Happiness: Happiness. It comes on unexpectedly. And goes beyond, really, any early morning talk about it. The contest will kickoff with Poetry and Pie (Carvers favorite dessert) from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 4, at the Clatskanie Library, 11 Lillich Street. Poetry from youth living within the Clatskanie School District boundaries and adults from throughout the Lower Columbia region will be judged in the following categories: Youth (ages 8-10, 11-12, 13-15, 16-18); Adults: Published and Non-Published, and Haiku: Open to both youth and adults. Entries are limited to two poems per poet. Cash prizes will be awarded. More information will be available at https://www.rayondcarverwritingfestival.org or https://www.clatskanielibrary.org prior to the April 1 start of the poetry contest. Participation in both the poetry contest and the May 19-20 festival events is free. Oregon Poet Laureate Anis Mojgani will be the featured presenter at a reception on Friday, May 19, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Clatskanie Cultural Center, 75 S. Nehalem Street. The reception also will feature speakers on Carvers connection to Clatskanie, local authors, and refreshments. There will also be a commemorative bookmark printing in collaboration with the C.C. Stern Type Foundry. Prior to the May 19 evening reception, a pop-up poetry booth will offer readings of Carver poems beginning at 1 p.m., festival information, maps for a self-guided walking tour of Carvers birthplace, mural and sculpture, and the Clatskanie Historical Museum at the Castle where Carver memorabilia is on display. Also available for purchase will be keepsake posters and t-shirts, while supplies last. A free showing of the 1993 movie, Short Cuts, based on Carver works is set for 2 p.m. May 19 in the Clatskanie Cultural Centers Birkenfeld Theatre. The movie is R rated. Free popcorn will be available. On the schedule for Saturday, May 20, will be workshops by Mojgani, Michael Mills, host of the Raymond Carver Podcast; Marianne Monson, a leader of the Astoria Writers Guild, and Cathlamet poet Dayle Olson. More details about the workshops soon will be listed on https://www.rayondcarverwritingfestival.org. Presentations of awards and readings by youth winners of the poetry contest in the Birkenfeld Theatre at the Cultural Center is set for 4:30 p.m. on May 20, followed by dinner in the ballroom, at 5:30 p.m. Cost of the chicken fettuccini dinner and pie dessert is $20. Reservations are required and may be made online at https://www.clatskaniearts.org. After dinner, the winners of the adult categories in the poetry contest will read their winning poems, followed by an open mic poetry jam. The Raymond Carver Writing Festival is sponsored by the Oregon Arts Commission, Oregon Humanities, Oregon Heritage Commission, Oregon Historical Society, State Historical Preservation Office, Columbia County Cultural Coalition, Oregon Cultural Trust, Clatskanie Foundation, Clatskanie Library, Wauna Credit Union, Writers Guild of Astoria, C.C. Stern Type Foundry, Clatskanie Arts Commission, and Jerome White. A China-Europe freight train heading for Moscow is pictured at Mafang railway station in Pinggu District of Beijing, capital of China, on March 16, 2023. A cargo train loaded with 55 containers left Beijing Thursday morning for the Russian capital Moscow, marking the launch of the first direct China-Europe freight train service from the Chinese capital.(Xinhua/Ren Chao) BEIJING, March 16 (Xinhua) -- A cargo train loaded with 55 containers left Beijing Thursday morning for the Russian capital Moscow, marking the launch of the first direct China-Europe freight train service from the Chinese capital. The freight train carrying goods such as construction materials, household electrical appliances and clothing departed from the logistic hub of Pinggu District in the northeast of the city and will exit the country via Manzhouli Port in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The train is expected to reach Moscow in 18 days, covering a distance of approximately 9,000 km. "In the past, we needed to send the products to Henan or Hebei provinces before they were shipped to Europe," said Chu Yixiao, general manager of the Taitong International Transportation Co., Ltd. "With the launch of this freight train service, goods can now be sent directly from Beijing to Europe, reducing logistics costs and boosting transportation efficiency," he said, adding that the development presents new opportunities for businesses to thrive. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). According to Liu Zhenfang, chairman of the board of the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd, China-Europe freight trains have linked 108 Chinese cities with 208 cities in 25 European countries, with the cargo routes handling 65,000 freight train trips. A staff member checks the carriages of a China-Europe freight train heading for Moscow at Mafang railway station in Pinggu District of Beijing, capital of China, March 16, 2023. A cargo train loaded with 55 containers left Beijing Thursday morning for the Russian capital Moscow, marking the launch of the first direct China-Europe freight train service from the Chinese capital.(Xinhua/Ren Chao) A China-Europe freight train heading for Moscow departs from Mafang railway station in Pinggu District of Beijing, capital of China, on March 16, 2023. A cargo train loaded with 55 containers left Beijing Thursday morning for the Russian capital Moscow, marking the launch of the first direct China-Europe freight train service from the Chinese capital.(Xinhua/Ren Chao) A China-Europe freight train heading for Moscow is pictured at Mafang railway station in Pinggu District of Beijing, capital of China, on March 16, 2023. A cargo train loaded with 55 containers left Beijing Thursday morning for the Russian capital Moscow, marking the launch of the first direct China-Europe freight train service from the Chinese capital.(Xinhua/Ren Chao) A China-Europe freight train heading for Moscow departs from Mafang railway station in Pinggu District of Beijing, capital of China, on March 16, 2023. A cargo train loaded with 55 containers left Beijing Thursday morning for the Russian capital Moscow, marking the launch of the first direct China-Europe freight train service from the Chinese capital.(Xinhua/Ren Chao) This aerial photo taken on March 16, 2023 shows a China-Europe freight train heading for Moscow at Mafang railway station in Pinggu District of Beijing, capital of China. A cargo train loaded with 55 containers left Beijing Thursday morning for the Russian capital Moscow, marking the launch of the first direct China-Europe freight train service from the Chinese capital.(Xinhua/Ren Chao) A China-Europe freight train heading for Moscow departs from Mafang railway station in Pinggu District of Beijing, capital of China, on March 16, 2023. A cargo train loaded with 55 containers left Beijing Thursday morning for the Russian capital Moscow, marking the launch of the first direct China-Europe freight train service from the Chinese capital.(Xinhua/Ren Chao) Court upholds murder sentence for Finnegan Lee Elder. Two American tourists convicted of stabbing a policeman to death in Rome in 2019 will face a new trial following a ruling on Wednesday night by Italy's highest court. The Rome-based Court of Cassation ordered a retrial for Finnegan Lee Elder , 23, and Gabriel Natale-Hjorth, 22, who were convicted in the killing of 35-year-old carabiniere Mario Cerciello Rega in a botched attempt to buy drugs. Last year an appeals court had reduced the life sentence to 24 years for Elder, for stabbing plainclothes officer Cerciello Rega to death, while Natale-Hjorth had his life sentence reduced to 22 years. On Wednesday the Court of Cassation upheld Elder's murder sentence but ordered a new trial as certain related allegations were not corroborated sufficiently, Reuters reports, and there was not enough evidence that the pair knew they were dealing with police. The court ruled that Natale-Hjorth, who did not handle the murder weapon during the attack, should stand trial again to review whether he had been an accessory to the killing. Elder has admitted to stabbing Cerciello Rega but both Americans insist they thought they were facing drug dealers, not police. Background to the case On the night of 26 July 2019 the two Californians, on holiday in Italy, met up in Rome and tried to buy cocaine in the popular night-life area of Trastevere. A man described as an intermediary, later identified as Sergio Brugiatelli, helped them find a dealer who allegedly sold them crushed aspirin instead of drugs. In retaliation the pair stole Brugiatelli's rucksack, demanding the return of their money plus cocaine in exchange. However Brugiatelli informed the police of the situation, with undercover officers Mario Cerciello Rega and Andrea Varriale going to the designated meeting point in the upmarket Prati district, in place of Brugiatelli. During the altercation Elder used an 18-cm serrated-edge combat knife to stab Cerciello Rega, who was not armed, while Natale-Hjorth wrestled with Varriale. Cerciello Rega was stabbed 11 times, later dying from his wounds in hospital. The next day police tracked down Elder and Natale-Hjorth to a nearby hotel where the murder weapon was found concealed behind a ceiling panel. The killing of Cerciello Rega, who had just returned from honeymoon, shocked Italy and led to a huge outpouring of public sympathy for his widow. Massive crowds turned out for his funeral at the same church where he had been married 43 days before. Photo ANSA - Alessandra Tarantino In an interview where she reveals in detail the deeply disquieting state of journalism in Kashmir and the disturbing treatment of Kashmiri journalists by the government, Anuradha Bhasin, the Executive Editor of The Kashmir Times, strongly and sharply refuted the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Thakurs criticism of her recent essay in The New York Times. The Minister said her so-called opinion piece on freedom of press in Kashmir is mischievous and fictitious adding it was published with a sole motive to spread a propaganda about India and its democratic institutions and values. In response, Ms. Bhasin said she completely refutes what the Minister has said. She added he hasnt contested the facts but (only) the interpretation of them. She said she absolutely stands by what she has written adding the Ministers over-reaction vindicates my stand. UNITED NATIONS, March 15 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called for action to stop anti-Muslim hatred on the occasion of International Day to Combat Islamophobia. The world's nearly 2 billion Muslims reflect humanity in all its magnificent diversity. But they often face bigotry and prejudice due to their faith, Guterres said in a message for the International Day, which falls on March 15. He stressed that Muslims suffer personal attacks, hateful rhetoric and scapegoating. He added that growing anti-Muslim sentiment is part of the resurgence of ethnonationalism, neo-Nazi white supremacist ideologies and violence targeting vulnerable populations, including Muslims, Jews, some minority Christian communities and others. "Discrimination diminishes us all. And it is incumbent on all of us to stand up against it," Guterres said. "We must push for policies that fully respect human rights and protect religious and cultural identities." He also called for political, cultural and economic investments in social cohesion and recognition of diversity to confront bigotry. The UN chief said every great faith and tradition summons the imperatives of tolerance, respect and mutual understanding. He called on people to counter the forces of division by reaffirming our shared humanity. The misstatements are part of a pattern that has raised questions about how the justice views his obligation to report details about his finances to the public. Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share It seems like whenever there is a bit of jitter in the global banking world, Credit Suisse Group AG gets a beating. It needs to pre-emptively improve the public narrative before the crazy, rich, and anxious Asians pull all their money out of the Swiss bank. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight After a record slump in its share price and a spike in its credit default swaps, Credit Suisse is trying to restore confidence Thursday. It said it would borrow up to $54 billion from the Swiss National Bank, which had offered to provide a liquidity backstop if needed. The lender also said it would repurchase senior debt securities for up to about 3 billion francs ($3.2 billion). Thats just a small bit of relief for its private banking clients in Asia, who have been amazed and mesmerized by the venerable Zurich-based lenders fast fall from grace. Advertisement How Asians view the Swiss bank matters. Between 2016 and 2020, the region contributed one-third of the profit growth in its wealth management division, and 48% cumulative growth in invested assets, according to HSBC Holdings Plc. Hong Kong, Beijing and Singapore are among the top 10 cities where the super-rich or those with more than $30 million in net worth live. Credit Suisse can no longer brand itself as a global wealth manager without its rich Asians. In this region, Credit Suisse has faced a lot of hurdles lately. Wealthy Chinese clients have become much more worried about parking money in Swiss banks because of the nations tough approach to applying sanctions. Its neutrality is now in question the government has moved in lockstep with the European Union in penalizing Russian President Vladimir Putins wealthy associates. To make matters worse, SVB Financial Groups $42 billion withdrawal requests and its subsequent collapse is a fine reminder that Credit Suisse displays very similar problems. In the December quarter, customer deposits tumbled by 40% from three months earlier. Its top wealth managers were fleeing to competitors, taking their clients with them. Advertisement To stem outflow in Asia, the lender recently raised its three-month deposit rates for new deposits of $5 million and above to as much as about 6.5%. Thats 1.5 percentage points higher than direct rival UBS Group AG offers, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. This juicy rate smacks of desperation. Almost all the banks deposits have contractual maturity of less than a year, according to Citigroup Inc. Because of its exposure to high-net-worth individuals, a big chunk is likely uninsured. Switzerland guarantees deposits of up to 100,000 francs only. Further, the Chinese are particularly skittish and sensitive to negative news flow. After all, they have witnessed and suffered from Beijings latest regulatory crackdowns. An entire after-school tutoring industry which had been a venture capital hot spot vanished overnight. Wealthy clients used to love buying dollar bonds issued by real estate builders such as China Evergrande Group, lured by their handsome coupon payments. That lucrative trade went up in flames after a record wave of developer defaults. Advertisement As the wealthy Asians are finding out, theres no point chasing after yield if you are not sure you can have your principal back. From sanctions risk to the safety of their deposits, Credit Suisse has a lot of client queries to address. It also does not help that its customers have been recently traumatized by Chinas sudden policy U-turns. To keep its Asian operation going, the Swiss bank has a lot more work to do than issuing press releases. It needs to appease its clients in Asia its profit and growth center. More From Bloomberg Opinion: Credit Suisse Needs Friends Now More Than Ever: Paul J. Davies Credit Suisse Needs a Cockroach Exterminator: Paul J. Davies Credit Suisses Hong Kong Bankers Deserve Some Love: Shuli Ren This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Shuli Ren is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asian markets. A former investment banker, she was a markets reporter for Barrons. She is a CFA charterholder. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2023 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share Despite their orientation toward the US and western Europe, Finland and Sweden since the Cold War had bet that their national security was best protected by staying out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They aimed to avoid disturbing the military balance in the Baltic Sea region and provoking Russia. However, Russias invasion of Ukraine and its demands to stop NATO expansion pushed both countries to seek entry into the alliance. Now they need all 30 current members to ratify their accession. 1. Why arent Finland and Sweden NATO members? Both countries conduct military exercises with NATO and increasingly share intelligence with it. They are part of the alliances Partnership for Peace program, which fosters cooperation with non-members, and, along with Ukraine, are among six so-called Enhanced Opportunity Partners that make particularly significant contributions to NATO operations. But they didnt join the group earlier for historic reasons. Advertisement Finland has spent the 105 years since its independence tiptoeing around Russia, the giant to its east, with which it has roughly 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) of border. Two wars against the Soviet Union between 1939 and 1944 were followed by a policy of deference and self-censorship toward the Soviets that came to be known as Finlandization. After the Cold War ended, Finland began turning more toward the democracies of western Europe, joining the European Union and adopting the euro. But the ghost of Finlandization lingered and Finns held onto the cornerstone of their foreign policy: maintaining good relations with Russia. The countrys leaders didnt consider NATO a viable option, and popular opinion, until early 2022, was firmly against joining. Sweden stayed out of both world wars, and as the two superpowers vied for influence during the Cold War, neutrality was seen as the best way of ensuring its independence. Still, Swedens defense during the Cold War was designed to deter a Soviet invasion, and the country covertly cooperated with NATO. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Swedens policy was officially rebranded as military non-alignment, and its defense was significantly scaled down. But since Russias 2014 annexation of Ukraines Crimea peninsula, Sweden has gradually ramped up military spending and sought ever closer cooperation with NATO. 2. What would their joining do for NATO? Advertisement Having Finland and Sweden in the alliance would arguably make it easier to stabilize the security of the area around the Baltic Sea and to defend NATO members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The three Baltic countries are often seen as a potential target for Russian aggression because they have substantial ethnic Russian minorities, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has used protecting such people as a pretext for interventions in Ukraine. Including Finland and Sweden would add to NATO two sophisticated, well-equipped militaries with gear thats already compatible with that used by the alliance. It would lengthen NATOs border with Russia, which now comprises just 6% of Russias land perimeter, and enable the alliance to improve its surveillance of the countrys western flank. 3. Whats required to join NATO? The criteria include a functioning democracy based on a market economy, fair treatment of minority populations, a commitment to resolve conflicts peacefully, and a willingness and ability to make a military contribution to NATO operations. Sweden and Finland are among the worlds most developed nations with stable democracies and highly trusted political institutions. Its not a requirement that citizens bless a move to join, but favorable public opinion lends legitimacy to a countrys bid for membership. As of mid-March, 28 NATO members had ratified the Nordic bids; only Turkey and Hungary had yet to act. Advertisement 4. How has Russia responded to the idea? Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that Finland joining NATO would definitely be a threat to Russia. Russia has warned of serious military and political consequences from Finnish and Swedish accession that would require Russia to respond. In April, it said it would deploy nuclear weapons in and around the Baltic Sea region if the two joined. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda dismissed the threat as empty, accusing Russia of already placing tactical nuclear weapons in Kaliningrad, its exclave on the Baltic. Russia had warned the Baltic states of serious consequences before they joined NATO in 2004, but that turned out to be a bluff. On the other hand, Montenegro in 2016 said it had foiled a Russia-backed plan to assassinate then-premier Milo Djukanovic over the countrys plans to enter NATO, which materialized a year later. A court in 2019 sentenced 14 people, including opposition leaders and Russian and Serbian nationals, to as many as 15 years in jail over the failed plot, though an appeals court annulled the verdicts. Finns expect to face more spying, cyberattacks, airspace breaches and influence operations by Russia should they become part of NATO. 5. How is this changing Finland and Sweden? Advertisement They are increasing military cooperation between themselves and with other nations, work that began to accelerate in the run-up to the war in Ukraine. In March 2022, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto visited US President Joe Biden, who promised, in a joint phone call with Swedens Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, to deepen cooperation between the three nations. NATOs pledge of collective defense only applies to members, but the US last year made security assurances to both applicants if threatened by Russia. Theyve also signed security cooperation agreements with the UK. They both intend to continue ramping up defense spending, with Swedens long-term plan increasing funding for the armed forces by almost 30% from 2021 to 2024. --With assistance from Natalia Drozdiak. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com 2023 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share California is attempting to reckon with its history of racial oppression and violence and produce justice, in the form of reparations, from the bitter fruit. If the state succeeds in its reckoning it will be an enormous public service. If it should actually succeed in dispensing justice it might be something more like a miracle. The Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans was created by an act of the California legislature in 2020. Though a final report to the legislature isnt due until July, the task force, which functions with assistance from the state Department of Justice, has produced more than 100 preliminary recommendations for future deliberation. The suggestions range from making official apologies to implementing a detailed program of reparations for African Americans. The details are pending, but Bloomberg News reported recently that one model under consideration suggests the state would owe a total of almost $640 billion to 1.8 million Black Californians with an ancestor enslaved in the US, which works out to roughly $360,000 per person. Where the state would get $640 billion, almost three times its general fund this year, is uncertain, but without wildly creative financing, it would almost certainly come from the states wealthiest residents, who are also disproportionately White. Advertisement Its of course notable that California, which had perhaps 1,500 slaves in 1852, is leading the way toward reparations; its one mark of how fraught the project will be. While California digs up the past and searches for paths to justice, the former slaveocracy Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and others appears more concerned with whitewashing American history, which has proved to have too much blood in it for contemporary conservative political tastes. Like the former slave states, however, California was also an industrial-scale destroyer of native populations. In addition, the state punished early Asian immigrants for their existence. California passed Alien Land Laws in the early 20th century, for example, to prevent Asians from owning land, and many California Whites were as vigorous in discriminating against Asians as they were at subjugating Blacks. The US government paid more than $1.6 billion in reparations to more than 82,000 Japanese Americans who had been interned during World War II. But other victims of intolerance and oppression have received nothing. The equity of reparations to one targeted group in a state that brutalized others will no doubt be a subject of public debate after the final report is delivered. Advertisement Claudio Saunt, a historian at the University of Georgia, noted that contemporary American Indians are too few in number around 5 million to generate great political pressure for reparations. In addition, Saunt said in an email, each of the 574 federally recognized Tribal entities (as the Bureau of Indian Affairs calls them) has a formal nation-to-nation relationship with the U.S. government, and each one of those nations has its own history with the United States. Thus negotiations would have to be conducted separately with each recognized tribe. Even among Black Americans, the path to equity and justice is anything but a straight line. Bruces Beach was a Black-owned beachfront in Manhattan Beach, south of Los Angeles, that was taken a century ago through eminent domain in order to remove Blacks from the area. Los Angeles County last year returned the property to heirs of the Black family that had owned it, then agreed earlier this year to buy back the property for $20 million. Its an isolated case of reparations, having no direct connection to slavery. But there are many descendants, of many other Bruces, in California and elsewhere, who will never be similarly compensated. About 34 miles south of Bruces Beach was the Pacific Beach Club, another short-lived, Black-owned California resort, constructed on a seven-acre stretch of Pacific coast in Huntington Beach. Weeks before the grand opening, slated for Abraham Lincolns birthday on February 12, 1926, a blaze tore through the unfinished structures and left the resort in ruins, writes Andrew Kahrl in The Land Was Ours, his history of Black beach resorts during the long reign of racial terrorism. Advertisement The arson attack succeeded in scuttling the project; local Whites soon took over the beach. How much future wealth was forfeited when Black investors were burned out of seven acres of Orange County beachfront? How would such a debt the byproduct of racial terrorism ever be repaid? In a reparations plan directed to descendants of slaves, it wouldnt be. Any accounting of reparations owed will necessarily be inexact. Any effort to summon the political will to deliver real money to people will produce misgivings about fiscal realities and social equities along with a vicious backlash among the legion of White Americans for whom racial resentment is a mainstay of political and social life. In a Pew Research Center poll last fall, only 18% of Whites supported reparations for descendants of enslaved people, while 77% of Blacks did. Those numbers explain why reparations remain such a piecemeal project. In one novel effort, the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois, has offered Black residents money for property costs, including repairs. But slavery wasnt a local institution. It was endorsed, and enforced, by the national government and financed in New York and Boston, places where it was banned. Advertisement Reparations is an issue that benefits a minority at the expense of the majority a classic tough political sell even in California. To alter its prospects nationally would likely require an enormous effort to educate more Americans about the realities not just of slavery but of the century of brutal apartheid that succeeded it. Thats precisely the type of education that conservative governors such as Ron DeSantis of Florida are fighting to keep under wraps. Hyperventilating about woke schools makes for more palatable politics than acknowledging that ignorance is a policy objective. More From Bloomberg Opinion: Manhattan Beach May Show Way on Reparations: Francis Wilkinson Biden Is Still Failing Americas Black Farmers: Adam Minter Retire the Concept Reverse Discrimination: Stephen L. Carter Advertisement This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Francis Wilkinson is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering U.S. politics and policy. Previously, he was an editor for the Week, a writer for Rolling Stone, a communications consultant and a political media strategist. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2023 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article BEIJING, March 16 (Xinhua) -- China's State Council Information Office on Thursday released a white paper titled "China's Law-Based Cyberspace Governance in the New Era." The white paper focuses on upholding the rule of law in cyberspace, consolidating the legal system for cyberspace governance, keeping order in a rule-based cyberspace, defending fairness and justice in cyberspace, promoting public awareness and competence in law-based cyberspace governance, and increasing international exchanges and cooperation in law-based cyberspace governance. In the new era, China has made law-based cyberspace governance an essential part of the overall strategy of the rule of law and the drive to build up its strength in cyberspace, read the white paper. Marked improvements have been made in ensuring law-based cyberspace governance, said the white paper, adding that China has boosted cyberspace governance by developing a complete system of laws and regulations, a highly efficient enforcement system, a stringent supervision system, and an effective supporting system. With stronger domestic capacity in law-based internet governance, China has contributed ideas and solutions to global internet governance, it said. On the new journey toward becoming a modern socialist country, China will always be committed to all-around law-based governance of the country and of cyberspace, the white paper noted. According to the white paper, China will promote the lawful, orderly and healthy development of the internet, safeguard the high-quality development of a digital China under the rule of law, and provide a solid legal guarantee for building up China's strength in cyberspace. The rule of law in cyberspace is an important tool of digital governance and a marker of digital progress, the white paper read. Facing the opportunities and challenges brought about by digitalization, China will follow the global governance principle of achieving shared growth through consultation and collaboration, and work together with the international community to ensure that global cyberspace governance is law-based and that digital progress will deliver greater benefits to the people, said the white paper. "China stands ready to partner with all other countries to build a community with a shared future in cyberspace and create a better world," it added. OTTAWA, March 16 (Xinhua) -- A drama depicting the spiritual journey of an indigenous woman to reconnect with her cultural origin is on stage in Vancouver to spread awareness of Canada's dark history. Canadian playwright and actress Jani Lauzon told Xinhua that she wrote and performed Prophecy Fog in hopes that her art could raise the public's awareness of the systematic persecutions of indigenous people in Canada. Born as a Metis girl, Lauzon knew all about discrimination as a child. Metis are the descendants of native residents and early white settlers in North America. "I can't say that the Metis experience is much different than the First Nations' experience, because we have mixed ancestors. I didn't grow up on reserve. I actually didn't grow up knowing very much about my indigenous ancestry at all," said Lauzon. For centuries, Metis were targets of systematic discrimination and oppression together with First Nations and Inuit people in Canada. "It was later on in doing a lot of work around genealogy and sitting in the Archives in Ottawa trying to find answers to these things that I felt so strongly connected to," she said. Lauzon said what she found about how indigenous people were treated was very traumatizing. Her father was a survivor of Indian Residential School, a mechanism to erase aboriginal culture and language from indigenous children for more than a century. "Canada was created on the backs of free labor which is another reason for the residential schools. Those kids were free domestic service and free agricultural service. The agricultural industry in Canada was created and possible on the backs of students who went to those schools," said Lauzon. "That's just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the stories and the atrocities that happened." Lauzon said she wants to make candid dialogue with the audience of how indigenous people were severed from their ancestral culture. For more than a century since the 1830s, school-age children of the indigenous community were snatched from their mothers' arms and corralled in distant residential schools funded by the Canadian government, where they were surveilled by the clergy of the Christian church, barred from family visits, and institutionalized away from their cultural traditions. "It still breaks my heart that there are so many people in this country who have no idea what happened, who have not educated themselves, who have not taken the time to better understand the circumstances," she said. She wants her audience to ponder on the dark pages of Canada's history. Over 150,000 First Nations, Metis and Inuit children were separated from their families and forced to attend government-funded schools between the 1870s and 1997. In 2015, a Truth and Reconciliation Commission appointed by the Canadian government concluded that children were physically and sexually abused and died in the schools. While it has documented at least 4,100 deaths, the commission said the real numbers may never be fully known. This structure was notable for what it didnt do: namely follow a familiar formula of splitting the fair into two tiers, with wealthy galleries in one zone and emerging ones in another. In each section there was a mix of new galleries and long-established ones. This arrangement respected Dubais character as a melting pot, with a huge foreign population and a cast-iron commitment to progress and innovation. Artist Refik Anadol launched his new immersive installation Glacier Dreams at Art Dubai. Credit: Getty Images It also reflected del Vals contention that Middle Eastern collectors are not impressed by talk of good investments or well-padded CVs. He says they are more prone to follow their personal taste, forming an immediate relationship with a work for a variety of reasons, from local content to boldness of colour. Unlike so many of their Western counterparts, they are focused on works rather than reputations. Loading Im unable to confirm such generalisations, but Dubais rapid rise from a desert village to a thriving cosmopolis has demonstrated a unique character. The city-states success has been predicated on strong, entrepreneurial leadership, and an understanding that the fabulous wealth that has accrued to the ruling dynasty must be shared with the population in the form of public facilities and infrastructure. In the 21st century, Dubais autocratic system is an anomaly, but a remarkably stable one. Whatever the local taste, the modern and contemporary sections of the fair were dominated by galleries from India, Africa and the Middle East, including 24 from Dubai alone. Many of the European galleries confirmed the local focus by showing work by artists from these regions. One of the highlights of the Modern section was DAGs solo show by Natvar Bhavsar (b. 1934), the Indian artist who came to prominence in the United States in the wake of the abstract expressionist movement. Loading Bhavsars experience is typical of artists from non-Western countries in that he had to relocate to America to achieve success. Other artists featured in this section had similar stories. Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian (1922-2019), showing with The Third Line (Dubai) and Ota Fine Arts (Japan), went back and forth between the United States and her native Iran. Expressionist painter Marwan (1934-2016), showing with German gallery Sfeir-Semler, was born in Syria, but made a career in Berlin. In the Bawwaba section, Silverlens of the Philippines presented a striking series of drawings of moths on translucent capiz shell, by Gregory Halili, that alluded to the fragility of ecosystems around the world. Next door, French gallery Parliament hosted an impressive exhibition by Moroccos Achraf Touloub, whose quasi-abstract images explore the atomisation of contemporary communities. Maryanto of Indonesia, showing with Singapore gallery Yeo Workshop, took on the depredations of the palm oil industry, in a series of powerful graphic works. The contemporary galleries featured many newcomers such as Efie Gallery, which is based in Dubai, but dedicated to African artists, the most notable being El Anatsui of Ghana, who was the big name among a group of emerging talents. Kristin Hjellegjerde is a European gallery with branches in the UK, Germany, Norway and the USA, that takes a completely global approach. The gallerys stall at Art Dubai, included artists from Pakistan, Egypt, Syria, Italy, South Africa and Iraq. When it came to Art Digital Dubai, Ive never seen a more broad-ranging selection of new media art. Although the vogue for NFTs has had its boom-and-bust moment, there are still many dealers that expect to make their fortunes with this medium. Add new fields such as AI and the Metaverse and its easy to see why many believe this is the future of art. The main attraction was Refik Anadol, whose monumental AI work occupied the central foyer of the National Gallery of Victoria during the 2020 NGV Triennial. At present, the California-based Anadol has an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. His colourful AI-generated swirls of condensed imagery were being shown by PILEVNELI from his home city of Istanbul. The Louvre Abu Dhabi. Credit: Alamy Italys Galeria Continua featured work by Loris Cecchini, in which an algorithm spun organic patterns from a single modular shape. One could buy the moving image on a screen, and the original metal module, packaged like a rare piece of jewellery in a wooden box. British artist Brendan Dawes at Gazell.io (Baku/London) showed an elaborate series of algorithmically generated images based on the Iranian epic the Shahnama, developed in collaboration with a choreographer. The financial backer of UEA NFT took the time to explain to me the investment he had made in the Metaverse, the marketing strategy he is using, and the reason why he believes it will turn into a multimillion-dollar proposition within the next few years. It will operate like a club, in which one pays a joining fee, then may construct an imaginary environment, either off the shelf or to ones own design. In turn, you can sell your designs and ideas to other club members. Its a potentially limitless field of invention in which players create their own heaven or hell, as they see fit. Its a community, but also a world of ones own. I can see the commercial appeal but dread the social implications of millions of people addicted to their self-made worlds. Its a disturbing thought at a time in which our ties to reality are already fraying. Loading The broader cultural aspirations of the UAE are represented in very different ways by the commercial extravaganzas of Art Dubai and the galleries clustered in a development called Alserkal Avenue; the spectacular Louvre Abu Dhabi; the privately funded Art Jameel, with branches in Dubai and Jedda, Saudi Arabia; and the Sharjah Biennial. Taken together with the new museums and cultural enterprises in Qatar and elsewhere, it adds up to the most lavish, ambitious investment in art and culture to be found anywhere in the world today. Whereas the Louvre Abu Dhabi is a universal museum for the 21st century, with a partner relationship to the Louvre in Paris, the 15th Sharjah Biennial is an utterly contemporary affair, concerned with the cutting-edge issues that dominate present-day art. This years display includes work by well-known Aboriginal artists Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Queenie McKenzie and Eubena Nampitjin, along with Destiny Deacon, Tracey Moffatt, and two Australian artists of Asian origin, Sangeeta Sandrasegar and Hodar Afshar. Each artist is represented by the equivalent of a solo exhibition. We owe this unusually generous grouping to curator Sheika Hoor Al Qasimis longstanding interest in Australia. Writing and publishing a book about a controversial public figure is like diving into shark-infested waters, says ABC investigative journalist Louise Milligan. She told her Adelaide Writers Week audience that if shed written her 2017 award-winning book Cardinal: The Rise and Fall of Cardinal Pell today, she wondered if it would even be published. Theres a lot more caution in the publishing world. Its a defamation-happy climate. Her fellow investigative journalist, Nines Adele Ferguson, agreed: We have such punitive defamation laws, some of the worst in the world. People should be marching in the streets. Louise Milligan says Australia has a defamation-happy climate. Credit: Simon Schluter The Writers Week crowd were probably not the kind to march in the streets, but they were keen that all voices should be heard and read even the two Palestinian authors whose social media comments had led to boycotts by some sponsors and writers. Yet one of the themes of this peaceful and respectful gathering was how many voices were being silenced. Sometimes this happened through the timidity of publishers, even with no threat of legal action. Publishing veteran Hilary McPhee said she was very concerned about the Australian industry today. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Having created Extrapolations, a detailed and accomplished new drama series for Apple TV+ about the daunting and sometimes cataclysmic effects of climate change on our planet across the next 50 years, Scott Z. Burns is well aware that the topic inspires emotions such as insignificance, fear, and even guilt in the people he wants to watch his show. But the leading American screenwriter and director believes theres a different perspective available. There are people who when they contemplate climate change feel overwhelmed. They feel its beyond anything they can do, and I always want to challenge them and ask where they found that narrative? Burns says. There are people on the planet that would like us to have that narrative, and I also want people to know that it isnt necessarily your fault that you ended up living during a period of history where were leaving a large carbon footprint. I want to say to people that its okay that you have those feelings, but its important to understand why, he adds. Once you do, it will lead you to a different set of questions. Erudite and attentive, the 60-year-old is no stranger to making possible futures into tangible stories. In 2020, while Burns was getting to grips with the climate changes vast portfolio in preparation for creating Extrapolations, people in COVID-19 lockdown were obsessively watching Contagion, the 2011 pandemic thriller he made with long-time collaborator Steven Soderbergh. Burns dystopian credentials are impeccable. What Ive learned about my job in Hollywood is that theres a Venn diagram that has one circle with what I want to do and another with what Hollywood would like me to do. They have the smallest crossover, Burns says. Within that crossover I have to try and have a rewarding career. Fortunately, Apple was willing to meet me in that zone on this project. If everything is challenging its best to pick something youre really passionate about, because its the passion that will get you through it. Extrapolations is an interlocking anthology story, opening in 2037, with a crucial climate conference underway as the projected increase in the planets temperature threatens to exceed two degrees Celsius; ice caps recede, and extreme weather events become common. Some characters recur, such as manipulative a tech mogul played by Kit Harington (Game of Thrones), while others are seen as children and later adults; Meryl Streep plays or voices several roles, not all of them human. Advertisement Review Eating outPerth Miss Mi makes staying at the Novotel for dinner worth it Rob Broadfield March 17, 2023 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share 1 / 3 Miss Mi Perth, in the Novotel Hotel. Supplied 2 / 3 Grilled prawns in a tamarind curry. Supplied 3 / 3 Miss Mi head chef Alex de Leon. Supplied Previous Slide Next Slide Modern Asian$$$ Were rarely in the mood for a margarita, but tonight was the night. It arrived. Ive got shivers up my spine just thinking about it. Bloody hell, it was disgusting. Plan B. We ordered wine and as we did, I motioned to the waiter that I had finished with the offending er, offensive cocktail. Everything okay with the drink sir? Advertisement Well one minor thing. Why does a restaurant this good use margarita mix? Its dreadful. I smiled to take the sting out of it. Sir, I can assure you we dont. We watched him go to the bar and speak to the cocktail guy. There was some waving of hands and tasting the drink with straws and then our waiter came back to the table. It was worse than we thought. Hmmm sorry about that sir. Yes. Well. I have just learnt that he also uses bottled lime juice. Advertisement What he meant were those dreadful little teardrop-shaped plastic bottles the yellow one for lemon, the green one for lime that, I think, are still available in supermarkets. Horrible stuff and so shelf-stable they have a half life similar to plutonium 239. He offered to make one for us. Nah, all good. But he insisted. He returned a few minutes later with a stunning, beautiful, smoky, citric, well-balanced margarita. Chalk and cheese. Maybe they should sack the bar manager or at least have a good talk with him, Tony Soprano style. Because here we are, wasting good column centimetres talking about something that is an embarrassment to a restaurant that is pretty much spot on as far as food and service goes. This kitchen must have its dehydrator working day and night. We are at Miss Mi, a new restaurant at the Novotel Hotel on Murray Street. Advertisement The furniture, decor and lighting are perfectly good in that androgynous, big hotel chain kind of way. Its modern, comfortable, very schmick and moodily lit, a lovely room. It was chocka with happy punters. The chef is Filipino-born Alex De Leon, a professional with a good CV and a lot of skill. Chilli crab and prawn dumplings were good. The wonton wrapper was well steamed but tensile, the filling was chunky and tasty. The best bit, by far, was the sauce. It was a creamy, almost bisque-like soup with mesmerising Asian flavours subtly deployed. Stunning. A couple of weeks ago, you may recall we were at a riverside restaurant where the lamb ribs were dry as an AA meeting and thinner than a cobras lips. Miss Mis lamb ribs were as luscious and plump and fatty and char grilled as the other ones were mean and desiccated. Miss Mis lamb ribs. Supplied Advertisement These had a Szechuan glaze. It was good too, adding sweet saltiness to the meat and propagating the crunchy, caramelised char. Dont you just love it when collagen-rich lamb fat bursts in your mouth? No? Whats wrong with you? Sooooo good. A small mound of lurid pickled red cabbage was off to the side and it was more than an afterthought. Hard to tell whether they made it or bought it, but whatever the kitchen did, it shouldnt change a thing. Our hero dish was cucumber with fermented chilli, garlic crumb and prawn oil. They had quartered a small cucumber, cleverly served the four batons ice cold (one of those rare occasions when its okay to do so) and anointed them with fermented chilli, the crumbs and a pool of rich red crustacea oil. Neil Perrys Spice Temple immediately came to mind and thats a big compliment. The cucumber was crunchy and fresh and bursting with its own juices and the garnishes added a riot of sweet, salty, crunchy, sour, unctuous, hot/cold flavours and textures. Big fan. Barbecue beef short rib with soybean puree and ginger was a terrific recipe let down by dry rib meat. Given that I could bathe in a tub full of fermented soybean paste, it was, well, a very special disappointment. Grilled prawns in tamarind curry was another winner. This kitchen must have its dehydrator working day and night. Another crumb was utilised for this dish, this time a lemongrass crumb and it enlivened the dish. The prawns were superbly cooked, just the right side of undercooked. The curry sauce had us asking for spoons to get the last skerrick. Advertisement So, where does Miss Mi fit into your go to restaurant list? Should you (a) rush there now, (b) put it on your list for a later date, or (c) dont bother? Its a solid B+ for us; a hotel restaurant that is better than you might expect. Its food shows this kitchen knows what its doing with well-conceived flavours and dishes. Theres no weird stuff from try-hard chefs, just solid technique, bold flavour, imaginative cookery and a casual, likeable approach. Now, about those cocktails. The low-down Miss Mi 15/20 Cost: street snacks, $14-$27; small dishes, $18-$36; large (main) dishes, $28-$39; sides, $8-$18 missmiperth.com.au BEIJING, March 16 (Xinhua) -- The 133rd Canton Fair will resume all on-site activities in Guangzhou from April 15 to May 5, after being held largely online since 2020 due to COVID-19 prevention measures, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday. It will continue to provide online service for participants, ministry spokesperson Shu Jueting said at a press conference. The event, also known as the China Import and Export Fair, has been held twice annually since 1957. As China has dynamically optimized and adjusted its COVID-19 prevention measures, Chinese and overseas enterprises are now eligible to participate in the fair offline, so it will fully resume offline activities in the spring of this year, she said. The exhibition area will be expanded from 1.18 million square meters to 1.5 million square meters this year, she said. It is estimated that more than 30,000 Chinese and overseas enterprises will take part in the trade fair, and participating Chinese enterprises include more than 5,000 leading manufacturing and high-tech enterprises, she said. Singapore: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has aired concerns about the transparency of Australias submarine ambitions during a rambling speech in which he also accepted they would be nuclear-powered and not nuclear armed. The strongman also linked the AUKUS announcement to Australian distrust over a controversial Chinese-funded naval base in his country. Cambodian leader Hun Sen has always denied that China would be able to set up a military base in the country. Credit: AP The Cambodian leader was among more than 60 world leaders briefed by the Australian government on its $368 billion plan to acquire a fleet of nuclear-propelled submarines before the details were unveiled in San Diego by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Tuesday. Much attention in particular was placed on assuaging fears within South-east Asia that the presence of such vessels in their vicinity could contribute to a further escalation of tension in the region. Washington: Russian hackers appear to be preparing a renewed wave of cyberattacks against Ukraine, including a ransomware-style threat to organisations serving Ukraines supply lines, a research report by Microsoft said on Wednesday. The report, authored by the tech giants cybersecurity research and analysis team, outlines a series of new discoveries about how Russian hackers have operated during the Ukraine war and what may come next. A screenshot of the Fancy Bears website fancybear.net, one of Russias most feared hacking outfits. Credit: AP Since January 2023, Microsoft has observed Russian cyber threat activity adjusting to boost destructive and intelligence gathering capacity on Ukraine and its partners civilian and military assets, the report reads. One group appears to be preparing for a renewed destructive campaign. The findings come as Russia has been introducing new troops to the battlefield in eastern Ukraine, according to Western security officials. Ukraine Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov last month warned that Russia could accelerate its military activities surrounding the February 24 anniversary of its invasion. Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, speaks during a daily news briefing at the UN headquarters in New York, Aug. 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Xie E) "It is a big deal, to put it in diplomatic terms. The (UN) envoy (for Yemen) had a good, positive visit to Iran. We hope that this creates a climate that is conducive to enshrining a political path toward peace in Yemen," said a UN spokesman. UNITED NATIONS, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The China-brokered agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran on the restoration of diplomatic relations represents an opportunity for the resolution of the conflict in Yemen, said a UN spokesman on Wednesday. Asked how optimistic UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is about the possibility of the Saudi-Iran agreement leading to a breakthrough in Yemen, Stephane Dujarric, his spokesman, said the agreement "is clearly an opportunity." "It is a big deal, to put it in diplomatic terms. The (UN) envoy (for Yemen) had a good, positive visit to Iran. We hope that this creates a climate that is conducive to enshrining a political path toward peace in Yemen," said the spokesman. While the truce in Yemen has not been formally extended, the positive impact of the truce has continued, he noted. "We haven't seen major clashes. We've seen greater humanitarian access. We've continued to see civilian flights. These are all good things, but they need to be built upon and built upon quickly." Earlier on Wednesday, the top UN envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, in his briefing to the Security Council, welcomed the Saudi-Iran agreement. "Allow me to also take this opportunity to welcome the recent agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran to resume diplomatic ties, which was facilitated by the People's Republic of China. This dialogue and good neighborly relations are important for the region and for Yemen," he said. The parties must seize the opportunity presented by this regional and international momentum to take decisive steps toward a more peaceful future, he said via a video link. Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia stormed several northern cities and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa. A Saudi-led military coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in 2015 to support the Yemeni government. State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Qin Gang meets with John Lee, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), in Beijing, capital of China, to exchange their views on diplomatic work related to the HKSAR, March 16, 2023. (Xinhua) BEIJING, March 16 (Xinhua) -- State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Qin Gang on Thursday met with John Lee, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), in Beijing to exchange their views on diplomatic work related to the HKSAR. Lee thanked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its support to the HKSAR government over the years, especially in terms of opposing foreign interference, upholding "one country, two systems," and promoting Hong Kong's external exchanges and cooperation. He expressed hope that the ministry will continue to provide guidance and support for Hong Kong in foreign affairs relating to the HKSAR. The ministry has always supported the HKSAR government in administering Hong Kong in accordance with the law, and in fully and faithfully implementing "one country, two systems," Qin said. "We will follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, continue to support, guide and assist Hong Kong in diplomatic work related to the HKSAR, and resolutely safeguard China's sovereignty, security and development interests, thus promoting Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability," Qin said. Aerial photo provided by the Swedish Coast Guard on Sept. 27, 2022 shows the gas leak from Nord Stream in the Baltic Sea. (The Swedish Coast Guard/Handout via Xinhua) "An explosion of this kind, of such power, at such a depth can only be carried out by specialists and supported by all the might of a country with certain technologies," Putin said. MOSCOW, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday said the theory that Ukrainian activists were involved in the Nord Stream pipelines blast last year is "complete nonsense," alleging the United States is behind what he called a "terrorist attack." "We must always look for those who are interested. Theoretically, the United States is certainly interested in stopping the delivery of Russian energy to the European market and supplying its own, including LNG, even if it is 25-30 percent more expensive than Russia's," Putin said in an interview with a Russian TV program. "It is challenging for us to conduct our own investigation if we are not allowed to the site of this terrorist attack. The fact that this is a terrorist attack is no longer a secret to anyone. In my opinion, everyone has already recognized this. Moreover, the terrorist attack was clearly committed at the state level because no amateurs can carry out such actions," Putin said. "An explosion of this kind, of such power, at such a depth can only be carried out by specialists and supported by all the might of a country with certain technologies," he explained. Russia requested the Danish authorities check the Nord Stream pipelines as explosive devices could still be planted there, but "the answer was vague ... They said that we have to wait," Putin said. Putin believes the Nord Stream still has a future if European partners care about national interests. "In world practice, there is no example of repairing such a system after such an incident, but theoretically, everything is possible," adding, "It would take time, money, and some new technologies." In an article published last month, Pulitzer Prize winner Seymour Hersh revealed that the United States partnered with Norway in a top-secret operation in June 2022 to plant remotely triggered explosives that took out three of the four Nord Stream pipelines three months later. READING, Pa.- The two delegates visiting from Reading's namesake in England have seen quite a lot in their first few days here in Reading, PA. Now they're being joined by officials from Reading's other sister city of Reutlingen, Germany for visits to places like the GoggleWorks and tours of schools, including Alvernia University and Albright College. "This is my third time here in the states," said Njeri Kinyanjui, councilor in Reutlingen, Germany. "I was here in the 90's." Kinyanjui, who grew up in Africa and went to Germany to study almost two decades ago, is now a councilor in Reutlingen. She said she's seen some ideas here she'd like to take back home. "Especially the Alvernia idea with the downtown college because it's something we suffer from in our town, Reutlingen. Our campus is outside town so you hardly have any contact with students and the students don't have contact with the town," said Kinyanjui. The delegates are in town to help Reading celebrate its 275th birthday. Reading was officially incorporated as a municipality on March 16, 1748. The delegates said it's refreshing to get a different perspective on things. "We've found it really very enjoyable and also impressive," said Tony Page, a councillor from Reading, England. READING, Pa. - Pennsylvania Senate Democrats gathered Wednesday with those who work in the world of youth violence to discuss what can be done to stop it. "This is a statewide issue. There are not sufficient facilities when we want to place a juvenile because they don't have the beds," said Judge Scott Lash with the Berks County Court of Common Pleas. The judge, who handles juvenile court cases, said lack of beds for youth leads to them being sent out of the area to await court action. Lash believes it's partly a staffing issue within the system. "If the salaries were higher, it would obviously be easier to hire people," explained Lash. Judge Lash said it's too easy for young people to get guns and that youth violence is something that will take a team effort to stop. "Some of them get them for protection, others to show off," said Lash. "Others to potentially commit robberies or other crimes." From those involved with stopping gun violence for years, to a criminal justice and psych major about to enter that professional world, what changes does she want to see?" "Young people, we just want it to end. We want to be the change, we want to be the young policy makers and the young lawyers and young senators," said Micah Yarbray, a senior at Alvernia University. In what seems like a constant circle of violence followed by discussion, does she think this latest round of talks will help? "I feel like it's really gonna make an impact and change is gonna come after this policy hearing," said Yarbray. "We want it to end and we want to be the change to make it end." HARRISBURG, Pa. - Lawmakers from Berks County announced millions in new funding for projects in their districts Thursday. Senator Judy Schwank (D-Berks) said 11th Senatorial District projects received a total of $4.62 million in grant funding from the Commonwealth Financing Authority as part of the Local Shares Account statewide program. The program, which was established by the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act of 2004, distributes gaming revenues through the CFA in support of projects in the public interest within the commonwealth. Counties, municipalities, municipal authorities, economic development agencies and redevelopment authorities are eligible to apply for LSA funding. Projects are only eligible if they are owned and maintained by an eligible applicant or a nonprofit organization. Having a lengthy list of projects that are forward thinking and worthy of funding is a good problem to have, Schwank said. With this funding, the state is improving public safety, boosting access to recreational areas for disabled individuals, investing in the preservation of iconic Berks County venues and more. Today is a great day for Berks County. The projects are: Spring Township $800,000 for the Wyomissing Sewer Project, for sewer pipes upgrades and wastewater management. City of Reading $500,000 for the construction of a modern, multi-purpose training and special operations facility to be located in Cumru Township. Laureldale Borough $482,255 to construct ADA-accessible bathroom facilities at Dominic Manzella Park. Kutztown Community Partnership $450,000 in support of the rehabilitation of the historic Kutztown Strand Theatre. Wyomissing Borough $400,000 for ADA and safety improvements at Stone House Park. Antietam Valley Municipal Authority $376,379 for vehicle equipment upgrades for use in Alsace Township, Mt. Penn Borough, Exeter Township, St. Lawrence Borough and the City of Reading. Muhlenberg Township $294,000 in support of streambank restoration and to install a riparian buffer at Laurel Run Creek. Mount Penn Borough $275,000 for the reconstruction of ADA-compliant handicap ramps to be constructed on various streets throughout the borough. West Reading Borough $264,750 to upgrade security cameras along the main commercial area, at the police department and municipal building. Fleetwood Borough $225,000 for phase two of construction to stabilize and restore the Willow Creek streambank located at Fleetwood Park. Mount Penn Borough Municipal Authority $207,100 for upgrades to an existing Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system located in Exeter Township. Reading Water Authority $165,649 for monitoring upgrades for the Maidencreek Filter Plant. Ruscombmanor Township $100,00 for ADA accessibility improvements in Strauss Park. Mount Penn Borough $60,000 for renovations to the Mount Penn Fire Companys heavily used day room. Lyons Borough Municipal Authority $29,260 to upgrade its current water and mapping system and to conduct a leak detection test. In addition to the LSA-statewide awards, five Berks County entities received $580,791 in LSA-Category 4 Facilities Program grant funding. Projects in counties with Category 4 licensed gaming facilities, like Berks, are eligible. Greater Reading Chamber and Economic Development Corporation $142,346 for the Franklin Street Transit-Oriented Development Strategic Plan. Berks County Redevelopment Authority $125,000 to convert an old building located on Gregg Avenue in the City of Reading into office space. West Reading Borough $113,552 for streetlight replacements. West Reading Borough $100,000 for the redevelopment of gateway signage. Sinking Spring Borough $99,893 for a brush chipper at the community yard waste site. Representative Mark Gillen (R-Berks) announced LSA grants for projects in the district he serves. Gillen, who helped secure the funding, said the $825,000 in state grant money will be used for community improvements in the 128th Legislative District. These grants play a significant role in helping to provide the necessary equipment to maintain functional systems and services for our communities and their residents, said Gillen. I was happy to advocate for approval of the grant applications for these projects. The grants include: Amity Township $169,735 to purchase equipment to maintain the sewer system. Birdsboro Borough $153,930 to repair the East First Street bridge. Birdsboro Borough $114,176 to purchase a dump truck. Birdsboro Borough $26,846 to purchase a series of outdoor workout stations. Birdsboro Borough $285,000 to purchase a street sweeping vehicle. Birdsboro Borough $75,708 to purchase a new maintenance truck for the Public Works Department. Representative David Maloney (R-Berks) also announced LSA grants totaling more than $1.6 million that have been awarded to fund 130th District projects. Maloney said the projects will create improvements to public safety and additional opportunities for recreational activity in the district. Featured projects include: BEIJING, March 16 (Xinhua) -- China opposes exclusive blocs of individual countries and hopes that the relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) can develop in a direction conducive to regional peace, stability, and prosperity, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Thursday. "As a close neighbor of the two countries, China has noted the recent interactions between Japan and the ROK and the changes in their relations," Wang said at a daily news briefing when answering a relevant query. Wang noted that the aggression and colonial rule of Japanese militarism have caused great disasters to Asian countries including China and the ROK. "Past experience, if not forgotten, is a guide for the future," Wang said, adding China has always asked Japan to deeply reflect on its history of aggression, properly handle historical issues in an honest and responsible manner, and develop normal state-to-state relations with its Asian neighbors on this basis. Noting China, Japan, and the ROK are each other's important economic and trade partners, Wang said it is in the common interests of the three parties and the region to jointly maintain stable and unimpeded production and supply chains at the regional and global levels. NORTHAMPTON, Pa. - A 15-year-old-girl is facing charges for allegedly writing the threat that closed Northampton Area High School earlier this week, the superintendent said. She is accused of writing "Shooting up school March 14th" on a bathroom stall wall in the high school on Friday, said Joseph Kovalchik, superintendent of the Northampton Area School District. Kovalchik said in an email update Thursday that the county district attorney's office told the school district that there is enough evidence to press charges against the teen, whose name is not being released. The girl will not be allowed in or on school property either, Kovalchik said. The threat prompted district and law enforcement officials to close the high school Tuesday as a precaution. Another 15-year-old-girl, who was in the high school on Wednesday, is facing charges in a separate threat stemming from the incident, Kovalchik said. That teen is accused of posting on social media "as if they're gonna smell the Glock in my bag," in reference to the additional police and K9 presence at the school. That girl, who did not have a weapon, will also face charges and will not be allowed on school property, the superintendent said. Kovalchik encouraged parents to talk to their children about the seriousness of threats and safety concerns. EASTON, Pa. - The Northampton County District Attorney tells 69 News he believes the man who was found guilty of sexually assaulting five college students would reoffend if let out of prison in his lifetime. 36-year-old Clement Swaby is getting a minimum of 75 years, and a maximum of 150 years, plus 12 years of probation, for the rape, burglaries, and assault of five women in three separate incidents in 2020 and 2021. "This was a very dangerous guy," DA Terry Houck told 69 News after the sentencing on Wednesday. "And he deserves every minute of the 75 to 150 years that he got." In November, Swaby was found guilty of 26 charges for assaulting students at Lehigh University and Lafayette College. In three separate incidents, four of the five female students who were assaulted were woken from their sleep to find a man with a knife, who threatened and sexually assaulted them. "Each said it felt like forever and that is what the defendant deserves," Chief Deputy District Attorney Tatum Wilson said in court on Wednesday. "He deserves forever." The father of one rape victim, taking the stand as a witness, told President Judge Michael Koury: "The terror that each of these victims must have experienced should weigh heavily in your decision." And it did. Koury explained why he gave such a lengthy sentence, calling Swaby a very smart and sophisticated criminal. "I think they proved you guilty beyond all doubt," the judge said directly to Swaby. "This was planned behavior, it was intended behavior," Houck said. "And it was in areas where you have vulnerable young women." Meanwhile, Swaby's defense attorney asked the judge for a reduced sentence because Swaby had no prior criminal record, though the lawyer himself said the "evidence is overwhelming." Swaby has charges pending in Philadelphia, Montgomery County, and Florida. Swaby had been in a long-term relationship for 16 years, with someone he has two children with. The prosecutor tells 69 News Swaby's partner knew nothing about the assaults, and even testified against him in court. The judge, after sentencing Swaby, said he was among the "worst of the worst" and "a monster." "We all hope that this sentence will result in him never getting out of jail," Houck said, "because I don't care what age he is. If he ever gets out, he will, in my opinion, he will reoffend." ALLENTOWN, Pa. Allentown City Council voted unanimously Wednesday night to approve money for a feasibility study on the Allentown Parking Authority's operations, including the potential for the city to take it over entirely, or in parts. Mayor Matt Tuerk asked City Council Wednesday night for $10,000. City Council not only accepted the mayor's request, but agreed to match $10,000 towards the effort. "I think that they heard the concerns of the people tonight," Tuerk said. "I think City Council smartly responded." "Frustration has been building lately with the way that the parking enforcement is executed," Tuerk said Wednesday night. "We're just trying to ask some questions on how it's done." Tuerk has said he is aware of residents' issues with the Allentown Parking Authority. "We get multiple calls daily here in the mayor's office and in various departments in the city," Tuerk said Tuesday. "Just asking about how this happened." "What we want to do is understand what our options look like. There is certainly an option where the enforcement of parking is returned to the City of Allentown," Tuerk said. "To be a little more forgiving of the needs of our residents. It could look like that. It could like a lot of other different forms." The Allentown Parking Authority is currently its own, independent organization with a board of directors. The mayor does appoint the board. Residents have been voicing their frustration over recent weeks with issues ranging from receiving tickets on private property to over-enforcement in residential areas. Many say they have been left with tickets they can't afford to pay that are piling up penalties. "I had a $100 ticket for double parking to unload products for my restaurant," a resident said at Wednesday's meeting. "The parking authority was established 40 years ago by Mayor Daddona to deliver equitable and efficient parking services, and to meet the needs of a growing city," Tuerk said Tuesday. "While it was founded 40 years ago for a certain Allentown, Allentown has changed pretty dramatically over those 40 years. We have almost 50% more cars than we did in 1970." In a statement to 69 News, Allentown Parking Authority Chairperson Ted Zeller said, in part, "We respect anything the mayor wants to do and the direction he wants to take." Zeller added, "The board is focused on recent issues and is actively looking into internal policy changes." The authority will now be holding public meetings in the evenings to hear from residents. The first meeting is on March 21 at the Americus Hotel from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuerk maintains that whatever the outcome of the analysis, the 60 employees of the authority wouldn't be affected: "Theyre doing the job management has asked them to do. The job here is for us to understand what it would look like." ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The Lehigh County district attorney has a message for reckless ATV drivers: "if we can identify you, we will charge you, seize your bike and seek a prison sentence." District Attorney Jim Martin made the statement during a news conference Thursday announcing charges against an ATV driver in three cases. Taurean Farmer, 40, is accused of driving recklessly with a gang of ATV riders on highways and roads in the Lehigh Valley last summer, the DA said. Investigators say on July 7, Farmer was part of about 40 illegal ATV and dirt bike drivers to speed down I-78 in Upper Macungie, swerving in and out of lanes and doing wheelies. Troopers tried to stop them, but several of the drivers, including Farmer, tried to block the pursuing state police cars. As the group continued into South Whitehall Township, they blocked another law enforcement vehicle that was rushing an Allentown officer to the hospital, the DA said. The officer had suffered a serious arm injury that required a tourniquet in a separate Homeland Security investigation nearby. Farmer's bright yellow ATV, with a passenger on the back, moved back and forth in the lanes and kept braking to slow the car, which had its lights flashing and siren going, the DA said. State police had released photos of the group, including an image showing a yellow ATV with a driver and passenger in front of police cars. Farmer was spotted a few days later speeding his ATV through Allentown, and officers immediately recognized him, police said. Police tried to stop him as he drove recklessly around 10 p.m. on July 19, but he took off. The Pen Argyl man is now behind bars in Lehigh County after being arrested in and extradited from New York City, Martin said Thursday. He's facing similar charges of fleeing or eluding police, reckless endangerment and more in three separate cases in Upper Macungie Township, South Whitehall Township and Allentown. "These gangs of ATV and motorbike operators have been a scourge on communities across Lehigh County," Martin said in a news release. Farmer could face up to 17 years in prison. Martin said his office will push for a lengthy sentence, if Farmer is convicted. Last March a regional task force was formed, involving Allentown, Bethlehem, Lehigh County, Whitehall and South Whitehall Township. Allentown Police Chief Charles Roca says the number of calls about the illegal ATV's has dropped this year, compared to 200 calls last year. He's confident the task force is creating better communication to help curb the issue. "Where are they storing the dirt bikes, who's operating the dirt bikes, did they steal these dirt bikes? Because we can work with our district attorney's office," Roca said. However, Jeani Garcia, of Promise Neighborhoods, who works with kids who ride illegally, says the kids have nowhere else to go, and she says it won't stop until a solution is found. "They built skate parks to accommodate kids that want to ride their skateboards, it's the same thing," she said. Lehigh County said there are no plans to build or designate an ATV park. As for Farmer, he is in Lehigh County Prison. The injured officer says he has recovered but does suffer from nerve damage. ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said a gang member has been sentenced in a shooting in Allentown. Yoni Contreras, 26, of Allentown, will serve 20 to 40 years in prison for shooting a man multiple times on April 29, 2021 in the area of 112 North 7th Street, according to a news release from the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office. Contreras was convicted of attempted homicide and aggravated assault on Nov. 10, 2022 by a jury following a trial before Honorable Robert L. Steinberg. In this trial, the victim did not participate in the prosecution. Both the victim and Contreras are confirmed members of the Santana Blocc Crips gang, the DA's office said. Contreras also pleaded guilty on Wednesday to several weapons offenses, including possession of a firearm prohibited and possession of a firearm with an altered manufacturer number. In those cases, he received a 5-to 10-year-prison sentence that is concurrent with the attempted homicide and aggravated assault sentence, according to the DA's office. Officers were called to the area in April 2021 for a report of shots fired. A victim was found with multiple gunshots to his upper body and was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital, Cedar Crest, where he underwent immediate surgery. An investigation determined that Contreras approached the victim and shot him multiple times, the DA's office said. The investigation also determined that the shooting was motivated by Contreras' gang membership. EASTON, Pa. The northern tier of Northampton County has been ignored when it comes to economic development, County Commissioner Thomas Giovanni said Wednesday. Giovanni insisted that a tax break for River Pointe Logistics Park, an 800-acre development in Upper Mount Bethel Township, be extended. He represents District 4, the northern edge of the county. "This has to go through," he said during a meeting of Northampton County Council's finance committee. Older residents of the Slate Belt area are paying too much in property taxes because of the lack of industry, Giovanni said. The meeting Wednesday was held on the five-year anniversary of council's approval of the tax break, known as a LERTA, or Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance. Council Solicitor Chris Spadoni said a sunset clause in the ordinance requires council to extend the program if new construction at River Pointe Logistics Park, or RPL, is to receive the benefit of the tax break, which declines and then disappears after 10 years. The goal of a LERTA is to boost development through a temporary reduction in property taxes in return for a larger tax base in the future. River Pointe is developer Lou Pektor's plan for 13 buildings on the site. His daughter Lisa Pektor, project manager, said at the meeting that RPL is going after manufacturers, not warehouses. The ordinance extending the LERTA will be introduced to the full Council at Thursday's meeting, with a final vote March 30. Life in the Slate Belt Commissioner John Goffredo said there are few job opportunities for young people in the Slate Belt. That nickname for the area belies the issue: It stems from when quarries employed many residents. "People have to go elsewhere to do anything," he said, because of the lack of jobs and commerce. Upper Mount Bethel Township Manager Ed Nelson went over the fiscal landscape of the township: 44 square miles and more than 80% of the land paying reduced or zero property taxes. Thousands of acres are preserved farmland, open space or otherwise shielded from taxes, leaving the burden on 6,800 residents. The township stands to benefit from a Neighborhood Improvement District (NID) funded by an assessment on development at River Pointe, Nelson said. "If we lose the LERTA, we lose the NID," Nelson said, speaking in acronyms. "It would just about put us out of business." Warehouse weariness The specter of more warehouses looms over many development discussions. County Executive Lamont McClure has said while the big-boxes create jobs and expand the tax base, there are enough already, and he has vowed to fight "warehouse proliferation." "We hear this over and over, that (a development) is not going to be warehouses," Commissioner John Cusick said. "It turns out to be a warehouse." While the county has no authority over zoning issues, it can opt not to extend a LERTA to a project. Last year, McClure and Council opposed a tax break for a warehouse at the old Dixie Cup plant in Wilson Borough, and the plan died. "We do not really want warehousing," said Robert Teel, vice chairman of the Upper Mount Bethel Township Board of Supervisors. He supports RPL and said the Slate Belt is a depressed area that has suffered since losing jobs in the garment industry. Teel said he has been negotiating with the Pektors to bring in manufacturers. RPL has rail access and is, Teel said, 800 feet from the Portland-Columbia Toll Bridge, connecting it to the New York City metropolitan area. "We don't want warehouses," said Rich Grucela, a former County Council president and state representative who also supports River Pointe. Grucela said the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp., which markets the region, has not done enough for the northern tier of the county. "We have always worked on making this a manufacturing site," Lisa Pektor said. The Pektors have said RPL will create thousands of jobs and generate millions of dollars in taxes for the county, township and school district. 'Trust, but verify' A subplot to the RPL drama is Nelson's contention that a report to the county administration was due last year, and that report would have led automatically to an extension. Nelson said he sent the required report Oct. 24. Giovanni backed that up, and blamed the administration: "My honest opinion is, they sat on it." In an email statement from March 7, McClure said the county Department of Community and Economic Development "is not recommending renewal of the UMBT LERTA at this time." The next day, a statement from Tina Smith, head of the Department of Community and Economic Development, was not as negative: "As manufacturing facilities are generally built to specification and not necessarily 'on spec,' we will remain open-minded, while taking the position of 'trust, but verify.'" "Trust, but verify" is a translation of Russian proverb, an expression former President Ronald Reagan used when meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev, then-leader of the Soviet Union. 2018 v. 2023 A band of opponents has attended public meetings around the county to oppose River Pointe, but none appeared at the meeting Wednesday. They contend that traffic, noise and pollution from RPL will ruin their rural lifestyle. Four commissioners remain from the March 15, 2018, vote to approve the LERTA for Upper Mount Bethel. That vote was held so long ago that commissioners had a different title then. They were known as councilmembers. The four still serving are Cusick, Ron Heckman, Lori Vargo Heffner and Tara Zrinski. All voted in favor of the tax break the first time. Three days after that vote, McClure issued a statement saying the tax exemption was part of his vision for job creation in the Slate Belt. There was no public opposition before the 2018 vote. The Bangor Area School District and Upper Mount Bethel have also granted LERTA status to the project. Council's full meeting will be Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the government center in Easton. It will be broadcast on the county's YouTube channel. TAMAQUA, Pa. - A man who police say was driving a pickup truck that crashed through a business in Schuylkill County back in February has been charged with DUI. Robert Piepmeyer, 64, is charged with DUI, careless driving, and disregarding a traffic lane, according to court paperwork. It happened Feb. 19 on Center Street in Tamaqua. Police say Piepmeyer was northbound on Route 309 when he lost control of the truck and drove across all lanes of travel, crossing the double yellow line, across both southbound lanes of travel. The truck left the road, went through a parking lot and slammed deep into the Country Tile building. When asked if he had had anything to drink, Piepmeyer told an officer he had "a couple of beers" at his home, according to court documents. Piepmeyer was flown to the hospital. A blood test revealed that Piepmeyer's BAC was .12 percent. No drugs were found in his blood. There were no other reports of injuries. The building was empty at the time of the crash. Bucks County officials say social media companies are fueling a mental health crisis affecting America's youth. They filed a lawsuit in federal court in California Wednesday against Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, and "the tech giants behind them." The county commissioners claim the companies have "exploited developing minds without consequence." The lawsuit also claims the websites manipulate users into coming back over and over again. Officials say the amount of time people spend on the sites is "excessive" and "problematic." "I do liken this to a David vs. Goliath fight. We're the David. We don't normally find ourselves in the David situation. But we are taking on these enormous conglomerates, these companies that, in my opinion, as we spelled out in our lawsuit, have not only taken advantage of our children but have preyed on our children," said county District Attorney Matt Weintraub. 69 News reached out to the companies named in the suit. TikTok and Google, the parent company of YouTube, responded. Neither commented directly on the lawsuit. But both stressed they have gone to great lengths to ensure the safety of children and younger teens who use their apps. Meta released a statement: We want teens to be safe online. Weve developed more than 30 tools to support teens and families, including supervision tools that let parents limit the amount of time their teens spend on Instagram, and age verification technology that helps teens have age-appropriate experiences. We automatically set teens accounts to private when they join Instagram, and we send notifications encouraging them to take regular breaks. We dont allow content that promotes suicide, self-harm or eating disorders, and of the content we remove or take action on, we identify over 99% of it before its reported to us. Well continue to work closely with experts, policymakers and parents on these important issues. NEWTOWN TWP., Pa. - A man has been convicted of inappropriately touching an 11-year-old boy in Bucks County. Jeffrey Todd Lukens, 62, of Buckingham Township, was found guilty of indecent assault and related charges Wednesday for the incident in Newtown Township, according to a news release from the Bucks County District Attorney's Office. Lukens had been working as a contractor at the boys home and was hired to remove bees from the basement. He inappropriately touched the boy while working on the project on Sept. 2, 2021, and again four days later when he returned to finish the job, the DA's office said. On Wednesday, following a three-day trial, a Bucks County jury found him guilty on felony counts of indecent assault of a person less than 13 years of age and unlawful contact with a minor, along with misdemeanor counts of corruption of minors, indecent assault, invasion of privacy and disorderly conduct and summary harassment. Common Pleas Judge Raymond F. McHugh deferred sentencing for 30 days. During closing arguments on Wednesday, Deputy District Attorney Sarah K. Heimbach urged the jury to convict Lukens. I dont know if this family will ever get that sense of safety and security back, Heimbach said. Finding this defendant guilty is a start. While working on the project on Sept. 2, 2021, Lukens invited the boy to assist him and gave him a partial bee suit to wear to protect his face and upper body, according to the DA's office. The boy was on a ladder and using a reciprocating saw to remove the bee nest when Lukens inappropriately touched the boy, and then took a picture of him, the DA's office said. Lukens returned to the home on Sept. 6 to finish the project. Before he left, Lukens took an inappropriate picture of the boy, the DA's office said. The boys parents reported the incidents to the Newtown Township Police Department later that day. During the investigation, police seized Lukens cellphone and uncovered deleted cellphone pictures of the boy, authorities said. NORRISTOWN, Pa. Jamila Winder, vice chair of the Montgomery County commissioners, recognized Womens History Month being celebrated in March at the Commissioners meeting Thursday morning. Im proud to stand on the shoulders of many who have come before me, Winder said. This month we recognize the contributions that women have made across the United States, she continued, and the specific achievements women have made over the course of American history in a variety of fields. Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Story is the theme of 2023s Womens History Month, according to Winder. The theme honors all women who have told this story on radio, TV and all forms of media. Winder commented: Women have long been instrumental in passing along our heritage in word and in print to communicate the lessons of those who came before us. This Womens History Month, she said, I am proud to reaffirm the countys commitment to implementing policies and programs to lift up all women. Irish-American Heritage Month Commissioner Joseph Gale said March is also celebrated as Irish-American Heritage Month. As we celebrate Irish-American Heritage Month, Gale noted, we celebrate the journey and contributions of Irish who escaped the Great Famine and carried the spirit and memory of Ireland with them here to the United States. My great-grandmother is one of those immigrants who lived out her dream of becoming an American. He continued, Despite facing discrimination and poverty on their arrival, they embraced the American Dream and over decades helped to expand the middle class by becoming teachers, firefighters, police officers, labor leaders, farmers, and business owners in addition to serving the country in the Armed Services as well. "With strength, courage, and wit and creativity, Irish-Americans have thrived and left a mark on our literature, arts, civic and political institutions, and our communities. Career Fair Winder also spoke about the upcoming Career Fair. The Chamber of Commerce of Greater Montgomery County will host a Job Fair Thursday, April 13 at the Plymouth Meeting Mall from noon until 5 p.m. There will be businesses representing multiple industries and occupations. The event is planned in coordination with PA Career Link Montgomery County. Homelessness Task Force The commissioners heard a presentation from Tamra Williams, director of Health and Human Services, about the creation of a Homelessness Task Force. She explained that the Task Force was needed now because of several factors: economic shifts, access to unprecedented funding to support COVID efforts, and the continuing gaps in the number of people who are homeless and the number of resources to effectively address homelessness. Williams noted that following a large spike in homelessness in 2022 due to Hurricane Ida, it has dropped in 2023 to the levels of the previous decade. In the January, 2023 count 329 homeless were found but the County has just 162 year-round shelter beds and 119 units of permanent supportive housing which are all full. Major contracts The commissioners approved a $512,000 contract for the District Attorneys office for the purchase of a Shooter Detection System from Shotspotter Incorporated, Fremont, Ca. New Era Technologies, Islandia, N.Y. was awarded a $619,713.20 contract for maintenance and support for IT services. A Not-To-Exceed contract for equipment rental in the amount of $2,200,000 was awarded to T&T Contracting, Incorporated, Fairview Village, Pa.; Floyd G. Hersh Incorporated, Green Lane, Pa.; Strouse Landscaping Incorporated, Schwenksville, Pa.; and Flyway Excavating Incorporated, Mount Joy, Pa. The commissioners awarded a contract in the amount of $4,596,075.71 for Project Engineering for the Ridge Pike Improvement Project to Rummel, Klepper and Kahl LLP, King of Prussia, Pa. Also, Alan A. Myers, Worcester, Pa. was awarded a $1,803,052.00 contract for construction services for the Chester Valley Trail Project. This video screenshot released by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) shows the site of a derailed freight train in East Palestine, Ohio, the United States. (NTSB/Handout via Xinhua) Consulting firms like CTEH are tangled in irreparable conflicts of interest -- if they produce results showing the clients' products are harmful, it seems likely that their client base would quickly disappear. NEW YORK, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Many residents of East Palestine in the U.S. state of Ohio are suspicious of the environmental contractor Norfolk Southern has brought in to measure chemical exposures following last month's massive train derailment, toxic spill, and chemical burn off, reported the Time magazine on Tuesday. "The residents of East Palestine have reason to be suspicious," said the author David Michaels, a professor at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University, while introducing the environmental contractor, the Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health (CTEH). "My experience working at government regulatory agencies in both the Clinton and Obama Administrations has led me to conclude that CTEH's business model often entails providing clients with the ammunition to slow regulation or defeat court claims," said the professor. "I believe consulting firms like CTEH are tangled in irreparable conflicts of interest; if they produce results showing the clients' products are harmful, it seems likely that their client base would quickly disappear," he noted. Over the last decade, CTEH has become the go-to contractor for corporations looking to follow up on environmental disasters to which they've been connected. It has done environmental testing after other derailments where toxic chemicals were released, like the 2012 derailment in Kentucky of a train carrying butadiene (a human carcinogen), and other Norfolk Southern derailments in South Carolina and Georgia. BELLMAWR TWP., N.J. - The owner of a gym ordered to pay hefty fines for flouting New Jersey's pandemic rules vows to fight a court's ruling. Frank Trumbetti is the owner of Atilis Gym in Bellmawr Township, near Camden. A New Jersey court upheld a nearly $124,000 fine against him. Trumbetti and his former business partner opened the gym, despite Gov. Phil Murphy's ordered closures in 2020. 69 News spoke with Trumbetti Thursday. He says he wants to appeal the ruling and says he is "not going to run away" and not stop until he runs out of means. A spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Health says the judge's ruling "speaks for itself." PHILLIPSBURG, N.J. - When New Jersey Congressman Tom Kean Jr. won District 7 over Tom Malinowski, the incumbent told us he wasn't done with public service. Malinowski is now shifting his focus to public education. "A lot of parents in my old congressional district feel like the schools are under attack right now from the small, right-wing radical groups that are trying to ban books, that are trying to drive teachers out of school districts, that are trying to impose their views," said Malinowski. Malinowski and his supporters have formed what he calls a non-partisan political action committee: Districts for Democracy. "We will work with folks who are interested in running for school board and for local office," said Malinowski. "I don't care if they're Republicans or Democrats. I just care if they support our public schools." The New Jersey Project, which doesn't identify as a partisan group either, is all about parent power. It's not on board with Malinowski's new mission. "What he has to realize is that he's just waged war on moderate parents," said Nik Stouffer of the New Jersey Project. "Everybody agrees the parents should be able to decide on their kids' education," said Malinowski. "But I think it's gone way too far." Books about the Civil War, Jackie Robinson overcoming discrimination, and gay parents are among those Malinowski says should stay in schools. "No one has a problem in New Jersey with saying that Sally has two daddies. They want to make it into that everybody's homophobic. That's not true. You are exposing kids, and you're sexualizing children and we don't want that as parents," said Stouffer. "I don't think that you need to be a conservative to not want your children to have access to porn and erotica within their school." Malinowski says some districts are one to two election cycles away from extremists getting the majority on school boards, which he believes will force teachers and administrators out, make recruitment more difficult, and prompt lawsuits, costing taxpayers money. by Hani Wafa Ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the resumption of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, with China's support, has attracted worldwide attention. This historic icebreaker may bring hope for peace in the Middle East. MILESTONE TO BOLSTER REGION The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran have their own weight in the Middle East's balance of power. Specific circumstances led to the severing of relations between them. Now, an understanding has been reached to resume ties in Beijing when the two countries signed an agreement under the patronage of the People's Republic of China. There is no doubt that the Saudi-Iranian agreement is significant for the stability of the whole region and will undoubtedly help regional nations enjoy security, prosperity and stability. As Saudis, we believe the agreement is born from our government's wise and well-balanced policies that seek to benefit our country and the region's nations, which urgently need development. U.S. BRIEF REACTIONS Saudi-U.S. relations date back more than eight decades. The relations are historical. With its political constants, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a reliable ally for all countries with which it has relations. U.S.-Iranian relations are bound by a nuclear accord to which Washington is a party. No one can predict the future of the relations between these two countries, whether an agreement is reached or not. U.S. reaction to the Iran-Saudi deal was brief, with no effective comment. Naturally, the improvement in the relations among countries will positively impact world peace and security. CHINA ADDS CREDIBILITY TO THE AGREEMENT China is a major country that adopts balanced policies, and its relations with the world countries are greatly appreciated and respected. It has never interfered in the affairs of other countries. China is a political and economic giant with special relations with Saudi Arabia and Iran. Both the Saudi government and the people highly respect it. The summits held last December, including China-Arab States Summit and the China-Gulf Cooperation Council, along with the Chinese president's state visit to Saudi Arabia, are evidence of Beijing's great interest in the region's countries and development. China is considered a reliable and trustworthy partner whose patronage of the agreement adds momentum and credibility. The Chinese role in this agreement is as important as the agreement itself. China has played and continues to play a significant and active role in concluding the agreement since it is well aware of the significance of this region to it and the world. Chinese diplomacy is known for its weight, sobriety and foresight. China has played significant roles internationally in guaranteeing the world's stability and prosperity. SAUDI ARABIA CALLS FOR A BETTER WORLD Recovery in Saudi-Iranian relations depends on the implementation of and commitment to the terms of the agreement. Good intentions are only the beginning, yet the fulfillment of the terms is no less critical. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always sought relations with countries based on mutual respect. Mutual respect is built over time and through actions that prove good intentions. Once the agreement between the two countries is implemented, it will positively impact both countries and the whole region. Understanding, instead of tension, will constitute the basis of the relationship, leading to more stability and development. This is what the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia desires, a better world for all. Editor's note: Mr. Hani Wafa is the editor-in-chief of Al Riyadh Newspaper, the first daily newspaper published in Arabic in Riyadh. Al Riyadh is regarded as one of the major daily newspapers published in Saudi Arabia. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Xinhua News Agency. We sat down with the show's writers to discuss the production's West End run The company for Operation Mincemeat ( Matt Crockett) As may become painfully obvious from this interview, Im something of an Operation Mincemeat fan. Having been bowled over by the musical during its original 2019 New Diorama run (giving it a full five-stars, no less), its been exciting watching the tireless cast and creative team fine-tune, re-write and amend the piece across spells at Southwark Playhouses two spaces, as well as during a pre-West End run at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. Even Covid hasnt halted Mincemeats inexorable success given it now gears up for an eagerly anticipated run at the Fortune Theatre. The shows premise, for the uninitiated, involves a group of MI6 operatives who hatch a plan to fool Hitler into thinking Allied forces will be attacking Greece (their true intended target was Sicily) using a preserved corpse, a briefcase of falsified documents and lashings of good luck. Chatting with the pieces award-winning writers SpitLip composed of David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoe Roberts (Cumming, Hodgson and Roberts also star in the show) its striking just how much thought and attention has been heaped upon a show that could so easily have been a one-and-done zany fringe comedy. Hagan kicked off reflecting on the last five years of development: Its been such an incredibly long process but we all agree that, even though weve been working on it for five years, but at no point did we think for god sake, its finished, just put it on already!. Weve known we can always make it better at every single stage. And we still feel that way. Cumming added: We did set out to write a commercial musical that was part of our aim. But it had to be done in a way that didnt sacrifice our style and art. That said, doing it by following in the footsteps of a big West End show like The Woman in Black has raised the stakes though then again its a sign of fresh blood coming in and maybe thats nice. Even so, The Woman in Black is a wonderful show and Im sad to see it go. While aspects of Operation Mincemeat mimic the likes of Hamilton, sea shanty, vaudeville and straight-up musical theatre ballad, the style and art Cumming mentions was born and raised in the fringe environment, with Roberts, Hodgson and Cummings all part of much-loved company Kill the Beast. But reaching the West End must feel like a different ball park, I suggest. Hodgson replies: Weve spoken about this quite a lot since it was confirmed. Its a nice mixture of gratitude, baffle-dom and an awareness that we really couldnt do any more than weve already done to get here. So in one sense its absolutely ridiculous that were taking this show into the West End, but I also think if it hadnt happened this way, I dont know what we could have done. The show has gone through some sizeable alterations over the years numbers have been cut, endings have been changed, characters have been re-allocated. I ask whether reaching the Fortune mean this is the last iteration of Mincemeat that the end might be in sight? Hodgson isnt too sure: If this is the final incarnation if this is the last boss of Operation Mincemeat then we want to make sure we can walk away from it knowing that its ended in a place that we wanted to get to all along. We had a Zoom call yesterday where we decided to change something thats been the same since 2018! So itll be strange when we reach a stage that we cant write something on the bus on the way to the show and shove it in. Hagan adds: Its been a really hard process to get to that point. Normally MT is written by fewer people theres not this beast with four heads. But I think having this group of people here has helped keep that energy up over the five years, even when were on our fiftieth re-write of the opening or something. You almost want to make it better for each other. Some numbers have been jettisoned cabaret-style number Let Me Die In Velvet, which wrapped up act one, has been replaced with a different tune, while a bombastic kick-line finale was taken out in favour of a more sentimental, moving conclusion. So those who saw Mincemeat along its journey may encounter something nice and different come its West End premiere. What is most striking is the way that the shows subject matter can be cast in so many different ways. The original run at the New Diorama emphasised the absurdity and wackiness of the premise of the Operation, tying it to wider questions of British jingoism. Later versions highlighted richer themes the way in which the rich blithely continue with their lives consequence-free even in periods of intense suffering, or how the poor and homeless are so easily written out of history. Some of this is by design, but other times its simply current affairs doing the work for the team, Roberts explains: Everything that the show is saying and doing is becoming more and more relevant every day. When we first did the show, Brexit had just happened, but Boris wasnt there. The second time we did it at Southwark Playhouse, Boris arrived and, in the process, gave us a bit of a gift. So then the ideas of a system where privileged people, often lacking in proper qualifications, are thrown into positions of authority felt very pertinent." Hodgson takes up the thought: Were dont resist making changes if they bring out topical themes we threw in lines to do with the change in leadership during the Riverside run last year, so Im sure well do it all over again. Its too juicy not to. Everyones incredibly cross, and tired, and its hard not to address the prescient links. At the same time, we never wanted to reach a point that were just making a satirical got-ya show thats not what we want Mincemeat to be." A lot of this involved challenging audience assumptions about the period, Hodgson says: We always saw it less of a war story and more of a spy story. And the thing is that spy stories are so much more fun than war stories. I think the way were taught history, often making out that the Brits were the best in the world, also forgets the fact that far too often it was all Etonian boys lying and capering around having a great time. So we knew we could knock down a few so-called truths about the establishment." Roberts adds: Its not a history lesson, its important to think about what it means being performed today. But the humour came naturally, Hagan says: Any account of the actual Operation Mincemeat has details that are so objectively, fundamentally and incredibly funny. There is no universe where you learn about the bat-sh*t things that happen and dont laugh your head off." Roberts agrees: Reading Ewen Montegus (one of the characters and senior MI6 figures in the show) book about Operation Mincemeat makes it clear that he was having the time of his life. He was having so much fun. They were all getting into it and having a great time probably out of escapism rather than anything else. It feels like its this gang-comedy thats begging to be told." Cumming chimes in: We didnt have to add anything to make it feel like a revisionist-take of World War Two it already felt like it questioned this image that we have of this drab, ration-filled world of Britain in the 1940s. But balancing that comedic take with pertinent, character-driven themes is where SpitLip sees the most transformation in terms of the shows tone, as Hodgson says: Our background is comedy, so we were very comfortable coming at it initially presenting the Operation as a whacky, mad-cap scheme!. However, having the space to develop the show also meant we had space to develop as writers and artists and we could hone in on the human elements, like the letter song [Dear Bill a heartbreaking earworm] and really delve into these characters. A lot of this involved listening to audiences and finding out what they loved. The comedy came first, but then we grew as writers into the truth of the story. Cumming commented: We sort of knew the ending in the first run wasnt quite right. We knew it was fun, and bombastic, but something wasnt right. Ultimately it took feedback, growth and maybe us softening a bit over lockdown in order for us to find an ending that honoured the homeless man Glyndwr Michael, who gave his body in order to save so many people. It is his story, to some extent, and coming back to that suddenly hit the mark. The West End show will see a cast of five (the Southwark and Riverside cast are all returning, as confirmed last month) but there will be understudies and covers. That in itself brings some fresh artistic opportunities, Hodgson says: Were so excited to open out these parts to others we dont traditionally look or sound like the standard West End performer but we want to make parts for those who dont have millions of parts to choose from in this medium and genre. One bold decision for the production was to price every seat in the auditorium at the same 35 rate during previews. Roberts explains the logic: We are desperately trying to make sure that people like us could come to see the show, or could afford to see the show. The accessibility of it was important, and we wanted to bring that through to the West End." Hodgson adds: Were sick of being in an industry where we cant go and see the art that we make. Its just a fact that, as artists, we cant go to West End shows right now! Were lucky that our producers Avalon agreed that the show needed to be accessible. During previews every seat is at 35, but even after that we want to make sure there are cheap nights every week throughout the run and those cheaper seats arent stuck behind a pillar or something." Cumming admits its something of an experiment, but it sits right at the heart of SpitLips ethos: Will it work? Who knows, its a new model weve not done it before and neither have Avalon. But it feels like its the closest we can get to the shows heart. Matthew Bourne's New Adventures production will launch at Theatre Royal Plymouth this November A previous production of Edward Scissorhands ( Johan Persson) Edward Scissorhands will be back on UK stages this year! Devised, directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne, the dance production is presented by New Adventures, Martin McCallum and Marc Platt, by special arrangement with Buena Vista Theatricals. Bourne said: Ive always been attracted by outsider stories in my work and Edward Scissorhands is the ultimate outsider story. Its tale of how we treat people who we perceive as being different in our communities has never been more timely, so Im delighted to be bringing it back after an absence of nine years to theatres throughout the UK. What I particularly love about this modern-day fairy tale is that although it does have an important message to convey, and a bitingly satirical look at American society, it is also the most wonderful fun you could possibly have in a theatre! Add to that a touching love story, the magical music of Danny Elfman and Terry Davies, the spectacular lighting of Howard Harrison, the genius of Lez Brotherstons witty designs plus a mini ballet of dancing topiary people and you have an unbeatable and unique theatrical treat! Im grateful, as ever, for the trust that Tim Burton, Danny Elfman and Caroline Thompson had in New Adventures to grant permission for us to make our version of their now classic tale - the only company in the world to perform Edward Scissorhands as a live theatrical experience. The show is based on the 20th Century Studios film, with original story and direction by Tim Burton, and a screenplay, story and co-adaptation by Caroline Thompson. The piece features new music and arrangements by Terry Davies based on themes from the motion picture score composed by Danny Elfman, alongside set and costumes designed by Lez Brotherston, lighting designed by Howard Harrison and sound designed by Paul Groothuis. Complete casting will be announced in due course. The tour officially opens at Theatre Royal Plymouth on 20 November 2023 and runs through to 25 November. It will then head to The Lowry, Salford (28 November to 2 December) and spend the festive season (5 December to 20 January) at Sadlers Wells in London. The tour will then continue to The Marlowe, Canterbury (23 to 27 January) and Birmingham Hippodrome (6 to 10 February). Further stops through to May 2024 will be confirmed soon. Sign up to our newsletter for more By Azernews Laman Ismayilova President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Gunay Afandiyeva has visited Poland at the invitation of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Poland. As part of the visit, Gunay Afandiyeva met with Jaroslaw Gorniak, who is the Vice-Rector for Development at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, the oldest higher education institution in the country, Azernews reports. The meeting was also attended by representatives of various faculties of the University, as well as employees of the Embassy. The sides hailed the foundation's large-scale activities focused on the preservation, promotion and transmission of the ancient and rich cultural heritage of the Turkic World to future generations. They touched upon the expansion of partnership relations with other foreign countries and issues of collaboration with the Jagiellonian University. The sides also agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding. Later, the President of the Foundation delivered a lecture to the professors and students of the Turkology Department of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Faculty of Philology. Gunay Afandiyeva briefed the lecture participants about the priority directions and international level projects of the organization she leads. She opened a conversation about the promotion of the history, culture, and traditions of the Turkic World in Poland, and the protection of all-Turkic cultural values. At the same time, the President of the Foundation spoke about the history, values and ideas of Novruz spring feast, which Turkic people have preserved and lived for centuries. In conclusion, Novruz khonchasi (spring holiday trays), filled with national sweets were presented to the participants of the event. Initiated in 2012, the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation focuses on the preservation of the Turkic heritage in member countries as well as conducting projects in collaboration with partners in third nations. The foundation provides assistance in the protection, study, and promotion of Turkic culture and heritage through supporting and funding various activities, projects, and programs. The organization carries out its activities in cooperation with TURKSOY and the Turkic Academy. RAMALLAH, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Four Palestinians were shot dead on Thursday by Israeli soldiers who stormed the northern West Bank city of Jenin, the Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement. Another 20 Palestinians were wounded, four of whom were in serious conditions, the statement added. According to Palestinian sources and eyewitnesses, heavy clashes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants broke out in Jenin's main street after an Israeli undercover unit stormed the city. There has been no official statement from Israel on the shootings. Israeli security forces have regularly conducted raids in Jenin in the past few months, amid an escalation of tension between Palestinians and Israelis in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Health Ministry said that 84 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli soldiers since January. Meanwhile, official Israeli figures show that 14 Israelis were killed in attacks carried out by Palestinians. GUANGZHOU, March 16 (Xinhua) -- The sight of clusters of tall bamboo drying in the sun serve as an inspiration for 48-year-old Tan Futing's pursuit of prosperity. Tan hails from Manchang Village, Hedong Town, located in Lianshan Zhuang and Yao Autonomous County in south China's Guangdong Province. The village is known for its abundant production of Lizhu, a type of slender bamboo ideal for making fishing rods, ski poles, fences, and other products due to its straightness and sturdiness. The bamboo goes through a process that involves washing, drying, screening, grading, cutting, lashing, and packing. After that, it is boxed and shipped to overseas markets, where bamboo culture is appreciated for its humble, firm and indomitable spiritual connotation. As early as a decade ago, Huang Changkuan, the Party secretary of Manchang Village, led the villagers to start a bamboo business using the Lizhu variety. The business mainly involves processing the cut bamboo and shipping them to export companies for sale in overseas markets. "Our bamboo sticks are thinner and harder with better elasticity than those in other regions, making them a preferred choice of export companies," Huang said. Every year, during the winter thaw and the slack farming season, it is the felling period of Lizhu bamboo. The processing factory's small warehouse quickly fills up with hundreds of tonnes of bamboo freshly cut and processed by villagers. "I've worked here for three years. The timing of farming and bamboo processing is just staggered, so I can earn two shares of money a year. Thanks to this additional income, I was able to add a new floor to my building last year," said Tan Futing, adding that he can earn more than 200 yuan (about 28.9 U.S. dollars) a day by cleaning bamboo, which amounts to more than 5,000 yuan a month, resulting in a net increase in income of 20,000 yuan annually. It is recorded in the local county annals that Hedong Town is known for its abundance of bamboo. In 1931, Li Yongsheng, a businessman, came to Hedong to establish the Nanhai Yongsheng Bamboo Factory. He purchased a large quantity of bamboo and sold it abroad, which led the locals to realize the value of the bamboo growing in the mountains. As a result, almost every family began to venture into the mountains to gather bamboo, resulting in the growth and prosperity of the bamboo business. Today, Hedong exports thousands of tonnes of bamboo to the United States, the Netherlands, Japan and other countries every year. As a commodity, there is a growing international demand for bamboo, leading to an increase in its price. "Last year, our village sold 1,300 tonnes of raw bamboo to export companies, and the price of bamboo rose from 25 yuan per 100 kilograms a decade ago to 50 yuan now. The villagers have become rich with bamboo," Huang said. Although the villagers rely on bamboo to boost their income, they exercise moderation in its use. The frequency and timing of cutting bamboo matter. The old bamboo can regenerate new shoots and even grow more lush than before, as long as its roots are not damaged, Tan explained, adding that the sustainability of the villagers' income is contingent on the preservation of the green hills. "Going ahead, our village should accelerate the industrialization of bamboo, expand the scale of the factory, and strive to make villagers earn more for better life," Huang said. DOT hosts public meeting for Highway 136 in Baraboo The Wisconsin Department of Transportation will host a public involvement meeting to discuss the improvements on Highway 136 from Skillet Creek Road to Hwy. DL in Sauk County from 5-6 p.m. March 29 at Baraboo Town Hall, 101 Cedar St., Baraboo. The objective of this meeting is to familiarize the public with the purpose and need for the project and to obtain input on the proposed improvements. This project will replace 1.26 miles of deteriorated pavement on Hwy. 136 between Skillet Creek Road and Hwy. DL in Baraboo. The shoulders of the roadway will be widened in sections, and a box culvert will be replaced near the Hwy. DL intersection. Hwy. 136 will be closed to through traffic for the duration of construction. Construction is anticipated for 2028. Adjacent property owners are encouraged to attend the meeting. If unable to attend or for more information contact WisDOT project manager Greg Brecka at 608-516-6524, gregory.brecka@dot.wi.gov. Written comments can be mailed to Greg Brecka, 2101 Wright St., Madison, WI 53704. Citizens who are deaf or hard of hearing and require an interpreter may request one by contacting Greg Brecka at least three working days prior to the meeting. BAGHDAD, March 16 (Xinhua) -- A helicopter crashed in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of northern Iraq, killing all passengers onboard, the regional Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) said on Thursday. The Eurocopter AS350 helicopter crashed near a village in Duhok province at 8:40 p.m. (1740 GMT) on Wednesday, according to a statement released by the Kurdish CTS. "An explosion inside the helicopter caused the crash, and initial information indicates that seven people onboard were killed," a Kurdish security source who asked to remain anonymous said. The source said that the helicopter crashed near an oil field, which was not affected by the incident. According to the Kurdish CTS statement, the Iraqi government, the U.S.-led coalition, and the Turkish government have all denied ownership of the helicopter. The Kurdish security forces have launched an investigation into the ownership of the helicopter, the statement said, adding some of the victims were identified as militants of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the United States, and the European Union. The Turkish forces frequently carry out ground operations, airstrikes, and artillery bombardment in northern Iraq, especially the Qandil Mountains, the main base of the PKK. Habitat for Humanity of Wisconsin River Area will celebrate its 85th home at 10 a.m. March 25 at 1050 Fourth St., Reedsburg, with an open house to follow until noon. The McCarthy family home is the second to include a solar PV system thanks to a partnership with All Sky Energy and Focus on Energy. Habitat for Humanity funded the build through local donations and funds raised by their ReStores in Baraboo and Portage, and the nonprofit will also provide zero-interest financing to purchase the home. We are incredibly grateful to everyone in the community who supported our goal to build a forever home for the McCarthy family, said Morgan Pfaff, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Wisconsin River Area. Jess and Mike worked so very hard to fulfill their dream of owning a home, putting in more than 500 hours of volunteer labor, and community volunteers helped us exceed 2,200 total hours of volunteer construction. Were inviting everyone to join our celebration to congratulate the family and share in this momentous occasion. Habitat homes are a hand-up, not a hand-out. We build these homes without profit and offer an affordable loan to families whose income would otherwise prevent them from achieving the dream of homeownership, said Pfaff. Thanks to the support of community donors and volunteers, that dream will now be a reality for Jess and Mike McCarthy. The public is invited to attend the ceremony. Anyone interested in learning more about Habitats homeownership and home repair programs can hfhwisconsinriver.org. It seems fitting that she passed away in her law office. The law, after all, had been her whole life. At the age of 84, prominent Portage attorney, Dorothy Walker, died on August 1, 1983. She was the first female to ever hold the title of district attorney in the state of Wisconsin. It was 1923. It was only the year before that she received her Juris Doctorate and became a member of the Bar Association. Funeral services were held a few days after she died, at the Pflanz Funeral Home. The Rev. Donald McLeod officiated the service. Her casket was later put in a hearse and she was buried in the town she was born in, at the Hillside Cemetery in Columbus. For not having traveled far in her life (born in Columbus and dying in Portage), Dorothy Walker trailblazed. She was the only woman in her law school class. She was elected district attorney for Columbia County at the age of 23. She was the first woman to receive the Distinguished Alumni Faculty Award from the University of Wisconsin Law School Alumni Association. She practiced law right up until her death. She was born in Columbus on March 21, 1899. She grew up there. She succeeded there in high school. College called to her. She went to UW-Madison and to Los Angeles University of Southern California for a time. She returned to Wisconsin to receive her Juris Doctorate. Upon graduation, it took her no time to find work. In 1922, she was employed as a junior partner of Grady, Farnsworth, and Walker in downtown Portage. It took her no time to break a glass ceiling. In 1923 she became a district attorney. A December 2, 1922 issue of the Capital Times has a headline that reads, Former U.W. Coed Elected Dist. Attorney. The short article reads, Miss Dorothy Walker, Portage, a Wisconsin university graduate, has been elected district attorney of Columbia county. She is the first woman to be elected to a county prosecutors position in Wisconsin. It continued, She defeated Perry Stroud, son of Judge W.S. Stroud. Her first state meeting of Wisconsin district attorneys was held in Chippewa Falls in August of that year. The Eau Claire Leader-Telegram made note of her attendance. Among the speakers will be Dorothy Walker, Portage district attorney. Her address was titled, The District Attorney in its Quasi-judicial Capacity. It took her no time to break another glass ceiling. She was re-elected as district attorney. A Sept. 5, 1924, Baraboo News Republic article notes that Miss Dorothy Walker, present Columbia county district attorney was renominated over Atty. Herman Brill of Columbia by a narrow margin of 166 votes. After her stint as district attorney, she went into private practice. In 1938 she opened her own office in Portage; a practice she held until she died. That same year, 1938, she was elected president of the Wisconsin Womens Bar Association. She earned a reputation in the legal community for the care in which she prepared cases on behalf of her clients. She was very much part of the Portage community, as well. She was a member of the Junior League. She participated in the Womens Civic League. She was active in the Columbia County Republican Committee. She was a good friend to Portage author Zona Gale. She spoke about Gale for the Wisconsin Regional Writers Association and Walker also wrote Gales obituary when she died in 1938. Walkers grave is a simple one. It simply states Dorothy Walker 1899-1983, but her life was far from simple. She gave the state her legal expertise with her every living breath. COLUMBUS The staff of Columbus Health and Rehab, 825 Western Ave., were able to evacuate 27 residents from the facility after a fire alarm notifie d them of a fire in the building on Wednesday afternoon. Firefighters did a great job containing the fire and not allowing the fire to extend farther in the roof, Columbus Fire Chief Scott Hazeltine said. The staff did a great job at evacuating residents and following their emergency plan. The Columbus Fire Department was paged for a fire alarm with smoke and haze at 1:07 p.m. Upon arrival, Hazeltine noticed the staff evacuating the residents out of the building and light smoke in the kitchen area. He then reported heat and heavier smoke in the generator room. Within two minutes of being on scene there were small flames on the roof where the generator vents out of the building. The fire was brought under control around 1:30 p.m. Assisting the Columbus Fire Department on scene were: Fall River Fire, Waterloo Fire, Lifestar EMS, Columbus Police Department, Columbus Water & Utilities and Columbia County Emergency Management. The Sun Prairie Fire Department stood by Columbus Fire in the event of any other calls. The fire was caused by the generator heat exhaust in the roof area. Firefighters were on scene until 4:15 p.m. checking for hot spots and fire extension. No firefighters or civilians were injured. Photos: Columbus battles Lakeside Lutheran in Division 3 boys basketball sectional semifinal William DeLapp or DeLap, depending on source, was born July 18, 1870, in a little sod house in Crete, Nebraska, population then, went up to 19. The village was, at that time, surrounded by Native Indians. His father, a Canadian-Frenchman and his mother, of Pennsylvanian-Dutch ancestry, born in New Lisbon, decided to pack up and move back to her family when William was 5-years-old. A wagon train of 25 units, including a number of other families, decided to try their fortunes in Wisconsin. Elaborate details of great importance had to be worked out in order to protect all passengers against possible emergencies such as hostile Indians guarding their land, wagon breakdowns, shortages of horse feed and food for the travelers. Some unbridged rivers had to be forded. Five weeks of constant travel went by before the small village of New Lisbon came within view of the weary journeyers. It had been told by pioneering settlers how Bills mother, gifted with a melodious voice, sang sweet folk tune melodies to him which he listened to with rapturous attention. Young Bill finished his public schooling in New Lisbon and at the same time he studied music, receiving his musical education under the tutorship of professionals known as the Babcock Brothers Trio. Bill, adhering to principles of moral and spiritual integrity, sang in the local Methodist church choir and was in demand to sing for special occasions. In 1913, Singing Bill signed up with an outstanding show company known as the Model City at Toronto, Canada. This assignment was renewed yearly and extended over a period of seven years, when he decided to go a different route. As time and years rolled on, a list of his engagements included state fairs in Indiana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Illinois, Tennessee and Washington. Exhibition Associations in Canada were part of his wide circuit also. He performed at local fairs, Adams County in 1909, Juneau County in 1916, Monroe County in 1929, and Vernon County in 1918. Apparently, Bill was not the only family member to fall heir to their mothers musical gift. A blind brother, a gifted violinist, assisted Bill initially, but he died at an early age. During the early 1900s, a small country band was formed in the town of Cutler, DeLaps Gloom Chasers Band. It consisted of two DeLap brothers, Harry and Franklin, playing violins. A brother-in-law, Carl Wulf, played the drums. A cousin, William Singing Bill DeLap played his homemade guitar and sang when he was not traveling to fairs and events. The band was named by a friend and neighbor, Chauncy Stewert who worked for the Madison newspaper, drawing cartoons. He painted the bands name on the drum. The DeLap sister, Bessie, played piano, saxophone and sang. The drum was donated to the Juneau County Historical Society by the son of Carl Wulf, Harold G. Wulf, and his 11 children on Aug. 24, 2013. Singing Bill was married at Norwalk, in 1894. To this union two daughters were born and they grew up in New Lisbon. Mrs. DeLapp died in 1957, and Singing Bill in 1961. Both are buried in the New Lisbon City Cemetery. An Illinois woman has been arrested in the Feb. 27 death of an elderly Benton woman, the Lafayette County Sheriffs Office said Thursday. The death was discovered after a deputy responded to a call reporting an unconscious person inside a residence on Carr Factory Road in Benton just after 4 p.m. on Feb. 27, Lafayette County Sheriff Reg Gill said in a statement on March 4. On Thursday, Gill said in a statement that the person who died was Lynne I. Montgomery, 83, and that the investigation into her death resulted in the arrest of Shannon C. Bussan, 29, of rural Elizabeth, Illinois. Bussan is tentatively charged with first-degree intentional homicide and was being held in the Jo Daviess County Jail, pending extradition to Lafayette County. Montgomerys obituary lists Shannon Bussan as the spouse of Brandon Bussan, one of Montgomerys seven grandchildren. Bussan was taken into custody on March 15 at the Jo Daviess County Sheriffs Office in Galena, Illinois, with the cooperation of the two sheriffs offices, the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Gill said. [Bussan's age was wrong in an earlier version of this story due to incorrect information reported by authorities.] A federal grand jury has indicted a former University of Wisconsin-Madison student accused of threatening people at the school, prosecutors announced Wednesday. The grand jury in Madison indicted 32-year-old Arvin Raj Mathur on six counts of transmitting communications containing threats to injure other persons. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted on each count. Prosecutors have accused Mathur, a former UW-Madison anthropology graduate student, of using email to threaten graduate students, staff and professors in February. He threatened to personally stalk and kill all of your loved ones in one email and wrote in another that he would kill their children, according to the FBI. Prosecutors initially charged Mathur via complaint on March 8. He was arrested Friday at a Detroit-area airport after traveling from Copenhagen, where he has been enrolled at a university, court records and online jail records show. He remains in custody in Michigan pending an arraignment in Madison. A date for the proceeding hasn't been set yet. Online court records did not list an attorney for Mathur. The Detroit News has reported that Mathurs court-appointed attorney is Amanda Bashi. She didn't immediately return a voicemail Wednesday afternoon. Its all on the line April 4. The stakes in this election couldnt be higher for a nonpartisan spring race. These races often fly under the radar, but I cant overstate the importance of the Wisconsin Supreme Court race that features an absolutely stark contrast in judicial philosophies. The race features former Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly, a solid conservative, and Judge Janet Protasiewicz, who has embraced the progressive label. Kelly is the clear choice for Wisconsin. Casting aside any respect for judicial ethics, the liberal/progressive candidate, Protasiewicz has indicated how she would rule on a number of issues should they be revisited by the court. Without hearing details of an individual case, shes said she believes the most recent legislative maps are rigged. Shes also called Wisconsins Act 10, the 2011 legislation that empowered choices for school districts, unconstitutional. On other issues, she has gone further. A March 3 Wisconsin Watch story answered the question about whether Janet Protasiewicz campaigned in support of abortion rights with a resounding yes. The story further refers to a Feb. 22 tweet by Protasiewicz reproductive rights are at stake. A Feb. 21 New York Times story quoted Protasiewicz saying on election night, everything we care about is going to be determined by who wins this election. What assurances has she been given that everything we care about will arrive at the Supreme Court for deliberation? Armed with the knowledge they know how shed decide cases because of her lack of judicial ethics, lawsuits by liberals will start lining up. Former Supreme Court Justice Kelly was among those justices who stood in defense of the citizens of Wisconsin from overreach by Gov. Tony Evers during COVID challenges and stopped Evers from trying to pull a fast one on the 2020 spring election. Hes a reliable, solid jurist. In that same New York Times story, asked about the legislative maps, Kelly responded, When a map gets challenged in court, the responsibility of the court is to fix the legal defects, not the political defects. He then stated what a prudent justice should always say. Courts are not built to decide political issues, just legal issues. What a wonderful concept. The judiciary is tasked with following the rule of law. They arent tasked with being a clearinghouse for every disagreement folks have with recent legislation. Kelly is exactly the type of jurist we need as our next Supreme Court justice. I strongly urge you to get involved in his campaign, and make sure you cast your ballot for Kelly. Having met Kelly a few times over the years, I am always impressed with his attention to detail and great analytical mind that is able to bring many complex judicial concepts to a level most can understand. It is this type of mind I want on our Supreme Court. The current legislative maps were reviewed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and the U.S. Supreme Court, which referred the case back to the state. No further revisiting of this matter needs to occur. We found in the Gill v. Whitford challenge to the 2011 maps that since political opinions can often change within a demographic, it would be extremely difficult for a court to define partisan gerrymandering. Insert Kellys prudence vs. Judge Protasiewiczs activism. Ill side with Kelly. Wisconsin has been a national leader in the school choice movement, and programs here and across the nation have survived countless legal challenges. It doesnt matter. A Protasiewicz victory would put those programs in jeopardy. Forget about those more than 50,000 students who annually opt for better environments through the various parental choice programs, there is an agenda to fulfill to re-empower the juggernaut of the public teacher unions. Since its everything we care about, no issue will escape new litigation. Voter ID, right-to-work laws, concealed carry, castle doctrine and more are all on the ballot April 4. Election integrity? I anticipate Judge Protasiewicz would ignore Wisconsin Statute 6.855 (1) regarding drop boxes that states designated site(s) shall be located as near as practicable to the office of the municipal clerk, and wed see drop boxes on every corner. Protasiewicz has even earned the hashtag #nojailjanet in conservative circles for her light sentencing requirements for many offenders. The distinction couldnt be any clearer. Kellys wise and prudent analysis, and adherence to the rule of law, or Judge Protasiewiczs activism and pre-judging on issues that may come before the high court. Join me in sending Kelly back to the Supreme Court this April 4. UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Joyce Msuya (Front) speaks at a Security Council meeting on Yemen at the UN headquarters in New York, on March 15, 2023. Msuya stressed the need to strengthen Yemen's economy on Wednesday. (Manuel Elias/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua) UNITED NATIONS, March 15 (Xinhua) -- UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Joyce Msuya stressed the need to strengthen Yemen's economy on Wednesday. Economic decline is among the top drivers of humanitarian needs, and aid agencies want to do much more to help Yemenis move beyond the immediate crisis, Msuya, also deputy emergency relief coordinator in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told the UN Security Council in a briefing. "One priority is to clean up the awful landmines and other explosives that are killing and maiming so many, as well as choking off economic life," she said. "We are eager to start. But we need more resources and more specialized partners." Getting started also requires ensuring agencies face fewer obstacles and are able to deliver principled assistance, she added. Beyond mine action, the United Nations is working with donors and partners on a revised economic framework that will help address broader economic drivers of humanitarian needs in Yemen, said Msuya. "This year offers an important opportunity to make progress on these economic drivers while we still have the benefit of a massive aid operation in the country," she said, warning that "if we miss this opportunity, it will become much harder to ever transition toward a smaller aid operation without putting millions of lives at risk." These efforts will depend on everyone's support, which means investment by donors, as well as policy measures to promote economic growth, said Msuya, adding that the loss of government revenue following Houthi attacks on oil export infrastructure last October remains a serious challenge, particularly for efforts to pay salaries and fund basic services. Msuya also expressed concern over "the perennial challenge of access and security." Agencies are now increasingly present in places that in the past were extremely hard to reach due to fighting, constraints by the authorities, and internal UN security rules. Houthi authorities have also recently accelerated approvals of aid projects in the areas they control. But the overall picture on access and security remains very dark. In Houthi-controlled areas, Yemeni female aid workers are still unable to travel without male guardians, she noted. This is causing serious disruptions in the ability of agencies to assist women and girls safely and reliably. The humanitarian community calls on the Houthi authorities to lift all such movement restrictions and to work with the United Nations to identify an acceptable way forward on this issue, she said. Insecurity persists in many areas, threatening aid workers and preventing access in some places, she added. The last year has brought a number of improvements to Yemen. The truce was a major step forward. Another improvement has been a decline in the number of people going hungry in Yemen, by almost 2 million people, with the worst levels of hunger having dropped to zero, largely thanks to the efforts of humanitarian workers, the support of donors, and to the truce itself, she said. "But we must not rejoice too much because Yemen remains a staggering emergency," as more than 17 million people are counting on aid agencies for assistance and protection this year, and agencies do not have what they need to help, said Msuya. "Access and security are still major challenges. Funding is in short supply. And economic problems are pushing even more people into destitution," she noted. Weather Alert ...Gusty Winds and Elevated Fire Conditions Today, Frost Potential Tonight... Westerly winds will be sustained around 15 to 20 mph today with gusts of 30 to 40 mph. The strongest gusts are expected to be across portions of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, and northwest Kentucky. This may cause small tree limbs to break and loose outdoor objects to be blown around. In addition to the gusty winds, relative humidity values are expected to fall below 25 percent in many areas. This combination will lead to elevated fire weather concerns today. Caution should be used in any outdoor burning. Tonight, winds will decrease, setting the stage for temperatures to fall into the mid to upper 30s across northern portions of southern Illinois and southwest Indiana. This may lead to patchy frost developing, mainly for areas north of the I-64 corridor. NEW YORK, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Oil prices suffered steep losses on Wednesday, pressured by mounting fears of a banking crisis. The West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for April delivery dropped 3.72 U.S. dollars, or 5.22 percent, to settle at 67.61 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, reaching its lowest level since December 2021. Brent crude for May delivery lost 3.76 dollars, or 4.85 percent, to close at 73.69 dollars a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange. The pullback came after a major rout on the oil market, which saw the U.S. crude benchmark and Brent both shed more than 4 percent on Tuesday. Turbulence at Credit Suisse fueled fears of a wider banking crisis. Shares of Credit Suisse on Wednesday plunged to a record low after a top shareholder of the embattled Swiss bank said it would not make further investments in the firm. The turmoil came just days after the failure of several U.S. banks, which continues to send shock waves through the financial system. "Another day another bank failure. The banking crisis is causing a deleveraging by big banks, pulling back their exposure to oil and causing prices to fall harder than other risk assets," Phil Flynn, senior analyst at The PRICE Futures Group, said Wednesday. "The oil moves smack of market liquidation as opposed to anything directly related to current supply demand fundamentals," he said. Traders overlooked data that showing a drawdown in U.S. oil product inventories. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported Wednesday that the country's total motor gasoline inventories decreased by 2.1 million barrels during the week ending March 10, while distillate fuel inventories fell by 2.5 million barrels. Recent oil weakness "illustrates the extent to which oil prices have been influenced by the financial markets of late," echoed Carsten Fritsch, energy analyst at Commerzbank Research. He noted that when financial markets went into crisis mode, oil came under selling pressure as a risky asset. "In view of this, high volatility can also be expected in the coming days, with fundamental data likely to play only a subordinate role," Fritsch said. WARSAW, Poland (AP) Polands president said Thursday that his country plans to give Ukraine around a dozen MiG-29 fighter jets, which would make it the first NATO member to fulfill the Ukrainian government's increasingly urgent requests for warplanes. President Andrzej Duda said Poland would hand over four of the Soviet-made warplanes within the next few days and that the rest needed servicing and would be supplied later. The Polish word he used to describe their number can mean between 11 and 19. They are in the last years of their functioning but they are in good working condition, Duda said of the aircraft. Duda did not say whether other countries would be making the same move, although Slovakia has said it would send its disused MiGs to Ukraine. On Wednesday, Polish government spokesman Piotr Mueller said some other countries with MiGs also had pledged them to Kyiv, but he did not name them. Russia has been sending some US-provided weapons captured in Ukraine to Iran, sources say Over the last year, US, NATO and other Western officials have seen several instances of Russian forces seizing smaller, shoulder-fired weapons equipment including Javelin anti-tank and Stinger anti-aircraft systems that Ukrainian forces have at times been forced to leave behind on the battlefield, the sources told CNN. While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pleaded for Western supporters to share fighter jets, NATO allies have expressed hesitancy. Before Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine had several dozen MiG-29s it inherited in the collapse of the Soviet Union, but its unclear how many of them remain in service after more than a year of fighting. The debate over whether to provide non-NATO country Ukraine with fighter jets was initiated over a year ago, but NATO has been wary of making the war escalate. Duda made the announcement during a joint news conference in Warsaw with the visiting Czech president, Petr Pavel. Duda said Polands air force would replace the planes it gives to Ukraine with South Korea-made FA-50 fighters and American-made F-35s. Poland was also the first NATO nation to hand German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, last month. Poland is a crucial ally in the Ukraine crisis. It is hosting thousands of American troops and is taking in more people fleeing the war in Ukraine than any other nation, in the midst of the largest European refugee crisis in decades. It has suffered invasions and occupations by Russia for centuries and still fears Russia despite being a member of NATO. ISLAMABAD, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Police on Thursday claimed to have killed two terrorists and arrested two others in an operation in Dera Ismail Khan district in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of police said that two terrorists were killed in an encounter during an intelligence-based operation in the Bhagwani area of the district. According to a statement from the CTD, at least three other terrorists managed to escape from the site during an exchange of fire. The killed terrorists belonged to a banned terrorist group and were wanted by police for attacks on the security forces and police, said the CTD. Police also confiscated two Kalashnikovs, four hand grenades and a big quantity of live ammunition. Earlier on Wednesday, security forces killed eight terrorists during an operation in South Waziristan, Pakistan's volatile northwest tribal district bordering Afghanistan. The Bloc Quebecois (BQ) took advantage of a recent opposition day in the federal parliament to table a motion calling on the House of Commons to remind the [Justin Trudeau-led Liberal] government that it is up to Quebec and the provinces to decide on the use of the notwithstanding clause. The notwithstanding clause is a provision of Canadas constitution that allows the federal and provincial parliaments to pass laws that violate rights purportedly guaranteed in the constitutions Charter of Rights and Freedomsincluding freedom of religion, expression or associationand prevents them from being overturned by the courts. Among the chief proponents of the notwithstanding clause is Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, who supported the far-right "Freedom" Convoy's menacing occupation of Ottawa and its demands for the scrapping of all anti-COVID public health measures. [AP Photo/AP Photo/Arthur Mola/Invision/AP]] This provision is deeply reactionary. It is contrary to international law, which has provided for the supremacy of fundamental rights since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations in 1948 in response to the abominable crimes of the Nazi regime. While the UDHR states the need for all countries to respect inalienable fundamental rights, the Canadian constitution guarantees rights and freedoms that governments can derogate from unilaterally with a simple parliamentary majority. The notwithstanding clause in the Canadian Charter is notoriously unique in the world. It has been repeatedly cited by the far-right Israeli government as a model for imposing a key element of its attack on the Supreme Court that will allow the Knesset to overturn court decisions with the support of a simple majority of MPs. This is what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu trumpets as the Canadian solution. The anti-democratic nature of the notwithstanding clause is also apparent from its recent invocations by Quebec and Ontarios hard-right provincial governments and growing calls for its use by right-wing federalist and pro-Quebec independence politicians. Reactionary forces aligned with the federal Conservative Party have long urged that the taboo surrounding the use of the notwithstanding clause be broken. Echoing the arguments put forward by the Republicans in the United States in their crusade to overturn abortion rights, most regulations of big business and other basic democratic rights, they argue that routine use of the notwithstanding clause is necessary to counter an activist Supreme Court that is rewriting the law. In 2000, Albertas Conservative Premier Ralph Klein used the notwithstanding clause in a law banning same-sex marriages in the province (although the courts struck down this law on the basis that marriage issues are a federal responsibility and the notwithstanding clause cannot override the constitutional division of powers between the federal and provincial governments). Last November, Ontarios Progressive Conservative Premier Doug Ford used the notwithstanding clause to protect legislation criminalizing an impending strike by education support staff workers from legal challenge. Ford had threatened to invoke it twice before and did so once. During last years federal Conservative Party leadership race, its winner, Pierre Poilievre, promised to use the notwithstanding clause to overturn a Supreme Court ruling that struck down a 2010 law passed by Stephen Harpers Conservative government that ordered anyone found guilty of a crime of a sexual nature be automatically and permanently entered in Canadas registry of sex offenders. Another promise made by Poilievre was to use the notwithstanding clause to reinstate a Harper law that effectively abolished the possibility of parole after 25 years of imprisonment for certain people guilty of multiple murders. This proposal was endorsed by other candidates, including his more moderate rival, former Quebec Premier Jean Charest. The notwithstanding clause is also regularly invoked by the right wing in Quebec. Since its election in 2018, the provinces Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) government, led by multi-millionaire former CEO Francois Legault, has used the notwithstanding clause to exempt its discriminatory laws on secularism (Bill 21) and the expansion of the Charter of the French Language (Bill 96) from court challenge. To disguise the anti-democratic nature of its actions, the CAQ, supported by other nationalist forces such as the BQ, has launched a campaign to normalize the use of the notwithstanding clause. While it was used very rarely prior to Bill 21, the Quebec nationalists now promote it as a way to defend the collective rights of the Quebec nation against the supposed tyranny of minorities and the federal government. This is a fraudulent pretext that completely ignores the true scope of the Canadian Charter. A law passed by a parliament can already infringe upon the rights enshrined in the Charter within reasonable limits prescribed by law in a free and democratic society under Section 1 of the Charter. A law aimed at defending legitimate collective interests can, for example, legally impinge on the rights of big business and the rich, by placing limits on for-profit health care or providing for a progressive tax system, in which the wealthy, at least in theory, have higher tax rates than ordinary workers. In contrast, Bills 21 and 96 seek to divide the working class along ethnic and linguistic lines and make Quebecs immigrant and Anglophone communities the scapegoats for the disastrous social conditions that are, in fact, the result of the ruling class austerity policies. The discriminatory impact of these bills is their very essence, and cannot be legally justified, hence the use of the notwithstanding clause under the fraudulent pretext of defending Quebec. In addition to continuing its relentless defense of the CAQs chauvinist policies, the BQ sought through its February 9 parliamentary motion to attack and politically corner Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whom they view as their premier federalist opponent. In January, the latter had tentatively raised the idea of asking Canadas Supreme Court to rule if provinces can invoke the notwithstanding clause in a pre-emptive manner, shielding it from court challenge before a court has ruled that the law violates Charter-protected rights. The Liberal Party and the social democratic New Democratic Party (NDP) voted against the BQ motion, ensuring its defeat by 172 votes to 142. During the debate, Liberal and NDP MPs postured as defenders of Canadians democratic rights and denounced Fords use of the notwithstanding clause to trample on worker rights. The BQ, which with the support of the union bureaucracy at times cynically poses as pro-worker, refused to criticize Fords strikebreaking. Amid a public outcry and a growing movement for an Ontario-wide general strike last November, the BQ declared that it was indifferent to Fords violation of workers rights to strike and collectively negotiate the terms of their employment. For the BQ, as it proudly proclaimed, the priority was to uphold provinces prerogative to use the notwithstanding clause to enact anti-democratic legislation. The Liberal-NDP vote against the BQ motion is entirely hypocritical and reveals no principled commitment to fundamental rights. While denouncing the Quebec governments anti-democratic actions, the federal Liberal government acted in a similar fashion when it invoked emergency powers in February 2022 to dismantle the far-right Freedom Convoy that was menacingly threatening downtown Ottawaand, as the World Socialist Web Site has explained, secretly reinterpreted the Emergencies Act to do so. The use of these draconian powers for the first time in Canadian history is a warning to workers that the Trudeau government will not hesitate to adopt authoritarian methods to suppress growing working class opposition to austerity, war and social inequality. Liberal criticism of Fords use of the notwithstanding clause against the Ontario education support workers is equally hypocritical. The Trudeau government itself has passed legislation to criminalize strikes, including at the Port of Montreal in April 2021. The reason it did not use the notwithstanding clause is that it could count on its allies in the union bureaucracy to force workers to comply with its back-to-work legislation. The NDP supported the Liberal government when it invoked the Emergencies Act. Through its many votes of confidence in parliament, the NDP has enabled Trudeau, in a minority government since 2019, to retain power even as the Liberals have massively increased military spending and given Canada a major role in the US-NATO-instigated war against Russia over Ukraine. In 2021, while the Trudeau government was openly preparing to criminalize the Port of Montreal strike, the NDP provided it with the necessary votes to pass the federal budget, allowing the Liberals to stay in power and suppress the dock workers struggle. The only party in the House of Commons that voted with the BQ in favour of its notwithstanding-clause motion was the Conservatives. Like the Republicans in the US and the British Conservatives, this traditional right-wing party is morphing into a fascistic movement. The Conservatives and other sections of the Canadian ruling class sought to exploit the far-right Freedom Convoy to demand the repeal of all anti-COVID measures and to destabilize, if not overthrow, the Trudeau government. Regardless of their tactical differences over the use of the notwithstanding clause, all sections of the Canadian ruling classQuebec sovereignists as well as federalistsdefend this anti-democratic provision as they increasingly resort to authoritarian methods to suppress growing working class resistance. This is part of a universal turn by capitalist ruling elites around the world toward police state forms of rule and the promotion of violent far-right forces. This is evidenced by Trumps January 6, 2021 coup attempt which climaxed with the assault on the US Capitol and the January 8, 2023 attack on Brazilian government buildings by followers of the fascist ex-President Jair Bolsonaro. Millions of workers took strike action Thursday, with protests held throughout Greece. This was the largest mobilisation yet in response to the Tempi train crash that killed 57 people on February 28. Protestors hold banners during a 24-hours general strike in central Athens, on Thursday, March 16, 2023 [AP Photo/Michael Varaklas] The general strike was called by the two trade union federations, the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE) and the public sector workers umbrella body, ADEDY. It was backed by the All-Workers Militant Front (PAME)the federation of the Stalinist Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and the Panhellenic Seamens Federation. The action shut down all transport networks. Rail services have been shut down since the disaster in which a high speed inter-city passenger train carrying 350 peopletravelling from Athens to Thessalonikicollided head-on with a southbound freight train. Members of the Panhellenic Federation of Railway Workers joined Thursdays strike and protests. In the capital, Athens Metro services ran for only a few hours to allow participants to get to and from demonstrations; as did services on the tram network. No ships ran between Greeces islands and many flights were cancelled due to a 24-hour air traffic control stoppage. Public hospitals operated with emergency staff and state schools were forced to close. As they did during the general strike called by ADEDY on March 8, the police closed Syntagma, Panepistemio, and Omonoia metro stationsall adjacent to major public squares and gathering pointsin order to limit attendance in central Athens. Tens of thousands attended marches and rallies in Athens (see video below with protesters on Panepistimiou Street), Thessaloniki and other towns and cities. At Athens central train station, flowers were laid and candles lit in memory of the dead. Young people were again prominent in the demonstrations. Students, whose associations have been occupying schools and universities since the crash, were out in force. Most of the deceased passengers were young people, including many students. Twelve of the victims attended the Aristotle University of Athens. A large banner in central Athens held up by a youth contingent on a large demonstration read: We become the voice of all who died, on the streets of struggle life is won. Students hold a banner, reading in Greek, "We become the voice of all who died, on the streets of struggle life is won", as they shout slogans during a 24-hours general strike in central Athens, on Thursday, March 16, 2023. [AP Photo/Michael Varaklas] Demonstrations were replete with anti-government slogans and chants rejecting the initial claims of New Democracy (ND) Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis that the disaster was the result of the errors of a single station master in Larissathe passenger trains last stop before the crash. Some banners in Syntagma Square outside parliament read, It was no human error, it was a crime and Our dead, your profits. A slogan that has gone viral since the crash, Message me when you get there,often used by parents for when their children arrive safelywas also displayed on banners. Young people chanted, The new generation does not forgive you; the tears have dried up and turned into rage. At many Tempi demonstrations, riot police have brutally attacked participants with tear gas, stun grenades and batons. Further attacks took place in Athens yesterday. Journalist Nikos Sverkos of the pro-SYRIZA (Coalition of the Radical Left) Avgi posted footage of a police attack with a comment, The definition of the unprovoked police assault on the march for #Strike16March Thats how much they respect the dead in #Tempi. Such is the scale of anger, which shows no signs of being quelled more than three weeks after the crash, that the ND government may not survive. The government was forced to issue an apology for the deaths and pledge that it would make safe a rail network decimated by budget cuts and chronic understaffing, exacerbated by the 2017 privatization of the state-run TrainOSE by SYRIZA in 2017. This was carried out during SYRIZAs enforcementin alliance with the far right Independent Greeksof even worse austerity than that imposed by the social democratic PASOK and ND since 2008, at the behest of the European Union, International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank troika. After the train deaths, ND had to cancel scheduled electionswith first and seconds rounds of voting originally due to be held in April and Mayand has yet to name a new date. Elections have to be held before NDs term expires in July, but this coincides with a 40-day period of remembrance for the victims. The government announced that it intends to reopen national rail services on March 22 with additional staff to monitor safety and mandatory speed reduction rules along sections of the track, with full services to be gradually restored through April 11. SYRIZA has been unable to win support in the aftermath of the crash. Its polling numbers have remained static. This is due to the understanding of millions, including the younger generation who have known nothing but poverty and a minimum wage of just 700 euros, that Alexis Tsiprass party bears as much responsibility as the other pro-austerity parties for the deaths. On Tuesday evening, Tsipras was on the Mega TV station attempting to whitewash SYRIZAs role in office, particularly its privatisation of the state-run railway. This was to done only under duress, he lied. The SYRIZA government was forced, because we had no other choice due to the austerity memorandum demanded by the troika. This was the memorandum that Tsipras won a landslide election in 2015 by promising to reject. Once in power, SYRIZA agreed to continue with existing austerity measures and then agreed further deals with the troika, beyond even the savage austerity imposed by PASOK and ND. Greece became a test bed for the destruction workers living standards throughout the continent. Alexis Tsipras interviewed on Mega TV, March 14 2023 [Photo: screenshot of video atsipras/Twitter] Tsipras told Mega TV, The government of the New Democracy understands security only to appoint and hire police officers. We dont have doctors, we dont have nurses, we dont have teachers, we dont have station masters. But the same criticism applies to his government, which did nothing to reverse budget cuts and understaffing of the public sector and rail network. According to official TrainOSE figures, the company employed just 637 workers over the entire rail network on December 31, 2017the year in which SYRIZA sold it to the Ferrovie Dello Stato Italian, the Italian state-owned railway holding company, for just 45 million. New TrainOSE hires (93) hardly exceeded the number of workers retiring that year (71) as the company was made as lean and profitable as possible for its new owners. Ferrovie had to change virtually nothing, as it boasted of massive profits to come in a strategic expansion operation. A year later the railway company employed just 659 workers. Tsipras acknowledged that SYRIZA has not seen an increase in support since the crash rocked the ND government, before stating that what was underway was an uprising of people who are up to 30 years old. These young people, he said, were not the same as workers who rose up to oppose austerity measures in the past decade, expressing his fear that recent demonstrations over the crash were a spontaneous reaction to the entire political system. They will affect the outcome of the elections. Coming from Tsipras, a trusted representative of the Greek capitalist class and its state, this is a warning to the working class. Tsipras knows that opposition to the entire political set-up is entrenched and has grown as a result of the Tempi crash. For the SYRIZA leader this opposition must be stifled and controlled, with his party readying itself to do so. Directed and produced by Stuart Nash; March 2-12 at the Kenya National Theatre. On the eve of the 60th anniversary of Kenyan independence, Francis Imbugas Betrayal in the City has returned to the Kenya National Theatre, 46 years after its last production. Imbuga (1947-2012), one of Kenyas most important playwrights, was part of the second generation of post-independence writers. He grew up at the end of the brutal British occupation and after independence, when the new Kenyan bourgeoisie demonstrated its incapacity to satisfy the democratic, social and economic aspirations of workers and peasants and rapidly exposed itself as a new tool of imperialism. Mulili (Ibrahim Muchemi) and Boss (Raymond Ofula) discuss execution of a high-ranking official (Photo creditNairobi Performing Arts Studio) Betrayal in the City (1976) is one of his most popular plays, long required reading in the countrys secondary education system. The revival was directed by British expatriate, Stuart Nash, whose recent productions have indicated a healthy interest in Kenyas post-independence politics. The popularity of his revival of Ngugi wa Thiongo and Ngugi wa Miriis I Will Marry When I Want testified to the enduring relevance of its themes of exploitation, inequality and the betrayal of the struggle against imperialism by the post-independence elite. Nash followed that with Mstinji, an adaptation of Molieres classic The Miser (1668), set in a country resembling Kenya, saddled with a money-obsessed dictator. Francis Imbugas initial preoccupation with family relationships led him to consider broader social questions. Eventually, he said, the question of what influences such relationships proved crucial. And while reflecting upon this question, outside influences such as politics, religion and even economics appeared to be central to this reflection. And so I began to think seriously about the influences of politics on the drama of life. Betrayal is set in Kafira. The fictional country is ruled by a regime recognisable as the Western-backed authoritarian government of Jomo Kenyatta (c. 18971978), independent Kenyas first president, although Kafira resembles many newly-independent African nations. Nash makes Kenya the explicit setting. Unfortunately, in doing so, he introduces new comic business and jokes immediately touching upon contemporary Kenyan politics. This extends the play to an overlong three hours and often undermines its more powerful satiric content. Kafira/Kenya is formally independent, but has not satisfied the demands of its ordinary people. Under the dictatorship of Boss (Raymond Ofula), the economy is still dominated by foreign capital, citizens are jailed for exerting freedom of expression, strikes are violently suppressed and student demonstrations are fired on. The corrupt ruling elite is ransacking the state. Nina (Wakio Mzenge) and Doga (Omondi Ngota) are grieving their son, Adika, killed during anti-government protests. His grave has been desecrated, probably by his killer, preventing a traditional burial ceremony. Their other son, university student Jusper (Francis Ouma Faiz), went mad after Adikas murder (in an overlong scene here). Nina and Doga, anxious to get him out of the way, fail to realize that Jusper is telling them that he killed his brothers killer after a scuffle. He is jailed after confessing. Semi-illiterate drunken henchman Mulili (Ibrahim Muchemi) and military man Jere (Duncan Murunyu) bring government instructions preventing Adikas burial, on the grounds of maintaining social peace. Mulili is contemptuous, but Jere changes his mind. Doga and Nina, he says, have done no wrong. Adika died for Kenyas progress. When they clash, Mulili explains that Bosshis own cousinhas promised him land and livestock in exchange for keeping the peace. Jere ends up imprisoned with Mosese, jailed for criticising the regime. Betrayal in the City, Francis Imbuga Discussing how Boss reneged on the promises of independence, Mosese utters the plays most famous lines: It was better while we waited [for independence]. Now we have nothing to look forward to. We have killed our past and are busy killing the future. This scene, one of the most important in the play, shows the ruthlessness of the regime, which spares no one, and highlights the difference between the idealist Mosese and the man of action Jere. It suffers, however, from extensive new comic relief on the part of the guards, which distracts from this discussion without adding anything of great value. The plays real humour lies in the narrative itself and the interaction of the main characters, not in Nashs new comic bits. Mosese will be released if he takes part in a play to be performed for a visiting foreign dignitary, as the regime tries to improve its international standing. Mosese refuses, saying it would imply guilt, and Im not guilty of anything. The scene is set for a Shakespearean play within a play designed to trap Boss. At the house of his girlfriend Regina (Joan Wambui), Jusper meets Bosss right-hand man, Tumbo (played excellently by Dru Muthure). While Jusper is blunt about the regime, Tumbo says the problem is just a few bad apples, Mulili especially. Regina says Jusper is a good playwright. In an excellent scene, Tumbo convinces Jusper to enter a playwriting competition to win the prize money. Tumbo will award him victory and pocket the cash. Juspers ironical pledge to enumerate Kenyas progress sets a trap to beat the regime at their own game, demonstrating that he is not mad at all. A counterpoint scene shows the corruption of Bosss flunkeys. After quarrelling with another official, Mulili tells Boss that his rival helped leak information about the dictators foreign bank accounts. Boss orders his execution. The final scene starts with the dress rehearsal of the play in the jail. Boss arrives, concerned what impression the foreign dignitary might get. Meeting Jusper, Boss rages against students and their ingratitude for the achievements of his regime. But Boss falls into Juspers trap. Offering to play chief-of-staff in the drama, he tells his guards to give the actors their guns, because the props have not arrived. Boss orders them to untie Jere and Mosese so they can join the rehearsal. Mosese and Jere argue comically over the length of their guns, and appeal to Bosss character for help. He tells them each to take a gun and show him. Now armed, they overcome the guards. Mulili tries to save himself, saying Boss should be killed because he has plundered and spoiled Kenyas economy, and ruled for too long. Boss tells Jere Shoot me. Spare me this betrayal. Shoot me. Jusper spares Boss, but executes Mulili. One is left wondering whether Boss really deserved to be pardoned. Kenya National Theatre (kenyaculturecentre.go.ke) It is a powerful reflection of post-independent African states and their ruling classes, humorously portrayed, with wide audience appeal. The cast is excellent. The plays impact is undermined by Nashs additions, but its greatest weakness ultimately is Imbugas own political perspective. The message is that leaders in power must listen to the people at the bottom to avoid despotism, and should be surrounded by wise advisersa clear warning to the Kenyatta regime, rapidly becoming an authoritarian, corrupt state when Imbuga was writing. Betrayal was a reaction to the string of political assassinations and repression carried out by the regime on its left flank. Petty bourgeois radical Pio Gama Pinto, a former anti-colonial Mau Mau fighter, was murdered in 1965. Conservative nationalist trade unionist Tom Mboya, Kenyattas potential successor, was killed in 1969. Stalinist union leader, Makhan Singh, who spearheaded Kenyas trade union movement in the 1930s and 1940s, was sidelined. Oginga Odinga, Kenyas first Vice-President under Kenyatta, was put under house arrest for a decade after trying to create the petty-bourgeois nationalist Kenya Peoples Union as an official opposition in 1966. The year before Betrayals debut, populist nationalist Mwangi Kariuki, who described Kenya as a nation of 10 millionaires and 10 million beggars, was killed by assassins widely believed to be working at Kenyattas behest. The gruesome murderKariukis hands were chopped off, his eyes gouged out, his face burnt with acid and his body left on an ants nestshocked the country. There were mass demonstrations, and several ministers fled in fear. Imbuga was considering a book on it. Betrayal was an appeal to Kenyatta, who died two years later, to look to better advisersthe ones his regime was murdering. It is unsurprising that Mulili is executed, not Boss. Mulili could likely have been based on Kenyattas successor, the ruthless Daniel arap Moi, former vice president and previously responsible for Kenyas brutal police. Despite leftist pretensions, these figures played a key role in subordinating the radicalised working class and peasantry in the struggle for independence to the bourgeois nationalist Kenya African Union and Kenyattas Kenya African National Union. Opposing Marxism on the basis of nationalism, they directly contributed to betraying the democratic, social and economic aspirations of the masses in their struggle against imperialism. As elsewhere across Africa, independence only gave imperialism a new face. Corrupt national bourgeois cliques ruthlessly suppressed workers and peasants, overseeing IMF austerity while looting the state in the interests of their own enrichment. Betrayal was welcomed in 1976 for exploring these questions, and government officials tried to shut it down. Over the next year, Kenyattas regime clamped down on dissent in the media, academia and the petty bourgeois left opposition in parliament. Historian Charles Hornsby wrote that Any signs of Marxism, radicalism or appeals to Kikuyu peasant aspirations were classed as support for communism and therefore sedition. Imbuga noted government attempts to censor his play, describing the bulldog person I have been meeting as being the same as Tumbo. Betrayal in the City, said Imbuga, was a true representative of real life. An attempt to frustrate the play is in fact an acceptance of the plays truths. The plays overdue revival is welcome, in spite of its shortcomings. It is to Nashs credit that these plays are in Kenyas theaters again. One hopes they will encourage workers, youth and the best elements of the middle class and intelligentsia to look further into the historical experiences with the dead end of bourgeois nationalismand turn to socialism. Yesterday marked four years since the devastating mass shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in which 51 people were killed and 40 injured. The victims included men, women and children; the youngest killed was a three-year-old boy. The fascist gunman, Brenton Tarrant, made clear in his manifesto that the atrocity was motivated by white supremacist, anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim beliefs. A student pays his respects at a park outside the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand in March 18, 2019, after gunman Brenton Tarrant had killed 51 people at two Christchurch mosques. [AP Photo/Vincent Yu] The events of March 15, 2019, shocked the world. In the days following the attack tens of thousands attended vigils in solidarity with the victims and against racist violence and terror in New Zealand, Australia and many other countries. Notably, the fourth anniversary of New Zealands worst-ever mass shooting passed without any public commemoration by the Labour Party-led government. There was no statement delivered in parliament and not even a press release from Prime Minister Chris Hipkins marking the occasion. According to the New Zealand Herald, Hipkins sent a video message to the victims families yesterday. His office told the newspaper that March 15 will always remain close to the hearts of New Zealanders, including the Prime Minister. Former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who resigned in January, also remained silent yesterday, declining an interview request by Radio NZs Morning Report. As with previous anniversaries, Australias Labor government made no comment on the worst terrorist attack carried out by one of its citizens. Tarrant had links with the Australian neo-Nazi groups, the Lads Society and United Patriots Front (UPF), whose leading members are still active. The silence from the political establishment, and the superficial coverage in the corporate media, is aimed at obscuring the roots of the Christchurch terror attack and downplaying the danger posed by fascism internationally and in New Zealand. In a perspective published three days after the attack, the World Socialist Web Site opposed the attempts that were already being made to portray Tarrant as a lone wolf, unconnected to any political tendencies, whose actions and beliefs were completely alien to New Zealand politics and society. The attack, we insisted, had to be taken as a deadly warning by the international working class. It is the product of the deliberate cultivation, at the highest levels of the capitalist state in country after country, of the most extreme right-wing nationalism. As the working class internationally comes forward in a mass resurgence of class struggle against unprecedented levels of social inequality and the danger of war, the ruling class is once again, as it did in the 1920s and 1930s, seeking to use fascist forces to divide, intimidate and suppress the opposition to the bankruptcy of capitalism and the nation-state system. Armed police outside Christchurch courthouse during Brenton Tarrant's sentencing in August 2020. [Photo by Schwede66 / CC BY-SA 4.0 In Germany, open fascists had been brought into parliament for the first time since World War II, and the country was rearming for war. In the United States, President Donald Trump was building the far-right movement that would ultimately carry out an attempted insurrection in Washington on January 6, 2021. In Australia and New Zealand, we said, where politicians are making hypocritical statements condemning racism and violence, the establishment has, since 2001, demonised Muslim refugees as a threat and potential terrorist fifth column, and blamed immigration for every social problem. Ardern was glorified in the international media for her supposedly sympathetic response to the attack, despite the fact that Labours coalition partner at the time was the extreme right-wing New Zealand First Party, well-known for its anti-immigrant, anti-Asian and Islamophobic positions. The Labour Party itself had called for cuts to immigration as a major part of its campaign for the 2017 election. For these reasons, the Ardern government moved quickly to impose strict limits on public discussion about the significance of the attack. Possession of Tarrants manifesto was made a crime in New Zealand. Journalists had to apply to the Office of the Censor to see the document and were warned that reporting on its contents could violate the law. The WSWS condemned this as a major attack on democratic rights, aimed at concealing the glaring similarities between Tarrants views and those of capitalist parties in New Zealand and Australia, and political leaders like Trump, whom Tarrant praised as a symbol of white renewal. Ardern also instructed the media not to report any statements Tarrant made about his beliefs and motivations in the event of a trial. The countrys main media organisations signed an unprecedented agreement to self-censor their coverage. A trial did not proceed after Tarrant pled guilty. The ban did not prevent the manifesto, along with Tarrants video of his attack, from circulating widely in far-right circles. The Christchurch massacre helped inspire other right-wing terrorists, including Patrick Wood Crusius, who murdered 23 people in El Paso, Texas in August 2019, and Payton Gendron, who killed 10 people in Buffalo, New York in May last year. The Great Replacement theory outlined in the manifesto, according to which Jews are bringing about mass immigration to replace the white population, is now central to the propaganda of the Republican Party and right-wing media in the United States. Politicians in New Zealand have also put forward versions of this racist theory. In highly publicised anti-immigrant rants in 2019 and 2020, government minister Shane Jones, a member of NZ First, railed against declining birth rates which, combined with immigration, was supposedly threatening New Zealands identity. Media commentators never pointed out that Jones fixation on birth rates directly echoed Tarrants manifesto. There is no mass fascist movement in New Zealand. NZ First is deeply unpopular in the working class and failed to win any seats in parliament in the 2020 election. But the actions of the Labour government, like its counterparts internationally, have significantly emboldened extreme right-wing, anti-immigrant and fascistic organisations. A number of these groups, including the New Conservatives, Destiny Church and Voices for Freedom, occupied parliaments lawn early last year demanding the removal of all COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other public health measures. NZ First, the ACT Party and sections of the media encouraged the occupation. The government, which had already abandoned its previous policy of eliminating COVID, essentially adopted the program of the far-right, allowing the virus to spread and kill more than 3,000 people over the past year. The governments support for US imperialisms proxy war against Russia has included sending millions of dollars to the Ukrainian military, in which far-right forces play a prominent role. New Zealand troops are currently in Britain helping to train Ukrainian soldiers for the war. The NZ media and universities have whitewashed Ukraines fascist militias, such as the Azov battalion, and the fact that the Zelensky regime openly celebrates Nazi collaborators as national heroes. The Nazi Black Sun that Tarrant had on his bag during his attack is one of the symbols used by the Azov movement. Tarrant visited Ukraine and had considered moving there prior to the Christchurch attack. His mother would later tell the police she was alarmed at hearing this, because of Ukraines well-known right-wing extremist subculture. To this day, there remain many unanswered questions about how Tarrant was able to plan and carry out his attack, without being stopped by police or the intelligence agencies. There has been no public inquiry into the attack. A royal commission was held in 2020, but its hearings took place in secret and the vast majority of the evidence that it examined has been sealed. A separate coronial inquiry has been announced but its hearings are being repeatedly delayed. The royal commissions report covered up the role of the state agencies, declaring that nothing could have been done to prevent the attack. This is despite the fact that Tarrant was active in far-right online forums and had been reported to police in Australia for sending death threats via Facebook to an opponent of the fascist UPF. In New Zealand, a member of Tarrants gun club near Dunedin raised concerns with police about the racist and anti-Muslim comments made by members of the club. If these and other warnings, including threats sent to NZ Muslim organisations, had been investigated, the massacre might have been prevented. The governments main response to the attack has been to vastly expand the resources of the Office of the Censor and the spy agencies. Ardern also launched the Christchurch Call to Action, an initiative involving over 120 governments and tech companies including Twitter, Google, Microsoft and Facebook, ostensibly to work out mechanisms to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online. This is a fraud. Online censorship is used primarily not against the far-right, but to attack the democratic rights of working people who are seeking to oppose ever-widening social inequality and militarism. The tech giants are already engaged in constant censorship of socialist content, especially the World Socialist Web Site, while promoting pro-war propaganda from the corporate media. It is noteworthy that alongside Ardern, French President Emmanuel Macron has played a leading role in the Christchurch Call. His government is notorious for attacking the rights of Muslims and immigrants, and for defending police violence against striking workers. The experiences of the last four years, in NZ and internationally, confirm the warnings made by the WSWS that the threat of fascism cannot be countered by appealing to the capitalist parties and the statethe very institutions that are systematically promoting the far-right, as they did throughout the twentieth century, to divide the working class and defend capitalist rule. Fascism can only be defeated through the fight to unify working people of all countries on the basis of a socialist program, to abolish the root cause of war and social inequality: the profit system and its division of the world into rival nation states. Atmospheric rivers are narrow and long streams in the atmosphere that carry substantial water vapor from the tropics to other regions. They resemble rivers in the sky. When they make landfall, they can release an enormous amount of water vapor in the form of intense rain or snow. Traffic moves on the Golden Gate Bridge as people carry umbrellas while walking down a path at the Golden Gate Overlook in San Francisco, March 9, 2023. [AP Photo/Jeff Chiu] An atmospheric river, with high winds and heavy precipitation, drenched California on Monday and Tuesday, March 13-14. Some 30 million people were placed under flood alerts as the storm moved from north to south. Over 300,000 residents were left without electricity in the San Francisco Bay Area counties of San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano and Marin. Further down the coast there were significant power outages in Monterey County. The Central California Coast, from Monterey down to Santa Barbara, was hit with unexpected amounts of rain, as was the Sacramento region to the east, together with the Central Valley cities of Fresno and Bakersfield. So far, the economic cost estimate for the San Francisco Bay Area exceeds $46 million. In Los Angeles County, the Office of Emergency Management warned of potential mudslides in areas that had been previously devastated by wildfires. This latest storm, the eleventh since December 2022, came on the heels of a previous set of storms that had saturated the soil and dropped large amounts of snow in the mountain areas. The combination of heavy rain, floods, mudslides and intense snowfall have killed 18 people so far this year. The damage estimate from the series of storms now stands at $31-34 billion, including homes and vehicles damaged or lost due to the extreme weather. Monterey County is among the hardest hit by the latest wave of atmospheric storm systems. A previous storm last week had flooded over the Pajaro River Levee. According to the Los Angeles Times, officials had known that the levee could fail, isolating the town of Pajaro, home to many migrant farmworker households, but they had chosen not to do anything, having determined that it was not worth the cost. [T]hey believed it did not make sense to protect the low-income area, interviews and records show, the Times noted. Even before this series of intense storms, agricultural workers in Californias Central Valley and coastal areas had been hard hit by a three-year drought, which has damaged crops, caused wildfires and resulted in the destruction of towns and homes, heat strokes and the forced migration of farmworkers to other regions. Adding to and compounding all that damage, the rain, snow, wind storms and floods are wrecking agricultural fields, as well as irrigation and farm equipment, causing even more misery. Not only are farmworkers jobs affected, their vehicles and homes have been damaged as well. A Los Angeles Times article published on January 21 interviewed Michael Mendez, a professor of environmental planning and policy at UC Irvine, who described the state of affairs in the fields. We have compounding and cascading disasters from extreme storms, flooding, wildfires, heat waves and drought that are all impacting farmworkers. This is just a part of the larger history of disproportionate impacts that this population is experiencing. According to Mendez, state and local authorities ignore the needs of farmworkers, many of whom are low-income undocumented immigrants, ineligible for unemployment benefits and health insurance. Officials have not provided enough resources, disaster planning, preparedness, translation services for these communities before a disaster happens, he said. So, when disasters do strike, the experiences are amplified because resources are often not targeted, or theyre withheld from these communities. In Southern California, Santa Barbara County issued evacuation alerts and orders for Monday and Tuesday, warning residents that those who did not evacuate may be left stranded for several days. A similar alert was issued to residents of Santa Cruz County. In all, over 70,000 people have received evacuation alerts. Californias Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom requested emergency federal aid last week for 15 counties. Coastal residents have been advised to store up to two weeks of food and essential supplies in preparation for this and other upcoming storm systems. Last week, mountain communities were hit by massive snowfalls. The current storm system is expected to bring even more. High elevations along the Oregon border to the north were expected to see at least a foot of snow, between one and six inches for lower elevations, both north and south. The Sierra Nevada Mountains could see more than a foot of snow. Scientific studies from as far back as 2017 have warned that, while average rainfall numbers and the succession of dry and wet years would not necessarily change, as the result of human-driven climate change, so-called mega storms, with 30 or more days of continuous storms and floods, will become the norm. As the air warms, it can hold more moisture, which, also because of climate change, will fall more as rain than as snow, creating the danger of mega floods. A January 2023 report by Yale Climate Connections discussed the very near-collapse of the Oroville Dam in Northern California that prompted the evacuation of 170,000 people and listed 15 other dams that are in danger of mega-flooding, including the Whittier Narrows Dam in Pico Rivera (Los Angeles County), which if it were to collapse would flood highly populated areas of southeast Los Angeles County and the city of Long Beach. The economic costs of such mega storms would be in the $1 trillion range, with hundreds of casualties. Warning: This article contains a photograph of a gruesome work injury that some may find difficult to view. Jim Kaelin has worked hard his whole life. The 62-year-old is the third of 11 children and began working on the family farm in Kentucky around the age of eight, collecting, grading and cleaning eggs from the familys 1,500 chickens before and after school. His work life spans nearly 50 years, including 30 years as a worker in a tire recapping factory where he prided himself on his excellent attendance record. Jim Kaelin, former Dana worker [Photo by Peggy Kaelin] In 2020, when Kaelin should have been getting close to the age of retirement, he started working at Dana Inc.s plant in Dry Ridge, Kentucky, which makes parts for some of the most profitable auto companies in the world, including Ford and Stellantis. While working at Dana, Kaelin says he lost nearly everything he had built up over a half-century of labor. Kaelin lost his job, but he says he almost lost far more than that. He almost lost his life when he was hospitalized after having chest pains at work in January 2021. He almost lost his leg weeks later when a heavy part fell on his leg at work, and it became dangerously infected. He almost lost his home because he says Dana forced him out of a job by pointing him (i.e., penalizing him) for going to the hospital for necessary medical attention. This is his story. Dana Inc. did not reply to a request for comment. Kaelins sister Peggy Cordray wants readers to know what type of a person her brother is. Jim is an old farm boy, she said. He soldiers on. He is the hardest worker I know. Kaelins problems at Dana began in January 2021, when he had been at the company for around six months. In 2021, Dana gave out $57 million in dividend payments to its affluent shareholders. On January 2, I was working at Dana, and we had just gotten back from Christmas break, he told the World Socialist Web Site. My chest started hurting, and I started to feel dizzy. I said to my supervisor that I had to go home, I was sweating so bad that my clothes were wet. My supervisor told me that if I go home, they were not going to give me holiday pay, and they were going to point me. I didnt have a choice, I left and went to the hospital. I felt like I was having a heart attack. Kaelins medical records show doctors took this incident extremely seriously and hospitalized him from January 2 to January 6, 2021. Soon after, he went back to work. Though his doctors put him on heavy blood thinners, he says he was not given a lighter workload. I gave them paperwork from the hospital saying I had to take it easy, but the union didnt try to get me on a lighter job. Medical report from January 2, 2021 describing work incident that morning. [Photo by Jim Kaelin] By mid-February, things got worse. A few weeks later, in February I got hurt bad at work. A heavy part fell on my leg. That thing weighed about 80 pounds. It was early in the morning, and a coworker was stacking too many parts on top of each other. I was trying to teach him not to stack more than three, but he stacked four and one fell on my leg. He took off running, and I never saw him again. He was my only witness, and I was in a lot of pain. Kaelin, who had previously suffered from an ankle ulcer on the same leg that was injured, says he sat on a box on the shop floor for roughly three hours without medical attention while the company and UAW kept the line running. For a long time I couldnt get up. When I finally did, I went to the night manager, who told me there was nothing he could do about it. I wrote a report to HR about the injury, but the company later told me it didnt count because I didnt file it within 24 hours, even though I did. He went to the doctor, had his leg looked at and went back to work. In the weeks that followed, Kaelin worked under immense pain. He says he was in such pain that he would not take breaks, since by the time he was able to walk to the break room, break time would be over. Medical record stating Kaelin "hit posterior right calf at work today on a transmission resulting in a medium size tender hematoma." [Photo by Jim Kaelin] In March, when Kaelin should have been recovering, he says he was working at Dana when his wound began to bleed through his bandage. My leg had about 10 bandages on it, plus gauze, plus two wraps, and it still bled through. Dana told me bodily fluid wasnt allowed to be on the shop floor, and they told me to get out of the building, he said. He checked into the hospital again on March 19, 2021. A medical report dated March 19 from St. Elizabeths Healthcare states that Kaelin checked in with a Wound Infection and that he was suffering from recurrent fever, fatigue, and extensive redness and swelling around right posterior calf wound, including a new increase in odor as well. He told doctors he was hit by a mechanical tool when he was teaching someone how to use it. Has reported increased pain and swelling. Today he felt some chills. March 19, 2021 medical record stating Kaelin suffered recurrent fever, fatigue, and extensive redness and swelling around right posterior calf wound including new increase in odor as well. [Photo by Jim Kaelin] Kaelin told the doctor he was worried about losing his job, but the doctor insisted. He was held in the hospital for three days due to the infection, which he says was incredibly painful. Jim Kaelin's infected wound [Photo by Jim Kaelin] When Kaelin called Dana to inform them he had to go to the hospital, he says HR told him he was exaggerating the extent of his injury. After being discharged, Kaelin returned to work, but he says his condition did not improve, and the pain in his leg worsened. Weeks later he underwent a procedure for an intravascular venous stent placement. I was in the hospital on and off, but because of the pollution in the plant, my wound got infected again, and they told me they may have to amputate. I recall calling HR from my doctors office and told her about my diagnosis. The HR lady said, I dont give a fuck, that is not my problem. You are still going to get pointed. Kaelin says he asked the HR representative if she would like to speak to his doctor, and the representative said no, to his doctors surprise. Kaelin also showed HR pictures of his infected wound, and an HR representative said, I dont want to see those fucking things. He recalls clearly that HR used foul language in both conversations. His sister Peggy said that Jim always sent Dana the proper paperwork about his heart attack and leg injury. They would say bring a doctors note, and he did, and I know because I was the one doing a lot of the faxing for him. I tell you, Jim would go into work after the doctors appointment, and they would say we didnt get it, but they did. I know because I sent it and it went through. Kaelin says the UAW did not take action to help him. The UAW didnt say anything. I told them about what was happening to me, I showed them the pictures of my infection. Every time I talked to the UAW people they just walked away from me. They dont care about the workers, so why should I pay union dues? Shortly thereafter, he came back to work and was called up to what workers refer to as the birdhouse, an elevated part of the plant where workers are called for disciplinary meetings. Kaelin described what happened: I said I couldnt get up to the birdhouse, because it has very high steps. But the superintendent said, get up here, so I did. When I got up there, they said they called me there to write me up for going to the hospital. They gave me points for going to the hospital for my leg infection and for going in January for my heart problem, even though you are supposed to get pointed immediately, and not months later. The union rep was up there too, and I tried to explain that I wouldnt have had to go to the hospital if I didnt get hurt at work, but nobody defended me. The union didnt help me out. They said it wasnt their fault. Kaelin remembers the humiliating and painful climb down the stairs from the birdhouse, with management and the UAW looking down on him. He says one manager shouted at him: What are you going to do, take all day? Get back to work! At the time of this incident, Kaelin had another doctors appointment scheduled for the coming days. Aware that the company was going to fire him for pointing out as a result of this appointment, he walked out of the plant and did not return. In legal terms, Kaelin did not quit, he was constructively discharged, which is the equivalent of being fired. Kaelin says his workers compensation claim was denied. Without an income, he quickly ran out of options. I almost lost my house, he said. I didnt have any money for 10 months. I didnt have any [money] for gas, for food, I couldnt get anywhere. Now I get $2,000 a month in disability, and Im broke. I am always out of money. I get my check at the beginning of the month, I pay my bills, and I buy $100 in groceries and try to make it last all month. Ive been eating one hot dog a day, and thats it. Kaelin was able to qualify for a state program that delayed foreclosure on his home, but he says this protection is expiring and that he may lose his home in a matter of weeks. In April I dont know what Im going to do. In the two years since Kaelins heart attack and injury, his sister Peggy has provided him with what little support she could. Jim will call me and tell me he has $5, and he needs money to drive to the doctor so they can scrape his wound. Since all this happened Ive given him about $6,000, helping pay bills. Peggy is a foster parent and has taken on more foster children under the respite foster care program to help her brother. Respite foster care is where one foster parent temporarily cares for another familys foster children. Paying has been the hardest thing for me. I am on disability myself. I also do respite foster care, and its $32 a day. We are trying to make sure Jim gets to the doctor, to make sure he gets food. He just wants to work. Its all he talks about. It is driving him crazy. Peggy added, My heart bleeds for Jim and for anyone else that has to go through this. How does anyone get away with making people work all day, around the clock, 12-13 hours a shift, on top of being hurt and in such pain? How can they get away with that? As far as I know there was no real communication from the UAW. Never. I dont think he was ever called; they never asked how he was doing, nothing. Its like what they did to Danny Walters, it breaks my heart. How can they get away with this? It blows me away. I cant imagine that this kind of thing is happening nowadays. Jim Kaelins story is just the latest in a shocking series of reports by workers over the abuse suffered because of Dana Inc. and the UAW. Across the country, Dana workers are beginning to conclude that enough is enough. Fired Dana workers [Photo: WSWS] A March 7 statement published by the Dana Workers Rank-and-File Committee demands the rehiring of all fired workers with back pay, as well as workers control over hiring and firing at all Dana plants. The statement concludes: An injury to one is an injury to all. The company and UAW use tactics to distract and divide autoworkers, many times through our roles and positions at the workplace. But we, as the working class, share the same interests. We come from different ethnic backgrounds, races, religions, nationalities, yet we all share the same oppressor. To all workers at Dana and beyond: We have the right to abolish the UAW bureaucracy because it takes our dues money and is not representing us. Therefore we the rank and file must begin representing ourselves. If you are an autoworker who would like to join the rank-and-file committee, text or call 2486020936 today. A new report published last week by the Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism found that an all-time high number of white supremacist propaganda incidents occurred in the United States in 2022, eclipsing the previous years record total of 4,876 by nearly 2,000. Our data shows, the ADL wrote, a 38 percent increase in incidents from the previous year, with a total of 6,751 the highest number of white supremacist propaganda incidents ADL has ever recorded. In addition to an increase in white supremacist incidents, the ADL recorded a more than doubling of antisemitic propaganda incidents, rising from 352 in 2021 to 852 in 2022. These included banner drops on roadways, in-person demonstrations, leafleting neighborhoods and projecting images on buildings and stadiums. The ADL found that propaganda efforts were undertaken in every US state except Hawaii, with the most active states being Texas, Massachusetts, Virginia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, California, Utah, Florida, Connecticut and Georgia. These propaganda efforts were organized by at least 50 different white supremacist groups according to the ADL. However, three of themPatriot Front, Goyim Defense League (GDL) and White Lives Matter (WLM)were responsible for 93 percent of the activity. White supremacist events such as demonstrations at state capitols, parades and local businesses, organized by WLM, GDL, Patriot Front, the Proud Boys and others increased by 55 percent last year, from 108 in 2021 to 167 in 2022. The only area where ADL recorded a decrease in fascist activity was on school campuses, where the ADL found 219 incidents of white supremacist propaganda in 2022, a slight 6 percent decrease from 2021. Fascist propaganda, overwhelmingly distributed by Patriot Front (74 percent of all incidents), was discovered on campuses in 39 different states, led by Texas, Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Ohio, Illinois and Michigan. This is the second report released by the ADL in the last month that has documented an historic rise in far-right agitation and violence in the US. Last month, the ADL reported that every single extremist mass killing in 2022 was linked to far-right ideology. Notably, the ADL did not mention that every mass killing linked to in their report was directly inspired by Republican Party politicians and their sycophants in right-wing media. This is also the case in the March report, which likewise does not mention Trump or the role of the Republican Party in cultivating these right-wing and openly fascist elements. While the Republicans, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, have advanced some 420 pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation so far in 2023, violent Republican rhetoric is translating into threats of real-world fascist terrorist violence. Last week, less than a week after a heavily armed fascist was arrested after threatening to kill anyone that is Jewish in the Michigan government, another Michigan man, Randall Robert Berka II, was arrested on charges of unlawfully owning guns after he threatened online to kill LGBTQ people and leading Democratic politicians, including Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and President Joe Biden. According to the March 9 criminal complaint, Google forwarded the FBI several threats posted by an account linked to Berka that were made between February and March 2023. Trans freaks and gays lgbt freaks [they] all need [to] die and be genocided its all I talk about anymore is wanting to kill trans freaks, the account linked to Berka allegedly posted online. The complaint included over two pages of threats allegedly made by Berka over the last month. The complaint noted that Berka had been involuntarily committed for mental health treatment in 2012. Despite his previous commitment preventing him from legally owning firearms, Berkas mom, Michelle, according to the complaint, admitted that within the last year she had purchased four guns for her son. In the complaint, Michelle confirmed with the FBI that her son has ammunition for all of his weapons, which he kept staged at his apartment along with body armor. In the complaint, Michelle said she is scared of her son and that he should be arrested and put in prison. The day after the FBI arrested Berka, one person was arrested on assault charges at an anti-trans demonstration held in Sacramento, California, on March 10. Police have refused to confirm if the person arrested was part of the small crowd of neo-Nazis or part of the larger group of counter-demonstrators. Social media video posted online appears to show a woman, identified as Aurelia Moore, pointing a gun at counter-protesters. Separate photos show previously identified neo-Nazis dressed in black and armed with brass knuckles. The day after the anti-trans rally in Sacramento, over 100 neo-Nazis, Proud Boys, Patriot Front and White Lives Matter fascists descended on a drag queen story hour held Saturday at Wadsworth Memorial Park in Ohio. The armed Nazis, led by Chris Pohlhaus from the Nazi group Blood Tribe, wore red sweaters and black pants, and waved black and white flags with swastikas on them, screaming Sieg Heil! There will be blood! Pedophiles get the rope! along with chants of Weimar problems require Weimar solutions. Photos from the event show the Nazis protected by police as they scream obscenities at the children and parents gathered at the public park. The Akron Beacon Journal reported on Monday that at the end of the event, two people were charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct and arrested after a fight broke out in which an opponent of the neo-Nazis pepper-sprayed a fascist in chain mail. After a brief scuffle, a man pointed what appeared to be a gun into the crowd, although police have since claimed that the metallic object was a not a gun, but a weapon used to shoot pepper-spray balls. In Florida, police have yet to announce an arrest after a man attacked the Chabad Jewish Center of Cape Coral shortly after services ended Saturday night. According to multiple witnesses, the enraged man used a brick to try and break into the center, even as worshipers were still inside. We hear this loud noise, Rabbi Yossi Labkowski told NBC 2, I was approaching the door and I see somebody picking up a brick and just yanking it, throwing it at the door. Jacob Ben-Haim, who was inside the building at the time of the attack, told NBC he thought someone was shooting through the door. Four or five loud bangs on the door. So I thought for a moment, somebodys shooting at the door I was looking, wheres the bullets? Rabbi Yossi said that after the man was unable to break through the door, he proceeded to vandalize a painting of a menorah and smash the windshield of the rabbis vehicle. He was targeting the Jewish community, Labkowski said. This past Tuesday, police in Lakewood, New Jersey, arrested 22-year-old Max Sanchez after multiple people reported the man was exhibiting disturbing behavior while armed with a large knife outside the Satmar Shul synagogue. In a statement, police captain Gregory Staffordsmith said that while there were no specific threats made to any of the victims, the area where Sanchez was menacing people is home to a large portion of Orthodox Jewish families. ISLAMABAD, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Eight terrorists and two innocent children were killed in a counter-terror operation in the South Waziristan district of Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military said on Thursday. "Upon the presence of information of terrorists in Zinghara area of the district, security forces carried out an operation," the military's media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement. During intense exchange of fire between security forces and terrorists including mortar fire, resulted in the killing of terrorists, whereas two soldiers were injured, said the statement. Two innocent children had lost their lives during the exchange of fire, according to the ISPR. Selected by the WTO Secretariat from across the world, the interns are government officials working on trade-related matters. Priority is given to Sub-Saharan Africa, LDCs, small and vulnerable economies (SVEs), countries with small permanent missions in Geneva, acceding governments and recently acceded WTO members. I thank France, Ireland, and the Netherlands for the generous contributions of their countries that make it possible every year for the WTO to continue with these important capacity-building initiatives, DDG Zhang said in his opening remarks. Welcoming the interns, he encouraged them to observe, listen, learn, contribute, develop your autonomy and network with as many colleagues as possible. French-Irish Mission Internship Programme A total of 22 interns are participating in this year's edition of the French-Irish Mission Internship Programme funded by France and Ireland. The programme seeks to build sustainable trade-related capacity in beneficiary countries by allowing government officials to participate in WTO activities in Geneva. The interns work in their respective permanent missions in Geneva and can represent their countries at WTO meetings. Priority is given to the permanent missions of LDCs and SVEs. France's WTO Permanent Representative, Etienne Oudot de Dainville said: France is proud to be contributing to this programme, which helps developing countries implement their WTO commitments and participate more effectively in current and future negotiations. It is fully in line with the technical assistance mandate contained in the 2001 Doha Ministerial Declaration. Ireland's WTO Ambassador, Noel White, said: Irelands support for the Mission Internship Programme demonstrates our commitment to strengthened participation of LDCs and small, vulnerable, economies in international trade through the work of the WTO. Netherlands Trainee Programme A total of 17 interns are participating in the 2023 edition of the Netherlands Trainee Programme. Funded by the government of the Netherlands, the programme aims to build capacities in beneficiary countries by providing government officials with an opportunity to develop their expertise on the WTO and the multilateral trading system. Congratulating the trainees on their selection for the programme, the Netherlands' WTO Deputy Permanent Representative, Marcel Vernooij, said: You have been given the chance of a lifetime to further your own interests and those of your country. We hope the gained expertise will assist your country in making global trade work as an engine for sustainable economic growth and job creation. I hope you will have a good experience and a successful traineeship. The ceremony was attended by WTO ambassadors and representatives from the countries participating in the programmes. Participants Country LDC Gender Family Name First Name Angola YES F ANTONIO Bartolomeu Neto Bangladesh YES F ZABEEN S.M.Sumaiya Cameroon NO M ABAZE NGO'O Samuel Armand Comoros YES M ZAINOUDINE Ahamada Djibouti YES F SAID WABERIE Kaltoum Haiti YES F ALCEGAIRE Vanessa Kyrgyz Republic NO F SEIDIBAKASOVA Aiperi Lao People's Dem. Rep. YES F PHETCHANTHARATH Chinsouda Liberia YES M BENJAMIN LordErnest Madagascar YES F RASAMIZANAKA Finiavana Mirindra Mali YES M COULIBALY Oumar Namibia NO F KATEPE Justina Ndahafa Papua New Guinea NO M KANDU Paul Rwanda YES M KARANGWA Cassien Samoa NO M ENOKA Maselino Senegal YES F GUEYE Ndeye Magatte Sierra Leone YES M BARRY Magona Tajikistan NO M SHARIFOV Siyovash Tanzania YES M SONGORWA Makaya The Gambia YES M MENDY David Togo YES M MAWUGNA Koakou Agbeko Zambia YES F MWELWA Joreen Bhutan YES M DORJI Sonam Tshering Burkina Faso YES F OUEDRAOGO Salamata Cambodia YES M TENG Chivon Cote d'Ivoire NO M KOUASSI David Ecuador NO F CARRION RAMIREZ Yovana Alejandra Gabon NO F PEMBA NGOMA Pierricka Georgia NO F KUNCHULIA Thea Kenya NO F MITEI Rose Mauritania YES M BA Ibrahima Myanmar YES M ZEYAR NYUNT Oo Nepal YES F NEPAL Prabritti Nigeria NO F ASIKPATA Naomi Pakistan NO M RASOOL Yousaf Sudan YES M ELHUSSEIN Omer Timor-Leste YES M AMARAL GODINHO de ARAUJO Francisco Tonga NO F ALIPATE Esterlina Uzbekistan NO M ALIEV Alijon People gather in front of the Japanese Prime Minister's Official Residence to protest against the meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in Tokyo, Japan, March 16, 2023. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with visiting South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol here on Thursday, amid waves of opposition and criticism over ignoring history. (Xinhua/Li Guangzheng) TOKYO, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with visiting South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol here on Thursday, amid waves of opposition and criticism over ignoring history. At the Prime Minister's Official Residence, Kishida met with Yoon, who is on a two-day visit to Japan. It marked the first time in nearly five years that leaders of the two countries have held a summit in Japan. Yoon's visit followed his step to resolve the dispute over wartime laborers. South Korea earlier announced a plan that a local foundation would gather funds for South Koreans forced to work for Japanese companies during World War II and pay compensation the South Korean court judgment demanded from Japanese companies. Yoon's plan has been triggering resentment at home and came under strong opposition in Tokyo as well. In front of the official residence, crowds of Japanese gathered on Thursday evening to oppose the two countries' joint military alliance in disregard of history, holding up placards that read "Japanese companies and the government should apologize and compensate for forced labor" and "No to the Japan-U.S.-South Korea military alliance." "It is totally unacceptable for the Japanese and South Korean governments to completely resolve the historical issue through an inter-governmental agreement, ignoring the forced laborers and the victims," said a protestor. "The Japanese government not only ignores historical facts but also intends to join hands with South Korea and the United States to build a military alliance and go to war again. We firmly oppose and protest," said another local citizen. Analysts here believe that the improvement of Japan-South Korea relations lacks public support, while sentiments against each other still occupy the mainstream in the two countries. It is difficult to bridge the huge gap between the two countries on such historical issues as forced labor and "comfort women" through formal "shuttle diplomacy" by the leaders alone, experts said. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (R) and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (L) walk off stage after a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, March 16, 2023. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with visiting South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol here on Thursday, amid waves of opposition and criticism over ignoring history. (Kiyoshi Ota/Pool via Xinhua) PHNOM PENH, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said Thursday that the recent fall of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in the United States would not affect the kingdom's banking and financial industry. "I'd like to appeal to depositors not to panic over the collapse of U.S. banks," Hun Sen said in a speech during a graduation ceremony of some 4,500 students at the Build Bright University in Phnom Penh. He said if depositors unnecessarily panic and withdraw their fixed-term deposits before the date of maturity arrives, they will lose their interest income. "I urge people to trust our capacity in supervising the banking and financial sector," Hun Sen said. "Our banks have enough reserve capital to deal with any financial risks." The Southeast Asian nation currently has 58 commercial banks, nine specialized banks, and 86 microfinance institutions, according to the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC). As of 2022, the country's banks and financial institutions had received a total deposit of 45 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of 15.3 percent, and released a total loan of 56 billion U.S. dollars, up 21.7 percent year-on-year, the NBC said. KABUL, March 16 (Xinhua) -- A total of 4,986 Afghan refugees have returned to their homeland from neighboring Iran over the past two days, said a statement Thursday from Afghanistan's Ministry for Refugees and Repatriation Affairs. According to the statement, the returning process continues, and about 280,000 Afghan refugees have returned to their home over the past six months. Afghan caretaker government has been calling upon Afghans living abroad as refugees to return to their homeland. More than 2.5 million registered Afghan refugees have reportedly been living in Iran and about the same number are in Pakistan. By Azernews A round-table meeting was held in Agdam to have strategic consultations and discuss important processes and initiatives, as well as advanced approaches to the cooperation between Azerbaijan and the UN, Azernews reports. The heads of the Ministries of Ecology and Natural Resources, Agriculture and Health, the State Committees on Urban Planning and Architecture, Family, Women and Children's Issues, the Demining Agency, special representatives of the Azerbaijani president, the employees of the Presidential Administration represented in the Interdepartmental Center of the Coordination Headquarters, as well as heads of offices of UN agencies operating in Azerbaijan participated at the event. The meeting heard that continuous work is being done in Azerbaijan in the direction of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals approved by the UN. Major restoration and reconstruction projects carried out in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan are of great importance as part of these efforts. The discussions heard that Azerbaijan achieves its development goals primarily by using internal potential and opportunities, and at the same time, multilateral international cooperation mechanisms. This cooperation covers various areas that are important for Azerbaijan, including environmental protection, health care, agricultural development, and other issues. Moreover, it was underlined that it is important to organize the issues of economic sustainability, humanitarian demining, and socio-economic reintegration of territories in the liberated territories within the framework of the Great Return, which is one of the main priorities for Azerbaijan, taking into account the existing experience in the world. The measures implemented by Azerbaijan in the said directions are highly appreciated at the international level. Some leading international organizations, including the UN, welcomed the initial stage of restoration and reconstruction activities. In the near future, it is expected to expand cooperation in the relevant areas in this direction. It was emphasized that today's event was held as a continuation of the meeting dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Azerbaijani-UN partnership organized in Shusha last year. In addition, the meeting discussed the restoration and reconstruction work carried out in the liberated territories, the return of IDPs, and the application of international experience in this process. Also, opinions were exchanged in the field of applying the recovery needs assessment methodology, which is a joint post-crisis mechanism of the UN, the World Bank, and the European Union in Azerbaijan. To recap, a tree-planting action was held by the participants in the city of Aghdam within the framework of the Heydar Aliyev Year. HANOI, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam is developing a regulation framework for offshore wind activity as the country has embarked on a roadmap to reduce coal-fired power generation in an effort to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, Vietnam News Agency reported on Thursday. Vietnam has untapped potential in the offshore wind because of the strong winds and relatively shallow waters near populated areas, according to the World Bank, which estimates the industry could generate up to almost 30 percent of the country's electricity output by 2050. The Southeast Asian country sets a production target of 7 gigawatts from offshore wind and 16.12 gigawatts from onshore wind by 2030, as it sees wind power as a breakthrough solution to accelerating the adoption of renewable energy and ensuring national energy security, according to the latest draft of the power development plan. The offshore wind power industry will be the driving force of the growth of related supporting industries and logistics services, said Nguyen Duc Hien, Deputy Head of the Party's Central Economic Commission, at a seminar on the offshore wind roadmap for Vietnam. Global investors are looking for investment opportunities in Vietnam to build wind turbine farms, including Denmark's Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners which has signed a memorandum of understanding with the central province of Binh Thuan to develop a 3.5-gigawatt offshore wind farm. As of the end of 2021, Vietnam's total installed capacity of renewable energy reached 20.7 gigawatts, equivalent to more than 27 percent of the accumulative installed capacity of the electricity system. The country aims to raise its installed offshore wind power generation capacity to 64.5 gigawatts by 2045. People demonstrate against the government's pension reform plan in Paris, France, March 15, 2023. As hundreds of thousands of French people protested across France over controversial pension reforms, the joint committee of the French Parliament on Wednesday debated the draft text of the bill. The French interior ministry announced on Wednesday evening that 480,000 people across the country had participated in the eighth general mobilization against the reforms, organized by the unions. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) PARIS, March 16 (Xinhua) -- The French Senate on Thursday adopted the definitive version of the pension reform bill, which will lift the retirement age by two years to 64 from 2027. A total of 193 French senators voted on Thursday morning in favor of and 114 against the bill that was elaborated on the day before by the joint committee of seven senators and seven members of the National Assembly. The bill will be voted in the afternoon by the National Assembly where the government doesn't have an absolute majority. The vote in the National Assembly will be decisive for the bill to become a law. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne could also use an article in the Constitution to pass the bill in the lower house of the French Parliament without a vote. But unions and opposition parties have already threatened to lay out further action if the government uses this constitutional power. The French Interior Ministry announced on Wednesday evening that 480,000 people across the country had participated in the eighth general mobilization against the reforms, organized by the unions. However, France's largest union, the General Confederation of Labor, said that more than 1.7 million people took to the streets to defend their retirement scheme. Major unions already announced that they would be marching in front of the National Assembly on Thursday to push "one last time" the deputies to reject the pension reform bill. Borne laid out details of the pension reform plan in January, under which the legal retirement age would be progressively raised by three months a year from 62 to 64 by 2030, and a guaranteed minimum pension would be introduced. Under the plan, as of 2027, at least 43 years of work would be required to be eligible for a full pension. In 2021, France's expenditure on the pension system equaled 13.8 percent of the country's GDP. However, the country's Pensions Advisory Council (COR) said that the share of pension expenditure would rise sharply due to the sharp contraction in GDP and would vary between 14.2 percent and 14.7 percent between 2027 and 2032. In a report published by the COR in September 2022, the pension system watchdog said that from 2022 to 2032, the country's pension system would be in deficit. Policemen and gendarmes stand guard during the demonstration against the government's pension reform plan in Paris, France, March 15, 2023. As hundreds of thousands of French people protested across France over controversial pension reforms, the joint committee of the French Parliament on Wednesday debated the draft text of the bill. The French interior ministry announced on Wednesday evening that 480,000 people across the country had participated in the eighth general mobilization against the reforms, organized by the unions. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) A woman demonstrates against the government's pension reform plan in Paris, France, March 15, 2023. As hundreds of thousands of French people protested across France over controversial pension reforms, the joint committee of the French Parliament on Wednesday debated the draft text of the bill. The French interior ministry announced on Wednesday evening that 480,000 people across the country had participated in the eighth general mobilization against the reforms, organized by the unions. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) Policemen and gendarmes stand guard during the demonstration against the government's pension reform plan in Paris, France, March 15, 2023. As hundreds of thousands of French people protested across France over controversial pension reforms, the joint committee of the French Parliament on Wednesday debated the draft text of the bill. The French interior ministry announced on Wednesday evening that 480,000 people across the country had participated in the eighth general mobilization against the reforms, organized by the unions. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) People demonstrate against the government's pension reform plan in Paris, France, March 15, 2023. As hundreds of thousands of French people protested across France over controversial pension reforms, the joint committee of the French Parliament on Wednesday debated the draft text of the bill. The French interior ministry announced on Wednesday evening that 480,000 people across the country had participated in the eighth general mobilization against the reforms, organized by the unions. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) Days are getting warmer and that means the 2023 summer music festival and concert season is almost upon us. Whether it is arts and music festivals the size of Bonnaroo or local musicians gathering together to play in your town's court square, there is an endless supply of musical acts close to home or just a short drive away in the South and there are some pretty big festivals coming up. Take a look at some of the bigger festivals that showcase some of the biggest names in pop, rock, R&B, blues, country, hip-hop and more, coming to a stage near you this summer. Bonnaroo 2023 When: June 15-18, 2023 Where: Great Stage Park, Manchester, Tennessee Tickets: prices start at $340 for a 4-day general admission pass, one day tickets are available too Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival draws people from every corner for a weekend of music featuring some of the latest and greatest artists in the music industry and of course, a couple of legends always have to make an appearance. So far the line-up includes names like Kendrick Lamar, Foo Fighters, Paramore, Lil Nas X, Pixies, Sofi Tucker and more. BONNAROO 2023 SuperJam, Outeroo Lineup, and late night sets to be announced! Early Access On-Sale begins Thursday 1/12 at 10am CT Sign up for early access at https://t.co/zYsXMvHzQ6 pic.twitter.com/N05NnvApvK Bonnaroo (@Bonnaroo) January 10, 2023 Hangout Festival 2023 Where: The Gulf Shores, Alabama When: May 19-21 Tickets: Start at $329 for a 3-day general admission package, others are available. Three days of sun, sand and music at the Gulf Shores featuring beach clubs, ocean swimming, sailing expeditions, roller discos, free yoga, beach volleyball, a puppy kissing booth, Ferris wheel views, beautiful art installations and some music thrown in. This year's festival includes appearances by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Skrillex, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Paramore and more. Story continues Love Rising: Let Freedom Sing (and Dance): A Celebration of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness Where: Nashville, Tennessee When: March 20 Tickets: Start at $34 The night includes more than a dozen artists and equality allies including Allison Russell, Brothers Osborne, Jason Isbell, Maren Morris, Hayley Williams and Yola, among others performing in support of an LGBTQ community many believe to be largely ostracized by Republican lawmakers in Tennessee. Another MerleFest Announcement day folks! We sure hope you are as excited as we are...Brothers of a Feather w/ Chris & Rich Robinson of @theblackcrowes @NickelCreek @tommyemmanuel @LoriMcKennaMA @raywalkerjoshua, and Shannon Whitworth & Woody Platt just added. Only 72 days to go! pic.twitter.com/zhvctIP1cj MerleFest (@MerleFest) February 13, 2023 Merelfest 2023 Where: Wilkesboro, North Carolina When: April 27-30 Tickets: Start at $220 for 4-day ticket, one-day tickets are also available This festival has been around since 1988 in memory of Eddy Merle Watson, the son of late American guitarist and musician Doc Watson, as a fundraiser for Wilkes Community College and to celebrate traditional plus music. MerleFest started with bluegrass and "old-time" music, and has expanded to include Americana, country, blues, rock and many other styles. The festival hosts numerous artists, performing on 12 stages during the course of the four-day event every year. Check out the line-up for 2023 here. Pilgrimage 2023 Where: The Park at Harlinsdale, Tennessee When: Sept. 23-24 Tickets: Start at $239 for a two-day general admission pass. Single-day tickets can also be purchased. Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival brings country and rock music together for a two day event. For 2023, Zach Bryan will headline the second night of the Americana-fueled fest alongside Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, while folk-pop mainstays The Lumineers and reunited southern rockers The Black Crowes top the bill on night one. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Summer music festivals 2023: From Bonnaroo to Hangout Festival Zabien Brown is an All-America four-star cornerback from national powerhouse Mater Dei in Santa Ana (Calif). That school has been a factory for the USC Trojans over the past 25 years. Lincoln Riley will try to continue that trend in 2023 and beyond. Browns list includes Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon and the USC Trojans. I visited all of them except Ohio State, but Im going to visit there twice in April. The timing just felt right to me so I can start to lock in on making an early decision, Brown said. Brown is rated by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 73 player in the 2024 class, the No. 11 player in California, and the No. 8 cornerback. According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, USC is leading for his commitment at 60.5%. More 1995 usc trojans! After first PAC-10 win, 1995 USC Trojans remain No. 5 in AP Poll Story originally appeared on Trojans Wire Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban delivers a speech during a commemoration marking the 175th anniversary of Hungary's 1848 revolution and freedom fight, in front of the Petofi Museum in Kiskoros, Hungary, on March 15, 2023. The Hungarian capital Budapest and Hungarian poet Sandor Petofi's birthplace Kiskoros on Wednesday witnessed many gatherings marking the 175th anniversary of Hungary's 1848 revolution and freedom fight. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua) KISKOROS, Hungary, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Wednesday called for peace and independence while hailing the country's well-known poet and national hero Sandor Petofi. "We see Petofi, who would have written the word 'Peace' at the top of the twelve points," Orban said here on the 175th anniversary of Hungary's 1848 revolution and freedom fight, referring to the 12-point demand of Hungarian rebels given to the Austrians ruling over Hungary in 1848. In front of the house where Petofi was born 200 years ago, Orban made a very swift allusion to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, in which Hungary shares China's call for an immediate cease-fire and the beginning of peace talks. Orban underlined that the 1848 revolution against the Austrian Empire can also be interpreted as Hungarians rebelling when "foreigners wanted to tell the Hungarians how to live, and also when the world powers wanted to merge Hungary into a European superstate." The prime minister's speech served as a rallying call for Hungarian independence and resilience, drawing upon the country's historical legacy to inspire a sense of national pride and solidarity. A woman poses for photos in front of the statue of Hungarian poet Sandor Petofi in Kiskoros, Hungary, on March 15, 2023. The Hungarian capital Budapest and Hungarian poet Sandor Petofi's birthplace Kiskoros on Wednesday witnessed many gatherings marking the 175th anniversary of Hungary's 1848 revolution and freedom fight. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua) Actors perform during a commemoration marking the 175th anniversary of Hungary's 1848 revolution and freedom fight, in front of the Petofi Museum in Kiskoros, Hungary, on March 15, 2023. The Hungarian capital Budapest and Hungarian poet Sandor Petofi's birthplace Kiskoros on Wednesday witnessed many gatherings marking the 175th anniversary of Hungary's 1848 revolution and freedom fight. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua) Hungarian President Katalin Novak inspects the guard of honour during a ceremony marking the 175th anniversary of Hungary's 1848 revolution and freedom fight, at the Kossuth Square in front of the parliament building in Budapest, Hungary, on March 15, 2023. The Hungarian capital Budapest and Hungarian poet Sandor Petofi's birthplace Kiskoros on Wednesday witnessed many gatherings marking the 175th anniversary of Hungary's 1848 revolution and freedom fight. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua) A ceremonial hoisting of the flag of Hungary is held to mark the 175th anniversary of Hungary's 1848 revolution and freedom fight, at the Kossuth Square in front of the parliament building in Budapest, Hungary, on March 15, 2023. The Hungarian capital Budapest and Hungarian poet Sandor Petofi's birthplace Kiskoros on Wednesday witnessed many gatherings marking the 175th anniversary of Hungary's 1848 revolution and freedom fight. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua) A juvenile in central Virginia is facing felony charges after authorities say five horses were shot and killed. The Appomattox County Sheriff's Office said it was notified by animal control officials Tuesday of multiple horses that were shot in the town of Spout Spring, about 50 miles south of Charlottesville. Responding authorities said five of the horses were found fatally shot and another three horses were wounded. Veterinary care was summoned to treat the wounded horses, as investigators worked to determine who was behind the shooting. On Wednesday, Appomattox County sheriffs "were able to develop information" that led to a juvenile being charged for the offense of the wounded horses. NPS: 56-year-old man dies on hiking trail at Arches National Park Netherlands: Man convicted of removing condom during sex without consent, or 'stealthing,' in the Netherlands Juvenile charged with felony Appomattox County Sheriff Donald Simpson told USA TODAY the juvenile, who was not named, is facing "multiple counts" of animal cruelty, which is a felony. He added the juvenile will have a court appearance soon. Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Juvenile charged after 5 horses shot and killed, 3 wounded in Virginia You'll save big bucks and reduce food waste, too. Getty/DDM digital design Whether youre back to weekly grocery store runs or still having them delivered, theres no escaping the reality of rising food costs. It seems like every week theres a new shopping-cart staple making headlines for bloating the bottom lines of receipts around the country. And in tandem, hacks for saving money while you shop, whether its by scoping under-$5 deals or learning how to decode price tags to get the best bargain possible. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, food-at-home prices went up by 11.4% last year, including bread, milk, flour, beef, coffee, potato chips, the chicken and the egg (seemingly at the same time). Meet Rubys Pantry, a Pop-up Food-Share Program It's no wonder families are looking for ways to save while stocking their pantries. And in the Upper Midwest, many savvy shoppers have found the answer in Rubys Pantrya food-share program through which, for a mere $25 donation, shoppers can take home a trunk load of groceries easily worth at least twice that dollar figure. It started in 2003, when minister Lyn Sahr was awaiting a shipment of toys donated by a Minneapolis organization to take on a mission trip to Mexico. When the haul arrived, instead of toys, it was filled with food. Sahr decided to take the perishables back to his Minnesota church and give it away. Rubys Pantry (named after Sahrs grandmother) was officially open. How to Shop at Rubys Pantry Today, Rubys is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that conducts pop-up pantries in participating churches, communities, and other locations throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and Iowa. Since its not government-funded, there is no income or residency requirement. You simply go to the website, find the pop-up location of your choice, and either set up an account and reserve your bundle or show up as a walk-in during the designated day and time. All the itemsmostly foodstuffs, but occasionally nonperishables like napkins, cleaning supplies, or paper platesare surpluses, overages, and bumper crops from corporate food donors. Your $25 donation covers operational costs, including shipping, gas, and warehouse workers. The Bountiful Food Haul You Can Expect from Rubys Pantry For example, this TikToker got two shares for $50 and brought home a bonanza including a box full of individual chocolate milk cartons, two bags of oranges, packages of giant spinach tortillas, two whole chickens, disposal latex gloves, packaged potato salads, beef broth, pumpkin loaves, cherry tomatoes, two dozen eggs, chef salads, four bags of pita chips, four boxes of granola bars, two gallons of milk, and more. Around six in 10 Americans in a new poll think China is a bigger threat to the United States than Russia amid heightened tensions between Washington and Beijjing, and against the backdrop of Russias ongoing, year-long war on Ukraine. A Quinnipiac University survey presented respondents with six countries to choose from, and 61 percent of respondents picked China as the top threat to the U.S. There was a dropoff between the share of respondents who picked China and the 22 percent of respondents who said Russia poses the biggest threat. A greater percentage of Republicans (79 percent) than Democrats (47 percent) said China was the biggest threat while a greater share of Democrats (38 percent) than Republicans (10 percent) picked Russia. The poll, conducted in early March, comes a few weeks after the U.S. shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon that defense officials say flew over sensitive American military sites and amid State Department concerns that China could supply Russia with lethal aid in its war on Ukraine. Chinas Foreign Ministry also said earlier this week that the U.S., Australia and the United Kingdom are on a wrong and dangerous path after the three nations announced a deal for Australia to buy nuclear-powered submarines from the U.S. President Biden said on Monday that he plans to meet soon with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Eight percent of respondents in the Quinnipiac University poll picked North Korea as the biggest threat, and 2 percent picked Iran. Cuba and Venezuela were also presented as options, but both earned negligible scores. The new Quinnipiac University results are in line with a Gallup poll released earlier this month that found 50 percent of Americans think China is the countrys greatest enemy, while 32 percent named Russia. The Quinnipiac University poll surveyed 1,795 U.S. adults from March 9-13 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Credit - Illustration by Always With Honor for TIME On a trip from Toronto to Brazil, Eileen Rhein landed in Sao Paulo and found that her luggage had not joined her. My suitcase took an around-the-world trip without me, she says of the experience. Rhein, who documents her travels on Instagram at @lighttravelsfaster, says it took eight days to recover her suitcase, which meant eight days without the essentials shed planned to have with her, such as clothes and toiletries. Now she places Apple AirTags which use Bluetooth signals to track an items locationin her luggage, so she can keep tabs on her belongings as she travels. I love getting off the plane at Charles De Gaulle and seeing the alert that my luggage is at Charles De Gaulle, she says. The travel industrys rebound has brought horror stories of lost luggage, missed flights, and crowded security nightmares. Its easy for travelers to think that mucking through the discomforts of airports is just the price to pay for taking a trip, but that doesnt always have to be the case. We spoke with travel experts and frequent flyers who shared their tips for making the most of the airport experience. Pack essentials in a carry-on For Samantha and Ryan Looney, travel influencers who share their familys travels on their blog and Instagram @samandryanlooney, its important to be proactive to avoid any extra hassle in the case of lost luggage. I have a better-safe-than-sorry approach where I pack a change of clothes, toothbrush, my makeup, [and other] essentials in my carry-on even if Im checking a bag, says Samantha. That way if they lose your bag, youre not just stuck in your lounge clothes that youve been traveling all day, unable to brush your teeth. Rhein also recommends putting a TSA-approved lock on suitcases and never putting any necessities or high-value items in a checked bag in case they go missing or are searched. Carry infants in a sling The Looneys, who travel with their 2-year-old, also recommend wearing a baby sling through the airport to make traveling with young kids a little easier. When you have them in a stroller they have to get out and walk through [security] while they check the stroller. But if youre carrying them on your person, youre able to just keep them on. Story continues They also say to keep an eye out for an oversized baggage line if youre checking in bulky items like a stroller or car seat. There is an oversized baggage line for most airlines that can be shorter than the typical line, says Samantha. It could totally save you from waiting in a long line, especially if youre short on time. Dont be in such a rush Despite the urge some might have to spend the hours before a flight parked in front of the gate, experts admitted to arriving at the airport on the later side. Most travelers arrive at about the three-hour mark, and I find that thats the time when the [security] line is the longest, says Rhein. I actually like to arrive closer to the nick of time. Different airports often have different check-in times, so Mo Sayid, co-founder of Hacks.Travel, a service which emails a weekly roundup of travel deals, recommends looking up the timings at your regional airport. If its a major airport like LAX, depending on the terminal, it might take you a little bit longer, but for smaller airports like Burbank, you can get there an hour before, says Sayid. Splurge on comfort All travelers recommended enrolling in TSA PreCheck, a government-run expedited security screening, if you travel frequently. They also said that airport lounges are worth the price if you travel oftensome credit cards even pay enrollment fees for TSA PreCheck or offer lounge access as perks. We have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars just by being able to show up early and avoid eating overpriced airport food, says Ryan. Ive even had a shower there, adds Rhein. Travel consultant Martinique Lewis recommends signing up for a program like Priority Pass, which provides access to a network of airport lounges and restaurants around the world for an annual fee. Its the best option for frequent travelers who might not get lounge benefits because they dont have travel credit cards. Priority pass not only gives you access to lounges, but it also allows you to eat at restaurants and have activities like massages, says Lewis, who used her pass at over 30 airports last year. Why pay 50 dollars for a sandwich and drink when you can pay at the beginning of the year and use it unlimited? It is the way to go. Call a car from the airport When its time to leave the airport, Rhein says hold off on breaking out your map and learning a citys public transit. Incorporate the cost of uber or taxi into your flight cost, Rhein says. If I arrive stressed and exhausted because Ive been struggling with my suitcase on the MetroI, it starts my trip off on a bad note. Its an extra level of stress. "And the Emmy goes to?" We'll know the answer to that on Sept. 18, but this week EW's The Awardist is kicking off its coverage of the 2023 Emmys with an exclusive look at five returning and new series that will debut over the next two months shows and actors that hope to be nominees when those are announced on July 12. At the end of Succession season 3, Alexander Skarsgard's tech mogul Lukas Matsson looked set to buy Waystar Royco, the media conglomerate ruled by Brian Cox's old-school business titan Logan Roy. That was bad news for Logan's brood of scheming children, played by Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin, and Alan Ruck, but good news for Skarsgard as it guaranteed the guesting cast member would return for season 4 of the Jesse Armstrong-created series, which premieres March 26 on HBO. "I was a big, big fan of the show," Skarsgard tells EW for our Awardist preview, explaining how he initially got involved with Succession. "When they first reached out, I think the plan was for it to be maybe two, three episodes. But then, obviously, with how it all ended, there was an opportunity to bring Matsson back." HBO Succession S4 09.21.22 NORWAY sc- 405-25. int ridge top restaurant Kendall & Roman square off with Matsson Kristi Fitts - Publicist kristi.fitts@warnermedia.com Succession S4 | Sourdough Productions, LLC Kaufmann Astoria Studios 34-12 36th St 3rd flr Astoria NY 11106Office: 718-706-5850 Graeme Hunter/HBO Alexander Skarsgard on 'Succession' season 4 So what can audiences, and the Roy clan, expect from Skarsgard's mercurial billionaire this year? "Once he focuses on a task he is almost unstoppable and it's almost like a fun challenge to him to see if he can do this, if he can pull it off," says the actor. "He has to figure out a way to work the different members of the family and the different members of the board." The Swedish Skarsgard was pleased to welcome cast members to Scandinavia for an episode that involved filming in Norway. "We shot up in the fjords, up in the mountains it was spectacularly beautiful," he says. "It's a company retreat, basically, an opportunity for relaxation but also hard negotiations about how to move forward. Obviously, my character's Swedish, but it's a neighboring country, and it was quite fun to get out of New York and shoot something on kind of Matsson's turf." Story continues Skarsgard made his Succession debut on last season's "Too Much Birthday" episode which found Strong's Kendall Roy throwing an dementedly expensive and extravagant party in New York. "I remember the first day, one of my first lines was, Jeremy asks if I want anything and I say 'Privacy, p---y, pasta,'" says Skarsgard of the episode, which garnered three Primetime Emmy nominations. "I think that's a terrific line, and that kind of sets the tone, and gives you so much information on who Matsson is. It was very exciting to get thrown into that party, because it was so over the top, but also most of the other actors were there, and it was a great opportunity to get to meet to know everyone." "Too Much Birthday" also featured the sight of Matsson taking up Roman Roys's suggestion that the tech giant urinate on the latter's phone. Skarsgard confirms that the pair's frenemy-ship will continue in the new season. "Kieran's extraordinarily fun to work with," says the actor. "He's a very lovely, sweet guy, and he plays that role phenomenally. He's like a little terrier. He comes at you with a lot of energy in those scenes, and it makes it very easy, because there's so much to play off of when you're working with Kieran." In February, Armstrong told The New Yorker that the fourth season of Succession would be the last. Skarsgard is unsurprised that the show's creator is drawing a close to the show, despite Succession having won the Best Drama Emmy, for the second time, just last year. "I always felt that Jesse will end this when he feels it's the right time to end it," says the actor. "I was never worried that this was going to be a case where they do one or two seasons too many. I don't think that's worthy of Succession. I'm so honored to have been a small part of it." Check out more from EW's The Awardist, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights leading up to all the major award shows. Related content: Amanda Knox has sparked controversy after weighing in on a viral op-ed which complained about studying abroad in Italy. Ms Knox spent nearly four years in an Italian prison after being wrongfully convicted of murdering her housemate, Meredith Kercher, while they were studying abroad in Perugia in 2007. On Tuesday, Ms Knox, who is now a journalist, retweeted an essay by Stacia Datskovska, a New York University student who recently returned from a semester in Florence. Ms Datskovska, a journalism and international relations major, wrote how she hated every aspect of it in an essay for Insider which subsequently went viral. Girl, what are you talking about? Studying abroad is awesome! Ms Knox wrote on Twitter when sharing the essay. The comment immediately caught significant attention with 1.7 million views and more than 12,000 likes. You have won the internet for the day, Amanda. You can rest easy, freelance journalist Benjamin Ryan commented. He went on to call it the ironic slay of the year. Variety features editor Malina Saval responded: Your tweet deserves an award! (*This essayist sounds like an entitled, xenophobic, solipsistic brat. Or maybe just really depressed. Shes going to regret writing this. Ugh.) But Ms Knoxs tweet also generated significant criticism. Its funny because my friend was brutally murdered. Do you get the joke? wrote independent foreign policy and security analyst Jimmy Rushton, who is based in Kyiv. Makes a lot more sense why she was initially found guilty when she be tweeting s*** like this, London Evening Standard journalist Maddy Mussen added. Girl, what are you talking about? Studying abroad is awesome!https://t.co/xlEgCKTzqg Amanda Knox (@amandaknox) March 15, 2023 The replies to this are the most the Brits and Americans have been apart on Twitter since the queen died, David Walsh, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Virginia, replied. Story continues I dont think I could make this joke if my roommate was murdered but enjoy the internet claps I guess, Hannah Murray, a US and Australian literature teacher in Melbourne, wrote. In her essay, Ms Datskovska complained about issues such as living with seven others in central Florence. My routine looked drastically different from that of my roommates. I had a GPA to upkeep and an online internship. I wasnt out partying; I was home working most of the time, and it became difficult to concentrate on my assignments, she wrote. The pressure to travel on weekends became too much, she continued. Since three-day weekends are the standard for NYUs study-abroad programs, almost everyone chose to take $20 Ryanair flights to places like Croatia and Munich for Oktoberfest, she said. To me, this seemed like an exhausting form of escapism. I was convinced my peers were doing it only to freshen up their social media profiles and make their friends back home jealous. The student also claimed that Italians were hostile and that she felt like she was wasting precious time in Italy as life continued in New York. Ms Knox shared an apartment with fellow exchange student Meredith Kercher in Perugia, central Italy in 2007. On 1 November 2007, Ms Kercher, a British student, was sexually assaulted and stabbed to death in the home. Rudy Guede was convicted of the sexual assault and murder of Ms Kercher in 2008. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison which was later cut down to 16 years. He was released from prison in November 2021, the BBC reported. Ms Knox and her Italian boyfriend at the time, Raffaele Sollecito, were separately convicted of Ms Kerchers murder in 2009. They both spent four years in an Italian prison before their convictions were overturned. Their final acquittal came in March 2015. AmaWaterways will sail three new itineraries celebrating Black history in 2024, the river cruise line said this week. The line added new dates for its Soulful Epicurean Experience cruises after seeing high demand for the first installment, which is set to begin in August. The sailings will feature tours and onboard experiences that showcase Black culture and history in Egypt and France. "Our first Soulful Epicurean Experience river cruise and land package in France scheduled for 2023 sold out almost immediately, exemplifying that the demand and desire for these cruises is there," Kristin Karst, AmaWaterways' executive vice president and co-founder, said in an email. "As a result for 2024, we announced three additional opportunities to celebrate the diverse Black heritage two on the Rhone River with Paris and one on the Nile River with Cairo." Luxury cruising: Here's where the new Ritz-Carlton Yacht vessel will stop, how much it costs Can travelers still find deals on cruise bookings?: Yes ... for now When are the 2024 Soulful Epicurean Experience cruises? The first of the 2024 sailings will begin in Cairo, Egypt, on May 17. The others will start in Arles, France on June 13 and Paris on June 17, respectively, according to a news release. Karst said the line created the itineraries following conversations with its Black travel advisor partners who "encouraged us to show more diversity in our marketing material, and to consider adding special interest tours or excursions that would appeal more to Black travelers." "We pride ourselves on our warm, welcoming environment on board our ships and are always open to improvements that will enhance the experience for all our guests," Karst added. The line's AmaKristina vessel is one of two that will offer the sailings in 2024. Where will the cruises sail? The May 17, 2024, itinerary will be paired with the line's 11-night Secrets of Egypt & The Nile cruise and land package, visiting Edfu, Aswan and more. Story continues The sailing will feature a visit to a Nubian village, as well as tours of the Great Pyramid of Giza and other sites led by Egyptologists. Guests can also take a private tour of Queen Nefertari's tomb, among other activities. More activities unique to that sailing "are being curated and will be announced soon," the line said on its website. The seven-night June 13 and 17 sailings are paired with AmaWaterways' Colors of Provence itinerary, beginning or ending with a three-night land package in Paris, depending on the date. The cruises are similar, with stops in destinations such as Avignon and Vienne and guided tours featuring jazz music, food and wine. In Paris, guests can take a Black history tour, and go on an excursion centered around entertainer and civil rights activist Josephine Baker. "We ensured that the experiences offered to our guests are authentic by discussing with experts in the field, and working with Black travel suppliers in the destination," said Karst. Cruise deal: Princess Cruises is offering up to 40% off cruises and reduced deposits through May Celebrity Cruises co-captains: Meet the brothers helming Celebrity Ascent How much do the Soulful Epicurean Experience cruises cost? The May 17 cruise starts $5,049 per person, while the June 13 and 17 sailings start at $4,499, according to the line's website. Both fares are per person based on double occupancy. The fares include all food, drinks like wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner, Wi-Fi, hotel stays and more. Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: AmaWaterways offering new cruises spotlighting Black history A graphical representation of the asteroid 2023 DW. After a brief flirtation with doom, the newly discovered asteroid that was given a 1-in-600 chance of slamming into Earth on Valentine's Day 2046 is now highly unlikely to hit our planet, NASA announced. The asteroid, which was first detected on Feb. 27 and named "2023 DW," measures about 165 feet (50 meters) in diameter, or roughly the length of an Olympic-size swimming pool. Initially given a slim but possible chance of a direct impact by NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office , the threat posed by the asteroid generated a flurry of news coverage advising readers to reconsider any romantic plans made for 2046. Now, NASA has revised this estimate, putting the asteroid's chances of hitting Earth at around 1-in-770, meaning it has a 99.87% chance of missing us. The European Space Agency's (ESA) Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre has also lowered its risk estimate downgrading the impact odds from a 1-in-625 chance to around 1-in-1,584. Related: Could an asteroid destroy Earth? "It will go down now with every observation until it reaches zero in a couple of days at the latest," Richard Moissl , the head of the ESA's planetary defense office, told Agence France-Presse on Tuesday (Mar. 14). "No one needs to be worried about this guy." NASA tracks the locations and orbits of roughly 28,000 asteroids, following them with the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), an array of four telescopes that can perform a scan of the entire night sky every 24 hours. The space agency flags any space object that comes within 120 million miles (193 million kilometers) of Earth as a "near-Earth object" and classifies any large object within 4.65 million miles (7.5 million km) of our planet as "potentially hazardous." RELATED STORIES 'Potentially hazardous' asteroid twice the size of the World Trade Center will shoot past Earth tonight 'Planet killer' asteroid hiding in sun's glare could smash into Earth one day What happened when the dinosaur-killing asteroid slammed into Earth? Story continues NASA has estimated the trajectories of all these near-Earth objects beyond the end of the century. Earth faces no known danger from an apocalyptic asteroid collision for at least the next 100 years, according to NASA. If 2023 DW did smash into Earth, it would not be a cataclysmic event like the 7.5-mile-wide (12 km) dinosaur-killing asteroid that struck Earth 66 million years ago. But this doesn't mean smaller asteroids of its size arent dangerous. In March 2021, for example, a bowling ball-size meteor exploded over Vermont with the force of 440 pounds (200 kilograms) of TNT. Even more dramatically, a 2013 explosion of a 59-foot-wide (18 m) meteor above Chelyabinsk, Russia, generated a blast roughly equal to around 400 to 500 kilotons of TNT, or 26 to 33 times the energy released by the Hiroshima bomb, and injured around 1,500 people. Space agencies around the world are already working on possible ways to deflect a dangerous asteroid if one were ever headed our way. On Sept. 26, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft redirected the non-hazardous asteroid Dimorphos by ramming it off course, altering the asteroid's orbit by 32 minutes in the first test of Earth's planetary defense system. NASA has since hailed the mission as a success beyond all expectations. China has also suggested it is in the early planning stages of an asteroid-redirect mission. By slamming 23 Long March 5 rockets into the asteroid Bennu, which will swing within 4.6 million miles (7.4 million km) of Earth's orbit between the years 2175 and 2199, the country hopes to divert the space rock from a potentially catastrophic impact with our planet. Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, March 15, 2023. | Seth Wenig, Associated Press Tuesday stock rallies among U.S. regional banks were mostly wiped out by midday Wednesday as sector concerns spread to international markets and European banking stalwarts watched values tank as worried investors engaged in widespread selloffs. Shares in Credit Suisse fell over 25% on Wednesday and stock trading for the banking giant was briefly paused on Swiss markets amid the precipitous decline. Other European banks took a battering as concerns spread about the sector: Frances Societe Generale SA dropped 12%, Frances BNP Paribas fell more than 10%, Germanys Deutsche Bank was down 8% and Britains Barclays Bank was down nearly 8%, per an Associated Press report. Shares in the two French banks were also briefly suspended. Related U.S. stock indices were all down as of midday Wednesday, and a number of regional banks that saw stock gains Tuesday after big declines on Monday moved back into the red. First Republic Bank has been under heightened investor scrutiny since the failures of Silicon Valley Bank last Friday and Signature Bank on Sunday. On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that S&P Global and Fitch Ratings downgraded First Republics credit, and its stock fell about 17% Wednesday morning. The San Francisco-based banks stock value is down more than 70% from a week ago. As of midday on Wednesday, Fifth Third Bancorp slid more than 7%. Capital One Financial Corp. and PNC Financial Services each fell nearly 5%, while American Express Co. and Discover Financial Services were about 4% lower. U.S. Bancorp fell nearly 4%, according to the Journal. Shares in Utah-based Zions Bank, which saw a 44% drop on Monday, had recovered a chunk of those losses by the end of regular trading on Tuesday, but were down around 2% for the day at midday Wednesday. On Tuesday, Zions Bancorporation CEO and Chairman Harris Simmons told the Deseret News his bank, which operates over 400 branches across 11 western states, was well situated to ride out the turbulent aftermath of the Silicon Valley and Signature bank failures. Weve created a great deal of liquidity, have an enormous amount of cash on our balance sheet and are highly comfortable with our ability to serve borrowers and depositors, Simmons said. As we have for the last 150 years. FAIRHAVEN - A 22-year-old New Bedford man was arrested and charged with assault with intent to kill following a fight at the Fairhaven Walmart Tuesday night. Fairhaven Police Lt. Kevin Kobza said police were called to the Walmart, 42 Fairhaven Commons Way, shortly after 11 p.m. Tuesday on the report of a fight. Police said that one of the individuals involved in the altercation was Brandin Gonsalves, 22, of New Bedford, who allegedly produced a firearm and struck another individual with the weapon. The altercation was reported to have taken place in the lobby of the store, and police located three unspent 9 mm rounds of ammunition. A 9 mm magazine loaded with additional rounds of ammunition was also recovered near the scene. Gonsalves does not possess a license to carry in Massachusetts. Police called to the scene:Antique gun allegedly brandished during argument on New Bedford waterfront The victim who was allegedly struck was transported to an area hospital where they were treated and released, police said. At this time, police are unable to confirm that any rounds were fired, and the incident remains under investigation, police said. Gonsalves was arrested and charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, possession of ammunition without a license, carrying a firearm without a license, and assault with intent to kill. Sentenced:Two New Bedford drug traffickers sent to prison in unrelated fentanyl, cocaine cases He is being held without bail following arraignment in New Bedford District Court Wednesday. A detention hearing will be held March 21. Fairhaven Police were assisted at the scene by State Police and Bristol County Sheriff's Office K-9 units. This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: New Bedford man charged with assault with intent to kill after fight Photo taken on March 16, 2023 shows a building of Credit Suisse in Geneva, Switzerland. As the shares of Credit Suisse fell to a record low on Wednesday, the second largest bank in Switzerland said it would borrow up to 50 billion Swiss francs (53.89 billion U.S. dollars) from the Swiss National Bank (SNB). (Xinhua/Lian Yi) GENEVA, March 16 (Xinhua) -- As the shares of Credit Suisse fell to a record low on Wednesday, the second largest bank in Switzerland said it would borrow up to 50 billion Swiss francs (53.89 billion U.S. dollars) from the Swiss National Bank (SNB). Credit Suisse is taking decisive action to preemptively strengthen its liquidity by borrowing from the SNB under the latter's Covered Loan Facility and a short-term liquidity facility, which are fully collateralized by high quality assets, according to a statement issued by Credit Suisse on Thursday. "These measures demonstrate decisive action to strengthen Credit Suisse as we continue our strategic transformation to deliver value to our clients and other stakeholders. We thank the SNB and FINMA (Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority) as we execute our strategic transformation," said Ulrich Koerner, chief executive officer of Credit Suisse. The loan announcement came as Credit Suisse shares rose over 30 percent when the market opened on Thursday. Credit Suisse also announced offers by Credit Suisse International to repurchase certain OpCo senior debt securities for cash of up to approximately 3 billion Swiss francs. This additional liquidity would support Credit Suisse's core businesses and clients as the bank takes the necessary steps to create a simpler and more focused bank built around client needs, the statement said. Since Tuesday, Credit Suisse's shares have fallen continuously, slumping by more than 20 percent on Wednesday. The bank's shares opened at 2.28 Swiss francs per share on Wednesday morning, before falling to 1.55, and closing at an all-time low of 1.70. Founded in 1856, Credit Suisse has an important influence on the global capital market. Since 2021, the bank has been plagued by negative news, such as investment losses. The stock price of Credit Suisse has continued to fall, and its market value has significantly declined. In early February, Credit Suisse posted a net loss of 7.3 billion Swiss francs for 2022, while in 2021 its net loss was 1.7 billion Swiss francs. According to the bank's 2022 annual report released on Tuesday, there was "material weakness" in internal controls over financial reporting. Meanwhile, the Saudi National Bank, a major shareholder of Credit Suisse, said on Wednesday that it would not increase its stake in the bank. These two events have further battered Credit Suisse's stock prices, and the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in the United States has seen the stock prices of European banks generally plummeting. Late on Wednesday, the SNB and FINMA issued a statement on market uncertainty. The SNB said it would provide the troubled investment bank with liquidity if required. (1 Swiss franc=1.08 USD) Photo taken on March 16, 2023 shows a building of Credit Suisse in Geneva, Switzerland. As the shares of Credit Suisse fell to a record low on Wednesday, the second largest bank in Switzerland said it would borrow up to 50 billion Swiss francs (53.89 billion U.S. dollars) from the Swiss National Bank (SNB). (Xinhua/Lian Yi) Photo taken on March 16, 2023 shows a signage of Credit Suisse in Geneva, Switzerland. As the shares of Credit Suisse fell to a record low on Wednesday, the second largest bank in Switzerland said it would borrow up to 50 billion Swiss francs (53.89 billion U.S. dollars) from the Swiss National Bank (SNB). (Xinhua/Lian Yi) A man walks past Credit Suisse in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 16, 2023. As the shares of Credit Suisse fell to a record low on Wednesday, the second largest bank in Switzerland said it would borrow up to 50 billion Swiss francs (53.89 billion U.S. dollars) from the Swiss National Bank (SNB). (Xinhua/Lian Yi) A woman is seen inside Credit Suisse in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 16, 2023. As the shares of Credit Suisse fell to a record low on Wednesday, the second largest bank in Switzerland said it would borrow up to 50 billion Swiss francs (53.89 billion U.S. dollars) from the Swiss National Bank (SNB). (Xinhua/Lian Yi) Photo taken on March 16, 2023 shows a building of Credit Suisse in Geneva, Switzerland. As the shares of Credit Suisse fell to a record low on Wednesday, the second largest bank in Switzerland said it would borrow up to 50 billion Swiss francs (53.89 billion U.S. dollars) from the Swiss National Bank (SNB). (Xinhua/Lian Yi) If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, ARTNews may receive an affiliate commission. Are you curious about colored pencils as a medium? Has your child graduated from crayons and looking for something a little more grown-up to color with? Then a set of good-quality colored pencils is a must. It can be overwhelming finding the right one, however, as many colored pencils are geared toward pros. But for those just starting out, regardless of their age, pencils for beginnerswhile not necessarily lightfastwill suffice. Read on for our top picks of starter sets, which all come with at least two dozen colors. More from ARTnews.com Related Articles View of a large-scale architectural intervention with a diamond motif in silver, gold, and bronze coloring. With Her Decade-Long Exploration of Puerto Rico's Architectural Motifs, Edra Soto Highlights Their Cultural Value Expo Chicago Awards Prizes to Museums for Acquisitions of Work by Under-Recognized Artists Simone Leigh's First Museum Survey Is a Portrait of the Artist at the Height of Her Powers How we pick each product: Our mission is to recommend the most appropriate artists tool or supply for your needs. Whether you are looking for top-of-the line equipment or beginners basics, well make sure that you get good value for your money by doing the research for you. We scour the Internet for information on how art supplies are used and read customer reviews by real users; we ask experts for their advice; and of course, we rely on our own accumulated expertise as artists, teachers, and craftspeople. ARTnews RECOMMENDS Prismacolor Scholar Art Pencils, Set of 24 These student-grade pencils from the biggest name in colored pencils sit at the top of our list for many reasons. First, they are economical, at a little more than 50 cents a pencil. Secondly, they deliver rich, blendable color that can lay down lightly or intensely. Their cores are softer than Prismacolors premier line of colored pencils, allowing students to practice blending colors, but they nevertheless resist breakage. This set also comes in a durable plastic case that opens to double as an upright holder you can stand on your desk. Story continues Buy: Prismacolor Scholar Colored Pencils, 24 Pack $13.08 WE ALSO LIKE Derwent Academy Colored Pencil Sets These rather highbrow sets may not be an intuitive buy for little artists, but it cinches the next spot on our list for a few reasons. First offand this is a big onethese pencils come in a sturdy tin, so you can bid farewell to flimsy, dirty cardboard boxes. The pencils themselves are simply gorgeous: brilliantly hued 3.3-millimeter leads in a glossy black casing, finished with correspondingly colored ends. Theyre a worthy purchase for the whole family. Because Derwents colored pencils are a step up from our first pick, expect to shell out a little more for these 12- and 24-pencil sets. Are they worth every penny? You bet. Derwent Academy Colored Pencil Sets Price: $10.91$15.76 Buy Now EDUCATORS CHOICE Sargent Art Color Pencils Sargent Arts colored pencil set is a budget-friendly choice that is especially good for pre-k or elementary students. They dont require a lot of pressure to create marks, but the cores can withstand a good amount of force should kids push down hard. The colors may not be as vibrant as others on our list, but the tips glide across paper and are capable of producing sharp, crisp lines. This set of 36 colors offers enough hues for all but the most ambitious budding artist. Buy: Sargent Art 22-7236 36-Count Assorted Colored Pencils $7.99 ALSO CONSIDER Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor Oil-Based Colored Pencils and Sets If you want a set that is slightly more sophisticated but still suitable for students and beginners, we recommend Lyras pencils. They feature oil-based cores densely loaded with pigments that disperse effortlessly over paper with no wax buildup. Vibrant and blendable, the pencils offer good lightfastness, with ratings for each color printed inside the included tin. Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor Oil-Based Colored Pencils and Sets Price: $2.35-$74.94 Buy Now A GREAT ALTERNATIVE Prang Duo-Color Colored Pencil Sets Yes, this is a two-in-one pencil. No, its not everyones cup of tea, but the novelty of a double-ended pencil is sure to thrill your little ones. These used to be the holy grail at crafting parties and in elementary school art class. Now, they can be yours in sets of 6, 12, or 18. You have to admit, two colors for the price of one is a darn good deal. Of course, each color will be half the length of a full-size colored pencil; consider these a creative and economical option if youve never known the sad sight of a totally whittled-down Sky Blue. Prang Duo-Color Colored Pencil Sets Price: $2.92$8.19 Buy Now Brought to you by the oldest and most widely circulated art magazine in the world, ARTnews Recommends helps you make the choice that suits you best from products in hundreds of art and craft supply categories. Our offerings are based on intensive research, interviews with artists and craftspeople, and the accumulated experience of the sites editors and writers. We provide trustworthy and helpful advice about materials to artists ranging from beginner to professional. 1. Prismacolor Scholar Pencil Set These student-grade pencils from the biggest name in colored pencils sit at the top of our list for many reasons. First, they are economical, at about 50 cents a pencil. Secondly, they deliver rich, blendable color that can lay down lightly or intensely. Their cores are softer than Prismacolors premier line of colored pencils, allowing students to practice blending colors, but they nevertheless resist breakage. This set also comes in a durable plastic case that opens to double as an upright holder you can stand on your desk. Prismacolor Scholar Pencil Set Buy Now 2. Sargent Art Color Pencils Sargent Arts colored pencil set is a budget-friendly choice that is especially good for pre-k or elementary students. They dont require a lot of pressure to create marks, but the cores can withstand a good amount of force should kids push down hard. The colors may not be as vibrant as others on our list, but the tips glide across paper and are capable of producing sharp, crisp lines. Sargent Art Color Pencils Buy Now 3. Derwent Academy Colored Pencil Sets These rather highbrow sets may not be an intuitive buy for students, but we recommend them for a few reasons. First offand this is a big onethese pencils come in a sturdy tin, so you can bid farewell to flimsy, dirty cardboard boxes. The pencils themselves are simply gorgeous: brilliantly hued 3.3-millimeter leads in a glossy black casing, finished with correspondingly colored ends. They arent scratchy and are very easy to blend. Theyre a worthy purchase for the whole family. Because Derwents colored pencils are a small step up from our first two picks, expect to shell out a little more for this 24-pencil set. Are they worth every penny? You bet. Derwent Academy Colored Pencil Sets Buy Now 4. Prang Duo Pencils Yes, this is a two-in-one pencil. No, its not everyones cup of tea, but the novelty of a double-ended pencil is sure to thrill your little ones. These used to be the holy grail at crafting parties and in elementary school art class. Now, they can be yours in sets up to 18. Of course, each color will be half the length of a full-size colored pencil, but they allow you to fit twice the amount of colors in a tight pencil case.The pigments are vibrant and lay down smoothly. Prang Duo Pencils Buy Now 5. Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor Colored Pencils If you want a set that is slightly more sophisticated but still suitable for students and beginners, we recommend Lyras pencils. They feature oil-based cores densely loaded with pigments that disperse effortlessly over paper with no wax buildup. Vibrant and blendable, the pencils offer good lightfastness, with ratings for each color printed inside the included tin. Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor Colored Pencils Buy Now Best of ARTnews.com Click here to see more up-to-date holiday deals! Click here to read the full article. courtesy of Visit NC From the mountains to the sea, North Carolina state parks bless nature lovers with everything from mountain cliffs to sand dunes. Here, scenic variety satisfies even the most seasoned travelers. Whether you've got your sights set on mountaintop hikes or you're hoping to cool off by the water, there's an ideal place for everyone among the state's 41 total parks. Grab your hiking shoes, load up on sunscreen, and get ready for an adventure. Here are the best state parks in the Tar Heel State. Chimney Rock State Park Visit NC Southeast of Asheville in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the 315-foot spire of Chimney Rock is the main draw in Chimney Rock State Park. Climb the nearly 500 steps to the very top to hit the goals on your fitness tracker, or take an elevator, which provides an accessible option to reach a bridge with amazing views just yards from this ancient rock formation. Admire the 75-mile vistas of Lake Lure and Hickory Nut Gorge; then set off on one of the many trails, including Hickory Nut Falls (where a scene from The Last of the Mohicans was filmed), to catch a glimpse of the area's peregrine falcons. After spending a day in nature, enjoy a brew along the Rocky Broad River at Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery in Chimney Rock Village. Grandfather Mountain State Park Visit NC Grandfather Mountain State Park's rugged terrain and ecological diversity is unique to this high-elevation stretch of the southern Appalachians. Adventure seekers can conquer some of the South's most challenging hikes along 13 miles of trails and sleep under the starts. Those looking for a more leisurely experience can also buy tickets to the main attractions, like the Mile-High Swinging Bridge. Pilot Mountain State Park Visit NC People first learned about the fictional town of Mount Pilot from The Andy Griffith Show. Its inspiration, Pilot Mountain State Park, sits within the rugged mountains northwest of Winston-Salem. Here you can enjoy everything from hiking to horseback riding to rock climbing to camping. Part of the Mountains-to-Sea State Trail, the view from the iconic geologic knob known as Big Pinnacle, a 1,400-foot wall of bare rock, is outstanding. Story continues Jockeys Ridge State Park Seeing Southern Towering sand dunes are the draw of Jockeys Ridge State Park. The dunes here are always changing as storms push sand inland. Named from lore about the wild ponies and their riders a century ago, the park offers activities on both land and sea. The Tracks in the Sand nature trail leads visitors over the sand dunes to the Roanoke Sound and back. After hang gliding lessons with Kitty Hawk Kites, visit the Wright Brothers National Memorial where the dream of taking flight was simply a matter of wind, sand, and perseverance. Hammock Beach State Park Visit NC Hammock Beach State Park's Bear Island is one of the states most breathtaking locations. Accessible only by ferry, boat, or kayak, this leave-no-trace island has a storied history. The park's visitor's center takes you through the area's past while tour boats will zig-zag you through the marshlands. Enjoy an afternoon of solitude along the four-mile beach at Shell Rock Landing Pack a picnic, grab a blanket, and search for shells. Carolina Beach State Park Visit NC Carolina Beach State Park is a boater and anglers paradise. Just south of Wilmington, the park is known for naturally-growing Venus flytraps. These prickly creatures fill the landscape in May and June, especially along the Flytrap Trail, an easy half-mile loop through the wetlands. The park also has nine miles of hiking trails as well as camper cabins, tent sites, and a marina for access to the Cape Fear River and the Intracoastal Waterway. Mount Mitchell State Park Visit NC The first of North Carolina's state parks, Mount Mitchell State Park opened the Appalachian majesty to everyone in 1915. Not only does it sit at the highest elevation (6,684-feet) east of the Mississippi River but it also provides hiking trails for leisure hikes or challenging treks through the wilderness areas, including the Pisgah National Forest where overnight camping is available. Gorges State Park Craig Zerbe/Getty North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia merge in Transylvania County. Decorated with more than 26 waterfalls and framed with rugged gorges, Gorges State Park opens the backcountry for primitive camping, backpacking, and horseback riding. Pull your RV into the ideal spot for a weekend of exploration or pitch a tent along the banks of Lake Jocassee. Fort Macon State Park Visit NC Built in the early 1800s, the pre-Civil War fort transports visitors to the nineteenth-century. Seized by Confederate troops at the outbreak of the Civil War, the immaculately restored fort is the centerpiece of Fort Macon State Park. The park is situated along a skinny barrier island with trails through dunes, forests, and marshes. Take in the history then take a dip along the lovely Crystal Coast beach. Crowders Mountain State Park In Kings Mountain Visit NC Crowders Mountain State Park elevates the senses with miles of hiking trails and ridges of rugged beauty. Bring your four-legged buddy (on a leash, of course) and follow the trail to the summit, or take it easy on the Sparrow Springs trail that travels along the lake and creek; stop for a picnic or cast your fishing line. You can be in two places at once along the Ridgeline Trail; it connects Kings Mountain State Park to Kings Mountain National Military Park in South Carolina. With over 5,000 acres in total, theres a peak or valley suited just for you. Dismal Swamp State Park Visit NC On the border of Virginia, Dismal Swamp State Park is the largest remaining swamp in the eastern United States. You cant camp here, but you can hike, bike, or paddle among the plants and wildlife. A huge paddle destination, put your oar in the water during the spring Annual Paddle for the Border, which steers a maximum of 375 paddlers through the Dismal Swamp Canal and the 7.5 mile North Carolina/Virginia border crossing. Lake Norman State Park Visit NC North of Charlotte, Lake Norman State Park is mountain bikers heaven. The Itusi Trail offers 31-miles of single-track trails, featuring fast, backcountry loops that cater to the novice as well as the expert. Have fun in the woods or lounge by the largest manmade lake in the state. With more than 17 miles of shoreline, Lake Normans waters beckon for swimming, fishing, paddling, and boating. For more Southern Living news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Southern Living. https://www.instagram.com/p/CnSoVSdSY82/?hl=en bensavage Verified The best is yet to come 2h Ben Savage/Instagram Boy meets wife! After announcing his engagement in January, actor Ben Savage tied the knot with Tessa Angermeier in February, according to an attendee's Instagram post. A friend of the couple's, stylist Chloe Engelhardt, posted some photos of the couple at their ceremony in Los Angeles. "Congratulations to Mr & Mrs Savage, we couldn't be happier for you 'guuuyyyss' " she wrote in the caption. PEOPLE reached out to a representative for Savage for comment. Angermeier, who wore a sleeveless bridal gown with a simple silhouette, walked down the aisle with a white bouquet and a veil with lace trimming over her face. Meanwhile, the Boy Meets World alum, 42, opted for a classic tuxedo. RELATED: Boy Meets World Star Ben Savage Is Engaged to Girlfriend Tessa Angermeier: 'The Best Is Yet to Come' For the reception, Angermeier changed into a white 1920s flapper-inspired dress and white sneakers as she took her new husband with her onto the dance floor. The couple started dating in 2018 and Savage announced their engagement with a subtle Instagram post posing together in front of a pond in Owensville, Indiana with Angermeier flashing a diamond sparkler on her ring finger. "The best is yet to come," Savage wrote in the caption. In a statement to PEOPLE at the time, Savage's rep said, "They are both very grateful and enjoying this exciting time with their families and friends." One week after the engagement, Savage announced his congressional run as a Democrat in California's 30th District seat, a position currently held by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank. Paperwork filed with the Federal Election Commission showed the creation of a committee for his campaign. RELATED: Boy Meets World Star Ben Savage Is Planning a Run for Congress This was not the first time Savage ran for public office. In 2022, Savage ran for a seat on the West Hollywood City Council. Savage said then he ran because "people have become disappointed with the direction the city is heading." Story continues Angermeier has been supportive of Savage's political pursuits, posing together with him and friends wearing "Savage for West Hollywood" T-shirts in October during his city council run. "With a little help from my friends," he captioned the post. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The murder of a Cape Coral man gone "under the radar" led officers to the arrest of a Kentucky man out-of-state. Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore on Tuesday announced the arrest of Eduardo Ramon Troche-Rodriguez, 31, in Lexington, Kentucky. During a Tuesday morning press conference, Sizemore said the murder of Fernando Batista Montero happened June 4 in the 1800 block of Southwest Terrace. When officers arrived to reports of gunshots, they located a 41-year-old man, later identified as Montero, dead in the driveway, Sizemore said. Sizemore said the Major Crimes Unit quickly learned that both suspects traveled to Cape Coral to commit the crime. "This is a strange one because it really flew under the radar," Sizemore said. Sizemore said that after "countless hours" of investigation, they established probable cause for the first shooter, Jose Alberdi Maldonado, 22, of Lexington, Kentucky, arrested July 15, on robbery and second-degree murder charges. Palm Beach County deputies arrested Maldonado on July 13, 2022, and transferred him to Lee County Jail two days later. Jail records indicate he remains in custody without bond. They located Maldonado roughly a month after the shooting, Sizemore said. "But our investigation wasn't done," Sizemore said. "At that point, we still had a second shooter that was only identified by a nickname." Sizemore said that "by fortune," last week, they caught a break in the case and located Troche-Rodriguez. "Last week late at the drop of a hat, our two detectives here for Major Crimes boarded an airplane and flew to Cincinnati," Sizemore said. They drove to Lexington where they met with the Lexington Police Department and their peers." Sizemore said State Attorney Amira Fox and her office are now handling the case. They arrested Troche-Rodriguez for second-degree murder, Sizemore said. He's awaiting extradition to Lee County. Story continues Sizemore said he met with Batista Montero's family on Tuesday. "And it was a bittersweet meeting," he said. "There were tears obviously ... Their loved one is still gone. And the talented investigators and all the hard work that was put in cannot bring them back. But what we can deliver is a little bit of peace. A little bit of closure." Sizemore said the family told him that they are now just able to finally get a decent night's sleep. "They were very concerned two murderers out in the community ... Out in the United States ... Free after their despicable act," Sizemore said. Maldonado, represented by his attorney Marc Zee, is next due in court March 21 for a case management conference. Fleeing does't mean the end for Cape Coral police "I can tell you in the walls of this building, it's a big case," Sizemore said of Troche-Rodriguez's arrest. "And it was front page news for us." As far as whether it's the biggest case in recent memory, Sizemore said he doesn't rank cases that way, but added it's a major murder case. "There's different degrees of it, different reasons for it, but it's taking over human life," Sizemore said. "And we take it as higher priority as you can." Sizemore said Troche-Rodriguez's arrest made him think 10 years back. "We had a individual who murdered his grandfather and fled," Sizemore said, adding they found him hiding in a homeless shelter in Chicago. "What this case will show you know ... What I hope it shows the community, is that we won't stop," he said. "No borders, no boundaries are going to contain us hunting for justice." Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Twitter @TomasFRoBeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews. This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Cape Coral police arrest fugitive in 2022 Cape Coral slaying By Ryan Suppe, State Politics Reporter The Idaho Legislature is a little over two months into the 2023 legislative session, and the people elected to make decisions for Idahoans have wasted little time targeting the rights of the LGBTQ community. Several bills that have been discussed by the Legislature target health care and social and educational opportunities for the LGBTQ community. One has been passed by both the House and Senate and sent to Idaho Gov. Brad Little to sign into law. Idaho is right in the thick of Republican-dominated states crafting anti-LGBTQ legislation. The American Civil Liberties Union is tracking over 400 bills nationwide aimed at taking away rights from the community. Read the full story from Statesman reporter Shaun Goodwin and me here. Treasure Valley school bond measures rejected As Idaho lawmakers debate sending school districts state funds for construction costs, voters went to the polls Tuesday for more than $1 billion worth of bond and levy measures across the state. Voters rejected bond proposals in Nampa and Kuna that would have funded new schools and necessary renovations, among other things. Clearly we heard from our community that right now is not the time for a bond, and we will continue to move forward, Gregg Russell, Nampa superintendent, said in a video statement. Our mission is to always ensure high levels of achievement for all of our students, and thats what were going to continue to do. Most Idaho school districts rely on local property taxpayers to approve bonds to fund construction costs and levies for operational costs when state funding falls short. House lawmakers on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a bill directing about $100 million annually to school districts for bond and levy payments. The bill would direct another $100 million in relief to property taxpayers. Read Statesman reporter Sally Krutzigs full story on the Nampa and Kuna bonds. Bill making state education board partisan narrowly fails A bill that would have required Idaho State Board of Education members to stand for partisan elections failed the House by one vote yesterday. Story continues The bill, from Rep. Joe Alfieri, R-Couer dAlene, would have created partisan elections based on regional districts for the seven-member board, which currently is appointed by the governor. Most of the state has no representation on the State Board of Education, Alfieri told the House. Rep. Lori McCann, R-Lewiston, who opposed the bill, said current members were appointed because of their experience in the education field and she feared elections could create a hostile environment for education. We are seeing it in our North Idaho College, and Im very concerned about that happening, because right now we have a cohesive board, McCann said. What else happened? A bill that would give attorneys and staff in the Idaho attorney generals office 11% raises was pulled back to the budget committee yesterday, after a House debate over whether to give the office higher raises than other state agencies. The House Education Committee advanced a bill from a religious lobbying group that would require schools to provide separate bathrooms for transgender students. It would also make schools liable to civil lawsuits if they allow transgender students to use bathrooms that align with their gender identity. The Senate already passed the bill. What to expect today 8 a.m. House Education. The committee will host a public hearing on a bill that would require public schools to provide feminine hygiene products to girls in sixth through 12th grade. 8 a.m. House State Affairs. A bill that would allow parents to sue a library if their child accesses harmful material is on the docket. 2 p.m. Senate Health and Welfare. Committee members will consider a bill that would prohibit assisted living facilities from denying access to visitors based on vaccinations. 2 p.m. Senate Local Government and Taxation. A public hearing on the sweeping GOP property tax relief bill is on the docket. Find the full list of committee meetings and agendas for the House here, and for the Senate here. Track other bills Keep track of high-profile bills as they go through the legislative process. You can find yesterdays updates here. If you like this newsletter, forward to a friend or colleague, and they can sign up here. America was built on the backs of horses, and in 2023, we stand a great chance at stopping the abuse of these magnificent animals. Its time to take aim at ending the live export of horses to slaughter in Canada and Mexico to be served up as slabs of meat on dinner plates in countries like China and Japan. In the late 1980s, roughly 350,000 American equines were funneled annually into the horse slaughter pipeline. Even the 1986 Kentucky Derby Ferdinand was slaughtered in Japan. Clearly no horse is safe from this predatory industry. The good news is the number of horse sent to slaughter is in decline. Approximately 20,000 horses suffered that fate in 2022. Several factors contributed to the decline. First was a de facto ban on horse slaughter in the United States that resulted from a defunding of inspections on horse-slaughter plants. Without inspections, the plants could not operate and had to shutter. Second was a moratorium placed on horse meat by the European Union after their audit revealed inhumane treatment of horses and high levels of toxic drug residues. Third, is the support of key players endorsing the idea of halting slaughter, including The Jockey Club, that has promoted aftercare of off-the-track Thoroughbreds. Thoroughbred racing groups also joined in backing a 2021 anti-horse slaughter transportation amendment conceived by Animal Wellness Action and led by Reps. Troy Carter, D-LA, Brian Fitzpatrick, R-PA, and Andy Barr, R-Lexington, that passed the U.S. House by a voice vote. That measure would have codified the de facto ban and closed our borders to the international transportation of horses for slaughter. Even the parent companies to all three legs of the Triple Crown backed the measure in a coalition of more than 300 groups. Unfortunately, the Senate failed to act, preserving the status quo. A bill to ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption known as the SAFE Act, led by Reps. Vern Buchanan, R-FL, Jan Schakowsky, D-IL, and Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, and Bob Menendez, D-NJ, has been kicked around in Congress for nearly 15 years with little action. Its predecessor, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, passed the House in 2006 but failed to clear the upper chamber. That measure even garnered the support of former Vice President Mike Pence, then a representative from Indiana. Story continues In 2023, during a Congress that must advance the Farm Bill an opportunity that only arises every five years we stand a chance at ending this blood-soaked industry. The timing comes just as Animal Wellness Action, Animals Angels, and the Center for a Humane Economy has released a damning investigation on American equines being transported to the border to be butchered for their meat. The report, at 34 pages and featuring more than 70 supporting photographs, provides a chilling look inside the business of foreign slaughter of American equines. In the previous Farm Bill, enacted in 2018, Animal Wellness Action helped secure a ban on the slaughter of dog and cats in America and the transport of those animals for that purpose. That same logic should drive the Congress to halt the slaughter of horses for human consumption. They are not raised for food, and Americans have no appetite for their meat, and we can amend the existing statute to include equines. Poll after poll has shown that more than 80 percent of Americans oppose horse slaughter. Horses are transported long distances to slaughter plants without food, water, or rest and become seriously injured or die during the journey. As flight animals, more so than cattle or pigs, horses are especially skittish and much more likely to become injured or stressed during the transport and slaughter process. Americans dont want their tax dollars paying to enrich foreign meat companies, and they understand that slaughter is a a cruel and terrifying end for the horses who become victims of this predatory enterprise. The effort to end horse slaughter is heavily supported by both Republicans and Democrats, and its a win-win for horses and taxpayers alike. House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders and the rest of Congress should listen to the American people and bring an end to this egregious abuse by including the ban on horse slaughter in the Farm Bill. Marty Irby is the executive director at Animal Wellness Action in Washington, D.C., and an 8-time world champion equestrian Jackie Manley was 3 days old the first time he went to Greenville-Pickens Speedway. In fact, his dad, Wayne, went straight to the track after picking up his wife and son from the maternity ward. Their lives have been entwined with the historic racetrack ever since, as workers and as racers. Jackie Manley could not bear to see it go. He has negotiated a $100,000 lease with track owner Kevin Whitaker, a Greenville car dealer, and plans to open for the season on April 15. The future of the 83-year-old track the second oldest in short track history has been uncertain since the previous operator elected not to renew the lease. And, more recently, a Greenville real estate company has listed the entire 300-acre property for sale as an industrial park. The broker told WYYF his company, RealtyLink, hopes to buy it. Drivers and fans have spent the off season lamenting what they consider the tracks downfall even as they reminisce about the heyday of racing, when the Blackwell family owned it and the grandstand was packed. Driver Jackie Manley has negotiated a contract to operate Greenville-Pickens Speedway for the 2023 season. Manley said he can close his eyes and still see the spectacle of race day, when it was so busy people came early in the morning to park their cars, went home and returned that evening. If you waited, youd have to park in the hinterlands. Greenville Pickens Speedway opened in 1940 as a half-mile-long dirt track. It closed the next year during World War II and reopened in 1946, Independence Day, offering fans two horse races and a car race promoted by Bill France Sr., known as Big Bill, who two years later founded NASCAR. The Blackwell family bought the track in 1955, the same year NASCAR began sanctioning races there. The track, later paved, hosted various Winston Cup races through the years. After nearly 50 years, the Blackwells sold the property to Whitaker, a long-time sponsor. Whitaker has not been available for comment on the tracks past, present or future. Manley said he now has a month to raise the money to pay the lease. In the past few days hes signed several sponsorships, amounting to almost half of what he needs. Story continues He said a few days ago he was cautiously optimistic about races by April 15. Now hes certain he and the racing community can pull it off. Hes also started a gofundme page to raise money from individuals. Since Sunday, $1,880 has been raised from 21 people. Manleys mother, Debby, sold tickets and worked other jobs, while his dad drove the clean up trucks and weighed cars. Racing is simply a way of life for racers and fans alike. Manley, who owns J&J Gutter, raced late model cars at Greenville Pickens from 2008 until 2015, when he started running his #28 Ford Fusion at other tracks around the region. He still does. But his ties to Greenville Pickens brought him home. He hopes to offer an experience akin to the days of the Blackwells with grandstands full of families, kids running around, the sounds of the engines and the excitement of competition. He said hell have all the concession stands open they were not open last season and races were not weekly. Chicken strips, hamburgers and that all-time Greenville-Pickens delicacy fried bologna sandwiches (mustard may be added) will be back. He has four weeks. Im feeling a lot of pressure, he said. But it will be a family affair with help from his parents, wife, brother (also a driver), sister and now 4-year-old son Jaxx, who seems to love the racing world even more than his dad. Jaxx is getting ready to race his go-kart. Tasha Porter Kummer, the first woman to win a Late Model race the prime event at Greenville Pickens, said, I feel confident that Greenville Pickens can be what it once was and I feel like it can still go on for many years with a new buyer and the industrial speedway park they are trying to build. Her family has been associated with the speedway for 40 years. Her brother races, along with other family members. My family and I fully support it, she said. She said she thinks the speedway will only benefit the industrial park and enhance the economy of Easley and Pickens County. I think if the new buyer is willing to continue the lease of just the track park it will be a great thing and what that place has needed for a long time, she said. Manley feels certain the fans will return this season. He points to the raceways firsts and believes. The first motorsport race aired on national TV, start to finish, broadcast from Greenville Pickens Speedway in 1971. Jim McKay announced on ABCs Wide World of Sports. Richard Petty, Junior Johnson, David Pearson raced there, long before their names were known. Week after week. Upstarts and regulars, drivers who became legends. The winners names remain on the grandstand wall. The community is not ready to let that track go. Avery Fritz traveled to the Czech Republic with members of the University of Findlays choir club, Take Note. The choir performed, among other places, in a castle in a Prague. CLYDE - A 2021 Clyde High School graduate had the opportunity to take her first international trip when she traveled to the Czech Republic with a university choir. Averie Fritz, a pharmaceutical science major at the University of Findlay, visited the Czech Republic with the universitys choir club, Take Note, from Feb. 25 to March 4. She is the daughter of Richard and Nikki Fritz of Clyde. The trip was organized by SeaHwa Jung, the universitys director of choral activities. Our director, Dr. Jung, talked to the Take Note officers about going because he taught there this summer. He had the idea to bring the choir there, said Fritz, who is the club treasurer. Visting university choir performed in Prague In addition to performing their own songs, the choir also performed with the University of Hradec Kralove choir on the university campus and with a community choir inside a castle in Prague. The university choir learned English songs in anticipation of Take Notes visit. Averie Fritz is enjoying life at the University of Findlay. She recently returned from a trip to the Czech Republic with the universitys choir club, Take Note. Most of the songs were in English, so it was a way to share our language, but some songs were in Italian and Latin, so we sang in those languages, too, Fritz said. Their choir sings Missa Festiva every year, so we sang that with them. Fritz sang with the womens choir and the a cappella group at Clyde High School. Experiencing a musical group in a foreign country was eye-opening for her. It was definitely interesting because they have their own way of learning music the way they warm up, and even their space was different. When we performed at the university, they set up risers on wooden blocks. It was not what you would see here, she said. It was good hearing all those voices. Lots of people came to support us. And, of course, she was not accustomed to performing in a castle. There were murals on the ceiling, and everyone was very welcoming, she said. After every performance, they had a reception. Visiting Czech Republic was a 'culture shock' During the trip, the choir members toured Prague. Story continues We toured the Petrof piano factory. That was awesome, she said. We toured the castle and saw the astronomical clock. Visiting the Czech Republic was a culture shock, Fritz said, even down to the food. The coffee was very different. They make stuff differently. In general, the food isnt super sugary even the pastries, she said. Averie Fritz is enjoying life at the University of Findlay. She recently returned from a trip to the Czech Republic with the universitys choir club, Take Note. The culture shock was part of the purpose of the trip. It expanded our vision of the world. For most of the students, including myself, it was the first time we traveled out of the U.S., Fritz said. While the trip was making their world bigger, it was also making it a bit more intimate. The most important thing about the trip was the choir became closer, Fritz said. It was a great time for us. Before the trip, I didnt know everyone super well. After the trip, Take Note members discussed the possibility of returning to the Czech Republic, and they hope to invite the University of Hradec Kralove choir to Ohio. We can show them our culture, Fritz said. Take Note is just one element of her experience at the University of Findlay that Fritz is enjoying. She is glad the expedited pharmacy program will allow her to start her career early, and she is enjoying life as a resident student. I love it. Campus life is great, she said. Its a small campus, so I feel like I always have a friend around. Contact correspondent Sheri Trusty at sheritrusty4@gmail.com. This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Averie Fritz sings in Czech Republic with university choir of Findlay We will get our first glimpse of Deion Sanders new-look Colorado team at their spring game on April 22, which will be broadcast live on ESPN. Naturally, several important potential recruits will be visiting Boulder for the event. That list includes St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) four-star running back Stacy Gage, who announced he was coming last week on his Twitter page. Colorados class of 2024 has five commits so far, but none of them are running backs, so picking up Gage would fill a need. Hes also one of the best at his position in the recruiting cycle. According to the composite rankings, he is No. 10 among running backs and No. 23 overall in Florida. We know the Buffaloes are at least in the running. At the end of an impressive 2022 season, Gage included Colorado among his top eight schools. He has a ton of other suitors, though, as almost 50 other programs have made offers. At the moment, On3s prediction model has Florida (20.7%), Ohio State (18.2%), Oklahoma (15.6%) and Florida State (9.8%) as the top contenders. More football stories Oklahoma and UNI add new quarterback recruits 8 weekend commitments you might have missed Story originally appeared on High School Sports Its coming right at us. Laura, move down the trail. Alex McGregor somehow managed to keep his voice calm as he directed his hiking partner away from the massive bear staring them down, his March 10 TikTok video shows. A moment later, he notices another huge bear farther down the hiking trail. McGregor and his partner Laura put the hiking trail between them and the bears then venture deeper into the forest of Katmai National Park in Alaska. #brownbears #brownbear #katmai #katmainationalpark #animalencounter #absoluteunit #wildlife #wildanimals #Alaska original sound - chasing.luminance @chasing.luminance So this was an interesting encounter. You might wonder why we didn't just walk backwards down the trail? Why did we go into the thick forest? Every other time we saw a bear on the people trail they were just using it as a highway , cruising back and forth. So we were trained to get off the trail and give them the right away while making sure the bear knows we're there so we don't startle them. This bear had other ideas... we're very grateful to the bear school training that helped us keep calm and move out of his way. #bears So this was an interesting encounter, McGregor wrote in the caption on TikTok and Instagram. You might wonder why we didnt just walk backwards down the trail? Why did we go into the thick forest? Thats what park rangers had instructed them to do if they came across bears on the trail, he said. The bears in this specific population have become habituated to humans, McGregor explained in a follow up video. Every other time we saw a bear on the people trail they were just using it as a highway, cruising back and forth, McGregor explained. So we were trained to get off the trail and give them the right [of way] while making sure the bear knows were there so we dont startle them were very grateful to the bear school training that helped us keep calm and move out of his way. McGregor and his partner keep talking to the bear as it sniffs around the area, at one point seeming to look right at McGregor and his phones camera. Eventually it turns and saunters back the way it came, chuffing as it goes, the video shows. Story continues That chuffing while deciding to disengage is such a great example of animal communication, someone pointed out in the comments on the video. [The bear] was like, Im not scared, Im just done sniffing ya. McGregor replies that he didnt notice that until he watched the video later. You guys did great. Good job keeping [calm] and nerves steady, an TikTok user with a commercial fishing company out of Alaska and Colorado said. Pretty wild how commanding their presence is. Takes your breath away. Others joked all McGregor had to do was outrun Laura which is exactly what the National Park Service recently recommended not to do, McClatchy News previously reported. McGregor later filmed a short series answering some of the most common questions and comments on the video, including why they talked to the bear and whether they were afraid. The reason why I was acting in a calm way instead of being more aggressive is because of this bear population, he explained. This is an area that gets a lot of guests I was definitely not the first person that that bear had run into. When they showed up at the national park to hike, they went through bear school with a park ranger, where they learned the best way to interact with these specific bears, he said. The main thing you want to do is get off the trail so they can have the right of way, and make your presence known and stay calm, he said. So while it was definitely a little bit tense, it wasnt as scary as it might look or as it would be in other locations. Thats also why they kept making noise, he said. This worked well for that location because the bears are habituated, he said. But I wouldve been acting differently if I was in Montana or Wyoming or somewhere different. Someone else commented what others were probably thinking: Dude get out of there, saying that the bear might eat you for lunch. McGregor said the bears were there due to an abundance of salmon in the area this time of year. I was definitely not nervous about being looked at as a food source for the bears. I was more nervous about being looked at as a play thing for the bears, he said. My main goal was to be uninteresting and it left us alone after it realized we werent any fun. What to do during a bear encounter Bear attacks in the U.S. are rare, according to the National Park Service. In most attacks, bears are trying to defend their food, cubs or space. There are steps people can take to help prevent a bear encounter from becoming a bear attack. Identify yourself: Talk calmly and slowly wave your arms. This can help the bear realize youre a human and nonthreatening. Stay calm: Bears usually dont want to attack; they want to be left alone. Talk slowly and with a low voice to the bear. Dont scream: Screaming could trigger an attack. Pick up small children: Dont let kids run away from the bear. It could think theyre small prey. Hike in groups: A group is noisier and smellier, the National Park Service said. Bears like to keep their distance from groups of people. Make yourself look big: Move to higher ground and stand tall. Dont make any sudden movements. Dont drop your bag: A bag on your back can keep a bear from accessing food, and it can provide protection. Walk away slowly: Move sideways so you appear less threatening to the bear. This also lets you keep an eye out. Again, dont run: Bears will chase you, just like a dog would. Dont climb trees: Grizzlies and black bears can also climb. Sacrificing a slower friend isnt the way to escape bears, NPS says. Heres what is Hungry bears are coming out of hibernation, Yellowstone rangers say. How to stay safe Mysterious tracks cover Yellowstone National Park. Can you guess what left them behind? HELSINKI, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said on Wednesday that during his upcoming visit to Turkiye he would acknowledge reception of the Turkish response to the ratification of Finland's NATO membership. Contact with the Turkish presidential administration has been frequent since last spring, Niinisto said, and has accelerated in recent days. The Finnish president also said he has been in contact with the Swedish prime minister, adding that it is very important to Finland that NATO membership both for his country and Sweden should materialize as soon as possible. Niinisto's working visit to Turkiye this Thursday and Friday was announced by the Finnish presidential office earlier on Wednesday. Niinisto will meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Friday. In addition to NATO membership and post-earthquake reconstruction, topics on the agenda include the geopolitical situation, and bilateral relations between Finland and Turkiye, the presidential office said. Finland and Sweden submitted applications to join NATO on May 18th, 2022. So far, 28 of NATO's member countries have ratified the applications, but Turkiye and Hungary have not yet approved the Scandinavian countries' memberships. A Connecticut woman diagnosed with fatal fallopian tube cancer has reached an agreement with the state of Vermont about her end-of-life care, making her the first non-resident granted the opportunity to take advantage of a decades-old law allowing her to choose whether she wants to live or die. I was so relieved to hear of the settlement of my case that will allow me to decide when cancer has taken all from me that I can bear, said 75-year-old Lynda Bluestein, who has been diagnosed with three different types of cancer, said of the arrangement. The importance of the peace of mind knowing that I will now face fewer obstacles in accessing the autonomy, control, and choice in this private, sacred and very personal decision about the end of my life is enormous. Bluestein is currently undergoing chemotherapy for late-stage fallopian tube cancer. She was also previously diagnosed with breast cancer and melanoma. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, she told her family she would likely die within the year. Vermont is one of 10 states that allow medically assisted suicide, but only one, Oregon, welcomes non-residents. Last summer, Bluestein and Diana Barnard, a physician from Middlebury, launched their bid to force a change. The pair sued the state of Vermont, alleging the residency requirement violates the Constitutions commerce, equal protection, and privileges and immunities clauses. In response, the state legislative committee last month approved a law that would allow terminally ill non-residents to seek medically assisted suicide. It still needs to pass the Senate and then be approved by Republican Gov. Phil Scott, who supports the concept. Bluestein said she fought for her right to die because she did not want to experience prolonged illness like her own mother. She also wants to choose her time so that she will have an opportunity to say goodbye to loved ones, and die surrounded by her husband, children, grandchildren, friends and dog. Story continues I wanted to have a death that was meaningful, but that it didnt take forever ... for me to die, she said. Bluestein has long been an activist and has similarly campaigned for aid-in-dying legislation to be passed in New York and her home state of Connecticut. With News Wire Services Carmel Villegas, left, and Landress Luckey, of Toledo, embrace during a survivors of crime event Wednesday at the Ohio Statehouse. Both of their daughters, who were best friends, were murdered. As people unloaded off of buses hailing from Cleveland, Cincinnati and Toledo, the crowd began to swell Wednesday morning on the south entrance of the Ohio Statehouse. Holding aloft a bullhorn, Aswad Thomas stood outside in the chilly morning and rallied the crowd with a callback chant. "Who speaks?" he asked. "Survivors speak!" came the booming response. "When survivors speak ...," Thomas prompted. "Change happens!" Thomas, national director of Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice, was there to rally the crowd of crime survivors and families of crime victims ahead of the organization's Survivors Speak Ohio event at the statehouse. The roughly 150 who had made the bus trip were there to call upon state lawmakers to expand housing and employment protections for crime survivors and pass other reforms to improve public safety in Ohio. Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice, a national network of crime survivors who advocate for public safety policies, organized the inaugural Ohio event in 2019. This year marked the third year for the Survivors Speak program after it was paused in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. LaTosha Brown, of Cincinnati, holds up a sign with the names of her two sons, both of whom were victims of homicide. She was among the participants Wednesday in the Survivors Speak Ohio event at the statehouse organized by Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice. With 12,000 statewide members and chapters in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Mansfield, Crime Survivors for Safety is the flagship program for the criminal justice reform advocacy organization Alliance for Safety and Justice. Many of those members made the long bus trip Wednesday because they said it was important to them to urge lawmakers to make public safety legislation a priority. Fathers of Murdered Columbus Children:'It's hard to move on': Columbus fathers of murdered children seek comfort in community Among them was 68-year old Cleveland resident Brenda Glass, who said at 13 years old she was sexually assaulted at gunpoint by men she knew. At that time, resources and help were scarce for Glass and her family circumstances she said she's sought to change through her advocacy. "I saw my family suffering and struggling to cope, and there was no hope," Glass said. "We just want to continue to fight to make sure crime survivors have the opportunity to heal." Story continues Glass joined crime victims from what organizers said were 35 Ohio cities there to call for policies that help address trauma, prioritize rehabilitation, and tackle the root causes of crime approaches they contend would help end cycles of violence. A series of speakers took to a podium inside the statehouse atrium to address the crowd, many of whom celebrated the recent passage of what they view as landmark legislation in public safety reforms. That includes the recently passed Senate Bill 36, which reformed the states victims compensation program by expanding it for counseling to family members of victims, and which also updated the definition of a victim to include a family member who was a witness to a crime or who arrived immediately after a crime. Organizers also credited their advocacy for the passage of Senate Bill 288 that Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law in January. While known for its new distracted driving penalties, those rules were only a portion of the sweeping legislation. It also overhauled how criminal records are sealed and expunged to give Ohioans a better shot at jobs and housing, attempting to reduce recidivism by helping them avoid the factors that caused them to commit crimes in the first place. "What survivors want most is for what happened to them to never, ever happen to anybody else," said Candace Williams, Ohio State Director for the Alliance for Safety and Justice, speaking to the crowd. In a show of bipartisan support for their cause, state representatives Tavia Galonski, D-Akron, and Brett Hillyer, R-Uhrichsville, both spoke to those who gathered inside the atrium. They acknowledged the importance of continued funding for trauma-recovery centers that facilitate healing for survivors of violence or loss. Ohio has eight centers so far, two of which are in Columbus. "We know in our hearts that the system sometimes forgets victims, and being able to provide resources necessary helps all of us," Hillyer said to the crowd. A crowd of about 150 crime survivors and families of crime victims gathered at the Ohio Statehouse Wednesday to call upon state lawmakers to expand housing and employment protections for crime survivors and pass other reforms to improve public safety in Ohio. Among those in attendance were survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, human trafficking and gun violence. Countless others may not have been victims themselves but have endured the pain of seeing loved ones injured or killed by violence. That includes Natasha Lovelace, whose daughter Makayla Barlow was severely wounded two years ago when she was caught in the crossfire of a shootout while driving in the Cleveland area. Lovelace and Barlow, who is now 19, have both become anti-violence advocates. Although Barlow was not at Wednesday's event, Lovelace was there to connect with other crime victims. "I found that advocacy is so important because while she was going through recovery, I was the one advocating on her behalf," Lovelace said. "I'm continuing to do that for children or anyone else who isn't in a place to do it." Eric Lagatta is a reporter at The Columbus Dispatch covering public safety, with a focus on in-depth coverage of social justice issues and crime trends. elagatta@dispatch.com @EricLagatta This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Crime victims gather at statehouse to advocate for public safety laws Rick Allen, Def Leppards drummer, was assaulted outside his hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Thursday night, authorities say. Allen, who lost his arm in a car accident in 1984, was outside the Four Seasons when he was attacked by 19-year-old Max Edward Hartley of Ohio, according to a police report obtained by multiple outlets. Fort Lauderdale Police said that Allen was smoking a cigarette when Hartley ran at him and knocked him down. The musician hit his head on the ground, causing injury, stated the report. Hartley also attacked a woman who came to Allens aid. Also Read: Jim Gordon, Wrecking Crew Drummer Heard on Derek and the Dominos Layla, Dies at 71 Hartley was arrested at nearby hotel where he was breaking car windows and taken to Broward County Jail. The teen, who was in Florida for spring break, is out on bail and has been charged with two counts of battery, four counts of criminal mischief, and abusing an elderly or disabled adult. Allen had just performed with Def Leppard on Sunday night at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. The British band is on tour with Motley Crue. According to Miami channel WSVN 7, Allen intends to prosecute. TheWrap has reached out to the bands rep, but further details are not known about the drummers condition at this time. Def Leppards hits include Pour Some Sugar on Me and Photograph. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019. Also Read: The Cures Robert Smith Calls Out Ticketmaster Over Dynamic Price Surge: Bit of a Scam The world saw Miley Cyrus grow up from a tween Disney sensation to a bonafide rockstar and some of us can even say we grew up with her. From mullets to secret braces, the "Flowers" artist has experienced ongoing physical transformations over the years and some question if its due to plastic surgery. Miley faced rumors that she got a boob job when she was 20 years old after she started adding more chest-bearing clothing to her wardrobe. The Tennessee native had no problem responding to the chatter with her online fans and setting the record straight. Thank you for the compliment but these babies are all mine. I wish they'd realize you don't have to be fake to be beautiful, she tweeted to a Miley Cyrus fan account in December 2011. She echoed the sentiment nearly one year later after she was accused of enhancing yet another body part. Definitely don't get my lips injected. It's so sad that people have done so much shit to their face people don't believe in natural beauty, the Hannah Montana starlet tweeted in August 2012. Former Disney actress Zendaya responded to Mileys message, writing, Speakkkk the truth!! Mileys striking good looks may be genetic, but her strict skincare routine has helped maintain them. The Midnight Sky vocalist reflected on her struggle with acne when she was younger, and attributed it to juggling school, work, filming [and] all the stage makeup. I finally realized that something that works for someone else might not work for me, so I saw a dermatologist and learned that there isnt a one-size-fits-all solution to skincare. I basically have it down to a science these days, she told Elle in April 2022, while noting that mental health is also good for radiant skin. Taking care of yourself from the inside out is so important. Your beauty routine is a form of self-love because it means youre taking time out of your day to check in with yourself, mentally and physically. Miley turned her skincare routine into a business when was named Creative Advisor for Telehealth platform Hims & Hers, a prescription skincare brand, in June 2021. The Last Song actress took on the role to help create personalized routines, which were inspired by her struggles as a teen. They say practice makes perfect and her skincare routine and breathtaking looks are perfect example of that! Keep scrolling to see Miley Cyrus before and after photos. (Getty Images / Warner Bros Pictures) Bruce Campbell has been praised for his response to a heckler who told him his new film f***ing sucks. The actor is executive producer of Evil Dead Rise, a new instalment in the horror franchise that launched him to fame in the 1980s. After the films premiere at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, Campbell attended a post-screening Q&A, which began after the credits had rolled. Ten minutes into the interview, which was moderated by Peter Hall, staff at the screening venue noticed a man who was falling asleep with his legs propped up on the balcony railing. Silence fell after the man began shouting, and he then bellowed: This movie f***ing sucks! The man began walking around, ranting about the film, as the crowd booed. Campbell then stepped in. What are you doing here? he asked, stating: Get the f*** out of here. The crowd erupted into cheers, with producer Rob Tapert quipping: I dont get it he waited all the way through the credits. Someone got possessed at the Evil Dead Rises premiere pic.twitter.com/aocgJ4e3mQ Let Me Explain (@LMExplain) March 16, 2023 Aside from the disruptive viewer, Evil Dead Rise, which is directed by Lee Cronin, received a rapturous response from the audience and reviews have been kind. Bloody Disgusting called it a gnarly crowd pleaser with Slash Film branding it a good time at the movies. Sam Raimis The Evil Dead was released in 1981, with an acclaimed sequel, Evil Dead II, following in 1987. In 1992, third film in the franchise, Army of Darkness, was released and, in 2013, Fede Alvarez rebooted the series with Evil Dead. Baruce Campbell had an Evil Dead Rises heckler booted out of the premiere (Getty Images for Warner Bros. Pi) Campbell, who played Ash in the first three films, reprised the role for TV series Ash vs Evil Dead, which drew to an end after three seasons in 2018. Evil Dead Rise, which stars Lily Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland, is set to be released on 21 April. NEW CASTLE, Ind. The U.S. District Court trial of a former New Castle police officer charged with using excessive force, which had been set for April, has been rescheduled for August. Aaron Jason Strong, 45, last July was indicted by a federal court grand jury on four charges three counts of "deprivation (of civil rights) under color of law" and a single count of witness tampering. He stands accused of beating an arrestee with an expandable baton, after that man had surrendered, in 2019. In a related lawsuit, that man alleged Strong hit him more than 20 times with the baton in his head, jaw, arms and back. In the excessive force case, Strong is also charged with shooting one arrestee in the back, at close range, with a bean bag shotgun and kicking another in the head, both in July 2017. More:Indictment: Ex-New Castle officer kicked one arrestee, shot another with bean bag The indictment alleges those actions were taken "without legal justification." The witness tampering charge alleges Strong made false statements about the baton incident when interviewed by Indiana State Police. The indictment said citizens have "the right to be free from a law enforcement officer's unreasonable amount of force during an arrest." Strong's trial, to be held in Indianapolis, had most recently been set to begin on April 27. This week, however, U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Walton Pratt granted a request by the former officer's attorney for a continuance. The trial is now scheduled to begin on Aug. 14. Strong resigned from the New Castle Police Department in December 2019. He also has a co-defendant, Adam Guy, a former reserve deputy with the Henry County Sheriff's Department. In an indictment returned last October, Guy is accused of making false statements to an Indiana State Police trooper investigating allegations against Strong in 2019. Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Ex-New Castle officer's excessive force trial reset for August. Rasheem Carter. Laurel Police Department The family of Rasheem Carter has alleged his death is a modern-day "lynching." Carter's family says he said he was being pursued by white men in trucks before he went missing. But police insist that there is no evidence yet that the young Black man was murdered. The family of Rasheem Carter a 25-year-old Black man from Fayette, Mississippi, who was found dead last year has alleged his death is a modern-day "lynching." They've accused local police of failing to investigate the crime and said Carter warned he was being pursued by white men in trucks before he vanished. But police have insisted there is "no evidence" to suggest there was any foul play and have speculated that animals may have ripped Carter's body up. As protestors and the young man's family call for a federal investigation, here's what we know about Carter's death. Carter was worried he would be killed in October 2022 Carter's mother, Tiffany Carter, said during a press conference on Monday that her son called her on October 1, 2022 a day before she reported him missing. "My son told me it was three truckloads of white guys trying to kill him," she said, explaining that she told him to go to the local police station in Taylorsville, Mississippi, for help. She told local station WDAM in December that her son wanted a ride back to Laurel, where he lived, but police didn't drive him back. "They did not help him," the mother said during Monday's press conference. "He asked for help but they did not help." Taylorsville Police Chief Gabe Horn later told WDAM that he didn't assign a police officer to return Rasheem Carter home because of staffing shortages. "He told the officer that night that he and his roommates had a verbal disagreement and he felt threatened and that was it," Horn told the outlet. He said officers offered to let the man stay at the police department, but that Rasheem Carter left. Sheriff Joel Houston of the Smith County Sheriff's Office, which is handling the investigation into Rasheem Carter's death, told the Vicksburg Daily News in a report published in November that the man didn't say he was in danger when he went to the police. Story continues "To them, he never seemed to be in any distress or anything and he never mentioned anything about being in immediate danger," Houston told the news outlet. "They offered him a phone call and he said he had a phone and they even offered him a charger but the charger that was available didn't fit his phone, so he was just trying to find a ride back to Laurel when he came in contact with police," Houston said. The Taylorsville Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment by Insider. After his phone call, Tiffany Carter said her son texted her to say he and a business owner whose identity she did not reveal were not "seeing eye to eye." "If anything happened to me, he's responsible for it. I'm too smart mama, he got these guys wanting to kill me," Rasheem Carter texted, according to his mom. Tiffany Carter described her son to Insider as "a great man" and "entrepreneur" who "loved to cook" and "always wanted to leave a legacy" for his 7-year-old daughter. Carter was reported missing on October 2 On October 2, 2022, Rasheem Carter's family reported him missing to Mississippi's Laurel Police Department, which said in a Facebook post that the man had been last seen that day at a local Super 8 hotel. Laurel Police Chief Tommy Cox confirmed to Insider on Tuesday that the department was told at the time that Rasheem Carter had been staying at the hotel for work purposes and was traveling to Taylorsville about 20 miles away for his job. Rasheem Carter's mother told Insider was a welder by trade, but was working as a millwright in Taylorsville. According to the missing person report, the mother told police that her son warned in a prior phone call that "three white trucks full of men [were] trying to kill him," Cox told Insider. Cox told Insider that police were "fairly certain" that Rasheem Carter had gone missing in nearby Taylorsville and later verified that he was last seen there. Carter was spotted on a trail camera shirtless the day he was reported missing Rasheem Carter was captured on a trail camera in the Mississippi woods shirtless and carrying what appears to be a large branch on the day he was reported missing. His mother told Insider that the wildlife camera image of her son shows that "something was wrong" and that he was "running for his life." "You could see there are bruises on him," Carter's mother, Tiffany Carter, told Insider of the October 2, 2022 image with a time stamp of 4:32 p.m. "When I see that picture, I know my son was somewhere struggling, somewhere running for his life." "I really believe he was chased there," Tiffany Carter said. Houston, the Smith County sheriff, told Insider that investigators reviewed all the deer cam footage from the day Rasheem Carter was spotted on it and said it "doesn't show anybody else present." "He's the only one on the camera," Houston said. Houston also said the "bruises" his mother described appear to be shadows. Carter's remains were discovered a month later in Taylorsville The Smith County Sheriff's Office said it found Rasheem Carter's remains on November 2, 2022, just south of Taylorsville in a wooded area. His remains were found about 300 yards away from where he was seen in the deer cam image, according to police. "At this time, we have no reason to believe foul play was involved, but the case is still under investigation," the department said in a Facebook post at the time. It added that other law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, assisted in the "ongoing investigation." The sheriff's office continued: "All details have been given solely to the mother, and if and when she wants anything additional released, or if we find anything else that the public needs to know, we will release that information at that time." A spokesperson for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, which oversees the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, told Insider on Tuesday, "Based solely upon the condition of the remains, there was no means by which a cause of death could be reasonably determined by the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's Office." The spokesperson said the agency couldn't provide any "further comment or details pertaining to the death and disappearance of Mr. Carter due to it being a pending investigation by the Smith County Sheriff's Department." The FBI Jackson Field Office said in a statement that the agency "routinely offers assistance to our law enforcement partners, to provide additional manpower and specialized resources, if they become necessary." "Currently the Laurel Police Department, the Smith County Sheriff's Department and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations are the lead investigating agencies on this matter," the FBI said. Protesters call for more investigations In late December and February, family members and other protesters demonstrated near the local police department, accusing police of not helping Carter when he came to them for help, according to WDAM. "You leave a man out there 31 days, you knew he was out there," Tiffany Carter said to WDAM in December 2022. "You knew he was out there. You did nothing but feed me lies about my son." Carter's family alleges the man was 'dismembered' and 'murdered' Attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Rasheem Carter's family, told reporters on Monday that an independent autopsy revealed that Carter's head was "severed" from his body and that his vertebrae and spinal cord were found in a different location. Other body parts are still missing, according to Crump. "What that tells us is that this was a nefarious act," Crump said, alongside Carter's mother. "This was an evil act. Somebody murdered Rasheem Carter. And we can not let them get away with this." Crump alleged that police "failed" to help Rasheem Carter. "What we have is a Mississippi lynching. A Mississippi lynching in 2022," Crump said. Rasheem Carter's family has called on the US Department of Justice to open an investigation into his death. Tiffany Carter told Insider that there was "no doubt" in her mind that her son was murdered. Police say there is no evidence that Rasheem Carter was murdered Sheriff Houston told Insider on Wednesday that "everything is still on the table" when it comes to the death of Rasheem Carter but insisted that investigators have not yet discovered any evidence pointing to the man's family's allegations that he was murdered. "Anything is possible until we have completed the case, turned over every rock, every leaf, and find every possible answer there is to find," said Houston. Houston said that "nothing has changed" since investigators first made public that they did not suspect any foul play in the case. "At the time, we'd already followed up on a bunch of leads," Houston said, adding, "We were already able to exclude a lot of the potential suspects out of why he went missing." Houston said there was "no evidence" that suggested foul play when Carter's remains were first found, and "till this date, other than the allegations that are being made from the family, we still don't have evidence of foul play." The sheriff explained, "At this point, we're just trying to rule out any possibility of anybody being present in his last time alive." "The evidence we have right now is not showing anybody with him," Houston said, noting that investigators are still waiting on search warrants from technology companies that would help "rule out anybody being with him." Houston added that animals could have "very easily" torn apart Carter's body after he died. "There is nothing being covered up. There is nothing being swept under the rug," Houston urged. "There's nothing to hide." The sheriff also said that he would welcome the DOJ getting involved in the investigation. Read the original article on Insider BUZZARDS BAY The Bourne Rail Trail Committee in a February executive summary report to Town Administrator Marlene McCollem said bike-path construction through Cataumet would be next to impossible without resident support and a possible change in plans. The Bourne Select Board on March 7 considered the report, which essentially says constructing a bicycle trail next to the village rail bed would be costly when compared to a bike path built on the state-owned tracks that now service Otis Air National Guard Base via a rail spur. Members unanimously endorsed a rail trail panel resolution that U.S. COVID-relief stimulus funds, up to $20 million for the project and flowing to the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, be approved for release to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation through Gov. Maura Healeys office. Part of the boards endorsement involves support for ripping up the rails to make way for the long-planned bike path. Eliminating the tracks, however, still must be studied. Keeping them in place has turned Phase 4 project planning/design into frustration and led to forceful community opposition. We cant ignore facts, the rail trail committee noted. The proposed plan for a rail-with-trail project has met resistance. The physical, environmental and financial challenges associated with building the pathway alongside the tracks are considerable and may be difficult to overcome. Justification for accommodating the rails has been absent. A true cost-benefit analysis has been lacking. Ripping up railroad tracks in Bourne for a bike trail Select board member Mary Jane Mastrangelo remains totally in support of this (rail-to-trail) option and seeing if we can make this work. I think this is the time that this is what we should be doing. Thomas Cahir, Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority administrator, said federal funds come in the wake of his agencys argument to federal officials that the proposed rail trail is all about transportation connectivity. Story continues The big deal here is pivoting from rail-with-trail to rail-to-trail, Cahir told the select board. He said U.S. Rep. William Keating, D-Bourne, likes the option and has shared his sentiment with Healeys office. Housing:Opponents of Twin Brooks housing project in Hyannis go to court: Here's the latest Its a new day, Cahir said. Its a new administration. Its an opportunity to create a new Cape. Its a great thing. State Rep. David Vieira, R-Falmouth, meanwhile, said the Legislature is already considering a new rail-spur option for Otis Air Base on Joint Base Cape Cod that would, if necessary, replace the Cataumet tracks. Cataumet residents reject rail-with-trail option Cataumet villagers in November told rail-trail members they oppose a bike path next to the tracks, pointing out potential problems with fencing and parking. Previous coverage:Bike path planning in Bourne stumbles: Advisory committee to ask for help The Cataumet rail trail stretch remains a vital Phase 4 link in plans to connect the Shining Sea Bikeway from North Falmouth to the canal at the railroad bridge. In a wider context, resolving the Cataumet tracks issue would ultimately mean progress for a long-planned scenic linear bicycle ride between Woods Hole and Provincetown. 'Competition for construction funding' intense Before the select board meeting, David McPherson, chair of the town's Pedestrian, Bicycle Pathway Advisory Committee, said his panel wants bike-path work to proceed expeditiously.""Competition for construction funding" has been intense, he said. "We want to take advantage of that stimulus funding. Weve been advised the money is in hand and has been approved and that the governor has been advised that it is available. There has been universal residential opposition to rail-with-trail, and weve tried to engage the state on that issue, but its proven to be a non-starter, McPherson said. Touch the tracks? Weve been told we cant do that. The assumption has always been that the military must have the tracks. Our question has been, is that true? Or is that just a myth thats been out there? Government:Exercise weights in state prisons could be permanently banned. Here's a Cape Cod proposal. Mastrangelo said building a bike path alongside the railroad tracks is more expensive than a trail on the railbed with no tracks. To continue with rail-with-trail, she said, were just not being practical. Vieira added a final point. This resolution is an effort to look at all options to get to rail-to-trail, he said. Its a way to figure out the options. Following the meeting, select board Chair Peter Meier praised rail-trail work to date and progress up to this point."Theres no reason why it shouldnt be successful," he said. "People are promoting healthy lifestyles. Having a bike path from the canal to North Falmouth will be an economic boost for our area too. Get the Cape Cod news that matters delivered to your inbox. Sign up for our free newsletters. This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Bourne officials endorse Bourne Rail Trail plan, federal funds sought Federal regulators have approved a major rail merger expected to bring more freight trains through parts of the Chicago area. The move will create the first rail line linking Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, but was lambasted by Metra, suburban towns and Illinois members of Congress. The decision to allow the $31 billion merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern to move forward, announced Wednesday, marks the first major railroad merger since the 1990s, and carries far-reaching implications for local communities, Amtrak passenger rail and shippers looking to move goods through the country and across borders. In the Chicago area, already a busy freight hub, the effects are expected to reverberate through communities along Metras Milwaukee District West line, which shares tracks with Canadian Pacific. The number of daily freight trains is projected to increase by an average of about eight extra freight trains per day along the line, bringing the total number to an average of just over 11 per day by 2027. The end of the lengthy federal review process comes weeks after a fiery Norfolk Southern train derailment in Ohio led to evacuations and fears of air and water contamination when toxic chemicals were released and burned, and after four Democratic Illinois members of Congress urged the Surface Transportation Board to delay a final ruling pending more study. It also comes despite repeated concerns raised by Metra and suburban communities that additional freight trains on Metras Milwaukee District West line would increase delays for commuter trains and drivers, exacerbate safety issues and pose problems for first responders who find their paths blocked by trains at road crossings. Amtrak, for its part, supported the merger. Canadian Pacific committed to working with the company to expand service, including opening new routes, offering more service between Chicago and Milwaukee and extending additional service to St. Paul, Minnesota. Story continues On Wednesday, Democratic U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth and U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Delia Ramirez said they were deeply disappointed that the Surface Transportation Board has sided with corporations over our constituents in the Chicago region. The STB has rushed through this decision without contemplating the impacts of what weve learned in East Palestine, (Ohio), Krishnamoorthi said at a news conference, describing the decision as disastrous and a rubber stamp. Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin Oberman, a former Chicago alderman and Metra board chairman, said the merger, which involves combining the two smallest of the major railroads that operate in the country, would improve competition. He emphasized the safety and environmental benefits of moving hazardous materials by rail rather than road, and said concerns from Metra and local communities about the increased length and frequency of trains were not supported by the data the board reviewed. The board is establishing a seven-year oversight period following the merger and is requiring the new rail company to report data. If community concerns materialize during that period, the board could take further action, he said. If theres more interference with Metra, if there are more blocked crossings, if there are safety concerns that we do not project to be there now, the board stands ready and has the explicit statutory authority to hear those complaints, he said at a news conference. And, if the facts are established, to add or further orders to make sure that these communities and these other railroads like Metra are protected. Asked if the board should consider additional study of safety concerns, Oberman dismissed the idea. People have said to us, hold off on the merger, study the data further, he said. I am confident in saying this data cannot be studied any further. It has been studied until your eyeballs are falling out. The boards approval of the merger came with conditions, including some intended to protect Metra service and others intended to maintain commercial competition. It is requiring the new company to establish community liaisons in Chicago. Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern could combine as soon as April 14. In its decision, the board said it expects that this new single-line service will foster the growth of rail traffic, shifting approximately 64,000 truckloads annually from North Americas roads to rail, and will support investment in infrastructure, service quality, and safety. It is also expected to add more than 800 union jobs in the U.S., and provide opportunities for Amtrak service, the board said. Canadian Pacific executives also said the merger would create jobs and competition. These benefits are unparalleled for our employees, rail customers, communities and the North American economy at a time when the supply chains of these three great nations have never needed it more, President and CEO Keith Creel said in a statement. A combined CPKC will connect North America through a unique rail network able to enhance competition, provide improved reliable rail service, take trucks off public roads and improve rail safety by expanding CPs industry-leading safety practices. Kansas City Southern and Canadian Pacific have little overlapping track, meaning the merger likely wont be anti-competitive or lead to major job cuts, said David Clarke, former director of the Center for Transportation Research at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Youll now have the ability to run a rail car on a single railroad from points of Canada all the way into Mexico, he said. Probably for shippers thats going to have some positive benefits. In Elgin, an increase in freight trains has the potential to block all of the suburbs downtown access points and hinder the ability of police, firefighters and other first responders to get to emergencies, Elgin Mayor Dave Kaptain told the Tribune. He was also concerned about the potential environmental impacts of a train derailment. Spills could end up in the Fox River, threatening the areas drinking water. The people in my community became a little less safe today, he said. Elgin is part of a coalition of nine suburban communities that opposed the merger,all expressing similar concerns about grade crossings being blocked. To say we are disappointed is a gross understatement, Bensenville Village President Frank DeSimone said at a news conference. Todays Surface Transportation Board Ruling shows us three things: it ignored our concerns for safety, it ignored our concerns for the quality of life and it ignored our concerns about the negative consequences on economic development in our communities. Coalition members had asked for measures like quiet zones and the construction of overpasses. They did not receive much of what they sought as part of the decision, though the board did require the new railroad to work with the communities on certain issues, like getting funding to create quiet zones and installing and funding technology to notify residents and emergency responders of blocked crossings. They continued to dispute numbers reviewed by the STB about train frequency, length and hazardous materials, saying the board used incorrect factors to calculate average train lengths and relied heavily on disputed data provided by Canadian Pacific. The Surface Transportation Board has a long and storied history of siding with the railroads, and not on the side of safety, Itasca Village Administrator Carie Anne Ergo said. The communities vowed to continue fighting the merger, she said. The coalition is joining calls for congressional hearings on rail safety, and is considering appealing the decision. Metra said it also remained concerned about the merger. We will count on the merged railroads commitments and the STBs oversight to make sure we can operate safely and reliably and continue to provide service that meets the needs of the residents of the Chicago area, agency officials said in a statement. sfreishtat@chicagotribune.com eleventis@chicagotribune.com The amount of time pet hair color lasts depends on the type of product used, ranging from two to three shampoos or one to two haircuts. Every few months someone posts a photo or video on social media of a pet whose tail, ears or entire coat has been dyed with colors not seen in nature. Perhaps they are adorned with purple leopard spots or green tiger stripes, or dotted with pastel hearts just to name just a few of the dazzling designs that creative groomers and pet lovers think up to give their animals. Invariably, it starts a flame war between people who think it's cruel and those who think it's harmless fun. Why do people do it? Reasons range from prettying pets up for holidays, therapy visits or shelter adoptions; giving them a unique appearance so they'll be less likely to be stolen; and, yes, just for fun. "I understand the concern that people have seeing dyed dogs," says dog groomer Gabriel Feitosa in San Diego, who has been creatively grooming dogs for 18 years. "It comes from a place of love for the animals, and if I had no idea how this was done, I would probably also be concerned." Among the dogs Feitosa has transformed with color are therapy dogs who visit children's facilities and hospitals and shelter dogs who need a little extra attention. "At the shelter, we focused on big dogs and the older ones that are constantly overlooked, and I think it gave them a second chance to find a forever home," Feitosa says. "All the transformed pups got adopted right away." Whether you're considering hair color for your dog, cat, bunny, guinea pig or horse, or you think your pet's hair is perfect as-is, here's what to know. Use products made specifically for pets. Never use hair color made for humans on pets, especially products that contain peroxide, ammonia or bleach, says veterinary dermatologist Wayne Rosenkrantz at Animal Dermatology Group in Tustin, California: "They can irritate eyes and cause contact reactions or burn the skin and damage hair." Veterinarian Diane Walker, who practices at Blueberry Creek Veterinary Hospital in Perth, Ontario, Canada, advises being aware of the potential for allergic reactions and using products that aren't heavily scented, which could be annoying to pets or elicit negative reactions from other animals. Story continues Creative grooming is best for pets who enjoy being pampered and have learned from an early age to remain still and calm while being brushed, combed, shampooed or trimmed. "You would need a dog who is very low-reactivity and is used to grooming, and who doesn't have reactive doggy friends," Dr. Walker says. Whether applying color at home or having it done by a professional pet groomer, expect the process to take 30 to 40 minutes. "We apply the dyes onto the fur, and it has to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before rinsing," Feitosa says. The nontoxic dyes developed for pets are colored stains, and they work best on white or light-colored dogs. Plenty of YouTube videos show people coloring their pets at home, and it can be done safely with patience and the right products, but Feitosa notes some reasons to consider seeking out a professional. "A dog's unexpected sudden move might make the dye job not so pretty, and once it's done, you'll have to live with it for a couple of months or trim the hair off," he says. "A professional will also know how the vibrancy of each color will come out in different areas of your dog. For example, ears and tail usually come out in different tones using the same dye due to the oily nature of the ears." Make sure products are labeled for pets, and don't let pets lick them during application, even if they're labeled nontoxic. Choose gentle semi-permanent dyes and color-depositing shampoos for animals who may be more sensitive, such as cats, rabbits and guinea pigs. Kim Campbell Thornton Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker. Pet Connection is produced by veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker, journalist Kim Campbell Thornton, and dog trainer/behavior consultant Mikkel Becker. 2023 Andrews McMeel Syndication This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Pet Connection: Is hair color for pets safe? Here's what to know People look at products of China's Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group (XCMG) at the 2023 CONEXPO-CON/AGG in Las Vegas, the United States, on March 15, 2023. Chinese manufacturers of construction equipment are ready to embrace a greener and more intelligent future, presenting electric versions of multiple vehicles and the application of smart technologies at North America's largest construction trade show which opened here on Tuesday. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua) by Xinhua writers Liu Yanan, Huang Heng, Tan Jingjing LAS VEGAS, the United States, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese manufacturers of construction equipment are ready to embrace a greener and more intelligent future, presenting electric versions of multiple vehicles and the application of smart technologies at North America's largest construction trade show opened here on Tuesday. Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group (XCMG) unveiled a pure electric heavy-duty off-road dump truck with a rated load of 67 tonnes and two pure electric battery counterbalanced forklifts at the show named CONEXPO-CON/AGG. Liu Quan, chief executive officer with XCMG America, told Xinhua that XCMG would prioritize the introduction of electric products including electric loaders, excavators, road rollers and mining equipment to dealers and key clients as the world attaches more importance to climate change and environmental protection. A single drum roller equipped with the latest unmanned control technology and automatic rolling construction accuracy of less than 2 centimeters was showcased by XCMG. At the show, XCMG also exhibited 17 types of excavators, all of which adopt electric hydraulic systems with improved fuel efficiency. Auxiliary construction such as intelligent weighing and one-touch automatic slope repair or leveling is available as options, said XCMG in a release. "We have cracked the core component problems such as battery, electric control and motor, and have actually achieved mass production of the products," said Dong Yuzhong, vice president with the research institute of XCMG's Excavating Machinery Division. Liugong Machinery Co., Ltd., which brought an electric wheel loader and an electric excavator, announced on Tuesday that it has sold its first battery electric vehicle in the United States. "The industry is talking about battery electric vehicles at a greater volume than in the years past, particularly going into CONEXPO," said Andrew Ryan, president of LiuGong North America. Sany Group showcased an electric wheel loader and a mini electric excavator with an eye on opportunities from electric transition in the United States. Still, Sany is not selling the electric versions of equipment in the United States and Sany "just let people know that Sany is looking towards the future, looking to understand where machines and the equipment are gonna go from an electric standpoint," said Gabriel Weiss, director of marketing and digitization with SANY America. "The whole intent of what we're trying to do is to find what fits within the U.S. market and bring it to the U.S. market at the appropriate time for our customers," Weiss told Xinhua in an interview on Wednesday. Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science and Technology exhibited multiple green and intelligent aerial work platforms at the show. The whole industry is developing in a green, smart and digital manner with the application of technologies on 5G, big data and the Internet of Things and Zoomlion attaches importance to the long-term and sustainable development, said Bruce Liu, general manager assistant with Zoomlion International. Chinese construction equipment makers as a whole have made fast progress in offering green, digital, informationized and large-scale products, said Shi Yonghong, vice president of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products. New models powered by electricity, hydrogen and hybrid fuels were developed and Chinese players are basically at the same level with the world's top-level manufacturers, Shi told Xinhua. Shi noted that impressive progress has been made by tapping technologies on the Internet of Things, industry cloud as well as augmented reality. Held triennially in Las Vegas, the massive show of CONEXPO-CON/AGG runs from Tuesday through Saturday, showcasing the latest equipment advances and newest technology applications in every field of construction. People look at a product of China's Liugong Machinery at the 2023 CONEXPO-CON/AGG in Las Vegas, the United States, on March 14, 2023. Chinese manufacturers of construction equipment are ready to embrace a greener and more intelligent future, presenting electric versions of multiple vehicles and the application of smart technologies at North America's largest construction trade show which opened here on Tuesday. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua) A visitor looks at products of China's SANY Machinery at the 2023 CONEXPO-CON/AGG in Las Vegas, the United States, on March 15, 2023. Chinese manufacturers of construction equipment are ready to embrace a greener and more intelligent future, presenting electric versions of multiple vehicles and the application of smart technologies at North America's largest construction trade show which opened here on Tuesday. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua) A visitor looks at a product of China's Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science and Technology at the 2023 CONEXPO-CON/AGG in Las Vegas, the United States, on March 15, 2023. Chinese manufacturers of construction equipment are ready to embrace a greener and more intelligent future, presenting electric versions of multiple vehicles and the application of smart technologies at North America's largest construction trade show which opened here on Tuesday. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua) The Florida Gators are getting the top-ranked interior offensive lineman from the class of 2024, Jordan Seaton, on campus for a visit next week, according to a report from 247Sports. UF offered a scholarship to Seaton back in January, but he has reeled in nearly three dozen offers in total. Seaton recently named a top 14 of Florida, Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Southern California, Tennessee and Texas A&M. He has plans to visit UF, FSU, UM and Colorado over the next two months, but there is plenty of room to fit in more trips. 4 IOL Jordan Seaton has set a visit to Florida. More from @Corey_Bender (On3+): https://t.co/BGNTcvv7yW pic.twitter.com/JmUXeOuV6M On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) March 14, 2023 The On3 recruiting prediction machine currently favors the Buckeyes, giving OSU 90.5% odds to land Seaton, but thats mostly based on two unofficial visits over the past year. One good trip to a different program could shift the balance significantly. Florida offers some potential early playing time with the offensive line turning over almost completely this offseason and Billy Napier using the transfer portal to piece together some replacements. By the time, Seaton gets to campus, many of those guys will have moved on to the pros. Seaton is a consensus four-star recruit who lands at No. 32 overall on the On3 industry ranking. Hes the top-ranked interior offensive lineman in the class and is ranked second among recruits from the D.C. area. The 247Sports composite is a little more bearish on him at No. 41 overall, but he still holds the top spot in the positional rankings there. More Gators in NFL! Two former Gators ink new NFL deals during free agency period Kyle Trask could win Tampa Bay Buccaneers' starting QB job Former Florida Gators DT to join Dallas Cowboys coaching staff Gator great Emmitt Smith talks about when he tried to become a Dolphin Report: Former Florida QB will compete for starting job in Tampa Bay Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions. Story originally appeared on Gators Wire Former state Sen. Ronald Rice, a fiercely independent Democrat who represented Newark for decades and was the longest-serving African-American in the Legislature, has died at 77. He was a fighter. He was the epitome of fairness. He was our African-American hero, Essex County Democratic Chair LeRoy Jones said. A Vietnam veteran in the Marine Corps and former Newark police officer, Rice served in the Senate from 1986 until he retired in August due to ill health. He was a founder and the longtime chair of the Legislative Black Caucus and focused on racial and social justice issues throughout his career. Rice was also noted for his criticism of New Jerseys political boss system and often tangled with New Jerseys most powerful Democrats. When Newark Mayor Cory Booker won the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in 2013, all but assuring his victory, Rice, who lost the mayor's race to Booker years earlier, didn't hide his emotion. Were glad hes gone, or at least I am, Rice told POLITICO. God bless him. Thank God hes out of Newark. In one of his more recent heated debates with fellow lawmakers, Rice got into a shouting match with and had to be separated from Sen. Nick Scutari (D-Union) in a closed-room meeting over marijuana legalization in 2020. And in a floor speech, Rice named Scutari and then-Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester) as obstacles to decriminalizing marijuana, which he preferred to legalization. Im not going to be held hostage anymore because of another senator, Rice said at the time. It was one of many examples of Rice's willingness to voice his conscience, even if it meant alienating his party allies. But that is what made him unique and, according to his son Ronald C. Rice, "a standard for the world." "He was a simple guy who meant what he said and said what he meant," he said in an interview. Born in the Jim Crow-era South, Rice became a monumental figure in Newark, the state's largest city. He won a city council seat in 1982 and was reelected in 1986, 1990 and 1994, according to his biography. He was appointed deputy mayor of Newark in 2002. Story continues Rice's public service began long before politics, though. He served in the Marine Corps from 1966 to 1970, spending about half that time in Vietnam. He earned several degrees in criminal justice and joined the Newark Police Department in 1972, becoming a detective in 1974, according to his biography. He started working for the Public Service Electric & Gas Company in 1980 until his election to the Senate. Earlier this year his alma mater Rutgers University announced an endowed scholarship in Rice's name to support students in its criminal justice program. The university cited Rice's advocacy on racial justice, including sponsoring a bill that would allow municipalities to create civilian review boards and for demanding a study on racial bias in the state's criminal justice system. Tributes to Rice poured in Thursday, and Gov. Phil Murphy said he planned to lower state flags in Rice's honor. "His legacy and example will continue to inspire this administration and all of New Jerseys leaders to work toward racial equity and expand opportunity for underserved communities," Murphy said in a statement. Booker, Rice's formal rival who's held that U.S. Senate seat ever since winning the nomination in 2013, called Rice "a true champion" who fought for the people of Newark. "I will always treasure the many lessons I learned from him. So many of us are better leaders and citizens because of his service and his example," Booker said in a statement. "Few Newark leaders leave a legacy in public service as profound as his." State Sen. Richard Codey (D-Essex), upon hearing the news of Rice's death, called Rice his best friend in the Legislature. I loved the man to death. He always had my back, each and every time, Codey said. In addition to his son, Rice is survived by another child, Yuki Rice, and a grandchild, Mia, according to his biography. Ronald C. Rice, who also served on the Newark council, said his father not only set the standard, but expected him to live up to it in public life. "He used to tell me all the time when I first got into public office Im not going to have a lot of money to give to you, no riches. All I can give you is my name, and I worked my whole life to make sure my name meant something and had integrity to it, and I need you to uphold it,'" he said. Girl injured after redwood tree falls on California school during severe storm A student suffered a minor head injury after a redwood tree fell on an elementary school in the San Francisco Bay area on Tuesday, school officials said, as the latest atmospheric river brings severe weather to California. The redwood tree fell around 12:30 p.m. local time at Oak Avenue Elementary School in Los Altos in Santa Clara County, school officials said. A girl was taken by ambulance with her parents to a local hospital. PHOTO: A girl was injured after a redwood tree fell on a school in Los Altos, Calif., during a severe storm on March 14, 2023. (KGO) PHOTO: A girl was injured after a redwood tree fell on a school in Los Altos, Calif., during a severe storm on March 14, 2023. (KGO) Los Altos, located in Silicon Valley, prides itself on its tree-lined streets. PHOTO: A girl was injured after a redwood tree fell on a school in Los Altos, Calif., during a severe storm on March 14, 2023. (KGO) The incident occurred as the National Weather Service in San Francisco reported wind gusts as high as 70 mph midday Tuesday. Downed trees were also reported in neighboring Santa Cruz County. MORE: PHOTOS: Winter storms dump epic snow and rain in California More than 330,000 customers were without power in California Tuesday afternoon amid the heavy rains and high winds. PHOTO: A pedestrian carries an umbrella while walking in San Francisco, on March 14, 2023. (Jeff Chiu/AP) A wide swath of the state is currently under a flood watch, with a high flood risk for Southern California. Rainfall totals of two to four inches are expected in many areas along the southern California coast, with totals of up to six inches possible in the foothills and mountains. Rainfall rates of up to one inch per hour are possible during the peak of the storm. Parts of Monterey County in the Central Coast are also still underwater after a levee along the Pajaro River breached over the weekend, flooding the community of Pajaro. PHOTO: This aerial view shows trucks driving through a flooded street in Pajaro, California, on March 14, 2023. (Jennifer Cain/AFP via Getty Images) The rain is expected to continue into Wednesday in Los Angeles and San Diego. The atmospheric river is then expected to become the next cross-country storm. It is forecast to start pushing east on Wednesday, bringing heavy snow to the Colorado Rockies and rain for the desert Southwest, where parts of central Arizona are under a flood watch. MORE: Nor'easter has already dumped more than a foot of snow in multiple regions By Thursday, the snow will push into the plains of Nebraska and from Iowa to Wisconsin. ABC News' Kenton Gewecke contributed to this report. Girl injured after redwood tree falls on California school during severe storm originally appeared on abcnews.go.com The Republican field for the presidential nomination is slowly but surely heating up, with high-profile GOP figures making the rounds across the country. So far, only a few figures such as former President Donald Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley have officially announced their campaigns, but there are plenty of other presumptive candidates waiting in the wings as 2024 draws near. Heres who to keep an eye on. Stay in the conversation on politics: Sign up for the OnPolitics newsletter Donald Trump Former President Donald Trump officially announced his third run for president last November at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. Americas comeback starts right now, Trump said in his announcement. But Trump, who was previously seen as the favorite to win the nomination, has faced multiple setbacks since he last held office. Underperformance from Trump-style candidates in the 2022 midterms put a damper on his announcement speech in mid-November, and most recently the prospect of criminal indictments has mired his campaign. 'Freaks' and 'Big spenders': Why 2024 GOP hopefuls Trump, Haley, DeSantis are ripping their own party Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event Monday, March 13, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. Nikki Haley Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was the second notable candidate to officially enter the race after Trump. In her first campaign rally in her home state of South Carolina in February, Haley called for a new generation of leaders. We need someone who can shake up Washington and the political class, said Haley. On the campaign trail, the 51-year-old candidate has touted her youth compared to other prominent figures in politics. Haley has anchored the start of her campaign on that youth, making headlines when she called for mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old, taking aim at, without naming them, the 76-year-old Trump and 80-year-old President Joe Biden. 'Why not me?': Nikki Haley on 2024 White House campaign Story continues Vivek Ramaswamy Outside of household Republican names, conservative entrepreneur and multi-millionaire Vivek Ramaswamy announced his presidential campaign in late February. It may seem presumptuous for a 37-year-old political outsider to pursue the highest office in the land, but I am running on a vision for our nationone that revives merit in every sphere of American life, said Ramaswamy, who has never held elected office before, in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. Ramaswamy is most well-known for framing himself as a leader of the conservative culture wars against what he describes as the woke agenda. A GOP war on 'woke'?: Most Americans view the term as a positive, USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll finds Vivek Ramaswamy during the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2023, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center on March 3, 2023. Ron DeSantis Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is presumed to be the running second to Trump in the field despite not officially launching a campaign as of yet. But the Florida governor has been making the rounds across the country, stopping in key early states on the presidential nominating calendar such as Iowa and Nevada, and is scheduled to visit other states including New Hampshire. DeSantis has recently faced criticism from Democrats and Republicans for his position on the war in Ukraine, saying that Ukraine is not a vital interest to the United States. Will he ever hit back?: Trump's blistering attacks on Gov. Ron DeSantis continue. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to Iowa voters on March 10, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa. DeSantis, who is widely expected to seek the 2024 Republican nomination for president, is one of several Republican leaders visiting the state this month. Mike Pence Former Vice President Mike Pence is mulling a presidential bid of his own and has said he will come to a decision over the summer, but that doesnt mean he isnt already setting up a potential bid. At the annual Gridiron dinner last week, which includes journalists and high-profile politicians, Pence gave his sharpest rebuke of his former boss yet. President Trump was wrong, Pence said, referring to Trumps efforts to pressure him to overturn the 2020 election. I had no right to overturn the election. And his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day. And I know that history will hold Donald Trump accountable. Exclusive: Mike Pence predicts 'better choices,' not Trump, as the GOP's 2024 nominee Tim Scott Republican South Carolina Senator Tim Scott has been considering a presidential campaign, teasing the possibility in a visit to Iowa in February. I see a future where common sense has rebuilt common ground, Scott said in a speech at Drake University. Where weve created real unity, not by compromising away our conservatism, but by winning converts to our conservatism. Scott so far has largely focused on his biography, where in Iowa he described his early life growing up poor and as a child of segregation. Will he or won't he?: Republican Sen. Tim Scott weighs a historic White House bid Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., walks past the chamber during the vote to confirm former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti as the next ambassador to India at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, March 15, 2023. Chris Sununu New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu has yet to make a decision as to whether he will make a run for the White House, but he launched a fundraising organization in February that allows him to raise unlimited amounts of money. Related: Don't ban TikTok from Americans' phones, says NH governor and possible 2024 GOP candidate New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu takes part in a panel discussion during a Republican Governors Association conference on Nov. 15, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. Glenn Youngkin Despite holding office for a little more than one year, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has drawn speculation that he will launch a campaign. The Virginia governor has made multiple appearances on TV networks including a live town hall on CNN. Related: Can Glenn Youngkin convince the GOP base to choose him as the 2024 presidential nominee? Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin speaks to members of the press inside the Rotunda of the state Capitol building on Feb. 25, 2023, in Richmond, Va. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: GOP 2024: Which Republicans want to be president? Who's considering? Owen O'Neil rollout Tracey Benson Photography When Owen O'Neill began working in 2002 as a nurse for a hospice in Palm Beach County, Fla., he was moved to help his recently deceased patients' family members with a heartbreaking request. Unable to bear looking at empty wheelchairs or hospital beds, grieving loved ones often asked if O'Neill, now 55, would remove the equipment they no longer needed. He resisted at first, gently explaining that it "wouldn't be appropriate to take anything" from their homes. But before long, he was loading the equipment into his jeep and later a truck for larger items and delivering them to patients he'd met at the low-income clinics where he volunteered and who couldn't otherwise afford them. "Their eyes," O'Neill tells PEOPLE in this week's issue, "would always light up." Beginning with a wheelchair he took from a late hospice patient's home and gave to someone in need nearby, O'Neill turned his passion providing gently used, donated medical equipment to residents in and around Palm Beach County on tight incomes and with little to no insurance into Clinics Can Help, the largest non-profit of its kind in Florida. RELATED: Arkansas 12-Year-Old Spreads Kindness by Sending Night Lights to Kids in Foster Care The number of lives he's changed is staggering. O'Neill's team has supplied over 18,000 children and adults with everything from adaptive strollers and wheelchairs to walkers and hospital beds. "There's no reason why people should struggle to get this equipment when it's so accessible," says O'Neill. "It's a simple, low-cost solution that can help people not only recover faster but also improve their quality of life." Owen O'Neil rollout Jennifer Martinez/JLM Communications One of those recipients is Zoe Vera, a perky 8-year-old with limited use of her arms and legs due to cerebral palsy. Her grandmother, Lynn Vera, who adopted Zoe, first learned about O'Neill's organization from her granddaughter's physical therapist several years ago. Story continues O'Neill has since provided Zoe with an activity wheelchair, an adaptive bicycle to help her strengthen her leg muscles and a beach wheelchair. "We're so grateful," says Lynn, 59. "It's a full-time job butting heads with insurance companies that don't want to pay for stuff. With Clinics Can Help, I just make a phone call and they make it happen. I feel like we're part of their family." RELATED: Md. Teen Began Helping Sick Kids After Her Own Cancer Diagnosis at Age 7: 'I Like Making People Happy' About eight years ago, Gisela Rabi's son Micheal, 17, became part of that family. Because he has brittle bone disease, Michael is unable to walk and about the size of a 3-year-old. Thanks to Clinics Can Help, he's received wheelchairs, ramps, an adaptive toilet and a $7,000 gift through the organization's Christmas in July program. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "I cannot be more grateful for that place," says Rabi. "They are very friendly, they have compassion and they just try to help." O'Neill's efforts are supported by countless residents in the area who offer up their loved-one's medical equipment with the hope that it will find a new home and be put to good use. RELATED: High School Students Create Robotic Hand for Their New Classmate: 'They Changed My Life' "People come to us every day with donations," O'Neill says. He maintains a warehouse full of the donated supplies and a cadre of volunteers and staffers who clean and refurbish the equipment. "I love what I do and I wouldn't want to do anything else," says O'Neill, who recently launched a new campaign to provide cribs for families in need. "It's all about the giving. We're making a difference and to me, that means everything." After the announcement that about 970 workers will lose jobs when the Tyson Foods chicken processing plant closes in Van Buren in May, Hispanic business leaders have called a discussion panel to explore futures for those in Fort Smith and the Arkansas River Valley. On Thursday, the University of Arkansas Fort Smith Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center ) will host a free Hispanic business panel. Discussions will be in Spanish. The event has taken on new relevance since many workers at Tyson Foods in Van Buren live in Fort Smith. "Many of the folks who are facing the Tyson plant closure in Van Buren are members of the Hispanic community," said UAFS spokeswoman Rachel Rodemann Putman. The four-person panel is made up of Spanish-speaking business professionals who will discuss opportunities and challenges facing Hispanic-owned businesses in the River Valley and hold an open conversation with audience members. Laurencio Valdez of Arvest Bank, Israel Rodriguez Jr., with the national nonprofit organization the LIBRE Initiative, Jerry Cervantes, owner of JDA Consultants, and Adriana Fuentes Archila of the Arkansas Business Navigator Project will offer insights and aid to the Hispanic business community. The Spanish-speaking panel will address "local opportunities and challenges for Hispanic businesses in the River Valley," according to a flyer about the event. The panel will be hosted primarily in Spanish from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at The Center for Economic Development at the Bakery District, and is free and open to the public. The UAFS small business development efforts strive to assist entrepreneurs with every aspect of business creation, management, and operation. By providing access to local professionals, small businesses and entrepreneurs can speak to leaders invested in strengthening and sustaining local economies and communities, according to a statement from UAFS. Arvest Bank is a sponsor of the panel discussion. This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Hispanic business panel planned in Fort Smith A bipartisan coalition of House lawmakers are forming a Congressional Colorado River Caucus, with the goal of collaborating on ways to best address worsening drought conditions across the seven-state basin. Together, and working with our colleagues in the Senate, we will collaborate with each other and state and local leaders, putting the interests of our communities above all else, Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) said in a statement on Wednesday. Neguse, who serves as ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Federal Lands, announced the creation of the caucus, which will include members from six of the seven Colorado River states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. The lawmakers intend to discuss the critical issues affecting the Colorado River, which provides water for 40 million people across the West. Members of the caucus will work together towards our shared goal to mitigate the impacts felt by record-breaking levels of drought, according to Neguse. We must protect the reliability and consistency of this critical water source, he said. The Congressional Colorado River Caucus follows a similar bipartisan effort launched in the Senate by Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) last month. The Senate caucus whose members come from all seven basin states, including Wyoming formed with the goal of helping sparring factions agree on consumption cutbacks. Negotiations about reducing Colorado River water usage have been taking place for months, following a call from the federal Bureau of Reclamation for the states to come to an agreement. The result of these discussion thus far has been two opposing proposals a joint deal from six out of the seven states, followed by a competing offer from the outlier, California. In the Congressional Colorado River Caucus announcement on Wednesday, Neguses office noted that a consensus has yet to be reached, but negotiations are ongoing. Story continues Leading the caucus alongside Neguse is Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), while members include Reps. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.), Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.), Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.), Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.), Mark Amodei (R-NV), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.), Chris Stewart (R-Utah) and John Curtis (R-Utah). Water is our most precious resource, and we must address the uncertainty caused by the severe drought that is impacting 40 million residents of Arizona and the Southwest, Ciscomani said in a statement. I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues on solutions that bring together the Upper and Lower Basins and secure a strong water future for us all, he added. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Some 20 miles off the farthest reaches of Washingtons coast lies a shipwreck that killed hundreds of people and sent millions of dollars of gold to the cold depths of the Pacific Ocean. Exactly where is a closely kept secret. Now, two men who claim to have found the remains of the SS Pacific, a steamship that sank on Nov. 5, 1875, are planning to salvage the ship and display its artifacts in a proposed museum. On Thursday, Matt McCauley and Jeff Hummel will present their research, findings and plans during a talk at the Foss Waterway Seaport in Tacoma. Sailing from Victoria, B.C., to San Francisco, the Pacific sank with at least 325 passengers and crew. Only two survived. Recently, the wreck was found by The Northwest Shipwreck Alliance. The nonprofit organization was founded by McCauley and Hummel. The pair, both 58, began salvaging underwater wrecks while they were still in high school. SS Pacific The 225-foot-long Pacific was launched in 1850 in New York, where it was built for $100,000. The steam-powered ship had two side wheels that provided propulsion. Carrying both cargo and passengers, the ship had a storied history. It set a speed record on its inaugural run and was soon purchased by New York business magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt. In an era before the construction of the Panama Canal, the Pacific served both the Chagres (Panama)-New Orleans and Nicaragua-San Francisco routes. Tragedy seemed to haunt the ship. In 1855, 45 passengers died from cholera they picked up while transiting across Nicaragua. In 1861, the ship was pushed off course by strong winds and sank in the Columbia River on its way from San Francisco to Astoria, Oregon an area called the graveyard of the Pacific due to its numerous shipwrecks. The ship was soon raised, repaired and put back to work. In 1875, the ship was purchased by its final owner and put on the Puget Sound-San Francisco run. Lost in fog On Nov. 3, 1875, the Pacific left Tacoma filled with hops and bound for Seattle and other stops before making its last port of call at Victoria on Nov. 4. It was captained by Jeff Howell, a well-known skipper in Tacoma, according to McCauley. Story continues He was somebody that was liked at every port at which the vessel stopped, so (his death) was a big blow to the folks in Tacoma, he said. In Victoria, several miners returning from northern gold fields boarded. The ship was carrying millions in gold in the form of coins, bars and gold dust. The Pacific had been designed for the California Gold Rush of 1849 and was equipped with a strong room. It set out for the ocean via the Strait of Juan de Fuca and turned south about 12 miles off Cape Flattery. Meanwhile, the clipper SV Orpheus was headed north. While that ships captain was below checking maps, its crew spotted the Pacifics masthead light but mistook it for the Cape Flattery lighthouse. The Orpheus turned in front of the Pacific. Tlingit people at Fort Wrangle, Alaska with the Pacific at anchor in the background in 1868. Photographer Eadweard Muybridge accompanied Major-General Henry W. Halleck, commander of the U.S. Military Division of the Pacific, on a trip to Alaska onboard the Pacific. Halleck was on an inspection tour of the territory purchased that year from Russia. The ships collided, with the Pacifics bow striking the hull of the Orpheus in three locations. The ships continued in their general directions. Because the Orpheus had only been slightly damaged its crew surmised the Pacific also had sustained light damage. But the Pacific had been fatally struck. I woke up with the crash, said Neil Henly, 21, the Pacifics quartermaster and one of the two survivors. Jumped out of my bunk, the water rushing through the bow; saw all hands rush on the hurricane deck the ship fell into the trough of the sea and became unmanageable, the fires being extinguished; all was confusion, the passengers crowding into the boats which the officers and crew were trying to clear away. Adding to the disaster, the crew had filled some of the lifeboats with water in an attempt to keep the ship on an even keel. The boat I was near was partly full of water, recalled the ships other survivor, passenger Henry Jelly, 22. I think it was about an hour from the time the steamer struck up to the time when she listed to port so much that the port boat was let into the water and cut loose from the davits. Jellys lifeboat soon capsized. I crawled up on the bottom of the boat and helped several others up with me I think about all the ladies were in our boat, and when she upset, they all fell into the water and, I fear, they were all drowned. Jelly survived by lashing himself to the wreckage of the pilot house. He was picked up the next day and Henly the day after by passing ships. With at least 325 lives lost, it became the worst maritime disaster on the West Coast. Hummel said some accounts put the total lost as high as 500, mainly from passengers who rushed aboard without tickets when the boat left Victoria. Washington Territory Washington was still over a decade away from becoming a state when the Pacific sank. This was a very massive tragedy when you consider the relatively low population of B.C. and the Washington territory at that time, McCauley said. It was a very important vessel for Tacoma, as it was for Seattle and some of the area waypoints on the Sound, McCauley said. The 1870s were a heady time for Tacoma. In 1873, the Northern Pacific Railroad chose the young city to be its western transcontinental terminus and built its headquarters there in early 1875. But it was still really important that it had the steamboat connection with San Francisco, which was basically the civilized world to the people in Washington Territory at that time, he said. Seattle had a population of under 2,000 residents at that time and Tacomas was even smaller. The city itself was incorporated on November 12, 1875 a little over a week after the Pacifics disaster. Is it the SS Pacific? Several expeditions beginning in 1985 have attempted to locate the Pacific. All failed. Hummels salvage company, Rockfish, Inc., calculated the location of the wreck using what information they had: heading, speed, currents, and timing. That produced a search field of 338 square miles a dauntingly large area to search. A crucial clue to the ships location came from commercial fishermen. Several had recovered chunks of coal in their nets. Testing identified the coal as likely from the ships last owners, Goodall, Nelson and Perkins. That narrowed the search field to a manageable two square miles. Using a variety of underwater equipment, Rockfish searched for the wreck over five years. In 2021, the wreck was first spotted using sonar imaging but wasnt identified until the summer 2022. A woman reads on the Pacifics deck in 1868. Identifying shipwrecks can be tricky. But eventually, imaging equipment found a hull-like depression and two nearby circular depressions that were likely from the ship and its paddle wheels. Archaeologists with the team speculate that the wood wheels are still intact below the muddy seafloor. Further expeditions recovered wood and copper plating and fire bricks. They also identified steam pipes. If you look at the preponderance of evidence, its overwhelming, Hummel said. The odds that its not the Pacific are one in a million. Legal filings The finds were convincing enough for the salvagers to file legal rights in U.S. District Court to the submerged area surrounding the likely vessel. U.S. District Court Judge James L. Robart issued an order restricting competing salvagers from entering this area. The team is tight-lipped on specifics. There are two things we never tell people, Hummel said. One is exactly how far from shore it is and exactly how deep it is. The most Hummel would offer is between 20 and 27 miles from shore and between 1,000 and 2,000 feet in depth. Maritime law allows discoverers of lost shipwrecks to recover whatever is salvageable once agreements from any legal owners are located and satisfied, which has already begun, they said. Its unlikely any human remains are at the site. Like those on the Titanic, theyve long since decomposed. Many of the Pacifics victims washed ashore in British Columbia in the days after the sinking. Partners McCauley and Hummel met at Mercer Island High School. While still in school the pair salvaged the remains of a WWII naval dive bomber from Lake Washington. The U.S. Navy sued them in 1984, but the pair won and went on to salvage four more WWII-era naval combat aircraft from the lake in 1987. Hummel and McCauley went their separate ways, with McCauley pursuing SCUBA diving, local history and writing. Hummel went on to become an expert in marine navigation systems. Now, they are reunited and hope to begin salvaging the Pacific in 2025. The men wont speculate on the current value of the gold, but records suggest it would be at least several million dollars worth. Legal precedent allows salvagers to 92 percent of the gold they find, with the rest going to the ships underwriters. They hope to display their finds in a future museum, the location and size of which have not been determined. The Pacifics finds will play a central role. They hope to recover the paddle wheels, boilers, steam plant, and personal effects. Youd literally be able to go through peoples steamer trunks and things like that, Hummel said. One of the items on their list: the earliest known pair of Levi jeans. The clothing was introduced in 1873 and was popular with miners. Theyve spent $2.1 million looking for the shipwreck and estimate theyll spend another $6-8 million to salvage it. Its not the gold they might find that drives them, they said. For me, its the ability to touch the past, Hummel said. Were looking at things and touching things that havent been looked at or touched in almost 150 years. If you go What: Presentation by Northwest Shipwreck Alliance. When: Thursday, lecture at 6 p.m. Where: Foss Waterway Seaport, 705 Dock St., Tacoma. Admission: Free. Information: fosswaterwayseaport.org/ Richard Schabetsberger The hills are alive, and now, so is the Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron's Red Salon Room. Ken Fulk, in partnership with Trevor D. Traina, the former U.S. Ambassador to Austria, has revived one of the estate's most important rooms in honor of Max Reinhardt, one of the founders of Austria's Salzburg Festival. When The Sound of Music aired in 1965, it was unbeknownst to the Von Trapp family (on which the musical is based) that the production would soon become a worldwide phenomenon. Set in Salzburg, Austria, and starring Julie Andrews, it retells the story of Maria Von Trapp, who takes a job as governess to the family while deciding whether or not she should become a nun. She enchants viewers with her soprano voice, from the rolling green hills of Salzburg to the decadent rooms of the Schloss Leopoldskron. This production was, ultimately, a continuation of Reinhardt's long-lasting musical impact on Austrian culture. The property was originally commissioned as a family estate in 1736 by the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, but Max Reinhardt, Europe's most famous theater director and resident of the home from 1918 to 1938, turned it into the nucleus of culture during his time. While there, Reinhardt created four elaborate spaces including the Venetian Room, a baroque two-story library, the Chinese room, and the Red Salon room. The Red Salon is where Reinhardt auspiciously founded the Salzburg Music Festival in 1918, a festival of arts and music that especially championed the works of Wolfgang Mozart. Richard Schabetsberger "They think of this room as the birthplace of one of the most important music festivals in the world. It came about after World War I, when people needed music to soothe their souls, and knew that there was a need to bring the world together," Fulk says. "It was a shared higher language." During Nazi occupation in World War II, all but one room in the palace was left unscathed: the Red Salon Room. Tragically, Reinhardt fled to America during the war and died penniless. In a letter to his wife, he wrote: "I have lived in Leopoldskron for eighteen years, truly lived, and I have brought it to life. I have lived in every room, every table, every chair, every light, and every picture. I have built, designed, decorated, and planted and I have dreamt of it when I was not there. I have always loved it in a festive way, not as something ordinary. Those were my most beautiful, prolific, and mature years ... I have lost it without lamenting. I have lost everything that I carried into it. It was the harvest of my lifes work." Story continues More than a half-century later, Fulk, Traina, and wallpaper and fabric company, De Gournay, have worked to revive the legend of this room just in time for what would've been Reinhardt's 150th birthday. After a two-year process, the Red Salon room once again beams with Reinhardt's theatrical spirit. Like a testament of faith, one of Reinhardt's actual theatre curtains was found in the attic of the estate just as the redesign process began. Richard Schabetsberger The history of the estate beats on through the use of an elongated wooden Louis XVI-Style cherry table by Salda1870, which is anchored by an Iranian Kirman rug purchased by Traina from the esteemed Dorotheum Auction House. The table is accompanied by a set of the estate's existing cane dining chairs reupholstered in red fabrics from historic textile houses Rubelli and Pierre Frey. The dash of red plays onto the name, without it being too literal. The principal element, however, should be awarded to the Klimt-like wallpaper that wraps around the room. The De Gournay wallpaper illustrates an outdoor, tropical setting with lush palms and flying avians. At first, it appears to be a stark contrast from the rest of the decor or even the estate as a whole. But, somehow, it feels appropriate. The drama of the wallpaper is a true testament to the fantastical aura that Reinhardt imbued into the estate while he lived there. "I think Max, just like me, has illusions of grandeur," Fulk says. " He used this space to entertain and to manifest his ideas and talents. Yes, do I love a good party and cozying up with someone and gossiping on the sofa? Of course. But, this is also a room that has proven can change the course of our lives. It sounds dramatic, but the Austrians and Americans deeply attached to this estate see it that way." Today, the room will be used to house meetings for the Salzburg Global Seminar, an independent non-profit organization with "a mission to challenge current and future leaders to shape the world." In fact, according to Fulk, the room felt complete only "30 seconds before [they] showed it to the visiting dignitaries." While the room feels complete now, who's to say what it'll look like in the next few years, or the next century? " I think of these things as living and breathing. It'll constantly be in flux as a salon," Fulk says. To visit or book your stay at the Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron, please visit schloss-leopoldskron.com. You Might Also Like Germanys Rheinmetall stands ready to fill Ukraines ammunition needs, pending additional EU spending 14 March, 09:09 PM German concern Rheinmetall (Photo:REUTERS/Benoit Tessier) Rheinmetall, Germanys largest arms manufacturer, is ready to produce enough artillery ammunition to fill Ukraines needs if European governments increase spending to double production capacity, Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger said in a recent interview, as reported by Bloomberg on March 14. I need orders; without orders, I wont produce anything, Bloomberg quotes Papperger. Any shortage of ammunition wont be the defense industrys fault. Industry can deliver whats needed. He lamented the fact that Rheinmetall is producing artillery shells using only two-thirds of its capacity, despite repeated warnings from Ukrainian and European officials that ammunition supply will be the decisive factor in the war. Video of day Earlier on March 14, the Council of the European Union announced a decision to funnel additional EUR 2 billion ($2,1 billion) into EUs Peace Fund, which will be used by EU member states to jointly procure ammunition for Ukraines Armed Forces. On March 13, Bloomberg reported that next week the EU would approve joint purchases of ammunition for Ukraine. According to Estonia, on average, Ukraine uses 60,000 to 210,000 shells per month, while the European defense industry can only produce 25,000 shells per month. At the same time, Russias forces fire 20,000-60,000 artillery rounds per day. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News Copyright 2023, Des Moines Register and Tribune Co. A majority of Iowans approve of legislation that would restrict the use of food assistance benefits. A new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll found 57% of Iowans say they favor a state bill that would ban individuals from using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds, also known as food stamps, to buy pop and candy. Forty percent oppose the legislation, House File 613, while 4% arent sure. The poll, conducted March 5-8 by Selzer & Co., asked 805 adult Iowans for their views on this bill, along with a flurry of other GOP-backed proposals racing through this years legislative session. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. The ban receives support from 66% of Republicans and 54% of independents. Forty-five percent of Democrats also favor the bill. The highest support comes from those who voted for former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election, with 69% in favor, and those living in rural Iowa, with 68% support. Though poll respondent Robert Bierkamp, a self-described independent voter, doesnt support many of the GOP-backed measures before the Iowa Legislature, he said he does support the food assistance bill even though hes not entirely convinced pop and candy should be totally forbidden. I think they have to have some rights, but there has to be a limit on it. You cant just fill your card up with candy and pop, said Bierkamp, a 73-year-old retired teacher from Indianola. Iowa Poll: Strong majority opposes using eminent domain for carbon-capture pipelines Ban part of larger Republican effort to place eligibility conditions on SNAP users If the bill passes, the state will need approval from federal officials to exclude pop and candy from the list of eligible food items under the program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers SNAP, previously has denied requests from other states to ban SNAP recipients from purchasing junk food or pop. Story continues The bill is part of a larger effort from Iowa Republicans to add more checks on eligibility requirements for those who can access the states public assistance programs. Poll respondent Scott Dundee, a 58-year-old Republican living in Marion, says food assistance funds should be used to support the familys nutritional needs, not to purchase junk food. I dont think you should be using food assistance for that, he said. However, Dundee is in favor of SNAP and other food-aid programs, such as free and reduced-price school lunches. He said he did not support the initial version of the Republican bill, which would have banned Iowans from using SNAP to buy a wider variety of foods, including fresh produce and meat. In fact, given rising costs at the grocery store, Dundee said he believes eligibility for SNAP should be expanded to help more Iowans like his stepdaughter, who is a single parent and has too high an income to qualify for food assistance. He said she struggles to cover her other expenses and still have enough money to buy groceries. In Iowa, about 230,000 people including 80,000 children consistently lack access to enough food, according to Feeding America. Food insecurity in Iowa and across the country has been on the rise, which researchers say is driven by higher food prices and rising costs for other basic needs. The end of pandemic-era safety nets, such as boosted unemployment benefits, also played a factor in Americans eroding food budgets this year, according to a report from the Urban Institute. Its just hard for people right now, trying to make ends meet, Dundee said. Even just a little bit more to help them out, because the economy right now just sucks. Iowa Poll: Majorities of Iowans favor property tax cuts, eliminating personal income tax Majority of Democrats oppose SNAP ban on pop and candy The only majority opposition to the ban on pop and candy purchases is among Democrats and those living in the 3rd Congressional District, which includes Des Moines and counties in south central Iowa. Fifty-one percent of each group don't approve of the ban. The proposal also is opposed by 50% of Iowans living in suburbs and half of those who voted for President Joe Biden in the 2020 election. FAQs: How is the Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll conducted? We answer your top questions. Opponents to the bill say the ban would punish poor people. Poll respondent Kathleen Kern, a 78-year-old retiree from Atlantic, echoed those statements, saying Iowans shouldnt be denied food just because they cant afford it on their own. If youre on food stamps, you should be buying healthy food, but once in a while, I dont see why a candy bar or a bottle of soda should be banned just because youre poor, said Kern, a Democrat. I know how it is for a child to look and see something that they really, really would like, but know that they cant have it just because theyre poor. They cant help being poor. Michaela Ramm covers health care for the Des Moines Register. She can be reached at mramm@registermedia.com, at (319) 339-7354 or on Twitter at @Michaela_Ramm. About the poll The Iowa Poll, conducted March 5-8, 2023, for The Des Moines Register and Mediacom by Selzer & Co. of Des Moines, is based on telephone interviews with 805 Iowans ages 18 or older. Interviewers with Quantel Research contacted households with randomly selected landline and cell phone numbers supplied by Dynata. Interviews were administered in English. Responses were adjusted by age, sex and congressional district to reflect the general population based on recent American Community Survey estimates. Questions based on the sample of 805 Iowa adults have a maximum margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. This means that if this survey were repeated using the same questions and the same methodology, 19 times out of 20, the findings would not vary from the true population value by more than plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Results based on smaller samples of respondents such as by gender or age have a larger margin of error. Republishing the copyright Iowa Poll without credit to The Des Moines Register and Mediacom is prohibited. Iowa Poll methodology This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Majority favor SNAP food stamp ban on pop, candy, Iowa Poll finds Bird flu hit a backyard flock in northeast Iowa's Chickasaw County this week, marking the start of spring migration that will bring thousands of wild birds across the state, potentially carrying the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus with them. Don McDowell, an Iowa Department of Agriculture spokesman, said in an email that the state is urging "poultry producers and those with backyard flocks to be especially vigilant with their biosecurity" as this "destructive virus continues to be a concern." Waterfowl and other wild birds can carry the virus without appearing sick, spreading it through their droppings and nasal discharge and fatally infecting domestic birds. The nation saw a record 58.6 million turkeys, chickens and other birds destroyed to prevent the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza. Iowa producers lost 16 million birds, the most nationally. Now producers are bracing for another round as thousands of migrating birds, which potentially carry the virus, cross the state. In typical years, infections abate over the winter months, but Iowa and the nation haven't seen much of a pause in the current outbreak, which began a year ago. Since then, U.S. producers have been forced to destroy 58.6 million chickens, turkeys and other birds to prevent the spread of the disease, U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows. Iowa, the nation's largest egg producer, also has had the most losses, culling close to 16 million birds, mostly laying hens, at 25 commercial facilities, as well as destroying seven backyard flocks, including the one in Chickasaw County, where the Iowa Department of Agriculture said 46 birds were killed. The losses contributed to a dramatic spike in egg prices, which climbed 32% last year and are expected to increase nearly 38% this year. The 2022-23 outbreak has outpaced one in 2015, when 50.5 million birds were destroyed. Iowa also led the nation in losses that year, with nearly 32.7 million birds killed. Gretta Irwin, the Iowa Turkey Federation's executive director, said Wednesday that producers are looking for ways to bolster their biosecurity. For example, one producer is using lasers to ward off wild birds, a technique used at airports. "The birds don't like the color and the light," she said. "It's just one more way to keep birds from our barns." Story continues This year's strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza isn't a significant health risk to people, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, and none of the poultry products from affected facilities reaches the U.S. food supply, federal officials have said. Donnelle Eller covers agriculture, the environment and energy for the Register. Reach her at deller@registermedia.com or 515-284-8457. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Bird flu hits northeast Iowa backyard flock as spring migration begins Italys OVS SpA has made its first move into America with the opening Wednesday of a Piombo store in Manhattans SoHo neighborhood. The 1,550-square-foot shop, located at 149 Spring Street, sells the affordably priced, colorful, mix and match Piombo mens and womens apparel and accessories designed by Massimo Piombo, who also serves as creative director of the OVS and Piombo brands. More from WWD The first Piombo freestanding shop opened four months ago in Cortina dAmpezzo, an Italian ski resort town. The third and fourth freestanding Piombo shops will open in Madrid on Friday and in Paris in May. The opening of Piombo stores reflects OVS relatively rapid development into a platform of distinct brands, with a portfolio that includes the OVS, OVS Kids, Stefanel, BluKids, Croff, Baby Angel, Grand & Hills and Les Copains labels, as well as Piombo. The company has been strengthening its product development and diversifying its assortment with different brands to sharpen the appeal to different lifestyles and customer segments, and make shopping easier. Stefano Beraldo OVS launched the Piombo brand in 2019 with menswear; Piombo womens was introduced a year later, and Piombo kids is in its first season. In the past, the items in our stores were almost entirely branded OVS. But we learned that to utilize only, or mainly the OVS brand to cater to every single different lifestyle of our customer base was really difficult. So we started [creating] a platform to provide our customer a clear perception of the different lifestyle that each segment of our offer was providing, explained Stefano Beraldo, the chief executive officer of OVS, in an exclusive interview. This means transforming gradually in the eyes of the customer from a pure vertical to a more versatile and tailored offer. Today, if you enter an OVS store which is 1,200 square meters [12,900 square feet] in Milan or Naples, or in any city in Italy where we have stores, you dont see the OVS brand occupying the whole store anymore. You see different corners, each with a clear identity. Story continues For example, theres a corner with Piombo product, which Beraldo characterized as catering to a 25- to 50-year-old, well-educated individual more demanding in terms of style and quality, and basically a new customer compared to the original customer base of OVS. Other sections of the store are delineated by different OVS brands, including Baby Angel young girls fashion, which was launched with the late Elio Fiorucci, and Grand & Hills menswear, among other brands. We try to make life easier for our customers by offering a clear segmentation, said Beraldo. We started this segmentation two-and-a-half years ago and this has been generating incredible results. Our market share is dramatically increasing even in the absence of growing in terms of square meters of retail space. The champion of this strategy is Piombo, Beraldo said. With Piombo, it was kind of a risky move. Its not bread and butter product. Every couple of years there are new trends and we are all followers but Piombo is not a follower. We now have Piombo corners in each of our stores in Italy; Piombo is successful with its mens and womens fashions, in and out of Italy. OVS has 1,200 stores in Italy, including 500 company-owned and the rest franchised units. The Piombo corners are housed in the 500 company-owned stores. There are also 300 OVS stores in countries other than Italy. We are convinced that with the improvement that we made in our merchandising, we are more prepared to face a new wave of international expansion, Beraldo said. The Piombo look. At the Piombo store in Cortina dAmpezzo, People wait outside the store for maybe 10, 20 minutes because the store is super small. They cant enter because of the traffic. On the back of this success I decided to explore the interest of stand-alone Piombo stores, internationally. OVS, the full format, is quite big. Its like another variation of H&M or Gap Inc. companies with mandates to try to accommodate every customer need. But Piombo is very focused and unique. In the U.S., with Piombo, I feel that we are offering something really new, Beraldo said. I know a little bit about the U.S. market. As a manager, an entrepreneur, a person, you can imagine how many times I have visited the States. Many years ago, I thought what J.Crew was doing was something really interesting. Since then, I havent seen many other new things in that price range, in that customer base range, maybe with the exception of Aritzia womens. So thats why we decided only with Piombo and not with all the OVS assets to enter the U.S. Maybe one small part of New York can appreciate what we are doing with Piombo. Its more unique, more precise, more incredible, in my opinion. Theres nothing similar in the market in this moment, for sure. Asked if Piombo in SoHo is a test to gauge the viability of additional stores in the U.S., the CEO replied, We dont need 100 Piombo stores in the U.S. We opened one. Lets see what happens and then we decide the next step. If it works, for sure we continue with San Francisco, Los Angeles, maybe Boston, but we will not go in the Midwest. I dont think it would work there. So lets be gradual. Do people in the U.S. have an awareness of the Piombo brand? Not at all, Beraldo admitted. Maybe those addicted to fashion know Massimo Piombo the designer because of his history but I dont think they know Piombo as a brand or as a store. Massimo is like a painter. If you looked at each of his colors independently, you might consider they wouldnt work together, but he has this ability to combine colors in a fascinating way. He also has an incredible passion for textures, for fabrics, and the final result is a bit eccentric, if I may say, and is a bit extravagant, if I may say, but extremely commercial. So you can wear it to go to the office, maybe you have a small scarf that makes you different. You can combine shirts, a dress, the denim, a chino, the stripes in different ways that make you feel different. Piombos vibrant colors and stripes. The whole SoHo store we painted in just one color, a very vibrant sky blue. Its totally different, said Massimo Piombo. The most important thing is Piombo brings a new energy to the fashion world. Its a completely different approach. Its eclectic with a touch of fantasy and elegance, a touch of creativity and also classic and simple, sophisticated and playful, but all at incredible Piombo prices. OVS, while cautiously entering the U.S. with Piombo, is planning further maneuvers. According to Beraldo, starting in June or July this year Piombo will be available online in the U.S., and Piombo could open a second store which would be for Piombo Kids. Stefanel, acquired by OVS two years ago, might come back in the U.S., Beraldo added, noting that the previous owner shut down all of the Stefanel U.S. stores. Lets see. Give me some time for all of this, Beraldo said. Let me learn. Massimo Piombo Best of WWD Click here to read the full article. J.K. Rowling says that when it comes to the backlash shes received around her Harry Potter books and her personal stances on the rights and identities of trans people, criticism from her allies hit differently than conservatives claiming she was promoting witchcraft. If its coming from people that you would, well, you would have thought were allies? Yes, thats absolutely going to hit differently, but I dont hold myself Rowling said before The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling host Megan Phelps-Roper cut her off in the podcasts latest episode. I would assume we share certain values. So yeah, that hits differently. Of course, it hits differently. More from The Hollywood Reporter Rowling initially addressed the Christian conservative backlash to her books in the U.S. in the podcasts second episode, which was released Feb. 21. During that hourlong discussion, she explained her view on good and evil through her books characters Dumbledore and Snape. She also dismisses that she wholeheartedly stands with groups that support boarding schools or formally identify as witches or practice witchcraft through Wicca. But in addressing the Christian criticism of her use of magic, she chalks the obsession with her series up to its scale not its contents. The experience in America was, not for the first time, very different from the experience in the U.K. I remember speaking to my American editor about it, and he was pretty robust about it. He felt its not true. These are very moral books, she said. I remember saying to him, this was inevitable. And by that I meant, its got too big. Its just got too big. There were plenty of other books about witches and wizards out there. But I think a lot of the pushback was the sheer scale of it. People were alarmed by the scale of it. Story continues The podcasts fifth episode, titled The Tweets, dropped March 14 and is largely dedicated to Rowling expounding on the motivation behind her past social media messages and essay regarding her position on trans women as women and their presence in womens spaces. It is very biblical language that is used of women who say, You know what? I think any measure that makes it easier for predators to get at women and girls is a bad idea,' Rowling said of critics, who have said her refusal to acknowledge trans women as women is evil. She continued, There are plenty of women who dont even identify themselves as feminists who are very concerned about this. During the episode, various voices, including Phelps-Roper, repeatedly read unattributed tweets allegedly sent to Rowling. But speaking to her own initial tweet in 2019, which ultimately sparked the first major wave of criticism against the author over her support of a U.K. woman embroiled in an employment case around language and discrimination in the workplace, Rowling said she notified her team ahead of time. I drafted the tweet, and then I was considerate enough to phone my management team and say, You cannot argue me out of this,' the author explained. And I read out what I was about to say because I felt they needed warning because I knew it was going to cause a massive storm. At another point, she added that she absolutely knew that people who love her books would be deeply unhappy with her, but that time will tell whether Ive got this wrong. I can only say that Ive thought about it deeply and hard and long, and Ive listened I promise to the other side. On the larger response to her public stances, the author describes fury and incomprehension on one side and a ton of Potter fans who were grateful that I had said what I said on the other after sharing her first and subsequent tweets. But Rowling ultimately questions the motivations of the Harry Potter fans who didnt stick by her. Whats interesting is the fans that have found themselves in positions of power online, did they feel they needed to take this position because they themselves had followers? Possibly, I dont know, she said. She also says that former fans and critics who have charged she has missed the meaning of her own books are the ones who have gotten it wrong. Im constantly told I dont understand my own books. Im constantly told that I have betrayed my own books. My position is that Im absolutely upholding the positions that I took in Potter. My position is that this activist movement, in the form that its currently taking, echoes the very thing that I was warning against in Harry Potter, she said. I am fighting what I see as a powerful, insidious, misogynistic movement that I think has gained huge purchase in very influential areas of society. I do not see this particular movement as either benign or powerless. Rowling also describes her opinions despite her critics pointing out their potential real-world implications as a matter of disagreement, like the one she has as someone who identifies as pro-choice but has a male friend who is pro-life. I dont agree with his argument, but he respects my argument and we are both able to find shades of gray within our beliefs. I think that is healthy. I think that is productive. I am not going to cut that person out of my life. Because we disagree on something, albeit something that is very important to me, she said. We have lost that in this particular debate. Click here to read the full article. The Kansas Legislature is taking steps that could lead to a long-awaited pay raise for lawmakers but only after a new, independent body weighs in on potentially increasing salary, per diem and retirement benefits. The Kansas Legislature is taking steps that could lead to a long-awaited pay raise for lawmakers but only after a new, independent body weighs in on potentially increasing salary, per diem and retirement benefits. The idea has been touted as a way to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest as well as insulating legislators against political blowback. Under the proposal, the new independent commission would finalize a report on potential changes to compensation by December. The Legislature could vote to reject the recommendations in 2025, with statute requiring that any changes in pay take effect following an election. Otherwise, the new rates would automatically go into effect and would be reviewed every four years. More:Kansas legislators probably make less than you do. Should they change that in 2023? Legislator pay has remained stuck at less than $100 per day in Kansas For at least two decades, the pay for Kansas legislators has remained more or less the same: $88.66 per day, plus an additional $157 per day for meals and lodging costs incurred as a result of attending session in Topeka. Accounting for a 90-day session, that comes out to around $22,000 though legislators also have a generous pension arrangement not available to other state employees and receive modest payments each month the Legislature is not in session. Even still, members say that serving is a financial sacrifice. House Speaker Pro Tempore Blake Carpenter, R-Derby, said he worked four jobs in past years to ensure he would be able to continue serving. Past members, particularly younger lawmakers, have departed the Legislature over an inability to pay their bills. The legislation forming the nine-person independent commission, which includes appointments by each of the legislative leaders and Gov. Laura Kelly, was introduced at the behest of lobbyist Jason Watkins, a former legislator. Watkins said the goal was for the Legislature to "a cross-section of this state" and that Kansans would push back on any recommendations that would drastically raise or lower legislators' salaries. Story continues "We truly believe in representative democracy," Watkins told the House Legislative Modernization Committee on Monday. "And it is our belief that, if you believe in a representative democracy, then there is one thing that should determine whether or not you get to serve in this Legislature. And that is whether or not the voters choose to send you here, not whether or not you can afford to come up here and serve in the Legislature." Under the bill, no member of the commission can be a sitting legislator, legislative staff or a lobbyist and at least two must be former legislators. The goal, Carpenter told reporters, is to divorce legislators from having the appearance of meddling with their own pay. "The counterargument I typically hear from people is we shouldn't be able to, at will, modify our own pay because people don't have that in their own jobs back home," he said. "So, by doing this method there is at least a fair and balanced mechanism for: 'Is our pay going to get cut? Is it going to get increased?' There is a third party doing it, not necessarily ourselves." Bill could make pay raise more politically acceptable Research from the National Conference of State Legislators shows at least 18 states have some form of independent body to set or recommend pay. Kansas briefly had a similar mechanism but their recommendations were not binding and the body only met once. The House Legislative Modernization Committee approved the bill Monday morning, setting the stage for debate in the full House as early as this week. Lawmakers inserted the bill's language into an unrelated Senate Bill, SB 229, something which could allow the proposal to more quickly move through the legislative process. Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, told reporters that the idea was a good one, noting he would be in favor of examining not just legislator pay but also compensation for statewide elected officials in general. "Having a third-party entity look at it is probably the most appropriate, rather than having legislators vote on their own raises or never voting on them because they're afraid of something," he told reporters. The move does insulate legislators from what his historically been considered a politically dangerous vote to increase their own pay, with House Minority Leader Vic Miller, D-Topeka, noting the idea of a third-party commission was more "politically viable." But Miller noted that it was important for lawmakers to look at the issue from a broader perspective than just their own individual circumstances. While he is retired and has more financial flexibility to serve, Miller said that was not true of everyone in his caucus. There is evidence that increasing pay does not necessarily mean that the Legislature will see more younger or working-class members. But Miller said the idea is worth a shot as part of an effort to make the Legislature is more diverse. "I don't need a raise to do this but I am very fortunate. ... If we're really wanting to attract a diverse group of people to represent a diverse population, we need to look at stuff like this," he said. This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas legislators consider letting outside body make pay decisionsw Joshua Cottrell The Ohio Children's Trust Fund has named a Midvale resident as an Everyday Ohio Hero. The honor went to Joshua Cottrell, a case worker at OhioGuidestone, a mental health agency serving Tuscarawas and Carroll counties. He works primarily with younger children in the schools, seeing those who have been affected by abuse and neglect. "His skills in working with these children are intuitive, as he seems to know just how to develop a relationship with them, understanding what they need, giving it and then following through with compassion and expectations," said the March 3 announcement. The trust fund noted that Cottrell serves as a foster parent with Tuscarawas County's Department of Job and Family Services. The single dad is father to two elementary aged boys he adopted after fostering them. He also has two other elementary school aged boys, a middle school aged girl, and a baby younger than a year old under his care. He took in the baby immediately after his birth. "Strong male role models are so important in the lives of children. Josh is a phenomenal human being doing phenomenal things for children!" said the trust fund announcement. The Ohio Childrens Trust Fund is the states public funding source dedicated to preventing abuse and neglect. It is housed within the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: OhioGuidestone case worker Joshua Cottrell honored for work AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) Tribal leaders in Maine, who have long sparred with state leaders over the issue of sovereignty for Native American tribes, used their first address to the Maine Legislature in 21 years to call for greater autonomy. The tribes hope to alter the Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement Act of 1980, which treats reservations like municipalities that are subject to state law. Other federally recognized tribes are treated like sovereign nations, and Maine tribes different status has led to conflicts with the state over issues such as natural resources and economic development. Amuwes Dana of the Passamaquoddy Tribe participates in a drum circle at the Hall of Flags in the State House, Wednesday, March 16, 2023, in Augusta, Maine. The ceremony proceeded Maine tribal leaders delivering the first State of the Tribes address in 20 years. It's time to modernize the agreement between state government and Maine tribes because the current arrangement makes Maine Native Americans outliers in Indian Country, said Clarissa Sabattis, chief of the Houlton Band of Maliseets. "I look forward to forging a new path forward that is not only better for our tribe but also better for this great state that we all call home," Sabattis said. Defamation lawsuit:Maine lobster industry sues California aquarium for 'red list' that led to boycott Other speakers at Thursday's State of the Tribes address were: Edward Peter Paul, chief of the Aroostook Band of Mikmaqs; William Nicholas, chief of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Motahkomikuk; Rena Newell, chief of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik; and Kirk Francis, chief of the Penobscot Nation. The address drew a large crowd to the Maine State House, with lawmakers and tribal members filling the Maine House of Representatives chamber, and dozens more tribal activists and allies filling other rooms in the state house to watch the speech on television. William Nicholas, Chief of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Motahkomikuk, addresses the Legislature, Wednesday, March 16, 2023, at the State House in Augusta, Maine. Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, did not attend the speech due to a scheduling conflict, said Ben Goodman, a spokesperson for the governor. Mills and the tribes have been at odds over the issue of greater tribal autonomy during the past year. A proposal to grant tribal sovereignty was tabled by the Maine Legislature last year when Mills threatened to veto it. Lack of sovereignty puts Native Americans in Maine at a disadvantage compared to hundreds of tribes across the country, tribal leaders have long argued. Mills said last year that she feared the proposal would yield years of litigation, and that more communication between the tribes and state was needed. Story continues On Thursday, the governor invited the tribal chiefs to meet with her to continue the communication, collaboration, and compromise that formed the basis for progress in previous legislative sessions, Goodman said. Clarissa Sabattis, Chief of the Houlton Band of Maliseets, foreground, and other leaders of Maine's tribes are welcomed by lawmakers into the House Chamber, Wednesday, March 16, 2023, at the State House in Augusta, Maine. Rena Newell, Chief of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik, Edward Peter Paul, Chief of the Aroostook Band of Mi'kmaqs, Kirk Francis, Chief of the Penobscot Nation, and William Nicholas, Chief of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Motahkomikuk, follow behind. Thursday's speech was preceded by a rally and tribal drumming at Maine State House. It was the second address of its kind, as the first State of the Tribes was held in March 2002. All five tribal speakers said the tribes need more autonomy from state government. They also touched on issues such as the need to improve tribal healthcare services, education and business growth. Team Bach: York man left paralyzed after ski accident astounded by support Francis said Maine tribes are stuck in 1980 policy because of the lack of sovereignty. All we want is for state government to break decisively from the past and join the era of self-determination, Francis said. The first State of the Tribes event included a resolution by the Maine Legislature that stated the indigenous tribes have lived in what is now Maine for thousands of years and continue to play a vital role in the life of the state and are an integral part of the social, economic and legal fabric of the state. State leaders said in a statement that Thursday's event was a part of ongoing legislative work to strengthen the relationship between Maine and its tribal neighbors. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Maine tribes make sovereignty call in first address in years [Source] A man accused of killing a South Asian cab driver was convicted of second-degree murder by a Canadian court Tuesday. Okoth Obeing, 23, fatally stabbed 44-year-old Balvir Toor in his taxi on Burrows Avenue in Winnipeg on March 19, 2020. The incident, according to prosecutors, was fueled by animosity toward South Asian people and cab drivers over past experiences. Manitobas Court of Kings Bench, the highest trial court in the Canadian province, found that Obeing stabbed Toor 17 times. The events of March 19, 2020, are profoundly tragic, Justice Joan McKelvey said, per CTV News. An innocent man, Balvir Toor, was stabbed to death as a consequence of the accused's fuelled-rage action. More from NextShark: Police Data Shows 150% Increase in Hate Attacks on Asians Across Major Cities in 2020 Obeing has a history of bipolar disorder, requiring the court to determine whether he was sane at the time of the crime. Forensic psychologist Dr. Jeffrey Waldman reportedly testified that Obeing had failed to use conscious thought when he killed Toor, but McKelvey said the assessment failed to consider his non-psychotic motives. The court found that Obeing fled from the scene, disposed of his weapon, washed his hands and lied to the police. His racism, anger, frustration and feelings of disrespect fuelled this impulsive act of violence, McKelvey said, as per CBC News. He had never before acted in such an overtly aggressive and violent manner despite many manic episodes. More from NextShark: Man Ordered to Pay Ex-Wife for Housework in Landmark Divorce Case in China The accused intended his act and knew what he was doing and was able to understand the physical consequences that would flow from his actions, she added. Obeing is scheduled to be sentenced on April 27. More from NextShark: Hong Konger wins first World Series of Poker Bracelet and $144,338 on his first visit to Vegas Enjoy this content? Read more from NextShark! St. Louis celebrates Jan. 19, 2023, as Very Asian Day Deputies fatally shot a man who opened fire on them after walking out of a burning house with a shotgun, according to Georgia officials. A resident in Talking Rock called authorities to report their neighbors house on fire and gunshots coming from the home at around 11:45 p.m. March 14, according to a news release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. When deputies arrived, they found Frank Jerry Millsapps, 65, with a shotgun, the release says. He refused to put the weapon down despite deputies commands, investigators said. Millsapps started walking toward the deputies and pointed the gun at them, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Deputies and Millsapps then exchanged gunfire, the release says. Millsapps was pronounced deceased at the scene, the release says. No officers were injured, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Millsapps owned the house and lived there with his wife, though she was not home at the time, Fox 5 Atlanta reported citing investigators. A resident later told authorities that Millsapps had shot at a neighbor before deputies arrived, the release says. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is reviewing the incident, the release says. The Pickens County Sheriffs Office directed all questions about the incident to the state agency. Talking Rock is about 65 miles north of Atlanta. Woman found burned to death after 4 others escape garage fire, Georgia officials say Fire ravaged a recently sold home. The men who bought it are going to prison Suspect dead, deputy shot 3 times when burglary becomes a gunfight, Florida cops say A 66-year-old Ocala woman charged with casting more than one ballot in an election cycle calls the case a misunderstanding. Donna Brady said Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents, who conducted the investigation, told her she had a warrant for her arrest. Brady said she turned herself in at the Marion County Jail on Monday. Jail records show she was released Monday night. "I didn't do anything intentionally. I don't think I did anything wrong. I thought I had everything straightened out," she said, making reference to her interview with FDLE agents who interviewed her in late October 2022. "The whole thing is depressing." The original story: Marion County woman charged with voter fraud after double voting in 2020 A winner:Ryan Chamberlin wins Republican primary for state House District 24 seat A summary of the accusation If convicted of the charge, a third-degree felony, Brady could be fined up to $5,000 and/or imprisoned for up to five years. Brady's arrest report states she voted four times during the 2020 election period. Three of Brady's votes were by mail, and the fourth was in person. Two of the four ballots were cast in Marion County, and the remaining two in Sussex County, New Jersey. Authorities said two of Brady's votes were in the presidential primary election --- one in Marion County, the second in New Jersey. The other two votes were in the general election --- again, one each in Marion County and New Jersey. In Marion County, Brady voted as a registered Republican. In New Jersey, she voted as a Democrat, according to Brady's arrest report. FDLE officials said Brady voted in March, July and twice in October. Brady's explanation In an email and a phone interview with the Star-Banner, Brady said she only voted for federal office once in Florida, which was the Republican primary. In New Jersey, she said she only voted for "down ballot" races, such as local council or school board, on both the primary and general ballots. Story continues Brady said it was an open primary in New Jersey, "so if you want to vote for a particular party, you have to pick a party when you vote in the primary." She said "you stay in that party until you change it." She said she usually switches party affiliation before the general election. But in 2020, Brady said, she could not switch because of COVID-19-related shutdowns of New Jersey elections offices. "Everyone in NJ had to vote by mail. The polls were only open to provisional and disabled voters," she said. Brady said she's an independent. Brady said she's a snowbird and most of her time is spent in Marion County. In Marion she is a registered Republican so that she can vote in GOP primaries. She thinks both states "have destroyed the original ballots" from 2020 and she "voted very carefully in 2020 to ensure that I didn't break any of the rules." "Election law can be confusing because each state has its own regulations," she said. She said she explained all this to the FDLE agents. She also told them that, because of the pandemic restrictions, she was unable to check with the New Jersey Board of Elections on "whether I as a taxpayer could vote in the local elections." She added: "I did not vote for Congressional offices. I did not vote for President in NJ --- not in the primary and not in the general election." Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb \ This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Vote fraud defendant: I voted federal in Florida, local in New Jersey No neutrality for genocide and war crimes how Ukraine will acquire Swiss weapons 16 March, 12:08 PM Flag of Switzerland (Photo:Werni / Pixabay) Ukrainian diplomats and the diaspora will work with Swiss elites to unlock a way to supply Swiss weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Servant of the People faction head David Arakhamia said on Telegram on March 15. We need Swiss weapons, he said. And well get them. Arakhamia reiterated that the Swiss government vows to maintain unwavering support for Ukraine and already supports Russian sanctions. Read also: Switzerland claims seizure of Russian private assets violates constitution At the same time, Switzerland has so far blocked the transfer of Swiss-made weapons to Ukraine, referring to its policy of neutrality. Video of day We emphasize that there should be no neutrality towards genocide and war crimes, the MP said. Russia doesnt want to withdraw its troops from Ukraine, their missiles continue to kill our people. We are forced to defend ourselves. And we need weapons for this. Arakhamia added that it is pre-election season in Switzerland and many interpretations of Swiss neutrality have already emerged. However, our diplomats and the diaspora plan to work with Swiss elites to finally sway public opinion in our favor and unblock the supply of Swiss weapons by partner countries, the official said. In general, were optimistic about the situation. This is not the first time we have faced objections. But we have learned to overcome them as well. Swiss parliaments National Council rejected a proposal to ease the ban on the re-export of ammunition on March 8. Earlier, Swiss parliaments Council of States made a similar decision. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News During the Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci spent a lot of time dreaming about flight, and inventing ways to get humans aloft. More than 400 years later, in 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright flew the first successful powered airplane, followed 58 years afterwards by the Freedom 7 mission that put the first American in orbit. Air and space flight may be associated with places like Kitty Hawk, North Carolina; the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and the Johnson Space Center in Texas, but many of the accomplishments and technological advancements that have ensued since the Wright brothers first flew and that have given wing to da Vinci's dream of human flight can be claimed by Massachusetts. That history is showcased at the Massachusetts Air and Space Museum, which is officially celebrating its relocation to downtown Hyannis with a ribbon cutting, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., on Friday, March 17. Keith Young is the interim executive director of the Massachusetts Air and Space Museum. He was photographed by a replica of a 1929 Aeronca C-2. The museum has moved to 438 Main St. in Hyannis. The museum's first home was the plaza housing the state's last Kmart. The museum first opened on Cape Cod in February 2020, in a space at the Capetown Plaza on Iyannough Road in Hyannis, but its operation was curtailed by the pandemic. It closed in March that year, then reopened in July and remained open until November 2021. That's when its lease at the plaza ran out, because of planned redevelopment of the strip mall that also hosted the state's last Kmart. The search was on for a new location. That location is 438 Main St., Hyannis, a former furniture store that was most recently used by Sturgis Charter Public School. More:Air and space museum to relaunch in spring on Main Street, Hyannis After nearly a year of permitting and renovations at the new location, the museum had a soft reopening just four months ago, on Nov. 10. The visitor volume since, said Interim Executive Director Keith Young, has been "moderate," but that wasn't unexpected. "It did work for us to be able to have a little bit of a slower opening. We literally just finished the renovations in the back part of the museum," Young said in a phone interview. Story continues The new location, nearly directly across from the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum, is expected to bring more foot traffic than the museum's previous home. What is the Massachusetts Air and Space Museum all about? The goal of the museum is simple: To showcase the states many important contributions to aviation, in both air and space flight and, as outlined in its mission statement, to inspire new generations "to explore, experience and pursue interest and opportunities in science and technology." So how did the Massachusetts Air and Space Museum end up on Cape Cod in the first place? "Way back when we were looking for a place, the airport commission at what is now Cape Cod Gateway Airport invited us to come down," Young explained. So the founders did. They liked what they saw, and stayed. The Massachusetts Air and Space Museum has moved to 438 Main St. in Hyannis, after first opening in 2020 at Capetown Plaza at 790 Iyannough Road. The museum's mission is to showcase the states contributions to aviation as well as inspire new generations to explore science and technology. What are some of the museum's highlights and attractions? "We have exhibits that outline Robert Goddard, the father of modern rocketry," Young said. "We have some information about the 1910 Harvard Boston aero meet, we have a cockpit from an F-106 interceptor, and the air crew training device that was at Otis Air base, we have a GE jet engine for a helicopter from General Electric in Lynn, and we have a display of Story Musgrave, who was an astronaut who oversaw the repair of the Hubble Space Telescope and was the only astronaut to have flown on all five space shuttles." There is also a display on the David Clark Company of Worcester, a company that developed so-called G-suits for fighter pilots "so that when they're pulling extra Gs in maneuvers they prevent them from blacking out," said Young, in addition to the communications headsets used by astronauts on the Apollo 11 mission and all missions that followed. And that's not all. A replica space suit and flight simulators are at the Hyannis museum. The museum has detailed model aircraft and many artifacts to view, like a replica of the Gemini space suit, also made by David Clark Company, as well as other exhibits highlighting Massachusetts-based accomplishments in the flight industry, from stunts to fly a glider off the Old North Church steeple in 1757 to the Chatham stopover of the first plane to make a transatlantic flight, and the Massachusetts manufacture of heat shields used on spacecraft from NASA's Mercury Project through the Apollo program and beyond now for the Orion program that aims for a return to the moon and to send humans to Mars. And then there are the notable pilots, like Michael Goulian, known for his aerial acrobatic maneuvers; Anne Bridge Baddour, a former experimental research pilot for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and aerospace pioneer Ruth Bancroft Law, who showed women could be just as capable of piloting airplanes as men, and in 1916 flew from Chicago to New York, breaking the existing record for the longest nonstop flight in the U.S. Beyond all of that, there are hands-on experiences to be had at the museum, too. "We have two sit-down flight simulators and a remote control airplane flight simulator," said Young. "We talk about how airplanes fly and some of the principles of flight." Mugs await visitors in the gift shop area of the Massachusetts Air and Space Museum, which has recently moved to 438 Main St. in Hyannis. Among the items the museum does not have are actual, life-sized aircraft. Toward that end, the museum is studying the idea of renovating an unused hangar at Cape Cod Gateway to display aircraft. The dream would be to connect the two locations via a bus, and to partner with a flight school, an air tour operator and more. Museum hours and admission price The museum is open at 438 Main St. in Hyannis. The hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. To learn more visit https://www.massairspace.org/ or https://www.facebook.com/MassachusettsAirSpaceMuseum/. Gain access to premium Cape Cod Times content by subscribing. Check out our subscription offers. This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Mass. Air and Space Museum open on Hyannis Main Street. What's inside? Democratic New Mexico state Sen. Antonio Maestas of Albuquerque speaks in support of a gun control initiative on the floor of the state Senate in Santa Fe, N.M., on Friday, March 3, 2023. The Senate endorsed the bill, on a 24-16 vote, that would make it a crime to store firearms in places where children could get access. House approval of recent amendments would send the bill to supportive Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. SANTA FE - New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a bill Friday that makes it a crime to store firearms in places that children could access. The new law takes effect on June 16. Earlier this year, a 6-year-old student in Virginia shot his teacher, which added to debates across the country about gun control and school safety. The New Mexico bill would make it a crime to store a firearm in a way that negligently disregards the ability of a child or teenager under age 18 to access it. Criminal charges could be brought only if the minor later brandishes or displays the firearm in a threatening way, or uses it to kill or injure someone. The proposal would establish both misdemeanor and felony crimes, with penalties of up to 18 months in prison. Republican state Sen. Cliff Pirtle of Roswell speaks in opposition to a gun control bill on the floor of the state Senate in Santa Fe, N.M., on Friday, March 3, 2023. The Senate endorsed the bill, on a 24-16 vote, that would make it a crime to store firearms in places where children could get access. House approval of recent amendments would send the bill to supportive Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Criminal provisions do not apply if a child accesses a gun with authorization of a parent or guardian for lawful purposes including hunting and recreation. The law also includes exceptions when a child accesses a gun for self-defense or to defend others. Sponsors of the initiative hope it will reduce gun-related deaths and injuries among youths. New Mexico is among the top 10 states for firearms deaths per capita. Others are reading: This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: New Mexico enacts law to keep guns away from children Image via Hector Vivas/Getty Images Mexicos president deems the country safer than the U.S. amid various kidnappings of Americans south of the border. On Monday, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador specifically argued that Mexico is safer than the United States. There is no issue with traveling safely through Mexico. Thats something the U.S. citizens also know, just like our fellow Mexicans that live in the U.S., Lopez Obrador said during his morning press briefing. Ahead of spring break travels, the Texas Department of Public Safety advised that residents should avoid going to Mexico due to the risk of high-scale violence by cartels, per NPR. This news comes from after multiple high-profile abductions of American citizens who were traveling in the neighboring country. In early March, a video surfaced of four South Carolina natives who were kidnapped while traveling in the Mexican border city of Matamoros for a cosmetic procedure. The group was caught in a cartel shootout, where they were held hostage at gunpoint and forced to enter the back of a truck. Two travelers died, while the others were found in a wooden shack near the Gulf of Mexico and returned to safety. In response, the cartel apologized and turned in the five men responsible for the crime. In a separate incident, U.S. and Mexican officials are still searching for three missing Texas women. In late February, two sisters and a friend traveled three hours from Penitas, Texas, to Montemorelosa, in Nuevo Leon state, to attend a flea market and sell clothes. The women were last seen on Feb. 24 by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Penitas Police Department, the FBI, and Mexican authorities are investigating the mysterious disappearance but have had no luck finding the women yet. Related Articles Story continues More Complex Sign up for the Complex Newsletter for breaking news, events, and unique stories. Follow Complex on: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok "I try to educate our customers on how we eat Jamaican food and how it is served," says Nadine Dixon, owner of Mobay Cafe. Shes spent the last two decades in Milwaukee, but Nadine Dixons heart will always be in her childhood home of Jamaica. Step inside Mobay Cafe, 1022 S. First St., youll get a taste of the things she loves, too. Dixon built her menu around traditional Jamaican ingredients and meals from her roots. Calling up the comfort of Caribbean memories, she serves well-known favorites like jerk chicken, of course, but also oxtail, whole red snapper, callaloo, conch fritters, escoveitch fish, ackee and saltfish, bammy (yuca), and black rum cake. She also offers vegan and vegetarian options, including grilled stuffed plantains with red beans, at the Walkers Point restaurant. Its the feeling of the islands that comforts her, the reason behind the food she shares. She also wants people to know this is more than a takeout spot. Mobay Cafe is a sit-down restaurant with a patio and bar. Mobay Cafe is open 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 4 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays, including a brunch menu. It's closed Mondays. Brown stew red snapper with coconut rice and peas, market veggies and plantains comes as a whole fish at Mobay Cafe. Why she opened in Walkers Point One reason I selected Walkers Point, it is centralized. We want to be able to cater to everyone. Jamaica is a melting pot of a lot of different cultures, and that is what we see at Mobay Cafe. I have been educated in so many different ways since Ive been there. I did not realize there were so many individuals from different parts of the Caribbean here in Milwaukee, from St Maarten, Martinique, Dominican Republic, Belize, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, so many faces from the Caribbean. I love to learn about all their Caribbean cultures. When it comes to one thing that reminds them of home, it is the food. A tradition goes from Montego Bay to Milwaukee Ive been living in Milwaukee for over 20 years. My mom is here. She loves to cook. When we cook as a family, whether my mom, aunts or grandmother, we usually cook a large amount of food to feed a lot of people. In the Jamaican culture when you're cooking, especially in the country, you cook a large pot. People will stop by and you offer them food. My mom is known to always cook a large quantity of food. She still does it, even if it's just us. She'll make two or three kinds of meat. Im always like who are you cooking for? Story continues She's educating eaters on Caribbean culture This is a restaurant that showcases a different part of the Caribbean or Jamaican culture. If you visit someone in Jamaica in their home, they wouldn't just cook oxtail or jerk chicken, they'd want you to taste a lot of dishes Dishes like the ackee and saltfish and the boiled banana, a lot of people are not familiar. Back in Jamaica we grew up eating organic food, natural from the earth. A lot of customers have been coming for brunch, thats getting more popular. People are interested in the ackee and saltfish. We can educate them. They say wow, this is good. I sometimes explain this is a fruit, not a vegetable. What are her menu must-haves? Definitely the jerk chicken. That is what Jamaica is known for, and the brown stew chicken as well. The jerk chicken, the brown stew chicken, it brings a feeling of home when you come to Mobay Cafe. It is a reminder, and that is one thing we needed to have, the things Jamaica is known for. The other thing we wanted to put on as well was the Caribbean shrimp rundown. We wanted to provide this as well as the fish dinners, which are popular. The fish is available every day, and we do have the whole red snapper and the steakhead kingfish. It is made to order, so steamed, fried, jerk, baked or brown stew. The escoveitch is also a whole red snapper, filled with carrots, vinegar and red onions, and the sauce gives the fish just this really nice flavor. Brown stew kingfish with coconut rice is shown at Mobay Cafe. The brown stew preparation is a Jamaican hallmark. Caribbean cravings go beyond Jamaica We put it as Caribbean because we dont want to just limit it to Jamaican dishes. Conch fritters, we offer those, and that is a Bahamian national dish. Ackee and saltfish is the Jamaican national dish. We try to offer something from different parts of the Caribbean. Finding her flavors isn't easy in Milwaukee It can be very hard to find the Caribbean ingredients, actually. Before we opened the restaurant, my mom and I would shop at the Asian stores or Hispanic stores. They eat a lot of the things we eat, just maybe a different name and prepared differently. A two-meat platter with oxtail and curry goat is served with coconut rice at Mobay Cafe. Plan ahead if you want these dishes The brown stew chicken is only offered on Wednesdays. We cut up the chicken in small pieces, it is sauteed until golden brown, then we put the other ingredients such as potatoes, carrots and herbs and seasonings and allow it to boil to a nice thick gravy. That's the thing we get the most questions about. Then we have pepper steak on Thursdays. It is Jamaican style, and we get a large customer base coming for that one. Eat like a Jamaican I tell customers we typically don't eat rice and peas during the week. It is usually on Sundays in Jamaica. If you want true Jamaican jerk chicken, we eat it with festival, bammy or bread. We put it in foil paper. If you visit Jamaica, on the street or in a food market that's how they will serve it. At a resort, it will look very different and may not even taste the same. I try to educate our customers on how we eat Jamaican food and how it is served. We dont eat rice and peas through the week, we eat provisions, like yellow yam, white yam. Then you have green banana, which is one of my favorites. I love cooked green banana. How her roots influence her menu Even in Jamaica, you may see chicken wings or hamburger on a menu now, but not when I was there. At Mobay Cafe, were trying to stick to our traditional roots. If you really want to enjoy authentic Jamaican food, these are the dishes people will serve you, jerk Jamaican chicken, bammy, which is cassava. When people still dont understand what that is, we say yuca (a root vegetable). When we cook it, it looks like a flat bread . If you visit someone at home in Jamaica, you get fresh carrot juice, mango juice, papaya juice. We hope to incorporate that maybe next year. We live in the Midwest, so there are limits to getting those products. That is something we try to educate our customers on, the ingredients. It is more challenging to get those true authentic dishes. That is why we offer things like the Jamaican black rum cake, which is a true dish. Our happy hour menu is a little more nontraditional, with things like jerk tacos, chicken wings and jerk sliders. Curry shrimp is served with steamed cabbage and white rice at Mobay Cafe. Cooking is her current therapy I was born and raised in Jamaica and came to the States in my late adolescence. I came to Milwaukee for college. I got my master's in professional counseling and became a mental health therapist. I stopped practicing in December 2020 due to the opening of the restaurant. I had a manager at the time I opened, and that did not work out, so I decided to take it over full time. I have invested so much time and funds, I didnt want to lose that. It was very difficult. Some customers have come to know that I was practicing as a therapist, but I am not doing that now. The restaurant right now is my patient. The good thing is that my education background is one that will always be around. A vegetable medley is served with coconut rice, peas and plantains at Mobay Cafe. More:Bakery manager preps for Pi Day, and numerous other vegan endeavors Fork. Spoon. Life. explores the everyday relationship that local notables (within the food community and without) have with food. To suggest future personalities to profile, email psullivan@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Mobay Cafe owner sticks to her Jamaican roots with Caribbean food DES MOINES, Iowa Two people have been arrested for murder after a newborn child was found dead on a road in Iowa, police said Monday. Police in the city of Norwalk were contacted March 8 with concerns about the safety of a child, and police started an investigation with the state Division of Criminal Investigation, according to a news release. Law enforcement and volunteers found a newborn child that had died along the road in Warren County. Law enforcement determined that Megan K. Staude, 25, of Norwalk had given birth to the baby in late February. She and her 64-year-old father, Rodney A. Staude, allegedly left the baby to die and then "disposed of it", according to the release. They have both been arrested for murder. Trains keep derailing all over the country: What's going on? DOJ: Michigan landlord solicited sexual favors in exchange for housing Newborn was put in trash bag while still alive Megan Staude and Rodney Staude allegedly placed the baby boy in a trash bag while he was still alive and then discarded the bag in a ditch, according to recently released court documents. On Monday, Megan Staude allegedly confessed to police that she gave birth at home on Feb. 24, put her son in a box and did not provide care, according to a criminal complaint filed in the case against her father. Megan Staude allegedly told police that after two days, she and her father placed the baby in a trash bag while he was still alive. Rodney Staude also allegedly confessed the same to police. He said they disposed of the body while it was in the bag, according to the complaint. "It's just a tragic set of circumstances on a number of levels," said Norwalk police chief Greg Staples, who declined to comment on the specifics of the case. "That baby didn't have the choice to decide his own fate and now there's people in jail because of it." Mother, grandfather lied to police, authorities say The newly released court documents detail how the mother and grandfather allegedly lied to police about how the newborn died in the days leading up to their arrest. Story continues Law enforcement officials responded to a tip called in from Megan Staude's coworkers on March 8 regarding the health and safety of her newborn baby, according to the criminal complaint. At the time, Staude allegedly told Norwalk police the baby died while on the way to the hospital and that she buried him at the St. Johns Cemetery in Cumming. After searching the cemetery, the complaint states officers "did not notice any disturbed ground or signs of a fresh burial." Rodney Staude originally told law enforcement he had no knowledge of the baby's death, the complaint says. But a day later, he allegedly told officials his daughter had given birth a few weeks prior but the baby died on the way to a Des Moines-area hospital. He said he then placed the deceased baby in a plastic bag and disposed of the body "in a ditch south of Norwalk," according to the complaint. He took police to the location where, using a cadaver dog, they discovered the deceased newborn's body in a tied trash bag. Police issued a search warrant of the family home in Norwalk, where they found signs that a birth had taken place there. A witness also shared a text conversation with Megan Staude, in which the witness asked her "was the baby alive when you left him?" and she replied "a little," the complaint says. The results of an autopsy are pending and the investigation is ongoing. The Staudes were booked into the Warren County Jail on Monday. Rodney Staude has a $1 million bond. Bond information for Megan Staude was not immediately available. If convicted, they face a life sentence. Iowa's safe haven law for newborns Under Iowa law, a parent, or someone with a parent's permission, may leave an infant up to 90 days old at a hospital or health care facility without fear of legal action for abandonment, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services. A parent also can call 911 and give the child to a first responder. Parents who relinquish their children under the Safe Haven Act are not required to give identification. Iowa's safe haven law has been in place since 2002 after a teenager in Chelsea gave birth and left the newborn in a snowbank the year prior. More than 50 newborns have received the safe haven status under the law, according to the human services department. Follow Francesca Block on Twitter at @francescablock3. Follow Chris Higgins on Twitter @chris_higgins_. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa mother, grandfather charged after newborn found dead on road North Carolina lawmakers are citing the publics lack of knowledge of civics and history for new legislation requiring students to pass those classes to get degrees from the UNC System or community colleges. The state House Community Colleges Committee backed legislation Thursday requiring completion of at least three credit hours of instruction in American history or American government to get a bachelors degree from the UNC System or an associates degree from a community college. Rep. Keith Kidwell, one of the primary sponsors of House Bill 96, warned that we will not continue as a country unless students know more about U.S. history and civics. When I asked a young person at the polls one day what the Gettysburg Address was and he said, Whos Mr. Gettysburg? I dont know him, said Kidwell, a Beaufort County Republican. OK, thats concerning. You ask people, Who did we fight the War of Independence against? You get Canada, Germany. They dont know, and these are high school students. Similar legislation has been adopted in other states, including South Carolina. Its backed by conservative groups such as the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. The bill comes after state lawmakers passed legislation in 2019 that resulted in high school students taking one fewer U.S. history class. The State Board of Education had to drop one of two previously required U.S. history courses to fit in a new personal finance course mandated by legislators. Required documents Under the NC REACH Act, college students seeking degrees would be required to take courses that have them read: The U.S. Constitution. The Declaration of Independence. The Emancipation Proclamation. At least five essays from The Federalist Papers, as determined by the instructor. Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail. The Gettysburg Address. Rep. Jon Hardister, a Guilford County Republican, said knowledge of those documents will allow people to engage more constructively on political issues. Story continues Students could be exempted from taking the new requirement if they meet requirements such as having passed Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exams in those subjects. Punishment if not implemented The new requirements would go into effect for the 2023-24 school year. The legislation warns that failure to implement the new degree requirements could result in the removal of university chancellors and community college presidents. I just think its too much to put in this bill such a threat that if you dont offer this you will be fired, said Rep. James Roberson, a Wake County Democrat. Kidwell said it was added because of how some things in other education laws have not been implemented. Im a big fan of putting a little teeth in the law, said Kidwell, who added that his local community college president backs the bill. Hardister, one of the bills primary sponsors, said its highly unlikely that presidents and chancellors will not adhere to the requirements. But he said its a way of avoiding using legal action if the requirements arent met. Judge Judy on the Supreme Court? During the committee meeting, multiple lawmakers and community members spoke for the legislation. Jenna Robinson, president of the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, told lawmakers that courses already exist to meet the new legislations requirements. She said all that needs to be done is to require students to take those courses. John Rustin, president of the N.C. Family Policy Council, said it will be a good thing for college students to continue to follow up on the civics and history courses they had taken in high school. America will not continue to flourish as a free society without a citizenry that is grounded in these founding documents and the principles they espouse, Rustin said. Hardister pointed to how man-on-the-street interviews by Comedy Central, CNN and Fox News show people not knowing the branches of government or thinking that Judge Judy is on the U.S. Supreme Court. I would speak with constituents, and I could tell that theres a lot of of them that are highly educated but there are some who are just not on basic civics, Hardister said. We want to have citizens who can engage, regardless of their political persuasions. A bipartisan pair of senators are laying the groundwork to check U.S. assistance to Saudi Arabia over criticisms of its oppression of human rights at home and alleged atrocities stemming from its military operations in Yemen. Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) introduced on Wednesday a privileged resolution to require the State Department to submit a report to Congress examining Saudi Arabias human rights practices, or risk Congress cutting off security assistance to the kingdom. This is a resolution that has never been put before the Senate, Murphy told The Hill. The authorities underlying the resolution rest with the Foreign Assistance Act, which allows Congress to vote to request information on a particular countrys human rights practices. The specifics of the bill say that if the administration fails to deliver such a report within 30 days of the resolution passing, U.S. security assistance to Saudi Arabia is cut off. Weve never used this section of the Foreign Assistance Act but I think its an opportunity to have a debate on the Senate floor about the future of the U.S.-Saudi relationship, Murphy said. The resolution comes at an inflection point of Washingtons relations with Riyadh. China last week brokered a breakthrough deal reestablishing ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran that have raised concerns over waning U.S. influence in the region. But some experts say the deal may bring new opportunities for regional stability and ease a key point of tension between Washington and Riyadh, in particular if it resolves Yemens Civil War, in which Saudi Arabia is militarily supporting the Yemeni government. Yemens war with the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels has created what is widely considered the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. The White House has cautiously welcomed the Chinese mediation and then, on Tuesday, welcomed an announcement by Saudi Arabia that it was signing a lucrative contract with U.S.-based Boeing airlines to outfit a new airline fleet. Story continues Its part of an effort by President Biden and his officials to ease acrimony with the kingdom and its de facto ruler and heir to the throne, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, after the president, in the early days of his presidency, put a premium on calling out the kingdom over human rights concerns. Biden called the kingdom a pariah while a candidate, and then as president decided to publish a U.S. intelligence assessment saying bin Salman was behind the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, which was viewed in Riyadh as an effort to insult and humiliate the powerful ruler. But Biden notably fist-bumped the crown prince during a trip to Saudi Arabia in July 2022, in an effort to put to rest the Khashoggi report, and the administration held back on following through on promised consequences for Riyadhs decision in October to cut oil production that risked increasing gas prices already high because of Russias war in Ukraine. Murphy, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said it is important for the U.S. to raise concerns about the massive political repression campaign happening in Saudi Arabia, especially in the wake of their decision to side with Russia, with respect to the war in Ukraine. Its important for us to have a conversation about the nature of our security relationship. While Saudi Arabia, under bin Salmans leadership, has made dramatic shifts away from its strict interpretation of Wahabi Islam allowing more freedom for women in the public space those liberal reforms have been paired with heavy-handed repression against any political dissent. Freedom House, a nongovernmental organization that tracks democratic freedoms globally, ranked Saudi Arabia as not free in its most recent report, documenting unusually large, mass executions for terrorism charges, draconian prison sentences for criticizing the government via social media, and saying that political dissent is effectively criminalized. Still, the U.S. and Saudi relationship is considered an important strategic and security partnership. While Biden and Congress agreed to end U.S. assistance to offensive Saudi operations in Yemen, the U.S. is still an important weapons and defense supplier. And Saudi Arabia is looking to Washington to commit more arms and security guarantees to the kingdom in exchange for opening relations with Israel. Murphy said he had read a Wall Street Journal report that outlined the Saudi conditions for opening relations with Israel, saying he hadnt heard it publicly from Saudi officials or received confirmation from the Biden administration over such conditions. We should encourage countries to recognize Israel but we shouldnt trade away our own security in order to secure that right now. Its not in U.S. national security interest to give a security guarantee to Saudi Arabia. That would be very bad policy, Murphy said. If the reporting is correct, then Saudi Arabias current price to recognize Israel is unrealistically high. Murphy said that he is in talks with the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), over the process for bringing the resolution to a vote in the Senate, with the privileged nature of the resolution compelling urgency. With introduction of the resolution, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is given 10 days to put the request for information before the committee for consideration. If the committee fails to do so, Murphy and Lee can force a vote on the Senate floor to discharge the resolution from committee. Were going to talk with Sen. Menendez and the Foreign Relations committee about whether they would be interested in moving it through the committee or whether it would go straight to the floor, but we havent finished our consultations on it yet, Murphy said. The Senate is in session for the rest of March before going on a two-week break in the beginning of April. Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho), the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he had not seen the resolution, but met with bin Salman in Saudi Arabia earlier this month. I was in Saudi two weeks ago, I met with him [Mohammed bin Salman], had good discussions about our relations, Risch told The Hill. We discussed our relationship. We want a relationship with them, they want a relationship with us, its a long, long-standing relationship and were going to work towards that goal. When asked if he shook hands with the crown prince, Risch said Yes. I know him, Ive met him previously. Hes the head of a country that we have a long-standing relationship with and we need to deal with him. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Like companies across the state, North Carolinas pension fund had millions of dollars invested in two recently failed banks. The North Carolina Retirement System had $10.1 million in Silicon Valley Bank stock and another $7.8 million in Signature Bank stock, the Department of State Treasurer confirmed Wednesday. Bank runs contributed to the collapses of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) on Friday and Signature on Sunday. While the combined $17.9 million investments represent a sliver of the states overall retirement system value, Treasury spokesperson Frank Lester said we are unsure at this time if the money will be recovered. The North Carolina Retirement System includes four major retirement programs, the largest being the Teachers and State Employees Retirement System, as well as multiple smaller pension funds. Each month, the overall system pays roughly $600 million to around 350,000 people. As of March 10, the system was valued at $110.6 billion. Speaking to The News & Observer on Wednesday, State Treasurer Dale Folwell said his department didnt directly buy SVB or Signature stocks but instead invested in index funds that contained the banks shares. The state controls index funds in-house and through outside asset managers like BlackRock. Folwell noted the total exposure to SVB and Signature equates to less than .01% of the value of the retirement plan. He assured the bank collapses will in no way affect the states distribution of benefits. We obviously wish that wed had less exposure, but glad we didnt have more, he said. North Carolina wasnt the only state to have its pension fund exposed to the two banks. The California Public Employees Retirement Fund reportedly had $67 million in SVB stock and around $11 million of Signature shares. On Sunday, the U.S. Treasury Department announced it would guarantee all deposits in these failed banks, easing concerns of local startups and larger companies that had their money stuck in accounts. Story continues Whether shareholders in these two formerly public companies will see any part of their investments returned is less clear. When detailing its bank depositor safeguards on Sunday, the federal government said shareholders and certain unsecured debtholders will not be protected. Im expecting the worst, hoping for the best, Folwell said. Bank failures spark NC political fight The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, in particular, has become a topic of national political wrangling, with heated exchanges extending into the next race for North Carolina state treasurer. On Monday, Democratic State Rep. Wesley Harris, who represents parts of south Charlotte, announced he would run for the position in 2024. The North Carolina Republican Party criticized Harris on Twitter the next day, writing, NC should reject #Silicon_Valley_Bank-style leadership for the NC Treasurers Office. On Wednesday, Harris retorted if anyone exhibited #SiliconValleyBank leadership it was Folwell for investing state dollars in the company. Folwell, a Republican, told WRAL last year he was considering a run for governor. This story was produced with financial support from a coalition of partners led by Innovate Raleigh as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work. Open Source Do you enjoy Triangle tech news? Subscribe to Open Source, The News & Observer's weekly technology newsletter and look for it in your inbox every Friday morning. Sign up here. The Biden administration is preparing to build a $150-million marine base at Naval Station Newport that will serve as home port for four federal research vessels, Sen. Jack Reed said Wednesday. The new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration operations center will replace a base in Virginia that coordinates U.S. ships sailing in the Atlantic and the Great Lakes. It will include a new office building, warehouse, small-boat maintenance shop, bulkhead and pier. The project will create 200 jobs, according to a news release, although some of them will be at sea for much of the year. This is a major win for Rhode Island and our blue economy that will help NOAA improve mission fulfillment while achieving savings through consolidation and enhancing collaboration with the Navy, URI, the Coast Guard and leading ocean scientists and marine businesses," Reed said in the release. If all goes according to plan, a construction contract for the new base could be awarded this fall and the project finished about two years after that, Chip Unruh, spokesman for Reed, wrote in an email. Funding for the new facility was included in the Inflation Reduction Act and in the recently passed federal appropriations bill. The planned National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration base at Naval Station Newport. Why is the new NOAA base coming to Naval Station Newport? NOAA has been consolidating its port facilities, and Reed said he lobbied to have the new port established in Rhode Island. Two NOAA ships are already based in Newport and the U.S. Maritime Resource Center, where NOAA's deck officers are trained, is in neighboring Middletown. NOAA is a piece of the U.S. Commerce Department which is led by Secretary Gina Raimondo, the former Rhode Island governor. The two NOAA vessels already based in Newport are the 209-foot Henry B. Bigelow, which does fisheries research, and the 224-foot Okeanos Explorer, which does seafloor mapping. Eventually, the 208-foot, deep-water hydrographic survey ship Thomas Jefferson and 244-foot Discoverer, under construction, will also be based in Newport. Story continues Landing this new center and research ship base further cements Rhode Islands place as a hub of ocean research," Reed said in the news release. "It expands partnership opportunities, will help attract even more marine-trade entities and employers, and generate economic growth for the region." The new base will be built on 5 acres at Naval Station Newport, and shoreside employees there will include marine engineers, electrical technicians, medical personnel, budget specialists and human resources administrators. Separately, Reed said NOAA plans to upgrade its National Marine Fisheries Science Center in Narragansett near the University of Rhode Island Bay Campus and is beginning design work and cost estimates for the project. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Naval Station Newport getting new NOAA research base, bringing RI jobs Governor Kristi Noem signs HB 1090 into law on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, at C&B Operations in Mitchell. MITCHELL Standing in front of a John Deere tractor with an assembly of South Dakota farmers lined behind her, Gov. Kristi Noem added her signature to House Bill 1090 on Wednesday at C&B Operations, codifying a new law that would make it harder for victims of farm-related nuisance problems to bring their case to court. It was a sight much different than what occurred about a month ago, when South Dakota farm groups near-unanimously testified in opposition of Senate Bill 185, a now dead piece of legislation that would have founded a state-run board to limit foreign entities from purchasing ag land in South Dakota. But Wednesday's moment marked a sign of common ground between Noem and the state's ag groups, who will benefit from the enhanced protections afforded by the new law. Loud noises and bad smells are common reasons one would file a nuisance claim, and farms, especially ones that raise livestock, can be a source for both. But according to the now-signed law, only victims who own property within 1 mile of the alleged nuisance would be allowed to file a lawsuit against an agricultural or agritourism operation. It would also raise the burden of proof in such a case from a "preponderance of the evidence" legal language in which an alleged victim must be slightly more convincing than their opponents to "clear and convincing evidence." The latter is the second highest legal standard of proof in the land, with only "beyond a reasonable doubt" is higher. More:Reporting noise, strong odor from a South Dakota farm could soon become harder for residents HB 1090's last major changes included an amendment to limit a defendant's punitive damages should a victim prove a farm violated environmental laws. And compensation for affected property owners, per the new law, is assessed based on the lost value of said property, which varies on whether the nuisance is permanent or temporary in nature. New law changes the balance of property rights in South Dakota, attorney says Sen. Joshua Klumb, a prime sponsor of the bill, said the law is meant to protect South Dakota's No. 1 industry from attacks by groups opposed to agriculture. Rep. James Wangsness, Klumb's counterpart, concurred, claiming there has been a rise of nuisance claims across America. Story continues South Dakota Farm Bureau president Scott VanderWal squarely laid the blame on radical environmental groups with an agenda to attack the agriculture, as well as consumers "who don't necessarily understand agriculture." But the issue this bill intends to solve remains hard to quantify. Asked whether HB 1090's main backers were aware of any data or studies measuring the prevalence of frivolous nuisance lawsuits filed against ag operations, VanderWal said no. "I don't have any hard numbers as far as the attacks on agriculture and things like that," VanderWal said during a question and answer period about the bill. "But I would just say that I think this bill will help address that as far as keeping people from filing lawsuits that just don't have any basis to them." Travis Mockler, a board member of South Dakota Corn and farmer who runs diversified crop and stock cow operation near Centerville, is one such person who said he was hit with a nuisance lawsuit in 2019, taking from him money, time and energy. "It didn't shut me down, but I couldn't move forward. The biggest problem was with the timing. What happened was once COVID hit, the price of everything took off, so our construction costs went through the roof," Mockler told the Argus Leader on Wednesday. "The biggest one for me was my home life, the way a lawsuit affects, you know, the family Just tough for them. It was hard on my wife." It's a picture David Ganje, an experienced environmental lawyer from Rapid City, doesn't offer a lot of sympathy. In one of the original South Dakota Supreme Court filings, Mockler's farm is considered a concentrated animal feeding operation, or CAFO, which Ganje said means he should have had enough money to handle potential litigation. "He's got a CAFO. That's big leagues. He's got some juice. So when you've got juice, you know to expect it's not going to be an easy life to perpetuate a new development or a new business enterprise," Ganje told the Argus Leader. Asked how much costs and expenses he incurred as part of the lawsuit, Mockler declined to comment. There is currently a law on the books that allows an agricultural operation to fully recover the costs and expenses associated with a frivolous nuisance claim and a reasonable amount of attorney's fees. There is no similar law for alleged victims. Instead, plaintiffs who lose their suit could actually be served and taxed on the costs of the case. Ganje said South Dakota has developed a reputation as a property rights state that promulgates one's free use of land and buildings without interference from government, businesses or neighbors. Yet this new nuisance law is not properly balanced, because it proffers special protections for one sector of property owners farmers over another, the lawyer said. "The nuisance law of the state as it exist[ed] is not radical. It's not an extreme law. It's not a law written by environmentalists," Ganje said. "It's ironic. How is that? Well, it becomes more difficult for a neighbor to tap his neighbor on the shoulder and say, 'Hey, please don't do that. That's affecting my livelihood.'" More:These high-profile cases show nuisance lawsuits are an uphill battle for victims in South Dakota In his observations, the Rapid City lawyer said victims do not primarily sue for money, but to stop or otherwise diminish the impact of sources of nuisances. However, as with a CAFO or any other farm operator, nuisance victims also incur legal fees and feel the effects of anxiety throughout the process, which can be its own deterrent to taking action, Ganje added. "I've never seen statistics that show an excessive amount of nuisance claims or litigation based on nuisance claims," Ganje said. "If there were a lot of people in South Dakota that had to defend a lot of cases They would all get together and they would disclose to the South Dakota Farm Bureau or they would disclose the South Dakota Farmers Union, they would disclose, to the wheat growers or the pork producers, they would disclose to them, 'Oh, we've got 22 farmers across the state and each of them had to pay $45,000. Oh boy, the legislature would eat that up' but you don't see those statistics." Dominik Dausch is the agriculture and environment reporter for the Argus Leader and editor of Farm Forum. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook @DomDNP and send news tips to ddausch@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Gov. Kristi Noem signs ag nuisance law protecting farmers property rights Slovakia to double artillery shell production again 16 March, 04:36 AM Flag of Slovakia (Photo:Ajale / pixabay) Slovakia intends to double its artillery round production capacity, Defense Minister Jaroslav Nagy told Slovak newspaper Pravda on March 15. Nagy said he will discuss the matter with European Commissioner for the Internal Market of the European Union, Thierry Breton, during his upcoming visit to Slovakia. According to the minister, Slovakia has already doubled the production of ammunition, now they want to increase it by another hundred percent. Video of day We will also visit our munitions manufacturing facilities to further increase production, said Nagy. We have already taken measures to increase production and we want to increase it even more. If it works out investments will be required, which will be also discussed with the European Commissioner, the minister added. The European Commission recently announced that the EU will take steps to increase the production of ammunition for Ukraine at factories of 15 different defense enterprises across 11 countries. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News Kim Jong-un (AP) North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles on Tuesday, the South Korean military said. This is the latest of several weapons tests as the United States and South Korea conduct their joint military drills in years. Agencies reported that the missiles were launched from the southwestern coastal town of Jangyon and flew across North Korea before landing in the sea off that countrys east coast. South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that both missiles travelled about 620km. North Korea fires unidentified ballistic missile towards the East Sea, the joint chiefs of staff said, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan. South Korea called the missile launches a grave provocation and said that the launches undermine the stability of the Korean peninsula. The firing of two short-range ballistic missile launches by North Korea was its second weapons test this week. On Monday, North Korea said it test-fired two cruise missiles from a submarine. Known as Freedom Shield, the joint military drills between the US and South Korea started on Monday and will run for 10 days as part of the allies drive to counter North Koreas growing threats. The Freedom Shield exercises focus on the changing security environment due to North Koreas aggression, the allies said. They will involve wartime procedures to repel potential North Korean attacks and conduct a stabilisation campaign in the North, the South Korean military said earlier. Meanwhile, the US Indo-Pacific Command said that the launches on Tuesday dont pose an immediate threat to its allies. But it said the Norths recent tests highlight the destabilising impact of the Norths unlawful weapons programs and that the US security commitment to South Korea and Japan remains ironclad. Jeon Ha Gyu, the spokesperson of South Koreas Defense Ministry, said Tuesday the US-South Korea drills will proceed normally, regardless of whether North Korea tries to disrupt them with provocations like missile launches. (Additional reporting by agencies) Two recently re-collared North Park wolves killed a working cattle dog and fatally injured a pet dog at different ranches four miles apart Monday and Tuesday, the first domestic wolf kills by the splintered pack since November. The deaths occurred on ranches in southwestern Jackson County. Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed in an email response to Coloradoan questions that a working livestock dog was killed by wolves Monday and another was euthanized after being injured by wolves Tuesday. Wildlife officers found wolf tracks in the vicinity and GPS collar data for both incidents indicating wolves were in the area during the time the dogs were attacked. The agency said the owner of the working cattle dog will be compensated for the loss but it does not compensate for depredations of pets. 'The best hired man I ever had' Greg Sykes told Shannon Lukens of Steamboat Radio the wolves killed his dog, Cisco, a 7-year-old border collie, after he let his dogs out about 4 a.m. Monday. He said one of his dogs did not come back when called and he found Cisco dead 30 yards from his house after sunrise. "The best hired man I ever had," Sykes, the ranch foreman, told Lukens. Sykes said he called Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which he said verified two collared wolves were near his house at 4 a.m. Tuesday morning, the same two wolves came back near his house around midnight and went to a neighbor's ranch and attacked their dog, Sykes said. Cisco, left, was found killed by wolves in Jackson County, Colorado on March 13, 2023. Blaze was fatally injured by wolves March 14, 2023, four miles away. 'He was part of the family, no doubt' That neighbor is Roy Gollobith. He said he was up about 6:30 a.m. and saw his pet dog, Blaze, standing with his head down. "I called him and he just turned around with this glazed looked,'' Gollobith told Lukens. "Then I saw blood on his throat. Sure enough he was pretty tore up.'' He called Colorado Parks and Wildlife and his wife took Blaze, a mixed-breed dog, to a veterinarian in Laramie, Wyoming. "They said there was too much damage to his throat and abdomen to do anything, so they put him down," Gollobith said. Story continues He said there was a blood trail and wolf tracks about 10 feet from his house. "He was part of the family, no doubt," Gollobith said. "He'd go out there and make buddies with the yearlings and prance around like he was one of them. He never turned out to be much of a cow dog, so he was just a pet.'' Gollobith said his wife saw two wolves about 6:30 a.m. Sunday morning, about a mile from the house. He said last year the wolves came closer to the house, resulting in a fight between Blaze and a gray wolf (presumed to be the pack's breeding male). "He (Blaze) had it behind the front leg,'' Gollobith said. "The wolves turned on him and chased him back to the house. There was blood and hair out there but it wasn't Blaze's, it was the wolf's. I've seen him attack bears. He just doesn't give up.'' Meeker cattle deaths:Pack of dogs in Meeker area casts doubt on wolf involvement First confirmed wolf kills in four months The first seven confirmed North Park wolfpack kills were located in the northeastern part of Jackson County. The last four confirmed wolf kills, including the recent dogs, have all taken place in the southwest part of the county. Previous to Monday's incidents, the last confirmed wolf depredation was Nov. 18, on the Park Range Ranch, just north of where this week's kills took place. Four cows, four dogs and three calves have been confirmed killed by the North Park pack since the breeding male and female naturally migrated to the state and gave birth to six pups in spring 2021. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has paid $12,929.75 for eight confirmed depredations with three claims pending and two claims denied, according to the state wildlife agency. The two wolves involved in this week's depredations were the pack's breeding male and one of the pack's grown pups. The two were captured and fitted with GPS collars by Colorado Parks and Wildlife in the same general area of Jackson County on Feb. 2. The breeding male slipped his collar several days later but was recaptured and collared Feb. 18. The North Park wolfpack numbered eight at its height, including the breeding male and female and six pups. Three of the pups were legally killed in Wyoming, just north of the Colorado border in early October. There has not been a confirmed sighting of the breeding female in about a year, leading many to believe the approximately 6-year-old wolf has died. North Park ranchers believe the lull in depredations on cattle is largely due to the pack losing four of its members, making its killing of livestock more difficult. The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission will release its final wolf recovery plan at its May 3-4 meeting in Glenwood Springs. One of the more controversial issues in the plan is the lethal take of depredating wolves, which is not currently allowed. Wolves in Colorado are listed as endangered, which only allows killing of wolves if human life is threatened. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service is currently undergoing a process that would allow lethal take of wolves in Colorado under certain conditions. More: Political pressure?Some say Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is putting pressure to change wolf plan: What we know This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado wolves kill cattle dog, fatally injure pet dog Biyela is recognized as one of the 2023 "Food & Wine" Drinks Innovators of the Year. Robbie Lawrence Had Ntsiki Biyela been granted the scholarships she applied for in pursuit of her childhood dream, which was to become a chemical or civil engineer, the world would have missed out on not only a talented winemaker, but one who has broken barriers and shattered wine-world stereotypes. But those scholarships didnt come through, and Biyela instead applied for a winemaking scholarship as a last-ditch effort to attend college. Once enrolled at Stellenbosch University, about 900 miles and a world away from her village in KwaZulu-Natal, she realized she was where she was destined to be. The winemaker I worked with as a student was so passionate about what he was doing that at that moment, I said, I want to be like him. See all of Food & Wine Drinks Innovators of the Year 2023 Today, there are countless winemakers in Biyelas native South Africa and beyond who aspire to be like her. Before graduating from Stellenbosch in 2003, she attended a winemakers seminar; all of the other participants were white men. She recalls turning to her colleague and saying, I dont think I want to be here. He replied, If you dont stay, who do you think is going to change this? She stayed. I was scared of continuing, but I told myself, better here than going back, she says. She forged ahead despite her fears, and today, Biyela is widely acknowledged as South Africas first Black woman winemaker no small feat in a country ruled by an oppressive, racist apartheid regime from 1948 to the early 1990s. Biyela acknowledges things have improved in wine here: Theres more diversity than there used to be, but still a lot to be done. Biyela also serves on the board of directors of the Pinotage Youth Development Academy, which offers one-year training programs for South Africans aged 18 to 25 from disadvantaged communities, preparing them for careers in the wine industry and related sectors. Story continues As Biyela honed her skills working for other wineries in South Africa, she wondered, How do I create this space and make it home? How do I make it my own? In 2016, this soul-searching led her to start Aslina Wines, named after her late grandmother, whose strength remains a source of inspiration to her. For me, each wine has its own story, its own character, its own personality. When I look at my wines, I look at them in a human form. Its not about the scientific stuff the chemical components, the pH, the acidity. I go beyond that. How does it make you feel? Thats the bottom line. Whats the glass that will make you say, Thank God Im alive? Bottles to Buy 2021 Aslina Chardonnay ($23) Ripe, round, and refreshing, this lightly oaked Chardonnay has zesty flavors of lemon and lime, plus a vivacious pop of tropical fruits that melds seamlessly with hints of cream and butter. 2020 Aslina Umsasane ($34) Biyela describes this Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot as love in the glass and a wine you want to marry. Its rich and juicy, with beautifully layered ripe fruit flavors, bright acidity, and a subtle dash of spice. Umsasane was her grandmothers nickname, and it means acacia tree in Zulu. For more Food & Wine news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Food & Wine. A Starbucks employee holds up a picket sign outside a Starbucks coffee shop on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022. A federal agency dedicated to protecting the rights of workers said it plans to prosecute Starbucks for labor law violations. Region 14 of the National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint against Starbucks for unfair labor practices alleged at four different Oklahoma City metro-area locations, including two stores in Oklahoma City, one store in Nichols Hills and one store in Norman. The agency said it investigated charges filed by Starbucks Workers United, a nationwide campaign to unionize the large coffeehouse chain, and will pursue civil prosecution of Starbucks, which opposes the unionization efforts. "We are pleased that the NLRB has found merit in virtually every (unfair labor practice) charge we filed, further showing that Starbucks has been anything but 'progressive' toward workers who want a say in their workplace," said Collin Pollitt, an Oklahoma City barista and Starbucks Workers United organizer. Collin Pollitt speaks at a Starbucks Workers United pro-union rally at the Oklahoma Capitol on Labor Day in 2022. What is Starbucks accused of in the complaint? The NLRB complaint alleges Starbucks management at the four Oklahoma stores committed several illegal acts, including: Interrogating workers about union activity Threatening loss of pay raises and benefits if employees unionized Promising increased benefits and improved workplace conditions if employees did not partake in unionization Threatening disciplinary action if employees posted union materials inside the stores Selectively enforcing strict policies on pro-union employees Firing barista Avery Norman for participating in union activity More:Starbucks violated labor laws with 'egregious' misconduct during unionization efforts, judge rules What will the National Labor Relations Board ask for? A hearing has been set for April 11 in Oklahoma City. The NLRB said it will seek remedy from Starbucks in front of an administrative law judge, including: Distribution electronically and in-person of employees' rights and the company's wrongdoing Requiring Starbucks management training on National Labor Relations Act obligations Issuing a formal apology to Avery Norman Story continues More:OKC Apple Store employees trying to become the second US store to unionize. Here's why Has Starbucks been accused of union-busting elsewhere? Nationwide, Starbucks has been accused of a major "union-busting" campaign, allegedly terminating more than 120 pro-union organizers across the country, shutting down at least nine stores with union activity, and withholding benefits to unionized stores. So far, the NLRB has investigated at least 1,300 labor-law violations against Starbucks across the country. Howard Schultz, who returned as Starbucks Interim CEO last year, is scheduled to testify in front of the U.S. Senate about the coffee chain's alleged union-busting on March 29. The Starbucks store at 132 NW 23 in Oklahoma City, where Pollitt works, was the first in Oklahoma to unionize last year. Editors note: The Oklahoman received incorrect information about the location of the hearing. The story has been updated to include the correct location. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Starbucks stores to face prosecution alleged labor law violations Tippecanoe County has many strengths. It's home to Purdue University, great public schools, and a diverse manufacturing base, to name a few. But Hoosiers have long heard the stories about how obesity, smoking and other health conditions continue to affect individuals and communities, hindering their ability to thrive. Our county is no exception. Poor public health not only affects our health needs, but our economic needs, as well. When businesses decide where to locate, they look for places with healthy, balanced workforces. Availability of workers is one of the main criteria for these companies, and they rely on healthy employees to increase productivity and keep health care costs in check. Local news:Resolution for new road anticipates growth in Lafayette area We have an opportunity to change this narrative. Although each county in the state faces different needs when it comes to health care, legislation currently moving through the Indiana General Assembly will allow us to continue to create a public health infrastructure that caters to these unique needs. This bill advances many of the recommendations put into place by the Governors Public Health Commission, established by Gov. Eric Holcomb in 2021, which continues to advocate for the health and well-being of Hoosiers. Holcombs proposed budget calls for $347 million over the biennium. A significant portion of this funding would be sent directly to counties to ensure that decisions about the delivery of public health services are made at the local level based on local needs. This investment is long overdue. Indianas public health system like the health of many Hoosiers has been woefully neglected for decades. The results speak for themselves in obesity rates that are as high as 40%, infant mortality rates approaching 12 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, and smoking rates of more than 30% in some counties. The governors proposed budget and the proposed legislation aim to address these issues by providing local health departments with the resources necessary to support residents with core public health services. County-level officials will decide whether to opt-in and accept additional state funding. If we do, our county will receive additional funding to empower the delivery of core public health services many of which are already required in state law. In this approach, underserved Hoosiers will have access to the public health services to which they are entitled, and local control will be maintained. Story continues Public health is foundational to the physical and financial well-being of our state. Without a strong investment in public health, we jeopardize our ability to keep our residents healthy, increase healthcare costs for already underserved Hoosiers, and create a climate in which businesses may hesitate to invest. Indiana cannot afford to remain at the back of pack when it comes to our health. It is time to invest in Hoosiers lives by building a public health infrastructure that meets the unique needs of all 92 counties, building a stronger and healthier tomorrow for all Hoosiers. Tracy Brown, Tom Murtagh and David Byers are the Tippecanoe County commissioners. This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Op-ed: Advocating for Tippecanoe County's public health needs At this juncture, no one else in the country is as likely to be president of the United States come January 2025 as Joe Biden. Republicans telling themselves otherwise are engaged in self-delusion. There was a palpable sense during the midterms that Republicans were playing with house money in other words, that the political environment was so favorable that they could afford to make poor choices and still succeed. That was a mistake last year, and absent something terrible befalling Biden or the country over the next two years, is a mistake when thinking about 2024. Biden is not a dead man walking; hes an old man getting around stiffly. Biden is vulnerable, but certainly electable; diminished, but still capable of delivering a message; uninspiring, but unthreatening. No one is going to mistake him for a world-beater. In the RealClearPolitics polling average, he leads Donald Trump by a whopping 0.8 percent. If his job approval has been ticking up, its still only at 44 percent. He walks as if he is only one step away from a bad fall, and an NBC poll earlier in the year found that just 28 percent of people think he has the mental and physical health necessary to be president. That said, hes in the office, and no one else is. Incumbency bestows important advantages. The sitting president is highly visible, is the only civilian in the country who gets saluted by Marines walking out his door every day, has established a certain threshold ability to do the job, and can wield awesome powers to help his cause and that of his party. Since 1992, Trump is the only incumbent to have lost, failing to join Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama as re-elected incumbents. Biden was never going to be the next LBJ or FDR as a cadre of historians had seemingly convinced him early in his presidency. But he punched above his weight legislatively during his first two years, getting more out of a tied Senate and slender House majority than looked realistically possible. Hes set up to have the advantage in this years momentous debt-limit fight, since its hard to see how congressional Democrats arent united and congressional Republicans divided. Story continues Bidens age is a liability for him, but comes with a significant benefit he does not look or sound like a radical any more than the average elderly parent or grandparent. This has enabled him to govern from the left he would have spent even more the first two years if he could have without appearing threatening or wild-eyed. He hasnt restored normality to Washington so much as familiarity as the old hand who has been there since 1973 and made his first attempt at national office in 1988. Since the midterms and likely in anticipation of a reelection campaign, Biden, who usually does whatever his party wants him to do, has shown a small independent streak. Its hardly Bill Clinton-level triangulation, but the president is apparently mindful of the need to make a few feints to the center and of how progressive squawking can help him look more moderate. He said he wouldnt veto congressional action blocking a D.C. crime bill, earning a rebuke from AOC among others. Hes considering bringing back family detention at the border, and pro-immigration groups are outraged. His approval of the Willow oil drilling project on Alaskas North Slope greenlights a carbon bomb, according to the group Earthjustice. Importantly, in 2024, nothing Biden does will be considered in isolation, but instead compared to his Republican opponent. As of now, Trump has the best odds of being, once again, that adversary. Trump would have some significant chance of beating Biden, simply by virtue of being the Republican nominee, and theres always a chance that events could be Bidens undoing. But Trump would probably be weaker going into a rematch than the first time around. He lost to Biden in 2020 before he denied the results of a national election, before a fevered band of his supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, before he indulged every 2020 conspiracy theory that came across his desk, before he said the Constitution should be suspended and before he made his primary campaign partly about rebuking traditional Republicans that the GOP suburbanites hed need in a general election probably still feel warmly about. Theres also a strong possibility that Trump gets indicted once, or even twice, in coming months. Such charges would be perceived as unfair by Republicans perhaps rightly so but they would add to the haze of chaos around Trump. Ron DeSantis or another Republican contender presumably matches up better against Biden, based on the generational contrast and the absence of Trumps baggage alone. Yet, if a non-Trump candidate wins the nomination, he or she will have Trump in the background, probably determined to gain revenge against him or her. Imagine, if after Biden defeated the rest of the Democratic field in 2020, they didnt leave the race and collectively endorse him, but sulked and found ways to undermine him. Then, theres the state of the GOP generally. It has an impressive crop of governors. Otherwise, it hasnt seemed to take on board the lessons of the last couple of years. First, theres a real chance that it will re-nominate Trump, after everything. Second, various state parties are irresistibly drawn to politically toxic, proven losers. In Pennsylvania, Doug Mastriano, who got wiped out in the gubernatorial race last year, is thinking about running for Senate next year and handily leads in early polling. Kari Lake, who threw away a winnable gubernatorial race that she still maintains she won, is looking to enter the GOP primary for Senate, and would be a prohibitive favorite. Theres no fortune quite like being lucky in your enemies, and Biden could well get a big break in this respect yet again. However much Republicans may wish he were a pushover, hes not, and they should be acting accordingly. Oscar award-winning veteran producer Gerardo Herrero, (The Secret In Their Eyes) returns to the directors chair with Under Therapy, his stark and unnerving big screen rendition of playwright Matias Del Federicos theatrical production. The project bowed in competition at the Malaga Film festival earlier this week and is set for broader theatrical release in Spanish cinemas on Friday. Latido Films handles international sales. More from Variety Enamored with the staged rendition, Herrero was inspired to add a distinctly cinematic touch to the script, honoring its darker underpinnings amidst the narratives anxious banter. The first time that I saw the production, I fell in love with the work, Herrero told Variety. Despite the fact that the shows very well directed, written and performed, for me its much lighter than the movie. The movies not a comedy, its a drama with humor, he revealed. I love that they laugh and that afterwards they freeze, smile and think: What the hell am I laughing at? The micro machismo that we all carry inside, the movie talks about many things, about the education of children, about relationships, sex between a couple, jealousy, about the acceptance of husbands, womens work outside the home, and various other issues. Following three disparate couples as they attend an unconventional group therapy session, the adaptation sees its characters tasked with helping one another recover from deep-seeded traumas that unravel frantically from the instructions their therapist has scribbled and stuffed inside eight envelopes. A well-appointed set becomes an additional key element as its nostalgic and precisely-placed fittings ease the characters around the space from scene to highly-charged scene, allowing them room to envelop the location, cleanly maneuvering their peers. An Eames-era office chair used as refuge during a difficult conversation sits near a bar cart, paintings from acclaimed artist Fermin Alvira become an ice breaking mechanism for the group: Every portion of the space has a purpose. Story continues We dealt a lot with the decoration, the colors of the walls, the paintings and the furniture. We went through the furniture stores in Pamplona to choose sofas and tables. For example, the armchair where Alexandra turns while Fele moves around, stated Herrero. The set was inspired by the camera movement. I chose the painter whose paintings also helped me to reveal the characters. Herrero manages to capture the raw and emotive state of the actors as they inhabit their roles, something he contributes to the rehearsal periods before shoots. The key was the week of rehearsals on the set, with the set dressing almost finished, in the mornings and part of the afternoon we did rehearsals with movement. Every day, before shooting started, we did more rehearsals of the texts and movements, for an hour or so, and then filmed non-stop until time ran out, he explained. When speaking to the divide between stage and screen, he added: The decision to abandon the idea of the sequence shot, which we converted into sequence shots of up to eight minutes, but from different camera angles, I was enthusiastic about the idea of seeing theater not in a general shot, but in different sizes, as if you were seeing what happens to the actors in different sizes, and above stage. A dynamic ensemble cast that includes Malena Alterio (Verguenza), Alexandra Jimenez (Historias Para No Contar), Fele Martinez (La mala educacion), Antonio Pagudo (El sindrome de Svenson), Eva Ugarte (Velvet) and Juan Carlos Vellido (El Hierro), throws full-emotion to the fore as they hurl jabs, inquiries and judgements around the room as the plot makes its way towards its seismic final scene. Hererro admitted that this blazing set of actors, could have done it all in one shot, and that directing them was ultimately about, delivery, effort, knowing the text perfectly, being generous, listening and interacting with their peers and having talent. The project is produced by Herrero and Javier Lopez Blancos Tornasol Media (No Mires A Los Ojos) alongside Spains Alcaravan Films (A Twelve Year Night) in conjunction with Movistar Plus+ and the government initiatives of Navarra. Distribution in Spain is handled by Syldavia Cinema (Eva No Duerme). As a two-time top winner at Malaga and a competitor in San Sebastian, Herrero has proved one of the most resilient of Spanish directors, ever-evolving since breathing fresh air into Valladolid in 1987 with El Acecho. To this, he observed that, its rained a bit since 87. The years give you experience, security in what you do and you discover that the most important thing in a film are the actors, concluding, I detest boring movies, they dont talk about anything. Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Astana Wilier team bike at Paris-Nice 2023 This year's edition of Paris-Nice gave us a predictable winner in Tadej Pogacar. The UAE Team Emirates leader looked imperious during the annual race to the sun, demonstrating the kind of form he'll need if he's to wrest back control of the Tour de France yellow jersey come July. We were on hand not only to see Pogacar clinch the title in style but also to snoop around ahead of the start to see if we could spot any interesting pieces of tech. Here's what we found... Extreme Shift Shaping An Intermarche team Cube bike photographed at Paris-Nice 2023 While the latest UCI rules have placed restrictions of handlebar width, it didn't specify any limits on the shifter positions. The result is that riders can still adopt a tucked in aero position as before, turning the hoods inwards to create the effect of narrowing the bars. An Intermarche team bike at Paris-Nice 2023 Intermarche - Circus - Wanty's Taco van der Hoorn has long been a proponent of the extreme shifter angle and it was again on display at Paris-Nice - also note just how low the shifters are positioned on the bars, replicating the race bikes of old. Pros don't always jump straight on the latest bikes An EF Education team Cannondale SuperSix road bike at Paris-Nice 2023 Earlier this month the new Cannondale SuperSix Evo 4 line-up was revealed and included a Lab71 model that uses a new carbon lay up. It's the US brand's lightest yet, is UCI approved and will be used by its sponsored pro teams, including the WorldTour's EF Education-EasyPost. But perhaps not quite yet. The UCI frame sticker on this EF bike at Paris-Nice identifies it as a - previously range topping - HiMod model. And while the 40 gram weight saving of the new frame might sound as if it'd be advantageous to a weight conscious pro, the previous model in race guise could easily be built to just tickle the UCI's 6.8kg lowest weight limit. While featherweight frames are a key aspect of Cannondale's new Lab71 halo project, bikes that will sit within it will also feature plenty of touches available to pros and ordinary riders with deep pockets - unique paint jobs and bespoke high end componentry set-ups for starters. Story continues And quite clearly the 'second tier' bikes are still plenty fast enough - American Neilson Powless finished a creditable sixth overall. No mounting tension for Soudal-Quickstep Detail of computer mount issued by Soudal-QuickStep team during Paris-Nice 2023 Soudal-Quick Step's Tim Declerq takes no risks with his computer, which is mounted to his Specialized Tarmac SL7 via a custom etched K-Edge unit with extra grip tape fitted within the mounting slot itself. Safety first for Simon Yates Simon Yates Jayco team Giant at Paris-Nice 2023 Team Jayco AIUIa's Simon Yates also takes no risks, but this time with his chain. A chain catcher is found between his Shimano Dura-Ace chainset and his Giant TCR Advanced SL bike. Team Jayco Giant belonging to Simon Yates at Paris-Nice 2023, with detail showing chain catcher used The British rider has had a solid start to the year, backing up his second place finish at the Tour Down Under with a fourth overall at Paris-Nice. Tubeless taking off? Vittoria Corsa tires fitted to a Team Jayco bike at Paris-Nice 2023 His Jayco squad, consisting of Luke Durbridge, Michael Matthews, Chris Harper, Lucas Hamilton, Kelland O'Brien and Matteo Sobrero won the overall team classification and did so riding tubeless tires, in the shape of the new Vittoria Corsa Pros. Look for the tubs versus tubeless debate to roll on throughout the 2023 season. Not all pros get slammed Uno-x Dare race bike handlebar set-up at Paris-Nice 2023 Not all pros ride their bikes with fully slammed stems. Especially not if you're Uno-X rider Sren Wrenskjold. The Danish rider measures 1.91cm, or 6'3", tall, which translates to a few more spacers under the stem than usual. A stunner for Astana Astana Wilier team bike at Paris-Nice 2023 All that glitters is blue? Or purple? The mass adoption of glitter and ice-like paint jobs is bringing some much needed jazz to the peloton and we love to see it. Astana Qazaqstan Team's Wilier bikes are arguably the best of the bunch. An Oklahoma City police captain was arrested Sunday on suspicion of DUI, and on Thursday Police Chief Wade Gourley announced an investigation into the incident is underway. About 1:40 a.m. Sunday, James "Matt" French was seen speeding and swerving between lanes in a black Chevrolet Traverse along S May Avenue, according to a police report. The arresting officer conducted a traffic stop as French pulled into a neighborhood without signaling and then parked in a private driveway. The arresting officer also wrote that French's breath smelled of alcohol, his eyes were watery and his speech was slurred. In body camera footage released by police Thursday, French identified himself as an Oklahoma City police captain. Oklahoma City Police Chief Wade Gourley speaks at a news conference on Thursday at Oklahoma City police headquarters regarding the DUI arrest of police Capt. James French. French told the arresting officer he drank "three or four" beers at a poker game about midnight. French also asks the arresting officer to turn his camera off several times. The arresting officer told French he wouldn't turn his camera off until he had completed his investigation and that he would not afford him special treatment. The officer conducted a series of field sobriety tests, which French failed. He was arrested on complaint of driving under the influence and failing to signal a turn. More:Oklahoma City police arrest teen boy suspected in deadly shooting near apartments On Thursday, Gourley said French was placed on administrative leave with pay "the moment we were notified of the incident." An administrative investigation will be conducted separately from a criminal investigation, the chief said. "Once criminal charges are filed, per our (Fraternal Order of Police) contract, we do what's called a predetermination hearing to then put that person on leave without pay," Gourley said. "There is a process we have to go through." Gourley also said the arresting officer followed protocol and "did exactly as he should have and handled it very professionally." The police chief said he would not speculate openly about why French asked the officer to turn the camera off so many times, but said that, per police procedures, "once the incident is over and he's completed what he's doing, he is allowed to turn the camera off." Story continues The officer did not turn the camera off until French was handcuffed, video shows. French has worked for the Oklahoma City Police Department for 32 years. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC police investigating after police chief arrested for DUI UN sees no signs of genocide in Ukraine so far 16 March, 11:15 PM Mass grave site in liberated Izium (Photo:Press officer of the 93rd Brigade Kholodnyi Yar Iryna Rybakova. via Eugene Enin / Facebook) The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has found no evidence of genocide committed by invading Russian forces so far, commission head Eric Mose said at a press briefing on March 16. We did not find that there was a genocide in Ukraine," said Mose. Mose added that his team is looking into all the evidence available and "there are some aspects that could raise questions" about the genocide, but a final conclusion has not yet been reached. Read also: UN Commission accuses Russia of war crimes in Ukraine On March 16, the commission released a new report confirming that Russian attacks on civilians in Ukraine, systematic torture, rape, and murder in occupied areas amounted to war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity. Video of day On April 14, the Ukrainian parliament recognized the actions of Russia and its army as genocide of the Ukrainian people. The leaders of several Western countries have condemned the war crimes of the Russian army and called for an investigation and prosecution of the perpetrators. Russias apparent crimes in Ukraine have already been officially recognized as genocide by the Senate of the Czech Republic, the Senate of Canada, the Parliament of Estonia, the Saeima of Latvia, and legislative bodies of other countries. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme has expressed hope that Remco Evenepoel will make his debut at the 2024 edition of the race, which will finish with a hilly individual time trial between Monaco and Nice. Evenepoel has opted to race the Giro dItalia this year, seemingly attracted by its markedly higher portion of time trial kilometres, but the early indications are that the 2024 Tour route might be more to his liking. This years Tour features just 22km of time trialling in total, a number already exceeded by the 35km test planned for the final stage in 2024, which will bring riders over La Turbie and the Col dEze ahead of the drop into Nice. Read more Tour de France 2024 to end with hilly 35km time trial to Nice Remco Evenepoel smashes Mount Teide Strava records during training camp Analysis: Remco Evenepoels UAE Tour win matters, but Catalunya is the real Giro test As well as finishing outside of the Paris area for the first time in its history, it means the Tour will conclude with a time trial for the first time since Greg LeMond so dramatically divested Laurent Fignon of yellow in 1989. Prudhomme also pointed out that the stage will take place on Belgiums national holiday, July 21, and that, at 24, Evenepoel will be the same age as Eddy Merckx when he rode and won his debut Tour in 1969. We would obviously be happy if Remco Evenepoel was at the start of the Tour in Florence next year, Prudhomme told Het Nieuwsblad. The Tour with Remco at the start would have even more flavour. And I also remind you that next year, the current world champion will be the same age as Merckx was in 1969. Eddy was 24 years old too We really hope hell be at the start in Florence. We would be very happy. Were waiting for him. The 2024 Tour will finish in Nice on July 21 due to the logistical demands of the Olympic Games, which get underway in Paris five days later. The details of the final two stages of the race were unveiled at a presentation in Nice on Monday. The penultimate stage will be a short but demanding leg in the hinterland of Nice, with the Col de Braus, Col de Turini and Col de La Colmiane preceding a summit finish on the Col de la Couillole, which featured as a finale at Paris-Nice last weekend. The 132km stage includes some 4,400m of total climbing. We had another big city that was aiming for the finish of the Tour, but we simply have an historical connection with Nice, said Prudhomme. We had the start of the Tour there in 2020, but due to the pandemic, it was held without many spectators. Now the Cote d'Azur will have a unique event in the history of the Tour. Carter family lawyer Benjamin Crump speaking with media after releasing results of an independent autopsy into Rasheem Carters murder ( WJTV 12 News) A Black man from Mississippi who went missing late last year after claiming he faced racism was found dead with his head severed from his body, according to his familys lawyer who cited an independent autopsy report. Rasheem Carter, 25 at the time, was reported missing on 2 October last year. His mother has earlier said that he had sought help from the police and had told her that he was being chased by white men in trucks. On 2 November, authorities said they found Carters remains in a wooded area south of Taylorsville, Mississippi. The Smith County Sheriffs Department said at the time that it had no reason to believe foul play was involved, though the case was under investigation. The familys lawyer Benjamin Crump, along with his co-counsel Carlos Moore, on Monday called for a federal investigation by the Department of Justice into Carters death. Carters family and their attorney lashed out at the authorities for stonewalling them for more than four months. They had also accused the police of covering up what they believe was a brutal hate crime. A day after Mr Crump spoke to reporters, Smith County sheriff Joel Houston said the possibility of murder had not been ruled out. Mr Houston told NBC News that the early assessment of no reason to believe foul play had come at a time when there was no evidence that pointed to homicide. His head was severed from his body. His vertebrae, his spinal cord was in another spot they discovered away from his severed head. They have recently found remains that they believe are also Rasheem Carter, said Mr Crump, citing the autopsy report of the Mississippi State Medical Examiners Office. One thing is for certain... This was not a natural killing. This was not a natural death. This represents a young man who was killed, Mr Crump said. The medical examiner had ruled the cause of Carters death to be undetermined, reported ABC News. The conditions of the remains made it difficult to determine exact timing of the injuries, apart from signs of animal activity that have clouded a clearer picture, according to the report. Nothing is being swept under the rug, the sheriff Mr Houston said. Theres nothing to hide. There were questions about whether or not the Minnesota Vikings would be keeping multiple veterans, including safety Harrison Smith. According to a report from The Star Tribunes Ben Goessling, the Vikings and Smith have come to an agreement on a new contract that will keep him with the Vikings in 2023. There were talks that the Vikings were asking Smith to take a pay cut, with the amount being described as substantial. With the 3 pm central deadline looming on Friday, the Vikings cleared cap space and kept one of their future ring of honor players. As far as a fit with the new scheme brought by Brian Flores, Smith will be able to go back to his days as a riverboat gambler under Mike Zimmer. He will be able to blitz, roam the enitre field and hang out in the box. Not only that, but Smith continues to be elite at social media, sending this picture out on his Instagram right before news broke that he was staying with the Vikings in 2023. This from Harrison Smith on IG is tremendous on many levels. Again, he is staying on the Vikings roster with a new contract. https://t.co/Txwhj5jSr1 pic.twitter.com/Uwp6bTZAUm Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) March 16, 2023 Story originally appeared on Vikings Wire NEWPORT Well over half of students in Newport Public Schools are classified by the state as economically disadvantaged. Now, a new food pantry has opened inside Rogers High School to give those students easy access to basic necessities they might not be able to get elsewhere. Newport Public Schools recently unveiled its new food pantry at Rogers High School. Jeans Closet, named after Rogers High School teacher Jean McLaughlin who spearheaded the concept, currently sits inside the school library and is stacked wall to wall with food, clothing, blankets and toiletries for students in need. Over 64% of students enrolled in Newport Public Schools are classified as economically disadvantaged by the Rhode Island Department of Education. McLaughlin said had started the original version of Jeans Closet a year before the COVID-19 pandemic hit because she would often encounter students who were facing food insecurity or needed other basic necessities. Rogers High School teacher Jean McLaughlin cuts the ribbon on the new food pantry for economically disadvantaged students. I just saw a great need for kids that needed hygiene products, clothes, food, a lot of kids came in hungry, a lot of kids wanted to take snacks home because they wouldnt have anything, McLaughlin said. Thats how it started and then it got a little bigger and then it got a little bigger. The food pantry was moved from the schools Alternative Learning Program where McLaughlin works to the auditorium, which was just demolished in October. The new pantry was established with help from We Share Hope, an organization that distributes surplus food from food industry partners to people in need, and Stop & Shop, which provided a $20,000 grant to We Share Hope for the pantrys storage and food stock. We Share Hope has helped establish food pantries in school districts in Providence, Central Falls, and Pawtucket as well. What's being planned:Kids walking and biking to Pell Elementary, Met School will be safer. McLaughlin said people dont realize how much of Newports student population is in need of basic necessities and resources like food pantries. Story continues Newport is either really wealthy or really struggling, and now with the rising cost of food and clothing and all that, even people that work really hard are struggling, McLaughlin said. The new food pantry inside Rogers High School's library provides basic necessities like food, clothing, toiletries and blankets. She told The Newport Daily News stories of students who didnt want to return to school because they did not have new clothes or shoes for the school year or students whose families did not have hot water for them to shower or wash their clothes. She also pointed out that Newport Public Schools has a large population of students from other countries who lacked supplies such as coats and blankets for the winter months. The food pantry is available to students and their immediate families, so families can also reach out to the school for access to the pantry. McLaughlin said the pantry is always accepting donations of food, clothing and hygiene products. Is RI prepared?:85,000 households losing $156 million in SNAP food assistance aid. I love these kids Ive worked with, Ive worked here for a long time, and I just feel like when they have everything they need they can succeed," McLaughlin said. This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Rogers High School food pantry opens with We Share Hope support Ron DeSantis would seem to have everything going for him in the Republican presidential primary. Theres just one small question: Will the good vibes now result in election doom later? As the Florida governor cast out to early nominating states in recent days, even some of his supporters could see a problem brewing for him back home. Lawmakers in his home state are advancing controversial bills on gender and diversity policy base-pleasing issues for Republicans, but a potential liability in a general election. And on one cultural issue that did hurt Republicans in the midterm elections abortion DeSantis is going even further to the right, preparing to sign a bill banning the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions for rape and incest if victims offer proof of a crime. Wow, said Amy Tarkanian, a former chair of the Republican Party in Nevada, where DeSantis traveled over the weekend. A lot of people dont even know theyre pregnant at six weeks. Im pro-life, but thats pretty extreme. In the run-up to the primary, DeSantis solidified his place as Trumps chief rival for the nomination largely based on an electability argument. He was MAGA, like Trump, but without the former presidents baggage or toxicity to moderate Republicans and independents the kind of voters Republicans will need to run Joe Biden from the White House next year. But as DeSantis edges closer to announcing, he is testing the limits of how hard right he can go without undermining his rationale for running in the first place. Its a significant risk in a primary in which Republican voters sore from losing the White House in 2020 and a less-than-red-wave midterm two years later are desperate to nominate a candidate who can win. In a way, the Republican dominance of the Florida Legislature may end up hurting DeSantis because his proposals can become reality, said Barrett Marson, a Republican strategist in Arizona. That may help him in a primary in Iowa or Texas or South Dakota, but in a general election in Arizona, Pennsylvania or Wisconsin, it could be ruinous for him. Story continues That fear isnt lost on Republican primary voters, either. In hypothetical matchups with Biden in a Morning Consult poll this week, DeSantis fared no better than Trump, with each trailing the incumbent Democrat by 1 percentage point. Moreover, when asked in arecent Yahoo News/YouGov poll who had the best chance of winning in 2024, DeSantis didnt stand out against Trump, either, with about as many Republicans and Republican-leaning independents naming Trump as DeSantis. That is a major shift from December, when far more Republicans viewed DeSantis as the more electable Republican. [DeSantis has] this huge advantage in the Florida legislature and the ability to pretty much write his script for the next year in terms of policy direction, said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. But that may not turn out to be a blessing, ultimately. After the U.S. Supreme Court repealed Roe v. Wade DeSantis said he was in favor of additional restrictions but as his reelection drew closer he declined to say exactly what he would support. When the ban on abortions after six weeks albeit with exceptions was filed last week DeSantis told reporters I think those exceptions are sensible and like I said we welcome pro life legislation. A DeSantis spokesperson declined to comment. But a top Republican consultant in Tallahassee, who was granted anonymity to talk freely about DeSantis, said there is a logic behind the governors moves. The bottom line is that if he decides to run he wants to have the most robust cultural and policy conservative list of accomplishments, said the consultant. This makes him impervious to hits from the right. DeSantis may have little choice but to pull further to the right on some key issues for the base. In a modern GOP that has seen Republicans with decades of conservative credentials exorcized as Republicans-In-Name-Only at Trumps behest, DeSantis has, through his hard-line politics, avoided being cast by Trump as weak or low energy. Instead, Trump has portrayed him as an imitator, telling reporters DeSantis was following what I am saying on Ukraine. With Trump still leading the field and several other Republicans expected to join the campaign, DeSantis will likely have to cut into some of Trumps support to beat him in the primary. With his six-week abortion ban, DeSantis appears to be making that precise play. Evangelical voters scoffed at Trump after he blamed the GOPs focus on the abortion issue for losses in the midterms. That constituency is especially significant in Iowa, the first-in-the-nation caucus state that DeSantis and Trump both visited in recent days. Bob Vander Plaats, the evangelical leader in Iowa who is influential in primary politics in the first-in-the-nation caucus state and who was a national co-chair of Sen. Ted Cruzs campaign in 2016, pointed out that Iowa is a very pro-life state today, and part of that is Gov. [Kim] Reynolds has been a champion for the sanctity of human life and she won by an overwhelming margin in 2022 He said DeSantis is wise to be stressing his bonafides on the issue and that DeSantis six-week ban will be in [DeSantiss] favor, quite frankly, and it would put him on equal footing with Gov. Reynolds here in the state of Iowa, which is a good place to be. But even Republicans acknowledge it will likely come at a cost, after Democrats successfully used abortion as a cudgel against their party in the midterm elections, following the Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade. If youre running for president, you aint got no choice, said Jason Roe, a former executive director of the Michigan Republican Party and adviser to Florida Sen. Marco Rubios 2016 presidential campaign. On the abortion issue, if you dont go as far right as the oxygen will allow you to go, its a vulnerability in a Republican primary. Thats just life. One New York Republican, granted anonymity to speak freely about the party primary dynamics, said a six-week ban viewed as unpalatably restrictive to some will be considered too weak by some anti-abortion rights purists in the right wing of the GOP. This position is so scrutinized that youll lose a core constituency in allowing for any abortion at any time, said the person, who is partial to Trump. Six weeks sounds like the middle ground that a political operative would advise you to take. Six weeks is not what the Christian right voters will accept. There is a definite bifurcation between political realities and politically paid staffers. For his part, Trump declared on Twitter in 2019 he is strongly Pro-Life, with the three exceptions - Rape, Incest and protecting the Life of the mother - the same position taken by Ronald Reagan. He took executive actions that pleased anti-abortion advocates, including delivering the Supreme Court that overturned Roe v. Wade last year. But when he announced his comeback bid, he made no mention of the hot-button issue, concerning some conservatives. In Florida, state Sen. Erin Grall, one of the sponsors of the bill to put in place the six-week ban, said the legislation was done in collaboration with the governors office. Its not done in a vacuum, said Grall, although she did not go into details about her conversations. As DeSantis is forced to engage more on national issues, he is likely to alienate voters in other ways. On the foreign policy front earlier this week, he drew blowback from traditionalist Republicans when he said the conflict in Ukraine is not a vital U.S. interest. DeSantis may ultimately survive the hits, whether from progressives or fellow Republicans. He has defended his approach by pointing to his big win in November, when he beat his Democratic opponent by nearly 20 percentage points. Below the national radar, he took actions designed to win over moderates and independents, such as pushing to bolster pay for teachers or championing Everglades restoration. Tarkanian, who like many DeSantis supporters views him as the partys best shot of winning the White House in 2024, said DeSantis still is a candidate who appeals to more reasonable, rational, centrist Republicans. She doubted the abortion ban would hurt him in the primary. Still, she said, its definitely not going to help him win a general. A young transgender woman from Saudi Arabia is feared dead after she posted a suicide note accusing her family of forcing her to detransition. Eden Knight, 23, who had been living in the US until late last year, said in a Twitter post on Monday morning that she had killed herself after being pressured into returning to Saudi Arabia and then denied access to her hormone medication. The post, apparently scheduled in advance, alleged that her parents had hired American fixers and a Saudi lawyer in Washington DC to bring her back to the authoritarian kingdom, where trans people face severe discrimination. A separate tweet on Tuesday by an account apparently belonging to Ms Knights family announced that a young man with the same legal name as Ms Knight had died, giving details for the funeral. Another user identifying himself as the dead persons uncle gave the same name. Friends told The Independent on Monday evening that Ms Knight had not been seen online for a day and a half, which was highly unusual for her. I dont have a doubt in my mind that shes dead, said Bailee Daws, 27, a close friend of Ms Knights who hosted her for five months last year at her home in Georgia, and is now part of a group of friends collating evidence about her fate. Its horrible to say, but its not speculative at this point. Another friend, 28-year-old Merrick DeVille, said: Nobody has heard from her. Its been almost 36 hours now, and nobody has heard anything from her. Previously, she had been regularly active active in group chats on Twitter and Discord, even after leaving the US. Eden Knight shows off a tattoo (Eden Knight via Twitter) Ms Daws described Ms Knight as a bright and cherished presence in her life who would dote on her three-year-old son, yet who also struggled with deep depression and anxiety. That girl was a light, Ms Daws said. I would give anything to bring her back. Honestly, I really would. Because I loved her we all did. Ms Knights partner, known on Twitter as Parker, wrote: Rest in peace, Eden. I will carry you on my shoulders for the rest of my life. Your life will carry meaning. You touched the lives of so many people. I am forever grateful to have gotten to know you. Story continues Erin Reed, a US trans activist and journalist who helped draw attention to the case, called for the US government to grant asylum "liberally" to trans people from countries where they would face harm. According to Ms Knights LinkedIn page, she attended an American high school in the suburbs of Washington DC and then an international school in Riyadh, before studying computer science at George Mason University. Ms Daws said that she believed Ms Knight was on an international scholarship that ran out before she could graduate, causing her visa to expire. Because of her identity, she was extremely terrified of being deported back to Saudi Arabia and was hoping to claim asylum in the US. In summer 2022, shortly after moving to Georgia, Ms Knight began hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to feminise her body, which Ms Daws said absolutely improved her mental health. She had become highly active in LGBT+ and left-wing circles on American social media, gaining many friends and around 13,000 Twitter followers at the time of her disappearance. But around August, Ms Knight was allegedly contacted by two Americans who offered to resolve her disagreements with her parents, whom she described in her post as strict conservative Muslims. The fixers introduced her to a Saudi lawyer, Ms Knight said, who got her an apartment in DC and pampered her, making her dependent on him for food and shelter while pressuring her to stop HRT and live as a man. Fearful that she would be reported to US immigration authorities, Ms Knight said that she gave up, complying with her parents demand to repent before boarding a flight back to the kingdom. I did everything he asked. I cut my hair, I stopped taking estrogen, I changed my wardrobe, I met my dad. And then I had another breakdown. My mom kept telling me to repent or I was going to hell, and I did... I repented, and I was broken, Ms Knight wrote. Back in Saudi Arabia, her parents regularly searched her belongings and electronic devices while calling her a failure and an abomination, Ms Knight said. She tried to stay on HRT by hiding her drugs, but was found out twice. I wanted to be a leader for people like me, but that wasnt written to happen, Ms Knight said. I hope that the world gets better for us. I hope our people get old. I hope we get to see our kids grow up to fight for us. I hope for trans rights worldwide. On Tuesday, a funeral message was posted on Twitter, Instagram, and Telegram by accounts appearing to belong to a Saudi Arabian family that shares Ms Knights legal surname. Go to the mercy of God Almighty, young man, said the message, giving a name that matches Ms Knights unwanted legal name (known in the trans community as a deadname). That deadname contained a set of patronymics that match the name of a Saudi finance official, whose LinkedIn page shows that he was working on Washington DC during the time that Ms Knight attended high school there. Ms Daws identified this official as Ms Knights father, based on conversations where Ms Knight pulled up photos of him online to show Ms Daws who her family was. That is him. That is her father, Ms Daws said. I recognised him by his picture and his name. She showed me both of those things while she was there. The family did not respond to a request for comment. If you are having thoughts about killing yourself, know that you arent alone. In the US, you can call the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline on 988, or Trans Lifeline on 877-565-8860 if you are trans or gender non-conforming. In the UK, you can call the Samaritans on 116123 or the Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline on 0800 0119 100. This article was updated at 2:37pm Pacific Time on Tuesday 14 March 2023 to include new information. Savannah has become home to the Jewish Cultural Arts Festival for the second year in a row. For the past 20 years, the Savannah Jewish Federation (SJF) has hosted a film festival dealing with the themes of Jewish culture. Still, post-COVID, strides were made to evolve the concept to include more than just films. As a result, the Jewish Cultural Arts Festival hosts a myriad of other events as well, like comedy shows, art receptions, cooking classes, and more. Movies are still a big part of the festival. In fact, this month already kicked off with a movie for the opening night reception. In addition to displaying artwork from local Jewish artists, The Jewish Educational Alliance center hosted the film "Four Winters," which told the story of the young surviving Jewish partisans who fought the Nazis and their allies deep within European lines. But for those who missed the reception, the Cultural Arts Festival offers much more films. 'The Blues don't lie': Buddy Guy is 'keeping up' and paving the way for youth at SMF 2023 More:Two new exhibitions at the Jepson Center celebrate the legacy of Lorlee, Arnold Tenenbaum More:Savannah Rep to turn Broughton Street into the streets of Dublin with production of 'Once' Every Thursday, a Food for Thought film series is hosted at 12:30, featuring different films orbiting around the themes of Jewish culture. "We had one called Israel swings for Gold," said SJF Arts and Ideas Coordinator Katie Griffith. "It was the story of the athletes of an Israel baseball team going and playing in the Olympics. And this Thursday, we're playing 'The Barn.' It is a documentary by a woman named Rachel Casper, who was helping tell the story of her grandfather, a Holocaust survivor." These film nights will also be joined with a meal for the family to enjoy. Meals such as lentil shepherd's pie or even meatless Bolognese. A still from 'Four Winters' The following two Fridays, the SJF will be showing short films on Shabbat, a day when the Jewish community exercises their freedoms by taking a break from the labors of life. "The films themselves are very thought-provoking," said Griffith. "The first week's theme was about family and what different families looked like within the Jewish lens. And then also last week, we had a movie dealing with the themes of identity." Story continues These shorts will be hosted at Chai's Coffee Bar. Coffee for the event will be free to the audience. More:Live Oak Public Libraries, Coastal Heritage Society expand museum access with partnership On March 27, Tzilla Lamberger teams up with the SJF to host a Jewish-themed cooking class. For the class, she will be teaching her viewers how to cook traditional Israeli vegetarian foods. Participants will watch the chef extraordinaire in action and be allowed to cook alongside her and, of course, eat what they cook when it's all said and done. The JAE carefully planned many of these films the cultural arts festival displays to help best show the different aspects of Jewish culture. "Savannah is a very small city, but there are very large Jewish Film festivals throughout the country," said SJF Chief Operating Officer Jamie Richman. "And so we really rely on their expertise. And we see what they are showing at all of their festivals, what the hottest Jewish movies are, and try to get whatever the best available." "There are many different themes running throughout the month," Richman said. "We didn't really want it to be just a 'one-note'; we wanted to have something for everyone. We have everything from comedies to love stories to documentaries. There's a lot of different things playing." Community partnership events will be held every Sunday, such as the upcoming Jewish Educational Alliance's Open House on March 19, or the Jewish Comedy Night At Front Porch Improv on March 26. A lot of work was put into ensuring this event allowed everyone to see what the Jewish community is about. "The Jewish community is probably one of the oldest, if not the oldest communities that, you know, basically helped founded Savannah," said Griffith. "There's so much rich history here, and we're just trying to share that with the community. Basically, open it up and let people know that everyone's invited, everyone's included. There's just so many good things that I think we're just trying to let people enjoy and, you know, take advantage of, including the movies, the comedies, the cooking, the writing, and the artists. We want to highlight and celebrate that." The Jewish Cultural Arts Festival is a must-see event for the Jewish community in Savannah. But not all events are free. For the events you do have to pay for, tickets can be bought on the Savannah Jewish Federation website. The event will last until the end of the month and is entirely open to the public. For more information, contact the SJF at 912-355-8111 or email artsandideas@savj.org or visit savj.org. This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah GA events: Savannah Jewish Cultural Arts Festival Argentinian actress Delfina Chaves (The Secret of the Greco Family) and Martijn Lakemeier (The East) have signed on to star in the drama series Maxima. The series tells the life story of the Argentinian-born Dutch Queen Maxima. Millstreet Films is the producer and will also handle international sales. RTL commissioned the series for the Netherlands. More from Deadline The series will shoot in Argentina, New York, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands beginning in June. Rachel van Bommel of Millstreet Films is producing. Head writers are Marnie Blok and Ilse Ott. Episodes will be directed by Saskia Diesing, Joosje Duk and Ivan Lopez Nunez. The full synopsis reads: From the moment Maxima Zorreguieta appears at the Dutch crown princes side, she finds herself in the spotlight. When Willem-Alexander asks her to marry him, the past catches up with her. Heated discussion erupts about her fathers political career in the Videla regime a discussion she never faced in her own circles. What allows this Argentine to finally thrive at an old European court? And how can Maxima stay true to herself without giving up her family or do these things not go together? The series will run six 50-minute episodes, which kick off with a present-day storyline starting in 1999 in Seville, when Maxima and Willem-Alexander meet for the first time. The series will then transition into a second storyline set in the past, where we see how Maxima was prepared for this step her entire life. When the press catches wind of her relationship with the crown prince, the pair find themselves on a roller coaster, that only slows down with the announcement of their engagement in 2001. Chaves, who is set to star as Maxima, is best known for her roles in Ringo (Star+), The Secret of the Greco Family (Netflix), Rap Battlefield (HBO Max) and Edha (Netflix). Lakemeier will play Prince Willem-Alexander. He is best known for starring in Amazons The East. His other credits include Marie Antoinette (BBC 2), Sonny Boy, and Winter in Wartime. Story continues When Maxima set foot on Dutch soil people referred to her as the derivative of two men. Who she was and what she wanted from life were attributed by the outside world to first her father and after that her prince. I really love that the series now tells her story, from her point of view, Chaves said. Producer Rachel van Bommel added: Millstreet Films explores the complexity of female characters, and thats what makes Maxima interesting for us: she has a complex, versatile personality but remains a cheerful and positive person for herself. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. (Tim Goode/ PA) (PA Archive) Silicon Valley Bank has been closed by California regulators after tech firms scrambled to withdraw funds from the business. All insured depositors will have full access to their insured deposits no later than Monday morning, March 13, 2023, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation said today. In a statement the FDIC said: As of December 31, 2022, Silicon Valley Bank had approximately $209.0 billion in total assets and about $175.4 billion in total deposits. At the time of closing, the amount of deposits in excess of the insurance limits was undetermined. The amount of uninsured deposits will be determined once the FDIC obtains additional information from the bank and customers. Trading in shares of Silicon Valley Bank were halted as markets opened on Wall Street today as investors reeled at reports deposits were being funnelled into the company at record speed. The California-based bank yesterday said it was selling down securities to meet withdrawals and launched a $2.25 billion stock and convertible bond offering to shore up its balance sheet. The announcement sent its stock tumbling 60% last night. Its shares were down a further 63% in pre-market trading. The news sent shockwaves around the banking sector, wiping tens of billions of dollars from the market caps of top US banks. The developments caused a similar flight from risk in the UK, with HSBC and Barclays the biggest casualties as their shares slumped 5% - off 32.4p to 588.7p and 8.1p to 155.4p. Scores of venture capital investors, including billionaire PayPal founder Peter Thiel, have advised tech founders to withdraw funds as a matter of urgency in order to reduce their exposure to the risk of the banks demise. Others have warned of the repercussions of quick withdrawals. Ava Labs President John Wu told Bloomberg: This is a classic bank run, and when the bank run starts you dont want to be the last guy there. There are growing fears among London-based fintechs are at risk from the companys instability, with reports some tech firms have been unable to withdraw funds. Silicon Valley Bank has committed funds to scores of top London-based firms including fintech business Wise and property directory Zoopla. Story continues The UK arm of SVB became a full-scale subsidiary in September last year. The firm today confirmed to UK clients, partners and external stakeholders its financial position as a standalone independent banking institution that is regulated and governed by the PRA in the UK. SVB UK is ring-fenced from the parent and its other subsidiaries, the company said. Erin Platts, CEO and Head of EMEA, said As a reminder, Silicon Valley Bank UK is a standalone entity with its own balance sheet and governance structure. SVB has supported investors and innovators for 40 years and we have been so humbled with the consistent drum of support coming from our UK investor and founder community in last few days. We appreciate that this is a concerning time for our clients so we are working tirelessly to support them and give more context. Two more dogs have died from a distemper outbreak believed to be connected to Cobers Canines. NORTON SHORES Two more dogs have died from a distemper outbreak believed to be connected to Cobers Canines. More:'Someone finally nailed her': West Michigan shelter owner charged with animal cruelty More:Animal cruelty case against Norton Shores shelter owner moving to circuit court Alexis Robertson, executive director of Big Lake Humane Society in Muskegon, confirmed to WOOD TV-8 that two dogs showing signs of distemper infection last week have died. Robertson believes they contracted the virus from dogs brought to the facility after being seized from Cober's Canines in January. It had to have been them, Robertson told WOOD last week. (We've) have never, ever had distemper here before. Big Lake, formerly Muskegon Humane Society, was one of four shelters to take in dogs from Lisa Cobers home in Norton Shores. In all, 78 dogs were confiscated Jan. 30, many with serious health problems. Jen Self-Aulgur, executive director at Harbor Humane Society, which also took in affected pups, said several dogs were believed to have cases of distemper, pneumonia and kennel cough. Nine dogs seized from Cober died from distemper in the following weeks six at Harbor Humane and three at Big Lake. But the latest two deaths weren't dogs confiscated from Cober. Rather, they were surrendered after Cober dogs were brought in. The dogs weren't vaccinated for distemper and were promptly given their first doses, but it appears the infection took hold before the vaccine could provide protection. Robertson has called the last week heartbreaking. Its difficult to wrap my head around how quickly it takes a healthy animal down to nothing, she said. Distemper attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous system in dogs and puppies. The most common symptoms are lethargy and a lack of appetite, but distemper is usually diagnosed after nervous issues, including loss of balance and twitches. Vaccines are widely available and American Humane considers it one of the core vaccines for dogs. Story continues Big Lake has been closed to visitors and volunteers since the two dogs first started showing symptoms. For now, the shelter will remain closed through the end of March to prevent any possible spread. The shelter is also making some changes to its kennel floors and tweaking its safety protocol. The Little Traverse Bay Humane Society is helping Big Lake by taking in the shelters cats, which can't catch the same strain of distemper, but will give Big Lake room to make their renovations without taking dogs out of the facility. Were doing our best to learn from this and keep moving forward even though we are all heartbroken, Robertson said. Police responded to a tip from Pound Buddies Animal Shelter in January that many animals were living at Cober's residence in Norton Shores. Prior to police intervention, eight puppies died and two more had been euthanized. Subscribe:Receive unlimited digital access to your local news coverage Cober faces one felony charge of cruelty to 25 or more animals, which carries a punishment of up to seven years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted. She waived her preliminary hearing, sending her case to trial in Muskegon County Circuit Court. No date has been set yet. Despite the charges, Cober still has legal ownership of the animals, meaning the shelters can't adopt them out. The cost for those tasked with caring for the animals are mounting. Harbor Humane and Big Lake both say they've spent more than $10,000 caring for dogs seized from Cober. Habor Humane and Big Lake accept donations at harborhumane.org/donate and biglakehumane.org/donate. This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Six weeks after Michigan woman arrested for animal cruelty, unrelated dogs are dying South Africa: Tanzania Official State Visit hailed as a success President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Tanzanian counterpart, President Samia Suluhu Hassan, have hailed the latters Official State Visit to South Africa as a fruitful success. The two Heads of State and Government held a media briefing at the Union Buildings, where the Official State Visit took place. President Ramaphosa said the two and their delegations held discussions on various areas of mutual interest, with at least 17 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) signed between Ministers of the two countries. This State visit has coincided with the 2nd Session of the South Africa - Tanzania Bi-National Commission. We have had the opportunity to take stock of the state of our bilateral cooperation and to identify new areas of cooperation. We are pleased that there are other Memoranda of Understanding that have been finalised, and we expect the respective Ministers to sign the finalised MoUs before the end of 2023. This work will be anchored and coordinated by the Foreign Ministries of the two countries, supported by a Mid-Term Review Mechanism that will monitor implementation of the Bi-National Commissions work, President Ramaphosa said. The President said beyond relations between the two countries, regional and international matters were also given attention. Among other matters, we reaffirmed our shared resolve to ensure that the people of Western Sahara are able to exercise their right to self-determination. We will resist any efforts to frustrate the legitimate aspirations of the Saharawi people or to diminish their standing within the African Union. South Africa and Tanzania share common values and aspirations for stability and development of the continent and for strengthened cooperation among the countries of the Global South. There is indeed still much work to be done, but I am confident that we have laid a firm basis on which all of us can build going forward, President Ramaphosa said. President Hassan shared her countrys aims for the State visit. This has been such a colourful and fruitful State visit. This State visit attests to the solid historical relations that exist between our two countries. Im confident that this visit will further solidify our long-standing ties and unlock new opportunities for trade and investment. Long live the bilateral ties and cooperation between the United Republic of Tanzania and the Republic of South Africa! she said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2023-03-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. By Azernews Qabil Ashirov Western Azerbaijan Community addressed an appeal to France over France's behavior against human rights, Azernews reports. The appeal reads that it is a great injustice that Azerbaijanis expelled from the territory of presently Armenia cannot return to their homes and that monoethnic statehood, ethnic cleansing, and systematic racial discrimination continue in Armenia. Since these actions of Armenia, which violate human rights on a massive scale, threaten international peace and security, the international community has a great responsibility to eliminate them. It says that there are a number of countries that, with their national practices, behavior contrary to international law and double standards, and further encourage Armenia to the policy of racial discrimination. France is one of these countries. France's policy of intolerance towards ethnic and religious minorities is a serious concern. France, home to a large number of different ethnic and religious minorities, generally does not recognize the rights of national minorities, repressively acts against them, and refuses to join the Framework Convention on National Minorities of the Council of Europe, seriously worries our Community, which has suffered from mass violations of rights. France clearly aimed to achieve a mono-ethnic society. From this point of view, the reasons why France supports all the behavior of Armenia, which has achieved a mono-ethnic state through ethnic cleansing, against human rights, become clear. The fact that France, which calls itself a "country of human rights", has not expressed a single position about our rights is nothing more than supporting Armenia's ethnic cleansing policy. In the same way, France ignores the appeals made regarding the destruction of the cultural heritage of Azerbaijan in the territory of Armenia and the sending of the fact-finding mission of UNESCO there. France is trying to put pressure on Azerbaijan, where many ethnic minorities live in mutual understanding, and to justify Armenia's territorial claims. The Western Azerbaijan Community has chosen a peaceful, safe and dignified return approach. We would like to reiterate that it is our fundamental and basic right to return safely and with dignity under international guarantee and verification mechanisms. Our right of return is absolute and non-negotiable. We as a Community are determined to realize this right through peace and dialogue. The international community's support for the realization of this right is necessary for the establishment of the supremacy of human rights and peace, the appeal reads. Western Azerbaijan Community calls on France to end its policy of discrimination against national and religious minorities in its territory, to immediately join the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities of the Council of Europe, and fulfill its obligation as a permanent member of the UN Security Council to ensure the safe and dignified return of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia to their homes and support it. Speakers include top executives from Adobe, Veeam, Cloudflare and MIT Thought Leaders CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The MIT Sloan CIO Symposium , the nation's premier CIO conference, will bring CIOs and digital business executives together to learn, engage, and network around the theme of Driving Digital Resilience in a Turbulent World at its 20th annual Symposium, taking place on May 15-16, 2023 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Registration is now open. The MIT Sloan CIO Symposium is the premier global conference for CIOs and digital business executives where CIOs, CDOs and senior IT executives explore enterprise technology innovations, business practices and receive actionable information that enables them to meet the challenges of today and the future. For more information and to register for the Symposium, visit www.mitcio.com. (PRNewsfoto/MIT Sloan CIO Symposium) The Symposium will feature interactive panel discussions led by CIOs, technology executives, and MIT thought leaders, including Keri Pearlson, Executive Director, MIT Cybersecurity at MIT Sloan (CAMS); Michael Schrage, Fellow, MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy; Irving Wladawsky-Berger, Fellow, MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy; and Dr. George Westerman, Senior Lecturer, MIT Sloan School of Management. The CIOs, CDOs, senior IT executives, technology innovators, practicing peers, IT partners and MIT academic thought leaders in attendance from across the globe will have the opportunity to network and engage in interactive learning and thought-provoking discourse, while exploring topics such as leadership collaboration, cybersecurity, innovation, digital enterprise, AI and more. CIOs will gain an understanding of how to leverage these technologies and topics to shape the future of business. The full Symposium agenda is available here and highlights include: Panel: "CIO as Chief Resilience Officer: Building Cybersecurity Around Resilience Rather than Just Protection" Keri Pearlson, Executive Director, MIT Cybersecurity at MIT Sloan (CAMS) will discuss how to build a cybersecurity program around resilience, responding and recovering, rather than just protection. How are CIOs and CISOs building cyber resilient organizations? This session will address this new perspective on cyber security and how organizations today are thinking about resilience. Panel: "CIO as Chief Transformation Officer: Strengthening Digital Dexterity across the Entire Organization Dr. George Westerman, Senior Lecturer, MIT Sloan School of Management will discuss how CIOs are in a strong position to influence business outcomes by strengthening digital dexterity across an entire organization. They can help ensure that a company not only survives, but thrives after inevitable transformation. Only then can the enterprise experience transformation not as disruption, but as continuous transformation that leads to lasting success. Story continues With the purchase of this year's ticket, attendees will gain access to all the events taking place the evening before the panels. This includes the Innovation Showcase , highlighting 10 outstanding early-stage companies with cutting-edge solutions that combine both value and innovation to Enterprise IT; and the MIT Sloan CIO Leadership Award seated dinner where the 2023 Award Winner will be announced. Both of these events provide exceptional networking opportunities and take place on May 15 at The Royal Sonesta Hotel, 40 Edwin H. Land Boulevard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, at 4:30 p.m. In addition, MIT Sloan CIO Symposium tickets include full access to the online community where sessions will be live streamed and viewable on computer or mobile device for virtual attendees joining from across the globe on May 16 beginning at 8:15 a.m. Eastern, as well as access to all 2023 Symposium recordings. About the MIT Sloan CIO Symposium The MIT Sloan CIO Symposium is the premier global conference for CIOs and digital business executives to become more effective leaders. CIOs and senior IT executives explore enterprise technology innovations, business practices and receive actionable information that enables them to meet the challenges of today and the future. The Symposium offers a unique learning environment by bringing together the academic thought leadership of MIT with the in-the-trenches experience of leading global CIOs and industry experts. The MIT Sloan CIO Symposium is organized and developed by the MIT Sloan Boston Alumni Association. For more information and to register for this year's Symposium, click here . Editor's Note: Journalists interested in a press credential should contact Kim Schaefer, ( kim@warnerpr.com ), Warner Communications. Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/20th-annual-mit-sloan-cio-symposium-explores-driving-digital-resilience-in-a-turbulent-world-301773259.html SOURCE MIT Sloan CIO Symposium Recently, there has been a consistent tide of well crafted and highly regarded films coming out of Spain. Alcarras, The Beasts, Lullaby, La Maternal, Prison 77, to name just the five that the Spanish Academy Goyas singled out in early February. This level of quality, over a short period, is getting noticed internationally. Last week the Glasgow Film Festival, Scotlands largest, shone a light on eight films in its Viva el Cine Espanol program. A cultural moment is a strange beast, hard to fathom, but there are strong signals that Spanish Film is having one. More from Variety In addition to the aforementioned five, Glasgow added Andrea Bagneys debut Ramona, Wild Flowers, from Jaime Rosales, another debut with Elena Lopez Rieras The Water, and a Penelope Cruz starrer, in Juan Diego Bottos On The Fringe. Glasgows Festival co-director Allison Gardner told Variety: We seem to be seeing films both harking back to whats happened post-Franco, but also what modern Spain is today. Lullaby, La Maternal, and Ramona, all feel like theyre tackling modern issues in Spain, whereas Prison 77, for example, is looking back at what had happened, and is still relevant for all of us. Relevance is being rewarded with Estibaliz Urresola Solagurens debut feature, 20,000 Species of Bees, winning three awards at the Berlinale, while Albert Serras Pacifiction won two Cesar awards, and Rodrigo Sorogoyens The Beasts won the Cesar award for best foreign film. Not forgetting Simons Alcarras winning last years Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, and being shortlisted for the Oscars. The contrast of Spains history under Franco and its rapid progression to being the modern democracy of today provides a sea of fascinating stories and themes for filmmakers to explore to form their own stories. Rodrigo Sorogoyen, director of The Beasts, told Variety: What is Spanish is eminently Spanish, but it is not totally alien, neither to other countries nor to other national cinemas. Story continues The towering talents of a Saura, Bunuel, or Almodovar deserve their international reputation, but when an increasing number of filmmakers make their mark at once Spanish cinemas rising reputational tide will lift all proverbial boats. If audiences form a generality of Spanish Film = probably good, it will form a powerful incentive to those who fund, sell, and distribute films from the region. Its happened to other markets before think of the breakthroughs in 90s Korean Cinema, Nordic Noir, or Hong Kong Cinema all seeing a surge of interest at key moments in their history. Bagney, who directs Ramona, speculates whether the rise and rise of streaming and high quality series have spurred on and raised the bar for filmmakers attempting to stand out, Theres so much going on. I think thats forced filmmakers to strive beyond and, in order to call ourselves artists and filmmakers we really need to make a work of art. I think this is something thats a great opportunity for us in general. she says. Rodrigo Sorogoyen sees teamwork and a new generation as one factor, not only in directors, but in all departments. Now producers and directors go more hand in hand, we make films more together. There are usually teams that have already worked together for a long time, that have started together, from the beginning. And there is a change in the look, both in how to tell the stories, which tend more towards realism, and in the way of producing, of approaching the trade, he said.Support and incentives for the industry in Spain are growing. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is a known lover of cinema with voiced aspirations for Spain to be the Hollywood of Europe,. Theres policy to back this up with the countrys Audiovisual Hub plan offering 1.6 billion ($1.9 billion) of industry investment, significant tax breaks of up to 70% of spend to productions, and the $5.1 million over 2021-25, for the Spain Film Commissions Action Plan. If a final seal of approval was needed, it came last week with the announcement of Spain being the Country of Honor at Cannes Marche du Film. Domestic cinema attendance in general remain bleak, though Spanish films posted an upbeat 22.5% market share last year; the unknown unknowns of streaming still loom; but quality cinema is not going unnoticed, the world is waiting and, more encouragingly, watching Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Alec Baldwin Set Shooting (ASSOCIATED PRESS) A special prosecutor who doubles as a state legislator is stepping down from her role in the manslaughter case against actor Alec Baldwin in the death of a cinematographer on a New Mexico film set. Baldwins legal team in February sought to disqualify special prosecutor and Republican state Rep. Andrea Reeb of Clovis based on constitutional provisions that safeguard the separation of powers between distinct branches of government. Reeb said in a statement Tuesday that she will not allow questions about my serving as a legislator and prosecutor to cloud the real issue at hand. It has become clear that the best way I can ensure justice is served in this case is to step down so that the prosecution can focus on the evidence and the facts, Reeb said. District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies filed a notification in state district court and declined further comment. Baldwin and weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez-Reed have pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 18-months in prison and fines. Hutchins died shortly after being wounded Oct. 21, 2021, during rehearsals at a ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe. Baldwin was pointing a pistol at Hutchins when the gun went off, killing her and wounding the director, Joel Souza. A preliminary hearing is scheduled in May to decide whether the evidence is sufficient to proceed to a trial. Prosecutors say assistant director David Halls, who oversaw safety on set, has signed an agreement to plead guilty in the negligent use of a deadly weapon. In her role as legislator, Reeb has sponsored several criminal justice initiatives, including enhanced punishments for firearms violations. The Republican from Clovis steered clear of voting on public spending to prosecute Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed. She was excused from a House floor vote in February on a proposed state budget that includes $360,000 for special prosecution expenses in the fatal film-set shooting. On Tuesday, the North Carolina Economic Investment Committee unanimously voted to end its economic incentive agreements with three companies, including a pair that had announced major projects in Wake and Durham counties. In terms of initial job goals, the largest terminated project was for the printing company Xerox to create 600 new positions in Cary. In 2019, the company had pledged to invest $18.4 million in a Cary facility called the North Carolina Center of Excellence. The state enticed Xerox with an incentive package worth $16.4 million, including $12.3 million in future tax breaks if the company met annual hiring and investment targets over a 12-year period. Local governments set aside an additional $211,000 for the project. After the pandemic delayed construction, Xerox opened the Center in September 2020. But on March 6, Xerox CEO John Bruno wrote a letter to the five-person N.C. Economic Investment Committee (EIC) requesting the state terminate its grant. Driven by changes in Xerox direction, corporate strategy and current business conditions, Xerox no longer envisions meeting the job creation and investment targets, Bruno wrote. As of Jan. 1, he said, the company had a net of 163 new employees aligned to the Cary facility and employed 122 others in North Carolina who are not connected to the Center of Excellence. Bruno said no changes would be made to the center and that limited hiring will continue in support of business needs. State records indicate neither North Carolina nor local governments have disbursed any public money to Xerox in connection to its Cary facility. That the Xerox grant ended early isnt unusual. Since North Carolina began awarding job development investment grants, or JDIGs, in 2003, early-terminated grants have outnumbered completed grants by more than 3-to-1. An N&O analysis found that the majority of awarded JDIGs ended prematurely in every year but one between 2003 and 2015. Labcorp exits RTP agreement Besides Xerox, the state ended two more JDIGs Tuesday, including a 2018 grant for Labcorp, the major clinical lab-services company based in Burlington, N.C., to open an operations center in Research Triangle Park. The state offered Labcorp $8.2 million in tax rebates over a 12-year period if the company created 422 jobs and invested $30 million in the Durham County location. Story continues According to the Walden Model, the cost-benefit equation used by the state to calculate incentives, the Labcorp project was estimated to grow North Carolinas economy by $880 million. But on Feb. 22, a lawyer from the Raleigh law firm Parker Poe wrote to North Carolina Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders explaining why Labcorp sought to exit its agreement. Attorney Bruce Thompson explained Labcorp planned to break off its clinical development division into a new business, and thus the number of baseline employees required in the JDIG Agreement will be impacted by the planned spin-off. Thompson then noted the state has not distributed any public funds to the company in connection to its Durham agreement. State records do not list whether Labcorp has created any new jobs at the RTP facility. Another company cites pandemic for ending grant The third terminated grant on Tuesday was for the industrial company Dhollandia US to manufacture liftgates in Bessemer City, about 30 miles west of Charlotte. Awarded in 2017, the grant wouldve given the company up to $1.4 million if it created at least 135 jobs and met its investment goals over a 12-year period. Public records show $160,000 in local funds were spent on the site but that no state funds have been disbursed. Dhollandia says it currently employs 10 people at the Bessemer City site and invested $22.5 million to purchase the land and construct its facility. In a Feb. 25 letter to the EIC, Dhollandia CEO Georges Hoffmann said the North Carolina project was upended by the substantial increase in transport costs and raw materials that were seen after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dhollandia joins several other companies that cited the pandemic as cause for leaving their state economic agreements. The list includes the Cary communications firm Trilliant, which earlier this year said COVID-19 had slowed its hiring pace. And in November, the New Jersey-based IT management firm Conduent informed the state it wouldnt meet its job creation targets in Morrisville due to COVID and changing business conditions. This story was produced with financial support from a coalition of partners led by Innovate Raleigh as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work. Open Source Do you enjoy Triangle tech news? Subscribe to Open Source, The News & Observer's weekly technology newsletter and look for it in your inbox every Friday morning. Sign up here. BHOFACK2 - Getty Images St. Patricks Day is one of the ultimate holidays for eating and drinking. Whether youre making corned beef and cabbage, colcannon, or any green-tinted treats this year, youll want to wash it down with a festive beverage. A pint of Guinness, a shot of whiskey, or even a Baileys-spiked cocktail are staples at any Irish pubbut no drink stirs up more controversy than the Irish slammer, commonly known as the Irish car bomb. The History Of The Controversial Drink The infamous beverage includes a shot glass with equal parts Jameson Irish Whiskey and Baileys Irish cream, which is then dropped into a half pint of Guinness. Despite the name, the drink didnt originate in Ireland at all. It was first served in 1979 at Wilsons Saloon in Norwich, CT. The "car bomb" reference alludes to the bubbling and splashing that happens when the shot glass is dropped into the pintbut its historical association is problematic, to say the least. The cocktails name refers to a decades-long period of violence in Northern Ireland. The tensions are deeply rooted in the history of Ireland and its colonization by Great Britain starting in the late 12th century. Centuries of conflict later, the island was divided into the independent Republic of Ireland and British-ruled Northern Ireland. Beyond the difference in governments, the two territories were largely divided over religious linesCatholics in Ireland and Protestants in Northern Ireland. However, Catholic communities still lived in Northern Irish cities like Belfast and Derry and raised issues of systemic discrimination by the Protestant-controlled government. These conflicts came to a head in 1968 and were followed by a period known by many as the Troubles. The next 30 years were filled with sectarian violence, with the paramilitary group IRA regularly using car bombs as weapons. One day in 1972, known as Bloody Friday, involved the detonation of over 20 car bombs in Belfast. The events of that day, which killed nine people and left 130 people injured, remain a dark and painful moment in the regions history. Story continues Navy personnel who frequented Wilsons Saloon slowly introduced more Americans to the cocktail, and it became a household name in the 1980s and '90s after Guinness launched a widespread advertising campaign. Now, you can find revelers from coast to coast ordering the drink every St. Patrick's Day. Where you wont find this drink, naturally, is Ireland and England. Many bartenders across the pond will refuse to make the drink, and will likely get upset with anybody who orders it. Charles Burke Cronin Oat, the owner of Wilson's Saloon who invented the drink, has apologized and expressed regret for the name after public pushback from IRA victim-support groups. If you invent a drink such as the car bomb, as I did so long ago, beware! Oat wrote in his essay The Car-Bomb: The Creation of An Historic Cocktail. You never know if it might become famous, so pick the name carefully. IRA and car bomb are cool in the bar scene, but in the reality of today NOT. Is It Okay To Order One? So the question remains: is it okay to order an Irish slammer? It depends on what Irish person you ask, says Darby Reagan, an Irish American researcher who grew up in the restaurant industry. If they weren't old enough to be alive during the Troubles, it's not unreasonable at all to assume they had family that were impacted by it." With several years of bartending experience under her belt, Reagan is no stranger to people ordering the drink, but she would never drink controversial cocktail herself. "I like to steer clear of bringing up memories of national tragedies," she says. "I doubt many of the people ordering [the drink] on St. Paddy's are truly understanding of the gravitas of those times and the effect it had on the Irish peopleit's named after a deeply horrifying event." For those who enjoy the flavor and experience of the cocktail, many bars and publications have renamed the drink to avoid offense. This drink may appear on menus as the Dublin Drop, Irish Shot, and as we call it, the Irish Slammer. But even the brands whose products are in the drink have distanced themselves from it. We are proud of the role our brands play in celebrating occasions such as St Patricks Day, said a Diageo spokeswoman, according to The Guardian. The British parent company owns both Guinness and Baileys. We have a stringent marketing code which ensures that we promote only the responsible consumption of our brands. As such we do not seek to support drinks such as the Irish Car Bomb. Without the support of the alcohol brands associated with the drink, many people of Irish and English descent, or even the founder of the cocktail itself, its safe to say that you should avoid ordering it entirely. "There are better drinks that won't offend the heritage you are celebrating," Reagan says. "If you want the Guinness, grab a pint. If you want the whiskey, grab a Jameson. If you want the sweetness and a shot that doesn't breathe fire down your neck, a baby Guinness shot is a sweet alternative that won't offend." But if you really need to chug a glass of stout and curdled Baileys, you should probably just make the recipe at home. You Might Also Like The New Mexico Supreme Court will convene on April 3 in Espanola as part of a civics education program allowing students to learn about and witness the role of the judicial system in our democracy. This is the third year for the Rule of Law Program, which allows students to attend an oral argument in person or watch it virtually. The Supreme Court Law Library has prepared a lesson plan and case summary materials for participating schools. At the oral argument, attorneys will explain their positions on the legal issues in a criminal case appeal and the justices can ask questions to clarify matters. While the Court deliberates in private after the hearing, attorneys for the parties will remain to answer questions from students. Justice David K Thomson Watching a court proceeding helps students understand the role of the judiciary and the rule of law the principle that all people and institutions answer to the same laws and are treated equally and fairly under those laws. The judiciary upholds the rule of law by providing a forum to bring forth grievances, injuries and alleged violations of the law for resolution. U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens once wrote that it is the confidence in the men and women who administer the judicial system that is the true backbone of the rule of law. In the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Marbury v. Madison, Justice John Marshall reminded us that it is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is. Those who apply the rule to particular cases, must of necessity expound and interpret the rule. If two laws conflict with each other, the courts must decide on the operation of each. The first two years of the Rule of Law Program were incredibly successful, notwithstanding the limits imposed by the coronavirus pandemic. Last year, the Court held an in-person oral argument in Las Cruces and provided access to the public through a live stream. We plan to do the same this year at the Nick Salazar Center for the Fine Arts on the campus of Northern New Mexico College. Schools are invited to have their students attend. Story continues The oral argument on April 3 will begin at 1 p.m. The Court will consider a case State v. King that raises questions about state and federal constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. The case involves a traffic stop in Farmington and subsequent arrest of the driver on an outstanding warrant. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot and a search warrant was obtained. A central legal question is whether the constitution allows law enforcement in New Mexico to seize a persons vehicle after an arrest without exigent circumstances. That, generally speaking, means something so urgent that it requires immediate action and creates an exception to the general requirement to obtain a warrant under the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Article II, Section 10 of the New Mexico Constitution. Schools should contact Tamara Mitchell in my office, at 505-827-4932, suptdm@nmcourts.gov, if they are interested in having students attend the oral argument in person or remotely. I also am available to visit schools or student groups to discuss the judicial process and rule of law if they are unable to attend the oral argument in person. On behalf of each member of the Court, we look forward to this opportunity to engage students in learning more about our judicial system and its role in our democracy. This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Supreme Court offers civic education program for students President Trump has gotten increasingly aggressive in attacking Ron DeSantis (R) as the Florida governor inches toward a presidential campaign, posing potentially the biggest threat to date to Trumps bid for the GOPs 2024 nomination. While Trump has lobbed plenty of schoolyard taunts and nicknames toward his onetime ally, the former president in recent days showed how he will also look to highlight some of DeSantiss past policy views to dampen support for the governor among Republican voters. Its a surprise move for the former president, who wasnt known as a policy wonk during his four years at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Even more surprising, the policy-based attacks have shown some signs of landing as the two Floridians battle ahead of the GOP primary fight. Ethanol rules Trump on Monday in Davenport, Iowa, went after DeSantis on an issue near and dear to many Iowans: ethanol. Iowa leads the country in ethanol production, making production of the fuel compound critical for the states economy. Trump took aim at DeSantis over his support as a congressman for a bill that would have ended the Renewable Fuel Standard, a mandate that ethanol account for a specific percentage of the nations fuel supply. [DeSantis] strongly opposed ethanol. Do you know that? Trump told a crowd of supporters. And we dont even know if hes running. But I might as well tell you. If hes not running, Ill say he was fine on ethanol, dont worry about it. He strongly opposed ethanol and fought against it at every turn, and hes going to do that again because people that come out early for something, thats where they go, Trump continued. So he may do something politically, but he was very, very bad on ethanol, he fought it all the way. The line of attack could be particularly effective in Iowa, which hosts the first caucus of the GOP primary and where agriculture and ethanol are important to the states economy. Trump may face some skepticism from Iowa farmers over his past support for tariffs and trade wars, which during his administration predominantly hurt farmers who were unable to export their crops to China. He also granted ethanol waivers to some smaller fuel refineries while he was president. Story continues A Des Moines Register poll published last week found 80 percent of them hold a mostly favorable or very favorable opinion of Trump, a higher rating than any other potential GOP presidential candidate. Seventy-five percent said they had a very or mostly favorable view of DeSantis. Social Security and Medicare Trump has tried to distance himself from other would-be challengers for the nomination on the issue of entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare, and this week he zeroed in on DeSantis. He also fought against Social Security, Trump said in Davenport. He wanted to decimate it and voted against it three times. Voted against Social Security, thats a bad one. A lot of people dont know that, but I think theyve been finding out over the past four weeks. One of the reasons were zooming in the polls, perhaps. Trump pointed to DeSantiss prior support as a congressman for raising the minimum retirement age to 70. CNN reported that DeSantis in 2012 spoke on the campaign trail about privatizing Social Security, and as a congressman he backed nonbinding budget resolutions to raise the retirement age to 70 for seniors to collect Social Security benefits. The Florida governor in recent interviews sought to distance himself from those previous positions. Were not going to mess with Social Security as Republicans, DeSantis told Fox News earlier this month. I think that thats pretty clear. While Trump has repeatedly vowed in recent weeks that he would not cut Social Security or Medicare as president putting a marker down ahead of a budget fight where some Republicans are likely to say changes to the programs should be on the table Democratic officials have noted Trumps budget proposals while he was president called for cuts to those programs. Support for Ukraine DeSantis caused a stir among Republicans this week when he told Fox News host Tucker Carlson in a statement that he does not view support for Ukraine in its war against Russia as part of Americas vital national interests. While DeSantiss skepticism over support for Ukraine is broadly aligned with Trumps own comments on the war, the former president still took issue with how the governor landed there. It is a flip-flop. He was totally different. Whatever I want, he wants, Trump told a group of reporters on his personal plane on Monday, according to CBS News. Trumps comments appeared to be referencing DeSantiss stance toward Ukraine as a congressman, when he was critical of the Obama administration for not doing more in response to Russias annexation of Crimea. CNN reported that DeSantis in 2014 and 2015 advocated for sending defensive and offensive weapons to Ukraine. The then-congressman also voted to refuse funding for a new missile treaty with Russia over its annexation of Crimea, the outlet reported. For his part, Trump told Carlson opposing Russias war in Ukraine is not in Americas vital interests, but it is in Europes. That is why Europe should be paying far more than we are, or equal, Trump wrote in response to a questionnaire from the Fox News host. Nikki Haley, another GOP presidential hopeful for 2024, piled on in a statement of her own, saying President Trump is right when he says Governor DeSantis is copying himfirst in his style, then on entitlement reform, and now on Ukraine Republicans deserve a choice, not an echo. COVID-19 response Another area where Trump has tested out attacks on DeSantis is on his response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a potentially risky strategy given some conservatives view the handling of the virus as a weakness for Trump. Trump earlier this year made several comments targeting the governor for his decisions in the weeks and months after the outbreak in 2020. There are Republican governors that did not close their states; Florida was closed for a long period of time, Trump said, adding that he felt DeSantis and his team were trying to rewrite history. While DeSantis did eventually issue an order urging residents to stay at home in the early weeks of the pandemic, Florida was among the last states to do so. And the order ended in May, with DeSantis moving to reopen businesses, beaches, and schools more rapidly than many other states despite criticism about triggering an outbreak of the virus. Many GOP strategists believe Trumps response to the pandemic could actually be a vulnerability for him both among the Republican primary electorate, who may view him as too reliant on Anthony Fauci and other experts while in the White House, and among general election voters who believe Trump spread misinformation and did not take the virus seriously. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters Credit Suisse will receive liquidity if needed, a Swiss regulator and the country's central bank said late Wednesday. Credit Suisse "meets the capital and liquidity requirements imposed on systemically important banks," the authorities said. Credit Suisse shares crashed on Wednesday after its largest shareholder said no more financial backing will be granted. Credit Suisse will be issued liquidity if the lender needs it, a Swiss regulator and the country's central bank said late Wednesday, offering some measure of reassurance during market turmoil surrounding the company. Credit Suisse meets the country's "strict" capital and liquidity requirements imposed on systemically important banks, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority, or FINMA, and the Swiss National Bank said in a joint statement. "If necessary, the SNB will provide CS with liquidity," the entities said. Credit Suisse's shares crashed Wednesday after one of the bank's biggest shareholders said it would not lend any further financial support. "The answer is absolutely not, for many reasons outside the simplest reason, which is regulatory and statutory," Saudi National Bank Chairman Ammar Al Khudairy said in a Bloomberg interview, responding to whether it would provide more funding for Credit Suisse. Credit Suisse's troubles were at the center of a market sell-off in the US and Europe on Wednesday. The bank published its annual report on Tuesday after a delay because the Securities and Exchange Commission questioned some changes it had made related to cash flow statements from three years ago. Credit Suisse in its annual report had identified "material weaknesses" in its financial reporting. The regulator and the SNB also asserted the "problems of certain banks in the USA" do not pose a direct risk of contagion for the Swiss financial markets - a nod to last week's seizure of Silicon Valley Bank by US regulators. Read the original article on Business Insider Beach in Kampen, Sylt, Germany. Beach in Kampen, Sylt, Germany. Credit - Maximilian Mannlaif/Redux The Fresian island of Sylt, a narrow slip of prime beachfront between the North and Wadden seas, first formed 800 years ago, but the scenic destination proffering luxe getaways only recently received the label the Hamptons of Hamburg. Still, Sylt is much more than a beach town. These days, those arriving by train, plane, and ferry, are increasingly focused on preserving the shoreline. Its easy to explore Sylts central villages on foot or by electric bicycle. Refresh your wardrobe at Outback, the islands oldest concept shop, which curates modern looks from international designers, in Westerland. And dont leave without sampling Royal Sylter oysters under the thatched roof at Tipkens by famed German chef Nils Henkel, which just debuted this March at Severins Resort & Spa in Keitum. New resorts, like the futuristic health spa Lanserhof Sylt, operate in harmony with the environment, tucking the latest medical technology under low thatched roofs that dot the landscape and mud flats that contain a delicate and diverse ecosystem of peacock butterflies and porpoises, whose home is now protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Guests at Lanserhof restore their bodiesfueled by the resorts tea and broth programwith cutting-edge cell-regeneration therapies and more traditional saunas. If its a minibar and gourmet cuisine youre after, youll be better suited at Solring Hof Hotel, where the islands only two-Michelin-starred restaurant will reopen in April following renovations. The 25 miles of beaches, dotted with the islands signature wind-guarded blue-and-white-striped wicker beach chairs, are a draw, but for a crowd-free experience, private reserves like the west coasts Hundstrand Rotes Kliff beach, and the Ellenbogen, an elbow of protected shoreline near the Danish border that forms the islands northern peninsula, charge small fees (around $5) that are spent to help prevent beach erosion. But its not just out-of-pocket costs that will preserve Sylt for the next generation; guests are also encouraged to shake out the sand from their shoes before they leave. Tennessee's attorney general is jumping into the First Amendment debate over religious liberty in the U.S., joining other states in issuing support for a number of high-profile issues. Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a collation of 19 state attorneys general on Tuesday in filing an amicus brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear Gregory Tucker v. Faith Bible Chapel, a case regarding the firing of a Colorado chaplain following a 2018 sermon. The brief marks the third religion-focused case in recent months from Skrmetti, who was appointed in September 2022 after serving as chief counsel to Gov. Bill Lee. Jonathan Skrmetti Skrmetti also joined 19 other attorneys general in February in condemning a leaked memo from the Federal Bureau of Investigation that assesses the threat of radical Catholics, and 20 other attorneys general on March 1 in support of a Kentucky-based wedding photographers religious liberty and free speech rights to deny services to a same-sex couple. The briefs mark three of seven joined by Skrmetti this year. Skrmetti expresses support for 'ministerial exception' in case of chaplain fired after preaching sermon Tuesdays amicus brief supports a faith-based Colorado school in arguing that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit misapplied the ministerial exception which bars legal claims against church bodies by their employees who carry out religious functions in allowing a federal lawsuit filed by a former teacher and school chaplain to proceed against the school. Tucker, a former chaplain at the school, led a service discussing racial issues in 2018. Religious freedom nonprofit law firm Becket, representing the school, stated that Tucker became too political and handled an ensuing conflict in a way that contributed to division in the school and undermined the trust that school leadership and parents had in him, resulting in his firing. Tucker filed a lawsuit against the school, accusing them of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and Colorado law. Story continues Seeking to dismiss the lawsuit, Faith Christian cited the ministerial exception in justifying the chaplains firing. But the district court rejected the school's claim for summary judgment on the issue. In June 2022, a 2-1 panel vote of the Tenth Circuit held that Faith Christian Academy could not appeal the district courts decision. Months later, the full appellate court refused by a 6-4 vote to overturn the district courts decision. The new brief from the coalition of attorneys general contends that the ministerial exception should be definitively ruled upon early in litigation by a court, and that the courts decision should be immediately appealable, as it protects religious organizations from improper and invasive inquiries into their leadership decisions, doctrines, and dogma. Residents "should be free to choose religious ministers without fear of government meddling," the brief said. 'A profound interest' in supporting free-speech rights of photographer Skrmetti joined a coalition of 20 states in filing an amicus brief before the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in support of the religious liberty and free speech of a Louisville, Kentucky-based wedding photographer, who declined to take custom photographs at a same-sex wedding. A federal district court ruled in favor of photographer Chelsea Nelson in late 2022, after she filed a lawsuit against the city of Louisville in 2019, alleging its Fairness Ordinance violated her constitutional rights as a Christian because it could force her to take photos at same-sex weddings. In the brief, the coalition argues that in this case, the ordinance violates the photographers rights under the Free Speech Clause and Kentuckys Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The coalition expressed their "profound interest" in the outcome of the case. Leaked FBI document causes backlash, questions of religious persecution A leaked threat assessment document from the Federal Bureau of Investigations Richmond, Virginia office is receiving backlash from Skrmetti and 19 other attorneys general after its February publication. The nine leaked pages, which first debuted on a conservative news blog, detail an assessment of violent extremists in radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology. The FBI defined radical-traditionalist Catholics as those having a frequent adherence to anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ and white supremacist ideology. The memorandum distinguishes between what the FBI deems acceptable and unacceptable Catholic beliefs and practices, Skrmetti said in a February news release. The memorandum suggests that the Catholic church includes radical traditionalists who could be racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists. The FBI has disavowed the document and launched an internal review, according to Skrmetti's office. I am proud to have worked with many honorable FBI agents and supervisors to prosecute sex traffickers, corrupt public officials, and violent white supremacists, Skrmetti said. The FBI does a lot of good work. But we have seen that, without fail, every time any part of the Bureau veers away from its core mission and works instead to enforce political orthodoxy, it brings shame to the agency and harms its ability to protect Americans. The USA Today Network - Tennessee's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Have a story to tell? Reach Angele Latham by email at alatham@gannett.com, by phone at 731-343-5212, or follow her on Twitter at @angele_latham This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee attorney general weighs in on religious liberty cases As Delawareans may have noticed, our state has begun to gather input on the adoption of new clean cars standards. This would cut pollution from passenger cars by slowly increasing the number of electric vehicles and hybrids available and sold in the state over the next 10 to 12 years. As news of this captures attention, we have seen a surge in opposition amongst state legislators and the media, mischaracterizing the clean cars program as a ban on gas-powered cars. It is time to set the record straight. Moving toward a cleaner, healthier future for Delawareans does not equal a ban on gas-powered cars. The idea that we are going to be banning gas cars certainly gets your attention, and that is why it is making headlines and email subject lines. It fires people up and drives them to action, but it doesn't reflect reality. What would it mean to ban gas cars? Would gas cars be illegal to own or drive? Would someone come take your gas car away? Perhaps it would be illegal to buy or register any gas-powered car? The answers to all of these questions is no. All of these thoughts work well to rile people up, but it does not reflect full reality of what clean cars standards would mean in Delaware. Certain elected officials have declared that 35% of people will be forced or mandated to buy EVs in 2025, but that is simply untrue. How would that work? Would there be a lottery at dealerships or at the DMV? Of course not, because again this idea is just not based in reality. We are not talking about any kind of policy that would require all Delaware car buyers to purchase an EV, or raise prices or fees on gas-powered cars to force you to drive a particular type of vehicle. The Advanced Clean Cars II program, which has been or is being adopted in neighboring states like Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Virginia, Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts, will cut tailpipe pollution by requiring the car makers, not car buyers, to increase the number of new, cleaner vehicles delivered and sold in Delaware. This means more electric, plug-in hybrid (which have a gasoline engine), or hydrogen vehicles will be available for purchase in Delaware, giving buyers more choices when purchasing new cars. Used cars, which the majority of buyers purchase, are entirely unaffected by this program. Story continues Electric vehicle charging station at Tanger Outlets Bayside location in Rehoboth Beach. Automakers have already made commitments to transitioning rapidly to electric vehicles. Nearly all of the major car makers have declared on national prime time TV (many during the past two Super Bowls) that they will no longer make gas cars after 2030 or 2035. The clean cars program will ensure that Delaware car buyers will have the same choices as our neighboring states, with the added important benefit of cleaning our air and cutting climate-harming pollution. We know there is a growing demand in Delaware for cleaner cars, but we also know that it is next to impossible to buy one in Delaware. With the adoption of this program, Delawareans would see more of these cleaner options at their local car dealer and no longer have to look out-of-state or purchase them online. ACC II adoption will ensure automakers prioritize Delaware and provide these options to support your choices all while keeping sales within the state, helping the local economy. The majority of Delawareans and people across the country want a managed transition toward electric and other zero-emissions vehicles during which the market can grow and adjust, and the private sector can fund a larger portion of the infrastructure needed to make the switch. That is exactly what Delaware, and many other states, both Red and Blue, are trying to accomplish by adopting Advanced Clean Cars II. Without fully adopting ACC II in Delaware as swiftly as possible, the world around us will continue to transition to cleaner cars and Delawareans risk having fewer local car buying options in the future. Tailpipe pollution from gas-powered vehicles will continue to harm our health, and private investments will likely continue to skip over our state. By rejecting this program, we will be playing catch up with every other state in the region. To be clear, the Advanced Clean Cars II program is not a ban on gas cars. it is a way to provide a managed transition while offering more choices, boosting our economy and protecting the health and environment of all Delawareans. Dustyn Thompson is chapter director of the Sierra Club Delaware Chapter. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware ban on gas cars is false PARIS, FRANCE / ACCESSWIRE / March 16, 2023 / Abivax SA (Euronext Paris:FR0012333284 - ABVX), a Phase 3 clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing therapeutics that modulate the immune system to treat patients with chronic inflammatory diseases, today announces an update of its 2023 Financial Communications Calendar due to a technical adjustment of the Abivax Board of Director's Meeting to approve the financial statement 2022 as well as the resolutions to be submitted to the General Assembly 2023. Following the successful pricing of an oversubscribed EUR 130M financing on February 22, 2023, the Company expanded its cash runway until the end of the second quarter of 2024. Further, Abivax would like to remind its shareholders that the Company has no exposure to any liquidity concern at any U.S. financial institution. Abivax 2023 Financial Communication Calendar Wednesday, April 19, 2023 Publication of financial statements as of December 31, 2022 Friday, April 28, 2023 Publication and release of the 2022 annual financial report Monday, June 5, 2023 - 10.00 a.m. (CEST) Shareholders' meeting Thursday, September 14, 2023 Publication of financial statements as of June 30, 2023 Friday, September 29, 2023 Publication and release of 2023 half year report About Abivax (www.abivax.com) Abivax is a Phase 3 clinical stage biotechnology company, focused on developing therapeutics that modulate the immune system to treat patients with chronic inflammatory diseases. Abivax, founded by Truffle Capital, is listed on Euronext compartment B (ISIN: FR0012333284 - Mnemo: ABVX). Based in Paris and Montpellier, Abivax's lead drug candidate, obefazimod (ABX464), is in Phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of ulcerative colitis. More information on the company is available at www.abivax.com . Follow us on Twitter @ABIVAX_. Contacts: Abivax Communications Regina Jehle regina.jehle@abivax.com +33 6 24 50 69 63 Investors LifeSci Advisors Ligia Vela-Reid lvela-reid@lifesciadvisors.com +44 7413 825310 Press Relations & Investors Europe MC Services AG Anne Hennecke anne.hennecke@mc-services.eu +49 211 529 252 22 Public Relations France Actifin Ghislaine Gasparetto ggasparetto@actifin.fr +33 6 21 10 49 24 Public Relations France Primatice Thomas Roborel de Climens thomasdeclimens@primatice.com +33 6 78 12 97 95 Public Relations USA Rooney Partners LLC Jeanene Timberlake jtimberlake@rooneypartners.com +1 646 770 8858 DISCLAIMER This press release contains forward-looking statements, forecasts and estimates (including patient recruitment) with respect to certain of the Company's programs. Although Abivax' management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors are cautioned that forward-looking information and statements are subject to various risks, contingencies and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of Abivax, that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. A description of these risks, contingencies and uncertainties can be found in the documents filed by the Company with the French Autorite des Marches Financiers pursuant to its legal obligations including its registration document (Document d'Enregistrement Universel). These risks, contingencies and uncertainties include among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, future clinical data and analysis, decisions by regulatory authorities, such as the FDA or the EMA, regarding whether and when to approve any drug, as well as their decisions regarding labelling and other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of such product candidates. Special consideration should be given to the potential hurdles of clinical and pharmaceutical development including further assessment by the company and regulatory agencies and IRBs/ethics committees following the assessment of preclinical, pharmacokinetic, carcinogenicity, toxicity, CMC and clinical data. Furthermore, these forward-looking statements, forecasts and estimates are only as of the date of this press release. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Abivax disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, forecasts or estimates to reflect any subsequent changes that the Company becomes aware of, except as required by law. Information about pharmaceutical products (including products currently in development) which is included in this press release is not intended to constitute an advertisement. This press release is for information purposes only, and the information contained herein does not constitute either an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe securities of the Company in any jurisdiction, in particular in France. Similarly, it does not give and should not be treated as giving investment advice. It has no connection with the investment objectives, financial situation or specific needs of any recipient. It should not be regarded by recipients as a substitute for exercise of their own judgement. All opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice. The distribution of this document may be restricted by law in certain jurisdictions. Persons into whose possession this document comes are required to inform themselves about and to observe any such restrictions SOURCE: Abivax View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/744244/Abivax-Adjusts-its-2023-Financial-Communication-Calendar A think tank created by a Palantir co-founder is behind a slew of bills criminalizing homeless encampments A Seattle Police officer walks past a woman packing up her belongings as a homeless encampment is cleared Monday, May 4, 2020, at Ballard Commons Park in Seattle. AP Photo/Ted S. Warren Legislation criminalizing homeless encampments is proliferating across the country. A think tank created by a Palantir co-founder is behind model legislation banning "public camping." So far, Texas and Missouri have passed laws making public camping a Class C misdemeanor. Homelessness continues to be a crisis across America. Many states and cities have taken a punitive approach to the problem, making homeless encampments illegal. A think tank created by Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale has been pushing those laws. The Austin-based Cicero Institute has worked for several years to pass laws in a slew of states criminalizing "public camping," levying fines and jail time against those who seek shelter in outdoor public places, Vice recently reported. In 2021, Texas became the first state to pass a Cicero-inspired state-wide law, making public camping a Class C misdemeanor punishable with up to a $500 fine. The law also blocks local governments from adopting less stringent punishments by stripping state funding for any city that doesn't implement it. "This law seeks to push Texans experiencing homelessness out of sight. And, if they don't comply with the ban, it criminalizes their living condition," Eric Samuels, president and CEO of the Texas Homeless Network, said in a statement at the time. The Texas law was passed after Austin, which is facing a severe shortage of affordable housing, ended its ban on homeless encampments in 2019 and then voted to reinstate it in 2021. Missouri passed a version of Cicero's model bill late last year. Several other states including Kansas, Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma have also proposed legislation based on Cicero's bill, Stateline found. Critics argue the legislation hides homelessness, but doesn't effectively address it. By giving those experiencing homelessness criminal records, it also makes it even more difficult for individuals to find permanent shelter and employment. Cicero is opposed to permanent supportive housing for those experiencing homelessness, despite significant evidence that "housing first" policies addressing chronic homelessness are more effective. Story continues The Cicero Institute didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Palantir, the tech giant also founded by GOP mega-donor Peter Thiel, works with various law enforcement agencies and governments on massive data and surveillance projects. Read the original article on Business Insider Screengrab from The Shamrock Irish Pub and Eatery's Facebook Screengrab from The Shamrock Irish Pub and Eatery's Facebook Three California restaurants were recognized among the best Irish pubs in the U.S. just in time for St. Patricks Day on March 17. All three serve traditional Irish dishes and drinks, including Guinness and Irish whiskey. Yelp released a list of the 25 pubs in the U.S. & Canada that make you feel like youre in Ireland on March 1. Pubs in three Southern California cities landed a spot on the list, in Murrieta, Santa Clarita and Rancho Mirage. To find the top 25 Irish pubs in the U.S. and Canada, Yelp said it identified businesses in the Irish Pub category. Those businesses were then ranked on the total volume and ratings of reviews, among other factors. The Shamrock Irish Pub and Eatery Murrieta At No. 6, Yelp reviewers boast about the Irish food, the live music and the Guinness thats poured right at the The Shamrock Irish Pub and Eatery in Murrieta. The Shamrock has the feel and looks like a pub in Ireland. The rustic wood accouterments give it that genuine pub feel, one reviewer said. The pub has live music every day, including dueling pianos, Celtic music and other Irish artists, to entertain guests as they dine. Some Yelp favorites include Irish egg rolls, shepherds pie and corned beef and cabbage. The egg rolls are just like a Ruben in an egg roll, one reviewer said. They are stuffed with corned beef, green onions, Swiss cheese, cabbage and fried in a crispy batter. The rolls are served with a thousand island sauce. Murrieta is about 85 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. Maginns Irish Pub Santa Clarita Maggins Irish Pub serves all kinds of classic Irish fare at its Santa Clarita restaurant, which ranked No. 7 on Yelps list. If you are looking for an authentic Irish Pub in Santa Clarita, this is it, one Yelp reviewer wrote. The restaurant first welcomes guests with its bright blue entrance. Once inside, guests can sit at the hand-crafted Victorian-style bar or at a table within the cozy eatery. Story continues Highly rated menu options from reviewers include fish and chips, cottage pie, Maginns pub burger and bangers and champ (Irish sausages with mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables and gravy). Delicious fish and chips, a truly incredible pub burger, fresh chips, a wonderful-looking stew and cottage pie, another Yelp reviewer said. All the classics, but very very well done. Santa Clarita is about 35 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. OCaines Irish Pub Rancho Mirage OCaines Irish Pub ranked No. 23 among the top 25 Irish pubs in the country. The Pub is larger than appears from outside and a fun place to hang out, one reviewer wrote. Yelp reviewers left high ratings for the fish and chips, bangers and mash, chicken sandwich and scotch egg. I had the bangers and mash, which I was very impressed with, I highly recommend the scotch eggs and the sticky toffee pudding is a customer favourite for a reason! another reviewer said. Rancho Mirage is about 120 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Krispy Kreme to give away free doughnuts but only if you wear this. What to know Best pizza shops in the US? California has 5 and one spot ranks No. 1, Yelp says California is home to 22 of the most beloved restaurants in the US, rankings show The Portuguese union representing public administration workers abroad has announced its intention to hold a 13-day strike in April due to a lack of response from government officials to fundamental questions, noting that the walkout will cause even greater chaos at consulates. Rosa Teixeira Ribeiro, the secretary-general for the union of consular workers and diplomatic missions abroad (STCDE), told Lusa news agency on Wednesday that the proposed strike will take place on April 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 24 at consular offices and diplomatic missions around the world, as well as cultural centers associated with the Camoes cooperation institute. We have started negotiations in a good way, Ribeiro said, while pointing out that the two counter-proposals presented by the union for the revision of salary scales remained unanswered after several meetings with representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is happening despite the union having agreed with the amounts proposed for 70% of the countries and listed the disagreements, she said. The last counter-proposal was presented on Jan. 31, more than six weeks ago, she stressed. It is incomprehensible how such a well-attended process suddenly finds itself at this stage, where there is not even a response. According to recent job advertisements, the gross salary for an entry level position at the local Portuguese Consulate is about 1,680 euros ($1,777) per month or 23,520 euros ($24,878) per year since they are paid for the equivalent of 14 months (an extra month at vacation time and at Christmas). Ribeiro said the proposed strike is a protest against the absence of a response and its being called because texts that were negotiated, consensual - such as the new exchange rate correction mechanism and the regulation of Camoes cooperation institute workers abroad - have still not been published in the official gazette. We were shocked because we had a meeting on Feb. 13 on the absence of social protection, where they wanted to postpone discussion of these issues until the end of the negotiations, Ribeiro told Lusa. Social protection is not negotiable; these issues have to be dealt with in parallel. Story continues Ribeiro noted that the current situation is unaffordable for consular workers, and the recruitment tenders that are being launched have unattractive salaries. In addition, she said, the fact that all public administration workers in Portugal have had their salaries updated, which has not been applied to those working abroad, has hit the union very badly. We cant be considered second class employees. We are first class, she said. Ribeiro said the strike will only be cancelled if the new exchange rate correction mechanism, the regulation of Camoes overseas cooperation institute workers and the response to the union counterproposal are published. We are going on strike, she said. Closing the [consular] posts four days a week will cause even greater chaos, but its the only way we can make ourselves heard. This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Union of Portuguese consular workers and diplomatic missions abroad calls for 13-day strike in April Although Stassi Schroeder has experienced many ups and downs in her career, including being fired from Vanderpump Rules in 2020, she's still amassed an impressive amount of money. Keep reading to see how Stassi makes money! What Is Stassi Schroeder's Net Worth? The former Bravo star has an estimated net worth of $2 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Her accomplishments go beyond appearing on TV. In addition to her time as a SURver, the Louisiana native is a blogger, podcast host and author. Stassi Schroeder Talks Postpartum Journey at 7 Weeks: I Thought it Would Be Easier to Bounce Back How Does Stassi Schroeder Make Money? Her former podcast "Straight Up With Stassi" was launched in 2015 and covered "topics like pop culture, friendships, relationships, behind the scenes of Vanderpump Rules," according to her website. However, when Stassi was fired from Bravo following former castmate Faith Stowers accusing her and Kristen Doute of past racist behavior, her podcast was removed from all platforms. The Basically Stassi alum and Kristen were both fired from Vanderpump Rules after being accused of racist behavior toward Faith, who is Black. The former Pump Rules cast member joined an Instagram Live with Floribama Shore star Candace Rice and said Stassi and Kristen called the cops and falsely accused her of a crime she didn't commit. Additionally, allegations were made that Stassi and Kristen called Faith's hair "nappy." After Faith's comments, Stassi also lost multiple partnerships, including vitamin brand Ritual and shaving brand Billie. Stassi spoke out about the allegations days later and took accountability for her past actions. "I did not recognize then the serious ramifications that could have transpired because of my actions," she wrote on Instagram at the time. "What I did to Faith was wrong. I apologize and I do not expect forgiveness. I am also sorry to anyone else that feels disappointed in me. I am going to continue to look closer at myself and my actions to take the time to listen, to learn and to take accountability for my own privilege." Story continues In addition to her podcasts, she also landed on the New York Times' bestsellers list for her 2019 book, Next Level Basic: The Definitive Basic Bitch Handbook. Stassi also addressed her 2020 cancellation in her second book, Off With My Head: The Definitive Basic B*tch Handbook to Surviving Rock Bottom, calling the time period "a straight-up horror movie" but also acknowledging that she "made mistakes, huge ones." What Does Stassi Schroeder Do Now? Since the drama, Stassi married longtime love Beau Clark in October 2020, and they welcomed baby No. 1, daughter Hartford Charlie Rose Clark, in January 2021. They tied the knot for the second time in May 2022 in Rome, Italy. Stassi is currently pregnant with their second child, a baby boy, which she announced in March 2023. In March 2021, Stassi announced she and Beau were launching a parenting podcast called "The Good The Bad The Baby." Becoming a parent is literally the best, most fking overwhelming magical chaotic incredible thing thats ever happened to me and I am so excited to start sharing the good, the bad, the messy, the little moments, the WTF?! and everything in between, she wrote on Instagram at the time to announce the news. Greenville County's Woodmont High School and Anderson District 5's Southwood Academy of the Arts were named as 2023 Palmettos Finest Schools Wednesday, March 16, earning one of South Carolinas highest achievements. The announcement was made across the state and broadcast live in the schools on SCETV. Re-watch the broadcast here. According to a press release from Greenville County Schools, Woodmont Principal Joe Foster shared at the school's event, Every student, every day. This mantra has been a guiding light for us for the last five years. We believe in our students. When they succeed, we succeed. When they fall short, we fall short. I am honored beyond words by the Palmettos Finest recognition and know the credit for this accomplishment rests on our student body and faculty for whom I am grateful. "We are so incredibly proud of Principal (James) Smith and the entire SAA community of faculty, staff, and students. Congratulations on this prestigious and well-deserved honor!" a post on the Anderson School District 5 Facebook page stated. The South Carolina Association of School Administrators (SCASA) presents the awards each year to schools that offer the best in innovative, effective educational programs. The Palmettos Finest Awards Program is celebrating its 45th year. The selection process includes a review of a school's program, focusing on the impact the school is making on the lives of students and the community. GCS Superintendent Dr. Burke Royster said, What a great distinction and honor to be named a Palmettos Finest School. This is a tremendous and well-deserved recognition for the outstanding progress Woodmont High has made to advance all areas, including academics. Congratulations to the faculty, staff and students on this stellar achievement. Scott Rhymer, GCS Assistant Superintendent for High School Leadership, said, This is an exciting and well-deserved accomplishment for the students, staff, and administration of Woodmont High School. It is also a great testament to the community that Woodmont High School serves, and how parents, relatives, businesses, and the general community come together with the mission of ensuring student success. Lake Murray Elementary in Lexington County School District One, Lake Murray Elementary in District 5 of Lexington and Richland Counties and John W. Moore Middle School in Florence were also named Palmetto's Finest Schools. This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Woodmont High, Southwood Academy of the Arts named 2023 Palmettos Finest Schools U.S.- and Japan-based screen writer and producer Yumiko Aoyagi has signed with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) for talent representation. Born in Yokohama, Japan, but having grown up in Los Angeles and graduated from Sophia University in Tokyo, Aoyagi now works across both the Japanese and U.S. film and TV industries. She debuted as a screenwriter in 1995, writing the fourth episode of the Fuji TV series Seiga wa Tatsu before winning Galaxy Award prizes for telefilm Saigo no Kazoku Ryoky: Family Affair. In 2003, she wrote the show Kokoro, becoming the youngest person ever to write for the coveted morning slot on Japans national public broadcaster, NHK. The slot about a young womans development in a traditional neighborhood in Tokyo, has a continuous history of over 60 years and is known as the face of Japan. Last year, Aoyagi wrote and sold the first international co-production for Japans largest commercial broadcaster, TBS, called DCU: Deep Crime Unit, which became the highest-rated show in Japan. In total, Aoyagi has worked on more than 20 network television shows, 13 telefilms, three feature films, and 15 novels throughout the past 29 years. Her other film and TV credits include episodes of Orphan Black, and internet show The Scary City as writer, as writer-director of the 2009 film The Scary City, and multiple credits on the lonelygirl15 show in 2015. She also has an executive producer credit on comedy film See Dick Run. On the legal front, Aoyagi continues to be represented by Greenberg Traurig, LLP. Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. WASHINGTON Former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti won confirmation Wednesday from a divided Senate as the nations next ambassador to India, more than a year and a half after he was first nominated by President Joe Biden and after weathering doubts about his truthfulness in a sexual harassment scandal involving a City Hall adviser. The 52-42 vote gave the administration a long-sought victory with several Republicans breaking party discipline for the vote that they said was critical to fill one of the countrys highest-profile diplomatic posts. Its a national security imperative to immediately have an ambassador in place in India. We cant afford to wait any longer, said Indiana Sen. Todd Young, one of the Republican crossover votes. The day began with uncertain prospects for Garcetti, a two-term, progressive Democrat first nominated to the diplomatic post by Biden in July 2021. Former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti poses for a portrait at City Hall on March 27, 2022. Stay in the conversation on politics: Sign up for the OnPolitics newsletter With several Democrats defecting, Garcettis fate rested with Republican senators in a chamber often divided along partisan lines. He secured seven GOP votes, more than enough to make up for the Democratic breakaways. Kansas Republican Roger Marshall said having an ambassador in place in India was vital in advancing relations among members of the quad the U.S. India, Australia and Japan, which he said puts pressure on China. We dont agree on all the different policies he did as mayor, but I think hes a good person at heart and he would be a good ambassador, Marshall said. He said on the allegations: He answered my questions adequately. At the White House, spokesperson Olivia Dalton said Biden believes that we have a crucial and consequential partnership with India and that Mayor Garcetti will make a strong and effective ambassador. The vacancy in the ambassadorship had left a significant diplomatic gap for the administration at a time of rising global tensions, including Chinas increasingly assertive presence in the Pacific region and Russias war with Ukraine. Story continues Previously: Biden picks LA Mayor Garcetti for ambassador post India, the worlds most populous democracy, is continuing to buy oil from Russia, while Western governments move to limit fossil fuel earnings that support Moscows budget, its military and its invasion of Ukraine. Russia also provides the majority of Indias military hardware. The nomination had been freighted with questions about what the former mayor knew, and when, about sexual harassment allegations against his friend and once-close adviser, Rick Jacobs. A lawsuit alleges that Jacobs frequently harassed one of the then-mayors police bodyguards while Garcetti ignored the abuse or laughed it off. Garcetti, the son of former Los Angeles district attorney Gil Garcetti, has repeatedly denied the claims. Jacobs has called the allegations against him pure fiction. The case is scheduled to go to trial later this year. Former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti poses for a portrait at City Hall on March 30, 2022. At a Senate committee hearing in December 2021, Garcetti said, I never witnessed, nor was it brought to my attention, the behavior thats been alleged. If it had been, I would have immediately taken action to stop that. Wednesdays vote tested Democratic loyalty to Biden and also measured assessments of Garcettis judgment and trustworthiness, stemming from the City Hall allegations that shadowed him in the #MeToo era. More: Biden announces Australian nuclear-powered submarine deal to counter Chinas growing influence I think we can find somebody that will do the job better, said Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, one of the Democrats who opposed Garcetti. Garcetti also failed to win over Democrat Mark Kelly of Arizona, who said he had serious concerns. Frustrations in India Rachel Rizzo, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said she sensed frustration about the lack of an ambassador during a recent trip to India. She said it gave an impression that the relationship isnt important. It really points to the internal dysfunction in the U.S. Congress at the moment, and it makes it very hard for us to send the messages that were trying to send when it looks to our diplomatic partners that we dont have our house in order, she said. Last May, a top Senate Republican released an investigation that concluded Garcetti likely knew or should have known that Jacobs was alleged to be sexually harassing city employees, a finding that appeared to contradict the mayors assertion that he was unaware of any inappropriate behavior. The 23-page report released by Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa found it was extremely unlikely that the mayor would not have been aware. The White House called that report a partisan smear. In a final push to stop the nomination, Grassley released a statement Tuesday saying his office identified at least 19 people who said they either witnessed inappropriate behavior by Jacobs or were victims of it. On the one hand, the Biden administration says it supports victims, Grassley wrote. Yet, on the other hand, the Biden administration supports a nominee who enables misconduct that creates more victims. The nomination, first announced in July 2021, cleared the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in January 2022 but was not considered by the full Senate. Biden renominated Garcetti early this year, and the White House has defended him as a well-qualified candidate. Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim, Lisa Mascaro, Farnoush Amiri, Kevin Freking and Stephen Groves contributed. Blood reported from Los Angeles. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Garcetti confirmed as India ambassador after 20-month fight Watch out March Madness, another competition featuring underdogs and shocking upsets is here. The French bulldog is now the most popular (pup-ular?) dog breed of 2022, ending the Labrador retrievers 31-year term as the countrys favored dog breed, the American Kennel Club announced Wednesday. The organization said the French bulldog has spiked in popularity in recent years. The dogs were the 14th most popular breed in 2012, but jumped to the number 2 spot in the American Kennel Clubs 2021 rankings. Frenchies are playful, adaptable, loyal and outgoing," American Kennel Club's executive secretary Gina DiNardo said in a news release. "They make wonderful companions for a variety of people, but its extremely important to do your research to not only find the right breed for your lifestyle, but to ensure that youre getting a well-bred dog from a responsible breeder. Experts warn that some bulldog breeds are known for being highly susceptible to health complications. A barrage of bullets: Dog breeder fatally shot selling pup, South Carolina sheriff says Study: Feeding dogs certain table scraps could help health, but processed kibble may not French bulldogs may have a greater chance of being diagnosed with a slate of common disorders compared to other breeds, according to a study published in 2021. The British Veterinary Association has urged people against buying flat-faced dog breeds. French bulldogs have also been the target of thefts. Last month, officials in South Carolina said a well-known breeder was fatally shot during the sale of a French bulldog. Lady Gagas dog walker in 2021, Ryan Fischer, was also shot as the stars two dogs were stolen. The American Kennel Club in its rankings also included the least popular dog breeds of 199 rankings, with English Foxhounds coming in last place, followed by Norwegian Lundehunds and Sloughis. You can find the full rankings here. Most popular dog breeds of 2022 French bulldogs Labrador retrievers Golden retrievers German shepherd dogs Poodles Bulldogs Rottweilers Beagles Dachshunds German shorthaired pointers Story continues Least popular dog breeds of 2022 English foxhounds Norwegian Lundehunds Sloughis American foxhounds Belgian Laekenois Azawakhs Harriers Sussex spaniels Cesky terriers Pyrenean shepherds How are the dog breeds ranked? The American Kennel Club explained Wednesday that it uses its registration statistics to rank the most popular breeds of the past year. They're based on about 716,500 dogs newly registered last year, and registration by owners is voluntary. The rankings do not include mixed-breeds or popular designer hybrids, such as labradoodles. Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund, Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY; Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What's the most popular dog breed? French bulldogs take the title Most of eastern US, California coast under flood threats this spring, NOAA says Meteorologists are predicting flood threats for a large portion of the U.S. this spring. About 44% of the U.S. is at risk for flooding, Ed Clark, director of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Water Center, told reporters on Thursday. PHOTO: Floodwaters from the Mississippi River have overtaken much of Foley, Missouri, June 1, 2019. (Scott Olson/Getty Images, FILE) There is a risk of flooding in most of the eastern half of the U.S. including most of the Mississippi River Basin, NOAA said. Currently, nearly 1.5 million people on Mississippi River are under major flood threat this spring, John Gottschalck, chief of operational prediction branch at NOAAs Climate Prediction Center, a division of National Weather Service, told ABC News. In the West, the historic snowpack along the Sierra Nevada mountain range, combined with elevated soil moisture, is heightening the potential for spring floods across much of California's coast. MORE: Extreme flooding, drought is making risk management difficult and ineffective, researchers say Two weather patterns came together to create such extreme winter precipitation over California, including the jet stream extending further south and an increase in available moisture in the Pacific due to a reoccurring phenomena known as Madden Julian Oscillation, an eastward moving disturbance of clouds, rainfall, winds and pressure, Gottschalck said. Most residents near the Sierra Nevada range don't live where major snow melt and flooding are forecast, Clark told ABC News. PHOTO: Spring Flood Outlook Map (ABC News) Near record snowfall in the upper Midwest this past winter will also contribute to the flooding, Gottschalck said. The snow melt will bring much-needed water to California and the Great Basin. The reservoirs that depend on the Colorado River, such as Lake Powell and Lake Mead, are currently at record low water levels following years of drought. PHOTO: A vehicle navigates a snowy roadway lined with snowbanks piled up from new and past storms in the Sierra Nevada mountains, in the wake of an atmospheric river event, March 12, 2023, in Mammoth Lakes, California. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) With the spring snowmelt, the water in Lake Powell is expected to rise 34 feet, Clark said. Because the lake is at record low level for this time of the year, it would only fill up to 36% capacity, Clark said. Story continues Climate change is driving both wet and dry extremes, NOAA administrator Rick Spinrad said. Moderate to exceptional drought coverage across the U.S. is at its lowest since August 2020 and is likely to continue improving, or end entirely, across much of California and the Great Basin due to the heavy influx of moisture in recent months. MORE: Sea level rise is expected to worsen coastal flooding -- even on sunny days, according to new NOAA report Extreme to exceptional drought across parts of the southern High Plains will likely to persist through the spring season, with droughts also expected to develop into parts of New Mexico. Across parts of the Northwest U.S. and northern Rockies, drought conditions are also expected to continue. Droughts may develop in Washington state. The spring wet season is expected to improve drought conditions across parts of the northern and central Plains, while current drought conditions in Florida are expected to improve or be alleviated during the next three months. PHOTO: Cracked earth is visible in an area once under the water of Lake Mead at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, on Jan. 27, 2023, near Boulder City, Nev. (John Locher/AP, FILE) A multi-decade drought cannot be reversed with one snowy and rainy reason, Clark said. "Its great news that the abnormally wet winter has improved drought conditions, but the risks for flooding in the Missouri and Sierra Nevada and especially the upper Mississippi River Basin are particular concerning," Shana Udvardy, senior climate resilience policy analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists' climate and energy program told ABC News via email. Above-average temperatures are likely for much of the southern and eastern half of the U.S. this spring, forecasts show. MORE: 1-in-100-year floods happening so often, the term may change For April through June, the greatest chance for above-average temperatures exists from the southern High Plains and northward along the East Coast. PHOTO: Drought Outlook Map (ABC News) Above-average temperatures are also likely for Hawaii and northern parts of Alaska. Below-average temperatures are predicted for the central Great Basin and the northern Plains. NOAA forecasters predict above-average precipitation this spring across the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and into parts of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Below-average precipitation is most likely for the Southwest and parts of the Pacific Northwest. "With climate change we are seeing wetter wet conditions and drier dry conditions," Udvardy said. "We cant escape the fact that we simply arent prepared. Federal leadership is needed to both slash emissions more deeply and protect people from flooding and other weather extremes." Most of eastern US, California coast under flood threats this spring, NOAA says originally appeared on abcnews.go.com The creative artist was featured in four consecutive SI Swimsuit Issues. Myla Dalbesio was photographed by Josie Clough in Kangaroo Island, Australia. Josie Clough/Sports Illustrated Myla Dalbesio first appeared in the SI Swimsuit Issue in 2017 when she traveled to Curacao to pose for photographer Ben Watts. She was included in the magazine three more years in a row for a total of five features. For her sophomore photo shoot, Dalbesio jetted off to Aruba. That same year, she also participated in an additional special In Her Own Words studio project with photographer Taylor Ballantyne. In 19, the 36-year-old model ventured to Australia, while her most recent photo shoot in 2020 found her away from the beach in Wyoming. While Dalbesio still works as a model today, shes also pursued a career behind the lens. The former Miss Wisconsin Teen USA 2004 is a photographer and fine artist who also paints, sculpts and draws. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dalbesio used her creativity and industry knowledge to create an at-home interview series for SI Swimsuit. I feel very deeply committed to my womanhood, and I really thrive as a mother figure and caregiver. I am incredibly sensitive to other peoples emotions and feelings (sometimes painfully so), and I am a true homebody, Dalbesio admitted in a self-penned Q&A for the series. I love to travel and experience new places, but my most favorite place to be is my home. The model added that in addition to her creative pursuits, she enjoys being in nature, loves cooking and is fond of reality TV. I love being in nature, she stated. The most cleansing, comforting thing for me is being able to get into the ocean or go for a hike Digging my hands into the dirt is such a centering, grounding experience, and growing something from a seed almost makes you feel like youve performed magic. Below are 10 of our favorite photos of Dalbesio in the natural beauty of Kangaroo Island, Australia, captured by photographer Josie Clough. Josie Clough/Sports Illustrated Josie Clough/Sports Illustrated Josie Clough/Sports Illustrated Josie Clough/Sports Illustrated Josie Clough/Sports Illustrated Josie Clough/Sports Illustrated Josie Clough/Sports Illustrated Josie Clough/Sports Illustrated Josie Clough/Sports Illustrated Josie Clough/Sports Illustrated Make sure to follow SI Swimsuit on YouTube! TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / March 15, 2023 / AI/ML Innovations Inc. ("AI/ML" or the "Company") (CSE:AIML)(OTCQB:AIMLF)(FWB:42FB) is providing an update to its previous announcement on the closing a non-brokered private placement. The Company advises that it accepted subscriptions for 4,867,748 units at a price of $0.06 per unit, not 5,086,498 units as previously announced. The gross proceeds totaled $292,064.88. For more information, please contact: Blake Fallis (778) 405-0882 or info@aiml-innovations.com For detailed information please see the Company's website at https://aiml-innovations.com/ or the Company's filed documents at www.sedar.com. About AI/ML Innovations Inc. AI/ML Innovations Inc. has realigned its business operations to capitalize on the burgeoning fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), with an initial investment focus on emerging digital health and wellbeing companies that leverage AI, ML, cloud computing and digital platforms to drive transformative healthcare management solutions and precision support delivery across the health continuum. Through strategic partnerships with Health Gauge (70% owned by AIML), Tech2Heal (up to 22% ownership rights, with 9.44% currently owned), AI Rx Inc. (70% owned by AIML) and other planned accretive investments, the Company continues to capitalize on expanding growth areas, to the benefit of all the Company's stakeholders. The Company's shares are traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol "AIML", the OTCQB Venture Market under "AIMLF", and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under "42FB". Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Certain statements in this news release are "forward-looking statements", which reflect management's expectations regarding the timing of the filing of the Required Documents. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this news release are forward looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, as they reflect management's current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in the statements made. The forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and AI/ML assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances except as expressly required by applicable securities law. Further information regarding the uncertainties and risks can be found in the disclosure documents filed by AI/ML with the securities regulatory authorities, available at www.sedar.com. SOURCE: AI/ML Innovations Inc. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/744099/AIML-Innovations-Inc-Announces-Update-to-Closing-of-Financing We see bringing her to the shelter with all of her favorite things as well as her detailed medical records as a kindness. Im sure it wasnt easy for anyone involved. Sanctuary Rescue The story of a 12-year-old beagle who recently found herself in a Virginia shelter is reminding people how quickly life can change. And, more importantly, not to judge. Earlier this month, staff at Sanctuary Rescue in Midlothian came across a Facebook post about a senior dog named Abby who had been at a nearby shelter for a week. Even without knowing her backstory, it tugged on their heartstrings. Our rescues longest benefactor was a lovely woman named Elizabeth Ratcliffe. Elizabeth had an adorable little beagle named Pepper. Along with Sanctuary Rescue, helping beagles was a passion for Elizabeth, Adri Yancey, president of Sanctuary Rescue, Inc., told Southern Living. Since Elizabeths unexpected passing this past spring, Sanctuary Rescue staff has found healing by honoring her memory in a way we knew would make her smile. So, they reached out to the shelter and made arrangements to pick Abby up the next day. Sanctuary Rescue When rescuers arrived, they were handed Abbys belongings, including her bed, toys, leashes, 12 years of vet records, two bags of her sweaters, and a framed, hand-drawn portrait. It was clear that her former family loved her dearly. It is not our story to tell, so I will just say that the animal control officer that did Abbys intake explained to us that her previous family had some major life changes and they werent in a position to keep Abby any longer, Yancey said. We see bringing her to the shelter with all of her favorite things as well as her detailed medical records as a kindness. Im sure it wasnt easy for anyone involved. The portrait was sent along with Abby to her foster home, but Sanctuary Rescue hopes to hang it in their office as a reminder. Were thinking of hanging the dogs portrait in our office to remind us to be humble, to give grace, to spend energy on loving instead of judging, and to always help where and when we can because you just never know what the future holds and what curveballs life might throw at you, the rescue wrote in a now-viral Facebook post. Story continues Yancey says that Abby is currently in great hands in her foster home, where she spent her first day trying out every single dog bed. Aside from some mild arthritis, she is healthy and rescuers believe she has a bright future ahead of her. She will likely become available for adoption in a couple of weeks. Sanctuary Rescue While Abbys story might seem tragic at first glance, Yancey hopes people see the opposite in it. While we know a lot of people that saw Abbys original post thought it was a sad story, we dont see it that way at all, she told Southern Living. Although we are sure it was painful to have to surrender a beloved pet to the shelter, we think Abbys former family would be relieved and happy to know that she quickly found a soft place to land and she will be comfortable and well taken care of in her favorite sweaters with her favorite toys, and that Abby has a guardian angel named Elizabeth. Were not crying, you are! For more Southern Living news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Southern Living. Exquisite objects with a sense of place, plus the stories (and histories) behind them. Alyona Kuzmina. Set styling by Leilin Lopez-Toledo Consider for a moment something in your home that is handmade maybe a piece of pottery, a carefully loomed blanket, or a turned wooden bowl. Residing unseen within that object is a long and rich history. Even if the item in your minds eye is a lopsided cup made by your seven-year-old, that humble thing is a repository of tradition and skill passed from maker to maker over generations ending up, eventually, in the hands of your childs art teacher. But if the object happens to be something you purchased while traveling, it is likely also a manifestation of the soul of a community a physical embodiment of a way of life, a set of beliefs, a relationship to the landscape, and even of political and social history. When we are drawn to a teacup from Kyoto, a sweetgrass basket from the South Carolina Lowcountry, or a rag rug from the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, we are in part responding to the powerful sense of place that object embodies. This long, backward-looking (and forward-reaching) path one that an object must traverse to become itself not only imbues an item with significance but is also the flame that keeps endangered traditions alive. Whether youre venturing to far-off lands or sitting on the sofa with your laptop, supporting regional handcrafts can alter the shape of our future. Hows that for guilt-free shopping? Alyona Kuzmina. Set styling by Leilin Lopez-Toledo From left: Embroidered huipil from Ixbalam'ke, $500; Asahiyaki Geppaku chawan (bowl), about $1,700, and with gold overglaze, about $2,000. Weaving in Guatemala Q'eqchi' women weavers in the mountainous Alta Verapaz region of north-central Guatemala work on a style of loom thats held in place with a strap around their back and uses body weight to keep the warp tight. This method was devised more than 2,000 years ago, but the members of Ixbalamke, a collective headed by Amalia Gue, are keeping up with the times, producing delicate, gauzy apparel like shawls and blouses. Their main product, though, is timeless. The loom allows a weaver to create hip-width panels, which are embroidered together into a huipil the wide, boxy shirt-dress long worn by Mayan women across Central America. For its styles, Ixbalamke uses an alluring palette of blues, pinks, grays, and browns made with natural plant-derived dyes. Although simple, these garments take several months to make longer than garments from many luxury brands, which cant be had at this price. To order, message on Instagram (@amalia_gue) or email coop.ixbalamke@gmail.com. Story continues Pottery in Japan When I met Matsubayashi Hosai XVI in the city of Uji, near Kyoto, he had recently relinquished his given name to assume his ancestral title. His familys pottery business, Asahiyaki, was started by Hosai I in 1640 and has been passed from father to son, Hosai to Hosai, over 16 generations. Matsubayashi told me of his initial terror in assuming a legacy as old as the way of tea, or Japanese tea ceremony. Then, one night, alone at the foot of the great noborigama kiln, he felt his previous self disappear, becoming one with those who preceded him and those who will succeed him. For 400 years, clay has been dug from the Uji River basin and aged for 50 years before use. The clay for these pieces was mined by Hosai XVIs ancestors, and he uses the same brilliant blue straw-ash glaze, fueling the same enormous kiln with pine. This series from the Hosai XVI collection incorporates a rich gold without compromising the vessels essential humility. Asahiyaki also sells simpler pieces and tea accessories. Alyona Kuzmina. Set styling by Leilin Lopez-Toledo Cushion covers from Cooperative Djiguiyaso, around $50 for small and $80 for large. Dyeing in Mali I met the textile artist Aissata Namoko a few years ago at the annual International Folk Art Market, in Santa Fe, while admiring the vibrant work of Djiguiyaso, her cooperative in Malis capital city, Bamako. Speaking in simple French so that I could understand, she told me about the crafts that Mali is known for: indigo tie-dyeing, which goes back some 3,000 years there, and bogolan fabrics, whose earthy colors come from fermented mud. Both, she explained, have teetered on extinction since the 1980s, when synthetic fabrics and machine-made patterns became more prevalent. In 2004, Namoko stepped in. Cooperative Djiguiyaso employs more than 100 women to create pieces (cushions, dresses, shirts, bedcovers) that merge bogolan with traditional tie-dye techniques. She also set up a center to teach spinning, dyeing, and sewing skills to help women transition into the workplace while reviving generational knowledge and keeping it connected to its origins. Her innovative thinking has actually allowed a return to intense localization. Cotton, organically grown in Mali, is processed and spun into yarn by factories there. Cooperative members then weave, wash, and dye the textiles with Malian-grown indigo. Djiguiyaso products can be found on sites like Indigo Arts, Minzuu, and So Original or purchased wholesale through Powered by People. Alyona Kuzmina. Set styling by Leilin Lopez-Toledo From left: Fair Isle crewneck sweater by Mati Ventrillon for Old Stone Trade, $1,250; sweetgrass rice fanner, $850; wine bottle holder, $550; elephant ear basket, $3,500; and basket with twisted handle, $4,500, all by Lynette Youson. Knitting in Scotland Many wool sweaters are called Fair Isle, but the real thing comes only from the isolated, windswept Shetland island bearing that name. The garments begin with the herds of sheep that graze its rocky pastures; the shearing, spinning, and knitting all take place there. The craft originated with women, kept indoors by the harsh weather, who knitted patterned sweaters for their seafaring husbands who, in turn, often bartered them for necessities along the trade route, thus introducing the world to this unique style. In the 1980s the knitters formed a cooperative and trademarked Fair Isle, transforming a subsistence craft into a recognized luxury. When the cooperative dissolved in 2011, one of its members Mati Ventrillon, a French Venezuelan architect whod moved to the island with her husband and child on a bit of a lark launched her own brand to keep the tradition alive. Ventrillons reverence for the culture, and her good design sense, are clear from her pieces, some of which feature adapted 19th-century motifs. Recently, her work caught the eye of New Yorkbased editor turned curator Melissa Ventosa Martin, founder of Old Stone Trade, a retailer for high-end handcrafted clothing. The pair are now collaborating on an exclusive collection. Basketry in South Carolina There are precious few artifacts that enslaved people in the U.S. were able to pass on to their children; in the South Carolina Lowcountry, coiled sweetgrass baskets are a unique exception. The West African ancestors of the regions Gullah Geechee community made winnowing baskets to fan rice on plantations, coiling and stitching local rushes using knowledge they had carried with them across the ocean. After Emancipation, weavers experimented with sweetgrass, pine needles, and palmetto fronds to create more elaborate designs, turning the craft into an art and a source of income. As a child in the Charleston area, Lynette Youson learned to weave by watching her great-grandmother, and today she carries on the tradition with her daughters and granddaughters. The beauty and skill in her baskets is obvious one piece is in the collection of the Smithsonian and its work that runs deep and has traveled far. Youson is dedicated to preserving this cultural heritage, and regularly leads workshops for local children as well as adults from across the country. This is my love, she says. Yousons work is for sale at the Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Pavilion, in Mount Pleasant, or can be ordered directly from lynetteyouson@hotmail.com. Alyona Kuzmina. Set styling by Leilin Lopez-Toledo Archivio Lante decanters, $340 each, and glasses, $445 for a set of six, designed by Domitilla Harding. Glassblowing in Italy Glassblowing in Venice dates back to the Roman Empire. By the 13th century, the art had become so vital to the citys economy that its secrets were safeguarded by drastic means: all production was moved to the island of Murano, in the Venetian Lagoon, and glassblowers were not permitted to leave. Today, Murano remains a center for glass so much so that it has become a bit of a tourist trap. Still, there are a few Venetian families committed to keeping the local heritage alive at a high level, and some excellent designers collaborating with master craftspeople. None rival the Anglo-Italian designer and artist Domitilla Harding, who creates pieces in collaboration with Murano-based master Andrea Zilio. In addition to one-off vessels for exhibition in museums and galleries, the pair now make a line of remarkably simple but completely perfect Archivio Lante decanters inspired by bottles Harding found in the archives of a factory in the town of Empoli as well as a coordinating set of osteria-style glasses. The glassware comes in a range of sublime, dusty hues that are mixed with precision by Harding herself. To order, email the artist at domitillaharding@gmail.com. Alyona Kuzmina. Set styling by Leilin Lopez-Toledo From left: Hand-forged bells from Gujarat, $2 to $105, available through Maiwa; boucherouite rug (7'9" by 3'4") by Zhour Ousbigh, $349, sold via the Anou Cooperative. Metalwork in India If you've ever ventured through rural India, you've likely noticed the melodic cacophony of copper bells hanging from the necks of sheep and cattlemany of them crafted in the Kutch district of Gujarat. Kutch, on Indias western coast, is surrounded by water on three sides and shares a border with what is now Pakistan, where this metalworking technique originated centuries ago. Sheets of scrap metal are beaten by hand to be shaped and joined without welding, then coated with a mixture of copper and mud paste and fired in a kiln to produce the characteristic patina. The artisans gently hammer the bells to create different sizes and sounds, which help herders tell their flock from others and distinguish types of livestock. A local economy still exists for this craft, though the market has diminished as nomadism has gradually given way to more stable agricultural lifestyles. Artisans now sell the bells around the world to people who wish to bring the music of the Indian countryside into their lives, whether on gates and doors, as wind chimes, or even on the collars of pets. The bells can be purchased through Maiwa, a Vancouver-based boutique; its social-enterprise arm, the Maiwa Foundation, provides funding for artisans in the Global South. Rugmaking in Morocco While Amazigh women have been making wool carpets in the villages of the Atlas Mountains for centuries, rag rugs (called boucherouites, from the Arabic for torn fabric) are a modern, and almost accidental, innovation. The waning of nomadism and herding in the 20th century made wool harder and costlier to obtain. This coincided with a huge influx of secondhand clothes flooding the souks from throw-away economies like our own, inspiring the Amazigh to make do with scraps turning their imposed limitations into a vibrant, idiosyncratic, and wildly colorful new form of artistic expression. Boucherouite rugs are akin to a jazz riff, more spontaneous than the well-established geometric patterns and motifs of traditional Moroccan rugs. They are made on a large loom from torn lengths of fabric, with smaller scraps hand-knotted to create a colorful plush pile. These rugs were originally made only for use in the weavers homes and not considered worthy of sale. But as visitors discovered their magic, a market was born. The piece shown here was made by Zhour Ousbigh of Cooperative Tiglmamin, outside the city of Khenifra; it is sold through the Anou Cooperative, a marketplace owned and operated by the artisans. Anou also offers workshops and artisan visits for travelers. Edited by Hannah Walhout; Photographs by Alyona Kuzmina; Set Styling by Leilin Lopez-Toledo A version of this story first appeared in the March 2023 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline "Creation Stories." For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Travel & Leisure. A federal district court in Amarillo will determine the future of mifepristone, one of two pills used in medication abortions. The case stems from a lawsuit brought by a group of anti-abortion doctors and organizations, who argue that the Food and Drug Administration improperly approved mifepristone when the drug was first approved in 2000. The plaintiffs are asking Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk to vacate the FDAs approval of the drug, an action that drug experts believe has never happened before in the history of U.S. drug regulations. Kacsmaryk will hear arguments today on why the U.S. Food and Drug Administration must rescind the drug. Political leaders, advocates on both sides of the abortion debate, regulators, pharmaceutical companies and public health advocates. are keeping a close eye on the proceedings. What is the abortion ill mifepristone? In the U.S., medication abortions typically involve taking two drugs. First, a patient takes mifepristone, the drug that plaintiffs are challenging in the case, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Guidelines recommend taking 200 mg of mifepristone, usually followed by a second drug, misoprostol, between 24 and 48 hours later. Although the rate of abortions has declined in the U.S. since a peak in the 1980s, medication abortions have become increasingly popular among people seeking to end a pregnancy. In 2020, abortion pills were used in more than half of all legal abortions, according to research from the Guttmacher Institute, a group that supports abortion access. (The use of abortion pills likely increased in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which closed abortion clinics in some states.) Since it was approved in 2000, mifepristone has been highly regulated and monitored by the FDA. Of 3.7 million medication abortions reviewed by the FDA over 18 years, less than 0.03% of women were hospitalized after taking the drugs. Is mifepristone safe to use? Dr. Eleanor Schwarz, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Franciscos medical school, said mifepristone is one of the safest medications ever approved by the FDA, and has fewer risks than over-the-counter medications like Tylenol. Story continues All four types of abortion that were used in the U.S. were safe, including medication abortion, according to a study by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine in 2018. Complications after medication abortion, such as hemorrhage, hospitalization, persistent pain, infection, or prolonged heavy bleeding, are rare occurring in no more than a fraction of a percent of patients, the authors wrote. Although there are potential risks to mifepristone, they are well understood and documented, said Dr. Caleb Alexander, professor of medicine and epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Its not like the jury is still out on this product, Alexander said. This may be a political debate, but I dont think there is a scientific debate about whether or not this product has met the bar for being available on the market. Is abortion legal in Texas? No. Virtually all abortions have been illegal in Texas since last year, when the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion and allowed states to determine whether it would be illegal. The Supreme Courts ruling triggered a state law in Texas that made almost all abortions illegal. There is an exception for cases in which a pregnant womans life is in danger, but doctors have said that the language in the law is unclear, and could be interpreted differently depending on the doctor or hospital where someone is being treated. Texas law does not have exceptions for cases rape or incest. Texas law applies to all types of abortions, including medication abortions. Some pregnant Texans are still receiving abortions since the law changed last year. Some are traveling to clinics in states where abortion remains legal, or else are ordering medication abortions through online pharmacies or other international providers. Are medication abortions and emergency contraception, like Plan B, the same thing? No. Medication abortions are abortions induced by medications that end a pregnancy. Emergency contraception, like Plan B, does not end a pregnancy, but rather prevents a pregnancy from happening in the first place, according to the FDA. Most emergency contraceptives prevent pregnancy by preventing a fertilized egg from implanting into the uterus. Emergency contraception like Plan B can be bought at pharmacies without a prescription in Texas. How could a ruling in this case affect abortions in Texas? If Kacsmaryks ruling threatens access to mifepristone in Texas, there would be no immediate change to the legality of abortions in Texas. Abortions of all kinds in the state, including medication abortions that use mifepristone, are already illegal. GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) Weeks after a lawsuit was filed against the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum by students from a South Carolina Catholic school, who allege they were kicked out of the museum for their beliefs, lawyers said they have reached an agreement which would prevent such incidents from happening in the future. However, they said, the case is far from over. In January, a group of 15 students, parent chaperones, and faculty members from the Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic school in Greenville were reportedly kicked out of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum for wearing anti-abortion beanies. Courtesy: American Center for Law and Justice The hats, bright blue with the words Rosary pro-life embroidered on the front, are what sparked concern from state lawmakers and later a civil lawsuit. To think that a group of kids from a Christian school in Greenville, South Carolina are to come up to D.C. for a big opportunity to engage and express their beliefs and see the nations capital and be treated like that is outrageous, said Ben Sisney, Senior Litigation Counsel, American Center for Law and Justice. Florida ride dismantled after teens fatal fall, mother calls it bittersweet moment Sisney is the lead attorney representing the Greenville students, parents, and faculty in the Smithsonian case. In recent documents, the Smithsonian agreed to enter into a consent order and preliminary injunction. According to American Center for Law and Justice, its a court order prohibiting the Smithsonian from allowing similar incidents like this from happening in the future. NASM_OrderDownload This is a positive step that validates that what they went through was wrong, said Sisney. This agreed order just sets in stone that that wont happen while this case is pending. Its our belief that the case will resolve either by settlement or trial with a final order of that nature, or maybe even one that goes farther than that. Story continues Nexstars WSPA reached out to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum on Wednesday. They responded, acknowledging the situation: We apologize that visitors to the National Air and Space Museum were asked to remove their hats on Friday, Jan. 20. A security officer mistakenly told young visitors that their pro-life hats were not permitted in the museum. Asking visitors to remove hats and clothing is not in keeping with our policy or protocols. We provided immediate retraining to prevent a re-occurrence of this kind of error. A representative from the museum said the Smithsonian welcomes all visitors without regard to their beliefs and assured that they do not deny access based on messages on visitors clothing. As for whats next with the case, lawyers said theyre working to find out why their clients were allegedly targeted. Ohio 17-year-old accused of fatally shooting his father after altercation Weve got a lot of work ahead of us. We are going to go to mediation and well see if we can resolve the case or narrow the issues of dispute, said Sisney. This case could, in theory, last quite a while as lawsuits can do. According to ACLJ, they expect to formally mediate within the next three weeks or so. Lawyers on the case said it can take up to 90 days once they begin. ACLJ also said they are representing clients in a similar case that occurred on the same day in Washington, D.C. at the National Archives. In a lawsuit filed against the National Archives last month, ACLJ alleged several people who had participated in the annual March for Life rally and subsequently entered the museum while wearing messages such as Pro-Life and Love Saves Lives were told to cover or remove their attire. In its statement, NARA said security officials eventually did a u-turn in terms of asking people to cover up the messages. The Hills Caroline Vakil contributed to this report. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. With a Virginia-class submarine as his backdrop, President Joe Biden on Monday, along with the prime ministers of Australia and the United Kingdom, outlined a multi-phase plan to deliver state-of-the-art, nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, as part of the what's called the AUKUS partnership to help counter China. "AUKUS. Its an unusual name, AUKUS, but it's a powerful entity. You know, when our country's first announced AUKUS 18 months ago, I'm not at all sure that anyone believed that how much progress we'd be able to make together and how quickly wed accomplish it," Biden said at a U.S. Navy base in San Diego, using the acronym for the three countries combined. The partnership was established in 2021 with the goal of providing Australia with nuclear-powered submarines, which can travel farther and stay under water for longer than other subs. PHOTO: President Joe Biden speaks after meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, right, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Naval Base Point Loma, March 13, 2023, in San Diego. (Evan Vucci/AP) MORE: With an eye on China, US building up military in the Philippines The announcement appears to be one the administration's most direct efforts to counter China's influence in the Indo-Pacific. In his remarks, the president underscored the importance of AUKUS to ensuring the Indo-Pacific remains "free and open." "Our unprecedented trilateral cooperation, I believe, is testament to the strength of the long-standing ties that united us and to our shared commitment of ensuring the Indo-Pacific remains free and open, prosperous and secure, defined by opportunity for all. A shared commitment to create a future rooted in our common values. That's the objective the United States shares not only with the UK and Australia, it's shared by our friends in the region," Biden said. The president stressed throughout his remarks that the subs are nuclear-powered, and will not contain nuclear weapons, and that the technology, while complicated, is completely safe. "I want to be clear to everyone from the outset. Right off the bat, so there's no confusion or misunderstanding on this critical point. These subs are powered, not nuclear-armed subs, theyre nuclear-powered, not nuclear-armed. Australia's a proud non-nuclear weapon state and is committed to stay that way. These boats will not have any nuclear weapons of any kind on them. Each of us standing here today, representing the United States, Australia and Great Britain is deeply committed to strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime," Biden said. Story continues Biden laid out the broad strokes of the three-phases plan, starting with the actions getting underway this year to begin to train Australian personnel on the nuclear subs, which Biden said requires "years of training to master." "Beginning this year, Australian personnel will embed with U.S. and U.K. crews on boats and a basis in our schools and our shipyards. Well also begin to increase our port visits to Australia. In fact, as we speak, the nuclear-powered sub, USS Asheville, is making a port call in Perth as we speak," he said. "And later this decade, we'll also be establishing a rotational presence of U.S. and U.K. nuclear-powered subs in Australia. to help develop the workforce Australia is gonna need to build and maintain its fleet." "And with the support and approval of Congress, beginning in the early 2030s, the United States will sell three Virginia-class submarines to Australia with the potential to sell up to two more if needed, jumpstarting their undersea capability and decade earlier than many predicted. But the ultimate goal isn't just selling subs in Australia, its developing something new together. We're calling it the SSN AUKUS. This new state-of-the-art, conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarine that will work, that will combine U.S. submarine -- U.K. submarine technology and design with American technology," he added. PHOTO: President Joe Biden speaks after meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, right, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Naval Base Point Loma, March 13, 2023, in San Diego. (Evan Vucci/AP) MORE: China hasn't yet provided weapons to Russia, which would be 'real mistake': Sullivan In his remarks following the president, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese underscored just how significant it is the U.S. is partnering with them on nuclear-powered subs, and sharing the propulsion technology. "This is the first time in 65 years and only the second time in history that the United States has shared its nuclear propulsion technology, and we thank you for it," Albanese said to Biden. Biden highlighted the agreement would also be positive for workers in all three countries, as they each worked to ramp up production and operation of the subs. "This partnership is going to mean an awful lot for good paying jobs for all workers in our countries, including a lot of union jobs," Biden said. PHOTO: President Joe Biden speaks at a press conference with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (out of frame) during the AUKUS summit on March 13, 2023, at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images) U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called the partnership "the most significant multilateral defense partnership in generations." "Joe, Anthony, we represent three allies who have stood shoulder to shoulder together for more than a century. Three peoples who have shed blood together in defense of our shared values and three democracies that are coming together again, to fulfill that higher purpose of maintaining freedom, peace and security now and for generations to come," Sunak said, in his closing remarks. Biden, UK and Australian prime ministers tout deal on nuclear-powered subs originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Blood Donor Dog at Texas animal shelter nearly euthanized gets saved Let Love Live/Facebook A dog named Stanford was scheduled for euthanization in Texas until a nonprofit stepped in to save him. Local news outlet WFAA shared a video of the canine on its site ahead of the rescue in an attempt to appeal to animal lovers and it worked. The news station was moved to help the "friendly," 2-year-old Rhodesian ridgeback, set for euthanasia at the Smith County Animal Shelter, because of the pup's "hero dog" status, according to WFFA's interview with the Texas shelter. "He is a hero dog. He has donated blood to the animal emergency clinic to save another life of a dog," Amber Green, a supervisor with Smith County Animal Shelter, told the outlet of the trained, vaccinated pooch. "I don't understand why he's still here," Green added, noting that the open-intake shelter is constantly receiving new dogs in need of care, and the "only way they get out is either being adopted, transferred out, or they have to be euthanized." Dogs at the shelter the longest are euthanized to make room for new, incoming animals. RELATED: Puppy Euthanized Allegedly by Mistake at Calif. Shelter Sparks Public 'Outrage' "It's nothing that none of us want to do, we would rather get them out to a home or a rescue," Green added. Let Love Live, an animal rescue service in Northeast Texas, saved Stanford and three other dogs from Smith County Animal Shelter's euthanasia list, according to the no-kill rescue's Facebook page. Blood Donor Dog at Texas animal shelter nearly euthanized gets saved Let Love Live/Facebook RELATED: Meet the N.J. Woman Saving 600 Animals at Her Rescue After Escaping Domestic Abuse As a Child Stanford is settling into his new surroundings, according to Let Love Live. "Stanford is doing great. He's enjoying being in a safe place where he can spend his days hanging out with all his new playmates here at Let Love Live Rescue," the nonprofit shared in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. The news coverage around Stanford's situation has led to more good news for the dog: potential adopters. Story continues "He's not letting any of his newfound celebrity go to his head and asks, while he has dozens of inquiries andseven7 local adoption applications, that all the wonderful people interested in him please adopt his friends as well," Let Love Live added. Those interested in helping Stanford and his friends find homes are encouraged to visit Let Love Live's website to learn more about the pets available for adoption. The organization, based in Cookville, Tex., shared a mission statement on its website, voicing its dedication to rescuing animals. "Let Love Live's mission is to provide sanctuary to all animals in need," the rescue wrote. "We are located on an abundant 200 acres, in Titus County East Texas, where rescued horses, livestock, and domesticated animals can feel safe while locating long-term homes through adoption and foster programs." Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "LLL works directly with local animal shelters and rescue organizations with a goal of making East Texas 'no kill,'" the site added. "LLL is also a forever home for seniors and special needs animals that were slated to be destroyed." Chicago Man Charged With Murder For Stabbing Ex-Girlfriend After She Implicated Him In Dying Breath A woman who was stabbed to death while waiting for a train identified her ex-boyfriend as her killer in her dying breath, Chicago police said. Alejandro Arellano of Chicago, 31, was charged with first-degree murder after he allegedly stabbed his 26-year-old girlfriend Samantha Maldonado at least four times Saturday, according to local outlet WTTW. He was denied bail at his initial court appearance on Monday. RELATED: Arkansas Teen Who Went Missing After Date Found Shot To Death In Remote Wilderness Arellano and Maldonado were coworkers who had been in a relationship for about six months before breaking up last week, the New York Post reported. Before the fatal stabbing, the couple was seen arguing in a corner at Miller's Pub in Chicago's downtown Loop neighborhood. Patrons saw Maldonado running out of the bar with Arellano in pursuit around 1:20 a.m. that morning. The woman was captured walking up the stairs to the Wabash Ave. and Adams St. Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) station around 1:26 a.m. A surveillance camera captured the man in pursuit, pulling a folding knife from his pocket. A police mugshot of Alejandro Arellano Alejandro Arellano Photo: Chicago Police Department Maldonado first tried and failed to hide from Arellano behind an equipment box on the platform. When she attempted to board an arriving southbound train and escape, her former lover pushed her away from the opening doors. Then, Cook County State Attorney Anne McCord said at Arellano's court appearance, the man "grabbed [Maldonado's] neck and shoulder area and stabbed her multiple times" in the chest, abdomen and left arm. Maldonado tried to flee, stumbling down a flight of stairs while bleeding profusely and struggling to breathe. Arellano, prosecutors said, boarded a train home at the CTA station. Maldonado made it back down to the street and allegedly gasped "Alejandro" when she collapsed. Witnesses among them security guards from the pub tried to help. Before succumbing to her injuries at a local hospital, prosecutors said, Maldonado uttered her ex-boyfriend's full name to paramedics. Story continues Alex and Paul Murdaugh A key piece of evidence in this case came from the victim herself: She named Arellano as the offender before she succumbed to her injuries, First Deputy Superintendent Eric Carter said at a Monday press conference, according to ABC 7 Chicago. Less than 14 hours after the attack, around 3 p.m., Chicago Police Department officers arrested Arellano at his home on North Kimball St. Police said he had not changed clothes and still had the murder weapon in his pocket. Maldonado's blood was still on his pants, shoes and the knife. In a police interview, according to the Post, Arellano identified himself in the CTA security footage and told police he had "poked" the woman once with the knife in the heat of an argument. However, according to WTTV, Arellano allegedly stated that if the woman had been stabbed more than once, it would have been at his hand. Oxy App In 2014, Arellano was arrested for allegedly brandishing a knife, according to FOX 32 Chicago, and was charged with aggravated assault but the case against him was dropped. Maldonado's cousin told ABC 7 that her slain relative was an engineer who had moved less than a year ago from her native country of Ecuador. Her family was thankful, she told the outlet, that her cousin was able to implicate her killer before her tragic death. "We're thankful she was able to share that information, mostly," the cousin told the station. "And for us, we're just really grateful that we're able to have an answer. It helps the family feel more at peace." Arellano's next court appearance is scheduled for March 31. AMARILLO, Texas A conservative federal judge in Texas heard arguments Wednesday from a Christian group seeking to overturn the Food and Drug Administrations more than two-decade-old approval of an abortion medication, in a case that could threaten the most common form of abortion in the U.S. Lawyers for the Alliance for Defending Freedom asked Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk during the hearing in Amarillo, Texas, to issue an immediate order that would revoke or suspend the drug mifepristones approval. Such a step would be an unprecedented challenge to the FDA, which approved mifepristone in combination with a second pill as a safe and effective method for ending pregnancy in 2000. During a 90-minute presentation to the court, alliance attorney Erik Baptist told the judge that removing mifepristone from the market would restore proper policing power to the states a reference to last summers U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade and left it to states to decide on the legality of abortion. Mifepristone, when combined with a second pill, has become the most common method of abortion in the U.S. and has been increasingly prescribed since Roe was overturned. Acknowledging the significance of the case, Kacsmaryk, who was appointed by then-President Donald Trump, asked Baptist if he could cite a prior example of a court removing an FDA-approved drug after many years on the market. Baptist acknowledged that there are no prior examples, but he blamed the drugs longevity on the FDAs stonewalling of his groups prior requests to remove the drug. The group petitioned the FDA in 2002 and in 2019 seeking to curb access to the pill. Lawyers for the FDA are expected to argue that pulling mifepristone would upend reproductive care for U.S. women and undermine the governments scientific oversight of prescription drugs. Kacsmaryk gave each side two hours to make their arguments with time for rebuttal in the high-stakes case. Mifepristones manufacturer, Danco Laboratories, will join the FDA in arguing to keep the pill available. Story continues A ruling could come any time after arguments conclude. A decision against the drug would be swiftly appealed by U.S. Department of Justice attorneys representing the FDA, who would also likely seek an emergency stay to stop it from taking effect while the case proceeds. One of the alliances chief arguments against the FDA is that it misused its authorities when it originally approved the pill. The FDA reviewed the drug under its so-called accelerated approval program, which was created in the early 1990s to speed access to the first HIV drugs. Since then, its been used to expedite drugs for cancer and other serious or life-threatening diseases. The alliance, which was also involved in the lawsuit that led the Supreme Court to overturn Roe, argues that pregnancy is not a disease and therefore mifepristone should not have been considered for accelerated approval. The contrast between these illnesses and the FDA jamming pregnancy into ... the FDA regulations could not be more stark, Baptist told Kacsmaryk. But the FDA says the groups argument is flawed on multiple counts. First, FDA regulations make clear that pregnancy is considered a medical condition that can be serious and life-threatening in some cases. Second, while the FDA reviewed the drug under its accelerated approval regime, it didnt expedite the drugs review. In fact, approval only came after four years of deliberation. Instead, the FDA used regulatory powers under the accelerated program to add extra safety restrictions to mifepristone, including requiring physicians to be certified before prescribing it. The hearing is the first in the case and is being closely watched by groups on both sides of the abortion issue in light of the reversal of Roe. Removing mifepristone from the market would curtail access to abortion even in states where its legal. If Kacsmaryk rules against the FDA, its unclear how quickly access to mifepristone could be curtailed or how the process would work. The FDA has its own procedures for revoking drug approvals that involve public hearings and scientific deliberations, which can take months or years. If mifepristone is sidelined, clinics and doctors that prescribe the combination say they would switch to using only misoprostol, the other drug used in the two-drug combination. That single-drug approach has a slightly lower rate of effectiveness in ending pregnancies but is widely used in countries where mifepristone is illegal or unavailable. In addition to challenging mifepristones approval process, the lawsuit takes aim at several later FDA decisions that loosened restrictions on the pill, including eliminating a requirement that women pick it up in person. Lawyers for the FDA have pointed out that serious side effects with mifepristone are rare, and the agency has repeatedly affirmed the drugs safety by reviewing subsequent studies and data. Pulling the drug more than 20 years after approval would be extraordinary and unprecedented, the government stated in its legal response. Credit - Illustration by Always With Honor for TIME As people around the world followed the early spread of COVID-19 on a Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined off Yokohama, Japan in February 2020, the cruise industry began to spiral. Up until COVID hit, they were having record numbers of sales, Richard Simms, staff writer for Cruise Radio, says of the cruise lines. But then, for a while, they became the unattractive face of COVID. The pandemic sent the cruise industry into a 15-month shutdown. But it has gradually recovered in the time sincenow ships are fully back in business, with new protocols in place. The Cruise Lines International Association forecasts that the number of passengers this year will surpass 2019 numberswith an anticipated 31.5 million passengers embarking on cruises in 2023. For a time, protocols included working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to come up with industry-wide standards, such as vaccination requirements and testing. But last summer, the CDC ended their COVID-19 program for cruise ships, leaving individual cruise liners to determine their own protocols around mitigating cases. However, cruises are still required to report outbreaks to the CDC, as they do with noroviruswhich has come to be associated with cruise ships due to health officials tracking the virus spread on ships. Major cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Princess, have dropped their vaccine requirements for most cruises, with a few exceptions (such as some Carnival cruises longer than 16 days, and some cruises departing from Australia). Aside from that, dining rooms are more spaced out, and people are less likely to squeeze into an elevator, but overall, it really feels back to normal on board, says Simms. For those still hesitant, Simms notes that many lines are investing in a ship within a ship concept, like The Haven from Norwegian, where travelers can pay a premium for more secluded amenities like a pool, bar, and dining area. Those were always popular before the pandemic, but I think they might be even more popular now because youre removed from the rest of the ship, he says. Youre in an area where you have limited contact unless you choose to go outside of it. You feel an extra bubble of protection. Simms says cruise lines have returned all ships to service, and many have plans to expand to attract younger customers and first-time cruisers. A good sign for the future of the industry is how many new ships are in the works, says Simms. The industry knows it can recover. More than two feet of snow has fallen in some western Massachusetts communities today in what's been the biggest winter storm for the season. And while MetroWest and Greater Milford have not seen nearly as much snowfall, there's more to come tonight. According to the National Weather Service, MetroWest and Greater Milford can expect to see 3 to 5 more inches of snow fall tonight. It will also be blustery, with a northwest wind of 17 to 24 mph with gusts up to 31 mph. Things calm down on Wednesday, as forecasters see a mostly cloudy day with a high of 41 degrees. It will still be breezy, with a northwest wind 15 to 20 mph, and gusts as high as 34 mph. Ken Pullig, of Framingham, walks as the snow began to fall earlier today at Cushing Park. For now, a winter storm warning is up for parts of Middlesex, Worcester, Essex, Hampshire, Hampden and Franklin counties. But most of the action has been in the state's western section, WCVB-TV reported. By 3 p.m., 30 inches of snow had fallen in Rowe, a northern Franklin County town of fewer than 400 residents. Outage map:Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency "We are talking about an incredible snowfall here, StormTeam 5 chief meteorologist Cindy Fitzgibbon said. Locally, several events scheduled for this afternoon and evening have been either postponed or canceled. Framingham Public Schools announced an early release, as well as the cancellation of all afternoon and evening activities. Other school systems that canceled late-day activities include Ashland, Assabet Valley, Dover-Sherborn, Hopkinton, Lincoln-Sudbury, Mendon-Upton, Milford, Minuteman Regional, Natick and Wellesley. Ashland Middle School students were among hundreds in the region who had an early release due to the storm. Framingham State University has also been closed today, except for essential personnel. Students are on spring break. Framingham City Hall and the two public libraries all closed at 1 p.m. Meanwhile, more than 66,000 customers were without power by 2:15 p.m., according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. No such reports involved MetroWest or Greater Milford, however. But many could soon come. Utility provider Eversource said in an email that more than line, tree and service crews were working throughout the state to clear damage and make repairs "as heavy, wet snow and strong winds from the ongoing noreaster bring trees and limbs down onto the electric system." This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: More snow, power outages expected tonight west of boston PHOENIX, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Alliant International University today announced that it is expanding its professional practice offerings to include programs in nursing and health sciences. The Alliant School of Nursing and Health Sciences (SNHS), based in Phoenix, Arizona, will initially offer two programs: Pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Master of Science in Nursing: Direct-Entry (MSN- DE). Alliant International University School of Nursing and Health Sciences Logo Alliant's nursing students will be prepared through a model of scholarship paired with practice. They will gain expertise in the new state-of-the-art facility with various simulation labs, fully equipped classrooms, and the latest technological tools to help them develop the skills they need to succeed. Students will also be working with several partners including hospitals and leading healthcare institutions in Phoenix. Through these partnerships, they will gain hands-on experience in varied specialties including critical care, mental health care, long-term care, and pediatrics while serving their future patients and communities. "At Alliant, we are proud of our role as one of the nation's leading preparers of professional psychologists. Launching the School of Nursing and Health Sciences seemed a logical next step. These new programs will aid in our mission to bridge the gap between mental and physical health We believe they are both equally important and inextricably linked," said Andy Vaughn, President and CEO of the Alliant International University System. "We will be seeking opportunities for partnership between our new School of Nursing and Health Sciences and our longstanding schools of Professional Psychology and Education in order to prepare effective, culturally competent healthcare professionals who will serve in some of the most needed roles in our communities." "We are excited to be launching nursing programs that will prepare students for the changing healthcare landscape. By focusing on the development of clinical reasoning skills and clinical judgment through evidence-based practice alongside vital relational skills, we will help our students connect with their patients," said Sherrie Palmieri, Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences. "We expect to educate our students in the art and science of nursing, preparing them to be competent AND caring." Story continues The School of Nursing and Health Sciences will be joining Alliant's network of professional practice schools including the California School of Professional Psychology and the California School of Education. The Phoenix campus will be the ninth Alliant campus, joining locations like San Diego, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, CA. Alliant will be hosting a Grand Opening event for the new school and campus in Phoenix on Thursday, March 30 to include tours, medical simulations, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and reception. About Alliant International University Alliant is a private university accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) which offers programs in psychology, education, business management, forensic studies, law, and nursing. Alliant's mission is to prepare students for professional careers of service and leadership, and to promote the discovery and application of knowledge to improve the lives of people in diverse cultures and communities around the world. More information is available at www.alliant.edu. Cielo Villasenor cielo.villasenor@alliant.edu Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alliant-international-university-launches-school-of-nursing-and-health-sciences-301773775.html SOURCE Alliant International University Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is going to headline the New Hampshire GOP's "Amos Tuck" fundraising dinner on April 14. This is the first announced trip to New Hampshire for DeSantis so far this year, as the infrastructure for a potential presidential run continues to build and his traveling schedule includes more early presidential primary states. The April 14 event will be held in Manchester, the state's biggest city. New Hampshire GOP chair Chris Ager said in a statement to CBS News that "we are looking forward to hearing the Governor's message." The news was first reported by Fox News. DeSantis visited Iowa and Nevada, two other states that hold early nominating contests, over this past weekend for his "Freedom Blueprint" tour to promote his new book and talk about his record in Florida. Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida, during a Freedom Blueprint event in Des Moines, Iowa, US, on Friday, March 10, 2023. / Credit: Bloomberg In Las Vegas over the weekend, DeSantis touted his state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, saying "the elites got everything wrong about COVID." "We refused to let our state descend into Faucian dystopia," he said. He went on to say the "Fauci decrees" weren't about health or science but about politics. Brief chants of "lock him up" broke out in the crowd when DeSantis said Fauci needs to be held accountable. DeSantis also touched on other right-wing culture war issues such as the 2020 Portland protests, "law-and-order" at the southern border, voter ID, banning critical race theory in schools and gender-affirming care. Before and after the DeSantis rally in Las Vegas, voters told CBS News that while they love the Florida governor, they'd prefer if he waited until 2028. "I love Ron DeSantis and I want every governor in this country to be just like him," said Ilene Mann. "I love President Trump and I love DeSantis. What I would really love is for Trump to be president now, in 2024, and DeSantis in 2028." Jan Ripsco said the same thing. "I would prefer that he run next election and Trump wins." Ripsco said she is worried about keeping Florida "very conservative" and is undecided on who she would support in a Trump-DeSantis match up. Ripsco also called DeSantis a "gift from God" and said she wishes other states would follow his lead. Story continues Trump campaigning in Iowa on heels of Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley making trips to state Trading of more than 12 regional bank stocks halted amid Silicon Valley Bank collapse A short walk can offset the health risks of too much sitting, researchers say Since 2012 Mansfield has held its St. Paddys Pickle Parade and Palooza organized by the all-volunteer nonprofit group Pickled Mansfield Society. The North Texas city is known as the Pickle Capital of Texas, but it shares part of its history with Fort Worth. Whats the dill with pickles and Mansfield? Mansfields history with pickles actually starts with mayonnaise and salad dressing. In 1924, resident Mildred Dalton made mayonnaise with egg yolks leftover from baking and her husband Jessie Otis Dalton, a Fort Worth grocery store owner, started selling it in his store. Mansfield Historical Museum and Heritage Center records indicate Jessie Daltons grocery store was located on Magnolia Avenue, museum manager Jessica Baber said. After the mayonnaise success, the Daltons started Mrs. Daltons Salad Dressing and opened a small factory where they made jars of pickles and condiments to sell. This line of pickles and condiments became known as the brand Best Maid Products. Patricia Dalton, Gary Dalton, and Son Garland Dalton pictured in the Best Maid warehouse. Patricia serves at the companys chief financial officer, Son serves as the chairman and chief executive officer, and Gary serves as the company president. Best Maid was founded in Fort Worth by Mildred and J. O. Dalton in 1926. [FWST photographer Norm Tindell] They were Mansfield residents and the brand got its start here, the company got its start here in their house, Baber said. In 1979, the J.O. and Mildred Dalton Endowed Scholarship was established at Texas Tech University in honor of the Best Maid founders. The scholarship is awarded to a Food Technology major with a minimum 2.0 GPA or in the upper 25 percent of their class if theyre an incoming freshman. Today, Best Maid is still owned by the Dalton family. Workers on an assembly line pack jars with pickles at the Best Maid factory. [FWST photographer Norm Tindell] Where is Best Maid headquartered? Best Maid is based in Fort Worth, the city where the Daltons sold their condiments. The headquarters are located at 1401 S. Riverside Dr. Fort Worth may not be the Pickle Capital of Texas but pickles still hold a special place in Cowtown. The Best Maid Pickle Emporium is located at 829 W. Vickery Blvd. and sells Best Maid merchandise and, of course, pickles. Martin House Brewing Company introduced its Best Maid Sour Pickle Beer in 2019. The Fort Worth brewery also sells Best Maid Spicy Pickle, Bloody Mary, Chamoy Drip and Bread-N-Butters beer which can be bought at H-E-B in a variety pack. Story continues View of pickles processing at the Best Maid factory. A worker is seen standing on top of a large barrel of cucumbers. [FWST photographer Norm Tindell] Why is Mansfield the Pickle Capital of Texas? While Best Maid is based in Fort Worth, Mansfield was named the Pickle Capital of Texas in 2013 by the 83rd Legislature. Mansfields status as the birthplace of Best Maid and its Pickle Parade and Palooza distinguishes the community as the home of a pickle brand. The legislature said the citys association with pickles qualified Mansfield for the designation. It's a doughy, cheesy masterpiece. Runza/Allrecipes Why is a sandwich so much better when it comes enveloped completely inside the bun? We're not talking about a split hoagie, a pita, or a wrapand certainly not a calzone. We mean a pocket of doughy, fresh-baked bread stuffed with something unseen. Something wonderful. A treasure waiting to be unlocked. All you know is that it's hot and it sure smells good. And maybe that's part of the appeal: the surprise waiting inside. What Is a Runza? So let's say you bite into that soft crust, tear through the doughy mantle, and unleash a core of molten American cheese. Inside is greasy ground beef, seasoned and buttery, mixed with grilled onions and cabbageyes, cabbage. Such is the wonder of the runza, a rectangular pocket of yeast dough filled with ground beef, cabbage, and other fixings for a grab-and-go food that, like Tater Tot Hot Dish, Dorothy Lynch Homestyle Dressing, and dessert salads, is uniquely Midwestern. Where Did the Runza Originate? It's the cabbage that roots this delicacy firmly in the Nebraska soil, where German-Russian immigrants settled in the late 19th century. One of the recipes they brought was the bierock, a pocket-pastry sandwich filled with savory ingredients, sometimes including sauerkraut. No one is sure where the name "runza" came from (perhaps for the Low German "runsa" which means bun shape, or the soft shape of a round belly), but in 1949, two descendents of one of those immigrant families, Sally Everett and her brother Alex Brening, opened the first Runza Drive Inn in Lincoln, Neb., serving the family version of the sandwich. What Is the Fast Food Chain Called Runza? Today, there are more than 80 Runza fast-food restaurants spanning four statesIowa, Kansas, Colorado, and of course, Nebraska, whose residents have largely adopted the delicacy as something of an unofficial state food. The franchise has trademarked the word "runza," but you can still find old-school bierocks across the Great Plains. The difference lies not so much in the ingredients as in the shape: bierocks are round and runza (runzas? runzi?) are rectangular. But Runza is by far the easiest place to find them, and for our money, the most worthwhile. The treat comes in all sorts of varieties, from mushroom and Swiss to spicy jack to BBQ bacon, but we recommend the cheese runza, the original beef-onion-and-cabbage with melted American cheese. Don't worry: It's a delicious surprise even if you know what's inside. If you cant make it to the motherland of the runza, theres always the home-cooked route, with traditional handheld runzas or runza casserole for a crowd. Workers at a Florida amusement on Wednesday began dismantling a ride nearly a year after a 14-year-old boy fell to his death from the attraction. Tyre Sampson, a teen who was visiting Orlando from Missouri, fell from the 430-foot-tall Free Fall at ICON Park on March 24, 2022. Sampson's mother, Nekia Dodd, has advocated for the ride to be taken down in the months since her son's death and was there on Wednesday as the ride was taken down. "I hate I have to come down under these circumstances," she said during a press conference. "It's a bittersweet moment, you know. The ride's coming down and I'm thankful for that, but my son's not coming back." A memorial site for Tyre Sampson outside the Orlando Free Fall drop tower ride at ICON Park in Orlando, Florida. / Credit: Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images Michael Haggard, an attorney for Dodd, also announced Wednesday that a settlement had been reached in a wrongful death lawsuit Dodd filed against the park and the ride operator. Trevor Arnold, a lawyer for ride operator Orlando Slingshot, said they were pleased a settlement had been reached. Neither lawyer elaborated on the details of the settlement. Arnold said that the ride operator supports efforts to pass the Tyre Sampson bill, which aims to prevent similar accidents in the future by blocking attraction operators in Florida from making unauthorized changes to ride restraint systems. In Sampson's case, investigators found safety sensors had been manually adjusted to allow for larger riders. Sampson weighed around 380 pounds at the time of his death, but the ride had a 287-pound rider limit, according to its safety manual. ICON Park, where the ride is located, is also supporting the proposed safety legislation, a spokesperson said. "We agree with the goal to ensure extra diligence and oversight with mid- to small-attraction operators for ride training, testing and process documentation, which we also focus on in our own rigorous ride safety protocols," the ICON Park spokesperson said. "While the FreeFall ride is not owned and was not controlled or operated by ICON Park, because it is a tenant on the property, we agree with the owner's decision to dismantle the ride and our hearts are with the family as they witness this important milestone." Story continues Editor of The Economist on U.S.-China tensions, SVB collapse Former FDIC chair Sheila Bair on turmoil in the banking sector Texas judge weighs halting access to abortion pill Grumble, grumble Good grief. There is a lot of negativity in the United States. However, I thought the opening of our new world-class airport, on time and on budget, would give us cause to celebrate. We toured the facility before the opening and were very impressed. This includes the baggage claim and pickup area. When I fly to St. Louis, I go down the escalator to baggage claim, pick up my bag, call my sister in the cellphone parking lot, wait for her car, get in and off we go. We now have that same convenience at KCI. Why is this easy process causing so much negativity? (March 10, 7A, Letters) - Susie Rawlings, Leawood Bit by bit This moment in time calls for serious thinking and action. Many of us have felt the shock of House Speaker Kevin McCarthys release of 40,000-plus hours of video from the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection on our democracy to Fox News host Tucker Carlson. This action allowed Carlson to craft truly false propaganda that hides the vast majority of the tragedies of that horrific day in our countrys history. Unfortunately, many of our elected national leaders are not speaking out against Carlson and McCarthys actions. I am troubled by a seemingly low interest among a portion of our American population regarding historys stories of when authoritarian regimes have risen to power. Even in Kansas City and Missouri, we have in recent years seen our elected officials overturn the majority vote of the people. Some of these actions may not seem to matter, but when they continue to build, or even multiply, we could awaken one morning and find our beloved democracy replaced by a dictatorship or some form of totalitarian control. Surely, we the people do not want or deserve that fate. - Ron J. Hoffman, Grandview Standard objection Do you remember federal legislation that tried out year-round daylight saving time in 1974? I do. (March 12, 16A, Changing the clocks twice a year is an idea that belongs in the past) I was one year out of college, supervising multigenerational factory workers for a Midwest food company. After several months, everyone at the company and their families hated constant DST. Federal representatives realized their bipartisan mistake and quickly reversed the legislation that same year. Story continues At that time, consultants stated there were two types of people in the world: math people and word people. Math people favored daylight saving time because it optimizes the hours of daylight in the evenings. Word people favored standard time because it optimizes people time all year in all time zones. Year-round DST was a gross mistake in 1974 and would repeat itself if enacted again. Refer to research articles regarding standard time. You will better understand needs versus wants for workers, students, utilities, safety, health and transportation, rural or urban. All information leans toward switching to permanent standard time for you, your extended group and your elected officials - James Svoboda, Kansas City Critical thinking The headline on a March 3 front-page story tells us Kansas may ban outdoor sleeping for homeless, as Mo. did. This legislation is the product of a conservative Texas think tank, the Cicero Institute. From what Ive read, there are several common reasons for homelessness: Already-poor people encounter an unexpected large expense, for which they have no cushion. Our mental institutions of the past were frightful, so we closed them but some people with mental illness are unable to fend for themselves. And then there are those addicted to alcohol or drugs. Are our Kansas and Missouri legislators unable to think of human measures to address a problem? If theyre so lacking in effective reasoning, they have no place in a legislative body. Im going to contact my Kansas representative and senator to ask for thoughtful, compassionate measures, and I hope others will do the same. - Marilyn Bynum, Leavenworth A coalition of environmental groups on Tuesday filed a quick legal challenge against the the Biden administration's decision to approve the controversial Willow oil project in Alaska. Bidens decision to allow ConocoPhillips to build its massive project on federal land in the Alaska wilderness has caused an uproar among environmentalists. They argued in their lawsuit that the approval violated four environmental laws despite the fact that the Bureau of Land Management greenlit a smaller version of the project than ConocoPhillips had sought. Willow would result in the construction and operation of extensive oil and gas and other infrastructure in sensitive arctic habitats and will significantly impact the regions wildlife, air, water, lands, and people, the groups wrote in their lawsuit, which asks the Alaskan court to vacate the Biden administration's approval of the project. BLM failed to follow requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act to consider alternatives that would lessen the project's impact on the National Petroleum ReserveAlaska, or NPR-A, or to take a required "hard look" at the project's cumulative impacts, including on climate change, the suit alleges. The groups also charge BLM with failing to consider the project's impacts on lands used for subsistence by Alaska Natives. And the suit argues the Fish and Wildlife Service failed to properly consider Willow's potential impacts on endangered species such as polar bears. Interior attempted to put a shiny gloss over a structurally unsound decision that will, without question, result in a massive fossil fuel project that will reduce access to food and cultural practices for local communities," Bridget Psarianos, lead attorney for Trustees for Alaska, which represents the environmental groups, said in a statement. "This new decision allows ConocoPhillips to pump out massive amounts of greenhouse gases that drive continued climate devastation in the Arctic and world. The laws broken on the way to these permits demonstrate the governments disregard for those who would be most directly harmed by industrial pollution and ignores Alaskas and the worlds climate reality. Story continues Willow is estimated to produce about 600 million barrels of oil, with production projected to be over 180,000 barrels of oil per day at its peak. The project is also expected to generate around 280 million tons a year of greenhouse gases over its expected 30-year lifetime the equivalent of two coal-burning power plants every year, according to government estimates. The Alaskan court in 2021 overturned a Trump-era approval of the project after determining its underlying environmental analysis was flawed. The suit was brought in the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska by the Sovereign Inupiat for a Living Arctic, Alaska Wilderness League, Environment America, Northern Alaska Environmental Center, Sierra Club and the Wilderness Society. The groups said a second suit spearheaded by Earthjustice, which had previously said it was reviewing the administration's analysis of the project's environmental impact as a basis for a possible lawsuit, will be filed soon as well. The Interior Department declined to comment. The White House could not be immediately reached for comment. The OneJax Institute, an interfaith organization that promotes racial, religious and cultural tolerance in the Jacksonville area, plans to dissolve its 10-year affiliation with the University of North Florida, citing the current "political climate" enveloping state universities. The institute's board recently voted unanimously to terminate the Memorandum of Understanding the two entities approved in 2012 and re-activate its independent 501(c)3 nonprofit status. The goal is to finalize the separation, including relocating from downtown office space leased by UNF, by June 30, Executive Director Kyle Reese said. "OneJax is proud to have been a part of the UNF community and appreciates the mutually beneficial relationship we have enjoyed with the university these past 11 years," he said. "The current political climate in our state is impacting every state university and we do not want the core mission and vision of our 53-year-old organization to be restrained or restricted." Having raised its own operating funds during the UNF relationship, the OneJax organization can support itself, Reese said. "We are in a good financial position and expect to continue raising the operating funds necessary for us to continue our plans for growth and expansion," he said. Targeting tenure, diversity initiatives:DeSantis pushes Florida universities to the right UNF leader talks:7 questions for UNF's seventh president, President Moez Limayem University of North Florida: 50 years of learning and growing and a look ahead UNF President Moez Limayem, appointed last summer, said such affiliations tend to evolve. "This is not an unusual occurrence," Limayem said. "We part as friends and I wish OneJax well as it continues to pursue its work in the greater Jacksonville community." John Delaney, who was UNF president when the relationship with OneJax began and is now president of Flagler College, agreed. 'It was a great partnership while it lasted and it helped bring immense benefits to both the school and to the community. Everything has its time," he said. Story continues OneJax was originally formed as a local chapter of the National Conference of Christians and Jews in 1970 and later known as the National Conference for Community and Justice. In 2005 the Jacksonville chapter disaffiliated from its national group and formed OneJax as a separate nonprofit. Discussions about a relationship with UNF began in 2011 and came to fruition in 2012. At the time, Delaney told the Times-Union that bringing OneJax onto campus will allow the university to "strengthen its community partnerships and play an even more significant role in Northeast Florida's conversations on diversity and inclusion." The timing is amid political strife involving Gov. DeSantis and education The institutes latest decision may be a step to avoid being caught unprepared for anticipated changes in state law that could leave the organization without a home. Legislation pending in Floridas Senate would ban any state university from spending money from any source, including private donations, "to promote, support or maintain any programs that espouse diversity, equity and inclusion or critical race theory rhetoric." If it passes, the bill would become law July 1. A page on UNFs website written before the legislation was filed says that "by bringing OneJax onto its campus, the university has positioned itself to strengthen its community partnerships to play an even more significant role in Northeast Florida's conversations about diversity and inclusion." The OneJax separation from UNF is happening as students and faculty ponder, some fearfully, how life around the campus will be changed by new directions from lawmakers in Tallahassee. E'Niya Douglas (from left), Josias Vilbrun, Jada Hewitt, Erin Jaxon and Kendra Francois cheer and chant at a Feb. 21 rally at the University of North Florida. The rally was organized by the Students for Democratic Society and Students United for Workers Advocacy to urge protection of UNF's diversity efforts. Last month about 75 people gathered outside UNFs Fine Arts Center to wave signs and voice opposition to Gov. Ron DeSantiss plans to dismantle some programs statewide framed as fostering diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, on campuses. Students, many of them racial or sexual minorities, expressed dismay about the governors stance and said it should inspire diversity supporters to vote for politicians who support their values. Ziena Baker, 20, told the group that people in DEI programs at UNF had helped her feel a greater sense of community than anything else shed found on campus. "I dont know where Id be without them," Baker said. "I dont want them to be put out of jobs." Condemning anti-DEI efforts to an audience that answered "Shame! Shame," speakers led the group in chants to show their opposition. "When our education is under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!" the chants declared, before organizers announced plans to deliver a DEI-supporting message to Limayem. Following a town hall meeting where students again raised the issue, Limayem circulated a campus-wide email affirming that "we remain dedicated to being a welcoming campus, where individuals from all backgrounds experience a sense of belonging," the Spinnaker, UNFs campus newspaper, reported this month. Michelle Dumars holds a sign at a Feb. 21 rally at the University of North Florida to urge protection of UNF's diversity efforts. Talking points centered around Gov. Ron DeSantis' book bans. Matt Hartley, director of UNF's Interfaith Center, said the loss of OneJax as a part of the university that advocated for diversity could have long-term impacts. He stressed that he commented as an individual and not as a representative of the UNF. "As a longtime supporter, I am happy for OneJax to continue their vital work unimpeded by proposed legislative attacks on diversity and inclusion at state universities," he said. "UNF loses an ambassador to the city, a bridge for diversity and civic engagement. Thankfully, OneJax will march on." "What is concerning is that diversity work on campus remains under threat," he said. The Interfaith Center is under UNF's Office of Diversity and Inclusion umbrella, along with other centers that support students, faculty and staff who are women, members of the LGBTQ community or have varying cultural, racial and ethnic identities. Their collective 20-plus staff members and the hundreds of students they serve cannot leave campus, Hartley said. "OneJax has a board of civic leaders who stood up for them," he said. "Who will stand up for those of us who remain on campus doing inclusion work? I am still waiting to hear anyone from off campus, civic leaders, business leaders, any in the community who will say something publicly. The silence is loud." OneJax saw threat to freedom DeSantis, who won reelection in November by an overwhelming margin, governs with a loyal GOP-dominated Legislature as he eyes a presidential run. He wields power more aggressively than any governor in modern memory. Many of his policies have impacted marginalized groups, including banning a course on African-American history, flying migrants to Marthas Vineyard, curtailing transgender health care and reshaping Floridas education system from kindergarten to college to limit how race and LGBTQ issues are discussed. He has targeted key pillars of democracy, restricting protests and voting access while seeking new limits on media companies. UNF professors:Proposed regulations threaten quality of higher education in Florida Florida education officials: African American Studies AP course 'lacks educational value' Humanitarian Awards:Community Foundation's Nina Waters, other civic leaders to receive OneJax honors Such policies led to two UNF directives that prompted the OneJax board to broach separating from the university. OneJax planned to introduce a "civility pledge" for mayoral candidates in this year's municipal elections and was developing a diversity initiative. UNF officials told them "don't do a pledge" and discouraged OneJax from pursuing the diversity initiative. With ongoing pressure from the state, "UNF just has so many challenges right now," Reese said. As a result, the OneJax feared the loss of their "freedom" to promote tolerance, board president Mobeen Rathore said. "It has been an ongoing thing. Things have been changing for months," he said. "More recently we thought we were at a stage where we need to be able to continue our own work without hindrance." Although OneJax had long been "delighted to be part of UNF," he said, independence was now necessary. Sammie Fowler holds a sign at a Feb. 21 rally at the University of North Florida to urge protection of UNF's diversity efforts, which some view as under attack by Gov. Ron DeSantis' policies. Sabeen Perwaiz is president and CEO of the Jacksonville-based Florida Nonprofit Alliance. She said such actions by nonprofits affiliated with state agencies are not a "matter of fear but compliance." "They have to be aware of the rules [changes] with each legislative session and be engaged," she said. Reese and Rathore said they are not worried about OneJax's future. Fundraising has been ongoing and community support has never wavered, they said. "I think we should be fine. We're doing well," Rathore said. Nina Waters, president of The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, leads the OneJax advisory council. She noted that although UNF did not provide funding, it did provide office space, administrative support and other resources. "A lot of people are wondering how they can support this work right now," she said. "OneJax will need our help, as it fundraises both for its programmatic work and also now to replace the in-kind support it received from UNF. I think this move underscores the critical importance of the nonprofit sector, especially community-based nonprofits. Because we dont depend on public funding, because we count on support from a large number of community members, our sectors work transcends politics and endures across administrations." bcravey@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4109, and spatterson@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4263 ONEJAX INSTITUTE To donate, volunteer or get more information, contact OneJax at 112 W. Adams St., 4th Floor, Jacksonville, FL 32202; (904) 620-1529; or onejax@unf.edu or go to unf.edu/onejax. OneJax will have in-person community suppers at four locations March 23 and a virtual one April 3. The topic will be "The Soul of Our City: What kind of community do we want to become?" To register for a March 23 supper, go to bit.ly/3yzEEAh; to register for the April 3 virtual session, go to bit.ly/3TaO7Y6. For more information email onejax@unf.edu. OneJax's 2023 Humanitarian Awards event will be May 4 at the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts, 300 Water St. downtown. More information will be posted on the OneJax website at a later date. This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: OneJax: Freedom to push diversity in Jacksonville lead to UNF split J-pop boy band ONE N ONLY dropped a new single called Well rise again on March 8, the third in the groups five-month streak of new releases currently underway celebrating the groups fifth anniversary, following YOU??? and Get That (PT-BR ver.). Well rise again is also the six-member groups first single in about four years to be released in physical form since Category/My Love from 2019. Members EIKU, TETTA, REI, HAYATO, KENSHIN, and NAOYA chatted with Billboard Japan about their March offering and broke down each of the tracks included on the CD single. More from Billboard Related ONE N' ONLY Japan's ONE N ONLY Talk Singing in Portuguese for Get That & Upcoming Latin 03/15/2023 03/15/2023 Well rise again is featured as the theme of the your movie Battle King! -Well rise again-, set for release in Japanese theaters March 10. HAYATO: This song has been around for a while, but when we were casted as a group in our first starring movie, we changed the lyrics to link it to the films content. Since you knew it would be the theme of the groups first starring movie, it must have felt different than usual when you were recording it. EIKU: Yes. We recorded the first verse before we started filming. Then we recorded the second verse after we wrapped, so it helped us put more feeling into it because we could see how faithful the song was to the film and it was like the meaning of the lyrics became clearer. HAYATO: The scenes came to mind, didnt it? EIKU: Yeah. We later re-recorded the first verse and made it even better. The character I play, Genjiro, used to be a delinquent, but he gets into hip-hop dance and finds his dream. Theres this scene where he expresses his determination to the art school principal and its a really touching moment. I sang my part with that scene in mind, so my voice sounds more emotional. Story continues TETTA: The movie depicts a future where the characters aim for global success, and singing with that feeling is the same as where were at right now as ONE N ONLY, so it was easy for me to get into the feeling. REI: The lyrics are really linked to the story, so I think you can enjoy it twice! Will fans be able to check out your movie outside of Japan? TETTA: Unfortunately, theres no plan for international theatrical release. HAYATO: But on-demand video streaming services are everywhere now so itd be nice if people could catch it. TETTA: We could do our own voice-overs. NAOYA: Come on, there will be subtitles! [Everyone laughs] HAYATO: But if its dubbed, Id love to see who does our voices. NAOYA: The movie version of the drama series I was in called his Koi suru tsumori nante nakatta (I didnt intend to fall in love) is being distributed in Brazil with subtitles. I know someone from Brazil who got to know ONE N ONLY because of that. KENSHIN: We could do a Portuguese version of the first rap battle scene. EIKU: Then wed have to ask everyone who performed with us to learn Portuguese. KENSHIN: Sounds like a lot of work, but fun! Well rise again will be released on CD along with its digital formats. How do you feel about that? NAOYA: The last time was Category/My Love in 2019, so its been a long time. HAYATO: Putting songs out in physical format is always a great feeling. Two other songs are included in the CD single. Tell us about GIFT. HAYATO: Its a gentle love song, following My Love. I think our SWAGs also enjoy these kinds of straightforward J-POP numbers. It has a more mature worldview than My Love, and the chorus contains a message about the importance of the ordinary things in life. We performed it at our Christmas concert last year, so Im really looking forward to sharing it with everyone. REI: The lyrics are straightforward, and the song changes keys so its not boring. We sing the lyrics clearly so the message probably comes through. HAYATO: The choreography is cute too. REI: Itd be great if people could remember the hand-waving at the end and the hugging gestures since theyre easy to imitate. NAOYA: The other song, QUEEN, is pretty daring for us. Its the sexiest song weve ever done. HAYATO: It depends on how you look at it, but its steamy! [Laughs] NAOYA: No doubt about it. I want people to see our performance after memorizing the lyrics. HAYATO: We did a performance using a microphone stand as one of the highlights of our tour, and when you hear it with the songs content in mind, its definitely different! REI: The lyrics are hard to understand on first listen, arent they? TETTA: We encourage everyone to read the lyrics while listening to it. REI: People will be like, Ooh la la! [Laughs] TETTA: Its a song that we can sing because were who we are today. REI: You dont find many songs like this in Japan. Content like this would be glossed over in other J-pop songs, but here its up front, which I think is a message from our songwriters that they expect us to express these kinds of things and compete with our musicality. KENSHIN: The song is finely broken up for each of our parts, and we try new expressions down to our fingertips, so Id like people to look out for that, too. I look forward to seeing these songs live again. EIKU: Theyre tracks that will definitely add more power to our live performances, so I hope everyone enjoys these three songs this month. This interview by Kana Yoshida first appeared on Billboard Japan Best of Billboard Click here to read the full article. Anadolu Agency - Getty Images "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese received a pair of aviator-style sunglasses from U.S. President Joe Biden in California. The aviator sunglasses have been Biden's fashion accessory of choice since the 1960s. The duo appeared alongside U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to discuss the AUKUS security pact. Some presidents have a signature look: Abraham Lincoln rocked a top hat. Teddy Roosevelt had his mustache. Martin Van Buren had those mutton chops. And current President Joe Biden is no exception, looking sharp in a pair of aviator sunglasses whenever he's out and about. Biden, who has been sporting this style of sunglasses since his days as a lifeguard in the 1960s, has also been known to gift custom-made pairs to dignitaries and heads of state to celebrate new partnerships and try and bridge divides. The most recent recipient of the stylish gift is Australia's current Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. Albo, as the Daily Mail calls the Prime Minister who took power in May 2022, was actually stateside, in California, when he received Biden's gift. And his subsequent Instagram post is inviting some very Hollywood comparisons. The Australian Prime Minister met with President Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in San Diego to announce details of the historic trilateral AUKUS security pact. AUKUS is a pact first formed in September of 2021 between the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, wherein the first two countries will assist the third in achieving nuclear-powered submarines. While the trio of nations are already, alongside New Zealand and Canada, part of an intelligence alliance known as "Five Eyes," AUKUS is a specifically military- and military hardware-focused partnership. And while the AUKUS presentation was focused on aquatic submersibles, the commenters on Albanese's Instagram post are thinking instead about the skies. Specifically, the skies patrolled by Tom Cruise in Top Gun. Story continues The smash success of the 1986 film's recent legacy-sequel Top Gun: Maverick has put aviatorsboth the sunglasses and the professionback in the mainstream. So it's only natural that when the Albanese donned the Biden's shades, people were reminded of Goose, Ice Man, and naturally, Maverick. "Love the Top Gun vibes PM," one commenter wrote, while some nicknamed him "Anthony Cruise" or "Anthony Alphanese." One seemingly confounded commenter even wrote "Why is Albo hot?" which is the kind of PR win you can only hope for in politics, and a reminder that a good pair of shades can go a long way. You Might Also Like Lleida.net NEW YORK, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Analyst Theodore R. O'Neill, principal of Equity Research firm Litchfield Hills Research, released his new report on international digital services company Lleida.net (LLEIF.US), which shows a Buy Rating and a $9 price target. The research highlights that the company's revenue 15% YoY in 2022, with over 20 million dollars in sales, or its best revenue figure since it was founded in 1995. The report points out that the company has an "attractive valuation". The shares appear to us inexpensive on an absolute and relative basis," it adds. Theodore O'Neill is a two-time winner of the Wall Street Journal All-Star Analyst. The report can be downloaded here: https://investors.lleida.net/docs/en/litchfield-hills-research-20230309.pdf Litchfield Hills Research is an independent global equity research firm providing institutional investor quality research for companies looking to increase awareness with investors. Its reports are distributed on 15 platforms used by institutional investors in the US, EU, and China. Headquartered in Madrid, Lleida.net is the European leader in the electronic signature, notification and contracting industry. It has 18 offices worldwide and has received around 300 patents from authorities in more than 64 countries. These include the European Union, the United States, China, Russia, India, Mexico, Japan, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, South Africa, Nigeria, Australia, and New Zealand. Lleida.net has been listed on the OTCQX index in New York since 2020, Euronext Growth in Paris since 2018, and BME Growth in Madrid. You can download the companys investor presentation here: https://investors.lleida.net/docs/presentation_0622.pdf The company's workforce now exceeds 170 people. Safe Harbor Statements: Except for the historical information contained herein, certain of the matters discussed in this communication constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "could," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "predict," "project," "future," "potential," "intend," "seek to," "plan," "assume," "believe," "target," "forecast," "goal," "objective," "continue" or the negative of such terms or other variations thereof and words and terms of similar substance used in connection with any discussion of future plans, actions, or events identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding benefits of the proposed license, expected synergies, anticipated future financial and operating performance and results, including estimates of growth. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements included in this communication. For example, the expected timing and likelihood of completion of the pending transaction, including the timing, receipt and terms and conditions of any required governmental and regulatory approvals of the pending transaction that could reduce anticipated benefits or cause the parties to abandon the transaction, the ability to successfully integrate the businesses, the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the negotiations, the risk that the parties may not be able to satisfy the conditions to the proposed transaction in a timely manner or at all, risks related to disruption of management time from ongoing business operations due to the proposed transaction, the risk that any announcements relating to the proposed transaction could have adverse effects on the market price of Lleida.net's common stock. All such factors are difficult to predict and are beyond our control. We disclaim and do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement in this report, except as required by applicable law or regulations. Story continues Lleida.net. www.lleida.net https://investors.lleida.net/ https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/lleif CONTACT: Pedrosa IR ir@pedrosa.uk In 2003, Elaine Clegg was a neighborhood activist working at a Boise urban planning nonprofit. She had been a board member of the North End Neighborhood Association and, in previous decades, worked to protect Hulls Gulch and other parts of the Boise Foothills. That year, she was elected to the Boise City Council on a platform of smart growth, focusing on building mixed-use and walkable neighborhoods, conserving open space and promoting affordable housing. Twenty years later, Clegg is in her fifth term on the council, having been a part of city leadership as Boise has become one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation. But now shes leaving City Hall to be CEO of Valley Regional Transit. Clegg spoke to the Idaho Statesman on Tuesday before one of her last council meetings about Boise and her years in government. She plans to soon resign from the council. The transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity. How are you feeling right now about leaving the council? Ambivalent. A little sad, a little happy, really excited about my new position. This has been the joy of my life, though. So leaving is a little hard. Youve been on the council for over 19 years. How has the city changed since you first came on? Its certainly grown the entire time. So its a lot bigger now. And the problems are actually relatively the same. Theyve just gotten more intense, I think because of the size. Probably housing is the biggest change. We always had a portion of our community who had trouble affording housing, but it wasnt nearly as big a group as it is today. And so it wasnt as big a nut to crack. The pandemic has made it so that people seem a little more on edge all the time. Thats starting to subside a little bit, but its still there. When you say on edge, do you mean about personal stability, or about politics? Personal stability is impacting the way they interact with the city. So if theres an issue that theyre passionate about, theyre a little more passionate. If theres something that doesnt go their way, it hurts a little more, and so it makes it more difficult to deal with. Story continues Going forward, what are some of the biggest challenges that you think the city still faces and that you hope the council in future years addresses? One of them is transportation. One of the reasons Im moving on is to hopefully help with that one. I think if we dont get a handle on offering transportation choices, well follow the path of many Western cities that sprawl forever till their traffic gets so bad that they have to do something else. The other biggest issue is housing. Hopefully we can lead the way out of it by figuring out how to get more housing built, increase the supply, diversify the market. I think were in a place where only single family housing is for sale because of the financial issues that condos ran into during the Great Recession. Hopefully they can figure out a solution to that and we can have more for sale products and not just single-family ones. Its a big issue and there are lots of things that have to happen. Certainly the zoning code rewrite and getting that passed is going to be a big help. Do you think that the rewrite will help that issue you just brought up, about getting more things for sale? I do. I think the zoning code rewrite, if it passes, will offer all kinds of opportunities for new housing products that we havent seen for a long time. Many of the older parts of town grew before there was a zoning code. And so if you look at the products that are available in those neighborhoods, theyre just not available in many of the neighborhoods that got built since the zoning code. So if more of those get built, I think there will be more opportunity for people. This afternoon I went back and found a 2003 article from the Statesman talking about your election to the council. It talked about your work with Idaho Smart Growth, and described some of your platform as including steering development toward already built-in areas as opposed to open fields; encouraging businesses and housing to be located closer together to promote walking and reduce driving; conserving open space and creating and maintaining safe, affordable and mixed neighborhoods. Nothings changed (laughter). How do you feel about that message now, and what are some of the things you feel like youve accomplished over the last 20 years? Weve done a lot. Theres a master streets map with a livable streets guide, which ended up helping places like Whitewater Park Boulevard get built, like the bike-ways that were now seeing. Weve passed a specific plan ordinance that help neighborhoods like Harris Ranch get built that are different than some of the other neighborhoods. The master pathways plan and the work I did with transit to ensure that the funding was adequate to fund our best-in-class transit routes. Weve greened up all of the parks that were on the books when I got elected. There was a lot of park land that the Parks (Department) had brought inside the city and never had any work done on them. All of those are now developed. Were at a point where were buying more park land again, so that cycle is renewing. Thats a good thing. Now we have this 10-minute walk to a park (goal) and a better understanding that a big park far away is maybe less valuable than a small park closer in. The elections this November could change things a lot. For the first time, geographic districts will be everywhere across the city. How are you thinking about that at the moment and how might that change the makeup of the council? I hope it doesnt. It will change where people live, certainly. But what I hope it doesnt change is the collegiality and the willingness to set aside personal ideologies and work for the good of the city, which Ive seen the whole time Ive been here. Right now the council is focused in terms of where people live in a certain part of town. But over the years as Ive served, its been different parts of town. So I do think theres leadership capacity all over. The one thing I worry about is that leadership capacity tends to concentrate. I dont know why, (but) as Ive watched it, there will be one neighborhood thats strong and then another one, and another one. And so I just encourage people who are interested, who are willing to put in the work to learn the issues from all parts of town, to do that so that we have good leadership capacity all over. And keep in mind that this is a big city. Just because you get elected in one district, you work across the whole city. Are there directions that you hope the city steers clear of? I hope we continue to steer clear of sprawling outward. I think theres still a lot of ability to grow inward and grow up. Theres not very much farmland left, but the farmland that is left we should try to preserve. We should look at open space in other parts of the city. Folks on the northern edge of the city have really good access to it. Those further south have less access. Are there places that the city could ramp that up? I think there probably are. Im excited to be a private citizen my voice can be heard in a different way again. With Valley Regional Transit, what are some of the priorities youre looking to focus on? Were going to work on a better bus system. Were going to do a campaign called Better Buses. What do they look like? What do you want to see? And then well figure out how much that costs. And then hopefully, together, if we share that vision, we can figure out how to pay for that. Our biggest issue is that theres just not enough funding to do the things that people ask for. And the only way were going to get there is for people to really embrace a vision of something different and better. So were going to work toward that. Of course, the rail is a big issue of mine. Ill continue to work on that. I think theres a tremendous opportunity to do regional rail here. That could be a game-changer in terms of how people move around regionally in the valley. On the better bus system, if it requires more funding, are the avenues basically local cities and federal funding? Or are there other places you might be able to get money to build that? Were exploring that right now. We think theres an opportunity for business support. Businesses Ive talked to are interested in that. We also think theres an opportunity perhaps for various residential areas to, if they want service, to offer support in a different way than they do today. Ultimately though, I think were going to have to hopefully join every other state subdivision in Idaho and have authority to ask voters for our own funding and not have to have all of these separate little voluntary agreements across the region. Ke Huy Quan has opened up about his struggle to find roles following his childhood success in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies. The Vietnamese-American actor landed his first on-screen credit in the first outing of the Harrison Ford-led franchise in 1984. Shortly after, he appeared in the late director Richard Donners 1985 adventure classic. In the decades proceeding, Quan was forced into a career hiatus because of the lack of roles for Asian actors. Now 51, the Everything Everywhere All at Once star won his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor at the 95th Academy Awards on Sunday (12 March). While speaking to Variety in a new interview about his surreal win and Hollywood comeback, Quan further reflected upon the harder years when he couldnt get a job. I was taught never to blame anybody. If something doesnt go the way you want, its either because you didnt work hard enough, you werent good enough or you didnt try hard enough, he said. So when I couldnt get a job, I blamed myself: I thought I wasnt tall enough, I wasnt good-looking enough, or I wasnt a good enough actor because I wasnt classically trained. Ke Huy Quan (AP) I never blamed anybody even to this day, Quan added. His win, along with his EEAAO co-star Michelle Yeohs historical Best Actress triumph, are both being celebrated for showing that Asian-led films can be a hit with audiences and critics alike. Look where we are now: The landscape looks so different. We have a seat at the table. Our voices are being heard. Our faces are being seen, Quan said. He stipulated: I dont want to look at the past and say, Oh, my God, how bad it was! Id rather focus on the present and moving forward. A lot has changed. A bill allowing people in Kentucky to vote on whether the General Assembly should pay for the educational costs of private school K-12 students was approved Tuesday by a House committee. The legislation proposes to create a new section of the Kentucky constitution to authorize the General Assembly to provide for the educational costs of elementary and secondary school students outside of the public school system, provided that money from the states common school fund is not used. The bill provides ballot language that voters could ratify or reject. The question allowed by House Bill 174, which will now go to the full House, would be introduced on voters ballots with: To give families more educational choice, are you in favor of allowing the General Assembly to provide for the educational costs of students in kindergarten through 12th grade who are outside of the system of common public schools by amending the Constitution of Kentucky. It was approved 8-5 by the House Elections, Constitutional Amendments and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee. State Rep. Josh Calloway, R-Irvington, said the bill would put the amendment on the ballot in 2024. The proposed ballot question comes after the Kentucky Supreme Court last year struck down the Education Opportunity Account Act. The Education Opportunity Account (EOA) Act narrowly became law in 2021 with the support of a majority of Republicans in the state legislature. The act created a privately funded needs-based assistance program to cover educational expenses for families. The law also created a pilot program that would offer tuition assistance to help students attend pre-kindergarten through the 12th grade at non-public schools in counties with more than 90,000 people. Calloway said the Supreme Court ruling took a punitive approach to families who wanted more options for their children. We want to meet the needs of every child in Kentucky, he said. He said the ballot language will be easily understood by voters. Calloway said House Bill 174 wasnt an anti-public school bill. Story continues State Rep. Josie Raymond, D-Louisville, said the language on the ballot was difficult to understand. She called the bill a legislative temper tantrum. Calloway said every state around Kentucky offered some form of school choice. Referring to public schools, Akia McNeary, a parent in favor of the proposed legislation who spoke while the bill was discussed, said one size fits all doesnt work for every family. She asked the panel to approve the bill. Andrew Vandiver, from EdChoice Kentucky, said a recent poll from his organization showed that a majority of registered voters in Kentucky would support a school choice constitutional amendment. Nearly 75% of Republicans and 60% of independents support an amendment. Among Democrats, 31% supported the amendment, 53% were against it and 16% were undecided, he said. Kentuckys kids are counting on you, Vandiver told lawmakers. Kentucky Education Executive Director Mary Ruble spoke against the bill, saying at the meeting that the bill would nullify four sections of the Kentucky constitution. At a sustainable fashion event held Thursday morning, Kering and Marie Claire unveiled the launch of a joint podcast. A spin-off from the consumer magazine and luxury conglomerates partnership that began in June 2022, the Fashion Our Future podcast expands on in-person learnings. The Thursday event, which took place in Manhattan, trails an inaugural flagship event that convened in Paris last year, showcasing panel talks, workshops, design expositions and more focused on fashion and sustainability. More from WWD After a seated breakfast, media, influencers, industry professionals and students donned plush headphones to sample the sound of rushing streams and songbirds, while seated, ironically, multiple stories above the skyline. A voiceover repeated phrases like: Were overconsuming, or Isnt it nice to slow down?, all underscoring that sustainability necessitates slowing down by principle. The first consumer-geared podcast episode drops Thursday on Spotify. The news accompanied a handful of panel conversations and precedes further news from Kering. For the first session, Kerings sustainability head Marie-Claire Daveu spoke of the companys feat in ditching fur, as well the optimism that drives her profession. You dont work in sustainability if you arent optimistic, underscored Daveu. The conversation continued with actress Kerry Washington and sustainable designers Brother Vellies founder Aurora James, Angel Chang and Studio 189 cofounder Abrima Erwiah. Washington, who recently wore an archival Donna Karan dress to the Oscars, said storytellers are the true power wielders in shifting the sustainable fashion narrative. Real change happens when the message is being delivered in multiple stages in the process. If people are walking down the street and they see a huge [billboard] of what Kering is doing they [can] turn on their phone and scan a QR code, and they walk past the store. People get information in multiple places and understand this is not just a fashionable moment. This is not a trend. This has to be a life shift for the health of our planet.There are multiple opportunities to contribute to that narrative. Story continues Erwiah spoke on a panel with Hassan Pierre, cofounder of ethical retailer Maison de Mode, and Natasha Franck, founder of digital supply chain tool Eon. The final conversation was between Fashion Institute of Technology president Joyce F. Brown and sustainable fashion and climate activist Saad Amer. A selection of sustainability-inclined FIT student designers also showcased their work. These conversations and more are whats expected of the podcast, though further details were not revealed. Best of WWD Click here to read the full article. A man was found guilty in the death of a UNCW student. A Pender County jury found Raymond Lee Brooks Jr. guilty in the death of Chris Stewart, a 23-year-old college student in 2020. Brooks was convicted in Pender Superior Court on charges of first-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and conspiracy to commit armed robbery with a dangerous weapon. He was sentenced to serve life in prison, plus 2 to about 4 years, with the North Carolina Department of Corrections. Brooks, of Bladen County, was one of three suspects charged in connection with the crimes. The others were Brandon Tyrell Chambers, of Willard, and Myasia Morange, also of Bladen County. Morange and Chambers are being held at the Pender and New Hanover county jails, respectively. The co-defendants' cases are still pending. The body of Christopher Duane Stewart, 23, was found at Millers Pond Park, off U.S. 117 South in 2020. Stewart was found dead in Rocky Point at Millers Pond Park on March 27, 2020. He was a student at the University of North Carolina Wilmington working towards a degree in criminal justice. Before UNCW, he graduated from Pender High School and was a member of the JROTC program. He joined the U.S. Army and served in Afghanistan and continued serving in the reserves. Stewart received many awards for his service. STAY CONNECTED: Keep up with the areas latest news by signing up for the StarNews newsletter and following us on Facebook and Instagram. Reporter Chase Jordan can be reached at cjjordan@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Man convicted in Pender County for murder of UNCW student The Marlins hope they got a glimpse of what Jean Segura could provide this season when he made his first appearance in the 2023 World Baseball Classic Tuesday night. Segura delivered a game-ending, pinch-hit, two-run double in the bottom of the seventh that gave the Dominican Republic a 10-0 win over Israel. The tournaments mercy rule immediately concludes a game after a 10-run margin through seven innings. There is obviously anxiety to play in such an important event, Segura said. I believe Nelson (Cruz) and I were the only two from our team who hadnt played and thankfully we both got our chances. Segura and Cruz both capitalized on their opportunities. The 42-year-old Cruz singled before Seguras line drive to right-center drove in Robinson Cano and Cruz to begin yet another celebration in the pro-Dominican crowd of 33,307. Segura signed a two-year free agent deal with the Marlins in the offseason. The veteran infielder played his previous four seasons in Philadelphia and helped the Phillies to the 2022 National League pennant. The atmosphere and huge crowds Segura has experienced during the tournament games in Miami will be difficult to duplicate once the regular season begins. The Marlins averaged a National League-low 11,204 in home attendance last season as the club struggled to a fourth-place East Division finish. I dont know if the crowd is going to be the same, Segura said. My job is to go out there and compete, play the game the right way and respect my teammates. It doesnt really matter to me how the crowd is going to be in the regular season. I dont think theres any crowd in the world like the Dominican crowd. Dominican Republic infielders Nelson Cruz (23) and Robinson Cano (24) celebrate after scoring runs against Israel to win the game during the seventh inning of a Pool D game at the World Baseball Classic at loanDepot Park on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, in Miami, Fla. Brito Miami Private graduate Manny Machado hit his second homer of the tournament and also added a two-run single. Machados single capped a four-run sixth and made it 7-0. American League Rookie of the Year Julio Rodriguez preceded Machado with a two-RBI double. Ahead 1-0, the Dominican Republic increased its lead on Machados solo shot and Ketel Martes RBI double in the third. For the Dominican Republic, the win sets up a showdown with Puerto Rico in the final group game Wednesday night. Both teams are 2-1, and the winner will join Venezuela in the quarterfinal round that begins Friday. Israel was limited to one hit a night after falling to Puerto Rico in an eight-inning perfect game. The loss dropped Israel to 1-2. Maximiliano Blanco - Getty Images After terminating his contract in December of last year, Colombian superstar Miguel Angel Lopez is taking his former team, Astana Qazaqstan, to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland for breach of contract. The 29-year-old, who is currently riding for Colombian Continental squad Team Medellin-EPM, saw his contract come to a swift end with Astana Qazaqstan citing his probable connection to a doctor being investigated for his potential involvement in the Operacion Ilex doping scandal. At the time, Astana Qazaqstan released a statement saying they discovered new elements showing Miguel Angel Lopez probable connection with Dr. Marcos Maynar, justifying their dismissal of the rider known as Superman. Lopez hit back on Wednesday, releasing a public statement of his own via social media, claiming the connection between him and Dr. Maynar are tenuous at best and pointing out that that relationship is not currently under an active investigation. The statement continued, noting that one of Astana Qazaqstans masseurs, Vicente Belda Garcia, is, in fact being investigated in relation to the scandal. Garcia has since left the team. The statement continued to note that the UCI has decided to block a bank warranty of the team for the amount of 1.7 million Euros in the event of the court ruling in Lopezs favor, which might thereby require a repayment of lost wages and further damages. Lopez also noted that he has not failed a doping test and that his services for a spot on a WorldTour team are currently open, reiterating that he is able and willing to sign with a team and race on the WorldTour level this season. Lopezs career has been marked by glorious highs and very public lows, with Grand Tour stage wins and podiums offset by the troubles he had on a one-year contract with Team Movistar, as highlighted in the Netflix series, The Least Expected Day. Other than his one-year stint with Movistar, hes spent his entire career with the Astana squad. You Might Also Like Imam Imad Enchassi leads the Dhuhur Prayer on Monday during Muslim Day at the Oklahoma Capitol. The importance of engaging with elected leaders in an era of increased polarization came to the forefront time and time again as Muslim Oklahomans gathered in Oklahoma City on Monday for an annual advocacy event. More than 100 people registered for the ninth annual "Muslim Day at the Capitol" hosted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Oklahoma chapter. Several organizers said the crowd was smaller than in previous years because of spring break. Imad Enchassi, senior imam of the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City, said the event typically draws a large contingent of students, teachers and some parents from Mercy School, an Islamic school in northwest Oklahoma City, and a similar school in Tulsa, but the schools were out for break. Still, there were plenty of youths and young adults among the crowd that gathered on the second-floor rotunda and a meeting space for brief opening remarks, break-out sessions and lunch. Former U.S. Rep. Kendra Horn gave the keynote speech, and the group gathered for prayer after the last session. Masood Abdul-Haqq, CAIR-OK's board chairman, encouraged the crowd to take seriously the event theme of "Being Civically Courageous." Imam Imad Enchassi takes a selfie Monday with members of the interfaith community who showed up to support and welcome Muslims during Muslim Day at the Oklahoma Capitol. "This place is literally yours," he said. "We're literally in the building that everybody in here is here to serve you. Your tax dollars literally pay for this place so never let somebody tell you that you don't belong and never allow anyone to make you feel other than." Adam Soltani, CAIR-OK executive director, emphasized the prevailing message of the day. He reminded the group that a former Republican state representative, John Bennett, called him and Enchassi "terrorists" when they showed up to a hearing on an interim study on radical Islam, Shariah law, the Muslim Brotherhood and the radicalization process held several years ago at the state Capitol. Soltani said he and Enchassi sat in "silent protest" to the proceedings, and the important takeaway was they kept showing up to the Capitol to discuss key issues despite such incidents. Story continues "Things will only be good when we choose to be engaged and when we keep pushing for change," he said. Retired college professor Amir Khaliq, 68, said he attended Muslim Day activities because he knew it was important to advocate on behalf of his Muslim community. Imam Imad Enchassi leads the Dhuhur Prayer on Monday during Muslim Day at the Oklahoma Capitol. "It's about interacting with our representatives and letting them know that we are here, we value their services, but at the same time, we want them to understand us and be able to represent our viewpoints with a greater degree of clarity," Khaliq said. "Especially considering the fact that the political environment is becoming increasingly polarized and the fact that people are somewhat unsure where their representatives are going, it's important that we at least meet with them more frequently and let them know what our position is on these issues, how they can represent our viewpoint." Meanwhile, the absence of protesters was noticed. Imam Imad Enchassi leads the Dhuhur Prayer on Monday. It was Muslim Day at the Oklahoma Capitol. "It's happily boring," Jennifer Hund, director of CAIR-OK's Resource Center for Afghan Refugees, said in reference to the lack of anti-Islam demonstrations. In previous years, particularly the first four or five, demonstrators stood outside the Capitol greeting Muslims with anti-Islam signage and rhetoric as they walked into the building. Starting with the first "Muslim Day at the Capitol," spiritual leaders and individuals from other faith traditions created what they described as an "interfaith corridor of support" to welcome Muslims with positive greetings. Former U.S. Rep. Kendra Horn speaks during the Muslim Day keynote address on Monday at the Oklahoma Capitol. Monday, Hund and other interfaith supporters stood near the Capitol's south entrance once again to welcome Muslims. Marshal Gimpel, congregational president of First Unitarian Church of Oklahoma City, said the lack of protesters was a sign of the success of the "corridor of support" and Muslim Day at the Capitol. "We're just out here showing support for our fellow residents and citizens of Oklahoma City, showing that this is a place that can be welcoming and that they, like any other resident or citizen here, have a perfect right to visit with their representatives, make their feelings known," he said. "Hopefully, their representatives will want to see them because they are their constituents." This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Crowd gathers peacefully for Muslim Day at Capitol in Oklahoma City The one-story house at 23228 East Point Drive, Rodanthe, collapsed into the ocean on Monday. Barniak assumed the object he found belonged to the house, but he was wrong. NPS Photo On Monday, a mystery item was found on the beach north of Rodanthe Pier, reports say. The orange vessel was 16 feet long and was believed to be a part of a home that washed away the same day. It later turned out to belong to the US Navy, but disappeared before it could be recovered by the military. A beach town in North Carolina is having quite the week: It faced a mysterious appearance and sad disappearance along its shores. On Monday, the same day a local house washed out to sea, Kyle Barniak found something had washed in just north of North Carolina's Rodanthe Pier in the Outer Banks. He assumed the mysterious orange, 16-foot-long object was from the lost $400,000 home. "A porch swing maybe or bench seat? As I approached, it was clear it was a boat, completely intact and watertight," he told McClatchy News, per the Charlotte Observer. "I called the number on the back of the boat." Barniak learned the vessel belonged to the US Navy's Norfolk Naval Air Station in Virginia nearly 100 miles north of Rodanthe. The object was a military target. And the Navy wanted it back, Barniak was told. More specifically, it belonged to the Norfolk Detachment of Atlantic Targets & Marine Operations that "provides target services" as part of military training, according to a document from the division. The division had classified the target as sunk before it washed ashore in North Carolina. But, then there was another problem. The boat-like target disappeared. "When I went back, it was no longer there," Barniak said. "Being Rodanthe, it was probably pirated overnight. There was nothing technical on the boat, but you could sit in it and it will probably show up modified so someone can go duck hunting in it or something." According to NBC-affiliate WRAL, the Outer Banks of North Carolina struggled with rebuilding eroded beaches in recent years, and local officials said it's "reaching a crisis point" that has endangered houses near the water. Story continues "The county doesn't have the funds to pay for a beach nourishment project," Dare County Manager Bobby Outten told WRAL. "We don't have $30 million to do that, and without an influx of new money, we aren't going to be in a position to nourish in Rodanthe." The US Navy asked that anyone who finds the target call (757) 445-4825. Read the original article on Business Insider Vantage Market Research, The North Star for the Working World WASHINGTON, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Aquaculture Market is valued at USD 289.6 Billion in 2022 and is projected to reach a value of USD 421.2 Billion by 2030 at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 5.5% over the forecast period 2023-2030. Market Overview One of the main drivers expected to propel the global Aquaculture market throughout the forecast period is the volume of fish caught, which is diminishing quickly. The worldwide Aquaculture business is driven by public awareness of the benefits of fish and its derivation products. We forecast that the freshwater category in Aquaculture market sales will account for more than 46% of total sales by 2030. Freshwater supports ecosystems and human civilizations, making it essential for life. Many areas of everyday life, such as food security, electricity production, industrial, and cleaning, depend on freshwater. Get Access to Free Sample Research Report with Latest Industry Insights @ https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/aquaculture-market-2032/request-sample Market Dynamics Expanded Reality Adoption Across the Supply Chain will Increase to Support Market Expansion. Technology advancements are a crucial trend gaining popularity in the Aquaculture industry. An Australian government research company created an augmented reality (AR) tool that uses cutting-edge swimming pool and animal sensor systems, data modeling, the newest data interactions, tactical awareness, and information retrieval to provide an instantaneous understanding of crucial water quality indicators like pH and dissolved oxygen, among others. As a result, it contributes to increasing the Aquaculture market's revenue. Rising Seafood demand is Expected to Propel market growth in the Coming Years Seafood includes lobsters, crabs, mussels, and occasionally other marine life. It includes aquatic creatures from both salt and freshwater that can be eaten. The rising prices for seafood play a part in the growing significance of Aquaculture in the fish supply. Some varied cultural traditions also place a strong emphasis on eating fish. Fish has an excellent nutritional profile in terms of its beneficial effects on health due to its high levels of protein, vitamins, fatty acids, micronutrients, and minerals. Story continues Top Players in the Global Aquaculture Market Alpha Group Ltd. (Canada) Aquaculture Technologies Asia Limited (Hong Kong) Cermaq Group AS (Mitsubishi Corporation) (Norway) Cooke Aquaculture (Canada) Leroy Seafood Group ASA (LEROY) (Norway) Marine Harvest ASA (Marine) (Norway) Nippon Suisan Kaisha Ltd. (Japan) P/F Bakkafrost (Faroe Islands) ASSAL Group Limited (Australia) Thai Union Group PLC (UNION Thailand) For Additional Information on Aquaculture Market Players and Detail List, Download a Report PDF Brochure@ https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/aquaculture-market-2032/request-sample Top Trends in Global Aquaculture Market One trend that Vantage Market Research (VMR) expects to see in the Aquaculture industry is the rising use of fish as a meal. The health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, which are abundant in fish, include lowering the risk of heart attacks, minimizing depression, preventing pediatric pneumonia, and improving brain function. Other necessary minerals and vitamins are also abundant in fish. These variables are expected to raise fish demand, hastening market expansion during the anticipated time. Another trend that VMR predicts will continue in the Aquaculture industry is its increased practices provide a sustainable source of seafood with low gas emissions. Aquaculture is a sustainable farming method when compared to other farming methods. Compared to chicken, pork, and beef, seafood offers higher nitrogen retention and has the smallest feed conversion ratio. Additionally, Aquaculture has fewer emissions of greenhouse gases than other farming methods. The need for animal protein is anticipated to rise dramatically along with the increase in the global population. Sustainable Aquaculture stands out as a viable option in light of the growing attention on finding environmentally sound ways to feed the world's population. These elements are anticipated to support market expansion. Limited Time Offer | Buy this Premium Research Report with Discount and Immediate Delivery @ https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/buy-now/aquaculture-market-2032/0 Top Report Findings Based on Rearing Product Type, the equipment category controls most of the Aquaculture market's revenue. To create aquatic organisms and animals, these tools are essential. The need for such equipment is anticipated to increase because of the rising popularity of seafood and the fish drop caught. Based on the Culture, the freshwater category controls most of the Aquaculture market's revenue. Market revenue is ascribed to Aquaculture's rapid development as a workable replacement for the uncontrolled fishery. Natural freshwater sources include icecaps, crampons, ice caps, bogs, wetlands, pools, rivers, and streams. Water sources and subsurface streams contain freshwater as well. River, trout, and Westerlund are the three most prevalent types of freshwater fish. Based on Species, most of the Aquaculture market's revenue is controlled by the aquatic animal category. Any animal, whether a mammal or an invertebrate, that spends all or a large portion of its life in water is considered aquatic. Aquatic creatures are crucial to both the ecosystem and daily life for humans. The fact that aquatic animals are living things that offer humans resources like food, medication, electricity, refuge, and natural resources for daily life makes them important. Based on Product Type, most of the Aquaculture market's revenue is controlled by the large & medium-scale categories. However, Aquaculture's economy mostly depends on large and medium-scale operations. They are significantly more numerous than large businesses, employ a sizable workforce, and are typically innovative, helping to create development. Freshwater Category in Aquaculture Market to Generate Over A Huge Revenue during the Forecast Timeline For better understanding, based on the culture, the Aquaculture market is divided into Freshwater, Brackish water, and Marine. During the forecast period, the Aquaculture market is anticipated to experience the highest CAGR for the freshwater category. As a result of artificial freshwater ecosystems created in ponds, raceways, and cages. Raising marine creatures like chinook, mussels, crustaceans, and mussels is called marine water Aquaculture. Sea ranching, intense Aquaculture, and rack & line farming are a few different marine aquaculture types. The kind of fish or shellfish one wants to raise determines which approach to use. On the other hand, the Marine category is anticipated to grow significantly. Raising marine creatures like fish, crabs, shrimp, and snails are called marine water Aquaculture. Sea ranching, intense farming, and racking & line farming are a few different marine aquaculture types. Which of these approaches is chosen depends on the kind of fish or shellfish that will be raised. Asia Pacific Region in Aquaculture Market to Generate More most of the Global Revenue The Asia Pacific region dominates the market throughout the projection period. The demand for businesses in the Asian-Pacific region is influenced by population increase, economic growth, and sociological factors, including traditional fish consumption patterns. The Aquaculture sector is expected to expand rapidly because of the area's good environment and wealth of natural resources. Now that more space is available for the profession, there is an increasing need for cutting-edge solutions that can assist in producing higher-quality products and increasing the effectiveness of operations. North America is projected to be the fastest-growing region because the government has supported its growth. Species that have significantly aided in the development of the industry, such as rainbow trout and mollusks, notably hard clams, oysters, and mussels, are also anticipated to fuel future market growth in the region. The North American Aquaculture markets with the highest market shares were those in the United States and Canada. Browse market data Tables and Figures spread through 149 Pages and in-depth TOC on Aquaculture Market Forecast Report (2023-2030). Recent Developments in the Global Aquaculture Market In March 2022- For the introduction of Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT) to Nigeria, WorldFish announced that it had reached a fully legal agreement with Premium Aquaculture Limited. Nigeria will be able to form a GIFT-based corporation due to this agreement. In August 2021-Singapore Aquaculture Technologies received funding from Siemens. Most of the equity investment was made through Siemens Project Ventures GmbH by Siemens Financial Services (SFS), the company's financing arm. The cooperation of Siemens displays its dedication to being the leading provider of high-end fish products and data- and AI-driven Aquaculture solutions under the BluCurrent brand. Global Aquaculture Market Segmentation By Rearing Product Types Equipment Chemicals Pharmaceuticals Fertilizers By Culture Freshwater Brackish water Marine By Species Aquatic plants Aquatic animals By Production Types Small Scale Large & Medium Scale By Region North America United States Canada Mexico Europe Germany UK France Italy Spain Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China Japan India South Korea South-East Asia Rest of Asia Pacific Latin America Brazil Argentina Rest of Latin America Middle East & Africa GCC Countries South Africa Rest of MEA Read Full Report@ https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/industry-report/aquaculture-market-2032 Scope of the Report: Report Attributes Details Market Size in 2022 USD 289.6 Billion Revenue Forecast by 2030 USD 421.2 Billion CAGR 5.5% from 2023 to 2030 Base Year 2022 Forecast Year 2023 to 2030 Key Players Alpha Group Ltd., Aquaculture Technologies Asia Limited, Cermaq Group AS (Mitsubishi Corporation), Cooke Aquaculture, Leroy Seafood Group ASA (LEROY), Marine Harvest ASA (Marine), Nippon Suisan Kaisha Ltd., P/F Bakkafrost, ASSAL Group Limited, Thai Union Group PLC Customization Options Customized purchase options are available to meet any research needs. Explore customized purchase options Key Questions Answered in the Report: What is the current state of the global aquaculture market, and what are the major trends driving its growth or constraining its development? What are the major types of aquaculture products, and how are they used in various applications such as food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and agriculture? Who are the major players in the aquaculture industry, and what are their strategies for growth and differentiation in the marketplace? What are the major challenges facing the aquaculture industry, such as disease outbreaks, environmental concerns, regulatory issues, and supply chain disruptions? What are the key market opportunities for aquaculture businesses in different regions and market segments, and how can they position themselves for success in these markets? What are the latest technological advancements in aquaculture production, such as automation, genetics, nutrition, and sustainability, and how are they impacting the industry? What are the key factors that will shape the future of the aquaculture industry, such as changing consumer preferences, trade policies, climate change, and innovations in biotechnology? Browse More Reports from Vantage Library: Protein Bar Market - Global Industry Assessment & Forecast: https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/industry-report/protein-bar-market-1983 Milk Calcium Market - Global Industry Assessment & Forecast: https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/industry-report/milk-calcium-market-1982 D-Psicose Market - Global Industry Assessment & Forecast: https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/industry-report/dpsicose-market-1977 Licorice Extract Powder Market - Global Industry Assessment & Forecast: https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/industry-report/licorice-extract-powder-market-1955 L-Alanine Market - Global Industry Assessment & Forecast: https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/industry-report/lalanine-market-1949 Myo-Inositol Market - Global Industry Assessment & Forecast: https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/industry-report/myoinositol-market-1893 About Vantage Market Research: We, at Vantage Market Research, provide quantified B2B high quality research on more than 20,000 emerging markets, in turn, helping our clients map out constellation of opportunities for their businesses. We, as a competitive intelligence market research and consulting firm provide end to end solutions to our client enterprises to meet their crucial business objectives. Our clientele base spans across 70% of Global Fortune 500 companies. Follow Us on: LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube Contact us Eric Kunz 6218 Georgia Avenue NW Ste 1 - 564 Washington DC 20011-5125 United States Tel: +1 202 380 9727 Email: sales@vantagemarketresearch.com Website: https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/ Latest Vantage Market Research Press Releases Latest Vantage Market Research Blog Vantage Market Research All Reports Blog: With grand arched ceilings, Art Deco murals, and a 26-foot-high tower of gins, Atlas is an exceptional place to drink. Courtesy of Atlas Bar After strolling through hawker markets, devouring one of the most inexpensive Michelin-starred meals in the world, and spending the day in the architects playground that is Singapore, you might ask yourself: It cant get much better than this, right? But then, you walk into Atlas, one of the best bars in Asia and the world. Theres no way around it: The space makes an excellent first impression. The bar is located in an office building lobby, although youd never know it. (If I worked there, I wouldnt be getting much work done). The ceilings are arched, filled with Art Deco murals, and adorned with gold-leaf molding. In the center of the bar is a tower, reaching 26 feet up to the top of that arched ceiling, alight with bottles of gin. Its aptly called the gin tower, and it contains one of the largest, and certainly the most curated, gin collections in the world, with over 1,300 different gins in all. And despite the museum-like display, its actually used daily. In fact, each bottle has a sleek label on the back, with a Dewey decimal code, allowing bartenders to easily access any of the bottles in the collection when required. Related:New NYC Bar Offers 860 Different Gins Plus Multiple Speakeasies Downstairs Courtesy of Atlas Bar But not just any bottle makes it to the tower. In order for a bottle to earn its right, it has to pass muster. The gin must be at least 40% ABV and natural tasting (i.e., no infusions) unless it is a sloe gin, and it must get past the tasting panel. But Im the real test, the head bartender Lidiyana K laughs. Beyond the Dewey Decimal organization and the tower, theres even an Atlas of Atlas, a carefully curated list of all of the gins present in the bar. Organized first by style (i.e., London Dry, Modern, Overproof, Barrel Rested, Old Tom, Sloe Gin, and Genever) and then by a taxonomy of taste (i.e., citrus, floral, herbal, spiced, luscious, nutty, earthy, grassy, berries, and fruity), it would be a worthy coffee table book for any gin-lover. The list also includes their selection of Champagnes, wines, and whiskeys, as the bar says it strives to be inclusive to all kinds of drinkers. Story continues But theres no denying that the main attraction here is the gin. After all, a tower that nearly touches the sky is the centerpiece of a room, filled with rare gins that date as far back as 1910, and new releases from brands like Four Pillars that the bar has deemed worthy. Courtesy of Atlas Bar Of course, in Singaporean fashion, security measures are tight. Behind the bar is a Champagne cellar, which requires thumbprint access that only the head bartenders and owners have. Within that room are old bottles of Dom Perignon and Bollinger nested together in pull-out racks, and an ominous glass case, locked by another thumbprint scanner, which only the general manager and owners can access. This one holds the crown jewel of the bar: five bottles of Champagne that are more than 200 years old. Is it still bubbly? You have to sign a contract ensuring youre willing to pay $200,000 Singaporean Dollars (equivalent to $148,392) to find out. Related:22 Gins That Every Martini Lover Should Try While that wasnt a chance I was willing to take, I was hopeful to try a martini or two. I ordered a flight of martinis to start, which miraculously were not outshined by the space itself. The flight included the Atlas martini, an orange blossom martini, and an espresso martini. It tasted more like a latte than an espresso martini, and while I hoped to savor it, I found my glass drained within seconds. While the espresso martini was a highlight, the Atlas martini was also sensational. Rather than making them overly dry, the bartenders insist wet martinis amplify the vermouth and the gin. Despite not being a martini Id order anywhere else, I recommend trying it here. Courtesy of Atlas Bar After downing three miniature coupes worth of martinis, I ordered the bars twist on a French 75 as a way to blend the two interests of Atlas gin and Champagne. When it arrived, I was confused by the garnish, a charred kumquat, but Lidiyana kindly instructed me to take a bite, then a sip. The tartness of the kumquat made the lemon juice in the cocktail pale in comparison, and the only way to describe the French 75 I drank all too quickly was as a bubbly mouthful, luscious, savory, and sweet all at the same time. Related:How London's Classic and Contemporary Venues Are Shaping the Future of Gin Perhaps that is the best way to describe Atlas, anyway. It makes a great first impression, then tops it again and again, upending you and your expectations until youre unsure where the exit is. It doesnt matter, though. Its the kind of bar you never want to leave. For more Food & Wine news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Food & Wine. A painter from Middletown, Delaware was recently reviewing his familys finances when he experienced something strange. An image of a Royal Farms convenience store in Elkton, Maryland, appeared in the 47-year-olds head and it wouldnt go away, he told Maryland lottery officials in a March 14 news release. It wasnt just any Royal Farms, it was the one on Pulaski Highway in Elkton, he told lottery officials. I drive by it sometimes, but have zero connection to it past that. The vision wouldnt leave the mans mind, so he got off his couch and headed to the store, according to the release. I was trying to make sense of this thing as I drove and couldnt, until I thought of the Lottery, the man told officials, simultaneously insisting that he is not a lottery player. When he got to the store, the man got a sense that he should purchase a scratch-off ticket, officials said. It didnt feel like I was supposed to wait for a drawing, he said. He grabbed two $50 50 Years! scratch-off tickets and started scratching in the store, officials said. Thats when he saw his prize. I saw what I thought was a $10,000 winner, it was a real stunner, the winner told officials. More than a week later, the man took his winning ticket to a larger store in hopes of cashing it. Instead, he learned his prize was even bigger than he thought. While I was there, the clerk helped me figure out that Id misread one of the prize symbols. The ticket was a $50,000 winner, the man told officials. You should have seen my wifes face when I got home! Middletown, Delaware, is about 20 miles southeast of Elkton, Maryland which is about 55 miles northeast of Baltimore. If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website. Truck driver scratches her NC lottery ticket then she sees all those little zeroes Mail carrier cant believe his eyes after seeing NC lottery win. Once in a lifetime Lottery ticket sat in mans drawer for almost a year then wife heard of unclaimed win Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz told lawmakers near the southern border on Wednesday that parts of the boundary with Mexico are in "crisis" and that U.S. authorities do not have "operational control" despite recent declines from the historically high levels of illegal migration seen in the past year. "The migration flow represents challenges and -- in some areas -- a crisis situation," Ortiz said, citing the more than 900,000 unauthorized migrant encounters so far this budget year. Ortiz painted a complex and dynamic picture of the southern border in testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee, noting that Border Patrol apprehensions over the past two months have "declined significantly." In January, apprehensions hit the lowest point since the early weeks of the Biden administration, according to Customs and Border Protection data. "Challenges and crisis are nothing new for the Border Patrol, and I'm incredibly proud of our personnel as well as our many partners," Ortiz said. MORE: Biden administration proposes new limit on how migrants can seek asylum in US House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., asked Ortiz point-blank if the U.S. is currently meeting the definition of "operational control" at the southern border, as defined by federal law. "No, sir," Ortiz responded. However, by that measure, no administration in U.S. history has ever achieved such control. Title 8 of the U.S. Code defines operational control as the "prevention of all unlawful entries into the United States," a task complicated by the vast size and geographic variety of the southwest. PHOTO: The House Committee on Homeland Security held a committee hearing in Pharr, Texas, on March 15, 2023. (KRGV) The Border Patrol itself has defined operational control differently than under Title 8. Instead of setting the bar at sealing the border between official crossing points, the agency has defined control as its ability to respond to specific and immediate threats. Still, Ortiz told the House committee, there were problems that Congress could help solve. Story continues MORE: GOP-led Homeland Security panel holds 1st border hearing, highlighting 'human costs' "Today's border environment requires a whole-of-government solution to include international engagements, resourcing and consequences which could be in the form of legislative or policy adjustments," Ortiz said. "And that is where I asked for your help. We need more options." In a statement on Wednesday, White House spokesperson Ian Sams accused Republicans of "playing partisan games at the border," noting their lack of support for President Joe Biden's border security funding proposals. PHOTO: Raul Ortiz, deputy chief of U.S. Border Patrol, speaks during a new conference in Brownsville, Texas, Aug. 12, 2021. (Veronica G. Cardenas/Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE) "Perhaps House Republicans could take the time at this hearing to look the Chief of the Border Patrol in the eye and honestly explain to him why they want to slash the funding needed to combat fentanyl trafficking, stop unlawful border crossings, and conduct other important law enforcement efforts at the border," Sams said. While conservatives in Congress have approved funds to the border multiple times under Biden, they have since said more money isn't appropriate without different border policies. Others, like Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn, have called Biden's proposed border funding "more talk with no action" because it doesn't fix issues with border agent staffing and more. Republican House committee members held Wednesday's hearing at South Texas College near the border in Pharr. Green opened the hearing by admonishing Democrats for not attending. PHOTO: House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark E. Green speaks during a committee hearing in Pharr, Texas, on March 15, 2023. (KRGV) Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the highest-ranking Democrat on the committee, pulled out of the hearing over what he said were Republican attempts to "score political points." "After careful consideration, Committee Democrats have decided not to participate in the Republicans' field hearing this week," Thompson said in a statement. "Unfortunately, it has become clear that Republicans planned to politicize this event from the start, breaking with the Committee's proud history of bipartisanship." Thompson said Democrats plan to visit the southern border as soon as this week. Parts of southern border in 'crisis' but that is 'nothing new,' agency chief says originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Russian fighter jets forced a US drone out of the sky over international waters in the Black Sea on Tuesday, according to US officials. US Air Force Gen James B Hecker of the branchs Europe command said a pair of Russian Sukhoi Su-27 aircraft performed a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional set of manoeuvres, dumping fuel and damaging the propeller of an MQ-9 drone, forcing the US to bring the craft down. In fact, this unsafe and unprofessional act by the Russians nearly caused both aircraft to crash, he added. European command warned that these aggressive actions by Russian aircrew are dangerous and could lead to miscalculation and unintended escalation. The US European Command said in a statement that one of the Russian fighters struck the propeller of the MQ-9, causing US forces to have to bring the MQ-9 down in international waters. Prior to that, the Su-27s dumped fuel on and flew in front of the MQ-9 several times before the collision, the statement from Stuttgart, Germany, continued. The UAV was flying well clear of any territory over Ukraine while performing an unspecified intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance mission, the US Department of Defence said on Tuesday. Russias Defence Ministry said the US drone was flying near its borders and intruded in the area that was declared off limits by Russia, causing the military to scramble fighters to intercept it. As a result of sharp manoeuvre, the US drone went into uncontrollable flight with a loss of altitude, and fell into the water, it said. Aircraft from both countries have operated over the Black Sea, which has coastlines in Russia and Ukraine. State Department spokesperson Ned Price called it a brazen violation of international law and said the US summoned the Russian ambassador to lodge a protest. The US ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy has made similar representations in Moscow. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said the incident would not deter the US from continuing their missions in the area. Story continues If the message is that they want to deter or dissuade us from flying, and operating in international airspace, over the Black Sea, then that message will fail, he said. We're going to continue to fly and operate in international airspace over international waters, he said. The Black Sea belongs to no one nation. Russias Defence Ministry added that its fighters did not come into contact with the drone. The Russian fighters did not use their onboard weapons, did not come into contact with the UAV and returned safely to their home airfield, it said. Russian aircraft were in fact damaged in the encounter, US Brigadier General Patrick Ryder claimed during a press briefing. He added that the downed US drone has not been captured by Russia, but declined to provide further details about whether or how the UAV might be recovered. Interactions with Russian aircraft are common during operations in the area, but Mr Kirby told reporters in Washington that this incident is noteworthy because of how unsafe and unprofessional it was, indeed reckless that it was. Drones have become a key part of the war in Ukraine on both sides. The US has provided more than 700 small Switchblade drones to Ukraine as part of its various security assistance packages. The craft are not armed, but can be carried in backpacks and used to crash into targets, becoming a key weapon for Ukrainian forces, The Wall Street Journal reports. Thus far, the US has declined to provide Ukraine with long-range, armed US drones like the Reaper or Grey Eagle, over fears Russia could access the technology on board if one was shot down, according to DefenseNews. All told, the US has provided Ukraine with roughly $34bn in security aid since 2014, when Russia first invaded the country, according to the Congressional Research Service. The warming of weather this time of year will bring more than just beachgoers. Its also a time for alligators. Residents may begin to see more alligators soaking up the sun as they try to warm up in preparation for mating season, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Since alligators can be seen on land or basking near any freshwater habitat typically below the fall line, the best thing to do if you come across such a scene is to keep your distance and allow them to enjoy the sunshine, according to the SCDNR. Alligators are more mobile now because of mating season and residents may see them in places they dont normally see them because they are trying to get from pond to pond, said Morgan Hart, Alligator Project leader. That means they could be walking through a yard or end up on someones porch because they didnt know someones house was in the way, Morgan said. Morgan said residents need to realize that that alligator is scared for its life, and if they leave them alone, they will move on. Or, if the alligator does get trapped, residents can call the SCDNR and someone can come and help. Hart said there are 100,000 alligators in South Carolina and 6 million people. Because the Coastal population is only growing, that means there are going to be more interactions of people and alligators. Alligators view people as predators and they tend to want to stay away from them, Hart said. They are ambush predators, so they are trying to get warm if you see them lying on the bank. Hart said they are hunting for food if they are in the water. Theyve learned that people can be dangerous, she said. Hart said its very uncommon for a person to be attacked by an alligator. But to minimize the possibility, there are some things residents should and shouldnt do, according to Hart. First thing is to remember is never feed an alligator, she said. Feeding an alligator can cause them to become a nuisance animal and may approach people looking for food. If an alligator is behaving abnormally or approaching people, especially if its in a subdivision or on someones property, the Home Owners Association or property owner can call the SCDNR at 843-546-6062 to have them removed. Story continues However, alligators cannot be relocated, Hart said. Adult alligators have a homing instinct that causes them to return to where they started, meaning they will cross yards and parking lots to get back where they started. If they are removed, they will be euthanized. Keep pets on a leash and well away from water. The biggest thing is to let them have their space, Hart said. Most important part is to be aware of your surroundings, stay away from the water and give alligators their space, she said. Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant A view of Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant, which is the first power station in Russia to operate the RBMK type of reactor, located on the Baltic coast near the town Sosnovy Bor 70 km South-West of St. Petersburg in Leningrad, Russia on September 14, 2022. The Leningrad NPP is the largest nuclear-based power plant in Russia with an installed capacity of 4.2GW. Additionally, it is the countryas only nuclear plant that uses two types of reactors. Credit - Sezgin Pancar-Anadolu Agency Russias unjustifiable, brutal assault against Ukraine is an unusually black and white geopolitical situationwe all know who the bad guy isand yet the climate consequences of Russias invasion are mixed. Russia remains important to the global energy transition, both in spite of itself and in defiance of the Wests effort to sanction it out of energy markets. Putin used oil and gas to strangle Europe and trigger a global energy crisis in 2021-2022, both in advance of the invasion of Ukraine and since. In the immediate term, this caused a spike in coal use for heating and power and an ensuing increase in greenhouse gas emissions in many parts of the world. But in the medium to long run, Putins energy crisis has dramatically accelerated the energy transition away from legacy fossil fuels. The International Energy Agency now believes fossil fuel use globally will peak within a decade. Europes emergency pivot away from Russian natural gas not only reduced its share in the continents energy mix from 40% in 2021 to 7.5% by the end of 2022, alongside drops in Russian oil imports, but also spurred frantic investment in renewables and nuclear power. The continents solar capacity almost doubled in 2022, and wind and solar together produced more electricity (22%) than natural gas in 2022 for the first time in Europes history. Nuclear is meanwhile enjoying the beginnings of a renaissance, with Poland, Estonia, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, the U.K., and many others planning new nuclear plant construction with urgency. Sales of heat pumps, which make heating with electricity instead of by burning fuels, jumped by 35% across Europe in 2022. Even Germany, so deeply dependent on Russian gas a year ago, is now on pace to eliminate fossil fuels by 2045. Berlin is also reevaluating its post-Fukushima hostility to nuclear. Story continues In effect, what Russia weaponizing hydrocarbons accomplished was a shift to clean power and heat decades ahead of expectations. But the awkward reality is that Russia was and still is too large an energy powerhouse for it to be immediately and completely excised from global energy markets. This is just as true of a transitioned, clean global energy sector as it was of fossil fuels. However frustrating, Russia is still one of the worlds major energy superpowers despite sanctions, price caps, market shifts, and new renewables investment. In fact, multiple rounds of sanctions packages imposed on Russia by the West carefully avoided cutting of energy exports until many months into Putins war against Ukraine because Russian energy was simply too important for markets to give up quickly. The world, and Europe in particular, was not ready to do without Russian oil, gas, diesel, coal, uranium, and more. Europes ability to break free of Russias energy dominance has, counterintuitively, relied on buying both Russian liquified natural gas (LNG) and non-Russian LNG that was originally headed to Asia but rerouted when Russian gas supplies turned eastward instead of westward. Read More: Climate Change Saved Europe From Putin this Winter Following the February 24, 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the first energy strike was the U.S. mostly symbolic March 8 embargo on Russian energy commodities. Poland sanctioned Gazprom, Russias natural gas giant, on April 26, but the EU didnt apply hard restrictions against Russian energy exports until its December 5 imposition of the $60 per barrel price cap on Russian crude oil. Effective February 5, 2023, the E.U. stopped imports of Russian oil products, principally diesel. For natural gas, Russia forced the issue, cutting off almost all pipeline exports to Europe by August 31, 2022. Europe increased its imports of Russian LNG and coal, but overall the continent is now mostly weaned off its aggressive eastern neighbors energy exports. This hard fought freedom has coupled with the surge in renewables investment to achieve what political will had notthe energy transition. The uncomfortable irony is, however, that Russia is still essential to that very same transition. The largest country in the world by land mass, Russia is dominant in one area absolutely critical to powering the world without carbon emissionsnuclear generationand it is also an important supplier of the minerals necessary to achieve decarbonization at scale. Experts generally agree that reaching carbon neutralitynet-zeroin industry, transport, heating, and so on, depends principally on electrification. The worlds reliance on electricity is set to explode as we phase out fossil fuels in heating and transport, among other sectors, and replace it with electricity powered cars, heating, and more. The Russian-made poloidal field coil number 1 (PF1) that will serve to confine plasma in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) vacuum vessel, sits on a barge during a ceremony to send the coil to the ITER construction site in southern France, in Saint Petersburg on November 1, 2022. - Thirty-five nations are collaborating in the ITER energy project aimed at mastering energy production from hydrogen fusion, as in the heart of the sun, a potential new source of carbon-free and non-polluting energy. AFP/Getty Images Nuclear power is the only electricity generation technology that can reasonably satisfy the voracious energy demands of an ever growing world while also not contributing to climate change. There are approximately 440 nuclear reactors operating now, spread across 32 countries and Taiwan. That makes for about 390 gigawatts of electricity, roughly 10% of global demand. Sixty new reactors are currently under construction, mostly in Russia and China, and also India. Another 100 are formally in planning stages, with 300 more under discussion. While much of the activity is in countries with existing nuclear programs, dozens of new ones are jumping in. This nuclear renaissance depends on uranium. Russia has 8% of known deposits. That may not seem like enough of a share to make for market dominance when Australia and Kazakhstan together have 43%, but Russia also has 40% of the worlds uranium conversion capacity and 46% of global enrichment capacity. In 2021, the U.S. bought 14% of its uranium from Russia and used Russian enrichment services for 28% of its needs. For Europe, 20% of its uranium and 26% of enrichment comes from Russia. Most immediately, countries that are already operating Russian VVER nuclear power plants (NPPs), such as Ukraine, have been somewhat stuck because only one company outside Russia makes the necessary fuel. Nor is Russias nuclear industry dominance in decline. A full 50% of NPPs currently under construction are Russian models going up in Turkey, Bangladesh, and Hungary, among others. The near future is no less compromised. Much of the new generation of U.S. nuclear technology, on which hopes of the U.S. reclaiming the nuclear vanguard from Russia and China rest, relies on a higher enrichment level fuel called HALEU. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that demand will hit 40 metric tons of HALEU just by 2030. But it is only made in Russia. Bill Gates-backed TerraPower, for one, was forced in 2022 to delay by years the rollout of its Natrium Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor because of the lack of HALEU fuel. With this reality, sanctioning Russias nuclear industry remains a fantasy. If the West is serious about fully isolating Russia economically or about the energy transition, it needs to at very least expand its own enrichment capacity. DOE is busily investing in U.S. enrichment aspirations, and the European Atomic Energy Community, Euratom, is also exploring options for the continent. But these things take time. Construction can take years, and the uranium mining, conversion, and enrichment itself takes at least one year. Unfortunately, current global fuel supplies are estimated to be no more than 18 months. Other countries could probably move faster but are precluded by non-proliferation and nuclear safety regimes, which in the U.S. are praised as the gold standard of nuclear regulation but which have essentially prevented any commercial scale nuclear development in the U.S. for 40 years. In the meantime, Russian nuclear dominance persists and its keystone position in the worlds nuclear industry continues. The Kremlins ongoing energy leverage also encompasses the metals and minerals essential to the energy transition. Wind turbines require several critical minerals, and electric vehicles are heavy in lithium, nickel, cobalt, zinc, and other rare earth commodities. Solar panels also require nickel and zinc, as well as silicon, copper and others. China and Russia are the worlds leading silicon mining countries. Russia is the worlds third biggest nickel exporter, with its Siberian Norilsk Nickel company the worlds largest producer of high-grade nickel. Germany, for one, imports almost 40% of its nickel from Russia. Russia also sells palladium and is a key exporter of copper. Lithium, the key element in the lithium ion batteries that propel electric vehicles, is one of the few energy transition minerals for which Russia is not a big market force. Rosatom, Russias State Nuclear Energy Corporation, is working to fix that. Unlike with nuclear, the western world has sanctioned much of Russias commodities trade, or imposed high tariffs. But this has only served to make the metals and minerals necessary for the energy transition harder to get and much more expensive. Russias invasion of Ukraine sent commodities prices soaring, up well over 50% since February 2022. Zinc, nickel, and other metals hit record prices thereafter. These price surges served to prolong some of the energy transition hardships and delays caused by Chinas supply chain crunches from its COVID-19 lockdown, which caused global shortages in wind turbines, solar panels, and their component parts. The conundrum this creates for policymakers is twisted. To take action against Russias nuclear industry or minerals exports will set back the very diversification of energy sources necessary to minimize Putins energy leverage. It will also hurt the momentum towards a nuclear and carbon-free power sector, and slow the energy transition. If Rosatom brings its planned large lithium mine into production, for example, it will support the electrification of transport and further reduce Russian oil and gas revenues. But if Putin is left the ability to hold nuclear power hostage all over the world, as he did Europe with natural gas, odds are that he will use that advantage to the western worlds disadvantage. We can easily imagine countries plunged into darkness by Russia as it demands concessions in exchange for nuclear fuel. Its not like this hasnt happened before with other energy sources. If Putin somehow ekes out a win in Ukraine or otherwise holds onto power, the West can expect retribution for supporting Kyiv. This may well include nuclear and commodities manipulation. But if Putin loses power, the prospects of energy sector chaos or even a failed Russian state are just as dangerous. Perhaps the Wagner militia group, which owns extensive mines in Africa, will end up running Russias lithium and uranium mines and the enrichment facilities. With Russia already providing nuclear support to Iran, it is not far fetched to imagine weapons-grade uranium enrichment and fabrication cooperation between a future Wagner uranium monopoly in post-Putin Russia and anti-West Islamic fundamentalists or even terrorist groups. This would be a nightmare scenario. Despite best efforts, exactly how the West will wake from the nightmare of Putin, avoid the nightmare of a post-Putin collapse, and also protect the energy transition remains unclear. Hopefully the best minds in governments around the world are looking for a path forward. Saudi Arabias Film AlUla, the entity looking to attract international productions to a sprawling area of desert and giant boulders that boasts an ancient city, is forging fashion world ties. The film commission for the swathe of northwest Saudi Arabia roughly the size of Belgium that also comprises a lush oasis and vast sandstone canyons, is launching an initiative called AlUla Creates involving use of an eco-friendly studio and the possibility of tapping into development funds for projects by female directors at the intersection of film and fashion. More from Variety AlUla Creates has partnered with the British Fashion Council and with Saudi actress Mia Al Zahrani (The Perfect Candidate); British filmmaker and creative director Alec Maxwell founder of digital platform Kloss Films whose clients include Bulgari, Stella McCartney, and Carolina Herrera ; and fashion models Helena Christensen and Eva Herzigova as ambassadors to promote the platform, according to a statement. Alula Creates provides a platform to support female founders in fashion and film, to share creative processes and access platforms to build international audiences that promote cultural exchanges through a female gaze, said British Fashion Council CEO Caroline Rush in the statement. Commented Film AlUla executive director Charlene Deleon-Jones: More than 70% of the population in Saudi Arabia is under 30 with the fastest growing cinema audience in the world. There is a buzz about the screen sector in homes, schools, and boardrooms. Spending time in the beautiful landscape of AlUla, the streets of Jeddah, or homes in Riyadh it is impossible not to take note of the fashion, art, warmth, vibrancy and intellect of this generation. AlUla Creates is part of this picture, providing opportunities for creative development and collaborations across sectors and borders. Story continues Hollywood productions shot in AlUla include upcoming Gerard Butler action-thriller Kandahar, directed by Ric Roman Waugh. Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. eden knight - Credit: Photos in composite by fotograzia/Getty Images; bvfstudio/Getty Images; Vladimir Vladimirov/Getty Images If youre reading this, Ive already killed myself. So begins the suicide note of Eden Knight, a 23-year-old transgender woman who studied and lived for a time in the U.S. before she returned to a family in Saudi Arabia that she said did not accept her gender identity. The letter in which Knight alleged that her parents hired an American security firm to reestablish contact with her appeared on the social media service TwitLonger. Knight linked to it in her last tweet on March 12. A Twitter account operated by her relatives, the Al-Shathri family, confirmed her death the following day in a tweet that misgendered and deadnamed her. The account went private after that post was deluged with replies, many of them noting, Her name was Eden. Knights partner also confirmed her death on a private Twitter account. More from Rolling Stone Across social media, Knights friends and the broader trans community are demanding justice, arguing that her death was the result of a cruel international scheme to place her in unsafe circumstances and force her back into the closet. On Twitter, many have added the outlined sun or brightness emoji to their usernames, to signify how she lit up the lives of those close to her. Tributes attested to her irrepressible humor, supportiveness, and ambition to become a force in the trans rights movement. She wanted to be a role model and a leader for Saudi trans women, Victoria, one of Knights many friends, who preferred to be identified only by first name, tells Rolling Stone. To show that she could make it, be happy, and love life. It meant the world to her to be a beacon of hope. Last summer, Knight claimed in her suicide note, she had been contacted by two Americans at an investigations and intelligence firm based in Washington, D.C., with an offer to fix the rift between her and her parents, who are strict conservative Muslims, she wrote. Although skeptical, she stated in the letter, Knight had a series of phone calls with the pair, and was eventually convinced to travel to D.C., where she said that she lived in an apartment under the supervision of a Saudi lawyer. This man, she alleged, made her fully dependent on him (shed stayed in the U.S. illegally upon leaving college and risked deportation if she fled) while pressuring her to detransition. Once Knight had repented by quitting hormone replacement therapy, changing her wardrobe and cutting her hair, she claimed in her note, he booked her a flight back to Saudi Arabia. Multiple requests for comment from the two members of the U.S. firm named by Knight in her letter went unreturned. Neither did the firm itself respond to inquiries about Knight. An email to an individual believed to be the Saudi lawyer was not returned. Story continues Last summer, when the security firm first allegedly contacted Knight, she was living with a friend named Bailee, who asked to be identified only by their first name, in Georgia. This arrangement came after a period of instability. Several of Knights friends tell Rolling Stone that in February 2022, she lost her student housing at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, where she studied computer science, apparently due to an issue with her scholarship. (Around the same time, friends say, she began to identify as female, though the housing problem seems to have been unrelated.) At the time she was freaking out because essentially overnight she had no place to stay and no money and an immigration status newly in question, says Chad, one of her online confidants, who also asked to be identified only by first name. In a series of recent tweets, Knight described how she lived in a motel for months, and finally traveled to Georgia instead of using a ticket to Saudi Arabia her family had booked for her. Bailee says they connected with Knight through mutual Twitter friends a year before. She needed a place to stay, and so we let her live with us in our house in Georgia, they tell Rolling Stone. Bailee was already living with their young son and spouse, but Knight quickly became part of the family. We shared movies and music, I cooked for her plenty too, Bailee says. My son loved her more than anything. She would play with him and teach him things, such as this cute game where youd run up and hug someone she said its a Saudi thing. She cared for him as if they were related. My spouse and I gave her a bracelet with the word Aunt etched into it. It was while a part of this household that Knight began to medically transition, since she felt safe, Bailee says, and was able to receive hormone replacement therapy, or HRT. Knight was so happy to finally get the HRT bottle in the mail, Bailee remembers. Yet Knight was so depressed and anxious about the situation with her family, Bailee says, and always worried her father was going to use his power to get her back. Knights father, Dr. Fahad Al-Shathri, is deputy governor for supervision at the Saudi Central Bank, has served on the board of other major banks and funds, and spent five years with the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C., during Knights adolescence, a time when she attended American schools. Neither he nor the family returned requests for comment, and Al-Shathri deleted his LinkedIn page some time after Rolling Stone contacted him there. Those close to Knight say she described her relationship with her mother and father as extremely difficult. Zoe Brugger and Victoria, two friends who met Knight through internet circles, say she told them both parents were intolerant of her trans identity. Victoria recalls how she and Knight would voice chat for hours on Discord: We were close and related a lot on the religious trauma we both went through. In June of 2022 we met and went to Pride together. I saw a trans woman who was happy and full of life. Eden wanted to be free of her parents and to live her life her own way. My understanding is that she really wanted her family to accept her, says another of Knights friends, Ashley Biddiscombe, who connected with her online. She told me about dreams she would have where shed go clothes shopping with her mom as a girl, where her mom loved her and accepted her as a woman. She said that when she was forced to go back to Saudi that it wasnt all bad, because she would get to see her siblings again. She really missed her sisters. Chad says that Knight was was terrified of violence being done to her, though he clarifies that this went beyond her familys attitudes: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not recognize transgender identity and thereby effectively criminalizes it alongside homosexuality. According to Human Rights Watch, Saudi judges have sentenced people to imprisonment and flogging for cross-dressing and other types of gender nonconformity. In private messages that later became public, as well as in Discord chat records shared with Rolling Stone, Knight claimed to friends that once she had returned to Saudi Arabia, her family hid her passport and money to keep her from fleeing the country. According to Knights suicide note, tensions rose as her parents berated her, continued to invade her privacy and, on several occasions, discovered she was still using hormones. After the first time they found my HRT, it was traumatizing, but I didnt want to stop, she wrote. I didnt want to live if I couldnt transition. Then the second time came. After that, I took a month break off of HRT, and got back on it. They have found my HRT again, and I am done fighting. Research has shown that a lack of gender-affirming care, along with the extreme levels of stress that come with being a stigmatized minority, are factors that contribute to higher rates of suicide thoughts and attempts among transgender people compared to cisgender people. The National Center for Transgender Equalitys 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey found that 40 percent of transgender adults report attempting suicide in their lifetime and Knights tweets allude to previous attempts to take her own life. Family rejection is also a predictor of suicide attempts among transgender and gender noncomforming adults, while acceptance can significantly reduce that risk. I cant emphasize enough that the dysphoria was unbearable for her, Brugger says. HRT was a potential life-saver. Every time it was confiscated, she found a way to sneak more. Brugger and Knight chatted on Discord the night before she died. We were talking about Neon Genesis Evangelion and sharing memes. I showed her a Nine Inch Nails remix, Brugger says. Knight later told Brugger that her parents had uncovered her HRT supply once again, writing, oh my fucking god Im panicking, and Im actually gonna Kms. (KMS is short for kill myself.) In one of their previous exchanges, as the two reflected on death, Knight wrote, I feel like its all over and coming to an end. But the things Ive experienced and joy Ive had are really unique and Im pretty grateful. When Brugger wrote, I should be dating and fucking around having fun not contemplating the end and reflecting on my past. I want to grow old. Knight answered: You will. Eden. I'm so sorry this life of trans joy was taken from you. Thank you for sharing it with us. We will remember you, beautiful angel. Rest well, you are among legends. pic.twitter.com/kjFDE7llUM Strewth (@StrewthQueen) March 13, 2023 Knights death has sparked fury in her community, not just at the Al-Shathri family but the Americans allegedly paid to help separate Knight from her safe and supportive chosen family with Bailee in Georgia. In her own TwitLonger post, Bailee expressed the feeling that Knight was deceived by the operatives of the U.S. security firm who spoke with her, writing, I feel disgusted by the magnitude of their betrayal. Knight was essentially lured out of Bailees home by these fixers, Biddiscombe alleges, in part with the prospect of career opportunities in computer science that she was really excited to pursue. The more prominent of the two named by Knight in her letter has run for public office and donated thousands to Republican candidates. He last tweeted in February; the post now has over a thousand replies, with dozens labeling him a murderer. Wikipedia editors protected his page following efforts to add similar accusations there. In grieving for Knight, her friends also mourn the loss of someone poised to make a difference for the rights and recognition of trans people. Eden was funny, sharp, well-read, and concerned with making the world a better place, they wrote in a communally edited Google Document that laid out the events leading to her untimely death. She stood up for marginalized people and regularly critiqued the conservative, suffocating culture she had left back home. Nearly every time we talked, she talked about all the amazing stuff she was going to do, Biddiscombe reflects. And I knew she could do it. She was so driven and had so many ideas and cared for other people in a way no other people really do. I looked up to her a lot. Biddiscombe adds that while living in Georgia, Knight helped fund plenty of other trans people to pay for their own mediation out of pocket, even redistributing donations she received. She desperately wanted to ensure no other trans kid ever had to go through what she did, says Chad. And she spoke about it with such clarity and confidence, you couldnt help but believe she could do it single-handedly. Brugger agrees: She wanted to fight for our community. Despite all her fear, she wanted to fight for a world where other trans people could be happy. And Bailee, who provided Knight with a haven within her family, echoes that description: She wanted more than anything to be an advocate for trans Saudi youth. She wanted to reach out and become credible enough to find a way to reach out to anyone there who felt alone and maybe someday help them escape as she would have. Dial 988 in the US to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The Trevor Project, which provides help and suicide-prevention resources for LGBTQ youth, is 1-866-488-7386. Find other international suicide helplines at Befrienders Worldwide (befrienders.org). Best of Rolling Stone Click here to read the full article. The death of Shanquella Robinson while on vacation in Mexico continues to draw widespread attention. Robinson a 25-year-old Charlotte woman who worked as a hair braider and operator of The Exquisite Boutique was traveling with a group of friends when she died in October. The friends have attributed her death to alcohol poisoning, but Robinsons family, their legal team and activists have raised questions about the validity of that story. An arrest warrant was issued as Mexican authorities and the FBI investigate, and other revelations about the case have come to light in the months since Robinson died. Here are some key events in the case, and scroll down to see a full interactive timeline of what we know about Robinsons death: Oct. 29, 2022: Shanquella Robinson dies in Mexico Shanquella Robinson is declared dead at a vacation home in Mexico where she was staying with a group of friends. The group, according to Robinsons family, says she died from alcohol poisoning. But medical examinations and records raise questions about the circumstances of Robinsons death. Nov. 2022: Video goes viral as family speaks out and investigations Video begins to spread online claiming to show a naked Robinson being hit multiple times by another woman. A person not seen in the video is heard saying Quella can you at least fight back? The Observer has not been able to independently verify Robinson is the person in the video, but Robinsons mother has told multiple media outlets she recognizes her daughter in the footage. As the case gets attention in the Charlotte area and around the country, Robinsons family speaks out about her death. A funeral is also held, and a fundraiser launched to help cover the familys legal fees and other critical expenses. Over the course of the month, Mexican authorities and the FBI confirm involvement in the investigation into Robinsons death. March 13, 2023: Suspect named in letter to White House Attorneys Ben Crump and Sue-Ann Robinson name Daejhanae Jackson as the person wanted by Mexican authorities in connection with Robinsons death in a letter addressed to President Joe Bidena and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, citing findings from a trip Sue-Ann Robinson took to Mexico. Story continues The letter calls on the U.S. government to either extradite Jackson to Mexico or prosecute her in the U.S. In documents attached to the letter and shared with the Charlotte Observer by lawyers, the administrator and concierge for the villa where Robinson and her group were vacationing tell Mexican authorities that they recognize Jackson as the woman in the physical altercation with Robinson in the widely circulated video. Shanquella Robinson case: A full in-depth timeline Use the interactive timeline below to explore more developments in the Shanquella Robinson case: SAN FRANCISCO, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global architectural services market size is expected to reach USD 523.20 billion by 2030, according to a new study by Grand View Research Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 4.8% from 2023 to 2030. A major element boosting the market expansion is the accelerating urbanization in nations like South Korea, Brazil, and India which is leading to a rise in demand for smart homes. Additionally, it is anticipated that the growing need for planning, designing and consulting services for effective job operation will be supported by the rising industrial and commercial building restoration projects around the world. This is thus anticipated to support market expansion. Grand View Research Logo Key Industry Insights & Findings from the report: In 2022, the construction and project management services segment is expected to grow with a revenue share of 34.0% owing to the rising building activity worldwide. The Asia Pacific region is anticipated to grow with a CAGR of 5.6 % during the projection period due to an increase in new development activity in the area's healthcare and housing industries. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, major market participants have concentrated on acquisitions to grow their organizations. For instance, in October 2022 Woolpert, Inc. announced the acquisition of Sheehan Nagle Hartray Architects Through the acquisition, Woolpert will be able to benefit from Sheehan's knowledge of interior design and predesign services for civic, commercial, and online retail. Read 120 page market research report, "Architectural Services Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Service Type (Architectural Advisory Services, Engineering Services, Urban Planning Services), By End-use, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030", published by Grand View Research. Architectural Services Market Growth & Trends Architectural services are commonly used in fields like industry, healthcare, and hospitality. Building blueprints are presented to clients by architectural firms to give them an accurate and detailed representation at every stage of the process. The development of the industry is aided by architectural firms' rising emphasis on creating smart buildings with improved space usage. In addition, a growing number of smart cities programs initiated by governments around the world are driving up demand for urban planning services, thus augmenting the architectural service market growth. Story continues The healthcare industry is expanding quickly in developing nations. The architectural service market expansion is anticipated to be boosted by hospital owners' and governments' growing propensity to offer better patient care. Similar to the way the learning environment is changing due to digitalization, funding is becoming a major issue for educational institutions. The need for architectural services in the education sector to construct cost-efficient, high-tech buildings is anticipated to have a positive impact on architectural service market expansion. COVID-19 has had a detrimental effect on the architectural service market expansion. Interaction and coordination are necessary for providing architectural services, and going to construction sites is a crucial step in the procedure. Numerous in-progress architectural projects had been delayed as a result of stringent measures imposed by governments around the world and a halt in construction work. As a result, there was a decrease in the demand for architectural services worldwide. Architectural Services Market Segmentation Grand View Research has segmented the global architectural services market report based on service, end-use, and region: Architectural Services Market - Service Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2018 - 2030) Architectural Advisory Services Construction and Project Management Services Engineering Services Interior Design Services Urban Planning Services Building Code Counseling and Interpretation Consulting Services Legal Technical Requirement Compliance Counseling Services Others Architectural Services Market - End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2018 - 2030) Education Government Healthcare Hospitality Residential Industrial Retail Others Architectural Services Market - Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2018 - 2030) North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa List of key players in the Architectural Services Market AECOM Foster + Partners Gensler HDR IBI Group Jacobs Engineering Group Nikken Sekkei Ltd. Perkins Eastman Perkins and Will Stantec Check out more related studies published by Grand View Research: Urban Planning Software And Services Market - The global urban planning software and services market size is anticipated to reach USD 192.35 billion by 2028, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 4.2% from 2021 to 2028. Urban planning is one of the most crucial aspects of any country's development plans as it involves the development and efficient use of land, public welfare, and ensures the safety of the environment. Urban planning is a heterogeneous and complicated process that comprises utility systems, distribution chains, communication networks, infrastructure, and several other elements and processes. Urban planners are adopting urban planning software and services to handle such intricate processes and conceptualize urban designs and plan layouts. Construction And Design Software Market - The global construction and design software market size is expected to reach USD 19.12 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 8.5% from 2022 to 2030, according to a recent report by Grand View Research, Inc., The growing demand for effective tool management and development of digital capabilities such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Building Information System (BIM) are the major drivers that are likely to create the need to adopt construction and design software across infrastructure and real estate industries. These digital capabilities help organizations automate, track, and manage budgets by managing construction projects and controlling costs across the operations. Thus, it allows organizations to increase profits and maximize efficiency by reducing risks and other issues. This is attributed to the rise in demand for construction and design software during the forecast period. 3D Printing Construction Market - The global 3D printing construction market size is expected to reach USD 4,179.3 million by 2030, registering a CAGR of 101.9% from 2023 to 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market growth can be attributed to the rising awareness about 3D printing techniques in the construction industry and the significant increase in green construction projects globally. Various benefits offered by this technology, including increased construction speed, reduction in waste, on-site accidents& overall costs, and flexibility in creating complex architectural shapes, are also driving its adoption in the construction industry. The funding received by the 3D printing construction providers from the respective governments for developing space-based construction systems is expected to create new opportunities for market growth in the coming years. Browse through Grand View Research's Next Generation Technologies Industry Research Reports. About Grand View Research Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research Helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead. Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc. Phone: 1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: sales@grandviewresearch.com Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com Grand View Compass | Astra ESG Solutions Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/661327/Grand_View_Research_Logo.jpg Cision View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/architectural-services-market-to-be-worth-523-20-billion-by-2030-grand-view-research-inc-301773738.html SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc. A son is suing the manufacturer of the gun that was used to kill his mother and nine others in a mass shooting in Colorado, according to his lawyer. Nathaniel Getz, son of Suzanne Fountain, filed suit against Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. on March 10, nearly two years after Fountain was killed at a supermarket in Boulder, according to the lawsuit. The wrongful death lawsuit was filed in Connecticut, where Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. is headquartered. A gunman opened fire at King Soopers on March 22, 2021, and killed 10 people using an AR-556 gun manufactured by Sturm, Ruger & Company, the complaint says. Fountain was among the victims. The accused shooter, 23-year-old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, had been charged with more than 100 counts in connection with the shooting, but he has been found mentally incompetent to stand trial, according to Colorado Public Radio. In the lawsuit, Getz and his lawyers say the AR-556 was designed to maximize casualties and engineered to deliver maximum carnage with extreme efficiency. The manufacturer also glorified the lone gunman and promoted lone gunman assaults in its marketing, the lawsuit says. It used phrases like, Anything else would be unAmerican, in its marketing materials. Sturm, Ruger & Company did not respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on Tuesday, March 14. The company evaded rules aimed at regulating AR-15 style rifles by designing a variant of the AR-556 that is classified as a pistol, the lawsuit says. The company also marketed and sold stabilizing arm braces that allowed the pistol to function as a stock-stabilized AR-15 rifle, the lawsuit says. A stabilizing brace is a device that can be attached to a pistol to secure the weapon to a shooters arm and allow them to fire one-handed. Sturm, Ruger & Company continued to market the weapon despite evidence that the firearm was being used more often in mass shootings, the lawsuit says. The complaint calls the companys marketing unethical, immoral and reckless. Story continues Andrew Garza, an attorney representing Getz, told McClatchy News in a phone interview his team is arguing Sturm, Ruger & Company violated the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, which prohibits deceptive acts by companies. The company continued to market its AR-556 pistol even though it looked and functioned like a rifle, he said. There are lives at stake and communities that are broken based on the choices that are made, he said. The Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act was also previously cited in a lawsuit against the gun manufacturer Remington on behalf of the families of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Garza said. The action resulted in a $73 million settlement, according to KDVR. Garza said the main motivation for the suit against Sturm, Ruger & Company is to prevent future mass shootings so more families dont have to suffer the loss of a loved one. Fountains family is still grappling with her death, Garza said. I think like everyone, theyve tried to understand what happened, why it happened and live with the absence of someone they cared deeply about, he said. The lawsuit seeks damages in excess of $15,000. Garza said the families of other King Soopers shooting victims are welcome to join the lawsuit and can contact his firm. Bystanders leg permanently damaged after she was shot by cop, Colorado lawsuit says Dad of 5 fatally shot by police in backyard, California cops say. Loved his children Deputy yanks man from car and fatally shoots him outside middle school, lawsuit says [Source] On Friday, State Rep. Tony Tinderholt introduced a bill to ban undocumented immigrants, along with citizens from China and North Korea, from being admitted to public colleges and universities in Texas. The bill also seeks to ban undocumented students from Iran and Russia. According to the San Antonio Express News, the bill has little chance of advancing in the current session. However, the proposal is still alarming to protesters as it echoes two Texas Senate bills that would ban citizens of the same countries from buying property in the state. More from NextShark: Chinese Journalist Who Went Missing for 2 Months During Outbreak Released By Police Bill 147 seeks to prevent people with ties to the four countries from purchasing Texas property or real estate, while Bill 552 will hinder companies from buying agricultural land if passed. The bill has since garnered heavy backlash in the state Senate, which prompted the state officials to make revisions to exempt those who are already U.S. citizens or have dual citizenship. The bills' author, State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, claimed that they are necessary for national security to curb foreign influence in major industries in Texas. More from NextShark: Chinese Restaurant Sparks Outrage For Weighing Customers Before They Can Order However, hundreds of protesters have denounced the bills as discriminatory, with individuals highlighting fears that the bill will fuel more anti-Asian hate crimes. Many of those who have resided in Texas for years on employment visas also argued that the bills violate property rights guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution. Last year, a Texas Republican candidate came under fire after she called for a ban on Chinese students from universities in the state, noting that Chinese Communist Party members should not have access to our schools. More from NextShark: 99 Ranch Worker in Daly City Tests Positive for COVID-19 Enjoy this content? Read more from NextShark! Photos: Nintendo's former 1930s headquarters in Kyoto reopens as luxury hotel The Texas Senate Committee on Education listens to testimony on several proposed bills during a hearing last week. Safety, teacher retention and funding mechanisms to get more money into schools are top priorities for both House Speaker Dade Phelan and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, according to bills lawmakers filed by deadline for this years legislative session. Some priorities for Patrick, who oversees the Texas Senate, also deal with partisan issues related to parental rights, education savings accounts and library materials. Many of the issues addressed in education-related priority bills such as school safety or teacher retention are worthy efforts, even if whats passed this year likely wont make significant difference, said Sarah Santillanes, department chairwoman for teacher preparation at Huston-Tillotson University. Theyre Band-Aids to much more serious problems, Santillanes said. Brian Smith, political science professor at St. Edwards University, said that though Democratic and Republican lawmakers agree on some of the Legislature's priorities, how to achieve them and what the final proposals will look like will require much debate. For example, all 31 senators have signed onto Senate Bill 10, which gives retired teachers a raise. Lawmakers from both parties also want safer schools, he said. The Democrats say school safety starts with gun control, Smith said. Republicans say school safety starts with mental health, that school safety means making the schools more physically safer. Teacher retention measures are also likely to dominate a lot of the session, he said. Teachers do a lot more than they did 30 or 40 years ago. Theyre on the front lines of social services, Smith said. But whether other bills connected to different social issues will pass remains unclear, Santillanes said. If theres going to be any contention, its going to be along those ideological lines, Santillanes said. Heres a look at the public education priority bills to watch during this legislative session: House of Representatives HB 3 Sponsor: Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock Story continues Bill status: Referred to Youth Health & Safety Committee What the bill is about: Would create more defined state standards for safety, requires an armed officer at every campus and provides $15,000 minimum per campus for school safety. HB 11 Sponsor: Rep. Harold V. Dutton Jr., D-Houston Bill status: Referred to Public Education Committee What the bill is about: Teacher retention policies such as providing free pre-K to teachers or creating a mentorship program and redefining basic school funding formulas that would give some districts more money per student. HB 13 Sponsor: Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian Bill status: Referred to Youth Health and Safety Committee. What the bill is about: Would increase school safety allotment to $100 per student, increases mental health spending and would require districts to create an active shooter preparedness plan, which establishes chain of command during a shooting. HB 100 Sponsor: Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian Bill status: Referred to Public Education Committee What the bill is about: Would shift funding formulas from an attendance-based system to one based on enrollment and increases special education funding. HB 600 Sponsor: Rep. Greg Bonnen, R-Friendswood Bill status: Referred to Pensions, Investments & Financial Services Committee What the bill is about: Would provide cost-of-living adjustment for Texas Retirement System members and give $5,000 bonus to older retirees. Senate SB 3 Sponsor: Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston Bill status: Referred to the Local Government Committee What the bill is about: Would increase the homestead exemption residents can take on school district taxes from $40,000 to $70,000 and allocate more state aid to districts to make up the difference. SB 4 Sponsor: Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston Bill statues: Filed; has not been referred to a committee. What the bill is about: Would set guidelines for the maximum compressed rates of school districts. SB 8 Sponsor: Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe Bill status: Filed; has not been referred to a committee. What the bill is about: Would create a program for education savings accounts to use for private school, education material purchases, test fees, tutoring and other expenses; lays out information parents have a right to; would create process for parents to request instructional or other materials; and would prohibit schools from withholding information about a student to a parent. SB 9 Sponsor: Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe Bill status: Filed; has not been referred to a committee. What the bill is about: Would create several teacher retention programs, including incentives to recruit retired teachers; increases pay for teachers for some distinctions, mentorship programs; would provide money to study allocation of teachers time and raises for teachers, though the bill doesnt specify how much. SB 10 Sponsor: Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston Bill status: Filed; has not been referred to a committee. What the bill is about: Would provide cost-of-living adjustment of 2%-4% to Teacher Retirement System members. SB 11 Sponsor: Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville Bill status: Referred to the Education Committee What the bill is about: Would create standards for school safety resources at regional education centers and would tighten requirements about reporting students disciplinary history or threat assessments. SB 13 Sponsor: Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney Bill status: Referred to Education Committee What the bill is about: Would ensure parents rights to know materials their child gets from the library and require local school boards to establish a library advisory council that adopts policies for adding books. SB 29 Sponsor: Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury Bill status: Referred to State Affairs Committee What the bill is about: Would prohibit governmental entities, like school districts, from imposing a mandate requiring people to wear a face mask, get vaccinated or close schools because of COVID-19. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Legislature: Here are House, Senate education priority bills In this special episode of "Intelligence Matters," host Michael Morell speaks with five former senior CIA officers about the agency's work before, during and after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. With personal recollections and reflections, Morell offers a candid walkthrough of what the CIA and other intelligence agencies assessed about Saddam Hussein's intentions and weapons programs in the lead-up to the invasion, how intelligence was used within the U.S. government throughout this period, and how the consequences of the CIA's missteps - as well as its successes continue to reverberate today. Highlights: Morell on CIA's performance: "As many people know, some of our work reflected the worst the Agency had to offer. Few people know, however, that some of our work also reflected the best the Agency had to offer. If there is a theme to this episode, that is it. We are going to talk about the Agency's work on Iraq with the help of five CIA officers who were either directly involved or who had a front row seat to the war. As a senior agency manager, I had a front seat as well. What you are going to hear are my personal views as well as the personal views of my five colleagues."CIA'S assessment of Iraq: "So how wrong were we? We were wrong on the chemical weapons judgment, we were wrong on the biological weapons judgment, and we were wrong on the nuclear weapons judgment. Saddam no longer had these programs. He had stopped them. He had disarmed."Intelligence confidence levels: "There is a big difference between saying, on the one hand, 'Mr. President, we think he has these weapons, and we have high confidence in that view' and on the other hand, 'Mr. President, we think he has these weapons, but what you really need to know is that we only have low confidence in that.'" Download, rate and subscribe here: iTunes, Spotify and Stitcher. Story continues "Intelligence Matters" transcript: Michael Morell Producer: Olivia Gazis This month marks the 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and in this episode, we are going to look back at the war. Specifically, we are going to look at the many roles played by CIA during the war, and we are going to talk about the long-term consequences of the conflict. In playing those roles, the Agency's performance was mixed. As many people know, some of our work reflected the worst the Agency had to offer. Few people know, however, that some of our work also reflected the best the Agency had to offer. If there is a theme to this episode, that is it. We are going to talk about the Agency's work on Iraq with the help of five CIA officers who were either directly involved or who had a front row seat to the war. As a senior agency manager, I had a front seat as well. What you are going to hear are my personal views as well as the personal views of my five colleagues. We will be right back with that discussion after a break. I'm Michael Morell. And this is a special episode of Intelligence Matters. "CBS Evening News" March 19, 2003 VOG: This is the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather reporting from CBS News Headquarters in New York. RATHER: Good evening. He said he wouldn't. There's no indication he did. No indication Saddam Hussein left Iraq tonight the deadline for avoiding a U.S. invasion. An invasion that could come as soon as tonight. The invasion of Iraq began on March 20, 2003, and it was just the start of what would become a years-long, complex mix of military operations, intelligence activities, and political initiatives to stabilize post-war Iraq and to deal with the consequences. CIA's work on the Iraq War included analysis and operation both before and after the invasion. We're going to walk through it all. Let's start pre-invasion, and let's start with the most well-known issue CIA's deeply flawed assessment that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had an active weapons of mass destruction program. The Early Show October 8, 2002 FRANKEL: President Bush is calling Saddam Hussein a homicidal dictator who poses a clear threat to the United States. Mr. Bush gave his reasons for confronting Iraq in a speech last night in Cincinnati. President GEORGE W. BUSH: Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof, the smoking gun that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud. FRANKEL: The president says these satellite photos show two operational nuclear installations inside Iraq and he argues the time to act is now. Pres. BUSH: Saddam Hussein must disarm himself or, for the sake of peace, we will lead a coalition to disarm him. CIA's views on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction were outlined in an October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate or NIE. An NIE is the most authoritative product of the U.S. Intelligence Community. It is coordinated across the many agencies that make up the Intelligence Community, and it is approved by the head of each one. In this NIE, which was titled "Iraq's Continuing Programs of Weapons of Mass Destruction," CIA made four judgments about Iraq's WMD programs (1) that Saddam had chemical weapons, (2) that he had biological weapons, (3) that he was pursuing a nuclear weapon, and (4) that he was expanding his missile force in order to be able to deliver these weapons. MAKRIDIS: Sadly, we were wrong on most of them. MAKRIDIS I'm Andy Makridis and I was the president's briefer from 2002 to 2004. And then after that, I ran the nuclear group. At the agency. So how wrong were we? We were wrong on the chemical weapons judgment, we were wrong on the biological weapons judgment, and we were wrong on the nuclear weapons judgment. Saddam no longer had these programs. He had stopped them. He had disarmed. For what it's worth, we were mostly right on the missile judgment. There were many reasons CIA was wrong on the WMD judgments, and those included both collection and analytic failures. On collection, CIA and NSA, the National Security Agency, did not penetrate Saddam's inner circle to the point where the United States would have known what Saddam had really done, what Saddam was really up to: --that he had given up his WMD programs but did not want the Iranians to know, so he kept the disarmament a secret; --that he thought the CIA was so good that it would see through that secret and know that the weapons were gone; --that, once this happened, the U.S. would lift the sanctions against Iraq that were strangling his economy; and --that once sanctions were lifted, Saddam would be free to re-arm. We know this because Saddam told us this during his captivity. There is, of course, reason to be skeptical of Saddam, but we believed him because his mindset at that point was that he was certain to be executed, and he wanted his life story told. He was not dissembling. And, what he told us also fit the facts. The collection failure is significant because had collectors seen what Saddam had done, the analytic failure on WMD could not, and would not, have happened. Without good collection, however, the analysts were left on their own. And the analysts made their own mistakes. The causes of those mistakes were numerous, and I want to touch on just some of them, the ones I see as most important. One resulted from the fact that Saddam in the 1980s, prior to the first Gulf War in the early 90s, did have chemical and biological weapons. And he did have a program to build nuclear weapons. We knew that Saddam had WMD in the 80s. After all, he had used chemical weapons against the Iranians and against his own people in the 1980s. And, we monitored his nuclear program for years. After the Gulf War, we even learned that Saddam's nuclear program, at that point dismantled, was further along than we had known before the war. We had missed aspects of it. This history colored the analysts' approach to the question of whether he had WMD in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Andy Makridis shares with us the analysts' mentality. MAKRIDIS: The idea that he would sort of withdraw or pull back from his WMD programs just wasn't in the cards. Of course, he's trying to keep those things because they create regime stability. It's his defense against the West. We won't mess with you if you have WMD. MAKRIDIS: It's hard to think about. That someone will voluntarily stop the WMD programs, and certainly he was under extreme UN sanctions. This first analytic mistake was a failure to be open to all possibilities. This led to another analytic mistake: confirmation bias. MAKRIDIS: We were looking for stuff that confirmed our hypotheses as opposed to looking at everything. The analysts took confirmation bias to the extreme, even when considering what they were not seeing. In the second paragraph of the paper's summary, the analysts wrote what is in retrospect an amazing sentence. They said quote "We lack specific information on many key aspects of Iraq's WMD programs." Unquote. MAKRIDIS: So right away, we're telling the reader there's a lot that we don't know. However, we make relatively authoritative judgments, definitive judgments in the rest of the body of the key judgments. MAKRIDIS: You're left with this cognitive dissonance thing where one part of your brain saying, well, we don't know. And then you read the rest saying, Yes, we do know. Instead of asking, is it possible that we're not seeing more because we are wrong, the analysts explained the lack of information by saying Saddam was practicing, quote "vigorous denial and deception efforts" Unquote. In making this point, the analysts pointed to something they knew that Saddam had practiced extensive denial and deception of his WMD programs before the first Gulf War. But history turned out to be a bad guide. MAKRIDIS: For the first war, we underestimated across the board how far along Saddam was. And you can't unknow that. And so when you come in and you say, we know he's denying, because, clearly he was further along the first time. So there must be more we're not seeing. So, it turned out that Saddam was also undertaking denial and deception in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but this time it was working in reverse. He was pretending to have the weapons when he really did not. He was bluffing. MAKRIDIS: He began to withdraw from his WMD programs in 91, 92, that timeframe after the after the Desert Storm. And he didn't really make it public. He continued to try to obfuscate all the things that he was doing. He was almost hiding weakness. He didn't tell all the members of his regime. He created a lot of smoke. Another analytic mistake that was made was what intelligence experts call "layering." MAKRIDIS: What you can see in some of these is a layering effect, and that's sort of layering judgments one on top of other without carrying forward the uncertainties of each layer. You're left with a judgment that has a lot of uncertainty surrounding it, but you don't see it. A final error to mention is that the analysts did not put rigor into thinking about the level of confidence they claimed that they had in their judgments. On all the weapons judgments, the analysts said they had high confidence. But these confidence levels were an afterthought. They were not the result of rigorous critical thinking. They were based on the history we just discussed. In fact, the text of the NIE included caveats, not a lot of them, but enough to notice. Had the analysts taken those caveats into account and had they rigorously assessed the dated nature of the information underlying their judgments and the poor quality of the sourcing behind that information, I believe their confidence would have been lower. I believe they would have had only "low" confidence -- on a scale of low, medium, and high. That would have led to a very different message to the President. There is a big difference between saying, on the one hand, "Mr. President, we think he has these weapons, and we have high confidence in that view" and on the other hand, "Mr. President, we think he has these weapons, but what you really need to know is that we only have low confidence in that." I think it is important to note here that, while I keep saying the analysts did this and did not do that, I do not mean to put responsibility only on the analysts. We mentioned the collection failure earlier. And by analysts, I mean anyone who did the work and anyone who was in the chain of command of that work. And that includes many senior people, including me. The analysts are not alone here. One final point on the WMD analysis: There is a myth about the weapons judgment that still persists today. The myth is that, within the Intelligence Community, only CIA got this wrong, that other parts of the Intelligence Community got the WMD story right. The two examples often given are the analysts at the State Department and the analysts at the Energy Department. But the State Department analysts came to the same conclusions as their CIA colleagues on chemical and biological weapons. They only differed on nuclear weapons. The State Department analysts said there was not enough evidence to make a judgment that the Iraqis had restarted their nuclear weapons program. But they were with everyone else on chemical and biological weapons. For their part, the analysts at Energy shared all of CIA's judgments, including the nuclear weapons judgment. They too believed Iraq was reconstituting its nuclear weapons program. Their only issue was that they did not believe one of the pieces of data that everyone else saw as supporting the nuclear weapons narrative. MAKRIDIS: So, the idea that this was just CIA is wrong. And it's demonstrably wrong because there was a lot of pieces of the intelligence community that jumped in and agreed. We were all fooled. They all fell prey to the same mistake CIA made, as did every foreign intelligence service with whom we worked, as did the United Nations, and as did academics who seriously looked at the issue. "The Early Show" December 23, 2022 SMITH: 'Show us the proof' - that's Iraq's message to the U.S. and Britain in a new denial that it has weapons of mass destruction. COWAN: The government's chief science advisor wasted little time, arguing that Iraq has given the UN every shred of information it has about its weapons program. But if that's still not enough, he offered to let the CIA into Iraq to see for itself CSA: What we gave, is accurate. We know the full story. If you have another story, tell us. The WMD story is where many commentators end the CIA and Iraq narrative. That CIA got WMD wrong. End of story. But the story is much more complex than that, and the rest of the story is one in which CIA largely shined, with a few stumbles. Let's start with CIA's pre-war assessment of Iraq's links to Usama Bin Ladin and Al Qaeda. This was critically important because the primary concern of President Bush was that Saddam might someday give his weapons of mass destruction to terrorists, most concerningly to Bin Ladin and Al Qaeda. This was just a possibility, but when you are the president of the U.S. who just suffered the worst attack on the Homeland in the history of the country, you pay attention to possibilities, particularly when they are about the worst weapons ever developed by man. WOOD My name is Kristin Wood, and I was the chief of the Iraq terrorism branch and the Office of Terrorism Analysis in the Counterterrorism Center prior to the war with Iraq. WOOD: It's very rare that a judgment has the consequence of potentially being a reason to go to war with another country. For Kristin and her team of analysts working on Iraq's links to terrorism, making judgments was not just important it was also difficult. WOOD: The biggest challenge in intelligence analysis is not there are ten facts to be found. There are ten data points to be found. We have all ten of them, and we put them all together and decide what it means. In the case of Iraq, there was a 10,000 piece puzzle to be solved to create the whole big picture. We had 100 pieces, but they weren't all necessarily for the same puzzle. There were two key questions on Iraq and terrorism: One, did Iraq have anything to do with 9/11. And two, did Iraq have a relationship with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of an ultra-extremist terrorist group called Ansar al-Islam. Here is what the analysts said on each. On Iraq's links to 9/11: WOOD: There was no evidence that Saddam Hussein or Iraq had a link to 911. WOOD: No ties to 9/11 in terms of either direction, control or even foreknowledge. There appeared to be early contacts between Iraq and Al Qaeda, but the analysts judged that those never evolved into an operational relationship. WOOD: There wasn't a formal arrangement between AQ and Iraq. WOOD: After the war, we did learn we were right about the lack of a relationship between Iraq and AQ. And some of those early contacts? We learned after the war that many of the most worrisome had never happened. WOOD: We had senior military trainer who'd said they'd sent operatives to Iraq, that they'd provided chemical weapons training. They recanted it all. It turned out he lied about it. The question about the Iraqi government's relationship with Zarqawi and Ansar al-Islam was, analytically, a tougher one. WOOD: Abu Musab al Zarqawi. He'd been a jihadist since the early nineties. He was involved in Al Qaeda's failed millennium plotting. Targeting hotels and landmarks in Amman. We described him as loosely affiliated with al Qaeda. he went to Afghanistan, tried to meet with bin Laden in 99, it never happened. What reporting we had from the detainees said that he that Zarqawi himself thought al Qaeda was too moderate and too much focused on the United States. And bin Laden's team thought that Zarqawi was a thug, maybe even a Jordanian intelligence plant , and way too extreme because he also believed that the Shia needed to be exterminated. Whether tied directly to Al Qaeda or not, Zarqawi and his men, since the group was formed in 2001, were living in northern Iraq. There, they had contact with an Iraqi intelligence officer. And, Zarqawi had gone to Baghdad for medical treatment for a few months in 2002. For some in the Administration, these two data points were enough to prove a link between Saddam and Zarqawi. But that is not the way the analysts saw it. On the issue of the Iraqi intelligence officer meeting with the group, the analysts noted that they thought that Iraq's interest was in monitoring the group, not collaborating with it. Iraq did not want Zarqawi and his followers to become a threat to Iraq, nor did it want them to commit a terrorist attack against the West and therefore draw American attention to Iraq. The analysts noted correctly that the Iraqis could do no more than watch Zarqawi, as he and his Ansar al-Islam followers were in a location in northern Iraq where Saddam's military or security services could not go, because of the no-fly and no-drive zones imposed on Iraq by the United Nations. Likewise, on Zarqawi's trip to Baghdad, the analysts did not believe that the trip was coordinated with the Iraqis. WOOD: We really thought because he and about ten of his fellow terrorists were in Baghdad for several months that the Iraqis had to know. And that was further boosted by the fact that a foreign service said they told the IIS where they were. But the II S came back and said they couldn't find them. So we thought, okay, they know they're there, but there's no reporting to us that says they're directing them, that they're involved with them, no control, no direction, and that there was not any sense that the Iraqi leadership was in any way. Authorizing their actions. And like the Iraq-Al Qaeda link itself, we learned after the war that there was no Iraqi support for Zarqawi and his group. CIA was right on this aspect of the terrorism question too. One consequence, though, is that after the invasion, after the collapse of a functioning Iraqi government, Zarqawi built a powerful terrorist group, Al Qaeda in Iraq, which would go on to kill many U.S. servicemen and which would eventually, after the US withdrawal from Iraq in 2011, become ISIS, which we continue to have to deal with today. I want to make two other points about CIA's work on the Iraq-terrorism link. One, some of the terrorism analysts felt they were being pressured by some policymakers to see a link between Iraq and Al Qaeda. WOOD: Absolutely. I know you probably got many phone calls. I know I did. I know that at the time, Director Tenet, deputy director, our beloved John McLaughlin, we had some all had some difficult conversations with members of the administration I felt like they cherry picked the information. And by cherry pick, I mean selectively picked reports that were provided to them by folks who had similar views. And they built a a pile of reports that said the same thing. But if you pulled them apart. Coming back to our 100 puzzle pieces. Right. They didn't all fit to the same puzzle. The administration was definitely trying to get us to describe things in a different way. And, two, the analysts felt that senior policymakers were saying things publicly that were inconsistent with the intelligence. WOOD: President Bush told the press corps in November 2002 that Saddam Hussein is the threat because he's dealing with al Qaeda. Vice President Cheney and September 2003 set of were successful in Iraq then will have struck a major blow at the heart of the base, if you will, the geographic base of the terrorists who had us under assault now for many years, but most especially on 911. And there were many more comments from Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, Deputy Secretary of Defense Wolfowitz. And it was short-handing what the intelligence said in the service of I think their beliefs, at least that's my opinion. We are going to take a quick break. When we come back, we will discuss the important presentation to the United Nations by Secretary of State Colin Powell. CBS News Special Report February 5, 2003 RATHER: This is a CBS News special report Dan Rather reporting from CBS News World Headquarters in New York. The secretary of state for the United States Colin Powell is appearing before the United Nations Security Council here in New York City to prevent, to present evidence Saddam Hussein is violating the council resolution. Secretary Powell's speech to the United Nations occurred in early February 2003. He tried to make the case for why the U.S. needed to go to war in Iraq and why the rest of the world should support us. The speech covered both Iraq's WMD programs and its ties to terrorism. Let's look at how intelligence was handled in that speech. CBS News Special Report February 5, 2003 POWELL: I cannot tell you everything that we know, but what I can share with you, when combined with what all of us have learned over the years, is deeply troubling. The facts and Iraqis' behavior, Iraq's behavior, demonstrate that Saddam Hussein and his regime have made no effort, no effort, to disarm, as required by the international community. Indeed, the facts and Iraq's behavior show that Saddam Hussein and his regime are concealing their efforts to produce more weapons of mass destruction. On the WMD portion of Powell's speech, the Secretary's presentation omitted the analysts' caveats, although, to be fair, the caveats were not numerous. Nonetheless, they were lost. There was pressure from policymakers for those caveats not to be in the speech. Here is Andy Makridis again, talking about the National Intelligence Estimate and the Powell speech. MAKRIDIS: If I look at the body of the NIE, which had some mild caveats about some of the judgments, some of those caveats then got lost or just weren't fully articulated in the key judgments. And now you take it up another level and you have a speech to the UN and more of that gets lost. So what strikes me in listening to the Powell speech, when I did and then and then looking at these other documents, is that he's more definitive in his speech than if you read the whole NIE and you say, well, wait a second, that's not exactly what was said here. But then again, I said the caveats were mild. They got milder or disappeared in the key judgments. And then by the time of the speech, they were sort of gone. And so it was a it was a much more declarative, declarative statement. CBS News Special Report - February 5, 2003 POWELL: From his terrorist network in Iraq, Zarqawi can direct his network in the Middle East and beyond. Iraqi officials protest they are not aware of the whereabouts of Zarqawi or of any of his associates. Again, these protests are not credible. On Iraq and terrorism, the Powell presentation was not about Al Qaeda and 9/11. It was about Zarqawi, and it implied a strong, dangerous link between Iraq and Zarqawi. It painted the contacts with the Iraqi intelligence officer and the medical visit to Baghdad as proof of a relationship. It was not what the analysts had assessed. Kristin Wood again. WOOD: We were listening to it and we were stunned because we had been intimately involved in the preparation for that in the days leading up to the speech. And we had to analysts full time doing fact checking, turning things back, editing. But it became direct statements of fact. Iraq harbors a deadly terrorist network headed by Zarqawi, an associate and collaborator of bin Laden. Baghdad has an agent in the most senior levels of Ansar al strong Islam. This agent offered al Qaeda a safe haven in the region, something we didn't have anything about. He traveled to Baghdad, staying in the capital for two months while he recuperated to fight another day. While it is true he was in the capital, we don't know that that was in any cooperation with the Iraqis at all. The terrorism text was finalized in New York City in the last hours before the speech, and it was not sent to the analysts for them to comment on it. It should have been. Taking the analysts out of the process almost always ends in a mistake, and it did so in this case. One final point about Iraq and terrorism: The last two paragraphs of the 2002 Iraq WMD NIE say that if Saddam were sufficiently desperate that is, if his regime were at risk that he might provide his weapons of mass destruction to Al Qaeda to attack the US homeland. This was critical because it made the very link the President was concerned about. But, in fact, there was quite an analytic debate within CIA about these two paragraphs that many senior officials at the Agency did not know about. I just learned about this in putting this episode together. GREEN: My name is Jane Green. Before the invasion, I was the chief of the group of analysts who focused on Iraq. GREEN: Most of my analysts were very experienced Iraq hands. They had studied all aspects of Iraq for years. Every one of them assessed that he would never we give WMD to terrorists or anyone else. Saddam was ruthless and cautious with a touch of paranoia. He did not believe in long term alliances. He assumed that any one of that weapons that anyone who received weapons from him would one day use them against Iraq. Now here's the other side to the argument. Here is Kristin Wood again, the head of Iraq Terrorism team. WOOD: The WMD community was so certain he had weapons of mass destruction and being in the terrorism shop. It seemed to me and to my analysts that it would be a poor. Analytic judgment to say that there's something Saddam wouldn't do. That he had a principle. He used to gassed his own people. In the end, the analysts compromised and the NIE said Saddam might share WMD with Al Qaeda if his regime and his own existence were on the line. The analysts chose those two words carefully -- "might" and "if." In retrospect, the analysts should have crafted the language to clearly state the existence of analytic differences and the reason behind those differences rather than to settle on a weak judgment that Saddam might do something if he found himself in extremis. Words like "might" and "if" get lost when policymakers read them. Policy officials likely saw this as the IC confirming the President's worst fears. We could and should have done better in writing these two paragraphs. CBS Morning News February 5, 2004 ANCHOR: CIA Director George Tenet is going on the offensive. This morning, he'll answer charges that his agency botched the estimates of Iraq's weapons. PLANTE: Sources tell CBS News that Tenet will point to intelligence successes not previously made public, and try to correct what they call 'inaccuracies' about what the CIA did and did not say about weapons of mass destruction. Beyond Iraq and WMD and Iraq and terrorism, there was one other important analysis done prior to the war, this time about what post-war Iraq might look like. Here's Jane Green again. GREEN: To quote Director Tenet from his book. He said, "Our prewar analysis of post-war Iraq was prescient." Jane highlighted for us one pre-war CIA analytic paper, written in August of 2002, titled: "The Perfect Storm: Planning for Negative Consequences of Invading Iraq." GREEN: Some of those consequences that we assessed could happen: Anarchy in Iraq. Regime threatening instability in Arab states. A surge of global terrorism against U.S. interests. And another CIA assessment in January of 2003, we said Iraq would be unlikely to split apart, that a post-Saddam authority would face a deeply divided society with a significant chance that domestic groups would engage in violent conflict with each other unless an occupying force prevented them from doing so. It was very difficult to get our message heard. Perhaps we should have said it louder, but it was certainly something that we were trying to get across that the risks of this effort were substantial, both to the stability of Iraq and to the Middle East, as well as to our own troops. Other CIA analysts shared the concerns of Jane's analysts. NAKHLEH: My name is Emile Nakhleh. Emile studied the Middle East in great depth as an academic before coming to the Agency, including spending significant time in the region. At CIA, Emile established and ran the Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program. He also ran the Regional Analysis program dealing with the Middle East at large. NAKHLEH: I had serious concerns and several of my analysts shared those concerns. Many of these concerns had to do with plans by some in Administration to remove from their positions any Iraqis who were members of Saddam's Baath Party so called, de-Baathification. NAKHLEH: The whole issue of de-Baathification. They were talking about ultimately de-Baathification after the war. And they I must admit, they had no idea of the role of the Baath Party in Iraqi society that, for example, everybody had to have a party card membership card in order to get a job. You could not get a job in Iraq from a taxi driver to a university professor without getting having a Baath Party card. And the issue that really concerned me was the interest and influence generations, centuries old interest and influence of Iran in Iraq, particularly southern Iraq, where Shia Islam started in the first place in the 7th century. Emile did not think the Administration had enough Iraq policy experts, and he was worried about the lack of planning for what would come after combat. 34 NAKHLEH: For example, what tribes should we deal with? How should we engage? The Shia leadership, especially the Grand Ayatollah is in in southern Iraq, in Najaf and Karbala, whether to bring an indigenous leader or a leader from the outside, how to deal with the Sunnis after they lose power and prestige and stature in the country, how to distribute oil revenues among the ethnic sectarian groups Arabs, Sunni, Shia and Kurds. In one of my last briefings I gave the vice president, I said, Mr. Vice President, you make the decisions. I don't make policy. You were elected to make policy. I'm just giving you what our analysts bring to the table in terms of expertise from the field, and that if those questions are not answered, we will have serious problems on our hands. Jane's and Emile's analysts turned out to be right about what Iraq would look like after the war. CBS Evening News June 17, 2003 MARTIN: As temperatures in Iraq climb higher and tempers grow shorter, senior officials in Washington admit the reconstruction program which is supposed to put the country back on its feet is at best sporadic and at worst chaotic. According to one official, J Paul Bremer, the American in charge of rebuilding Iraq, is making it up as he goes along. Let me now switch from pre-invasion to post-invasion. There are two stories here one, the collection and analysis done by CIA on the deteriorating situation in Iraq and two, CIA's support of the eventual stabilization of Iraq. CIA officers on the ground in Iraq and the Iraq analysts in Washington were the first to see what was happening to post-war Iraq. Both saw the emergence of the insurgency and then its growth. And they saw it almost immediately, within weeks of the end of combat operations in April 2003. My name is Luis Rueda. During the time period, I was chief of EOG, which is the Iraq Operations Group. Luis was responsible for all of CIA's operations in country. REUDA: Our officers were seeing a very rapid deterioration of the situation. U.S. forces were were not big enough to hold the country. Remember that the coalition administration inside Iraq had demobilized the army and they had told the army, go home. And they did. But all of a sudden, we had 450,000 armed men unemployed, which became very fertile recruiting ground for an insurgency. Services had been at least degraded significantly. So electricity, running water, things like that were not functioning, which creates an unhappy population. The coalition authority had de-Baathification, the government, which meant getting rid of anybody who belonged to the Baath Party. And as we had articulated, the vast majority of members of the Baath Party had to be Baath Party members to hold the job. It was like the Communist Party in Russia. So you had teachers, policemen. They weren't committed bases. They just had to have the job. But all of a sudden they were out of jobs and law and order started to break down. And we started seeing this get worse and worse. Jane Green again. GREEN: In June 2003, I went to Iraq to serve the intelligence advisor to the leader who was Jerry Bremer. And I was also his briefer. I met with Bremer and with coalition ground forces Chief General Ricardo Sanchez, six days a week. During the six months I was there. GREEN: We saw it right away. We saw looting of factories and other heavy industry, not just the taking of parts and equipment, but the dismantling of the facilities themselves, which was the equivalent of dismantling the Iraqi economy. It was astounding to see when we would see imagery of, you know, significant factories reduced to, you know, a few pieces of sheet metal, and then that sheet metal would be gone the next day. The situation was becoming more and more dangerous. GREEN: Soon we saw that weapons and ammunition storage depots were being emptied. We saw the rise of Shia militias with support from Iran. In some cases, the goal of some of these militias was to take revenge on the Sunnis and to make sure they never had the ability to subjugate the Shia populace again. We saw the Sunni tribes arming themselves. Sunni Shia shrines were being attacked and groups of Shia civilians were attacked. GREEN: All the Sunnis then had left were the weapons and ammunitions that they had looted from the from the depots. And a deep resentment of coalition activities. The new Iraqi government faced fierce opposition in Sunni areas, and especially in strong Fallujah and Ramadi. While the CIA's assessment of the situation in Iraq was getting worse, some policymakers and other government agencies, namely the Pentagon pushed back. GREEN: The Iraqis, in DOD's eyes, were supposed to be rejoicing that Saddam's regime was gone. And it took them a long time to accept our analyst judgment that the Iraqi people were devolving into civil war. Here is Luis Reuda again. REUDA At the end of the day, I remember there was a situation where Secretary Rumsfeld confronted agency briefers and said, what makes you use the term insurgency? We don't think there's an insurgency. And the briefer said, well, we're using the Defense Department definition of insurgency and outlined that definition. Once the Administration, led by President Bush, recognized that Iraq was descending into chaos, policy caught up. But several important months were lost. CIA would ultimately support the administration's efforts to stabilize Iraq. REUDA: And one of the things they did was turn to the agency and and say we need additional assistance in trying to stabilize the country. So the CIA was tasked with working with with Bremer's office, with the US military, with Central Command, to sort of bring together Iraqi leadership and work with them and support them in creating some type of stable government. CIA was tasked with finding moderate Iraqi forces who could work together and then CIA supported them. REUDA: We were not tasked with picking people. We were not tasked with deciding what the government was going to be like. We wanted that to be an Iraqi endeavor. The Iraqis had to decide. But we had to bring enough people, give them the wherewithal, whether it was, you know, training, advice or guidance to come together and form some kind of governing authority, then where they would choose, how they would run the country, who would run the country and this sort of thing. One of the biggest CIA contributions to the stabilization was forming an Iraqi intelligence service. And we also worked to develop a security apparatus, an intelligence service that would collect information on the terrorists, on Iranians, on efforts to destabilize any further, destabilize Iraq. And, you know, we realized that the Iraqis are much better at interacting with the Iraqis than the U.S. would be. So we helped to create a security apparatus to help the government stabilize. CIA played a significant role in the stabilization of Iraq, a success that many to this day do not know. What about the consequences? What were the consequences for the United States, for Iraq for the region, and for the CIA. Let's turn to that discussion. The most important consequences were two one, the impact the war had on what Americans think of their own government and two, the impact it had on America's credibility on the world stage. I spend a great deal of time on college campuses, and I can't tell you how often students question whether America's role in the world has been for good or not. And, for those students who say no, they point first to the Iraq War and second to the 2008 financial crisis. These two events have led many Americans to question the competency and credibility of their own government. Regarding America's credibility in the world, some have argued that the Iraq War was the moment the U.S. ceded its global leadership role. The consequences for the region were even worse. Here's Emile Nakleigh again. NEKHLEH: And so after the invasion, we see the rise of Iran as a major player because of Iraq. This is very, very huge. For the first time following the invasion, we saw the rise of what we call or what one academic friend of mine called the Shia Crescent in the region. So for the first time, you have the two largest Shia states in the world, Iran and Iraq, almost in an alliance that they did not have before ever, That was the biggest regional implication. Significant gains for Iranian influence, as predicted by Emile and his analysts before the invasion. "CBS Evening News" October 22, 2011 CORRESPONDENT: The war in Iraq may be over, but the politics of leaving have begun. The concern is the regime in Iran. Experts say the more the United States moves out of Iraq, the more Iran moves in. The other significant consequence, which we discussed earlier, was the rise of Al Qaeda in Iraq. Emile explains how all of this affected, and still is affecting, our strategic position in the region. NEKHLEH: After we removed Saddam, we got bogged down with the insurgency and the civil war. And the Arab states began to express serious concern about the efficacy of our presence there, that our presence there was contributing to the rise in in terrorism, contributing to the rise of Shia terrorism. Finally, what were the consequences for CIA? Damage to its credibility for sure, which took some time to repair. But there was also a positive change for the Agency. Jami Miscik, who was the head of analysis, deserves immense credit for this, immense credit for saying "We made a mistake, let's figure out why, and let's learn from it." Jami created a task force to study what happened and then she ordered a multi-day stand down to teach every analyst in the organization the lessons learned. In my view, this had the most positive impact on the rigor by which analysts do their work at CIA than any other single moment in the history of the organization. Here's Andy Makridis again MAKRIDIS: Some of the things that were put into place after afterwards were in particular sort of this alternative analysis issue where we really did try on big judgment to to come up with a variety of analytic techniques to sort of tease out, you know, the uncertainties. And there are a variety of techniques that people can read about. There's pre mortems that's sort of one of my favorite ones. But red teaming, double advocacy, brainstorming, alternative futures, competing hypotheses, these are all ways to sort of get at. Let's take a look at this. And, you know, where are the weaknesses in our argument and lay those out for the policymakers. So, you know, today, when we're making a big analytic judgment, we include how could we be wrong? That's the narrative I wanted to share. There is obviously much more to the story, but only so much can fit into a 40-minute podcast. Let me end with one final thought: I think the lessons of the Iraq War for both intelligence and policymakers are enormous. For policymakers, it is to understand the inherent limitations of intelligence and to never put pressure on the IC to see things a certain way. Doing so leads to jumbled messages that do not serve the interests of the country. For intelligence officers, it is also important to understand the inherent limitations of intelligence and to apply that understanding to the confidence one has in any judgment. It is to be humble. And it is to know that, if you lose focus for any reason, the next big intelligence failure will be right around the corner. Thanks for listening. I'm Michael Morell. Please join us again next week for another epidosde of Intelligence Matters. K-9 officer receives send-off for retirement Rocco Commisso | Sunday on 60 Minutes Make-A-Wish helps 11-year-old's wish for puppy come true The UFC has announced a return to the Middle East for what has become a regular mid-fall stop. UFC 294 will take place Oct. 21 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, the promotion announced early Thursday. No matchups have been announced for the card, but historically the UFC has plenty of fighters from that side of the world hoping for a spot on the show in the United Arab Emirates. UFC 294 will be the UFCs 18th event in Abu Dhabi, though a dozen of them, from July 2020 through January 2021 were part of pandemic-era shows the company set up on Fight Island in a bubble capacity due to COVID-19. The UFC did three shows in eight days at Etihad Arena in January 2021 in front of a limited number of fans. Then in October 2021, UFC 267 touched down at the venue with a light heavyweight title fight and Glover Teixeiras submission of Jan Blachowicz to win the belt. That card also featured Islam Makhachev and Khamzat Chimaev. Makhachev returned for UFC 280 this past October and won the lightweight title with a submission of Charles Oliveira. Below, check out the UFCs history of events in Abu Dhabi. For more on the card, visit MMA Junkies event hub for UFC 294. UFC 112: Invincible Date: April 10, 2010 Venue: Concert Arena, Yas Island Attendance: 11,008 Notes: Anderson Silva took a unanimous decision from Demian Maia to defend his middleweight title in the main event. In the co-feature, Frankie Edgar ended B.J. Penns lightweight run to win the title with a unanimous decision. UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Nelson Date: April 11, 2014 Venue: du Arena Attendance: 7,963 Notes: Roy Nelson knocked out Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the main event. The card was a rarity in that it featured only eight fights, the first of which ended in a no contest between Rani Yahya and Johnny Bedford. UFC 242: Khabib vs. Poirier Date: Sept. 7, 2019 Venue: The Arena at Yas Island Attendance: Not announced Notes: Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted Dustin Poirier in the third round to defend his title in the main event. Story continues UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal Date: July 12, 2020 Venue: du Forum Attendance: 0 (Fight Island bubble) Notes: The UFCs first event in its Fight Island bubble featured three title fights: Kamaru Usman defended the welterweight belt with a unanimous decision over rival Jorge Masvidal in the headliner. In the co-main event, Alexander Volkanovski beat Max Holloway with a split decision in a rematch to defend the featherweight title. And Petr Yan beat Jose Aldo with a fifth-round TKO to win the vacant bantamweight title. UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige Date: July 16, 2020 Venue: du Forum Attendance: 0 (Fight Island bubble) Notes: Calvin Kattar took a unanimous decision from Dan Ige in the main event. The main card on ESPN featured five straight unanimous decisions. UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2 Date: July 19, 2020 Venue: du Forum Attendance: 0 (Fight Island bubble) Notes: In the headliner, Deiveson Figueiredo choked out Joseph Benavidez in a rematch to win the vacant flyweight title. UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till Date: July 26, 2020 Venue: du Forum Attendance: 0 (Fight Island bubble) Notes: Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker outworked Darren Till in the main event. The card also featured a split decision win for Mauricio Shogun Rua against fellow Brazilian legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and a first-round submission win for former heavyweight champ Fabricio Werdum against Alexander Gustafsson. UFC 253: Adesanya vs. Costa Date: Sept. 27, 2020 Venue: du Forum Attendance: 0 (Fight Island bubble) Notes: Middleweight champ Israel Adesanya knocked out Paulo Costa in the second round in the main event. In the co-feature, Jan Blachowicz won the vacant light heavyweight title with a second-round TKO of Dominick Reyes. UFC on ESPN: Holm vs. Aldana Date: Oct. 4, 2020 Venue: du Forum Attendance: 0 (Fight Island bubble) Notes: Former womens bantamweight champion Holly Holm shut out Irena Aldana on the scorecards in the main event, which was the first time women headlined a UFC card in Abu Dhabi. UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen Date: Oct. 11, 2020 Venue: du Forum Attendance: 0 (Fight Island bubble) Notes: Cory Sandhagen knocked out Marlon Moraes with a spinning wheel kick in the second round in the main event. The card featured seven decisions and six knockouts. UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie Date: Oct. 18, 2020 Venue: du Forum Attendance: 0 (Fight Island bubble) Notes: Brian Ortega swept the scorecards against The Korean Zombie, Chan Sung Jung, in the main event. UFC 254: Khabib vs. Gaethje Date: Oct. 24, 2020 Venue: du Forum Attendance: 0 (Fight Island bubble) Notes: In a lightweight title unification fight in the headliner, champ Khabib Nurmagomedov choked interim titleholder Justin Gaethje to sleep in the second round. In addition, former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker outworked Jared Cannonier in the co-main event. UFC on ABC: Holloway vs. Kattar Date: Jan. 16, 2021 Venue: Etihad Arena Attendance: 2,000 Notes: Former featherweight champ Max Holloway put on an all-timer of a striking clinic against Calvin Kattar. He won with a pair of 50-43 scores and an almost unheard of 50-42. The card featured seven decisions and three knockouts. UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny Date: Jan. 20, 2021 Venue: Etihad Arena Attendance: 2,000 Notes: Michael Chiesa outworked Neil Magny in the welterweight main event. UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2 Date: Jan. 24, 2021 Venue: Etihad Arena Attendance: 2,600 Notes: Dustin Poirier avenged a loss to Conor McGregor from years earlier with a second-round TKO in the headliner. In the co-feature, former Bellator champion Michael Chandler knocked out Dan Hooker for a $50,000 bonus. UFC 267: Blachowicz vs. Teixeira Date: Oct. 30, 2021 Venue: Etihad Arena Attendance: 10,171 Notes: For the first time in 10 years, a UFC numbered event was not a pay-per-view. In the headliner, Glover Teixeira submitted Jan Blachowicz to win the light heavyweight title. In the co-feature, Petr Yan outworked Cory Sandhagen in a Fight of the Night winner to win the interim bantamweight belt. UFC 280: Oliveira vs. Makhachev Date: Oct. 22, 2022 Venue: Etihad Arena Attendance: 13,400 Notes: In the main event, Islam Makhachev submitted former champ Charles Oliveira to win the vacant lightweight title. In the co-feature, Aljamain Sterling defended his bantamweight belt with a second-round TKO of former champ T.J. Dillashaw. Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie State employees are shown one of the rooms at the Central City Apartments. The Utah Homeless Council and Utah Office of Homeless Services launched the states new strategic plan to address homelessness statewide during a press conference at First Step house in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 13, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News The Utah Office of Homeless Services and the Utah Homelessness Council unveiled their new strategic plan to address and reduce homelessness statewide on Monday. The strategic plan and report were released by State Homeless Coordinator Wayne Niederhauser and other members of the Utah Homelessness Council at the First Step House. The process began with the Utah Legislature tasking the groups with creating a statewide plan, beginning with a comprehensive review of homelessness. The review consisted of multiple survey reports, interviews with community leaders, Office of Homeless Services employees, homeless and social service providers, persons with lived experience with homelessness, and other stakeholders by a contracted consulting group. The consulting group's findings were released on Monday to give a clearer picture of homelessness statewide. "What we have is maybe not something that everybody likes perfectly but we have a balanced plan. And it's based on housing, it's based on prevention prevention is a big part of where we need to focus and it's focused on services and coordination," said Niederhauser. "Coordination is a key to success or planning." Scott G Winterton, Deseret News 'No easy one-size-fits-all way forward' While homelessness can be more visible in Salt Lake City and its surrounding areas, the issue is statewide and pervasive. The report notes that "despite years of focused effort and spending millions of dollars to solve problems, Utah's experience with homelessness has proved to be perpetual and challenging." The 2022 statewide Point-in-Time Count revealed there were 3,556 sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a given night but that number doesn't completely capture the full picture of homelessness across the state, the report notes. A more accurate picture is drawn by the estimated 12,442 people enrolled in homeless services or housing projects in Utah as of April 2022, according to state data. In recent years, homelessness has increased even as funding has been funneled into the issue, revealing the need for a more comprehensive review. Story continues "Homelessness is to be sure a complex problem; there are no simple solutions. There is no easy one-size-fits-all way to go forward," Utah Homeless Council co-chairman Whit Clayton said. "So the plan recognizes the diversity of the problems, the diversity of the people who have experienced homelessness or who are at risk of becoming homeless." The needs assessment findings explored the diversity of the problem with an examination of homelessness in Utah by categories: Households Single adults consist of approximately 48% of the people experiencing homelessness, while families make up 30%. Race and ethnicity Black individuals are only 1% of the state population but represent over 10% of those in the homeless care system. Hispanic or Latino individuals are only 14% of the state population but represent over 23% of those experiencing homelessness. Specific data regarding American Indian/Alaskan Native and Pacific Islander populations were not provided, but they were noted as "overrepresented in the homeless population in Utah." Sex Males represent a majority of the homeless population in Utah at 57%. Subpopulations About 48% of people who have experienced homelessness within the last five years in Utah had a disabling condition and approximately 36% of them had a mental health or substance use disorder. Length and type of homelessness The median time from entry into the care system to placement in permanent housing is 92 days. Of those experiencing homelessness since 2018 and enrolled in the care system, over 55% had a history of being unsheltered. An estimated 39% of people newly entering the care system each year have experienced or will experience unsheltered homelessness. Scott G Winterton, Deseret News What are the state's goals regarding homelessness? Based on the needs assessment, the strategic plan identifies several target outcomes to address the key issues, including the lack of permanent housing, homelessness prevention, and providing support and recovery services. The target outcomes by 2027 identified by the report include: Create or identify 574 housing opportunities for people experiencing homelessness. Increase supportive service interactions by 20%. Reduce the number of people becoming homeless each year by 20%. Reduce homelessness by 7% for vulnerable subpopulations of chronically homeless, veterans, survivors of domestic violence, youth and people with disabilities. The plan outlines five different goals with strategies for implementation. To gauge the success of each goal and strategy, the report also outlines measurable outcomes for each goal. The five goals include: Increase accessible and affordable permanent housing opportunities for people experiencing homelessness across the state. Increase access to and availability of supportive services and case management for people experiencing and at risk of homelessness. Expand homeless prevention efforts by increasing coordination, resources and affordable housing opportunities. Target housing resources and supportive services to people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Promote alignment and coordination across multiple systems of care to support people experiencing and at risk of homelessness. The plan is intended to make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring. But what has been done already to accomplish this? "We're already making huge strides in what is a big part of our strategic plan, which is housing," Niederhauser said, pointing to the $55 million dollars secured in the 2022 legislative session and $30 million dollars in the recent session. "There's a lot of things already being done. But again, it's a huge lift. It's an aggressive plan and will take a lot of effort and a coordinated effort." Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Can this be accomplished? While the plan outlines clear goals and measurable outcomes, along with steps for coordination, there may be stumbling blocks along the way. While much was accomplished in the recent legislative session regarding affordable housing and homeless services, a key piece of failed legislation may present a barrier, homelessness leaders say. A dedicated funding stream for homeless services was a part of SB260, which failed to pass. Without that funding, Niederhauser believes the plan will not be carried out "the degree we need to." But ultimately, the newly released strategic plan and comprehensive review represented a starting point for those present. "I know many times when you start a journey, you're only thinking about where you're going and how you're going to get there. But we must take a minute to look back at where we've been, and see the progress we've made," said businesswoman and philanthropist Gail Miller, a member of the Utah Homelessness Council. "Because it is significant and this is the next step in our progress." Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Scott G Winterton, Deseret News With a vacancy rate for state employees of more than 23%, the governor and legislature are looking for solutions in recruitment, retention and pay. Gov. Roy Coopers budget proposal released on Wednesday asks for raises, more paid time off and bonuses for state employees. State governments job vacancy rate before the coronavirus pandemic was 12.3%, State Budget Director Kristin Walker said. Its now at 23.4%. Recruitment and training cost money and we are to the point of pay now and keep folks, or pay later when they walk out the door. Its that simple, Ardis Watkins, the executive director of the State Employees Association of North Carolina, said in a statement to The News & Observer that panned Coopers proposed raises as inadequate. Cooper is calling for 8% across-the-board pay increases for state employees over the next two years, starting with the 2023-24 fiscal year that begins July 1. Heres what he wants for state workers: The proposed 8% raises, which would give employees 5% the first year and 3% the second year. An additional 1.5% for employees who are on step plans, which includes law enforcement and correctional officers, Walker said. An additional raise pool of 3% to agencies to increase salaries over and above that, across the board, particularly for the hard-to-grow jobs, Cooper said. The budget proposal calls those funds an enhanced labor market adjustment reserve. $1,500 retention bonuses for state employees making less than $75,000, or $1,000 for those making more than $75,000. The bonuses would be paid in two installments. A 2% recurring cost-of-living-adjustment increase for retired employees. Changes to the annual leave policy for state employees, adding from one to three more paid days off depending on total years of service. A shift of longevity pay to retention pay, which would slightly increase the rate of longevity pay for employees with more than 10 years of experience but less than 25 years of experience. It would add retention pay of 1% to 1.5% for those in their first two to nine years of service. Employees with more than 25 years of service would remain at the same rate of 4.5%. Story continues Raises in the House budget Watkins said Coopers budget contains raises that do not even match inflation. SEANC takes this staffing crisis seriously and will be asking legislators for raises and bonuses that show they do as well, Watkins said. We are not saving taxpayers any money by offering them 77% of the services for each dollar they pay, and thats what a 23% vacancy rate does. The inflation rate in February was at 6%, and hovered around 9% this past summer. State employees at the Department of Health and Human Services mental health facilities who are in UE Local 150, the Public Service Workers Union, have protested understaffing and called for raises for hourly workers for more than a year, including on Wednesday. House Speaker Tim Moore said Wednesday that legislators wont propose as big a pay discrepancy in raises for teachers and state employees as the one Cooper proposed, with 18% for teachers and less than half that, at 8%, for state employees across the board. On recruitment and retention of state employees, Moore said they are considering bonuses and incentives especially for those jobs that have had high turnover or are difficult to fill. We realized the needs that so many state employees have and without saying what our numbers are, because were still in that process we feel like the plan that we have is one that state employees would appreciate, Moore said. Vacancies in state agencies State Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, a Republican, sounded the vacancy alarm to state lawmakers during a committee meeting last week. Were not competitive, salary-wise with other state agencies or private-sector jobs, Troxler said about the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The agencys vacancy rate is at 17%, he said, with some positions especially hard to fill. Fewer people doing the work is problematic, he said. We need to attract good people and we need to keep good people, Troxler said. Its about salary. Theres no other reason but salary. Microbiologist Blanca Escudero works in the sample preparation room at the Steve Troxler Agricultural Sciences Center on Thursday, April 14, 2022, in Raleigh, N.C. Berger said beyond salary issues, he thinks the state needs to look at the pipeline for potential employees. I think its fair to say that wed be looking at all options as far as thats concerned. But ultimately, the real problem we have at this time is, there just arent enough people looking for jobs, to fill all the jobs that are out there, he said. Berger told reporters that Troxler hit on one of the things that leaders will look at carefully. And that is, are we having shortages because folks that heretofore worked for us, but are being lured away by the fact that either another governmental entity, primarily another governmental entity, is paying more? Berger said. I think is a little more difficult for us to get into a one-on-one competition with the private sector, where we raise governmental salaries, and that then causes folks in the private sector to go up as well. Its a very complicated thing. There really is no simple answer. And I mean, it is a very real problem. Cooper, legislature move to use experience, not just degrees Earlier this week, Cooper issued an executive order for his administration to factor in work experience, not just college degrees, in hiring for open state jobs. Job postings will be updated to say that directly related experience can be considered in place of education requirements for most positions that may not need them. However, already about 75% of state jobs dont require a college degree or already allow experience as a substitute. People who have been working in a similar role successfully for years should be on equal footing with applicants with academic degrees, State Human Resources Director Barbara Gibson said in a statement. She said they want more qualified candidates to apply for positions across state government. A bill in the legislature would change the law to consider other experience instead of higher education. Senate Bill 239 (and the House version, House Bill 210), called Reduce Barriers to State Employment, if it becomes law, would have state jobs requirements be evaluated regularly, assess whether experience including military training is equivalent to a four-year college degree, and remove language in job descriptions about college degrees if it is unnecessary for that job. That bill was sent to the Senate Rules Committee on Wednesday, which is the last stop before going to a vote on the Senate floor. It is likely to pass, as Senate leader Phil Berger, an Eden Republican, indicated his support for it this week to reporters. Las Catalinas Though we live in slushy New York City, my partner Julia and I are both allergic to cold weather, so we jumped at the chance to pack our bags for Costa Rica and visit Las Catalinas, a two-square-mile eco-community founded in 2006, along the Pacific coast. I felt like everyone I knew was planning a trip to the country: Forbes recently named it one of the 10 best places to travel in Latin America in 2023 , and data shows that tourism to the country in 2021 was up 64 percent over 2019 . Las Catalinas in particular is becoming a must-visit for good reason: It boasts pristine beaches, travel-worthy diving, snorkeling, and fishing, and world-class mountain hiking and biking trailsnot to mention zero cars or chain restaurants. Id never visited Costa Rica before, but my mental associations were all hippie tie-dye technicolor and yoga-studio vibessoft palettes, tinkling wind chimes, dreamcatchers swaying in the breeze. So I was a bit shocked to arrive at Las Catalinas and discover a walkable town marked by grown-up, industrial-tinged minimalism. Coastal accents and natural touches made the entire community feel elegant and cool to the toucheven in the heat of the Central American sun. So if youre dreaming of palm trees and sandy beaches minus the squee spring-break vibes, this might just be the perfect destination. Heres exactly how to spend a sunny weekend in the most grown-up, visitor-friendly spring-break destination out there. Where to Stay Las Catalinas is blanketed with lovely vacation homes , which are available for rent whenever the owners are out of town. We stayed in a luxe one-bedroom where we could cook in the kitchen and eat dinner on the patio while the sky lit upLas Catalinas is Costa Ricas westernmost point, so the sunsets are consistently jaw-dropping. No two buildings (hell, no two front doors) at Las Catalinas are alike, thanks to made-onsite tiles and materials and the vision of the towns head architectural consultant Adrina Fonseca, a native Costa Rican whofun fact!designed the first Apple stores directly with Steve Jobs. Story continues For those who prefer a more traditional experience, the Santarena Hotel has 45 thoughtfully designed rooms and suites in the heart of the town. The boutique hotel, infused with a chic modern-tropical aesthetic, features a rooftop terrace with an infinity pool overlooking the ocean (just picture the grams!), a state-of-the-art fitness center, and a Mediterranean-leaning restaurant with locally sourced ingredients. Las Catalinas Where to Eat and Drink The dinner we cant stop talking about was at Sentido Norte , a hilltop restaurant with a stunning outdoor terrace that gives you a front-row view of the setting sun. Creative cocktails and a Latin American-leaning menu make this spot perfect for a date night. Pascual , a newish, open-air tapas bar, has relaxed vibes and to-die-for share plates, including paella, gazpacho, and ham croquettes, not to mention weekly mixology classes. Las Catalinas We can only handle so many fancy restaurant meals on vacation, so we appreciated Las Catalinas array of casual options, too. A new beachside watering hole, Papagayo Brew House , serves ice-cold draughts and bar bites. Pots & Bowls is a perma-parked food truck slinging (alleluia!) homemade veggie burgers, smoothies, breakfast bowls, and more, and Cocquielo is the brand-new waffle stand we didnt know we needed. Oh, and cooking at home or stocking up on rose is easy thanks to Copper & Stone , a gourmet supermarket with a cute little deli and regular wine tasting. What to Do Much as we love loafing around, Julia and I both feel better (and are much kinder to each other) when we can move our bodies while traveling. Luckily, Las Catalinas is nestled inside leafy mountains that are laced with more than 25 miles of hiking and biking trails, which means there are tons of great lookout points where you can get epic birds-eye shots of the entire town below. And if youre into mountain biking but, uh, failed to pack your wheels, fear notyou can rent a bike at Pura Vida Ride . Las Catalinas When I wasnt splashing in the ocean, I swam laps at the turquoise pool at the classy beach club. And while Im not normally one to beeline for the resort gym, I loved taking classes and lifting weights at CORE by Chakfitnessa fully absurd outdoor fitness center with custom-built workout machines and weights made from local (gorgeous!) Guanacaste wood and organic materials. Think: a lat pull-down where you yank a rope over a pulley to lift a basket of rocks. Very Flintstones-chic. Responsible tourists, take note: ConnectOcean , a sustainable consulting firm, has offices in Las Catalinas that help visitors combat environmental threats, while having a good time. Recognizing that overfishing is a huge problem in Costa Rica and worldwidescientists predict that, at current catch rates, by 2048 there will be no more wild fish in the oceanthe founders launched boating and diving excursions that benefit local fishers and the aquatic ecosystem. Sign up for an "Ocean to Table" fishing excursion to spend the morning on the water with a fisherman; youll learn about sustainable seafood sourcing and finish with lunch at a local restaurant, eating what you caught. ConnectOcean also offers Citizen Science dives, where they teach tourists to ID, measure, and report underwater species via their own mobile app. Being told to put on a green sweater and enjoy some corned beef seems like a completely random demand on most days but tomorrow is St. Patricks Day, so don your finest verdant vestments. Ever wonder why we do the things we do on St. Patricks Day? Youre not alone. An originally religious Irish holiday has become a day of parades, beer, leprechauns, and wearing green in the United States but how did that happen? Learn more about the origins of St. Patricks Day traditions and why we celebrate them the way we do below. What is St. Patricks Day about? Its not about green beer and really, it never was. The day celebrates Roman citizen Maewyn Succat who was kidnapped at age 16 and taken to Ireland as a slave in the 4th century. He escaped, came back to Ireland later in life as a priest, and changed his name to Patrick, which comes from the Latin word for father. He was responsible for converting many Irish people to Christianity; he established schools, churches, and monasteries, and even inspired legends that he drove all the snakes (common symbols of Satan) out of the country. The celebrations began in the 15th century when the Church held a feast honoring St. Patrick, then Irelands Patron Saint, on March 17 and it became a popular holiday in the United States with the emigration of Irish natives. The Meaning Behind St. Patricks Day Traditions and Symbols As interesting as the background of St. Patricks Day is, it has nothing to do with lucky charms and leprechauns. So why are those such a big part of the day? Keep reading to find out. Shamrocks Shamrocks, or (three-leaf) clovers, have been a symbol of Irish culture for a long time. According to Celtish history site Ireland Calling, the Celts (Irish ancestors) believed that three was natures most important number. It represented the phases of the moon; the earth, sky, and sea; and the phases of man, childhood, adulthood, and old age. Because clovers grow in abundance in Ireland, and they have three leaves, they were considered deeply important and symbolic. Its also believed that St. Patrick used the shamrocks three leaves to demonstrate the Holy Trinity Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Because shamrocks are common in Ireland, its considered rare or good luck to find one with four leaves. Story continues Leprechauns Though the word leprechaun may conjure images of jaunty little red-headed men in green clothes (perhaps coming after your bowl of breakfast cereal), their origins are a little more insidious. They originated as eighth-century water spirits called luchorpan, or small bodies, says Irish Central. The legend changed over time, and they became drunkard fairies that haunted basements and made fairy shoes. Folk tales said you could tell a leprechaun was nearby if you heard the tiny tapping of a cobblers hammer. They hoard their wealth in places that are impossible for others to find like at the end of rainbows. If you catch one, theyll grant you a wish, but theyre notoriously tricky, so be careful what you wish for. One legend has it that a man caught a leprechaun and wished to be the king of a beautiful tropical island. The leprechaun granted his wish by deserting him on an island all alone. Wearing Green Speaking of leprechauns, they apparently cant see the color green, so wearing it protects you from their trickery. Others say that green represents Irelands lush countryside. But the color also has roots in Irish political history: the green in the Irish flag represents Catholicism, and wearing it represented a divorce from British colonialism and Protestantism in Ireland, says expert Christine Kinealy. She notes that the orange in the flag symbolizes Protestants, and the white represents cooperation and peace. Be that as it may, its best not to wear orange on St. Paddys, since the Irish might interpret that as you supporting the British threat to their independence. Pinching Those Who Dont Wear Green Were not here to justify the pinching of anyone regardless of what color clothes theyre wearing. But owner of the Irish Cultural Museum in New Orleans, Luke Ahearn, says that pinching those who refuse to conform to the green rule is punishment for not putting their Irish pride on display. If your peers dont pinch you, it doesnt necessarily mean youre safe: Leprechauns cant see green, so if youre wearing any other color, you could be susceptible to a leprechaun pinch, as well. We dont know what a leprechaun pinch feels like, but wed prefer not to find out. We hope youre feeling adequately prepped for St. Paddys. Good luck avoiding leprechauns (and pinchers.) Erin go Bragh! This story discusses suicide and mental health issues. If you're in crisis, help is available: Call the national 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or chatting online. If you or someone you know needs trans peer support, you can call Trans Kentucky at 859-448-5428 or visit their website. Nationally, you can call the Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860 or visit their website. LGBTQ+ youth can get support from the Trevor Project by calling 866-488-7386 or visiting their website. FRANKFORT, Ky. - When lawmakers went home Wednesday night, it looked as if Kentuckys marquee omnibus anti-trans legislation was on its deathbed, being slowly killed by Republican discord. But on Thursday, a multi-hour legislative sprint suddenly resurrected, expanded and rushed a nearly identical proposal through the Kentucky legislature and to the governors desk with hours to spare. Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, now has 10 days to either veto or sign Senate Bill 150 into law. Beshear is widely expected to veto the bill. Kentucky's Republican-led legislature, though, will be able to override his veto when it returns for the final two days of the legislative session on March 29 and 30. The backlash was swift. The ACLU of Kentucky called the bill "unconstitutional," vowing legal action should it become law. GLI, Louisville's chamber of commerce, said it was "extremely disappointed" in the legislation. The Trevor Project, an organization that works to prevent suicide in LGBTQ youths, condemned SB 150, calling it one of the most extreme anti-trans measures in the nation. "First, this is not a Kentucky measure the genesis of this measure springs from a national agenda of fearmongering," Terry Brooks, the executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, wrote in a statement. "This bill and the processes of its passage reveal why there is such disillusionment about Frankfort," Brooks said, adding that the Republican-dominated legislature frequently demands Beshear be transparent but then pulls "what can kindly be called parliamentary shenanigans." Story continues The saga began shortly before 1 p.m. Thursday, when a surprise House Education Committee meeting was called during the House's lunch break. Within six minutes, Sen. Max Wise and Rep. David Meade - both Republicans - sat in a committee room, presenting a new, expanded version of Senate Bill 150 for a committee vote. As lawmakers and opponents alike rushed into the room, the duo explained the changed bill - which was so new, not even the House clerk had a digital copy to share after the vote, let alone have the bill available to the general public at the time. SB 150's initial provisions, including one allowing teachers to misgender their students, remain intact. A new section added a ban on gender-affirming medical care for trans youths, despite medical experts and their professional associations saying such care is safe and effective treatment for children with gender dysphoria. Doctors would be required to set a timeline to detransition children already taking puberty blockers or undergoing hormone therapy. They would be allowed to continue offering care as they taper a child's treatments, if immediately taking them off the treatment could harm the child, the bill says. Background:Kentucky Senate pauses tweaked anti-trans bill, one day before veto period Schools would not be allowed to discuss sexual orientation or gender identity with students of any age - a key provision of "Don't Say Gay" bills across the country. Schools would not be allowed to talk about sexually transmitted diseases or human sexuality before sixth grade and would need to require parental consent in sixth grade and up. A provision requires school districts to craft bathroom policies that, "at a minimum," will not allow trans kids to use the bathroom tied to their gender identities. In a change from House Bill 470 - a sweeping anti-trans bill held up in the Senate - SB 150 would allow children to legally change their names or alter their birth certificates as part of their transitioning. An hour after the committee meeting was first called - and about 30 minutes after its vote - the bill came up for a vote on the House floor. After more than two hours of lopsided debate - nearly every Democrat spoke, often at length, against the bill - SB 150 passed out of the House 75-22. Rep. Ashley Tackett Laferty, D-Martin, was the sole Democrat in the House to vote for the bill. Republican Reps. Kim Banta, Stephanie Dietz and Killian Timoney voted against. Rep. Kim Moser, a Republican, passed on her vote despite opposing a similar bill earlier in the session. Early in the debate, Rep. Lindsey Burke, D-Lexington, questioned how giving a six-minute notice before holding a committee meeting doesn't violate the state's open meeting law, which requires 24-hour notice before public meetings. Her question was not answered on the floor. Michael Abate, an open records lawyer, said someone can file a complaint over a violation of the open meetings law, but that complaint would go to lawmakers to be addressed - or not. Wise, the bill's sponsor, is running to be Kentucky's next lieutenant governor - the second-in-command of the commonwealth. The new language was posted online after the House floor debate began. Nearly every House Democrat spoke against the measure, making several motions to stall or alter SB 150, challenging its timeline and stressing how it will impact children's future - particularly in Kentucky. Rep. Josie Raymond, D-Louisville, said the theme of the legislative session is "ignorance." "Ignorance of children's individuality, children's agency, children's value, children's futures and children's understanding of who they are," she said. "The disdain that this body shows for children astounds me." Raymond then paused, softly weeping at her desk on the House floor for several seconds before quietly saying she will be voting no. SB 150 quickly made its way back to the Senate, which needed to agree with the House's changes. The rush on SB 150 came a day after the Kentucky Senate paused discussions on HB 470, an omnibus anti-trans bill with similar language to SB 150, over disagreements over how far the bill should go. A floor amendment to HB 470 adopted late Wednesday softened some of the language around gender-affirming medical care - gaining some GOP votes but losing others. Sen. Karen Berg held up medical literature while speaking out against SB 150 after voting against the measure banning gender-affirming care for transgender children. "This is absolutely willful hate for a small group of people that are the weakest and most vulnerable," she said. Gone was that infighting during SB 150's final Senate vote Thursday evening. Sen. Karen Berg, a Louisville Democrat who lost her trans son, Henry, to suicide in late December, voted first - an affirmative "no." "This is absolutely willful hate for a small group of people that are the weakest and most vulnerable," she said. As Republican after Republican - including those who previously expressed concern about the bill going too far - voted in favor, Berg alternated between nodding with some points and slowly crying. The Senate passed SB 150 on a near party-line vote - 30-7. Sen. Danny Carroll, R-Benton, was the sole Republican to vote against the bill, and Sen. Robin Webb, D-Grayson, voted in favor. The moment the bill officially cleared the Senate, opponents in the gallery screamed and shouted expletives at the lawmakers on the floor below. Some took direct aim at Senate President Robert Stivers and Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, a freshman Republican who sponsored an unsuccessful bill to restrict drag shows. For subscribers:From guns to drag shows: These major Kentucky bills are knocking on death's door A recent Mason-Dixon poll question, paid for by the Fairness Campaign, found 71% of respondents felt decisions over some gender-affirming care for trans youths should be up to the parents not the state government. About 86% of trans or nonbinary youths said political debate around trans issues negatively impacted their mental health, according to a 2022 survey from the Trevor Project. More than half of trans and nonbinary youths who responded to the same survey said they seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year and 24% of them attempted suicide. Kentucky lawmakers considered at least 10 anti-LGBTQ bills in the 2023 session, contributing to a national surge of legislation aimed at the LGBTQ community, particularly trans youths. The Trans Legislation Tracker is following more than 460 bills across 44 states this year. By its count, 15% of anti-trans bills passed into law in 2022 26 out of 174 bills. Kentucky was one of the states that passed such a measure. Last year the Kentucky legislature easily passed a bill to ban trans girls from joining girls sports teams overlooking pleas from trans individuals and their advocates, and overriding a Beshear veto. Sen. Damon Thayer, left, listened as Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong objected with a point of order before SB 150 voting began. The bill passed the Senate by a 30-7 vote and will now head to the desk of Gov. Andy Beshear. Frankfort, Ky., Mar. 16, 2023 After the House committee vote ended, and the bill sponsors and most Republicans filed out, opponents and a handful of supportive lawmakers remained behind, hugging and crying. Chris Hartman, who leads the Fairness Campaign, decried the rushed process from a seat in the increasingly empty room: "This is the cheapest trick they can pull!" Timoney, a Lexington Republican, remained near the front of the room. The former educator faced a surprise attack ad campaign this year for his previous opposition to anti-trans legislation, and he voted against SB 150 in committee, too. "When I stand before God on my judgment day, he's going to say, 'Who did you love?'" Timoney said. "And I'm going to say, 'Everybody.'" More:Lawmakers pass bill to make Kentucky a '2nd Amendment Sanctuary' Reach Olivia Krauth at okrauth@courierjournal.com and on Twitter at @oliviakrauth. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Senate Bill 150: Republicans pass anti-trans legislation The Cliffs of Moher. Shutterstock/Patryk Kosmider Ireland is often called the Emerald Isle because of its luscious green landscapes. The Cliffs of Moher are a must-see for visitors in search of picturesque views. The Ring of Kerry offers a glimpse of Ireland's beaches, mountains, and lakes around every corner. Tallie Spencer contributed to an original version of this report. A trip to Ireland isn't complete without seeing the Cliffs of Moher. The Cliffs of Moher. shutterupeire/Shutterstock The Cliffs of Moher, located in County Clare, are one of Ireland's most famous landmarks. The cliffs rise to 702 feet and stretch for 5 miles along the Atlantic Ocean. Tickets to visit the site cost around $7.50 and include access to various attractions on the cliffs, including O'Brien's Tower, the visitor's center, and the gift shop. Travelers may recognize the cliffs from popular films like "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and "The Princess Bride." Visitors can follow the narrow roads around Ireland's Ring of Kerry. The Ring of Kerry is a scenic drive through Ireland. Lyd Photography/Shutterstock The Ring of Kerry is a 111-mile circular route that travels through the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, offering scenic views of Ireland's beaches, mountains, and lakes around every corner. The route takes about 3.5 hours to drive (without stopping) and includes popular visitor attractions such as the Gap of Dunloe, Torc Waterfall, and Staigue Fort. The Wicklow Mountains are full of vibrant greenery. The mountains are filled with vibrant greenery. RR Photo/Shutterstock Wicklow Mountains National Park is the largest of Ireland's six national parks, spreading out over 85 square miles. The best way to experience the scenery is to hike through the valley of Glendalough or take a drive through the mountains. The stunning mountains have also served as a backdrop for the 2007 film "P.S. I Love You." One of Ireland's tallest waterfalls, Powerscourt Waterfall, can be found in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains. The Powerscourt Waterfall in Ireland. MNStudio/Shutterstock Water cascades down almost 400 feet at the horse-tail waterfall in the Powerscourt Estate, which is open to the public. The waterfall can be viewed from different points along a short, scenic walking trail, including from a picnic area. Story continues Carrauntoohil is the highest peak in Ireland. The view from the top of Carrauntoohil. Timaldo/Shutterstock At 3,406 feet tall, Carrauntoohil in County Kerry is the highest peak in Ireland. It is found in the Macgillycuddy's Reeks mountain range. Reaching the top of the mountain range can be quite a challenge for inexperienced hikers. The most popular route is the Devil's Ladder, which takes between four and six hours to hike. Croagh Patrick is known as the holiest mountain in Ireland. The mountain is locally known as "the Reek." LUKinMEDIA/Shutterstock Croagh Patrick was named after St. Patrick, Ireland's patron saint, who is said to have fasted and prayed for 40 days at the top of the mountain during the 5th century. Every year on the last Sunday of July, or Reek Sunday, thousands of pilgrims climb the mountain, some of whom are barefoot. According to Ordnance Survey Ireland, a round-trip journey takes around three and a half hours. Torc Waterfall is a must-see for those driving along the Ring of Kerry. Torc Waterfall is surrounded by lush green vegetation. Patryk Kosmider/Shutterstock After arriving at the Torc Waterfall, which is located a few miles outside of Killarney, tourists can embark on a journey through the trees for a view of Muckross Lake. The Giant's Causeway is a unique landscape that's made up of hexagonal columns. Most of the stones have a hexagonal shape. Gigi Peis/Shutterstock The Giant's Causeway is located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, and is known for its distinctive landscape made up of around 40,000 basalt columns. The columns were formed between 50 to 60 million years ago as the result of a volcanic eruption. The lava then cooled and cracked, forming the hexagonal pillars. The Burren is famous for its diverse flora and limestone rocks. The Burren is located in North County Clare, Ireland. MNStudio/Shutterstock Though much of the Burren's landscape is composed of limestone, it's also home to a diverse combination of plants and wildlife that flourish in the rocky terrain. According to the Burren National Park website, 23 of Ireland's 27 native orchid species can be found in the area. Donegal's Slieve League cliffs offer views of the Atlantic Ocean. The Slieve League Cliffs are higher than the Cliffs of Moher. Bartkowski/Shutterstock The Slieve League (Sliabh Liag) Cliffs are around 2,000 feet tall and almost three times the height of the Cliffs of Moher, making it one of Europe's highest sea cliffs. There are several viewing points on the cliffs that offer great photo ops. According to the Slieve League website, reaching the summit of the cliffs requires a trek up a narrow path known as One Man's Pass, which is only recommended for experienced walkers. Skellig Michael is a remote island off the western coast of Ireland. Skellig Michael has seen an increase in tourism over the last few years. ghotion/Shutterstock Skellig Michael is located off the coast of County Kerry and is only accessible by boat. Tours to the island are usually only available between mid-May and October and require a reservation. The recognizable landscape was used as the setting for both "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and "The Last Jedi." Since the remote island is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, only a limited number of tourists can visit at a time. Connemara National Park offers a number of scenic routes and hiking trails. This National Park is free for the public to visit. Patryk Kosmider/Shutterstock In addition to its breathtaking landscapes and countryside views, Connemara National Park in County Galway is known for its distinctive breed of horses that are native to the region: the Connemara Pony. Admission to the park is free and visitors can observe some of the abundant wildlife found in the area. One way to experience the scenic mountain park is to book a horseback ride that treks through various trails. The Rock of Cashel is a historic monument set on a lush, scenic hilltop in County Tipperary. Rock of Cashel. Thomas Bresenhuber/Shutterstock Just a short day trip from Dublin, the Rock of Cashel is a historic site and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Ireland. This impressive feat of medieval architecture is also the site of one of Cashe's oldest buildings, which dates back over 1,000 years. It's also the perfect place to visit around St. Patrick's Day, as the saint himself reportedly visited the site in order to convert King Aenghus to Christianity. While the monument itself might be manmade, the lush scenery surrounding it is just as beautiful. Ireland's Eye is a popular spot for bird watching. Irelands Eye. Peter Krocka/Shutterstock Located in the Irish Sea, Ireland's Eye is an uninhabited island near Dublin that's accessible by tourist boats. Ireland's Eye is especially popular for its wildlife and bird watching, due to the fact that large populations of puffins and other sea birds call the island home. Read the original article on Insider File picture of International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi (AP) About 2.5 tons of uranium have gone missing from a site in Libya, according to UN nuclear watchdog inspectors. The finding is the result of an inspection originally planned for last year that had to be postponed because of the security situation in the region and was finally carried out on Tuesday, according to a confidential statement by International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi to member nations. IAEA inspectors found that 10 drums containing approximately 2.5 tons of natural uranium in the form of UOC (uranium ore concentrate) previously declared by (Libya) ... as being stored at that location were not present at the location, the one-page statement said. The agency would carry out further activities to determine the circumstances of the uraniums removal from the site, which it did not name, and where it is now, the statement added. The loss of knowledge about the present location of nuclear material may present a radiological risk, as well as nuclear security concerns, it said, adding that reaching the site required complex logistics. In 2003 Libya under then-leader Muammar Gaddafi renounced its nuclear weapons programme, which had obtained centrifuges that can enrich uranium as well as design information for a nuclear bomb, although it made little progress towards a bomb. Libya has had little peace since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising ousted Colonel Gaddafi. Since 2014, political control has been split between rival eastern and western factions, with the last major bout of conflict ending in 2020. Libyas interim government, put in place in early 2021 through a UN-backed peace plan, was only supposed to last until an election scheduled for December of that year that has still not been held, and its legitimacy is now also disputed. A massive belt of seaweed is making its way toward the Florida and Caribbean coasts, posing a potentially catastrophic hit to the areas' tourism. While the sargassum seaweed spread isn't a new phenomenon, this year, the mass of seaweed seems poised to break records as it stretches over 5,000 miles from the coast of Africa to the Gulf of Mexico, CNN reported. "These blooms are getting bigger and bigger and this year looks like it's going to be the biggest year yet on record," Florida research professor Brian Lapointe told the New York Times. Lapointe said that it's "quite early to see this much, so soon," adding that "it just doesn't bode well for a clean beach summer in 2023." He also told CNN that the seaweed mass formed earlier than usual this year, and "was larger in January than it has ever been since this new region of sargassum growth began in 2011." Miami Beach is seen in Miami, Friday, March 10, 2023. Julia Weeks/AP Photo Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "This is an entirely new oceanographic phenomenon that is creating such a problem really a catastrophic problem for tourism in the Caribbean region where it piles up on beaches up to 5 or 6 feet deep," Lapointe told the outlet. As the blob makes its way westward from the African coast, parts of the extensive mass have already begun to hit beaches in Mexico. In February, seaweed levels were marked as "excessive" along the coast south of Cancun, according to a Mexican organization that tracks sargassum levels in the region. In Barbados, 1,600 dump trucks have been used daily to rid the beaches of the seaweed and "make it suitable for tourists," Lapointe told CNN. Rafts of brown seaweed, Sargassum sp., pile up on the shore of Miami Beach, Florida, USA. Andre Seale/VW PICS/Universal Images Group via Getty As of March 13, the stretch of Caribbean islands between Barbados and Anguilla including St. Lucia and the two islands of Antigua and Barbuda were marked as high risk in terms of their coastal exposure to the seaweed, according to a Sargassum Inundation Report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Story continues As the mass of sargassum migrates westward, Lapointe told CNN it is expected to hit Florida beaches the hardest in July. The Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico will likely see the seaweed mass earlier. RELATED: Eugene Levy Shares Place That Had a Profound Impact on Him in New Travel Series and Why He Didn't Want to Go The Florida Department of Health noted in a press release that the "seaweed itself cannot harm your health," despite concerns of harmful side effects of the buildup along coasts. Small sea creatures and organisms that live in the seaweed, though, can cause rashes, blisters and irritation, if touched. The Florida Department of Health added that as seaweed rots along the beach, it releases hydrogen sulfide, which produces a rotten egg-like odor. While it can irritate the eyes, nose and throat, hydrogen sulfide is not cancerous, nor is it "expected to harm health" in an open-air region like the coast, the organization said. To mitigate exposure to the seaweed, the organization recommends avoiding touching or swimming near it and using gloves to handle the seaweed. Nearby residents should also close their windows and doors. Arizona is in no position to conduct an execution, according to legal briefs filed by the state in a death row case that could lead to an unprecedented separation-of-powers showdown. According to the newly appointed Arizona Department of Corrections director, no written records exist from the previous administration on where the states death penalty drugs came from, how they were procured or who prepared them. Death row prisoner Aaron Gunches and the previous Arizona attorney general sought and received a warrant of execution from the Arizona Supreme Court for Gunches sentence to be carried out. Gunches was sentenced to death for the 2002 murder of Ted Price, a former longtime boyfriend of Gunches' girlfriend. Gunches kidnapped and shot Price multiple times in a desert area off the Beeline Highway. Gunches initially asked for his death sentence to be carried out as soon as possible, to deliver justice to the victims family. But he changed his mind and filed a subsequent motion asking the court to withdraw his request, citing concerns about the states ability to execute people safely and effectively. Newly elected Attorney General Kris Mayes and Gov. Katie Hobbs paused executions, pending a review of the death penalty process by an independent commissioner. After the Supreme Court granted the warrant, Hobbs stated she would not act on it. Aaron Gunches. The family of Gunches' victim is asking the Supreme Court to force Hobbs to carry out the execution warrant. This week, the court asked both sides to offer arguments on why, or why not, the state should be forced to execute Gunches. The warrant sets Gunches execution for April 6, and the state Board of Executive Clemency has scheduled a clemency hearing for March 23. Attorneys for the state filed their arguments Wednesday. Briefs from the victims family and the Maricopa County Attorneys Office are due by Thursday. In a joint response from attorneys for Hobbs and newly appointed Department of Corrections Director Ryan Thornell, the state argued it was not currently able to exercise its most awesome and irreversible power. Story continues Thornell said in a declaration that the Department of Corrections lacks the staff with the necessary institutional knowledge and expertise to conduct an execution. According to Thornell, the drugs used for executions require updated efficacy testing, and the department has not been able to identify and contract with execution team members who would administer the drugs. Questions and answers:New Arizona prisons director shares vision and pledges positive change Arizona resumed the death penalty in 2022, executing three men, but execution team members struggled to insert the IV lines in all three instances. In one instance, death row prisoner Frank Atwood offered guidance to the execution team as he lay strapped to the gurney in the death chamber. Thornell has not been able to locate written operating procedures used for prior executions and has had to interview staff members involved in those executions to learn how the process worked, according to the brief filed by the state. Thus far, he has received only anecdotal accounts from staff members, which have given him serious concerns about the qualification and competency of the compounding pharmacist and the process used to compound the current supply of lethal injection drugs, according to the state's brief. The attorneys state the drug compounder used to prepare the drugs for the 2022 executions was located through a chance encounter, and the state currently has no contract with a compound pharmacist. These factors lead the state to believe it cannot carry out an execution in a constitutional matter, if it could perform one at all. While the Director continues to gather important information about the Departments recent practices and assess its present ability to carry out an execution, one thing is clear: the State is in no position to conduct an execution on April 6, 2023, attorneys for the state wrote. To order the Director to do so, particularly under these circumstances, would be unprecedented, contrary to law, and contrary to the public interest. The attorneys argued that the warrant merely authorizes an execution, but it does not mandate the state carry it out. Compelling the state to do so, they said, would be an extraordinary and drastic step that would go against separation of powers and constitutional avoidance principles. There absolutely is a clear basis for us to pause these executions, said Attorney General Kris Mayes in an interview with The Arizona Republic. The governor and I have a duty to uphold the law and the Constitution. And we are doing that by ensuring that we can carry out executions in a constitutional and lawful manner. I don't think it's any secret that we inherited one of the worst, most incompetent and most ill-funded Department of Corrections in the country, Mayes said. And I don't think that it takes a leap to suggest that we should understand whether they are capable of carrying out the death penalty before we do it. Mayes said she is not personally opposed to the death penalty, but she wants to make sure the state can carry it out in a lawful and constitutional manner." Have a news tip on Arizona prisons? Reach the reporter at jjenkins@arizonarepublic.com or at 812-243-5582. Follow him on Twitter @JimmyJenkins. Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona lacks expertise to conduct execution, officials tell court PROVIDENCE The vast majority of Rhode Islanders may have moved past the pandemic, but some of those who lost jobs because they would not get vaccinated against COVID-19 are still looking for vindication, reinstatement "and/or" back pay for their lost wages. They also want legal protections going forward against what they view as discrimination. One is a former Barrington schoolteacher; others are former nurses who lost their jobs in a Rhode Island hospital for refusing to take what more than one called "an experimental vaccine." All together, more than five dozen activists in Rhode Island's anti-mandate movement came to the State House in person late last week or sent letters to make their arguments known to state lawmakers. More:3 college seniors say COVID reshaped their lives and reflect on what they really want What do the bills do? H 5565: Banning employers from requiring proof of vaccination, reinstating employees who lost their jobs over COVID vaccine refusal House Minority Leader Michael Chippendale's bill (H5565) would ban any public or private employer from requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination, require an employer who terminated any employee for refusal to receive COVID vaccination to reinstate that employee "and/or" their lost pay and benefits, and prohibit the governor from mandating that anyone get vaccinated. Chippendale's co-sponsors include seven of his fellow House Republicans, independent Jon Brien and Democrat Stephen Casey, a Woonsocket firefighter. H 5884: Banning discrimination against unvaccinated individuals A second bill - H 5884 - would ban "discrimination" against unvaccinated individuals in hiring, employment and public accommodations, and give vaccination status the same protected status as race, gender, age and sexual orientation. It is not COVID specific. With one exception, the sponsors are all Democrats including: Representatives. Thomas Noret, Julie Casimiro, Camille Vella-Wilkinson, Arthur Corvese, House Judiciary Chairman Robert Craven and Casey. Story continues H 5916: No COVID vaccine mandates The third - H 5916 by several of the same sponsors, simply states: "No governmental entity shall implement, require or otherwise enforce a COVID-19 immunization mandate." Hundreds gathered at the State House on Oct. 1, 2021, to protest the Rhode Island's imposition of a vaccination mandate on health care workers. Lawmaker says bill is about 'righting a wrong' Deborah O'Leary of Hope Valley summed up their argument: "The fear of a virus, our incompetent health agencies and the opportunistic pharmaceutical industry caused us to abandon the most important premise on which this country and state were founded: Liberty and freedom of the individual." "This bill is not about conspiracy theories," said Chippendale, a Foster Republican. "It's not about where the virus came from ... It's about righting a wrong and working to recover from one of the greatest policy failures in a long time." Should RI have a full-time legislature?We asked, and here's what lawmakers said. At its core, he said: The bill "seeks to create [a] protected class ... around the question of one's COVID-19 vaccine status ... [as] we've done whenever any minority group has been persecuted. And in this case, certainly I think that that applies." "Religious and conscientious objections were summarily dismissed; people of all ages, bullied, harassed and demeaned without any foundation in science, statistics or best practices," Chippendale told the House Judiciary Committee. And, he said, "we lost professionals in every critical role in society, and many will never come back." As a mother of school-age children, Rep. Justine Caldwell, D-East Greenwich, told the advocates she empathized with the argument for reinstating those who were laid off, including teachers, while school districts are struggling to fill openings. Elaborating on Thursday, she said: "If folks lost their jobs because they refused to be vaccinated and their former employer is no longer mandating the COVID vaccine ... as a condition of employment, then I hoped they would have the opportunity to return to their jobs." "I am not sure if schools have dropped their vaccine requirements or not," she added. But the state health director, the Rhode Island Medical Society and the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights objected strenuously to Chippendale's bill and two others seeking to ban "discrimination" based on vaccination status. 'You should have kept your mouth shut': Inside an alleged health care fraud brought down by FBI Are COVID vaccine mandates still in place in RI? It is unclear how many employers including health care facilities still have COVID vaccination requirements. But Lifespan spokeswoman Kathleen Hart told The Journal: "Lifespan employees must have received the initial COVID-19 vaccine series of two shots of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine." "In looking back at October 2021, it was less than 1% of employees who opted to not continue working at Lifespan because of the vaccination requirement, and we have always maintained that those employees would be eligible for rehire if they chose to get vaccinated," she said. (Lifespan includes Rhode Island Hospital, The Miriam Hospital, Hasbro Children's Hospital, Newport Hospital and Bradley Hospital.) Raina Smith, a spokeswoman for Care New England, also said: "Yes, Care New England [also still] has COVID vaccine requirements, based upon federal CMS requirements and CDC recommendations. " Care New England includes: Butler Hospital, Kent Hospital, Women & Infants and VNA of Care New England. Asked about rehiring the staffers ("approximately 1%") who were terminated because they would not get vaccinated, Smith said: "If someone who left has now decided to meet said requirements, they are welcome to apply." Some protesters at a rally in August 2021 said they feared COVID-19 vaccination more than they feared dying of COVID. Who opposes the bills? The state's acting health director, Utpala Bandy, sent lawmakers a strongly worded letter cautioning against undermining "the single most effective primary prevention tool that public health has in its toolbox ... In the absence of vaccination, it is a matter of time before dreaded diseases such as polio, measles and diphtheria return." Among her many arguments against the bills: "Licensed health care facilities are required to have infection controlprograms in place in keeping with CDC recommendations, which include vaccination against selected diseases." She also pushed back hard against the notion that vaccination was ineffective, saying: "From February 2020 through March 2, 2023, COVID-19 ... caused 3,865 deaths and 20,276 hospitalizations in Rhode Island. Vaccination with COVID-19 vaccine has been demonstrated in numerous studies to prevent severe disease, hospitalizations and deaths." The Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights objected to creating a legal trip-wire that forces "employers, owners and operators of public accommodations and credit/loan providers to choose between costly litigation ... and risking imperiling the health and safety of themselves and others." "To add protected categories based exclusively on personal choice serves to muddy the existing waters of protection and opens the door to amendments to these laws which have no relation to historically victimized anddisadvantaged groups. Moreover ... the prohibitions contemplated in this bill could result in the creation of a public health risk." The Rhode Island Medical Society: "If the data supports that vaccinations would protect their employees and patients, and that COVD-positive employees put their patients at risk, then they should have the ability to require vaccination, as they already do for flu and Hepatitis." This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI vaccine mandates would be illegal with new bills Right now, it is a close call whether the U of L mens basketball team or Kentuckys LGBTQ community has had the worst year. At least the woeful Cards won four games, the LGBTQ folks are still winless on the season. What season? That would be the one in Frankfort where the Kentucky General Assembly is meeting and considering a tsunami of bills that attack, attack, attack people including defenseless children who happen to be homosexual or transgender, designations that are nobodys public business. I lobby for the Fairness Campaign, the advocacy group that is attempting to contain the carnage. We might as well try to turn back the sea. Every week, our team has triage meetings to decide which anti-gay measure is worse than another in order to schedule appearances to offer testimony in opposition. I wish I could blame both political parties for this cataclysm but I cannot. Every anti-gay/trans bill this session was introduced by a Republican. But theres hope. GOP state Reps. Kim Banta, Stephanie Dietz, Kim Moser, Killian Timoney and Sen. Stephen Meredith have voted this session against making LGBTQ Kentuckians second-class citizens. Transgender children are the primary targets of the vendetta: what pronouns can be used to describe them in our public schools (I am not making this up), what medical care they can obtain, what psychological services they can have, what bathrooms the kids can use in a public school among other degradations. Gay adults have been singled out for special humiliation by having to contend with a bill that addresses one of the commonwealths most critical problems who can attend Drag Queen shows and where they can be performed; an artistic expression (dance) that threatens absolutely no one. More:Kentucky bill to end gender-affirming care for trans kids adds 'Don't Say Gay' A student peaceful protest against SB 150 and HB 470 and to show support of the LGBTQ+ community at North Oldham High SchoolFeb. 28, 2023 Who exactly wants these punitive laws? Apart from the ironically-named Family Foundation, not a single school superintendent, no medical professional, no parents, no one from a chapter of the Kiwanis, Rotary, FOP lodge, VFW post, the Knights of Columbus, Ducks Unlimited, or the Ancient Order of Hibernians has testified at any committee meeting to advocate for anti-gay/trans bills. NOBODY. Scores of people, representing professional and religious organizations or simply themselves, testify against these pernicious measures, but the bills still come flying out of committee like a field of horses sprung from the starting gate. Story continues This is a contradictory look for pro-life Republican legislators who believe that all human life, born or pre-born, is sacred. One cannot simultaneously defend innocent life and demean the lives of our equally innocent gay sisters and brothers as nothing more than printed names on a birth certificate. As one of the co-founders of the Republican Party, Abraham Lincoln, said, A house divided against itself cannot stand. The anti-gay blitzkrieg in Frankfort has metastasized due, in no small part, to the state GOP leaderships deafening silence. Kentuckys U.S. Sens., Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul, have failed to denounce this anti-gay/transgender child abuse in the most explicit, unambiguous terms, remarks that would provide wise counsel for Republican legislators who look up to them. Sen. McConnell didn't hesitate a second when, in a speech for the ages, he condemned Donald Trump's treasonous attempt to subvert the 2020 election. The longest serving U.S. Senate leader in American history should, well, lead, when human rights are being so egregiously threatened in our state Capitol. Sen. Rand Paul champions freedom and liberty and keeping the heavy hand of government out of our lives. Does he really believe in maximizing individual freedom or is he a clanging gong and a noisy cymbal that tacitly condones a glaring exception based on sexual orientation? Gerth:A former GOP lawmaker spoke up for his trans grandchild. Will lawmakers listen to him? Where are Senate President Robert Stivers and House Speaker David Osborne? I know both gentlemen well; I served in the legislature with Robert and have known David from our association with horse racing. They are intelligent, honest, principled leaders as demonstrated by the fact that they have been elected and re-elected by their peers to the important positions they hold. No one will ever convince me that either man supports this bruising campaign of intimidation against a small minority of Kentuckians, not because of who the victims are but because of what they are. How will history judge them when these odious bills, if they become law, are eventually repealed as embarrassing anachronisms by a future Republican legislature? For this aged history major, it always comes back to what would Abraham Lincoln do? In 1864, the President wrote in a letter to an editor in Frankfort that if slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong. If codified discrimination against gay people/transgender children is not wrong, nothing is wrong. Whether a lawmaker is drafting a local, state or federal law, she should always ask herself, Would I want this law to apply to my own family? Will it treat any one affected by it with malice toward none, with charity for all? Bob Heleringer, a Republican, served in Kentuckys House of Representatives from 1980-2002. He can be reached at helringr@bellsouth.net. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Republican calls out GOP legislation against LGBTQ people Jack White's white-striped Ford Broncos. Jack White had always wanted a red Ford truck. Now hes got a pair of them two Broncos spanning nearly five decades and the results are eye-popping. White's initial motivation was sentimental: After all, the rock musician had been driven home in a red Ford after his birth in a Detroit hospital on July 9, 1975. So a few years ago he got his hands on a 1975 Bronco, equipped with a Ranger package, manufactured July 8-11 that year meaning the truck was rolling down the line at Fords Wayne plant just as White entered the world. The red-and-white color scheme was a perfect match for the rocker, harking back to the iconic visuals of his band the White Stripes. Jack White performs the national anthem before the Detroit Tigers opener against the Chicago White Sox Friday, April 08, 2022, at Comerica Park. When Ford announced in 2018 it was reviving the Bronco, White was eager to get his hands on one, as he revealed this week in an Instagram post. The new truck would be a day-to-day vehicle, he said, parked next to the vintage model in a generation-spanning two-pony stable. More:William Shatner explains why he uncontrollably cried on national television More:Ticketmaster causes another public outcry as Cure tickets go on sale Alas, the new red Broncos wouldnt be manufactured with white trim. White eventually tracked down a red model trimmed in black, outfitted with standard features, and put his artistic brain to work. He linked up with Greening Auto Company, an Alabama custom shop, to help bring his vision to life. The concept I had was to showcase two different versions of the same standard song, two generations of the same iconic truck, White wrote. He wasnt aiming to create a modern replica rather, this would be an attempt at retrofuturism in a way, or perhaps 'RetroPresentism.' He wanted the beauty of the same factory pushing out the same product, just in different eras of pop culture. Whites efforts were applauded Wednesday by Mike Levine, Fords North American product communications director. Story continues It's always mind-blowing, humbling and rewarding for the Ford team to see the passion people put in to making a Bronco their Bronco, Levine told the Detroit Free Press. White, who cut his teeth as a furniture upholsterer in Detroit before breaking big in the rock world, researched fabrics for the job, finding a caramel-colored houndstooth that was a perfect match for the original 75 package. I wish I could've had time to do the upholstery myself but touring this year was prohibitive, he said. Though, I was never a car upholsterer. Lots of hog rings, no tacks or wood, not my area of expertise as an upholsterer. For the exterior, White wrote he sought to make the new Bronco a full-size matchbox car that was cartoonish and toylike, to juxtapose the brawn of a typical 4X4. That included a white-matte roof and fender flares, white hood handles, white rims, even a white horse logo in back. He and Greening Auto even put a modernized spin on a retro grille. Soon after Whites reimagined truck arrived from the Alabama shop, Ford announced it was launching a Bronco Heritage Edition for 2023. I guess we think alike! White wrote. But many design elements are not the same, and Im still working on this. Fords Levine noted the similarities. Jack's Bronco is amazing because it tracks so closely to where the Ford Design team landed celebrating the original Bronco with the new Bronco Heritage Edition, Levine told the Free Press. Same white roof, white wheels and white grille and bold red paint. It's like convergent evolution mashed up with common ideal retrograde style. More photos are available at White's Instagram page. Free Press staff writer Phoebe Wall Howard contributed to this report. Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: The lowdown on Jack White and his white-striped Ford Broncos Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday said that there have been more mistakes than usual in U.S. air travel recently after dozens of close calls, pressing the air travel sector to help address the situation. U.S. aviation remains an exceptionally safe mode of travel whether you compare it to other modes, whether you compare it to other places or whether you compare it to other times in our own history. We take nothing for granted and we are particularly concerned because we have seen an uptick in serious close calls that we must address together, Buttigieg said at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety summit. Initial information suggests that more mistakes than usual are happening across the system, on runways, at gates while planes are pushing back, in control towers, and on flight decks, the secretary added. The FAA convened the summit after a series of close calls among planes. Buttigieg told ABC News recently that the U.S. is on track to have more than 20 close calls with aircraft this year. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating a close call in Florida last month, when a flight was cleared to take off on the same runway where another was cleared to land and another incident in Texas last month when a cargo plane flew over the top of a commercial flight taking off. The FAA in January had a systems shutdown that briefly halted all flights nationwide due to a computer outage. Buttigieg on Wednesday called on leaders at the summit to consider questions in the next few weeks to help address the situation, such as what is the data showing and what is missing, and what are the root causes of the problems. As we look at the recent incidents of the last year or so and as NTSB and FAA continue to investigate, we cant wait for the next catastrophic event to seek the warning signs of today. Fully determine the contributing factors and swiftly address them, Buttigieg said. Story continues He also asked leaders to question whats working well, what are the new steps that need to be taken and, beyond aviation, can they learn from other high-stakes industries with workforces that have also gone through dramatic changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Buttigieg said addressing the close calls is a key priority of the Biden administration and listed some steps already in place that could help the situation, such as the rollout of taxi way arrival prediction features and modernizing airport infrastructure. Were not going to rest easy with past success, he added. Buttigieg has been the face of the administrations response to the issues with air travel with President Bidens nominee to lead the FAA still being considered in Congress. The Biden administration told lawmakers earlier this month that the nominee, Phil Washington, doesnt need a waiver to be confirmed after Republicans insisted he did. Washington, who has been CEO of Denver International Airport since 2021, is a retired military officer, and the FAA administrator must be a civilian. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Columbus police cruiser A teenage boy has been charged with murder after a 15-year-old he is suspected of shooting early Sunday died four days later, Columbus police said Thursday. Marshawn Byrd, 16, was initially arrested and charged with felonious assault after police accused him of shooting Keshawn Watson, 15, on the city's Northeast Side. Police were called at 12:25 a.m. Sunday to the 2900 block of Sandridge Avenue, just west of Westerville Road, on a report of a shooting. Related article:Then-15-year-old who fatally shot another 15-year-old gets probation. How many youths kill? Responding officers found Watson with a gunshot wound to his head. The teenager was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition, where he remained until he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at 11:43 a.m. Thursday, police said. Byrd is now charged with murder in Watson's death, police said. Anyone with information about the shooting can call the Columbus Police Homicide Unit at 614-645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-8477. Eric Lagatta is a reporter at The Columbus Dispatch covering public safety, with a focus on in-depth coverage of social justice issues and crime trends. elagatta@dispatch.com @EricLagatta This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus police charge teen with murder after teen victim dies RYE Paul J. Holloway Jr., of Rye, a prominent New Hampshire business and civic leader, died on March 14 following a period of declining health. His family released the following obituary which touches upon his many accomplishments: Paul grew up in Philadelphia, the only child of Paul Jackson Holloway and Elizabeth Melhouse/Fricke Holloway. Pauls academic and athletic achievements earned him scholarships to attend college. He was a 1961 graduate of Temple University School of Business where he met his wife of 62 years, Anna Grace Baer. They have two children, Debra Linn Holloway (married to Scott F Marion) and Paul Scott Holloway (married to Robin GB Holloway), three grandchildren Paul A Holloway, Elizabeth G Holloway, Anna Rose Marion and their extended grandchildren, Emma Marion and Noah Marion. Paul J. Holloway Paul began his career working his way through the ranks of Buick Motor Division of General Motors, before purchasing an auto dealership in Exeter, New Hampshire in 1967. His seven-day-a-week effort built a single point Buick-Pontiac business into Holloway Automotive Group of 13 locations representing BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Fiat, Mazda, Cadillac, Buick, Pontiac, Chevrolet and GMC Truck. Like many other entrepreneurs, Paul didnt limit himself to just one business venture, he was a partner in a chain of Nursing and Retirement Homes, an Air Cargo business and the Wentworth by the Sea Marina. As Holloway Automotive Group bought and sold dealerships throughout New Hampshire, Paul was recognized by multiple manufacturers and won numerous industry awards for the quality and performance of his businesses, including the prestigious Time Magazines Quality Dealer of the Year. He held leadership positions on numerous automotive councils and was elected to serve as chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association in 1998. Through the years, his employees became his extended family, he particularly enjoyed mentoring the younger generation, and many of these long-term associates remain with the business today. Story continues Early in his career, Paul applied his business skills to his philanthropic endeavors, demonstrating an enduring commitment to always leaving it better than he found it. He believed New Hampshires higher education institutions are among the states most precious resource and supported this belief with consistency and determination. Paul served on the Board of the University System of New Hampshire for 18 years, the Community College System of NH since 2003 and has been recognized numerous times for his work on behalf of higher education in the state. He received an honorary doctorate from the University of New Hampshire. Holloway Commons at UNH was named in recognition of his significant contributions, along with Holloway Hall at Keene State College, Holloway Auditorium at Plymouth State University, and the Paul J Holloway Student Success Center at Great Bay Community College. For his 50th birthday, the family honored Paul for his achievements and contributions to both the education and business communities by establishing the annual Paul J Holloway Prize Competition, cultivating future entrepreneurs by challenging UNH students to develop and bring to market products and services. More than 300 of these business plans are in operation today. In 2003, Paul and Anna Grace established the Little Harbor Charitable Foundation, which has raised more than $3 million in support of programs for children in the New Hampshire Seacoast. Paul set the bar high for himself and challenged others to do the same. He had a dynamic personality that attracted a wide circle of friends, many of whom he considered family. Family was central to Pauls life. He deeply loved his children and grandchildren. One of his greatest joys was being an active part in his grandchildrens lives as they grew up. Ultimately, Paul was happiest working at his desk or on the telephone talking about business, a public-spirited effort, or a simple visit with friends or family. We thank everyone who took the time to call, receive his calls, or stop by to visit as Pauls physical health declined in the last few years. Those uplifting connections and conversations reinforced his positive attitude and optimism about the future. Paul remained engaged in his business, charity work, New Hampshire's universities and community colleges until the very end; offering advice, support and his personal resources. In his later years, he shared his philosophy of life with all that would listen, I developed ethics and values from my family. Sports taught me determination. My education gave me a firm foundation. Persistence became my path to success and giving back has been my reward. Paul left our world in a better place, we will miss his wisdom, passion, strength and generosity. May you rest in peace. The Holloway family asks for privacy during this time and is grateful for the love and concern shown by Pauls friends and colleagues. No flowers please. Contributions can be made to Little Harbor Charitable Foundation, PO Box 2093, New Castle NH 03854. Commentary: Honoring and thanking Paul Holloway, a long-time public servant and leader Members of the New Hampshire Automobile Dealers Association also weighed in with glowing tributes to Holloway. For those of us lucky enough to have worked closely with him for years, Paul was more than a role model, he was a beacon lighting the way for all of us to follow. He was never afraid to be the tip of the spear fighting for issues that were important to industry and him and his family. says Dan Bennett, president of the New Hampshire Automobile Dealers Association. It probably would have been enough for all of us to simply follow his example of success in our industry; Paul had a Midas Touch of sorts in his business dealings. But he didnt stop there. He dedicated time and energy to causes beyond his own interests and set a high standard of community service, especially in educating young people. He will be deeply missed. John Sawyer Jr., chair of the Board of Directors for the NHADA, stated: Our entire association is built on the grit and generosity and the spirit of Paul Holloway. Over countless years, he guided us through challenges, spurred creative solutions and would roll up his sleeves to do the heavy lifts necessary to bring projects to completion. I cant ever remember a time when he sat off to the side or waited for others to finish a task. He was a dreamer and a doer and there will never be another like him. This marks the end of what all of us can consider a life well lived, said Mark Tulley, president of the NHADA Education Foundation, which provides support and financial aid to students interested in pursuing careers in the auto tech field, which was co-founded by Holloway. We are all saddened by the loss of our dear friend and colleague, but we will do what he would expect us to do; soldier on with meeting the needs of those around us and leaving our world better than we found it. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Community mourns Paul J. Holloway Jr., NH business and civic leader Contrive Datum Insights Pvt Ltd According to a market research study published by Contrive Datum Insights, Asia Pacific held the largest market share with 37.1% by revenue, Latin America accounted for the fastest market with a CAGR of 6.2% Farmington, March 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global Bakery Processing Equipment Market size was valued at USD 12.92 Billion in 2022 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.8% during the forecast period 2023-2030. The machinery in a bakery is used to work with dough and bake goods made from dough. Bread systems, bread slices, mixers, ovens and proofers, dividers and rounders, sheeters and molders, pan greasers, and diffusers are some of the tools that fall under Bakery Equipment. Depending on the task, bakery processing equipment is used to make bread, cookies, cakes, pies, pizza crusts, desserts, and more. (croissants, donuts, and pretzels). As the bakery market grows, so does the world market for equipment used to process baked goods. So, people in the market for bakery processing equipment are putting their efforts into making new products and more highly advanced equipment to meet the growing demand for bakery goods. Request Sample Copy of Report Bakery Processing Equipment Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth Opportunities, Future Trends, Covid-19 Impact, SWOT Analysis, Competition and Forecasts 2022 to 2030 , published by Contrive Datum Insights. Bakery Processing Equipment Market Recent Developments: In April 2021 , Heat and Control, Inc. announced the construction of a new manufacturing facility in Mexico. This new site will be the largest of Heat & Control's properties and will help the company grow. In November 2018, Rheon Automatic Machinery expanded its production facility center by opening a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in New Jersey, USA, equipped with large, fully equipped laboratory equipment. Bakery Processing Equipment Market Dynamics: Drivers: As people's lives become more hectic, they desire foods that are simple to prepare and consume. People in a hurry frequently acquire bread, cakes, and sweets from the bakery. Because of this, the demand for bakery processing equipment has increased. Consumers' health consciousness is increasing, and they desire healthier bakery products made with whole cereals, fruits, and vegetables. This has increased the demand for bakery processing equipment that can produce such products. Additionally, consumers seek unique, high-quality bakery items that are prepared in the traditional manner. This has increased the demand for equipment for bakeries that can produce artisanal baked products. Automation is gaining importance in the bakery industry because it can increase productivity, decrease expenses, and improve product consistency. Due to this, the demand for automated bakery processing equipment that can accelerate production has increased. Story continues Restraints The equipment required to process baked products requires a substantial investment up front. Smaller restaurants and enterprises may not be able to afford this equipment, thereby retarding market expansion. Bakery products have a limited expiration life and must be consumed within a certain time frame. This can lead to food waste and hinder a bakery's ability to generate revenue. The cost of labor is increasing. Bakeries invest a great deal of money in labor. Due to the increase in the minimum wage and the dearth of trained employees, labor costs are likely to rise. This makes it difficult for bakeries to purchase costly equipment. The bakery must adhere to stringent regulations, particularly with regard to food safety and sanitation. This can increase the cost of production and make it more difficult for bakeries to earn a profit. Regional Outlook: In 2020, 37.1% of the market's revenue came from Asia-Pacific. Most millennials like processed foods, the middle class is growing and has more money to spend, people are becoming more health conscious, and foreign investors are becoming more interested in the Asia-Pacific bread processing equipment market. China has a good chance of growing thanks to its growing industrialization, improving infrastructure, and more investment in the food and beverage industry. China's economy gets a lot of help from the food and drink business. So, the growth of the bakery processing equipment market is likely to be driven by the growing contribution of the industrial and food and beverage industries to GDP over the next few years. With a CAGR of 6.2%, Latin America was the market that grew the fastest. Due to a lot of investment, the food and drink business in the area has grown a lot. The bakery processing equipment market is projected to grow because more people have money to spend, more people care about their health and wellness, and more people want gluten-free products. Buy this Premium Research Report@ https://www.contrivedatuminsights.com/buy/47225/ Scope of Report: Report Attributes Details Growth Rate 5.8% from 2023 to 2030 Market Size in 2022 USD 12.92 Billion By Type Mixers, Ovens & proofers, Slicers & dividers, Sheeters & molders, Other bakery processing equipment By Applications Bread, Cookies & biscuits, Cakes & pastries, Pizza crusts, Other bakery products By Companies GEA Group AG (Germany), John Bean Technologies Corporation (US), Heat and Control (US), Rheon Automatic Machinery (Japan), Baker Perkins (UK), Markel Food Group (UK), Anko Food Machine (Taiwan), Gemini Bakery Equipment (US), Allied, and Others Base Year 2022 Historical Year 2017 to 2021 Forecast Year 2023 to 2030 Bakery Processing Equipment Market Key Segments Covered: Top Market Players: GEA Group AG (Germany), John Bean Technologies Corporation (US), Heat and Control (US), Rheon Automatic Machinery (Japan), Baker Perkins (UK), Markel Food Group (UK), Anko Food Machine (Taiwan), Gemini Bakery Equipment (US), Allied, and Others. Bakery Processing Equipment Market by Types: Arthrospira Platensis Arthrospira Maxima Based on Type: Mixers Ovens & proofers Slicers & dividers Sheeters & molders Other bakery processing equipment Based on Application: Bread Cookies & biscuits Cakes & pastries Pizza crusts Other bakery products Regions and Countries Covered North America: (US, Canada, Mexico, Rest of North America) Europe: (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK, Nordic Countries, Benelux Union, Rest of Europe) Asia-Pacific: (Japan, China, India, Australia, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Rest of Asia-Pacific) The Middle East & Africa: (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, South Africa, Rest of the Middle East & Africa) Latin America: (Brazil, Argentina, Rest of Latin America) Rest Of the World Check out more related studies published by Contrive Datum Insights: Online Fashion Retail Market - The Online Fashion Retail Market is anticipated to progress at a CAGR of 18.3% from 2022 to 2030. The online fashion retail market in the Asia Pacific is expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period. The market in India is expected to witness significant growth owing to the growing e-commerce market and increasing usage of smartphones. Duty Free Retailing Market - The global Duty Free Retailing Market size was valued at USD 35.87 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 72.23 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 9.17% during the forecast period. The duty free Retailing market in Asia Pacific is expected to witness significant growth throughout the forecast period. Recent developments in Asian countries may present potential opportunities for existing and future duty-free shops to introduce a wide range of innovative products. For example, in the June 1, 2020 master plan, the Chinese central government announced multiple policies aimed at establishing the Hainan Free Trade Port (Hainan Free Trade Port) on China's southern coast. Stacked Cmos Image Sensor Market - The global stacked CMOS image sensor market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.5% from 2022 to 2030. North America is expected to hold the largest stacked CMOS image sensor market share due to the trio of innovations, significant investments by major players to develop new technologies and adoption of new technologies. Reinforced Isolated Amplifiers Market - The global Reinforced Isolated Amplifiers Market is projected to grow from USD 891.4 Million in 2022 to USD 2.560 Billion in 2030, and is growing at a CAGR of 16.3%. Considering the geographical location, North America has been dominating the international market for reinforced isolated amplifiers owing to its mature telecommunication industry and rapid urbanization. The widespread emergence of smart transportation and smart buildings further boosts the growth of the reinforced isolation amplifier market. Europe follows North America's lead. Asia Pacific was the third largest market for reinforced isolation amplifiers in 2015. Customization of the Report: The report can be customized as per client needs or requirements.For any queries, you can contact us on anna@contrivedatuminsights.com or +1 215-297-4078. Our sales executives will be happy to understand your needs and provide you with the most suitable reports. About Us: Contrive Datum Insights (CDI) is a global delivery partner of market intelligence and consulting services to officials at various sectors such as investment, information technology, telecommunication, consumer technology, and manufacturing markets. CDI assists investment communities, business executives, and IT professionals to undertake statistics-based accurate decisions on technology purchases and advance strong growth tactics to sustain market competitiveness. Comprising of a team size of more than 100 analysts and cumulative market experience of more than 200 years, Contrive Datum Insights guarantees the delivery of industry knowledge combined with global and country-level expertise. Social: Facebook / LinkedIn / Twitter Contact Us: Anna B. | Head Of Sales Contrive Datum Insights Phone: +91 9834816757 | +1 2152974078 Email: anna@contrivedatuminsights.com Website: https://www.contrivedatuminsights.com Contrive Datum Insights Press Releases Latest Contrive Datum Insights Latest Reports In this week's "It's Debatable" segment, Rick Rosen and Charles Moster debate the merits a U.S. House speaker removing members of the other party from House committees. Rosen is the Glenn D. West Endowed Research Professor of Law at the Texas Tech University School of Law and a retired U.S. Army colonel. Charles Moster is the Founder of the Moster Law Firm with 8 offices in Texas, author of 12 books, and an award winning playwright and composer. Moster 1 This is a difficult subject to debate because there is no perfect answer. Although I support the right of the Speaker of the House to remove members of the other party from committees, it raises issues as to whether political participation should be proscribed based on ideology. My rejoinder is that such sanctions are appropriate and, indeed, required, when a House members statements pose a direct threat to our democratic system. As an example, I steadfastly endorsed former Speaker Pelosis decision to remove U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from committee assignments given her rabid promotion of conspiracy theories denying the truth of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and that the Parkland school massacre never occurred. If that is insufficient to raise a concern, how about her explicit direction that former Presidents Obama and Clinton be executed along with a barrage of patently anti-Semitic comments directed towards Israel and loving endorsement of Holocaust deniers. And the list goes on and on. Moster The House of Representatives belongs to all of us and epitomizes everything that our country stands for with an emphasis on those key words in the Pledge of Allegiance Liberty and Justice for All. Hate mongers engaged in the spread of lies are the antithesis of our democracy and without exaggeration constitute a deadly cancer in the body politic which must be stricken. The failure to do so will result in deadly consequences as history instructs. Although I question Greenes intelligence and most certainly command of history, it appears she is being spoon fed the tried-and-true recipe for killing democracy by promoting what has classically been referred to as the Big Lie. Not so Trump and Ted Cruz who know exactly what they are doing by denying the legitimacy of the Biden election and (as least as to Trump) nibbling along the borders of antisemitism. Story continues The way to kill democracy is to promote the Big Lie which was notoriously penned by Hitlers propagandist Joseph Goebbels If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. Hitler elaborated by adding that in the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily; and thus in the primitive simplicity of their minds they more readily fall victims to the big lie. Greene was properly removed by the former Speaker as she promoted the Big Lie which undermined the integrity and finality of our elections process and, in particular, unleashed the ravages of antisemitism. Whether she is aware of it or not, Mr. Goebbels would applaud her behavior and tactics and happily embrace the death of America and birth of a new nation founded on the fascist principles of Aryan superiority, suppression of diversity and dissent, resurgence of antisemitism, and the propagation of conspiracy theories and other Big Lies. The use of the Speakers position to exclude miscreants like Marjorie Greene from Committee assignments is courageous. Critically, it rids the body politic of a cancer which lives on hate and awaits the next opportunity to metastasize. Of course, as Rick will point out, the downside is to engage in acts of exclusion which are seemingly the antithesis of democracy and free speech. I would have to agree with that proposition. However, as I said above, there is not a perfect solution as John Adams knew well when, as a proponent of free speech, he did precisely the opposite by passing the Alien and Sedition Acts during an embryonic period when external threats to America could have vanquished the great experiment. Greene, Trump, Cruz, and others are direct threats to the survival of America. Perhaps, Marjorie has no clue what she is espousing or how she is being used, but not so Trump and Cruz who, in my opinion, should be investigated for seditious acts against the United States. I believe that Trump is already in the final stages of such investigation. When the survival of America is at stake, actions must be taken at the highest level of government, to remove the political cancer and save our cherished system. Such was not accomplished in Germany which tolerated and then supported the ascension of the Nazis, Hitler, and his racist agenda buttressed by the Big Lie. If the Speaker must use his or her powers to remove committee members to protect the body politic, so be it. Rosen 1 In November 1966, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. was duly elected from the 18th Congressional District of New York to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives for the 90th Congress. Pursuant to a House resolution, however, he was not permitted to take his seat because of alleged improprieties he committed in the 89th Congress. In the 1969 case of Powell v. McCormack, the Supreme Court held that neither house of Congress may exclude any person, duly elected by their constituents, who meets all requirements for membership expressly prescribed in the Constitution (i.e., a member must be 25 years of age, a U.S. citizen for seven years, and an inhabitant of the state in which elected). Rosen While the Powell case is not controlling, it is instructive. To a large extent, members of Congress represent the views of the people who put them in office, and their constituents views are entitled to be heard in Congress. Provided elected members meet the constitutional qualifications for office, the fact their views may upset someparticularly members of the other partyis flatly irrelevant and not a basis for excluding them from House committees. Charles discusses U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for statements she made before being elected to Congress. While Greene later retracted a number of her assertions before she was elected, such as denying the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and school shootings, some of her statements are concededly bizarre (e.g., Jewish space lasers to shoot down Santa). But Greene has not engaged in any misconductcriminal or otherwiseand the First Amendment fully protects everything she said. Last Congress House Democrats exclusion of Greene from committees for her constitutionally protected speech was simply undemocratic. And Greene easily won reelection with nearly two-thirds of the vote. The current House Speakers exclusion of U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Republican House members' removal of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee is likewise misguided despite Schiffs repeatedly false assertions about Trumps collusion with Russia and Omars anti-Semitic tropes. Their speech is protected. One possible exception is U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwells removal from the Intelligence Committee based on allegations he had an intimate relationship with a Chinese spy. If true, it was not only inappropriate, but irresponsible, for Swalwell to serve on the committee. But that does not mean he should be refused committee assignments not requiring a security clearance. Moster 2 I am not in disagreement that the removal of members by the Speaker based on speech content raises serious First Amendment concerns. I acknowledged that in my first argument but argued that when such views threaten our democratic institutions they must be proscribed. The constitutional analogue would be the enunciated exceptions to the sanctity of free speech which have long been recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court. My reference to John Adams, the brilliant Founding Father and chief advocate of the First Amendment, is right on point. Given external European threats to the survival of our fledgling democracy, he supported the enactment of the Alien and Sedition Acts which limited specific speech. Although controversial to this day, I understand the rationale for the prohibition. Marjorie Taylor Greenes statements are dangerous and akin to the rhetoric of Adolf Hitler and the early adherents of the Nazi Party. It is historically correct that the failure of the German legislators of the lower house in the Reichstag to censure the insurgent cancer of antisemitism directly led to the ascension of Hitler and the death of millions. Alternative historical narratives ponder the quintessential question whether the horrors of World War II could have been avoided by silencing Hitler and his followers in its early stages. Ricks reference to the statements of Adam Schiff is inapposite as one cannot compare comments linking Trump and Putin to the anti-Semitic vitriol spewing from Greene. Critically, by failing to remove Greene and other hate mongers, Congress sets forth a floor or new normal that cancerous public discourse is not only permissible but accepted conduct. We have an opportunity now to take the actions which eluded the lower house of the Reichstag analogous to our own House of Representatives. In so doing, we can avoid the most tragic chapter of history repeating itself. Rosen 2 Writing in Texas v. Johnson in 1989which overturned a Texas statute criminalizing the burning of an American flagJustice William Brennan observed: If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable. Simply put, the First Amendment has no hate speech exception. The federal courts have upheld cross burnings; protests outside military funerals thanking God for dead soldiers; racially disparaging trademarks; and the march of American Nazis in Skokie, Illinoishome at the time to many Holocaust survivors. Quoting Justice Oliver Wendall Holmes, Jr., Justice Samuel Alito wrote in 2017: Speech that demeans on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, disability, or any other similar ground is hateful; but the proudest boast of our free speech jurisprudence is that we protect the freedom to express the thought that we hate. Charles is correct in noting that Representative Greene has made despicable anti-Semitic remarks, but to compare her to Hitler or the Nazis is hyperbolic and beyond the pale. I have heard similar remarks throughout my lifesome directed at me. I always believed that the speakers were simply ignorant or stupid or both. Nevertheless, Greenes statements are fully protected by the First Amendment, and if spoken in the House of Representatives, they are immunized by the Speech or Debate Clause in Article I, section 6, of the Constitution. The voters of Greenes district overwhelmingly reelected her to office, and like it or not, she is a member of Congress. She should not be excluded from committee positions because of her views. Charles asserts that I should not compare Greenes vitriolic statements Representative Schiffs comments about Trump and Putin. To some extent I agreewhat Schiff did was considerably more damaging to the nation than Greenes anti-Semitic remarks. As Chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Schiff made numerous false statements to the press perpetuating the myth that Trump colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election. Schiff is an election denier, and he attempted to subvert the administration of a duly elected President. There may be good reasons not to vote for Trump, but Russian collusion is not among them. Yet, I still contend that Schiff should have remained on the Intelligence Committee because that is where his party wanted him. This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Should House Speaker be able to remove members from committees Former President Donald Trump remains the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential primary, widening his lead over his top potential challenger, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a recent Quinnipiac University national poll finds. While DeSantis has yet to announce a presidential bid, he has emerged as the favorite to challenge Trump to be the GOPs 2024 presidential nominee. More: Trump's blistering attacks on Gov. Ron DeSantis continue. Will he ever hit back? When given a choice of 15 Republicans who have either declared their bid for the presidency or are possible candidates, 46% of Republican and Republican-leaning voters said they would vote for Trump while 32% said they would vote for DeSantis, according to the poll. The survey also finds that Trumps lead over DeSantis more than doubled from last month. In February, Trump only led DeSantis by six percentage points, 42% - 36%, according to Quinnipiac University. In a two-man matchup, the former president continues to lead DeSantis, but only by 11 percentage points. Fifty-one percent of voters said they would vote for Trump while 40% preferred DeSantis. More: Ron DeSantis position on Ukraine different from presidential hopefuls in Republican Party The survey of 1,795 adults, taken March 9-13, has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points. Despite Trump's surge in support among GOP voters, President Joe Biden narrowly leads him in a race between the two potential nominees. Forty-nine percent of registered voters said they would vote for Biden while 45% said they would vote for Trump. Bidens lead dwindles to, essentially, a dead heat in a match-up between him and DeSantis as 47% of voters said they would vote for Biden compared to 46% who said DeSantis. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump widens lead over DeSantis in 2024 GOP presidential race: poll An attendee holds a sign distributed by Students for Life, a national anti-abortion organization, during a Pueblo City Council meeting on Monday, Dec. 12, 2022 Cheers ascended at least two flights of stairs inside Pueblo City Hall Monday night following council's decision to indefinitely table an anti-abortion ordinance. The cheers came from abortion rights advocates wearing green bandanas outside the entrance. If passed, the ordinance could have effectively banned doctors from practicing abortion in the city of Pueblo. "It was terrifying just even thinking what (passing the ordinance) could have possibly done. The amount of money in lawsuits and dragging the name of our beautiful city through the mud in a bad way," Kat Matthews said. "By tabling it, by keeping abortion legal and safe here in Pueblo ... we're going to be a beacon of hope." Monica Hughes also was among the crowd excited to see council table the anti-abortion ordinance. Hughes is the Pueblo organizer for the Cobalt Abortion Fund, a nonprofit organization that advocates for reproductive rights, as well as the administrator of the Pueblo Pro-Choice Facebook page. Council decision:Pueblo city council indefinitely tables anti-abortion ordinance "I am really proud of how Pueblo has rallied around us and our support ... We have done a lot of activity in Pueblo trying to make sure that everyone in Pueblo is educated about the ordinance and what's going on," Hughes said. "I knew that it was important to show up so that we have equal representation." Even if the anti-abortion ordinance were to pass, abortion rights in Colorado are protected under the 2022 Reproductive Health Equity Act, Hughes said. Local public entities are prohibited from restricting abortions in Colorado, according to RHEA. "Colorado consistently votes to be pro-choice and we are going to continue to vote that way," Hughes said. Council voted 4-3 to table the anti-abortion ordinance Friday night. Councilors Regina Maestri, Lori Winner and Larry Atencio voted against tabling the ordinance. While abortion rights advocates sided with the council majority, anti-abortion activists who attended their meeting said they felt their voices were unheard. Story continues Anti-abortion pastors led a prayer circle before the Pueblo City Council meeting on Nov. 28, 2022. Anti-abortion activists huddled about 50 feet away from the entrance to city hall, looked toward council chambers and chanted "Vote them out" in protest. Mark Lee Dickson, a Texas pastor and anti-abortion activist, joined dozens of Puebloans in the chants. "This is far from over," Dickson said. "The problem is not going away ... It's not going away in Pueblo, it's not going away in Colorado. There will be sanctuary cities for the unborn in Colorado, mark my words." Dickson has assisted local governments in New Mexico and Texas in drafting "sanctuary city for the unborn" ordinances. The tabled Pueblo ordinance was his first involvement with a municipality in Colorado. Dickson attended his second Pueblo City Council regular meeting Monday night. "I believe that Pueblo is pro-life," he said. "You can look at every single meeting that has been here and those in the pro-life community have far out numbered those in the pro-choice community. This has just begun." Anti-abortion activists packed council chambers during regular meetings on Nov. 14 and Nov. 28. The Dec. 12 meeting brought even more activists, both inside and outside council chambers, including Puebloans Luciano and Elizabeth Lucero. Pueblo abortion clinic:Abortion clinic coming to Pueblo expects high volume of local and out-of-state patients "As soon as I heard last week that they were doing this, we wanted to stand up and stand for the unborn," Luciano said. More than 100 people were scheduled to speak during a public hearing on the anti-abortion ordinance prior to its tabling. Those speakers included people both in favor of and opposed to the ordinance, Pueblo City Clerk Marisa Stoller said. Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached by email at JBartolo@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo Council decision on anti-abortion ordinance sparks mixed reaction Over the past year, state lawmakers have made changes on paper through several attempts to cure Floridas property insurance crisis. But a homeowner in Florida who opens their annual renewal and sees their premium has increased, or finds out their carrier has suddenly dropped them, may not have noticed anything different. That was the expectation, after all. State Sen. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, noted during the first of last year's special sessions to address insurance that relief from any measures taken by lawmakers wouldnt be realized for at least another 18 months. That session took place in May 2022. Since then, two hurricanes hit the state. Lawmakers then held a second special session on insurance in December. Six property insurance companies were declared insolvent last year. Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the state-run insurer of last resort, continues to grow with more than 1 million policies. More:Hurricane Ian is gone. Before the next storm, here are tips on how to review your insurance policy More:The property insurance market was melting down. Then Hurricane Ian flooded Southwest Florida And now the annual, 60-day regular legislative session is underway. The session is largely where party-line battles are taking center stage, but not insurance. And those homeowners with delayed or unfulfilled property damage claims may find their legal recourses slashed, owing to legislation approved in the special sessions to limit what the insurance industry and lawmakers said was too much litigation over property insurance claims and disputes between homeowners and their insurers. The story remains the same as it was a year ago: its lawyers, contractors and public adjusters versus lawmakers and insurance companies. Some have lauded the measures passed in Tallahassee as necessary to lure insurance carriers back to the state and target the cause of the crisis, so-called frivolous lawsuits. But others say that homeowners with legitimate damages are left with fewer rights to ensure they receive their claims, and are left wondering how, if at all, the measures will lower property insurance bills. Story continues A home in Fort Myers, Florida, remains destroyed on Sunday, March 5, 2023, five months after Hurricane Ian struck the state's Gulf coast. Think of the people lined up on the side of the policyholders and the people who are lined up on the side of the carrier. Whats been targeted? Every person that is helping the insured has been subject to scrutiny. Where do we have increased regulation of carriers? said Amy Boggs, a St. Petersburg property insurance attorney who serves as chair of the Florida Justice Associations Property Insurance Section. We see no reform for those folks. What happened with Florida insurance reforms in 2022? The current property insurance market is still very volatile, said Mark Friedlander, spokesperson for the Insurance Information Institute. That really hasnt changed in a year. Premiums are high and there are few options to seek alternative insurers out there for homeowners, whats otherwise known as a hard market. The special session in spring 2022 focused on making sure insurance carriers could make it through the next hurricane season, said Gina Clausen Lozier, a Lake Worth Beach-based attorney who represents policyholders. That meant allowing $2 billion of taxpayer money available to certain carriers otherwise unable to get less expensive reinsurance essentially back-up coverage for insurers in the event of a major disaster from global financiers, with the intent that savings would be passed onto policyholders. Other measures included that homeowners must be notified that they, not contractors, must pay the deductible for roof damage and that homeowners with roofs older than 15 years can get an inspection to determine its longevity, and their insurance carrier cannot deny them coverage if the roof has at least five more years of life. More:Property insurance market in 'very precarious position' as hurricane season approaches After the special session, state Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier expressed concern that ratings agency Demotech could possibly downgrade 17 insurance carriers in Florida, which has a direct impact on those carriers ability to get reinsurance. Later that July, Altmaier announced a plan to allow downgraded companies to get reinsurance coverage through Citizens. Then Hurricane Ian hit Southwest Florida and left a water-logged trail in its wake across the state in late September. Almost 500,000 residential property claims were reported. Half have been closed with payment and about one-third of the claims were closed without payment as of March 9, according to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. The total estimated insured losses for all lines of business reached nearly $14 billion. Mere weeks later, Hurricane Nicole struck Florida's east coast, resulting in over $500 million in insured losses. As of Feb. 9, just under 35,000 residential property claims were reported. About 40% of those were closed with payment and another 40% were closed without payment. Almost six months after Hurricane Ian decimated Fort Myers Beach, Marilea Reed, a property owner on Fort Myers Beach pauses while cleaning her yard on Monday, March 13, 2023. She plans on waiting a bit but is rebuilding. She says this is one of the toughest things she has been through in her life. Florida lawmakers held a second special session on insurance in mid-December. This provided another $1 billion in hurricane reinsurance on top of the $2 billion passed earlier that year. Other items included: A shorter time frame for insurance carriers to pay or deny a claim, which Boggs noted that there are broad allowances to delay payment. Insurance benefits are no longer allowed to be signed over to a third party like a contractor. A policyholder with Citizens is no longer eligible to remain with the state-run insurer if the policyholder receives an offer that is within 20% of their current premium. All Citizens policyholders must eventually get flood insurance. A court must find a breach of contract before a policyholder can sue a carrier for bad faith. Policyholders must report a claim within one year for a new or reopened claim, and within 18 months for a supplemental claim, down from 2 and 3 years, respectively. Perhaps the biggest change was getting rid of one-way attorneys fees for property insurance claims. That means neither the policyholder nor the insurance company will be responsible for the others attorney fees. Most people dont want to get involved in litigation. Its a long process. Its costly. The court systems backed up, Lozier said. I believe most people would like to have a fair resolution of the claim. Theyre not looking for a windfall. The attorneys who spoke with the Post said they support regulating unlicensed activity, but noted that the measures will not only have an impact on the industries involved, but also the policyholders. It feels like (policyholders) are being punished because they have a legal claim, Boggs said. Its a dark day in Florida. Both Lozier and Boggs noted that some homeowners feel they have no recourse but to take legal action when claims arent paid. Both parties have to be accountable. If everyone does their job correctly, youre not going to go to a lawsuit because the claim would have been paid fairly, Lozier said. Not having attorneys fees paid may give some homeowners pause in taking their insurance carrier to court over unpaid claims, especially those with smaller claims, she added. A more immediate solution for policyholders, rather than wait for the market, would be to pass mandatory rate reductions by insurance companies in tandem with these reforms, Boggs said, but no such measure was passed. Now in the ongoing session, which ends in May, lawmakers are considering a tort reform package that expands the no attorneys fees provision to all lines of insurance, like personal and commercial automobile policies, workers comp, life insurance and medical malpractice, Friedlander said. But the House Speaker Paul Renner noted the bill would have changes before its final form, Friedlander said, because they want to make sure it still leaves consumers with rights, and not take away rights in terms of the possibility of filing lawsuits when its appropriate. Some lawmakers are also pursuing ways to get rid of assignment of benefits in other situations, such as automobile glass replacement. Assignment of benefits is when a homeowner signs a document basically allowing contractors to conduct repairs and then bill the insurance company on their behalf. Other bills are targeting public insurance adjusters, people who provide assessments of damages independently of the insurance company, such as a provision that allows policyholders to cancel a public adjusters contract within 30 days. These denials are going to come in and these underpayments are going to come in and everyone's going to wake up and realize that, Wait a minute, why dont I have the ability to get fees, or why dont I have the ability to sue my insurance company? They didnt pay me for my damages, Lozier said. I think its going to be a rude awakening for a lot of people. All the while, the number of policies with Citizens has continued to grow month after month since 2020, and remained over 1 million since August. As of Feb. 28, there were 1.19 million policies with the insurer. There are 23 insurance companies on Florida regulators watch list, Friedlander said. What will be the effect on property insurance premiums? Thousands of homeowners have been impacted by insurance carriers being declared insolvent. Current and former state lawmakers arent immune. United Property & Casualty Insurance Company, or UPC, was the latest to undergo this process in February. Slide Insurance, which opened for new business this year, acquired 91,400 of these policies. At least one current and one former state lawmaker was dropped by UPC in this process. State Rep. Spencer Roach, a Republican from North Fort Myers, tweeted on March 3 a photo of his UPC Insurance cancellation notice. We must do more to address this crisis. That same day, he filed a bill that in part requires automobile insurance carriers to write homeowners insurance policies in Florida if they do so in other states, and that at least 5% of the business they write is homeowners insurance. Roach, who has also co-sponsored the six-week abortion ban and filed a joint resolution to make school board member races partisan, did not respond to an interview request. My premium went up 54% BEFORE Ian, he wrote in another tweet. Former state Rep. Matt Willhite, who used to represent the district that covered Wellington and was the ranking Democrat on the Insurance and Banking Subcommittee, was also dropped by UPC. He was grateful to have had an insurance broker to place him with another private insurer, but recognized that not everyone can do so. But whats the everyday Floridian doing out there thats working hard every day, going to work Monday through Friday, 9 to 5, and trying to provide for a family? he said. What are they to do when they dont have coverage, and they have a mortgage, and their mortgage company requires them to have insurance? He suggested a similar solution to what part of Roachs bill proposes, to require insurance companies that write all other lines of business to also write homeowners insurance, and require a certain percentage of their business to be property insurance. Theres got to be some disincentives for these insurance companies instead of cherry-picking where they make their profits, Willhite said. The legislature is not focused enough on this problem because its not getting any better and its not going away. Every day that they talk about bringing people here and how Florida is so free and growing and developing and all that, were putting more liability out there, he added. Hurricanes arent going away in the state of Florida, and the price of products and goods are going up. Its just going to get worse. While they disagree on the cause of the home insurance crisis, Lozier, Boggs and Friedlander expressed doubt in how effective these measures would be in bringing down insurance bills. The previous year-over-year average increase of premiums was 33%, Friedlander said. This year, the Institute is projecting over 40% average increases. To say everybodys going to get their premium reduced, thats not realistic, and we do not expect that, Friedlander said, adding that bills are up everywhere in the country. Competitive markets will lead to better competition and better opportunities for consumers to get better rates. The measures passed will hopefully moderate the rate at which increases occur, not at 30%, 40% or 50%, he said. Homeowners in Florida are not going to be able to keep their homes if we continue to see rate increases at that level, Friedlander said. Hannah Morse covers consumer issues for The Palm Beach Post. Drop a line at hmorse@pbpost.com, call 561-820-4833 or follow her on Twitter @mannahhorse. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida lawmakers property insurance reforms have not brought relief Flowers and candles are placed in a wooded area in Freudenberg where the body of a 12-year-old girl was found on Sunday (AP) Two children have been taken into custody over the killing of a 12-year-old girl in the town of Freudenberg, in western Germany, in a case that has shocked the country. The girl, who was only identified by her first name Louise due to privacy reasons, went missing on Saturday after visiting a friend. She was found stabbed to death on Sunday in a forest near a former railway station after a massive police search. Prosecutor Mario Mannweiler told reporters that we must assume that the crime was committed by two children from the (victims) circle of acquaintances. The two suspects, who are 12 and 13 years old, confessed to the killing, police officer Florian Locker said. Citing the age of the suspects, officials refused to give any further details on their identity, gender, motive or whether they knew the victim from school. Due to their youth, the two children are below the age of criminal responsibility which is 14 in Germany. They were therefore not arrested but taken into the custody of a youth welfare office. Police said the victim had several stab wounds and died of blood loss. The governor of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where Freudenberg is located, said he was appalled by the killing. North Rhine-Westphalia is grieving, Hendrik Wuest said. It is incomprehensible and unbearable that children are capable of such horrible acts. He promised that the authorities would do everything in their power to shed light on the reasons and circumstances of the crime. NEW BEDFORD - Gov. Maura Healey is proposing to dedicate 1% of the state's budget to help make Massachusetts a "global leader in transitioning to a clean energy economy." It's a first in state history, she said, and she chose New Bedford to announce the proposal Thursday morning at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Centers New Beford Marine Commerce Terminal. That 1% in dedicated funding would go to the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. She also unveiled a proposal to triple the Massachusetts Clean Energy Centers budget to further that effort, including in the pursuit of wind energy. "One day we will power our lives with wind energy, and become a world leader in off shore wind technology. That's what our budget seeks to do," she said. The New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal, which was completed in 2015, is the only United States port built expressly to support the offshore wind industry. "New Bedford made history with the construction of the Marine Commerce Terminal and will make history once again when New Bedford, Massachusetts becomes the global capital of the offshore wind industry," Healey said. New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell and Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kimberley Driscoll converse, left, while Governor Maura T. Healey speaks with some of the site authorities during her stop at the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal where she highlighted climate-related investments in their FY24 proposal. She said it will take time, "but our vision will get us there." It was plenty windy at the terminal for the outdoor press conference Thursday morning. Mayor Jon Mitchell joked, "Don't worry about the breeze here. It's appropriate. It's always a bad hair day on the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal." But it was also auspicious, he said. The first components to begin constructing Vineyard Wind's offshore turbines to generate energy for up to 400,000 homes are a little over a month away from arrival at the terminal, he added. Massachusetts Governor Maura T. Healey speaks during a visit to the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal to highlight climate-related investments in their FY24 proposal. Massachusetts' first commercial scale offshore wind project It will be the first commercial scale, offshore wind project off the coast of Massachusetts. "The offshore wind industry is finally arriving on the shores of the United States and it's arriving right here in New Bedford," Mitchell said. Story continues While climate change is the big challenge of our time, he said, it also brings economic opportunities. "We can attract capital here. That industry has a whole lot of money to invest here in New Bedford," Mitchell said. He praised Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll for getting out of the gate fast to address issues identified on the campaign trail. Healey said "she would solve problems and tackle the big issues. That's what she's doing," he said. Massachusetts Governor Maura T. Healey makes a stop at the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal to highlight climate-related investments in their FY24 proposal. Healey said the climate crisis is "our greatest threat," but it also offers tremendous opportunity for jobs and economic opportunities. Clean energy:New Bedford mayor has a plan to capitalize on the economic benefits of offshore wind What is Massachusetts' clean energy strategy? Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center was "at the nexus of our clean energy strategy." And the dedicated 1% funding to the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs "is a lot of money when you're talking about a $50 billion-plus budget," she said. Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper said the dedicated funds proposed for the agencies she oversees will help in "bringing sustainable jobs and training workers to take those jobs." Putting it all together:New Bedford's Pope's Island will play a key role in Vineyard Wind construction. Here's how She added the state was in a race when it comes to addressing climate change. "We cannot afford not to do this work." What is the purpose of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center? Massachusetts Clean Energy Center CEO Jen Daloisio said the agency was created in 2009. Its purpose was to "make progress on our most challenging, hardest-to-solve climate problems," Daloisio said. "One of the first things we did was to undertake an offshore wind port and infrastructure assessment." She added, "We have laid the foundation for the U.S. offshore wind industry right here in Massachusetts." She added, "We're here at the start of an industry with the first commercial scale offshore wind project in the country happening right here at this facility." Healey's budgeting proposals will propel efforts to solve climate-change problems. It will also "create well-paying, equitable jobs accessible to all our residents," she said. The state has ambitious climate goals to hit by 2030 and 2050, she added. "We need to significantly grow the workforce to meet these goals." The budget proposals will help accomplish that, Daloisio said. This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Gov. Maura Healey celebrates New Bedford's role in off shore wind Abortion Pill Texas Judge - Credit: Senate Judiciary Committee/AP Lawyers, reporters and members of public queued up outside a courthouse in Amarillo, Texas before dawn on Wednesday for a chance to be inside the room as a single federal judge contemplated in proceedings hed sought to shield from public scrutiny whether to end access to the most widely-used abortion medication in America. Lawyers for the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, a coalition of anti-abortion medical groups, are hoping to convince Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk to order the FDA to withdraw its 22-year approval of mifepristone, the first drug taken in the two-drug abortion pill regimen. Convincing the judge is not expected to be difficult: before he was appointed to the federal bench, Kacsmaryk was the deputy general counsel of a religious rights legal group much like the one representing the plaintiffs, and he has written openly about his anti-abortion beliefs. More from Rolling Stone At Wednesdays hearing, the judge said he planned to issue a ruling as soon as possible. If Kacsmaryk orders the FDA to withdraw approval for mifepristone, it will unleash immediate chaos and confusion across the country, touching off a race to appeal the ruling, intensifying an existing debate about whether the Biden administration should defy the court, forcing providers to turn to less effective methods, and sending women scrambling to find alternative means to terminate unwanted pregnancies. In spite of the enormous stakes of the case, Kacsmaryk has sought to keep the proceedings hidden from public view. Wednesdays hearing was scheduled during a conference call held in secret on Friday, and only added to the public docket after reporters learned of it. In a transcript of the call that was later made available, Kacsmaryk asked the lawyers directly to avoid further publicizing the date of the hearing, adding, I think less advertisement of this hearing is better. Story continues Some of those who scrambled to reach Amarillo by Wednesday morning were turned away by the court. Elisabeth Smith, director of state advocacy at the Center for Reproductive Rights, which represents clinics that provide abortion care across the U.S., says she was outside the courtroom at 6 a.m., but was nonetheless among those shut out of the proceedings. The outcome of this case could impact the entire country. The court should be making every effort possible to ensure the public has visibility into what is happening, but instead the opposite has happened, Smith said in an emailed statement. We are alarmed by this attempt to conceal what should be public information, especially in such a consequential case. The case, ACLU senior staff attorney Lorie Chaiten told Rolling Stone in January, should never have made it this far: It is baseless Its time-barred. It has enormous jurisdictional defects. In the normal world, this case gets dismissed. According to the FDA, more than 3.7 million Americans have used mifepristone, which is taken together with another drug, misoprostol, to terminate unwanted pregnancies since the agency approved the abortion pill in 2000. Mifepristone, it is often noted, has a better safety record than either Tylenol or Viagra. Under federal law, anyone can challenge FDA approval of a drug within the first six years a window has long since closed for mifepristone, which the FDA approved in 2000. According to the Washington Post, when asked on Wednesday if there was precedent for a court intervening in an approval so many years after a drug had been on the market, a lawyer arguing on behalf of the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine admitted there was none. But Kacsmaryk nonetheless appeared poised to rule in the anti-abortion groups favor on Wednesday. If that happens, lawyers for the Biden Administration will seek a stay from the Fifth Circuit one of the most conservative courts in the country and if they cant find relief there, they will appeal to the Supreme Court. Its unclear how long that might take and whether mifepristone would be available in the meantime. If Kacsmaryk orders the FDA to withdraw approval of the drug, Sen. Ron Wyden has called on the Biden Administration to ignore the order and maintain public access to the medication. (Its not an idea without precedent, according to a Harvard Law Review article that examined federal agency compliance with court orders, and judges like Kacsmaryk have relatively few options to force an agency, like FDA, to comply with their orders if an agency chooses not to.) Wydens position is simple: The power of the judiciary begins and ends with its legitimacy in the eyes of the public, he said last month. A judges rulings stand because elected leaders and citizens have agreed that abiding by them is right and necessary to uphold the rule of law But the judiciary must uphold its end of the social contract too. It must follow the rule of law and earn the confidence of the American people continually, every day, every month, every year. By hot-wiring the system in order to produce an anti-abortion ruling, Wyden says, Kacsmaryk is violating that contract and delegitimizing the court itself. (The White House did not respond to a request for comment on Wydens suggestion.) Health care providers, meanwhile, are making plans to continue offering abortions using misoprostol, the second pill in abortion pill regimen, alone. (Misoprostol, which is also used to treat ulcers, is available without the restrictions to which mifepristone is subject.) Melissa Grant is the chief operations officer at Carafem, an organization that offers reproductive health care, including abortion care, online and in-person. Carafem has provided thousands of doses of misoprostol-only as an option to our clients since the year 2020, she tells Rolling Stone. We did so because we recognized that the Trump administration was poised to remove the ability to mail mifepristone in 2021. What Carafem has found in the data it has collected over that period is that misoprostol-only abortions are extremely effective 95 percent, compared to 99 percent effectiveness when taken together with mifepristone. Doses can be administered orally, sublingually (i.e. absorbed under the tongue) or vaginally, largely as a matter of personal preference, Grant says. (Swallowing the medication is slightly less effective, she says, but individuals in areas where abortion is illegal may choose that route out of abundance of caution since fragments of tablets may be maybe seen on a pelvic exam in your vagina.) Elisa Wells, co-founder and co-director of Plan C, an organization that helps individuals obtain abortion pills, says regardless of Kacsmaryks decision, women will still have options. There is a robust alternate supply system of pills in this country, she says, listing organizations like Aid Access, a physician-moderated service that operates out of Amsterdam and sources generic pills from an Indian pharmacy, as well as feminist networks like Red State Access and Las Libres. We have long believed that we cant rely on our courts and our legislatures to protect our access to what should be basic health care: abortion, Wells says. We expect these attacks, and we know that they will not be successful in stopping access. Best of Rolling Stone Click here to read the full article. This story discusses suicide and mental health issues. If you're in crisis, help is available: Call the national 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or chat online at 988lifeline.org/chat. If you or someone you know needs trans peer support, you can call Trans Kentucky at 859-448-5428 or visit transkentucky.com. Nationally, you can call the Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860 or visit translifeline.org. LGBTQ+ youth can get support from the Trevor Project by calling 866-488-7386 or visiting thetrevorproject.org. FRANKFORT, Ky. - One of the most extreme pieces of anti-trans legislation in the country is now in limbo after Republicans struggled to agree just how far their anti-LGBTQ legislation should go. The Kentucky Senate a day after a tense committee hearing, vocal concerns from some Republicans and hours of caucus meetings called for a floor vote on House Bill 470 late Wednesday night. A floor amendment softening some of the bill's language around gender-affirming health care - changes made to make the bill itself more palatable - narrowly passed. But, before debate and a vote on the bill could take place, the Senate again narrowly voted to lay the bill on the clerk's desk - essentially pausing debate on the legislation until Thursday. The vote gives lawmakers less than a day to vote on the bill, and get the House to agree with the Senate's changes and ship the measure to Gov. Andy Beshear's desk by 11:59 p.m. Thursday for a chance at overriding a likely veto. Beshear is expected to veto the measure. If they fail, the bill will be essentially dead. HB 470's death would mean not just the end of a proposed ban on gender-affirming care, but the last remaining "parents' rights" bill, which was stuffed into the bill earlier this week. When asked about the future of HB 470, Senate President Roberts Stivers responded simply: "I don't know." With the new amendment, HB 470 is now on its fourth set of major changes, this time softening the bills language around gender-affirming care to make it more palatable to some in the Senate GOP caucus - a move that alienated others. It may also cost the bill support - and precious time - in the House. Story continues Changes made on the Senate floor to pick up votes, though, may cost it support in the House, which must agree with the Senate's changes by Thursday night to send it to Gov. Andy Beshear in time for it to be veto-proof. Beshear is expected to veto HB 470. An expanded version of HB 470 narrowly passed out of the Senate Families and Children Committee on Tuesday, despite concerns from some Republicans on the committee that the newest iteration of the bill went too far. More:Kentucky bill to end gender-affirming care for trans kids adds 'Don't Say Gay' provision Committee chair Sen. Danny Carroll, R-Benton, followed through on a promise to change the legislation before a floor vote, filing a floor amendment watering down elements of the bill Tuesday night. The Senate narrowly adopted his language in a 19-17 vote. Surgical medical treatments for trans youths would remain prohibited under Carrolls amended language, but some nonsurgical treatment options would be allowed with parental consent. Reversible puberty blockers would be among the allowed nonsurgical options. Cross-sex hormones larger or more potent than would normally occur naturally would not be allowed. A child must be diagnosed with gender dysphoria to receive gender-affirming medical care and be under the care of a physician and a mental health provider. Medical care must meet evidence-based standards of care, and the child must receive mental health services that dont promote gender transition. Carroll's amendment also cuts previous provisions blocking trans youths from legally changing their name or birth certificate. Elements of the bill that dont deal with gender transition services, like those prohibiting conversations about sexual orientation and allowing teachers to misgender their students, remain as-is in the bill. LIST: Here are the key bills advancing - and dying - in the 2023 Kentucky legislature Kentucky's most sweeping "parents' rights" bills are not far enough in the legislative process to pass on their own. Senate Bill 150 - the measure most limited in scope, sticking mainly to the topic of student pronouns - is still alive, but its language got added to HB 470 this week. Rep. Josh Calloway, R-Irvington, withdrew one of the dead bills, House Bill 173, this week. He then filed a slightly altered version of the language as a floor amendment to SB 150 and Senate Bill 5, which creates a process to handle parent complaints about education materials at schools. When asked about the amendments Tuesday afternoon, Calloway said the situation was "fluid." "There are things that we're fighting for and don't have a resolution to," Calloway said. As the Senate attempted to handle HB 470, the House heard a lengthy, passionate floor speech from Calloway as he urged his colleagues - and was repeatedly rejected - to add more drastic language to SB 5. He implied stronger language had a majority of Republican support, but for some reason, kept getting blocked from moving forward. If the House doesn't agree with the changes to HB 470, and the Senate refuses to budge, a group of lawmakers from both chambers will try to reach a compromise in a conference committee. If the chambers don't agree by Thursday night, the bill won't make it to Beshear before the veto period, likely killing the bill. Lawmakers will meet Thursday before adjourning for the veto period - a stretch of time for Beshear to reject legislation or sign it into law. The legislature will return for two days at the end of the month when they can override any Beshear vetoes and pass any final bills before ending the 2023 legislative session. This story will be updated. Reach Olivia Krauth at okrauth@courierjournal.com and on Twitter at @oliviakrauth. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky House Bill 470: Senate pauses tweaked anti-trans bill Malaysia's position as a safe and trusted destination for high-quality healthcare services is reinforced with the debut of flagship medical tourism hospitals in the country. KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Malaysia has debuted its first-of-its-kind Flagship Medical Tourism Hospital Programme, announcing the four (4) shortlisted finalists for the programme, namely National Heart Institute (Institut Jantung Negara), Island Hospital, Mahkota Medical Centre, and Subang Jaya Medical Centre. This represents a significant step forward for Malaysia's healthcare industry in achieving its goal of providing the Best Malaysia Healthcare Travel Experience by 2025. From left to right: Mr. Stanley Lam, Chief Executive Officer of Mahkota Medical Centre; Mr. Bryan Lin, Chief Executive Officer of Subang Jaya Medical Centre; Mr. Mohd Daud Mohd Arif, Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council; Yang Berhormat Dr. Zaliha Mustafa, Minister of Health; Yang Berbahagia Dato' Zainal Alhakab Seman, Deputy Secretary General (Management), Ministry of Health; Yang Berbahagia Datuk Dr. Aizai Azan bin Abdul Rahim, Chief Executive Officer of Institut Jantung Negara; and Dr. Goh Kok Yeong, Chief Operating Officer of Island Hospital. The shortlisted finalists were carefully selected through an extensive and rigorous qualifying process in 2022 that involved data analysis and on-site assessments. Further to this, the finalists are advancing into the next phase of the programme, the Acceleration Period, which will continuously assess their growth and development against best practices and benchmarks in medical and service excellence, as well as international branding, over a three-year period. Spearheaded by Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), the programme has witnessed Malaysia's top hospitals increasing their commitment and efforts to raise the bar of excellence in delivering exceptional end-to-end services to their patients, all with the goal of reinforcing Malaysia's position as a safe and trusted destination for top-notch healthcare services, and elevating excellence in medical and service offerings. This will raise Malaysia Healthcare's profile as home to globally recognised healthcare icons. "The progress we have witnessed today with the Flagship programme is a testament to the drive and focus of becoming the future torchbearer for Malaysia Healthcare, not only locally but also internationally, significantly contributing to the country's export service. I trust that the Flagship programme will promote innovation and excellence in medical services and bring us closer to achieving a more resilient healthcare system for the country and establish Malaysia Healthcare as a world-renowned and credible global healthcare brand," said Dr. Zaliha Mustafa, Minister of Health Malaysia. Story continues "Fully endorsed by the Government, the Flagship Medical Tourism Hospital Programme is aimed at propelling the private healthcare sector into a future-forward paradigm. The outcome of this concerted effort between the public and private industry players will result in elevated private healthcare services to deliver seamless end-to-end patient experiences anchored upon outcome-based medical excellence, service excellence best practices and international branding," explained Mohd Daud Mohd Arif, Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC). Malaysia, a popular global destination for healthcare travellers, has won numerous awards, including the coveted "Destination of the Year" title by UK-based healthcare travel authority International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ) numerous times in recent years. The country's solid reputation as a destination for travel and healthcare attracted 1.06 million[1] European tourists and 1.22 million[2] healthcare travellers in 2019 alone. These numbers are expected to ramp up as countries across the world move towards endemicity. MHTC is optimistic that the programme will fast-track the healthcare travel industry's recovery and growth. Building upon the positive growth recorded in 2022 - recording more than RM1.3 billion Healthcare Traveller (HT) revenue, reaching 76% of its pre-pandemic performance of RM1.7 billion in 2019, MHTC is intensifying its efforts to forge industry sustainability and resilience to further enhance Malaysia Healthcare's offerings, providing the best healthcare to the healthcare travellers. "The programme will also play a catalytic role in expediting international recognition of the hospitals in Malaysia. With the commitment and active participation of the hospitals in delivering medical excellence and service excellence towards attaining international branding, we look forward to further cementing our strengths and carving a niche in clinical research while expanding Malaysia Healthcare's market presence," added Mohd Daud. The Flagship Medical Tourism Hospital Programme is a collaborative effort between MHTC and global medical accreditation bodies IQVIA and Joint Commission International (JCI). IQVIA is a global leader in advanced analytics, technology solutions, and clinical research services for the life sciences industry, while JCI is an accreditation body that works to improve patient safety and healthcare quality in the international community through education, publications, advisory services, and international accreditation and certification. "The excellent medical care and services that local and international patients can receive from these hospitals, including niche treatments in areas like cardiology, oncology, fertility, orthopaedics, neurology and aesthetics, have undoubtedly led to these hospitals receiving this accreditation," said Jonathan Roberts, IQVIA's General Manager for Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. "It is my great hope that these flagship medical tourism hospitals will serve as a model for other private healthcare facilities and centres to continue bolstering their efforts to achieve a cohesiveness that employs both medical and service excellence through process, technological and talent enhancement while continuously improving end-to-end patient experience," said Jean Courtney, Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Joint Commission International (JCI). For more information on Malaysia Healthcare and its services, please visit https://malaysiahealthcare.org/ or visit our social feeds at: www.facebook.com/MHTCMalaysia or at LinkedIn (Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council). [1] Source: Malaysia Healthcare Travel Malaysia (MHTC) Informatics [2] Source: Malaysia Healthcare Travel Malaysia (MHTC) Informatics ABOUT THE MALAYSIA HEALTHCARE TRAVEL COUNCIL The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) is a government agency under the Ministry of Health Malaysia that has been entrusted with the responsibility of curating the country's healthcare travel scene. Founded in 2009, MHTC works to streamline industry players and service providers in facilitating and growing Malaysia's healthcare travel industry under the brand "Malaysia Healthcare" with the intended goal of making Malaysia the leading global healthcare destination. MHTC works closely with over 80 private healthcare facilities in Malaysia, who are registered members of MHTC. ABOUT THE FLAGSHIP MEDICAL TOURISM HOSPITAL PROGRAMME The Flagship Medical Tourism Hospital Programme is a first-of-its-kind initiative that aspires to set new benchmarks in global healthcare travel. Spearheaded by Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) in 2022, and fully endorsed by the Government of Malaysia and the Ministry of Health, this programme is carried out in a collaborative effort with international bodies, IQVIA and Joint Commission International (JCI) to establish Malaysia as a globally renowned icon for healthcare travel, delivering exceptional end-to-end patient experiences anchored on medical excellence, service excellence best practices and international branding. The programme saw Malaysia's top private hospitals intensifying their endeavours to set new benchmarks in healthcare through a stringent series of fast-tracked programmes to accelerate the shortlisted finalists' readiness to be elevated as a Flagship hospital. The programme is an integral part of the five-year Malaysia Healthcare Travel Industry Blueprint, which aspires to provide the Best Malaysia Healthcare Travel Experience by 2025. For more details visit: https://www.mhtc.org.my/flagship-medical-tourism-hospital-programme/ Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/bolstering-healthcare-quality-in-malaysia-with-renowned-flagship-hospitals-301773877.html SOURCE Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council Mar. 16BELLAIRE A Wisconsin man accused in court of participating in a plot to kidnap Michigan's governor pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and said he would cooperate with prosecutors. Brian Paul Higgins, 54, previously had pleaded not guilty to providing material support for an act of terrorism, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. A 13th Circuit Court judge accepted Higgins' guilty plea to a single charge of attempting to provide material support for an act of terrorism a five-year felony as part of an agreement negotiated with prosecutors on Wednesday. The case is being prosecuted by staff attorneys with the Michigan Attorney General's office. Higgins appeared remotely at the hearing, and acknowledged in court he was one of the drivers during a Sept. 12, 2020, nighttime surveillance of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's Antrim County vacation home and that he used his pickup truck's dashcam in an attempt to provide assistance to the plot. Higgins said, at that time, he did not know the names "Adam Fox," or "Barry Croft Jr." They were two key players in the plot who have since been found guilty in federal court, but Higgins said he knew of the plot and he knows their names now. "Would you agree that the plot to kidnap Governor Whitmer would qualify as a violent felony?" 13th Circuit Court Judge Charles Hamlyn asked Higgins. "And by that I mean it had the attempted use of physical force against an individual, that being Governor Whitmer, do you agree with that?" "I would agree," Higgins said. "Would you agree that would be dangerous to human life?" the judge asked. "I do," Higgins said. Higgins was among five men who were charged in Antrim County and scheduled to stand trial together in August. The others are: Shawn Fix, Eric Molitor and twin brothers Michael Null and William Null, who each face a single charge of providing material support for an act of terrorism and possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony. Story continues Fourteen people have so far been charged by state and federal prosecutors in three different courts. The U.S. Justice Department previously secured convictions against four men in federal court, including Croft Jr. and Fox. A jury found two other men, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta, not guilty of conspiracy. State charges were previously filed against three men in Jackson County and, in October, Paul Bellar, Joseph Morrison and Pete Musico were found guilty of providing material support for an act of terrorism and gang membership. Evidence so far presented in court shows the men shared anti-government sentiments and believed the kidnapping could be a catalyst for desired civil unrest in advance of the 2020 presidential election. Prosecutors with the Michigan Attorney General's office have said in court that thousands of hours of the men's phone and in-person conversations were recorded by undercover FBI agents and social media and text messages also were intercepted or obtained via search warrant, previous to arrests by law enforcement. Defense attorneys for some of the men who were previously convicted have accused law enforcement of entrapment, stating that their clients were big talkers with neither the resources nor the capability of carrying out such a plot. Higgins has the option of withdrawing his guilty plea if, at sentencing, Judge Hamlyn exceeds state sentencing guidelines. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled, Hamlyn said, and will likely take place during the trial in order for Higgins' testimony to be factored in to the judge's decision. Attorney Michael Naughton, who represents Higgins, declined to comment as did William Rollstin, who was in court on behalf of the state Attorney General's office. Higgins is currently out on bond and his bond was continued Wednesday. Iowa lawmakers have approved a massive plan to reshape and consolidate state government in an effort to change the way services are offered to Iowans. Senate File 514 shrinks the number of cabinet-level government agencies from 37 to 16 and gives Gov. Kim Reynolds more power over the appointment, firing and salary of top-level state employees. "This is a bill that is necessary. Its time," said Rep. Jane Bloomingdale, R-Northwood, the bill's floor manager. "Were going to streamline state government. Were going to save taxpayer dollars. Were going to create efficiencies. And with all of that, we are going to better serve all of Iowans." The Iowa House voted 58-39 Wednesday to pass the 1,512-page bill after about 3 hours of debate, sending it to Reynolds for her signature. The Senate passed the legislation last week. More:Senate passes Kim Reynolds' bill to overhaul Iowa agencies. Which will lose positions? Gov. Kim Reynolds has called for realigning state government Reynolds, a Republican, has made the legislation a priority this year. Last August, she used $994,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to hire a consultant, Guidehouse LLP, to write a report recommending how to reorganize the government. She then used part of her high-profile Condition of the State address in January to call for the changes before introducing the text of the legislation last month. Rep. Jane Bloomingdale, R-Northwood, speaks in favor of a 1,500-page bill to reorganize Iowa's state government in the Iowa House on Wednesday, March 15, 2023. Reynolds praised the House for passing the bill, saying in a statement that it puts Iowa in the best position to thrive. "For decades, Iowans have seen state government grow beyond its means," Reynolds said in the statement. "Today, the Iowa House joined me and the Iowa Senate to declare an end to bloated bureaucracy. We are making government smaller, more efficient and more effective." More:Does Kim Reynolds' plan to reshape Iowa government give her too much power? We break it down Democrats say consolidation bill gives the governor too much power Democrats were united in their opposition to the legislation, saying the bill reshuffles state government to give Reynolds too much power and removes legislative checks on the executive branch. Five Republican representatives also joined them in voting no. Story continues "We will have a Democratic governor sooner than some folks in this room think," said House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, adding that she didn't think Republicans would like many of the changes if a Democrat was in charge. Democrats also said the way some state departments are reorganized would make it more difficult to deliver services to Iowans. They unsuccessfully offered 17 amendments Wednesday intended to preserve the structure or independence of certain state agencies, protect the benefits earned by state employees and provide more legislative oversight. More:Kim Reynolds' 1,500-page bill would overhaul Iowa state government. Here's how it would work "We are here to provide oversight," said Rep. Amy Nielsen, D-North Liberty. "We are one part of a three-branch government, and its really disappointing to see the capitulation of all of our power to the governors office." Republicans ultimately passed the bill largely as Reynolds originally proposed it, with few changes. One amendment that Republicans did pass in committee changed the bill to require legislative approval for any move to close the Iowa School for the Deaf and protected the public retirement benefits of employees of the state's community-based corrections programs. Services for Iowans with disabilities will be affected Democrats said moving vocational rehabilitation services for Iowans with disabilities from the Department of Education to Iowa Workforce Development would have negative effects. Rep. Josh Turek, D-Council Bluffs, said the move could affect federal funding since at the national level the program is structured under the U.S. Department of Education. Vocational rehabilitation services work with people with disabilities in school settings, beginning in ninth grade, to prepare them for college and the workforce. "This bill will critically reduce funding, reduce resources, reduce staff and inhibit the agencys ability to provide services to disabled individuals," said Turek, who uses a wheelchair. Bloomingdale said by moving the program to Iowa Workforce Development, "we make it a one-stop shop for all workforce programs." "And thats our goal right now is to reduce the duplication of efforts," she said. "I do believe that our Department of Education and Workforce Department will work together." Democrats also read emails and letters from visually impaired Iowans asking the Legislature to maintain the current structure of the Iowa Department of the Blind. The bill would allow the governor to appoint the department's director, who would serve at the pleasure of the governor. Currently, the director is appointed by the three-member Commission for the Blind, who in turn are appointed by the governor. "I cannot fathom why we are not listening to Iowans on this particular issue," Nielsen said. "They have the expertise here, not us. And they want us to leave the Department of the Blind as is." Director Emily Wharton, who is blind, told lawmakers at a subcommittee meeting that she believes she's unlikely to keep her job if the bill passes, but Bloomingdale said there would not be any changes at the department. "The governors staff has committed to me that she will rehire or hire Director Wharton as soon as this bill becomes effective," Bloomingdale said. "So there will be no change." Iowa attorney general will gain new powers under consolidation bill The bill changes the code to say explicitly that the Iowa attorney general may prosecute cases around the state without receiving a request to do so from a county attorney. It will also give the attorney generals office exclusive jurisdiction to prosecute election-related cases. And it will move Iowa's Office of the Consumer Advocate, which represents Iowans in disputes over utility rate increases, under the attorney general's department. Democrats argued the changes are a way to give more power to Republican Attorney General Brenna Bird, who was elected in November. "Allowing the state attorney general to override the discretion of locally elected county attorneys makes state government bigger," said Rep. Adam Zabner, D-Iowa City. "This is Des Moines telling your county what to do." Bird's office and other Republicans have said Iowa law already allows the attorney general to prosecute any offense in which the state has an interest. "I do believe that this is simply clarifying language that is currently written in code," Bloomingdale said. How many state positions could be eliminated? Reynolds and Republicans have said the mergers will happen without laying off any state employees. Reynolds' office estimates the bill would eliminate 513 state government positions that are currently vacant, resulting in $18 million less being spent on personnel this year. Of that reduction, $3 million would be from the state's general fund. Reynolds' office estimates the bill will result in a total spending reduction of $214 million over four years. Gov. Kim Reynolds' bill to reorganize state government is pictured in the Iowa House on Wednesday, March 15, 2023. The 1,500-page bill fills two binders. Democrats said they were concerned some of the savings could come by privatizing state services. One of their amendments Wednesday would have required two-thirds legislative approval before privatizing a state agency. The amendment was ruled not germane to the bill. The state's nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency estimates 214 full-time equivalent positions will be eliminated by the bill. The agency's analysis said some state departments have not indicated whether the positions to be eliminated are filled or unfilled. The agency estimates eliminating those positions would result in $12.4 million less in spending, of which $6.4 million would be from the state's general fund, while $5.8 million would come from federal funds and $196,000 from other funds. More:This Iowa agency is the blueprint for Kim Reynolds' consolidation plan. How has it worked? Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa House passes Kim Reynolds' massive bill to overhaul government The Las Cruces Public School Board of Education calls on next speaker during public comment at the Las Cruces Public School board meeting on Tuesday, May 17, 2022. LAS CRUCES The Las Cruces Public Schools Board of Education is now accepting applications to fill the seat vacated by Ray Jaramillo last week. Jaramillo submitted his resignation to the board Wednesday evening, March 8, effective immediately. He attributed his decision to responsibilities with the preschool Alpha School for Young Children as well as recent family health issues. He served LCPS District 1 since his election in 2017. On Monday, March 13, the board met in a special session to discuss and approve the process for filling the empty seat. The vacancy must be filled by April 23, 2023, by law 45 days following the vacancy or a qualified person will be appointed by the New Mexico Public Education Department. Applying to become an LCPS Board of Education member Those interested in applying must be a registered voter, at least 18 years of age and reside within District 1. This district currently encompasses Alameda, Booker T. Washington, Jornada and Loma Heights Elementary Schools, Picacho and Sierra Middle Schools and Mayfield High. Applicants must provide a letter of interest, a copy of their voter registration information from the New Mexico Secretary of State Voter Services site https://voterportal.servis.sos.state.nm.us/WhereToVote.aspx and a notarized declaration of interest to the board by 5 p.m. April 12. Packet materials can be hand delivered to Sherley OBrien at Las Cruces Public Schools, 505 S. Main Street, Suite 249, or emailed to OBrien at sobrien@lcps.net. The board will then meet at 1 p.m. April 19 at the Dr. Karen M. Trujillo Administration Complex to conduct candidate interviews in open session. The chosen person will be sworn in before April 23. The person chosen to represent District 1 will remain in the position through the end of the year. Regular elections for school board members take place in November and those elected will be sworn into office in January 2024 People can direct questions about board member duties and qualifications to board president Teresa Tenorio at ttenorio@lcps.net. Other information is available in the New Mexico School Board Candidate Manual and School Board Member Handbook online www.nmsba.org. Story continues View the application form below: Others are reading: Leah Romero is the trending reporter at the Las Cruces Sun-News and can be reached at 575-418-3442, LRomero@lcsun-news.com or @rromero_leah on Twitter. This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: LCPS Board of Education accepting applications for vacant seat A Corbin man pleaded guilty Thursday to killing his pregnant girlfriend in an effort to stop her from telling federal authorities about a methamphetamine trafficking operation he was involved in. On Thursday afternoon, Daniel Scott Nantz accepted a plea agreement for a charge of murdering a federal witness, four years to the day after he killed her. Nantz initially faced additional charges of kidnapping, conspiracy to distribute meth, possessing a gun in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime and possessing a gun as a person convicted of domestic violence. The four charges were dismissed as part of the plea deal. Nantz faces a sentence of life imprisonment. Nantzs defense drafted the plea agreement offer and made it to the government, U.S. Assistant District Attorney Jenna Reed said in court. No plea offers were given to the defendant by the prosecution, who was prepared to take the case to trial in May. Nantz was indicted in March 2019 and again in July 2019. The second indictment added a murder charge for the death of his girlfriend, Geri D. Johnson, a 29-year-old Williamsburg resident, according to court records. She was pregnant when Nantz shot her in the neck and right shoulder. On March 16, 2019, Nantz dropped Johnson off at a Corbin hospital and left, according to previous court testimony. He told 911 dispatchers Johnson had tried to kill herself. Johnson died at the hospital. Doctors were able to deliver her baby girl, Amelia Jo, who died three days later at University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital. Authorities arrested Nantz the same day on a charge of conspiring to sell methamphetamine in Whitley County and elsewhere, indicating he had been under investigation before the homicide. Johnson was a co-conspirator in the meth-trafficking, a federal indictment charged. She had implicated Nantz in meth trafficking, according to testimony from Todd E. Tremaine, a special agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Fireams and Explosives who investigated. Story continues Nantz shot and killed Johnson to keep her from speaking with law enforcement. The federal government filed a notice of intent in May 2020 to seek the death penalty for Nantz, according to court records. A prosecutor withdrew the notice on Dec. 1, 2022, after the Eastern District of Kentucky was ordered to withdraw the notice. Attorneys for Nantz had attacked the death penalty on a number of grounds, including that it violates the U.S. Constitution and that it is applied disproportionately to people charged with murdering white women. Nantz is scheduled to be sentenced at 10:30 a.m. July 17. A national mattress company will establish a distribution center in Lexington County. Mattress Warehouse will open a distribution center at 803 Industrial Park in West Columbia, according to a release from S.C. Gov. Henry McMasters office. The distribution center will bring 108 new jobs with it and is expected to be open by early 2024. Mattress Warehouse sells mattresses and other sleep products across the nation. It sells Tempur-Pedic, Sealy, Serta, Beautyrest, Purple, Casper and other mattresses, as well as pillows, sheets, bed frames and other accessories. The Lexington County facility will be its first distribution center in South Carolina. Mattress Warehouse is very excited to be part of Lexington County as we continue to grow into South Carolina, company CEO Bill Papettas said in a statement. This is an important part of our growth strategy and we look forward to serving the communities in South Carolina through the addition of employment opportunities as well as improving the lives of our guests through quality sleep. Those interested in working for Mattress Warehouse can visit mattresswarehouse.com/pages/careers. McMaster said in a statement that the 108 new jobs will make a big difference in the Lexington County community. Lexington County Councilwoman Beth Carrigg also lauded the announcement. The jobs created as a part of this project will be a welcomed addition to our diversified inventory, and we look forward to the companys success in Lexington County, Carrigg said in a statement. The New Mexico Senate chamber inside the New Mexico State Capitol on Friday, March 3, 2023, in Santa Fe, N.M. SANTA FE - New Mexico legislators rejected a proposal Tuesday to prohibit state and local government agencies from contracting with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain immigrants as they seek asylum in the U.S. The bill failed on a 17-21 vote of the state Senate. It also would have phased out local government participation in three-way agreements with private detention facilities and federal authorities. The bill held implications for three privately operated detention facilities in New Mexico and would have effectively ended migrant detention in early 2025 at the privately operated Otero County Processing Center at Chaparral in southern New Mexico on the outskirts of El Paso, Texas. Legislatures in Colorado and New York are considering similar bills that would restrict local government contracts with federal immigration authorities or with private contractors through intergovernmental service agreements. Proponents of the New Mexico bill highlighted reports of prison-like discipline, poor sanitation and suicide attempts at immigrant detention facilities, urging lawmakers to take action on humanitarian grounds. "We're talking here about those immigrants who've come into the country in accordance with our laws and applied for asylum," said Democratic Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino of Albuquerque, cosponsor of the bill. "We found that many of them ... are being detained under conditions that are far from adequate." During debate, Republican senators downplayed the severity of living conditions at the Otero County migrant detention center run by Utah-based Management & Training Corporation and said that terminating the government contract there would deliver a serious financial blow to the community. Republican state Sen. Ron Griggs, whose district includes the Otero County Processing Center, said Otero County borrowed money to build the migrant processing and detention center in 2007, hoping to eventually pay off bonds and create an enduring source of revenue to support public services. Story continues He called the bill a "direct attack on facilities in some of our poorer rural areas." The Otero County Processing Center typically holds about 600 male and female migrants. Five Democratic senators joined with Republicans to defeat the bill. Four other Democratic senators were excused or absent from the vote. Griggs also argued that a local detention ban in New Mexico wouldn't necessarily improve conditions for migrants who wind up at detention centers in other states awaiting asylum proceedings. Jazmin Irazoqui-Ruiz, senior attorney with New Mexico Immigration Law Center, disputed that and said migrants might be released out of cost considerations to live temporarily with relatives or other sponsors, or find themselves transferred to states such as Colorado that take a different approach by underwriting legal representation for indigent immigrants. In recent years, California, Illinois and New Jersey have enacted legislation aimed at reining in migrant detention centers within their territory. Morgan Lee is a reporter for the Associated Press. Others are reading: This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: New Mexico Legislature rejects ban in immigration detention Florida is bracing for a massive, smelly load of seaweed to wash upon its shores. The brown seaweed is expected to start piling up in the Florida Keys in the next few days, with Miami Beach slated to become a hot spot later in the sargassum season, which runs from March through October. It tends to have a nasty, rotten egg smell and can sometimes cause health problems for people with chronic respiratory conditions. Heres what to know: Why does seaweed smell so bad? The brown seaweed that washes up on Florida beaches is known as Sargassum. Once it washes ashore, the seaweed starts to rot and releases hydrogen sulfide gas, which smells like nasty, rotten eggs. What type of health problems can hydrogen sulfide cause? The gas seaweed releases when it rots hydrogen sulfide can irritate your eyes, nose and throat. Tiny sea creatures living in the seaweed, like jellyfish and sea lice, can also cause skin rashes and blisters. If you have asthma or other respiratory illnesses, you will be more sensitive to hydrogen sulfide. You may have trouble breathing after you inhale it, according to the Florida Department of Health in Monroe County. People who are exposed to hydrogen sulfide for long period of times in an enclosed space, like workers in wastewater treatment industries, can get ill and experience various symptoms such as dizziness, headache, an upset stomach and apnea, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Seagulls sit in the sand as Monica Madrigal finds her way to the ocean through a thick raft of Sargassum seaweed that washed up on the seashore by the 71st Street area in Miami Beach on Tuesday, July 28, 2020. However, hydrogen sulfide levels in an area like the beach, where large amounts of air flow can dilute levels, is not expected to harm health, according to Monroes health department. Theres also no indication the gas causes cancer in humans. Health officials in the Keys are recommending people who live near the beach keep their windows and doors closed. Theyre also recommending anyone with asthma or other respiratory problems stay away or reduce their time at the beach if there is seaweed. If you dont want to risk getting stung by an animal living in the seaweed, dont touch it and stay away. Story continues And before you think about taking some seaweed home to cook with it, think again. The health department said its not a good idea because sargassum might contain large amounts of heavy metals like arsenic and cadmium. And remember, if youre having severe trouble breathing, call 911. What are the seaweed hot spots in Miami-Dade? Some Florida beaches might have more seaweed than others. And while its possible Florida might see a record bloom of seaweed this season, it doesnt mean all of the beaches will be full of stinky seaweed every week through October. The sargassum will show up on the beaches in clumps when the tide is high and the wind is blowing from east to west, pushing the seaweed toward shore. Miami-Dade County has identified four seaweed hot spots on local beaches: beaches in Haulover just north of Haulover Cut; beaches in Bal Harbour just south of Haulover Cut; Miami Beach between 26th Street and 31st Street; and the beaches alongside South Pointe jetty. Miami Herald staff writer Nicolas Rivero contributed to this report. Michigan Democrats moved one step closer Thursday to putting in place new gun safety measures after Senate lawmakers advanced a trio of proposals to expand background checks as well as establish gun storage requirements and a new "red flag" law. The votes came about a month after a gunman went on a deadly rampage on the Michigan State University campus. Michigan Senate Democrats passed gun safety measures that previously stalled in Lansing the last time a mass school shooting at Oxford High School rattled the state. The legislation taken up Thursday would subject all those purchasing firearms to a background check, allow law enforcement officers and family members to petition a court to temporarily take away guns from those deemed dangerous and establish penalties for those who fail to keep their guns out of the hands of children. State Sen. Rosemary Bayer, D- Beverly Hills, who leads the Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention Caucus, called the votes on the bills the most important ones lawmakers will ever take and said they had the Michigan public on their side. "Today, today we are finally going to do what the people of Michigan are overwhelmingly demanding that we do," she said ahead of the votes. The Democratic-led bills passed on party-line votes with the exception of a pair of bills to temporarily exempt firearm safety devices from sales and use taxes which had the support of two GOP lawmakers: state Sens. Mark Huizenga, R-Walker, and Michael Webber, R-Rochester Hills. Republicans said that they want to see better enforcement of laws currently on the books instead of passing new gun laws. They noted that the MSU shooting suspect was charged with a crime that would have likely precluded future legal gun ownership before he and prosecutors agreed to a deal on a lesser charge. "Could these bills have stopped the MSU shooter? No, they couldn't," said state Sen. Joe Bellino, R-Monroe. Former congresswoman Gabby Giffords attended the Senate session Thursday, a day after she appeared alongside Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to champion gun safety legislation. Story continues Saylor Reinders, a sophomore MSU who serves as president of MSU Students Demand Action, advocated for gun safety measures before the shooting on her own campus left three students dead and five injured. "I never thought it would happen at my school, but once I got the email that there were shots on campus, I realized I'd been preparing for this my whole life," she said. Before the votes Thursday, she called passing the legislation a first step. More:Michigan Legislature opens debate on gun safety bills following MSU shooting More:House votes to expand background checks on gun sales Universal background checks While federal law currently requires background checks for gun sales by licensed dealers, Michigan law only requires first obtaining a license for purchasing pistols from private sellers. Senate Bill 76 would expand state law to cover all firearms. Background checks "keep guns out of the hands of individuals who should not have them," said bill sponsor Sen. Kevin Hertel, D-St. Clair Shores. The state House passed similar legislation last week on a party-line vote. The two chambers will have to agree on which version to send to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for her signature. Safe storage requirements Another bill would establish penalties if a minor gets their hands on a firearm because a gun owner failed to store and secure it. For instance, if a minor obtains an unsecure firearm and uses it to kill someone, the individual who failed to store the firearm to prevent the killing would be guilty of a felony punishable up to 15 years imprisonment and/or a $7,500 fine. Extreme risk protection orders Senate Democrats also approved legislation that would allow family members, mental health professionals, law enforcement officers and others to petition a court to bar someone from possessing or purchasing a firearm if they pose a risk of hurting themselves or others. State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, said her bill by allowing extreme risk protection orders in Michigan will help save lives. The safe storage requirement and extreme risk protection legislation head to the state House next where lawmakers could take up the Senate bills or similar bills Democrats in the lower chamber have introduced. Clara Hendrickson fact-checks Michigan issues and politics as a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support her work at bit.ly/freepRFA. Contact her at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on Twitter @clarajanehen. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan Senate OK's gun safety proposals on background checks, more As the debate over abortion rights has dominated state and national politics, Mark Lee Dickson, a pastor from Texas, has been helping towns and cities draft sanctuary city for the unborn ordinances. This is his first time hes been involved in Colorado, where abortions are protected under state law. He told the Chieftain that people in other Colorado towns have also reached out to him, but the ordinance in Pueblo appears to be the first that has been introduced. Previous coverage:Anti-abortion ordinance passes first reading at Pueblo City Council Some of Dickson's recent efforts have come in Hobbs, New Mexico, a town close to the border of Texas that recently passed an anti-abortion ordinance amid rumors of a clinic opening in the town. Abortion is legal in New Mexico. Hes also helped with a proposed ordinance in Odessa, Texas, that would prohibit aiding and abetting someone seeking an abortion. Abortionists in Colorado, New Mexico, can't perform abortions on Odessa residents: we'll bring them into Texas courts, Dickson said. Although the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the legal precedent protecting abortions in June, Dickson continues to travel around the U.S. to help craft ordinances that effectively ban abortions. Pastors led a prayer circle before the Pueblo city council meeting on Nov. 28. Quin Friberg, center left, was one of the people to speak against a proposed abortion clinic during public comment. Mark Lee Dickson, facing away from the camera wearing a black cap, is an anti-abortion activist from Texas who has been involved with dozens of municipal abortion bans and the Texas law banning abortions at 6 weeks. Since near-total bans have been passed in some Republican-controlled states, some women needing other reproductive healthcare have reported having difficulty accessing the care they need. According to Dicksons Wikipedia page, he identifies as a 36 year old virgin and attended the insurrection in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, but claims he did not enter the U.S. Capitol. Pueblo County has voted with the rest of Colorado in rejecting multiple anti-abortion ballot questions over the past two decades, most recently a 22-week abortion ban in 2020. Dickson claimed that people were misinformed and said that voter fraud exists in Colorado. City councilmember Regina Maestri introduced the ordinance in Pueblo, which council narrowly approved on first reading Nov. 28. The Pueblo ordinance cites a federal law from 1873 that prohibits sending abortion-related materials through the mail. Story continues Maestri said that local church groups reached out and connected her with Dickson. He helped write an ordinance that attempts to skirt Colorados Reproductive Health Equity Act (RHEA), a law state legislators passed just before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 50-year precedent of a constitutional right to abortions in the Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization decision in June. We have we have no reason to believe this wouldn't work and we're not afraid of RHEA ... Federal laws trump state statutes, Dickson said. The enforcement mechanism for the proposed ordinance is similar to the six-week abortion ban Texas passed in 2021, which Dickson also helped to pass. If Pueblo City Council votes to pass the ordinance, private citizens could sue abortion providers for at least $100,000. Over 60 towns and cities, many in Texas, have passed anti-abortion ordinances with Dicksons help, he said. The majority are towns smaller than 10,000 inhabitants the smallest town that has passed one of these ordinances is Impact, Texas, home to 20 residents but hes also helped pass ordinances in towns with more than 100,000 residents, including Lubbock, Texas. Dickson said that he first became aware of the Pueblo clinic because of his work collecting signatures for an anti-abortion vote in Bellevue, Nebraska, an Omaha suburb. Bellevue is home to a branch of the Clinics for Abortion and Reproductive Excellence, the same organization that is planning to open in Pueblo. Previous coverage:Abortion clinic coming to Pueblo expects high volume of local and out-of-state patients Although his activism started in Texas, Dickson has also helped passed anti-abortion ordinances in Nebraska, Ohio, Louisiana and New Mexico. After he traveled to Pueblo on Nov. 28, Dickson said he was going to New Mexico, Minnesota and Nebraska later in the week. "There's not one city in America that I wouldn't look at. The majority of cities in America don't want abortions," Dickson said. City council is scheduled to vote on the ordinance Dec. 12. Anna Lynn Winfrey covers politics for the Pueblo Chieftain. She can be reached at awinfrey@gannett.com or on Twitter, @annalynnfrey. This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: National anti-abortion activist helped craft ordinance in Pueblo KENNEBUNK, Maine Kennebunk police officer Lorenzo Bacchi recently got a call from a woman whose dog had gotten loose and run away. I love animals, Bacchi said. I was eager to help her find it and catch it. I work overnights, so I made it my mission. Bacchi searched through the dark of night for the wandering pet, treating the assignment as a project, embracing it as something fulfilling that I could work on. Officers Lorenzo Bacchi, left, and Kristin Kirby are new arrivals at the Kennebunk Police Department. Both hail from the same hometown in New York and both previously served with the New York Police Department. The canine proved elusive during Bacchis shift, but, thankfully, eventually was located and returned to its owner. Sounds routine, right? Not if youre Bacchi or his fellow officer Kristin Kirby, both of whom have joined the Kennebunk Police Department in recent months after serving at the New York Police Department in recent years. A case of a runaway dog? At NYPD, it wouldnt be a call, Bacchi said. You wouldnt be invested in it. Bacchi started with the KPD back in November, after a brief time with the South Portland Police Department, according to town documents. Kirby is even newer at the department. She started there in February. And she, too, savors the change of pace. Kirby said she recently helped when a youth had run away and appreciated being able to see the matter through. Usually, we would just take the paperwork, and thats that, Kirby said, referring to her NYPD days. We wouldnt really find out what happened to them, when they were reunited or not. Here in Kennebunk, though? I did get to see that, which was definitely a lot different, Kirby said. Both Kirby and Bacchi said they often would get multiple calls for help elsewhere as they were already at a scene, answering one. As they tried to resolve the issue in front of them, a handful more would be waiting for them when they were finished. Not so in Kennebunk. You have a lot more time to fully handle a situation, and not just quickly go to the next thing, Kirby said. You really have to invest your time and energy into helping a person with whatever they call for, or whatever the situation may be. In the city, you dont have time for that. Story continues Bacchi and Kirby have more in common than their respective eight and seven years of service at the NYPD. Theyre both from the same hometown, West Islip, on Long Island, and both graduated from the same high school. They discovered their high school connection only recently, as Bacchi graduated in 2006, two years ahead of Kirby. New shop in Kennebunk has a mission: Help customers 'tread lightly on the Earth' Meet Kennebunk police officer Lorenzo Bacchi While at NYPD, Bacchi served with the Emergency Services Unit (ESU) after graduating from the NYPD ESU Specialized Training School, according to town documents. He also held an emergency medical technician license through the state of New York and was a volunteer firefighter from 2005 through 2011 for the fire department in West Islip. Bacchi is also a veteran of the Marine Corps and served in Afghanistan and Iraq. He said he is the first police officer in his family. He said he made friends and received a lot of training and experience during his years at the NYPD, but the long daily commute and other quality-of-life factors had him looking for something different and new. New keeper of Waldo Emerson Inn:'We're here to have a good time' Meet Kennebunk police officer Kristin Kirby Kirby said she hails from a family of police officers. She said she made friends and had some interesting, exciting moments during her years with the NYPD, but in time wanted something different. I was just looking to slow down a little bit, she said. During her time at NYPD, Kirby served in the 111th Precinct in Bayside Queens, where she was named Officer of the Month three times, according to town documents. She served as the precincts youth coordinating officer, and she has been trained in counterterrorism, active-shooter response, and crisis intervention. She holds an associates degree from Suffolk County Community College in applied science and a bachelors degree in fine arts and photography from the Fashion Institute of Technology. The Front Porch in Ogunquit:New kitchen, rooftop bar with ocean views, and more planned Duo happy to trade big city for Vacationland Both officers love Maine and had visited the state before moving here. Bacchi started visiting Vacationland in 2018. Its just so nice and pleasant and pristine, he said. It was the lake life that really sold me. Kirby said she had visited Maine many times throughout her life before calling it her new home. She rented homes on some occasions and made sure to hike and enjoy nature. I definitely fell in love with Maine, she said. And, as with Maine, both officers are enjoying being a part of Kennebunk and its police department. I couldnt be happier, she said. Bacchi agreed. I dont work a day in my life, he said. A lot of the reason people want to become cops is to help people. Here, you get to follow up and invest and be compassionate with the work. Its rewarding. Its very rewarding. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Former NYC officers now protecting, serving Kennebunk, Maine By Azernews By Yusif Abbaszade Armenia continues to be guided by double standards and seeks compromises on issues that relate to Azebaijan's state independence and sovereignty. Rejecting the winner's proposal to hammer out a peace deal to secure lasting peace in the region and mutual recognition of each other's territorial integrity, Armenia remains a major source of instability and threatens to push the region into another bloody conflict. On the other hand, with its status of a defeated state, Armenia does not give up behaving pompously, pretending to be dominant, daring to dictate its terms on Azerbaijan, which seems completely ridiculous and absurd amid the political realities dominant in the region. Dissatisfied with the present-day state of affairs in the region and avoiding Baku's feasible peace proposal, Armenia is taking steps that run against logic and obstructs Karabakh's ethnic Armenians from rapprochement with Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan's invitation to leaders of ethnic Armenians in Karabakh for the second meeting in Baku was turned down by the separatists under pressure from Yerevan. The core of Baku's move is to overcome problems and discuss political, economic, social, and pertaining issues to complete the separatist region's re-integration into Azerbaijan. However, the refusal of Baku's invitation deprives the separatist part of Karabakh of the influx of investment minimum and keeps the tension mounting, though it is a day's work for the Azerbaijani military forces to disarm the remnants of the Armenian army. The first meeting was held in Khojaly a few days ago and looked into issues related to the illicit exploitation of natural resources. Shortly after the meeting, the so-called head of the Armenian community of Karabakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, made a blunt statement in which he repeated that there would never be a return of the inhabitants of the Armenian-populated territory of Karabakh under the control of Russian peacekeeping contingent to Azerbaijan. However, Aratyunyan did not take into account a major aspect of the issue, namely, he is no longer able to resolve issues of strategic realities, and the entire Karabakh clan should be grateful to Azerbaijan for the way they are treated and persistently invited to take into consideration the realities and the balance of forces plus economic might and military prowess. Negotiations can only take place between equal parties, with the participation of international mediators, represented by the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. The format - Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Armenia - was fixed back in 1994, a Karabakh separatist said in response to the invitation of Azerbaijans presidential administration. In this regard, President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly lashed out at the OSCE Minsk Group for the failure to live up to the mandate. Speaking at the meeting of the Council of CIS Heads of State in Astana, the Azerbaijani president stated that the result of the 28-year-long work of the OSCE Minsk Group on the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict was equal to zero. Armenia is simply trying to win time hiding behind international law and using the OSCE Minsk Group as a tool for the manipulation of the process. Such pretense obviously cannot last long and Azerbaijan does not intend to tolerate this circus led by the separatists. The only option that has not yet lost its efficiency in this matter is to resolve the conflict through a peace agreement. All other options that the Karabakh clan considers will not bring any dividends. The idea of finding new allies has simply failed. It will not be possible to continue neglecting the loyalty of Azerbaijan and use it for granted. Sooner or later, the criminal Karabakh clan will have to answer for what they have done to their people. Being a self-sufficient country, Azerbaijan essentially loses nothing, and Armenia, in turn, loses their resources and time. DUBLIN, March 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Brazil Gift Card and Incentive Card Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics (Databook) - Q1 2023 Update" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Research and Markets Logo Gift card market in 2022 was driven a wide range of factors, which supported growth across retail and corporate segments. The primary factors included growth of ecommerce, increased adoption to incentivize employees working remotely, digital gifting, and initiatives undertaken by government, hospitality, and travel industries to revive growth. The Brazilian gift card industry is becoming increasingly competitive as more and more players continue to enter the market. From payment providers to banking institutions and online food delivery platforms, firms are looking to leverage the growing popularity of the payment method to drive their revenue in Brazil. Furthermore, to reach millions of Brazilians, global gift card providers are forging strategic alliances with digital wallet providers to launch gift card marketplaces in the country. Many of the leading brands are also running promotional campaigns using gift cards to drive customer attention and sales in Brazil. The publisher expects these trends to further grow as the country recorded strong growth in the gift card segment over the next three to four years. An increasing number of firms are entering the growing and competitive gift card landscape in Brazil Ever since the global pandemic outbreak, the popularity of gift cards has surged among Brazilians. With the rising usage of gift cards, for both online and offline shopping, more and more players have entered the market. In December 2022, Saque e Pague, a technology-based firm in Brazil, announced its foray into the gift card market as it seeks to drive increased revenue by targeting new sectors. At the point of sale, the firm is allowing Brazilians to buy and recharge their gift cards. The firm's foray into the segment comes after it entered into a strategic collaboration with E-Pay. Initially, Saque e Pague will sell gift cards that can be used at iFood, Rappi, Google, Uber, and Xbox Stores. In November 2022, Banco Itau, the Brazilian banking institution, announced that the firm is foraying into the gift card segment amid the rising popularity of the payment method. Initially, the firm will be selling gift cards from Google Play, Airbnb, iFood, Spotify, Uber, Playstation, and Xbox. Brazilians will have access to these gift cards from Banco Itau mobile application, thereby offering more convenience to consumers in the country. In August 2022, C6 Bank, another banking institution based in Brazil, announced a personalized gift-giving service for its customers in the country. The firm launched a gift card service that customers can use for online services and gaming platforms, including Uber, iFood, Spotify, Xbox, and others. From the short to medium-term perspective, more players are expected to enter the gift card industry in Brazil, as the demand for the payment solution continues to rise among Brazilians. This will drive the competitive landscape in the country, thereby assisting market innovation and growth. Global gift card providers are forging strategic alliances to launch digital gift card marketplaces in Brazil To reach millions of potential customers and to further consolidate their position in the segment, global gift card providers are entering into collaboration with digital wallets in Brazil. For instance, In October 2022, Givex, one of the leading gift card players in the Brazilian market, announced that the firm had entered into a strategic partnership with Cittamobi, the largest public transport app in the country, to launch a gift card marketplace inside the digital wallet service ran by Cittamobi. The collaboration will assist Givex and its clients, such as iFood, to sell gift cards to millions of transit users registered with Cittamobi. These strategic collaborations are expected to further drive the adoption of gift cards among Brazilians from the short to medium-term perspective, thereby assisting the overall industry growth in the region. Big brands are running promotional campaigns by leveraging gift cards popularity in Brazil Many brands turn to gift card-powered promotional campaigns to drive their sales and the trends are no different in Brazil. Global brands are leveraging gift cards' popularity to drive their revenue. For instance, In December 2022, Coca-Cola launched a Christmas promotional campaign to drive the sales of its product. Under the campaign, the firm offered BRL 40 worth of gift card when consumers buy the brand's product at iFood and manages to draw the bottle shape using the audio feature on WhatsApp. Consumers can use the gift card for future purchases at iFood. The publisher expects more brands to run such promotional campaigns using gift cards to drive their revenue and sales. This will further assist the popularity of gift cards as a payment tool among Brazilians from the short to medium-term perspective. Story continues In value terms, the gift card market in Brazil has recorded a CAGR of 10.7% during 2018-2022. According to the publisher, gift card industry in the country is expected to grow by 11.6% on annual basis to reach US$ 6,419.2 million in 2023. The gift card industry in Brazil will continue to grow over the forecast period and is expected to record a CAGR of 10.7% during 2023-2027. Gift card market in the country will increase from US$ 5,754.0 million in 2022 to reach US$ 9,636.2 million by 2027. This report provides a detailed data centric analysis of gift card market, covering market opportunities and risks across a range of retail categories. With over 75 KPIs at country level, this report provides a comprehensive understanding of gift card market dynamics, market size and forecast. Scope Total Spend on Gifts in Brazil By Consumer Segment (Retail and Corporate) By Product Categories (13 Segments) By Retail Sectors (7 Segments) Gift Card Market Size by KPIs across Consumer Segments in Brazil Gross Load Value Transaction Value Unused Value Average Value Per Transaction Transaction Volume Average Value of Card Purchased Number of Cards Gift Card Market Size by Consumer Segment in Brazil Retail Consumer Corporate Consumer (Small Scale, Mid-Tier, Large Enterprise) Digital Gift Card Market Size in Brazil By Retail Consumer By Retail Purchase Occasion By Corporate Consumer By Corporate Purchase Occasion By Company Size Gift Card Market Size by Retail Consumer in Brazil By Functional Attribute By Occasion Festivals & Special Celebration Days Milestone Celebration Self-Use Other Value by Purchase Channel Gift Card Spend by Consumer Behavior and Demographics in Brazil Consumer Purchase Behaviour Gift Card Buyer by Age Group Gift Card Buyer by Income Level Gift Card Buyer by Gender Gift Card Market Size by Corporate Consumer in Brazil By Functional Attribute By Occasion Employee Incentive Sales Incentive Consumer Incentive By Scale of Business Gift Spend by Product Categories (Split by Retail and Corporate Consumers) in Brazil Food & Beverage Health, Wellness & Beauty Apparel, Footwear & Accessories Books & Media Products Consumer Electronics Restaurants & Bars Toys, Kids, and Babies Jewelry Sporting Goods Home & Kitchen Accessories & Appliances Travel Entertainment & Gaming Other Gift Card Spend by Retail Sector (Split by Retail and Corporate Consumers) in Brazil Ecommerce & Department Stores Restaurants & Bars Supermarket, Hypermarket, Convenience Store Entertainment & Gaming Specialty Stores Health & Wellness Travel Gift Card Spend by Distribution Channel (Split by Retail and Corporate Consumers) in Brazil Gift Card Online Sales Gift Card Offline Sales 1st Party Sales 3rd Party Sales Sales Uplift Closed Loop Gift Card Market Share by Key Retailers. Key Retailers Covered Include: Casino Guichard-Perrachon SA Natura Cosmeticos SA Wal-Mart Stores Inc Lojas Americanas SA Adeo Groupe Cencosud SA Magazine Luiza SA Reasons to buy In-depth understanding of gift card and incentive card market dynamics: Understand market opportunity, key trends and drivers along with five-year forecast (2018-2027) for gift cards and incentive cards in Brazil. Develop market specific strategies: Identify growth segments and target specific opportunities across consumer segments and occasions to formulate your gift cards strategy; assess market specific key trends and risks. Get insights into consumer attitude and behaviour in Brazil: Understand changing consumer attitude and behaviour and boost ROI. Get detailed insights into retail spend through gift cards for both retail and corporate consumers. Get complete perspective through six essential KPIs: number of cards in circulation, load value, unused value, average purchase value, average value per transaction, and value of transactions. Distribution channel insights: Understand gift cards sales dynamics by channels - online vs offline and by 1st party vs 3rd party sales. Companies Mentioned Casino Guichard-Perrachon SA Natura Cosmeticos SA Wal-Mart Stores Inc Lojas Americanas SA Adeo Groupe Cencosud SA Magazine Luiza SA For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/1az5zk About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg Cision View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/brazil-gift-card-and-incentive-card-market-intelligence-and-future-growth-dynamics-databook---q1-2023-update-sector-to-reach-9-63-billion-by-2027-at-a-10-7-cagr-301773324.html SOURCE Research and Markets When Brian Laundrie was a child, years before he killed his girlfriend, he enjoyed listening to the books his mother Roberta would read. Among them were "The Runaway Bunny" and "Little Bear." They are essentially stories about returning home and the power of a mother's love. Through the years, Brian and Roberta had a very "open and communicative relationship," though it was starting to fracture at the end of May 2021. Roberta was concerned so she wrote him a letter. For subscribers:Opinion: DeSantis and Corcoran not the only questionable relationship at New College More from Chris Anderson: Opinion: Texts tie Trump to sinking Cyber Ninjas of Sarasota Petito photos:Lawyers release photos of Gabby Petito's injuries, say police ignored abuse This police camera video provided by The Moab (Utah) Police Department shows Brian Laundrie near the entrance to Arches National Park on Aug. 12, 2021. Laundrie strangled his girlfriend, Gabby Petito, later that month and eventually killed himself in Sarasota County. She says she gave it to him just days before he left North Port in a van with his girlfriend, Gabby Petito, on June 2, 2021. Petito was strangled to death in Wyoming in August 2021 by the hands of Brian Laundrie. After the killing, Laundrie returned home to North Port. His remains were eventually found on Oct. 20, 2021 in the Carlton Reserve. His death was ruled a suicide. Roberta Laundrie (left) in comparison to her son Brian Laundrie Found in his backpack was a confession letter, and another letter that said "Burn after Reading" on the cover. That letter was given to him by his mother. In the letter were phrases similar to those found in "The Runaway Bunny" and "Little Bear." The phrases had nothing to do with Gabby Petito's murder or any knowledge Roberta Laundrie had of it, she claimed in an affidavit filed March 1 in Circuit Court in Sarasota. Besides, Roberta Laundrie claimed the letter was written before Brian and Gabby embarked on their trip, even though there was no date on the letter. This is part of Roberta Laundrie's explanation for the letter's contents from a lawsuit filed by Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt, Gabby's parents. It is the first time her thoughts have been expressed publicly. More:Gabby Petito's family to file $50 million wrongful death suit against Utah police Story continues Trial date set:New trial date set in Petito-Laundrie case for May 2024 after attorney added as defendant There's more, as Roberta Laundrie contends that Petito once gave her son a book called "Burn after Writing." The book contains questions that the reader answers. At the end of the book the reader is instructed to write their own book based on the answers and then "Burn after Writing." Brian and Gabby often joked about the book, according to Roberta Laundrie's affidavit. Gabby Petito's parents, Joseph Petito, left, and Nichole Schmidt, center, with their attorney, Patrick Reilly, right, listen to arguments by an attorney for Brian Laundrie's parents, Matthew Luka, as Luka seeks to have a negligence lawsuit dismissed in court in Sarasota County, Florida on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. Petito and Schmidt claim in their lawsuit that the Laundries acted maliciously by not telling them where their daughter was and if she was alive. This, according to Roberta Laundrie, is why it said "Burn after Reading," on the letter. It was another reference to a book. "In short, I was trying to connect with Brian to repair our relationship as he was planning to leave home," she wrote. "I had hoped this letter would remind him how much I loved him. "While I used words that seem to have a connection with Brian's actions and his taking of Gabby's life, I never would have fathomed the events that unfolded months later between Brian and Gabby would reflect the words in my letter." Maybe Roberta Laundrie's explanation for the letter's contents is valid -- who knows? -- but there is one glaring omission. Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie started a cross-country van trip from New York state in 2021. Petito was later found dead from blunt force trauma in Wyoming. Patrick Reilly, the attorney for Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt, has alleged in court documents that Roberta Laundrie offered in the letter to "bring a shovel to help bury the body." Steve Bertolino, the Laundrie family attorney who was given the letter by the FBI and has it in his possession, has denied the claim and accused Reilly of sensationalism. Still, why didn't Roberta Laundrie address bringing "a shovel to help bury the body" in her affidavit? Why didn't she deny it? Or attempt to explain it? Maybe because it's hard to find that particular reference in a children's book. Chris Anderson This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Brian Laundrie's mom avoids troubling accusation in Petito murder case Passover, the Jewish festival of freedom, is a holiday marked by ceremony. Starting with a traditional seder meal, so choreographed it has a script, the celebration provides a moment to reflect on history, and to have a few bowls of matzoh ball soup. Pesach, as it is called in Hebrew, demands that Jews engage with their ancient story, reveling in both the bitter and the sweet. What is Passover or Pesach?: The Jewish holiday explained Meant to honor the Jewish people's Exodus from Egypt and their journey to freedom, Passover for many is a time to gather around the seder table and read off the 'Haggadah' a guide to the dinner which comes in different forms. Some families even make their own. Here's everything you need to know about Passover 2023. When is Passover 2023? Passover this year begins sundown Wednesday, Apr. 5 and ends sundown Thursday, Apr. 13. What night is the seder in 2023? Traditionally, the seder is held on the first two nights of Passover, this year on Apr. 5 and 6. A seder refers to the traditional Passover meal Jews share to mark the holiday. It includes dishes like the 'Hillel sandwich' (charoset spread between two pieces of matzoh) and parsley dipped in salt water to commemorate the tears of the ancestors. What day is the Passover meal eaten? The Passover meal, or the seder, is eaten on the first two nights of the holiday, though you are certainly not precluded from enjoying some Matzoh ball soup throughout the week. What is Pesach?: 6 Seder plates for your next Passover meal A seder, however, requires a formal structure, with the reading of the Haggadah, and the presence of the 'seder plate', a display which includes traditional foods like a shank bone, charoset, and horseradish. What time is Passover 2023? Like many Jewish holidays, the beginning of Passover is marked at sundown. With the setting of the sun on Apr. 5, many jews refrain from eating 'hametz' for the duration of the holiday. Story continues 'Hametz' refers to any leavened food, though different sects and individuals have different rules around what qualifies as kosher for Passover. I miss my parents' Sedar: Laughter, drinking, singing and food Some Jewish people will participate in spring cleaning style ritual to rid their homes of 'Hametz,' clearing pantries and wiping down counters to remove any traces. When is Shavuout 2023? This year Shavuot begins sundown Thursday May 25 and lasts until sundown Saturday May 27. At the close of Passover, the period of Omer begins. It lasts 49 days, ending with the holiday of Shavuot which marks the anniversary of the Torah at arriving at Sinai. How many days is Passover 2023? Passover lasts for eight days beginning sundown on Apr. 5 and lasting through nightfall Apr. 13. What is Passover? Passover, for the Jews, is a festival of freedom, meant to commemorate the Exodus from Egypt. During the holiday many Jewish people will refrain from eating leavened products, honoring a key component of the Passover story: when the Israelites fled Egypt, they had no time for their bread to rise. It is traditional to vicariously relive this moment in history, eating matzoh instead: an unleavened, hard-tack style cracker. What are the Four Questions? The guide books for the the Passover seder known as the Haggadah has a section much beloved by the younger attendants: the Four Questions. During this portion of the dinner, the youngest child present (who can read) is tasked with reciting four quandaries to the larger group. Known in Hebrew as 'Mah Nishtanah,' these questions are: On all other nights, we eat chametz (leavened foods) and matzah. Why on this night, only matzah? On all other nights, we eat all vegetables. Why, on this night, maror (bitter herbs)? On all other nights, we don't dip even once. Why on this night do we dip twice? On all other nights, we eat either sitting upright or reclining. Why on this night do we all recline? In a call and response format, after each question is asked the remaining dinner guests respond, explaining to their younger, less wise counterpart how the traditions came to be. Just Curious? Your everyday questions, answered. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When is Passover 2023? Pesach dates, traditional menu items and more. The Great Salt Lake in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. | Ben B. Braun, Deseret News Water scarcity is our reality but also our opportunity. Scarcity teaches us to place greater value on that which is at risk. This is perhaps why biblical prophets who lived in deserts speak of mountains as symbols of Gods strength and mountain water as a reminder of Gods mercy. Mountain water relies on snowpack and spring runoff. It fills the streams and rivers and aquifers and brings life to our arid and fragile home. No wonder the great faiths speak of water as holy. It renews and sustains all life. Christians are baptized and cleansed by it. Today Latter-day Saints drink water every week as a symbol of their redeemer. Jesus is known as the fountain of living waters. I grew up around water, in Connecticut, where rivers, ponds and streams were abundant. When I moved back to Utah, the state of my birth, in 1998, I knew I would have to do as Wallace Stegner once advised and somehow get over the color green. It took effort and a determination to stop wanting to make the landscape after the images I had in my mind of verdant beauty. In time, as I learned to let the landscape imprint itself on me, I began to perceive and receive the native tonalities and ranges of color of Utahs blossoming deserts that needed no human intervention to render them beautiful. I also began to perceive the ways in which we failed to respect the semi-arid qualities of the Great Basin. I could see that we sometimes built and acted as if we lived in a wetter world than we do. It has taken the dramatic shrinking of the Great Salt Lake and the danger of airborne toxic elements to awaken us to a crisis that has been slowly building since the foundations of modern civilization in the West. We are growing rapidly, and, despite the generous bounty of this winter, we will always be vulnerable to the possibility of diminished spring runoff due to a changing climate. Its simple math: We will have to learn to make do with less water for more people. Related Story continues The recent conversations at the state and municipal levels about water conservation are wonderful, even if overdue. I am a member of the city council in Provo, and we are engaged in robust conversations about how we can play our part in mitigating the effects of this drought. I especially celebrate that my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has generously agreed to donate up to 20,000 acre feet of its water rights to help protect the Great Salt Lake. This is the impressive equivalent it would take to cover the entire city of Lehi in a foot of water, every year. It might seem odd that a church dedicated to things of a heavenly realm would feel such responsibility to an earthly resource like water. However, as Bishop Gerard Causse, presiding bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, so eloquently taught recently, we are stewards of Gods creations. He said: At the end of this mortal existence, the Master will ask us to give an account for our sacred stewardship, including how we have cared for His creations. Surely this includes our stewardship of water, the very source of life for us and our fellow creatures. To take water for granted or to waste it could hardly be described as an adequate response to the mercy it manifests. Like all generous and undeserved gifts, water should be received with the most grateful and determined effort to use it with moderation and in a spirit of generosity for our neighbor. Water doesnt recognize borders or religious or political differences. We fail when we allow our differences to divide our ability to work together to preserve and manage our water resources on behalf of the common good. The threats of drought and climate change need not be met with fear or denial. As Latter-day Saints and other people of faith across the world awaken to our environmental problems, they are learning to face these threats with faith, which includes accepting the responsibility to appreciate, preserve and protect the beauty of Gods bounty. Along with other people of faith and of good will, Latter-day Saints should exercise stewardship of water as one important way to honor Gods Son, the Living Water, and the Creator of this beautiful world. George Handley is a professor at Brigham Young University and member of the Provo City Council. He has written numerous articles and books, including the environmental memoir Home Waters: A Year of Recompenses on the Provo River. Story at a glance Red tide, a toxic algae bloom that occurs naturally in the Gulf of Mexico, is worsened by the presence of nutrients such as nitrogen in the water. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission warns people to not swim in or around red tide waters over the possibility of skin irritation, rashes and burning and sore eyes. A juvenile manatee was found struggling in red tide waters and was rescued by units from several agencies. VENICE, Fla. (WFLA) As red tide continues to impact beaches along Floridas gulf coast, authorities have been rescuing animals caught up in the harmful algal blooms. Over the past weekend, Marine Units with the Venice Police Department Marine Unit, Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Sarasota County Sheriffs Office all assisted in the successful rescue of a juvenile manatee. Credit: Venice Police Department Credit: Venice Police Department Credit: Venice Police Department Credit: Venice Police Department Credit: Venice Police Department Credit: Venice Police Department Credit: Venice Police Department The 700-pound manatee was in distress due to red tide, according to VPD. Marine Officers and biologists had to get in the water and help hold the young manatees head above water so it could breathe until additional personnel arrived. Red tide, a toxic algae bloom that occurs naturally in the Gulf of Mexico, is worsened by the presence of nutrients such as nitrogen in the water. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission warns people to not swim in or around red tide waters over the possibility of skin irritation, rashes and burning and sore eyes. People with asthma or lung disease should avoid beaches affected by the toxic algae. Red tide impacts Tampa Bay beaches as spring break begins Police said a hammock stretcher had to be used in order to get the manatee into a truck. During the rescue mission, residents nearby gave officials access to their property to help save the aquatic mammal. The manatee was taken to SeaWorld Orlando for rehabilitation. Burning eyes and dead fish as red tide flares up on Florida coast If you see any sea life that appears to be in distress, please call your local marine authorities, VPD wrote on Facebook. Story continues The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on Friday reported that it had found red tide in 157 samples along Floridas Gulf Coast, with the strongest concentrations along Pinellas and Sarasota counties. The Associated Press contributed to this report. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The Sonoran Desert is bursting with abundant yellow flowers blooming at the base of saguaro cactuses right now. Catching a glimpse of this seasonal scenic beauty is a huge draw for Arizona residents and visitors who flock to Picacho Peak State Park south of Phoenix this time of year. The park is one of the hottest spots for seeing wildflowers in Arizona, and park rangers have their hands full as long lines of cars greet them at the entrance gates. Picacho Peak is an easy day trip from metro Phoenix. If you plan to brave the crowds and go there, here's what you'll see and what to know before you go. Will there be a superbloom in 2023? Here are the best places to see Arizona wildflowers When can you see wildflowers in Arizona? February and March are when the blooms typically emerge. The number and variety of blooms are expected to be bigger than average this year because of rainy weather statewide last fall and this winter. Picacho Peak State Park is in the "early stages" of a superbloom, when more wildflowers bloom than usual, despite the current chilly temperatures, according to park staff. While the Mexican gold poppies and other blooms are abundant now, more are expected as temperatures warm up. What wildflowers can I see at Picacho Peak State Park? Poppies and lupine are most abundant, according to the park's latest wildflower report. Other desert wildflowers like goldenbush and globemallow are starting to come in now, said Athena Sparks, southern region manager with Arizona State Parks and Trails. "They're all along the entire base of the mountain, so any parking lot you pull into you'll be in the midst of it," she said. "There's no better place than another (to see wildflowers in the park) because every place offers a different perspective of the mountains." Stay on the trails to avoid trampling flowers and other plants, and don't pick the blooms. Leave them for other visitors to enjoy. Story continues Find the blooms:Arizona wildflowers are on their way. These are the blooms you're most likely to spot How crowded is Picacho Peak right now? March traditionally draws the highest number of visitors of any month at Picacho Peak State Park. Spring wildflowers drew 19,188 visitors in March 2022 and 17,961 visitors in March 2021, according to the Arizona Office of Tourism. "You wont have the desert wildflowers all to yourself at Picacho Peak State Park, but you will have a better shot of enjoying some solitude if you go early on a weekday," said Josh Lien, a fine art photographer who recently visited the park, in a tweet. You wont have the desert wildflowers all to yourself at Picacho Peak State Park, but you will have a better shot of enjoying some solitude if you go early on a weekday. Josh Lien (@joshlien27) March 13, 2023 You might have to set your alarm clock to beat the rush, even on a weekday. The park opens at 5 a.m. daily, and those who don't arrive in the early morning can expect a wait to get in. "Between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. we have 30- to 40-minute waits," Sparks said. "We're not that big of a park and we only have single-lane entry." Attendance is lower later in the day, she said. Visit on a weekday if possible. What causes a crested saguaro cactus? Here's everything to know about these gnarled giants How do I get to Picacho Peak from Phoenix? Picacho Peak is about 75 miles south of Phoenix. The most direct route is via Interstate 10; take Exit 219 for Picacho Peak Road. If traveling from the East Valley, an alternate route with less exposure to I-10 is available via State Route 87; travel southbound to Casa Grande, turn right on State Route 187, then turn left on I-10 and take Exit 219 to Picacho Peak Road. Picacho Peak State Park Where: 15520 Picacho Peak Road, Picacho. When: 5 a.m.-10 p.m. daily; trails are open from sunrise to sunset. Admission: $7 per vehicle. Facilities: Visitor center and store, restrooms, campground for tents and RVs, picnic areas with grills, five hiking trails ranging from easy to strenuous. Details: 520-466-3183, https://azstateparks.com/picacho. National parks free days 2023: Grand Canyon and all the other places you can go in Arizona Reach the reporter at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salerno_phx. Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: How to see Arizona's superbloom at Picacho Peak State Park The 4,400-square-foot Greek Revival mansion on Waveland Museum Lane in Lexington has been standing for 175 years. Known as Waveland Historic Site or the Joseph Bryan House, the building is filled with one-of-a-kind historic artifacts, holding important pieces of Kentucky history. Historical interpreter Susan Miller leads tours through the mansion and has also written a book about the property. "Waveland's Treasures," with photography by Bob Willcutt, discusses the history of the estate and grounds, as well as the Bryan family and the formerly enslaved people at Waveland. It also details several of the site's artifacts, which are deeply connected to Kentucky's pioneer history. "There are dozens all over the property, (and they have) great back stories," Miller told The Courier Journal. "We even have an original gravestone panel from Daniel Boones grave." Historic family artifacts The Foyer of Waveland State Historic Site.March 09, 2023 Construction for the 10-room mansion began in 1844 and was completed in 1848. It was built by Joseph Bryan and his wife, Margaret. Their portraits as well as those of other family members are displayed in the family parlor. "His father, Daniel Bryan was the son of Captain William Brian and Mary Boone Bryan, sister of our famous frontiersman, Daniel Boone," Miller said. Home of the Week:'Very customizable.' Kentucky company builds Amish Made Cabins for people around the country The Bryan family bible in the Family Parlor of Waveland State Historic Site.March 09, 2023 Several of the artifacts featured at Waveland have ties to the Bryan or Boone families. The pier mirror in the family parlor, for example, was purchased by Joseph Henry Joseph Bryan and Margaret's son in 1890. In the same room sit two bibles owned by the Bryan family. "The bible in the case is one of three iconic Kentucky artifacts that Waveland owns," Miller said, explaining that the first edition Collins Bible was owned by Mary Boone, and includes 10 pages of family history that she inscribed. "Its open to the page where she recorded the wedding of her and Captain William Brian. (She also included) all their 10 children when they were born. She recorded when they died, too." Story continues History of the enslaved A room in the quarters that housed formerly enslaved persons at the Waveland State Historic Site. March 09, 2023 The structure behind the mansion is a six-room building that served as formerly enslaved persons' quarters. "This was a confederate family," Miller said, "and all the big farms and plantations had slave labor. Slave labor is what made this family wealthy." Its unknown what each room of the quarters was used for, with the exception of the kitchen. "We have a tremendous collection of 18th- and 19th-century cooking equipment," Miller said. Home of the Week'No expense was spared.' Take a look inside this Greek Revival mansion built in the 1800s Though the collection does not necessarily reflect what was in the room when the Bryan family live there, it is an accurate representation of items that were once used to prepare meals long ago. The assemblage includes everything from a pancake griddle and hot water heater to a pie iron and a coffee bean roaster. Upstairs, one of the rooms has been transformed into an educational area with photos, facts, and artifacts relating to the formerly enslaved people. "In 2017, (Dr. Amy Taylor from the University of Kentucky) came and did a lot of research on (Waveland's) enslaved African Americans," Miller said. "We received a huge report, (and about) a year later, three of her grad students and I helped put the exhibit together." A 1860 sewing machine in Joseph and Margaret Bryans bedroom in Waveland State Historic Site. March 09, 2023 The display features the names of the formerly enslaved at Waveland, as well as panels of information covering how they were bought, sold, and eventually freed, as well as what certain aspects of their lives were like while they were at the plantation. Capturing Kentucky life Miller says prior to the property becoming Waveland Historic Site 52 years ago, the mansion and its surrounding 13 acres were slated to become the Kentucky Life Museum. "It was going to be like another Williamsburg or Sturbridge Village," she said. "Dr. Hambleton Tapp was the curator/director, and he put the call out to the Commonwealth of Kentucky for people to send him their family treasures and they did." It is because of Tapp, Miller explains, that Waveland holds so many unique historic pieces. Home of the Week:'The ultimate bachelor pad': Renovated condo boasts stunning Louisville skyline views In addition to the bible in the family parlor, she says, there are two other particularly iconic artifacts in the house. The second is a wooden chair that was purchased by Daniel Boone's father, Squire Boone. "That chair was attached to a packhorse in 1779," Miller said, "(and) it held a little girl: Rebecca Boone Grant. She was 4 years old, and she rode (on that chair) from the Yadkin Valley, through the Cumberland Gap of the Wilderness Road, to Bryan Station." The third iconic artifact is a Bryan family rifle. This rifle was made by Daniel Bryans gun factory that employed 25 people in 1835 is located in the plantation office of the Waveland State Historic Site. March 09, 2023 "Its very artistic," Miller said. "You (can) see the beautiful brass patch box, (and) the curly maple stock." The piece was made in Lexington in 1835 at (Daniel Bryan's) gun factory. "People call Waveland the home of the Bryans," Miller added, "(but) to me, thats not why Waveland is historically significant. Its because of the artifacts that are found in this mansion. (They) will totally blow your mind when you know (their) caliber, and what they are. This place just gets underneath your skin. It's a wonderful museum." Know a house that would make a great Home of the Week? Email writer Lennie Omalza at aloha@lennieomalza.com or Lifestyle Editor Kathryn Gregory at kgregory@gannett.com. nuts & bolts Owner: Kentucky State Parks Home: This is a 10-room, 2-bath, 4,400-square foot, Greek Revival home in Lexington's Southern Fayette County that was built from 1844-1848. Distinctive elements: Two porches on either side; sweeping views of the countryside; spacious foyer; second-floor landing; six rooms open to the public. How to tour Waveland Historic Site WHAT: The 4,400-square-foot Greek Revival mansion on Waveland Museum Lane in Lexington has been standing for 175 years. Known as Waveland Historic Site or the Joseph Bryan House, the building is filled with one-of-a-kind historic artifacts, holding important pieces of Kentucky history. WHEN: Waveland Historic Site will reopen for tours on April 1. Tours will be held at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday; and 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 4 p.m. on Sunday. COST: $15 for adults, $6 for children MORE INFORMATION: Reservations can be made online at parks.ky.gov/lexington/parks/historic/waveland-state-historic-site. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Waveland Historic Site filled with historic Kentucky artifacts US President Joe Biden Julie Su to serve as the Secretary of Labor President Joe Biden and Julie Su at the White House on March 1, 2023, when he announced her nomination be his next Secretary of Labor Credit - Demetrius FreemanThe Washington Post via Getty Images This article is part of The D.C. Brief, TIMEs politics newsletter. Sign up here to get stories like this sent to your inbox. When President Joe Biden introduced his pick to become the next Labor Secretary two weeks ago, the mood in the East Room erupted with such a raucous welcome, the President seemed briefly taken aback. Whoa! I think they like you, he said with a chuckle on March 1 in the East Room of the White House. Im going to close my eyes and pretend you were clapping for me. Now, two weeks later and ahead of Deputy Labor Secretary Julie Sus confirmation hearings to permanently take the top job at Laborone she is now doing on a stopgap basisher reception in Washington has cooled slightly. Her hearings will come on the heels of the Senates tight confirmation on Wednesday of Eric Garcetti to be ambassador to India, almost two years after Biden first nominated him for the post. Garcetti had faced pushback from some Democrats over how he handled alleged sexual harassment and bullying by one of his former senior aides while he was mayor of Los Angeles. Sus headwinds are based firmly in policy, not scandal. While labor unions, immigrant rights groups, and Asian and Pacific Islander communities remain huge fans, the business community she would in part regulate is not. Something of a rock star in the organized labor movement, she has been unflinching in her advocacy for immigrant workers. But the math is undeniably tough for her in a closely divided Senate. True, the Democrats have 48 votes and three independents who typically join them, but two moderate Democrats from red states are likely on the ballot next year and may be more skittish: Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana. Manchin is still a Democrat, although on some votes youd be hard-pressed to know why. Last week, he announced that he would block Bidens nominee to oversee oil and gas leasing at the Interior Department, despite supporting her previously in votes on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that he chairs. Manchin also blocked the nomination of a Federal Communications Commission member, and he tried to derail the confirmation of Bidens pick to lead the Internal Revenue Service. Manchin this month also declined to endorse Bidens looming re-election bid, adding to the D.C. whispers that he could himself make a run for the gig rather than face a tough re-election bid against incumbent Gov. Jim Justice, who says he is still mulling his entry into the Senate race yet this week while putting his family coal empire up for sale. Story continues Sus last vote in the Senate came down to a 50-47 outcome, with three Republicans absent. Manchin voted for her then, but a deputy role is one thing and the top gig is quite another. Julie who? was his response when asked earlier this month about her new nomination. A finicky independent streak that runs through several other Senate offices pose a similar threat. Both Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who left the Democratic Party in December, and Sen. Angus King of Maine, have terms that end next year. Both could hold up a failed Su nomination as evidence of their independence from the Biden White House. Finally, theres no guarantee all 100 Senators will be able to make the vote. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania is undergoing in-patient treatment for depression and Sen. Dianne Feinstein is recovering from a case of shingles at home in California. That leaves Democrats with at best 49 ayes. Biden has already seen his nominee to lead the Labor Departments Wage and Hour Division fail in the face of K Street opposition and three Democratic defections. Two of the three Senators who voted against David Weils bid to lead that part of the department are expected to be on the ballot next year, and no one ever expects Sinema or Manchin to fall in line on testy votes. (The third nay on Weil, Sen. Mark Kelly, survived his re-election bid last year and is safe until 2028.) It was Bidens first failed floor vote on a nomination; other nominees had withdrawn in the face of opposition, and the sting caught both Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer by surprise, given neither Senate pro likes to waste time on a foregone conclusion of an embarrassing vote. So far, the inside game on Su has been far from subtle. The International Franchise Association, which took the drivers seat in K Streets effort to tank Weil, already has singled out Su. The California Business and Industrial Alliance is running ads in the D.C. media market, warning that Su could import Californias failed policies to Washington, D.C. And Flex, a trade group that represents app-based services like Uber and Lyft, has softened its openness to working with Labor after word of Sus nomination got out. And former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, while not opposing Su, had another personformer Rep. Sean Patrick Maloneyin mind for the gig and wasnt exactly coy about it. Neither have Senate Republicans, who think a difficult hearing could hurt Bidens chances of keeping the White House come Jan. 21, 2025. Sus record of enforcing labor laws and expanding them is seen as hostile to some, especially companies like Lyft and Uber that work in the gig economy. In California, Su played a major role in A.B. 5, which classified some gig workers as employees and hampered businesses ability to rely on freelancers. Voters in California approved a follow-up ballot measure that exempted gig employers, and a California court this week upheld it in a victory for the players in the gig economy as well as Big Tech. Other Su critics have seized on time running Californias labor department during the pandemic. The state fund shelled out more than $11 billion in fake unemployment claims, a record Su blamed on a broken system she inherited. Finally, Su was instrumental in averting a rail strike in December. The imposed labor agreement forced 115,000 rail workers to accept a contract with zero sick leave or right to strike. Sus biography was part of the draw for Biden, who has made inclusion and diversity a hallmark of his hiring. At age 26, the daughter of immigrants successfully represented 70 Thai garment workers in a forced sweatshop near Los Angeles where they often worked 18-hour days. That 1995 case made her a national figure, and her time as a top labor regulator in California earned her the ire of the business community. If confirmed, Su would be the first Asian American to hold the title of secretary in his Cabinet, although Asian-American Cabinet-rank officials lead the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Office of U.S. Trade Representative. Vice President Kamala Harris also is of Asian descent and is in the Cabinet. But it remains a big if right now, and nothing is on the Senate calendar to consider her nomination. Make sense of what matters in Washington. Sign up for the D.C. Brief newsletter. A new poll released Thursday found that Republican incumbent Tate Reeves holds a 7% lead over Democrat Brandon Presley in the state's race for governor, with a 4% margin of error. This comes after two consecutive polls showed a race within the margin of error, with each having a different candidate in the lead. The new poll was conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling, a Florida-based pollster that often conducts polls in deep-red states like Mississippi and has garnered an A- ranking from poll aggregator and news outlet FiveThirtyEight. It was commissioned by the Magnolia Tribune and included 625 registered voters who indicated they were likely to vote in November. The poll found that 46% of respondents intend to vote for Reeves and 39% intend to vote for Presley, the Northern District Public Service Commissioner. Fifteen percent of respondents were undecided, leaving an open race to garner their support. Democrat Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley and Republican Gov. Tate Reeves. The poll was broken down into a number of subgroups, including by region. Reeves holds a double-digit lead in North Mississippi, the Pine Belt/Southwest Mississippi and on the Gulf Coast, while Presley holds one in The Delta. The regions where support runs closest to even were Jackson Metro, where Reeves leads by 2%, and East Mississippi, where he leads by 9%. The poll was also broken down by gender and age. Reeves holds a 19% lead over Presley amongst men, while Presley holds one of 3% amongst the state's women. Reeves also leads by 19% amongst Mississippians over the age of 50, while Presley wins those under 50 by 20%. Less than 5% of voters who identified with a political party said they support the other party's candidate. Presley leads amongst independents, 42%-37%. On racial lines, white respondents support Reeves 65% to 23%, while Black respondents picked Presley 69% to 11%. Undecided white respondents sit at 12%, while undecided Black respondents are at 20%. The results of a poll released on March, 16 2023 conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling and commissioned by Magnolia Tribune. Presley continues to face a name recognition gap compared to Reeves. Thirty-seven percent of respondents said they do not recognize Presley's name, compared to just 5% for Reeves. Thirty-nine percent of respondents hold a favorable view of Reeves, while 34% hold an unfavorable view. Twenty-two percent of respondents view Reeves neutrally. For Presley, 20% view him favorably, while only 4% view him unfavorably. Thirty-nine percent of respondents hold a neutral view. Story continues Neither Reeves nor Presley have issued a public response to the latest poll, but Presley's recently appointed communications director noted the low favorable view of the current governor. "The real warning sign from this poll: Tate Reeves has run statewide 5 times and his favorability can't even break 40. Mississippians know Tate and they just don't like him," Michael Beyer said on Twitter. The primaries will take place in August, with the general election coming on Nov. 7. Mississippi is one of three states with off-year gubernatorial elections this year. The other two are Louisiana and Kentucky, both of which are typically red states that currently have Democratic governors. In Louisiana, incumbent Gov. John Bel Edwards is term-limited and a number of Republicans are lining up hoping to flip control. Meanwhile, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear faces a long list of Republicans trying to prevent him from gaining a second term. This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi 2023 Governor Race: latest poll gives Republican lead The family of an American woman who died while on vacation with friends in Mexico has named the woman they say is the prime suspect in her death as they called on President Joe Biden to intervene in the case. Shanquella Robinsons family sent a letter to Mr Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday calling for swift diplomatic intervention by the White House and the US Department of State to prioritise bringing those accountable for Shanquella Robinsons death to justice, civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Sue-Ann Robinson said in a press release. In our letter to President Biden and Secretary Blinken, we clearly stated that one of two things needs to happen: either the US extradites Shanquellas killer to Mexico or the US takes jurisdiction of the case and her killer is prosecuted her, they said. Inaction is not acceptable in this case. Shanquellas family deserves swift justice for her death. In the letter, shared with WCNC Charlotte, the attorneys representing Robinsons family named a 26-year-old woman who was a friend of Robinsons as the suspect currently being sought by Mexican authorities in connection to her death. The 18-page letter also included findings from a recent fact-finding trip to Mexico, autopsy findings and other unreleased documents from authorities. We dont want to leave any room for the administration to say, We dont know about the case, we didnt have the details, we didnt understand what the family ask is, Ms Robinson, who is not related to the victim, told WBTV. Because we need a high level of diplomatic intervention, we sent the correspondence to the highest diplomats in our country. In January, Mexican prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for an unnamed American citizen who they described as the direct aggressor seen in disturbing footage captured prior to Robinsons death. But authorities have so far stopped short of releasing the identity of the woman who is said to be a friend of the victim. Story continues The Independent is not identifying the suspect until officials release the name. Robinson, 25, died back on 29 October one day after she set off on vacation to San Jose del Cabo with a group of six friends. Shanquella Robinson died while on a trip to Mexico in October (Facebook / Shanquella Robinson) Her mother told The Independent in December that the friends told the family that she had died from alcohol poisoning. Days later, the autopsy revealed that Robinson had suffered a severe spinal cord injury and that her neck had been broken 15 minutes before her death. A graphic video also surfaced online capturing Robinson being violently beaten by one of the female friends at the luxury villa where they were all staying. Mexican authorities launched a feminicide investigation into her death a term used by local police to describe the homicide of a woman on account of her gender. But, despite the mysterious circumstances surrounding the 25-year-olds sudden death, the remainder of the group was allowed to return to the US just days after she died. Now, more than four months on from her death, no arrests have been made and none of the friends have been extradited back to the US. Robinsons family members are urging US officials to take action to get justice for her death. After 2 hours of deliberation, the jury in the Somerset District Attorney Jeffrey Thomas trial returned a mixed verdict. On the nine criminal charges the jury found him not guilty of simple assault, aggravated indecent assault and simple assaultbiting. The jury found him guilty of strangulation, committed in conjunction with sexual violence; criminal trespass; unlawful restraint; indecent assaultlack of consent; false imprisonment, and simple assaultstriking. Thomas' wife held him as he cried while the verdict was read. The judge remanded him to Somerset County Jail. His sentencing is preliminarily scheduled for May 16. The accuser received many hugs from the people surrounding her, some in tears. The trial The jury began its deliberation Thursday afternoon. The accuser said Thomas punched her in the face and choked her at least twice during an unwanted sexual and physical assault on the evening of Sept. 18, 2021. The defense team for Jeff Thomas, Eric Jackson Lurie (left) and Ryan Tutera (right), both of Pittsburgh, enter the Somerset County Courthouse Thursday morning. Other side:Amy Thomas testifies for the defense in her husband's sexual assault trial On Thursday morning, the prosecution brought to the stand emergency medical physician Dr. Bruce MacLeod, cited as an expert in trauma and bruising. He practices in western Pennsylvania including Windber. His testimony was to rebut what the defense's expert witness, well-known forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht, of Allegheny County, had said: that in his opinion, the bruises around the accuser's eye and her neck were too superficial to have been made by a fist striking her nose and a hand choking her by her throat more than once. MacLeod testified he believed the bruises could have come from a fist and a hand around her throat. During the seven-day trial, several witnesses testified about seeing the bruises. The woman testified that she received the bruises from Thomas the night of the incident. One side:Witness testifies about night she alleges DA Jeffrey Thomas sexually, physically abused her The defense put several witnesses on the stand who testified that Thomas had a good reputation and was a strong advocate for getting illegal drugs off the streets of Somerset County. Story continues Then the prosecution and the defense provided closing arguments to the jury that tied up what the jurors heard and saw during the seven days at trial. The allegations Thomas, 37, of Windber, was accused of entering an adult acquaintance's home without permission on the evening of Sept. 18, 2021, and remained in the home. Police said he then began to sexually and physically assault the woman. Four days later, charges of sexual assault, indecent aggravated assault, indecent assault, strangulation, simple assault and criminal trespass were brought against Thomas. Unfolding:A look at changes in the Somerset County District Attorney's Office The accuser testified at the trial. Thomas did not, which is his constitutional right. The defense does not have to prove anything. The prosecution must prove that the defendant is guilty of all the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Jury decides mixed verdict in DA Jeffrey Thomas assault case Caira Surgical Corporation Company meeting with potential investors and strategics to finalize $10 million Series A funding round DANA POINT, Calif., March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Caira Surgical, the pioneer in radar surgical tracking for navigated and robotic joint replacement surgery, announced today that Jon Greenwald, Chief Executive Officer, will present at the fourth annual Life Science Intelligence (LSI) USA 23 Emerging Medtech Summit on March 22, 2023, at 11:30 a.m. PT (Track 1) in Dana Point, California. The presentation will highlight Cairas mission to make advanced orthopedic technologies more accessible to surgeons, patients, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and hospitals worldwide by eliminating the adoption barriers inherent in existing technology with the goal of disrupting the $13 billion joint replacement market with Cairas superior, proprietary technology. The company will also introduce investors and strategics to its first product the Caira Radar Navigation System for Total Knee Replacement (TKR). TKR is the largest joint replacement segment by procedural volume, as well as the segment with the highest rate of patient dissatisfaction and the highest revision burden. The Caira TKA Radar Navigation System is the first sub-millimeter accurate radar tracking system for orthopedic surgery and offers significant improvements over the high-cost, large-footprint and invasive surgical hardware offered by incumbent surgical navigation and robotic systems. Using advanced radar surgical tracking and fast landmark registration, the Caira system seamlessly integrates into surgeons workflow, improving accuracy, efficiency and repeatability while simultaneously decreasing cost, complexity and many of the risks associated with legacy technologies. Orthopedic surgeons need advanced technologies that are aligned with the cost, efficiency and patient outcome needs of the rapidly growing global joint replacement market, said Caira Co-Founder Morteza Meftah, M.D., Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center and President of the International Society for Technology in Arthroplasty. I believe the Caira TKA Radar Navigation System will completely change the paradigm of navigation and robotics in arthroplasty providing a better option for surgeons, hospitals, and ASCs worldwide while also improving patient outcomes. Story continues By providing a minimally invasive and cost-efficient solution, Caira Surgical's technology is a meaningful improvement to help overcome the obstacles that have prevented the broad market adoption of incumbent robotic and navigation systems. Currently, these advanced technologies are only used in less than 20% of TKA procedures due to their inherent disadvantages including the expensive capital equipment and per-surgery disposables, complex workflows and increased procedure times, additional incisions and invasive surgical hardware that can increase post-operative pain and complications. The Caira TKA Radar Navigation System addresses each of these shortcomings to truly revolutionize orthopedic surgery, said Caira Surgical Chief Executive Officer Jon Greenwald. It was developed to address the frustrations weve been hearing from surgeons, hospitals and ASCs since surgical navigation and robotic technologies were first introduced in the 1990s, including workflow, complexity, invasiveness and cost. Caira Surgical is currently raising a $10 million Series A Funding Round. Series A funding will be used to drive continued product development and R&D and support a limited commercial release of the Caira TKA Radar Navigation System in 2024. Those attending the Emerging Medtech Summit who are interested in scheduling a one-on-one meeting with Caira Surgical senior leadership can do so by emailing ir@cairasurgical.com. LSI USA 23 is the industry-leading medtech investment and partnering event featuring more than 250 innovators presenting to more than 1,000 top investors and strategics. The event will take place March 20 23, 2023 at the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort & Club in Dana Point, Calif. Caira Surgical will present as part of Track 1 on Wednesday, March 22 from 11:30 11:39 a.m. PT. For more information, visit https://www.lifesciencemarketresearch.com/medtech-summit-2023. About Caira Surgical Caira is revolutionizing the usability, economics, safety, and accessibility of advanced surgical navigation and robotics for orthopedic surgery. The company's first product is a navigation system for total knee replacement. Employing Caira's advanced, proprietary sub-millimeter accurate Radar Surgical Tracking technology, Caira Surgical Navigation eliminates line-of-sight interference, invasive surgical instruments, and multiple incisions inherent in existing surgical tracking systems. Caira's technology enables a simple workflow and significantly reduces the cost and complexity of utilizing advanced technology in joint replacement surgery. The company focuses on building technology that overcomes adoption barriers to make advanced technology more accessible to surgeons, patients, hospitals, and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) worldwide. For more information, please visit cairasurgical.com. Kentucky lawmakers defensive about the decline of coal dont want utility companies to continue retiring old coal-fired power plants, even when thats the best move economically and in the face of climate change environmentally. On Wednesday, a House committee approved Senate Bill 4, which would create obstacles for utilities asking the Kentucky Public Service Commission for permission to replace coal-fired power generation with new sources, such as natural gas, renewable energy or nuclear. The full House passed the bill Thursday, sending it to Gov. Andy Beshear. There may be an instance where we have to pay a little bit more for reliability. But I think that might be very well spent to make sure that when our citizens flip that light switch, the lights turn on, said state Rep. Jim Gooch, R-Providence, chairman of the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee. The states largest utility, LG&E/Kentucky Utilities, filed a request in December to keep moving away from coal in favor of other energy sources. LG&E/KU told the PSC that it plans to build two natural gas plants and two solar power installations at several locations around Kentucky. At the same time, the company said it plans to retire three coal-fired plants by the year 2028 because of high maintenance costs or because they lack the necessary emissions reduction technology. For decades, coal-fired generation has served our customers well, said John Crockett, president of LG&E/KU, in a statement last December. But many of our generating units are reaching the end of their economic life, Crockett said. It is no longer cost-effective to make the needed investments to meet increasingly stringent environmental regulations. The Kentucky Coal Association swiftly condemned the utilitys request, warning that a shift from coal to natural gas and solar could leave Kentucky without enough power. Blackouts could result at times of peak demand, it said. Have we not learned anything from the experience of Texas last winter and Europe today? Coal is reliable, plentiful, can be stockpiled for later use, and it is cheap, the coal industry group said. Story continues Supporting the coal industry, SB 4 would prohibit the PSC from approving requests to retire coal-fired power plants unless utilities can prove they could make the change without hurting the reliability or resilience of the electric grid or raising electric bills for ratepayers. Utilities warn the bills regulatory filing requirements are structured in such a way as to make it difficult for them to retire coal-fired plants regardless of how inefficient and expensive theyve become, potentially driving up both their costs and the financial burden passed along to ratepayers. By the time a utility finally decides to retire a power plant, its experts have studied the numbers and determined that the most cost-effective, reliable option is shuttering that plant, Rocco DAscenzo, deputy general counsel for Duke Energy Kentucky, testified to a Senate committee last month. The decision whether or not to retire a power plant is not taken lightly by any prudent operator, DAscenzo said. If this bill passes, he said, we would not be able to close a fossil fuel plant. That isnt hyperbole. The bill would force our Northern Kentucky customers to continue to pay, into perpetuity, the incremental maintenance costs, as well as capital investments that we may have to make, for a plant that is no longer burning any fossil fuels and producing any energy. Business groups also are lobbying against the bill, worried about the bottom line. SB 4, in our view, will not improve our states energy security, reliability or resiliency. It is more likely to increase costs for manufacturers, other businesses and Kentucky consumers, while Kentuckys competitive advantage of relatively low-cost energy is already being challenged aggressively by substantial changes in energy markets and production, the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers told lawmakers in a March 12 letter. However, several lawmakers from coalfield counties said they wanted to declare themselves in favor of embattled fossil fuels and in opposition to federal environmental laws. We have no control over the federal side. But were taking a stance. At least were showing our side of it here in Kentucky, state Rep. Tom Smith, R-Corbin, told his colleagues on the House committee. Stand for our fossil. Stand for our production. I consider it an honor today to vote for this piece of legislation. Carbon dioxide, produced by the burning of coal and other fossil fuels, is the primary greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. Global carbon emissions from burning coal grew by 1.6 percent in 2022, far exceeding the last decades average growth rate and reached a new high of almost 15.5 gigatonnes, according to the International Energy Agency. (One gigatonne is a billion tonnes, or roughly the same as 3 million Boeing 747 jets.) Nationally, coal-fired power is on the decline. As of 2021, power plant owners and operators reported plans to retire 28 percent, or 59 gigawatts, of the nations coal-fired power capacity by 2035, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. At that time, the United States had 212 gigawatts of utility-scale, coal-fired, electric-generating capacity, most of it coming from plants built in the 1970s and 1980s. The average age of a plant was 45 years old. While coal-fired power plants do not have a fixed lifespan, utilities typically move to retire them once the rising costs to run them exceeds their expected future revenue, the EIA said. In Kentucky, coal production and coal industry employment have dropped significantly over the last decade, according to state data. But far more populous China and India have added a large number of new coal-fired power plants even as the United States has started to turn to other sources. Deeploi, a Germany-based startup that is building an IT-as-a-Service platform, today announced that it has raised a 3 million seed funding round led by Berlin's Cherry Ventures, with participation from a group of angels that includes the founders of Taktile, Moss, Vay and sennder. The company was founded by Julian Luebke and Philipp Hoffmann. Luebke got his start at Rocket Internet and then later joined real estate startup McMakler as its first employee, focusing on operations. Hoffmann, meanwhile, founded an IT company ten years ago, which started out as a traditional IT service provider and then moved toward becoming a managed service provider with a focus on Apple's platforms. For that, Hoffmann also created the company's own mobile device management system (MDM). "I thought it might be a very cool thing to connect everything -- to have everything in one platform and automate everything," Hoffmann explained. "Then I met Julian and I realized that this could work very, very well. I had the idea. I had the expertise -- and we have Julian for scaling the business." The founders, who started the company late last year, describe Deeploi as an all-in-one IT platform that combines standard IT functions and the company's premium support with IT agents to answer support calls. The team will cover everything from onboarding, support, endpoint management, network management and offboarding. For its security offering, Deeploi will partner with a cybersecurity company. "The main difference to a lot of the existing business models is that we offer the companies IT as a service," explained Luebke. "The companies don't have to build up an IT department by themselves. We can take these functions over completely -- or we can boost existing setups if they actually have already set up an IT department. They can use our platform and they can also use our premium support, for example, and we can take over easy, repetitive, redundant tasks for them." Story continues Because Deeploi can pull in data from existing systems (say HR) and then integrate this into its platform, it can also help businesses automate a lot of functions. When a new employee gets onboarded in an HR system, for example, the company can then automatically send out a new Macbook to them and set up access to certain SaaS tools. Luebke noted that modern, cloud-native companies with modern tech stacks are Deeploi's ideal customers, including brand agencies, marketing firms and D2C companies. For the time being, the company plans to focus on the Western European market, where it is now starting to test its service with a select number of users. The plan is to launch the platform to a wider audience in June. "Once we have established market dominance in Western Europe and have really built out our product then we don't really see any limiting factors of going to the US," said Luebke. Inflation And High Grocery Prices Continue To Plague Canadians Condoms at a store in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on March 11, 2023. Credit - Creative Touch Imaging Ltd.NurPhoto/Getty Images A Dutch man was convicted of removing his condom without his partners consent, an act known as stealthing, in the Netherlands first trial of its kind. The Netherlands has no specific law against stealthing and these were the first rulings on the practice, according to public broadcaster NOS. By his actions, the suspect forced the victim to tolerate having unprotected sex with him. In doing so, he restricted her personal freedom and abused the trust she had placed in him, the court said. The suspect, a 28-year-old man from Rotterdam, pled guilty to coercion and was given a three-month suspended prison term and ordered to pay his victim 1,000 euros in damages. The man was acquitted of a rape charge, as the Dordrecht District Court, where the case was heard, ruled that the sex was consensual. The suspect sent the victim texts afterwards including one that said you will be fine, AFP reported, citing the court. In a separate case, a 25-year-old man was cleared of charges after finding that he had not removed a condom at any time, but had instead failed to put one on altogether. A Dutch website, Stealthing.nl, run by a 2017 stealthing victim, is compiling anonymous stories from victims of the practice, in the hopes of raising awareness and encouraging victims to file police reports. Revenge porn and cyberbullying were not punishable at first either, the site says. I hope that my website will give other victims of stealthing the strength to at least file a report, so that we can eventually do something with this in the Dutch judiciary. A 2017 Yale study found that both men and women have been victims of stealthing. In addition to putting victims at risk of sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies, the study said survivors described experiencing a violation of trust and a denial of autonomy, not dissimilar to rape. But globally, there are still few legal protections in place for victims of the practice. Germany, Switzerland, and New Zealand have all dealt with similar cases in recent years. In a 2018 case in Berlin, a police officer was found guilty of sexual assault for removing his condom during sex without consent. He was ordered to pay almost 3,100 euros in damages and received an eight-month suspended jail sentence. In the U.S., California became the first state to make it illegal to remove a condom without explicit consent in 2021. Stealthing is classified as a civil offense in California rather than a crime, and victims are able to sue perpetrators directly in civil court. SXSW Ken August Meyer doesn't like the way he looks. In 2000, not long after he graduated from art school, Meyer was diagnosed with a rare, incurable autoimmune disease called scleroderma that hardened his skin, inflamed his joints, and posed threats to his organs. Strangers once mistook him for a mannequin because his arms resemble those of a plastic doll. At one of his lowest moments, he had to step away from his advertising job to do a years worth of chemotherapy treatments. It was then that he made a courageous choice: Rather than distract himself from reality, he would make a documentary about it. But not just any documentary. Meyer had long been enchanted by the work of Paul Klee, an abstract artist who fled Nazi Germany when Hitler labeled him a degenerate in the 1930s. Klee, too, suffered from scleroderma. While living in isolation in Switzerland, he made his shifting appearance the subject of many paintings. With that historical kinship in mind, Meyer came up with the idea for Angel Applicant, a stirring film thats part art survey and part memoir. As both subject and director, he embarked on a profound quest to make sense of the turbulence hes felt over the past 23 years. See an exclusive clip below: Angel Applicant premiered at SXSW Film Festival on Monday. Its a cathartic viewing experience destined to leave many people in tears, but whats incredible about Meyers' film is how funny it is. His narration blends wry observational humor and poetic musings to create a remarkably optimistic portrait of lifes uncertainties. Youll feel for him, but youll also feel with him, whether its an audio recording of the rheumatologist first explaining his diagnosis or footage of his charming relationship with the young daughter for whom hes desperate to stay alive. Meyer didnt always know hed be the star of his own film. At first he thought hed profile other scleroderma patients. But tying their emotions to Klees felt inauthentic, and when he showed colleagues a test piece he did about his own story, they encouraged him to keep going. Story continues I can be self-deprecating in a way that, with subjects that I would follow, I would not be able to cross that line, Meyer told The Daily Beast's Obsessed ahead of the films SXSW debut. "Eventually it became more than just ailments and things like that. It was the idea that there was this perspective on living: Life is fleeting, and we can still find color and beauty in all the sadness that comes along with chronic illness. Has True-Crime Podcasting Become a Dangerous Hobby? In the final years of his life, Klee (pronounced clay) became more prolific than ever. He cataloged each day of his condition with some kind of drawing, leaving behind what Meyer calls a meticulous ledger. Those works depict stiffening bodies and surreal deformities, a departure from the playful tableaus that established Klees career. He also sketched angels, hence the documentarys title, but broke from historical tradition by making his angels more humanlikein other words, more flawedthan the Byzantine and Renaissance painters who predated him. With the help of Klees grandson and the Zentrum Paul Klee, a Swiss museum, Meyer was able to forge a deeper appreciation of the final days before his hero succumbed to scleroderma complications in 1940. One of Klees last pieces includes a penciled inscription that says, when translated, You think that everything should be known? Oh no, I dont think so. Meyer uses the themes of Klees work as chapters in Angel Applicant. During his time as an art director, hed read a lot of treatments for advertising projects, which gave him an understanding of how to structure a story that has numerous throughlines. Creating a chronology of his own life wasn't easy, though. Meyer had to revisit photos of his younger self, back when his facial features were fuller and his fingers were mobile enough to play guitar. The College Student Whose Face Was Deepfaked Onto Porn Because hes constantly in and out of the hospitalMeyer says he was hospitalized two or three times in the last year, as his esophagus is shrunken and food sometimes gets stuck in his throatthe documentary was made in increments. By the time he was undergoing a lung transplant in 2020, he didnt even know if hed live to see its completion. Now, here it is, bowing at a world-famous festival attended by some of the biggest names in Hollywood, music, and technology. The results of Meyer's vulnerability feel like Life, Animated meets All the Beauty and the Bloodshed. What started out as sort of a long academic appreciation and an investigation from an amateur art historian approach turned into this completely transcendental connection to what I refer to as an empathetic ghost, Meyer says. It was really about finding wisdom and hope, and this coupling of sadness and humor in unexpected puzzle pieces that fit together. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. On Tuesday, a Model S owner filed a proposed class action lawsuit against Tesla. Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Tesla owners are suing, claiming they've faced long wait times and high prices at service centers. On Tuesday, a Model S owner filed a proposed class action lawsuit against Tesla. The carmaker has faced criticism over its service centers in the past. Tesla customers are suing the company, claiming they've been forced to deal with long wait times and high prices at the electric-car maker's service centers. Model S owner Virginia Lambrix filed a proposed class-action lawsuit on Tuesday, claiming she's suffered from Tesla's "monopolization" of the repair market for its vehicles. She said Tesla has caused her to "suffer lengthy delays in repairing or maintaining" their electric vehicles, "only to pay supracompetitive prices for those parts and repairs once they are finally provided," according to the complaint. "Once consumers have purchased a Tesla EV, they are locked into repair and maintenance services specific to their Tesla vehicles," said the complaint, which was filed in US District Court, Northern District of California. "It is difficult, if not impossible, to accurately forecast how much repair and maintenance services will be required and what they will cost prior to purchasing an EV." In the lawsuit, Lambrix claimed that while traditional vehicle owners can pick from a wide variety of repair options and products, Tesla owners are only able to get their cars serviced at Tesla service centers with Tesla products because the electric-car maker "purposely designs its vehicles" to limit outside competition when it comes to repairs and maintenance. Furthermore, the complaint alleged that Tesla's warranty and policies "threaten" owners that they might lose coverage if they get the car serviced outside of Tesla. In the lawsuit, Lambrix said Tesla's "unlawful monopoly" should be dismantled and the carmaker should be required to make its repair manuals and diagnostic tools available to customers and third-party companies. The complaint also is seeking reimbursement for Tesla customers who is claimed have "overpaid" for repairs. Story continues An almost identical proposed lawsuit seeking class-action status was filed on Wednesday by another Model S owner, Robert Orendain. A spokesperson for Tesla did not respond to a request for comment ahead of publication. Last year, the company reported its services, which include customer repairs, charging, and insurance generated over $6 billion in revenue, Bloomberg reported. The electric-car maker has faced criticism over its service centers in the past. Last year, Vox reported that Tesla owners have filed thousands of complaints related to issues with delays, service, and parts with the Federal Trade Commission and about 9,000 complaints to the Better Business Bureau over similar issues. One Tesla driver alleged they found a dead mouse and rat poison in the car's front trunk after a service visit, while other cited concerns about unresponsive service centers and difficulties finding available parts, Vox reported. Last year, Elon Musk said the company is working on its service in North America. To date, Tesla has less than 200 service centers in the US. For comparison, GM or Ford owners can choose from thousands of independent repair and maintenance shops. "Goal is 2/3 of cars receive same-day service, no wait," he tweeted. Read the original article on Business Insider The U.S. military is rushing equipment to the battlefield and training Ukrainian forces at a rapid pace, ahead of a major offensive against Russia expected by late spring. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin projected a sense of urgency on Wednesday after a virtual meeting of the multinational Ukraine Defense Contact Group, saying that Ukraine doesnt have any time to waste. We have to deliver swiftly and fully on our promised commitments, Austin said. That includes delivering our armored capabilities to the battlefield and ensuring that Ukrainian soldiers get the training, spare parts and maintenance support that they need to use these new systems, as soon as possible. As spring approaches, U.S. officials are increasingly concerned about Ukraines dwindling supply of ammunition, air defenses and experienced soldiers. Moscow and Kyiv are continuing to throw bodies into the fight for a southeastern city the U.S. does not consider strategically important. But the Pentagon says that regardless of Kyiv's battlefield strategy, the U.S. wants Ukraine's soldiers to have the weapons they need to keep fighting. Russia has spent months pummeling the country with missiles, seeking not only to cause destruction but also deplete Ukraines air defense stocks. Ukrainian soldiers have described acute shortages of basic ammunition, including mortar rounds and artillery shells. And upwards of 100,000 Ukrainian forces have died in the year-long war, U.S. officials estimate, including the most experienced soldiers. Many of these losses are taking place in Bakhmut, where both sides are suffering massive casualties. Led by soldiers from the mercenary Wagner Group, Russia has laid siege to the southeastern city for nine months, reducing it to ruins. Ukrainian forces have refused to yield, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insisting that defending Bakhmut is key to holding other eastern cities. The Russians clearly are wanting to press forward to the boundaries of Donetsk all of the way to the west, and to do that they need to get hold of Bakhmut and the road network that goes past it, said Dara Massicot, senior policy researcher at the RAND Institute. Story continues But Austin recently told reporters that Bakhmut is more of a symbolic value than it is strategic and operational value. Instead, U.S. officials are more focused on getting Ukraine ready for a major spring offensive to retake territory, which they expect to begin by May. Hundreds of Western tanks and armored vehicles, including for the first time eight armored vehicles that can launch bridges and allow troops to cross rivers, are en route to Ukraine for the offensive. The U.S. and European partners are also flowing massive amounts of ammunition and 155mm shells, which Ukraine has identified as its most urgent need. U.S. aid packages going back four or five months have been geared toward what Ukraine needs for this counteroffensive, said one U.S. official, who was granted anonymity due to the administrations ground rules. While U.S. officials are careful not to appear to tell Kyiv how to fight the war, Pentagon leaders said Wednesday that the equipment and training being provided will enable Ukraine to win the war where and when it chooses to do so. There is a significant ongoing effort to build up the Ukrainian military in terms of equipment, munitions and training in a variety of countries in order to enable Ukraine to defend itself, said Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley. The increased Ukrainian capability will allow the Ukrainian leadership to develop and execute a variety of options in the future, to achieve their objectives and bring this war to a successful conclusion, Milley said. More than 600 Ukrainians in February completed a five-week training program in Germany that included basic skills such as marksmanship, along with medical training and instruction on combined arms maneuver with U.S.-made Bradley Fighting Vehicles and Stryker armored personnel carriers. Those forces are now back on the battlefield, and a second batch of hundreds of additional soldiers are now going through the program. Behind closed doors, U.S. officials have been pressing Kyiv to conserve artillery shells and fire in a more targeted fashion. This is a particular concern in Bakhmut, where both sides are expending munitions at a rapid pace. Some in the Pentagon think that they are burning up ammunition too fast, said retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, former commander of U.S. Army Forces Europe. Excuse me, they're in a massive fight for the survival of their country against an enemy that has huge advantages in artillery ammunition and is not letting up. Kyiv has not yet settled on a strategy, U.S. officials said, but it has essentially two options: push south through Kherson into Crimea, or move east from its northern position and then south, cutting off the Russian land bridge. The first option is not realistic, officials said, as Russia has dug in its defenses on the east side of the Dnipro River, and Ukraine does not have the manpower for a successful amphibious operation against that kind of force. The second is more likely, officials say. In addition to sending weapons and providing training, senior American generals hosted Ukrainian military officials in Wiesbaden, Germany this month for a set of tabletop exercises to help Kyiv wargame the next phase of the war. President Joe Biden last month ruled out sending F-16 fighter jets, and senior U.S. officials have repeatedly said the aircrafts are not in the cards right now. But officials are working on other ways to boost the Ukrainian air force, including attempting to mount advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles on its Soviet-era MiG-29s, and assessing the skills of Ukrainian pilots. Two Ukrainian pilots recently wrapped up an assessment at an Air National Guard base in Tucson, Arizona, for U.S. military instructors to assess what training they need to better employ the aircrafts and capabilities the West has already provided, including bombs, missiles and guidance kits. The program included simulator flights, but the pilots did not fly in American aircrafts, officials said. An effort to mount AMRAAMs on the MiGs, if it proves successful, could also significantly increase the ability of Ukraines fighter pilots to take out Russian missiles, officials said. As quickly as Ukraine is running out of munitions, Russias human and equipment losses are even more acute, forcing Moscow to appeal to rogue nations such as Iran for additional weapons. Russia remains isolated, their military stocks are rapidly depleting, the soldiers are demoralized, untrained unmotivated conscripts in convicts and their leadership is failing them, Milley said. Publicly, senior officials say it is up to Zelenskyy when and where to launch a new offensive, and whether to remain in Bakhmut or reposition his forces. President Zelensky is fighting this fight, and he will make the calls on what's important and what's not, Austin said. But he noted that: We're generating combat power, to a degree that we believe that it will provide them opportunities to change the dynamics on the battlefield, at some point going forward, whatever point that is. Roughly 100 people gathered Wednesday evening at the small pond where missing Kansas City 13-year-old Jayden Robkers body was discovered to pay tribute to his life. Organized by the family of the boy, the candlelight vigil was held about an hour before sunset and began with an acoustic guitar rendition of Hallelujah followed by prayer. Family members lit biodegradable, lotus-shaped purple candles and set them off to float along the shallow pond. Susan Deedon, the boys aunt, thanked attendees some of them classmates, others who live in the community but never knew the teen personally for continued support shown to the family in the wake of the tragedy. So many of you have come up to hug me and just pour out your love. This is an amazing community. You guys have something great here, said Deedon, who has traveled back and forth between Kansas City and Illinois over the past weeks as Jayden Robker remained missing. Susan Deedon, whose nephew Jayden Robker was found dead in a Gladstone pond Friday after he had been missing for weeks, lights candles at a vigil Wednesday where roughly 150 people gathered Wednesday evening. Over the past weeks, as she and her brother searched through the area, she noted they came across three other nearby ponds. I just thank God for not letting me know the pond was here, she said. Kansas City police began looking for Jayden Robker in early February after his mother, Heather Robker, reported he had left their home in the Northlands Lakeview Terrace and not returned. Heather Robker has told The Star her son left that afternoon, shortly after returning home from school, on his skateboard to sell Pokemon cards. His disappearance touched off community search parties, including one led by the Kansas Citys Ad Hoc Group Against Crime on March 5. On Friday, a heavy law enforcement presence descended on a wooded area of neighboring Gladstone as police announced a body had been found. An autopsy of the boy preliminarily found no obvious signs of foul play. Gladstone police have said they are investigating his death. On Wednesday, Deedon, the aunt, said she had discovered a shoe that may have belonged to her nephew near the small ponds shoreline. She said she and her family contacted the police to have that collected, and said they have faith in investigators to answer the questions they continue to have about his disappearance. Story continues Many have told me that it was Jayden just letting me know that he sees me, Deedon said, as she held back tears in front of the crowd. And everything Ive been doing to try to find him. And now just honoring him and his greatness. Funeral services for Jayden Robker are being organized at the Good Shepherd, said Kayla Meredith, pastor of the Gladstone church. Expecting a large gathering, Meredith said the church intends to organize web streaming of the service to the broader community. Of the large gathering of people who came out to the vigil Wednesday, Meredith said: Its a beautiful testimony of a community of love. Hes touched peoples lives even in this tragic circumstance, she said. Its National Sunshine Week, an annual tradition in the news business highlighting the peoples right under law to obtain information and documents from the government. While journalists like the team at The Charlotte Observer regularly used public records requests to help our reporting, citizens are also free to file requests in order to get information from local, state and federal agencies. In many cases, filing a request is as simple as filling out a short online form. Heres what to know about your rights to see public records and how to get them at the local, state and federal level: What is the Freedom of Information Act? The Freedom of Information Act, commonly referred to as FOIA, is the federal law that governs how the public can request and obtain records from federal agencies. It was passed originally in 1967 and has been updated multiple times since. Federal agencies are required to disclose any information requested under the FOIA unless it falls under one of nine exemptions which protect interests such as personal privacy, national security, and law enforcement, the federal government says. North Carolina also has its own public records laws that dictate how to get records from state and local agencies. Who can file a public records request? Although journalists are perhaps best known for filing them, anyone can file a public records request. A 2017 study by the Columbia Journalism Review found that journalists file about 7.6% of FOIA requests, while individuals make up about 20% of requests. Other common inquiries come from businesses, law firms, and nonprofits, per the study. How to request records from the City of Charlotte The City of Charlotte provides an online form for people to use to make public records requests from the city and city agencies. You can find the form at charlottenc.gov/PublicRecords/Pages/default.aspx, where you will be asked to provide your name, contact information and as much detailed information as possible about what youre requesting. Story continues Although most information the City of Charlotte houses is public and subject to disclosure, some information is considered protected, the city notes. For example, we are obligated to protect such things as: sensitive public security information, components of personnel files, tax information, and social security numbers. The city also makes public online a breakdown of the public records requests it receives. How to file a records request with Mecklenburg County To start the process of making a public records request with Mecklenburg County, visit mecknc.gov/Pages/Records-and-Inquiries.aspx. There, youll find a breakdown of where to find commonly requested records, such as property records and birth or death certificates. Youll also have the option to file a records request electronically or download a form to print and mail in. How to file a records request with North Carolina state government, state agencies To file a records request with a state agency in North Carolina, you need to go to the specific state agency that has the record youre looking for. Most agencies have an online form on their website and will also allow you to print out a form, complete it by hand and then mail it in. How to seek information from the federal government A streamlined way to file a records request with the federal government or a federal agency is to visit foia.gov. There, you can search a database of government agencies and bodies and either file your request with them electronically through the portal or get information on how to file a request directly with the agency in question. The portal will also provide an estimate on how long it will take for your request to be fulfilled and direct you to places where the information youre requesting may already be available. RFA/Health Care Access Reporter Santiago Ochoa is a bilingual journalist covering health care access at the Yakima Herald-Republic in Yakima, Washington. Before joining the Herald, Ochoa reported for Flint Beat in Flint, Michigan, covering the citys Latino populationhealth care, education, community building and more, and winning top honors in the Michigan Press Associations feature category. He served as photographer and later editor for his college newspaper, The Michigan Times. When hes not working, Ochoa enjoys cross-country trips on his motorcycle, going to the movies, reading and skiing. Precedence Research Precedence Research reported that the global cancer supportive care drugs market size is estimated to reach around USD 25.78 billion by 2032 from valued at USD 20.96 billion in 2022. Ottawa, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The cancer supportive care drugs market is expanding at a CAGR of 2.09% from 2023 to 2032. Rising cases of breast and lung cancer along with increasing geriatric population are directly linked with the development of cancer supportive care drugs market. Key Insights Asia-Pacific region has generated revenue share of over 24.8% in 2022. U.S. market has generated 44.3% revenue share in 2022. The lung cancer and breast cancer has generated revenue share of 14.9% and 13.8% respectively in 2022. The granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (GCSFs) segment has captured revenue share of over 27% in 2022. Get the sample pages of report@ https://www.precedenceresearch.com/sample/2665 Market overview: Cancer supportive care drugs can refer to pain management drugs or medicines offered to cancer patients that have poorly responded to chemotherapy. The supportive care drugs for cancer patients can be delivered at every stage of cancer; the drugs or medication follow cancer patients throughout the treatment, particularly helping them to manage the adverse effects caused during the chemo sessions. In recent years, the healthcare administration has started offering cancer supportive care medicines or drugs to seriously ill patients at the beginning of cancer treatment; this avoids the risks of adverse experiences in the future. The recent advancements in the oncology sector have significantly improved the clinical outcomes of cancer supportive care drugs. Factors such as advancements in drug development methods, rising demand for generic drugs, increasing awareness of self-health care and a growing number of cancer diagnoses are expected to supplement the growth of the global cancer supportive care drugs market. Report Highlights: By therapeutic class, being the primary treatment for supportive care, the Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factors (GCSFs) segment dominates the market. GCSFs are widely utilized to manage neutropenia in cancer patients. Moreover, the antiemetics segment is anticipated to grow at a significant rate due to the rising demand for supportive care drugs for managing short-term side effects of chemotherapy, such as headache, vomiting and nausea. By application, the breast cancer segment is expected to hold a dominating share of the market during the period analyzed, owing to the rising prevalence of breast cancer across the globe. The treatment required for breast cancer is prolonged and tends to give long-term side effects, including hair loss, skin infections and infertility. Moreover, the rising concerns of anemia or bleeding caused by lung cancer treatment will increase the demand for supportive care drugs for lung cancer patients. By distribution channel, the hospital pharmacy segment dominates the market with a significant share. The preferences for cancer supportive care drugs from hospital pharmacies are rising due to the presence of professionals to make drug-based decisions for hospitalized cancer patients. The rising number of in-home healthcare settings is projected to boost the growth of the online pharmacy segment during the forecast period. Story continues Ask here for customization study@ https://www.precedenceresearch.com/customization/2665 Scope of this report Report Coverage Details Market Size in 2032 USD 25.78 Billion By Therapeutic Class ESA (Erythropoiesis Stimulating Agents) G-CSFs (Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factors) Antiemetics Bisphosphonates Opioids NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Auto Inflammatory Drugs) By Application Breast Cancer Stomach Cancer Colorectal Cancer Liver Cancer Prostate Cancer By Distribution Channel Drug pharmacies/ Retail pharmacies Hospital Pharmacies Online Pharmacies By Region North America Europe Asia-Pacific Latin America The Middle East and Africa Key Players Merck & Co., F. Hoffman-La Roche AG, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis AG, GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Helsin Healthcare SA, Baxter International Inc and Others Regional snapshot: North America dominates the global cancer supportive care drugs market owing to the rising demand for advanced and innovative treatment for cancer patients in the region. The presence of major key players, including Amgen Inc., Merck & Co Inc., Johnson & Johnson Services and Heron Therapeutics, has contributed to the development of the cancer supportive care drugs market in North America. Moreover, the research and development (R&D) activities in the oncology sector in North America have been supplementing the growth of the market lately. Cancer remains the second most reason for deaths in the United States; the rising cancer cases in the country have forced the government and private sectors to enhance the budget for oncology research; this is another vital factor in boosting the growth of the cancer supportive care drugs market. During the forecast period, Asia Pacific is expected to witness significant growth in the cancer supportive care drugs market. The improving healthcare infrastructure and rising biotechnology industry in developing countries of Asia Pacific are observed as powerful drivers for the growth of the market. According to the National Institutes of Health, as of 2022, the estimated number of cancer cases in India was 14,61 427. The rising prevalence of cancer in the country has forced the healthcare system to bring systematic supportive care methodologies for cancer patients. Along with India, Chinas rising population and increasing geriatric population in Japan are observed to boost the requirement for cancer supportive care drugs in Asia Pacific. The well-established healthcare infrastructure in Europe highlights the growth of the cancer supportive care drugs market. Moreover, leading market players, including Helsinn Healthcare SA, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., and GlaxoSmithKline Plc., are headquartered in Europe; this factor is considered to support the market development in the region. Moreover, advanced facilities for supportive and palliative care in economically established countries such as Germany, France and the UK are propelling the growth of the cancer supportive care drugs market in Europe. Market dynamics: Driver: Rising prevalence of cancer in geriatric population The risk of cancer increases with rising age. According to the National Institute of Cancer, more than one thousand per one lakh people develop cancer at the age of 60 or older. The rising cases of colorectal, lung and stomach cancer in the geriatric population are observed to boost the demand for cancer supportive care drugs. Due to the increasing number of damaged cells and reduced immunity, the geriatric population (people over 65) are more vulnerable to chronic diseases, including cancer. Cancer treatment can be complex and challenging for older people, as the body responds less to the therapy; complicated cancer treatments can be unbearable for older people. Thus, cancer supportive care drugs, along with palliative care, are highly recommended for the senior population as compared to the younger population. Restraint: Rising deployment of targeted therapies in cancer treatment Targeted therapy is an advanced cancer treatment that targets cancer cell growth. The therapy or treatment is deployed all over owing to its unmatched benefits for cancer patients. In recent years, with proper clinical trials, the oncology sector has found multiple advantages of targeted therapies. Unlike chemotherapy, targeted therapy can quickly locate cancer cells and destroy them without harming healthy cells and tissues. Moreover, this therapy is less painful and causes comparatively fewer side effects. The rising clinical trials and deployment of targeted therapies for cancer patients will significantly lessen the chemotherapy practices across the globe, which is observed to harm the growth of the cancer supportive care drugs market during the forecast period. Opportunity: Technological advancements in oncology research sector The rising demand for advanced cancer treatments with an increasing burden on the healthcare industry has forced the oncology research sector to rapidly adopt technological advancements to boost the speed of research and development. CRISPR, a gene editing technology; artificial intelligence, to improve the diagnosis; Infinium assay, a genotyping technique and numerous other technologies have helped researchers visualize ways to find better cancer treatments. Such technological advancements are intended to enhance the pace of research to bring more innovative cancer drugs to the market; this accelerates the markets growth by providing lucrative opportunities to market players. Challenge: Stringent FDA regulations for approving drugs Every pharmaceutical company and the newly developed drug must undergo the Food and Drug Administration regulations before commercializing the product. FDA monitors newly developed drugs' efficacy and side effects before it goes to the market. The drug approval process of the FDA includes multiple stages such as drug safety monitoring, drug review, preclinical research, clinical research and post-market drug monitoring. The process for approval of new drugs is time-consuming and may cost a hefty amount to the pharmaceutical or biotech company; such rigorous process of FDA approval stretches the commercialization of the drug by creating a challenge for the markets growth. Recent Developments: In February 2023, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network announced a new strategic collaboration with the Institute of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine in Poland to improve cancer care by implementing evidence-based and advanced supportive care platforms. In February 2023, a leading biotechnology company, Moderna Inc and Merck, announced that mRNA-4157/C940, combined with KEYTRUDA, has received Breakthrough Therapy Designation (BDT) from the United States Food and Drug Administration. MRNA-4157/C940 is an investigational personalized cancer vaccine developed for patients with a high risk of melanoma. In March 2022, Australia-based, Imugene announced a new collaboration with Merck & Co. This collaboration aims to start clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy of HER-Vaxx, B-cell activating immunotherapy in combination with KEYTRUDA for patients with HER-2 positive gastric cancer. Immediate Delivery Available | Buy This Premium Research Report@ https://www.precedenceresearch.com/checkout/2665 You can place an order or ask any questions, please feel free to contact at sales@precedenceresearch.com | +1 9197 992 333 About Us Precedence Research is a worldwide market research and consulting organization. We give unmatched nature of offering to our customers present all around the globe across industry verticals. Precedence Research has expertise in giving deep-dive market insight along with market intelligence to our customers spread crosswise over various undertakings. We are obliged to serve our different client base present over the enterprises of medicinal services, healthcare, innovation, next-gen technologies, semi-conductors, chemicals, automotive, and aerospace & defense, among different ventures present globally. For Latest Update Follow Us: https://www.linkedin.com/company/precedence-research/ https://www.facebook.com/precedenceresearch/ https://twitter.com/Precedence_R Yakima County Government, Lower Valley Reporter Hi, Im Phil Ferolito, longtime reporter with the Yakima Herald-Republic, where I have gained an array of experience from covering small city governments and school districts to big-picture issues concerning county government, crime and the Yakama Nation, a federally recognized tribe with important historical and cultural ties to the land. I began with the Herald-Republic in Oct. 2000 as a copy editor, designing pages, writing headlines and proof-reading stories. Over the years I have covered four Lower Valley municipalities, Granger, Toppenish, Wapato and Harrah, and the Yakama Nation. My goal always has been to shine a light in dark places and bring readers closer to concerning issues, important people, and other events in our community. Mia Bloom is a professor of communication and Middle East studies at Georgia State University, a fellow with New Americas International Security Program and a coauthor of Pastels and Pedophiles: Inside the Mind of QAnon. Cardinal Energy Ltd. CALGARY, Alberta, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cardinal Energy Ltd. ("Cardinal" or the "Company") (TSX: CJ) confirms that our March dividend of $0.06 per common share will be paid on April 14, 2023 to shareholders of record on March 31, 2023. The Board of Directors of Cardinal has declared the dividend payable in cash. This dividend has been designated as an "eligible dividend" for Canadian income tax purposes. About Cardinal Energy Ltd. Cardinal works to continually improve its Environmental, Social and Governance profile and operates its assets in a responsible and environmentally sensitive manner. As part of this mandate, Cardinal injects and conserves more carbon than it directly emits making us one of the few Canadian energy companies to have a negative carbon footprint. Cardinal is a Canadian oil and natural gas company with operations focused on low decline oil in Western Canada. For further information: M. Scott Ratushny, CEO or Shawn Van Spankeren, CFO or Laurence Broos, VP Finance Email: info@cardinalenergy.ca Phone: (403) 234-8681 The second annual Tether B-Week, March 20-26, features education and connection for budtenders across Canada B-Week March 20-26 Budtender Appreciation Week is coming March 20-26 Toronto, Ontario, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tether's B-Week brings together budtenders, retailers, and brands from across Canada for a week of events to show gratitude to budtenders, and celebrate their hard work and dedication to the cannabis industry. Launched in 2021, Tether is a community that activates over 3,000 budtenders and cannabis retailers; it offers impactful and authentic partnerships for brands that are looking to make an impression and connection. Budtenders told Tether they are looking for deeper education and meaningful brands to recommend to their customers. Tether events, including B-Week, bridge the gap and help to build meaningful relationships. We are proud to have partnered with great brands during B-Week to bring cultivation tours, education, and networking to our community. Budtenders are the frontline of our industry and Tethers goal is to build a community that supports and celebrates their work, says Katie Pringle, Tether Co-Founder and CEO of Marigold PR, the award-winning cannabis PR agency behind Tether's budtender community. B-Week will provide budtenders and retailers access to fun virtual and in-person cannabis facility tours, product-focused and educational panels, and a networking event at CannExpo, sponsored by CannMart & Roilty. During B-Week, there will be ample opportunities for prizes and a chance to mingle with other budtenders. B-Week Schedule of Events March 20 - Team Tether surprise visits! Well be visiting retailers in Ontario and BC to say hello and drop off surprises. March 21 - Virtual SESH 4:20PT/7:20ET: Come together virtually to meet Shatterizer, Habitat & Astronaut, win prizes and network with budtenders across Canada. March 22 - RC Supply Co. Tours: Get a sneak peek behind the scenes at the RC Supply Co. facility in Etobicoke! Meet the home-grown rec brand thats bringing legacy to legal through small-batch craft cannabis. Story continues March 23 - Virtual SESH 4:20PT/7:20ET: Join us and our friends at Stewart Farms, Decibel & Manna Maple Sugar for this second virtual B-Week SESH. March 23 - Cake & Caviar by Habitat Tour 10:30 AM 11:30 AM PT: Calling BC budtenders in the Shuswap area! Visit Habitat to learn about aquaponics, and meet the fish and the ladies (cannabis plants!). March 24 - Stewart Farms Tour: Join us virtually for a Stewart Farms tour. Learn about new products, and growing methods, and get all your burning questions answered by the team. March 26 - Tether Budtender and Retailer Gathering at CannExpo: Join Canadas budtender community at CannExpo from 2-3:30 pm EST, celebrating the finale of the 2023 Budtender Appreciation Week in Toronto, Ontario. Get your tickets here or at tetherbuds.com. As a unique producer in Canada, we are very excited to continue our messaging of clean, sustainable, high-quality cannabis by participating in B-Week and connecting with budtenders all over the country through a tour of our aquaponics facility, says B-Week Partner Kayla Mann, CRO of Habitat. B-Week is backed by an advisory committee of passionate budtenders and cannabis retailers and is proud to partner with CannExpo, Habitat, Shatterizer, Stewart Farms, RC Supply Co., One2One, Astronaut and Craft Cannabis CoPacking Group, Qwest, and Manna Maple Sugar, as well as our media partners; Grow Opportunity, ADCANN, Canadian Evergreen, Cannabis Prospect Magazine, and CannabisNewswire. Tether B-Week budtender event tickets are now available - view the schedule here and register today. Attachment CONTACT: Mackenzie Bentley Tether 1-877-681-5541 mbentley@marigoldpr.com Prime Minister Viktor Orban marked the 175th anniversary of the 1848-49 revolution and freedom fight at the birthplace of Hungary's national poet, Sandor Petofi, in Kiskoros, in the south of the country. In a speech in front of the house where Petofi was born 200 years earlier, Orban said all Hungarians have a little bit of Petofi in them, and everything Hungarian is contained in Petofi. He said the life of the revolutionary, whose poems every Hungarian has learnt to recite as schoolchildren, was a 26-year trajectory through the Hungarian heavens that started deep in Hungary and ended on a trail of stars. March 15 marks the birth of Hungarian freedom, and the march of freedom begins in Kiskoros, he added. Hungarians consider Petofi their greatest poet because he contains both Hungarian fate and Hungarian genius, he said, noting that his works have been translated into more than 200 languages. Petofi died as he wrote: as an apostle of global freedom, in a battle for Hungarys freedom, he added. He said Petofi had delivered an answer to the question of what gives greater meaning to finite life and to country and quoted from the poets National Song: Shall we be slaves or men set free? That is the question, answer me! Orban: 'We Will Never Allow the Flag of Freedom to Be Twisted Out of the Hands of Hungarians' The great march of Hungarian freedom, though it has sometimes taken some twists and turns and sometimes even run into dead ends over the past 200 years, is still going strong today, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said, marking the 175th anniversary of the 1848-49 revolution and freedom fight at the birthplace of Hungarys national poet, Sandor Petofi, in Kiskoros, in the south of the country, on Wednesday. And Sandor Petofi is still with us in that march today, he added. We see him rebel when strangers want to tell Hungarians how to live. We see him turning against the powers of the world who want to reintegrate Hungarians into a European superstate, he added. Orban also noted that the poet had prefaced his Twelve Points of the Hungarian revolutionaries with Let there be peace. We owe it to him, and that is why we will never allow the flag of freedom to be wrenched out of the hands of Hungarians, he said. Szijjarto: Hungarians 'Still People of Freedom' Hungarians are a people of freedom and can turn into freedom fighters if necessary, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in Gyor, in north-western Hungary, marking the 175th anniversary of the 1848-49 revolution and freedom fight on Wednesday. Accepting the title of honourary citizen of the city, Szijjarto said Hungary had emerged from all crises of the past 13 years stronger than before. The country delivered a Hungarian response to every ordeal, neither seeking guidelines nor trying to meet expectations, but looking only to national interests, he added. Hungary climbed out of a hole when the economy reached a low point because of the global financial crisis thanks to national cooperation, and has since built one of the fastest-developing economies in Europe, he said. Szijjarto said Hungary had been overrun by migrant hordes who showed no respect for people living here eight years earlier, while many in Europe wanted to strip the country of its right to decide with whom we want to live. Even then, Hungary didnt sacrifice its freedom, but protected its borders, its citizens and the right to decide with whom were prepared to live together in this beautiful country, he said. During the pandemic, Hungary resisted external pressure, insisting that saving lives is not a matter of politics or ideology, he added. He said great powers have tried to press Hungary into the war, adding that nobody can drag the country into a war that is not ours. He said Hungary had also preserved its freedom with regard to which measures it decides to support or not support in Brussels. The government is leading the country in the spirt of 1848, he added. Szijjarto said that since taking a seat on the Gyor municipal council 25 years earlier, at the age of 20, the city had become a bastion of the automotive industry, while the local Szechenyi Istvan University had become an intellectual hub for the country. Gulyas: Independence, Freedom 'National Minimum' Hungarys freedom and independence are the foundation of real and durable national unity, and so it is the national minimum, the head of the Prime Ministers Office said in Veszprem, in western Hungary, on Wednesday, marking the 175th anniversary of the 1848-49 revolution and freedom fight. Love of country and freedom are key to national unity, and a nation can persist as long as we are ready to make sacrifices for our freedom and independence, Gulyas said. During the revolutions sweeping Europe 175 years ago, the freedom rooted in civic rights was a common European goal, he said. The movement demanded equal rights for nations and their citizens, as well as independence, constitutional institutions, responsible governments, free press and the end of serfdom, and equality before the law, he said. After that flame was trampled, Hungary was the only one to fight the overwhelming force of an empire, he said. Although the freedom fight was later drowned in blood, it strengthened Hungarians yearning for freedom, he said. The message of 1848 is that individual freedom does not exist without the freedom of the community, a shackled nation doesnt have free citizens. Hungarians wish the same things they have wished for since state founder St Stephen: to be an independent nation that can decide its own fate, the issues of its country and its alliances, he said. The European environment is often hostile today, at a time when there is a war in a neighbouring country, because we want to preserve the living, organising values of God, homeland and family, at a time when the political expectation is to deny them, he said. Kover: 'We Are Ready to Protect Our Freedom' We are ready to protect the freedom that created and feeds the modern Hungarian nation and civic Hungary, and which the revolutionaries of 1848-49 fought for under the leadership of Lajos Kossuth, Speaker of Parliament Laszlo Kover said on Wednesday. Kover told an event marking the 175th anniversary of the revolution in Monok, in northeast Hungary, where Kossuth was born, that his democratic principles as Hungarys governor and first finance minister were an inspiration not only in Hungary but also in Europe. Zsofia Koncz, parliamentary state secretary and ruling Fidesz MP of the region, said that Kossuth had made the meaning of freedom and democracy known around the world. Ministers Mark March 15 National Holiday In todays Europe, advocating for peace takes courage, Culture and Innovation Minister Janos Csak said at an event marking the anniversary of the 1848-49 revolution and freedom fight in Budapest on Wednesday. In his speech at the National Museum, Csak said remembering our heroic predecessors, we proclaim proudly that Hungarians have been the people of freedom for the past 1,100 years. Hungarians are the survivors or even winners of history, not its victims, because they have withstood all hardships and continue to prosper, he said. In the shadow of war, the importance of peace cannot be overstated, he said. If this war is unleashed, it could destroy everything, even Europe. At a commemoration in Szombathely, in western Hungary, Defence Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky said Hungarians are again living in an age of peril. Addressing the event organised by the Klapka Gyorgy Equestrian Guard and Heritage Preservation Association, Szalay-Bobrovniczky said Hungary must stay out of the war in neighbouring Ukraine, but keep the powder dry. Although Hungary stands on the side of peace, it is building an army that is modern and uses the latest technology, while preserving Hungarian soldiers ancient virtues, such as those of the hussars who fought in 1848-49, he added. Finance Minister Mihaly Varga told an event in Cluj-Napoca (Kolozsvar), in north-western Romania, that the revolution of 1848 marked the birth of institutional Hungarian freedom. He said the sacrifices of the heroes of the revolution could be reciprocated by strengthening and guaranteeing the nations independence and self-determination for future generations. When we celebrate 1848, we Hungarians also celebrate a diverse Europe founded on autonomous nation-states, the minister said. We must defend our freedom ourselves, just as we had to in 1848 and after the two world wars, and as we must do so today on new fronts. Addressing an event in Sfantu Gheorghe (Sepsiszentgyorgy), Romania, Justice Minister Judit Varga said Hungarians say no to the concept of European empire and are insistent on keeping their freedom won through the sacrifice of blood. Varga said the interests of Hungarians living inside the country and outside of its borders come first. She warned that a hegemony of opinion is taking shape in Europe and said the European Union is uniting on the matter of self-censorship, not diversity. She added that Brussels response to the war in Ukraine has failed. Hungarians today, as their predecessors in 1848, want peace, freedom and understanding, she said. Hungarys opposition parties marked the 175th anniversary of the 1848-49 revolution and freedom fight. Jobbik-Conservatives leader Marton Gyongyosi marked the national holiday at an event in Budapest, stating that there were similarities between Hungarys situation 175 years ago and today, and the goal is that the country should not fall out of the group of European nations but develop together with them. He told the event at the Batthyany Eternal Flame monument near Parliament that Hungary had always belonged to the west of Europe culturally, and the majority of Hungarians agreed that it should not fall out from the bloodstream of the continent. LMP co-leader Peter Ungar said in a video on Facebook that the message of the revolution and freedom fight was that there were things worth fighting for. He said it was important to remember the revolution and freedom fight because it marked the birth of a modern, civic Hungary. It was a time when the countrys independence and autonomy developed into its current form, he added. The foundations of current politics were laid, enabling every person to have an equal say to influence politics, he said. Bence Tordai, the co-leader of opposition Parbeszed, said the revolutionaries of the current era were the greens because they wanted peace, freedom, consensus and a green Hungary. Tordai said in a video message that March 15 was a holiday that stood the test of time because it concerns some basic principles, such as liberty, equality and fraternity. Hungarians went against oppression in 1848 because they dreamed about a freer and more liveable country, and said no to everything that resulted from oppression and despotism, he said. The Socialist Party said March 15 was a celebration of social development, real national issues and European progress. Agnes Kunhalmi, the partys co-leader, slammed the Orban government, saying that Prime Minister Viktor Orban created a web of a million dependencies in Hungary, hobbling social progress, development and modernisation. Neither progress, nor true national representation, nor progressive European principles are typical attributes of the government, she said. Hungarians actively shaped European events in 1848, she said. Todays Hungary should become a cooperative and sovereign country where freedom and prosperity are equally present, she said. Addressing a party gathering, Ferenc Gyurcsany, leader of the Democratic Coalition (DK), urged people to dare to fight for their freedom. Gyurcsany warned that otherwise people would be disenfranchised and become the shame of the nation. He said DK would become the home for those opposed to governing Fidesz. DK follows a sensible, patriotic European policy with principles that are simple: people are free and must watch out for that freedom. Furthermore, the strong may not abuse their power, while the weak must be helped, because theyre people too, he said. Gyurcsany said people must fight tyrants, not negotiate with them. Anna Donath, an MEP of Momentum, said the young revolutionaries of 1848 took control of their fate by forming a community of people who valued freedom and the nation. Every generation has a right and a duty to take control of its fate, Donath told an event. What else are these national holidays about but remembering those who did everything they could for the future so that we could be freer, happier, more honest and more credible? she asked. Although Hungarys freedom fights throughout history never ended with the most positive outcomes, they were not fought in vain, she said, because were here and so are the new generations. Mi Hazank Marks National Holiday, Holds Peace Demo Opposition party Mi Hazank staged a peace demonstration and marked the anniversary of Hungarys 1848-49 revolution and freedom fight in Budapest on Wednesday. Addressing the event, Laszlo Toroczkai, the leader of the radical party, said todays Hungary was not the kind the revolutionaries had envisioned in 1848, adding that a major power was again behaving like an occupier in the country. Toroczkai said Hungary must not be dragged into a war of great powers, while foreign troops must not be deployed in the country and Hungarians must not be taken abroad, either. Hungarys long-term goal should be to become a neutral country like Austria, Toroczkai said, adding that this also requires a strong military to ensure the countrys defence if it leaves NATO. A strong military also requires a strong economy, he said. The Song of the Goat Theater, one of Europe's most exciting and pioneering Polish theater companies, is holding a three-day physical theater workshop in Budapest. The Song of the Goat Theater, one of Europe's most exciting and pioneering Polish theater companies, is holding a three-day physical theater workshop in Budapest. The focus of the workshop at the end of March will be on "coordination" exercises that focus on seeking the organic connection and integration of movement and imagination, and fostering the development of a shared dynamic between partner and group. The workshop, led by Grzegorz Bral, is organized by Sarolta Cultural and Public Space and hosted in the Keres Emil Rehearsal Hall of the Radnoti Theatre in Budapest. Founded in 1996 in Wrocaw, Song of the Goat Theater is one of Europe's most innovative theater companies. In addition to creating traditional rehearsal processes and theater performances, the company is committed to researching and innovating theater forms, acting and performance qualities. Continuing the tradition of Polish ensemble theater work, the company has created a unique way of performing through a constant exploration of acting craft and vocal and movement technique. Its unique method of actor training seeks to integrate movement, sound, music and text, which is summed up in a kind of musicality that has a sensual, visceral impact. The company is noted as one of the most exciting and innovative companies in the new avant-garde theater movement in Poland. Grzegorz Bral is a director and educator, founder and artistic director of Song of the Goat Theater and the Brave Festival in Wrocaw. From 1987 to 1992 he was a member of the Gardzienice Theatre Company, and from 2010 to 2012 he was artistic director of the Studio Theatre in Warsaw. He has been awarded several prestigious prizes: SCOTSMAN FRINGE FIRST 2004 and HERALD ANGEL 2004 (for Chronicles). At the 2012 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, his production of Songs of Lear won the prestigious Fringe First Award, the HERALD ARCHANGEL and the MUSICAL THEATRE MATTERS AWARDS Special Prize. The play was also nominated for a Total Theatre Award. Grzegorz Bral regularly holds workshops around the world, one of which is the Budapest training at the end of March; until 2012 he led the MA in Acting programme in collaboration with Manchester Metropolitan University, and since 2013 he has been teaching in collaboration with the Bral School of Acting in London. Piesn Koza's movement-based actor training method has been integrated into the curriculum of several major theater universities in the UK. The exercises used during the three-day training focus on the search for the organic connection and integration of movement and imagination, and facilitate the development of a shared dynamic between partner and group. Alicja Bral, Artistic Manager, will also participate in the training, who has been working as a dramaturg with Grzegorz Bral and Song of the Goat company composer Maciej Rychy since 2016. From 2008 to 2013, he worked with the Shakespeare Theatre in Gdansk, after which he coordinated the Shakespeare "off" stage. For three years between 2005 and 2008, he was co-creator of the Gdansk Contemporary Dance Stage (DanceDesk.pl) in collaboration with the Baltic Sea Cultural Centre. Venue: Radnoti Theatre Keres Emil Room 1065 Budapest, Andrassy ut 31. Date and time: 25 - 26 - 27 March 2023 (every day 11 - 16h) Application: until 20 March 2023 with CV in English a workshop.songofthegoat@gmail.com Workshop fee: 30 000 HUF More information: http://piesnkozla.pl/ Photo: Krzysztof Bielinski YORK Anthony Gardner, 38, who is an inmate at the Nebraska State Penitentiary, has been given more time in prison after violating a protection order in York County. He was sentenced this week by Judge James Stecker. Gardner was charged with a Class 4 felony because of a prior conviction of violating a protecting order in Morrill County. Having a subsequent offense heightens the possible sentencing possibilities. Judge Stecker sentenced Gardner to a term of 1-2 years of incarceration with the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. He was given no credit for any days already served in the matter, as he had not served any time on this particular charge. He is in prison for a separate, unrelated conviction. Two years in prison was the possible maximum sentence for this level of offense. The Legislature's Executive Board on Wednesday advanced a bill calling for a study of the short- and long-term costs of replacing Nebraska's coal and natural gas plants with resources like wind and solar. The committee advanced the bill (LB566) from Sen. Bruce Bostelman of Brainard on a 5-2 vote. Two other senators -- Speaker John Arch and Sen. Ray Aguilar of Grand Island -- were absent. Bostelman's proposal would appropriate $30,000 to hire a consultant to examine the trends and potential economic impacts of increased reliance of renewable energy in Nebraska, and would look at the economic benefits of maintaining coal, natural gas and nuclear. The chair of the Natural Resources Committee said the bill seeks to understand how renewable energy "threatens the ability of power suppliers in the state to maintain existing baseload generation." At a hearing on Feb. 24, several Omaha high school students said the bill did not consider the declining costs of solar and wind generation and ignored the negative impacts of maintaining electricity generated from coal and gas-fired plants. The members of Students for Sustainability also said that if Nebraska keeps on its current track it could fall further behind other states that have embraced renewable energy. While Bostelman said he was open to amending the bill, the Executive Board advanced it to the floor without any amendments. Voting in favor of the bill were Sen. Tom Briese of Albion; Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston; Sen. John Lowe of Kearney; Sen. Julie Slama of Dunbar; and Sen. Suzanne Geist of Lincoln. Opposed to advancing LB566 to the floor were Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln and Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha. Meet the Nebraska state senators making laws in 2023 The Nebraska Tourism Commission is looking for a qualified individual to help staff the York Westbound Information Center as a traveler counselor (vacation guide) starting this summer. The York westbound rest area is located two miles east of York on I-80. This position involves promoting Nebraska area attractions, history, events and businesses, as well as answering the questions of travelers. It is a fun seasonal job that involves meeting and helping the many interesting travelers from all over the world appreciate our great state. These folks are truly the front-line staff who make the best first impressions on the traveling public in Nebraska. This position begins in mid-May and continues until after Labor Day. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., seven days a week. Salary is $12.24 per hour. Maintenance staff members are present at the rest area during hours that the kiosk is open. There are two other counselors, and the schedule is flexible with each person working about 10 days a month. Knowledge of Nebraska, especially western Nebraska, is an important part of this job. If interested, please contact Micheal Collins at micheal.collins@nebraska.gov. If you have additional questions, call 402.362.1827. There should be an official ad appearing in the York News-Times in the next two weeks. This years Leadership York Class will hold its annual Flavors of York County on Thursday, April 6, at the Holthus Convention Center. Doors will open at 4:40, and the fun continues until 7 p.m. Come enjoy delicious samples from area caterers throughout the evening. There will be a cash bar and raffle prizes to benefit a local non-profit organization! Tickets are $20 in advance, and may be purchased from any Leadership York class member, the Chamber Office or at https://yorkchamber.org/flavors-of-york/. Flavors is a 21 and older event. Sandhill cranes are flocking to the Nebraska Platte River Valley, where up to over 80% of the worlds population of sandhill cranes converge for six-plus weeks to rest and refuel as they prepare for their arduous journey to the vast breeding grounds in Canada, Alaska and Siberia. That means almost one million cranes are here following in the same migration patterns as their ancestors have for centuries upon centuries. Now is the opportune time to take in the crane viewing. We have plenty of information at the Visitors Bureau regarding Sandhill Crane migration, Prairie Chicken dancing in Southwest Nebraska and the American White Pelican spring migration at Harlan County Reservior. Stop in for your free copies. This weekend, we welcome back Evelyn Campbell for at least a few weeks as she returns to York to put in a few hours helping at Western Edge during the crazy prom season . . . at least thats the story shes sticking to. Privately, we think she is flush with Texas cash, and wants to share some of it with us on weekends playing pitch and maybe keno! She claims to need a refresher course on how to play. I think she is bluffing. For your calendars: March 18 . . . Annual German Smorgasbord~Heartland Community School March 21 . . . VIBE@5~ALLO FIBER March 21 . . . 2023 Science Fair~York City Auditorium 6:30-7:15 pm March 22 . . . Everything You Wanted to Know About Employment Law, But Were Afraid to Ask~~York Country Club 4:00 pm March 23 . . . Youth Involvement Fair~York City Auditorium 5:00-7:00 pm March 24 . . . Celebrate Education Business After Hours~York Country Club 5:00-7:00 pm March 25 . . . York Spring Craft and Vendor Show~York City Auditorium 9:00 am-2:00 pm Free admission March 26 . . . United Way of York 2nd Annual Spring Carnival~York City Auditorium 2:00-3:00 pm March 28 . . . Latte` with Leaders~Captain Redbeards 7:00 am March 31 . . . York Public Schools Foundation Luck of the Draw Fundraiser~Cornerstone Ag Events Center 6:30 pm April 1 . . . York Junior-Senior Prom~York City Auditorium April 1-2 . . . York University Spring Panther Days~York University Campus April 4 . . . York High School Band Festival & Concert~York High School Theater 7:00 pm April 6 . . . Annual Flavors of York County~Holthus Convention Center April 6-8 . . . Annual York University Songfest~Bartholomew Performing Arts Center April 7 . . . Good Friday Hymn Sing~Henderson Mennonite Heritage Museum & Park 7:00 pm April 8 . . . Waco CBO Annual Easter Egg Hunt~Waco Ballfield 10:00 am April 8 . . . Helicopter Easter Egg Drop~Wessels Living History Farm Guwahati: Investigations have revealed that the General Science question paper of class 10 state board examination in Assam were sold for up to Rs 3,000 on WhatsApp, Director-General of Police Gyanendra Pratap Singh said on Thursday. Speaking to reporters, Singh said WhatsApp's assistance was being sought to identify the origin of the leak of the question paper. "The investigation has revealed that the question paper of the General Science examination were sold for anything between Rs 100 and Rs 3,000. We have found that somewhere it was sold for Rs 100, somewhere for Rs 200-300, and it went up to Rs 3,000. Assistance is being sought from WhatsApp to identify the origin of the leak," he said. "I am happy with the investigation and the progress we made over the last three days. Hopefully, we will crack this case soon. We will send some more packets of the question paper from upper Assam to the CID headquarters for the purpose of the investigation," he added. The General Science question paper of the class 10 matriculation exam conducted by the Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA) was leaked on Sunday night, and the exam scheduled on Monday was cancelled. The state CID, which is investigating the case, has so far apprehended 25 people, including children, from various parts of Assam, besides interrogating several others to identify the source of the leak. A senior official said the operations will continue till the mastermind is arrested. "We have picked up some more people and are interrogating them," he said. According to a SEBA notification, the cancelled examination will now be held on March 30. ReportLinker INTRODUCTION. The therapeutic approach involving the injection of healthy cells in the human body to replace the diseased / non-functioning cells, in order to regulate certain functions, is referred to as cell therapy. New York, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Cell Therapy Media, Kits, Reagents and Surfaces Market (2nd Edition), 2023-2035" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06430648/?utm_source=GNW In the past few years, this therapeutic approach has emerged as one of the key areas of interest in the healthcare sector, given its ability to treat diseases which were previously considered untreatable. Consequently, driven by the benefits offered by cellular therapies and recent approvals granted by regulatory authorities, the demand for cellular therapies has increased considerably; this has led to a rise in the requirement of cell therapy raw materials. Specifically, cell therapy consumables refer to materials that are used in the manufacturing of cell therapies. It is worth mentioning that the selection of cell therapy consumables, specifically the cell culture media and supplements, is a crucial step in cell therapy manufacturing as they directly impact the potency and safety of the final product. In this report, we have considered the four predominant types of consumables applicable to cell therapy, namely cell culture media, media kits providing culture media along with the necessary media supplements, reagents and extracellular matrices. SCOPE OF THE REPORT The Cell Therapy Media, Kits, Reagents and Surfaces Market (2nd Edition): Distribution by Type of Product (Culture Media, Kits, Reagents and Extracellular Matrices), Type of Cell Therapy (T-Cell Therapy, Stem Cell Therapy, Dendritic Cell Therapy and NK Cell Therapy), Scale of Operation (Clinical and Commercial), Type of End-User (Industry and Non-Industry) and Key Geographical Regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Latin America): Industry Trends and Global Forecasts, 2023-2035 report features an extensive study of the current market landscape and the likely future potential of the cell culture media (supplied alone or in kits as a combination with cell growth supplements), cell culture reagents and ECM market, over the next 12 years. It highlights the efforts of several stakeholders engaged in this rapidly emerging segment of the pharmaceutical industry. Key inclusions of the report are briefly discussed below. Growing Demand for Cell Therapies Since the development of the first cell therapy, this therapeutic segment has garnered significant attention from researchers and medical practitioners. This can be attributed to the fact that cell therapies have been demonstrated to possess a vast potential in the treatment of rare disorders, which were previously considered incurable. The popularity of this therapeutic class of products can also be validated from the fact that, since 2019, more than 1,000 clinical trials focused on cell therapies have been initiated. It is also worth mentioning that over 35 cell and gene therapies have already been commercialized, across various geographical locations, till date. Notable examples of recently approved cell therapies include (in reverse chronological order) Breyanzi (June 2022), Carvykti (February 2022) and Abecma (March 2021). Need for High-Quality Cell Therapy Consumables Driven by the rise in popularity of cell therapies, there is a growth in demand for cell culture media, reagents and surfaces. It is worth mentioning that, amidst the increasing demand for such products, there is a rise in stringency from regulatory authorities to ensure that the quality of raw materials is good. Therefore, to meet the industry needs, cell therapy manufacturers are actively adopting serum free and xeno free products, which are known to reduce the risk of batch-to-batch variability. Role of Consumables in Commercialization of Cell Therapies Currently, the marketed cell-based therapies are exorbitantly priced. Even though, with the introduction of automation technologies in cell therapy bioprocessing, the cost and time required for development of such products has reduced significantly, there is still a considerable scope of improvement to make these therapies affordable. In this context, it is worth mentioning that consumables, including media, reagents and matrices, currently constitute nearly 25% of the overall cost of cell therapy manufacturing. Optimization of raw materials, by streamlining the production processes, can help mitigate wastage and further reduce the manufacturing cost. Moreover, for commercial applications, it is crucial to obtain consistent outcomes during the manufacturing process. Cell culture media, with chemically defined formulation, provides enhanced consistency for production purposes. Current Market Landscape of Cell Therapy Media, Kits, Reagents and Surfaces The cell therapy consumable providers market landscape features more than 80 companies, which claim to possess the necessary expertise for manufacturing of over 450 research and / or therapeutic grade raw materials. Some of these players also claim to have developed GMP certified facilities for the production of consumables, which are intended to be used for a range of human cells, including T-cells, stem cells, dendritic cells and NK cells. Subsequently, cell therapy media market represents majority share (57%) of consumables offered, followed by the share captured by media and supplement kits (26%), extracellular matrices (14%) and cell culture reagents (3%). The ancillary materials offered by these companies are available in various volumes and can be utilized for numerous functions, such as cell proliferation, cell differentiation and cell isolation. Recent developments in this domain indicate that cell therapy consumable providers are actively expanding their capacity and product portfolio in order to accommodate the current and anticipated demand for cell therapies. Recent Trends Related to Cell Culture Media In recent years, there has been a considerable rise in regulatory stringency as well as awareness related to disadvantages of using animal-based medica formulations, in the cell therapy domain. Specifically, animal-based media pose an undesirable risk of transfecting infectious agents. This has resulted in a shift towards the higher adoption of chemically defined, animal-component free (serum-free and xeno-free) media, in the cell culture media market. It is worth mentioning that, currently, majority of the cell culture media are being used for the development of stem cell therapies, followed by those intended for T-cell therapies. Key Drivers in the Cell Therapy Consumables Market One of the key drivers of the investments in this market is the success of previously commercialized cell therapies. More than USD 35 billion has already invested in cell therapy domain by private investors. In the last few years, cell therapies have offered a relatively more reliable approach for the treatment of rare diseases. According to a study published in 2019, the prevalence rate of rare diseases is about 263 to 446 million individuals, at any point of time. This necessitates the need for more such life-saving therapies. It is worth highlighting that, by 2030, close to 60 cell and gene therapies are anticipated to receive regulatory approval, further expanding the opportunities associated within the market. These factors will, in turn, lead to a surge in the requirement for cell therapy consumables products, driving significant growth of the domain. Market Size of the Cell Therapy Consumables Market Driven by the indubitably rising need for cell therapies, the market for cell therapy media and other consumables is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 12%, during the period 2023-2035. Specifically, in terms of scale of operation, the demand for consumable products for commercial operations are expected to expand rapidly with the anticipated approval of numerous cell therapies. Additionally, it is worth highlighting that more than 80% of the current market share is captured by players based in North America and Asia-Pacific. Example Players in the Cell Therapy Consumables Market Examples of players engaged in this domain (which have also been captured in this report) include BD Biosciences, Bio-Techne, CellGenix, Corning, Irvine Scientific (Acquired by FUJIFILM), Lonza, Miltenyi Biotech, Sartorius, STEMCELL Technologies and Thermo Fisher Scientific. The report presents an in-depth analysis, highlighting the capabilities of various stakeholders engaged in this domain, across different regions. Amongst other elements, the report includes: An executive summary of the insights captured during our research, offering a high-level view on the current state of the cell therapy consumables market and its likely evolution in the mid-long term. A general introduction to cell therapies, including details related to the development and manufacturing of such therapeutics products, with addition focus on role of raw materials in cell therapy production. It further provides a brief overview of the different types of cell therapy consumables and key challenges associated with their development. A detailed assessment of the overall market landscape of companies offering cell therapy consumables, based on several relevant parameters, such as year of establishment, company size (in terms of number of employees), location of headquarters, type of product (kits, media, reagents and extracellular matrices), number and location of consumable facilities, accreditations received, type of end-user (industry and non-industry), media compatibility (serum free , xeno free and both), type of cell therapy (T-cell therapies, stem cell therapies, NK cell therapies, dendritic cell therapies and others), type of function (cell proliferation, cell expansion, cell differentiation, cell activation, cell isolation, cell attachment), kit components (supplements / reagents, growth / induction medium, expansion medium, differentiation medium and others), type of ECM coating (laminin, fibronectin, vitronectin, basement membrane extract and others), type of formulation (powder, liquid, pre-coated cultureware), shelf life (6-12 months, 13-18 months, 19-24 months and 25-36 months), scale of operation (discovery, preclinical, clinical and commercial), application area (research use and therapeutic use), storage temperature (refrigerated, frozen, ultra-low and room temperature), as well as volume of media, reagents and extracellular matrices. A detailed competitiveness analysis of cell therapy consumable providers (kits, media, reagents and extracellular matrices) based on supplier strength (in terms of years of experience and company size), portfolio strength (considering media compatibility, number of unique type of cell therapy, application area, product manufacturing practices and number of consumable facilities) and number of products offered. A detailed brand positioning analysis of prominent industry players (shortlisted on the basis of strength of service portfolio), highlighting the current perceptions regarding their proprietary brands across different consumable classes. Elaborate profiles of key players offering cell therapy consumables (shortlisted on the basis of portfolio strength and number of products offered); each profile includes a brief overview of the company, along with information on its cell therapy consumables focused product portfolio, consumable facilities, recent developments and an informed future outlook. An analysis of recent developments within the cell therapy consumable industry, highlighting information on several partnerships and collaborations, mergers and acquisitions, and expansion initiatives that have taken place within this domain, during the period 2016-2022. A list of over 250 cell therapy developers that are anticipated to partner with cell therapy consumable providers; these players have been shortlisted based on several relevant parameters, such as developer strength (which takes into account a companys size and its experience in this field), pipeline strength and maturity (based on the number of pipeline drugs and affiliated stage of development), and availability of other cell therapy capabilities. A proprietary Roots Analysis competitive pricing framework, which analyzes the competitive position of various companies engaged in this domain, by taking into consideration the prices and features of their consumable offerings (such as media and extracellular matrices). In addition, it presents an equation devised to calculate the likely price of cell therapy consumables based upon their characteristics. An informed estimate of the annual demand for cell therapy consumables (in terms of volume of media required for total number of cells), based on scale of operation and key geographical regions. An in-depth discussion on the upcoming trends and future growth opportunities within the cell therapy consumables market, featuring details related to the significance of automation in cell therapy manufacturing processes and benefits of single use technologies for production of cell therapies. One of the key objectives of the report was to estimate the current opportunity and the future growth potential of the cell therapy consumables market over the coming years. We have provided an informed estimate on the likely evolution of the market for the period, 2023-2035. Our year-wise projections of the current and forecasted opportunity have been further segmented based on relevant parameters, such as type of product (kits, media, reagents and extracellular matrices), type of cell therapy (t-cell therapies, stem cell therapies, dendritic cell therapies and NK cell therapies), scale of operation (clinical and commercial), type of end-user (industry and non-industry) and key geographical regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, MENA and Latin America). In order to account for future uncertainties associated with some of the key parameters and to add robustness to our model, we have provided three market forecast scenarios, portraying the conservative, base and optimistic scenarios of the industrys evolution. The opinions and insights presented in this study were influenced by discussions conducted with multiple stakeholders in this domain. The report features detailed transcripts of interviews held with the following individuals: Anant Kamath (Chief Operating Officer, Cellular Engineering Technologies) Vishal G. Warke (Director, R&D, Cell Culture and Immunology, HiMedia Laboratories) and Gauri W. Page (Assistant R&D Manager, Animal Cell Culture, HiMedia Laboratories) Michael Maloney (Vice President, Business Development, Cell Culture, Akadeum Life Sciences) All actual figures have been sourced and analyzed from publicly available information forums and primary research discussions. Financial figures mentioned in this report are in USD, unless otherwise specified. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The data presented in this report was gathered via primary and secondary research. For all our projects, we conduct interviews / surveys with reputed domain experts (academia, industry, medical practice and other associations) to solicit their opinions on emerging trends in the market. This is primarily useful for us to draw out our own opinion on how the market will evolve across different regions and technology segments. Wherever possible, the available data has been checked for accuracy from multiple sources of information. The secondary sources of information include: Annual reports Investor presentations SEC filings Industry databases News releases from company websites Government policy documents Industry analysts views While the focus has been on forecasting the market till 2035, the report also provides our independent view on various technological and non-commercial trends emerging in the industry. This opinion is solely based on our knowledge, research and understanding of the relevant market gathered from various secondary and primary sources of information. KEY QUESTIONS ANSWERED Question 1: What are the factors driving the cell therapy consumables market? Answer: The growing demand for cell therapies, as a result of the increasing number of commercialized cell therapies and the rise in cell therapy focused clinical trials, is one of the key factors driving the growth of the cell therapy consumables market. Question 2: How many players are engaged in offering cell culture media for manufacturing of cell therapies? Answer: Currently, more than 65 companies claim to offer different types of cell culture media for the growth, proliferation, expansion and differentiation of numerous types of cell therapies. Question 3: How many players are engaged in offering kits for manufacturing cell therapies? Answer: At present, nearly 40 players claim to offer several types of kits required to manufacture cell therapies. These kits comprise of various key components, including supplements / reagents for isolation, activation and differentiation of cells, growth media, differentiation media and expansion media. Question 4: How many media products are available in the market for culturing cell therapies? Answer: The current market features the presence of nearly 260 media products, which can be used for the manufacturing of cell therapies intended for culturing of human cells. Question 5: What are the partnership and collaboration trends in the cell therapy consumables domain? Answer: At present, distribution agreements, mergers and acquisitions, and product commercialization agreements are the most common types of partnerships inked by stakeholders engaged in the cell therapy consumables domain. Question 6: Which geographical segment has the largest market share in the current cell therapy consumables market? Answer: North America captures the largest share in the current cell therapy consumables market, followed by Asia-Pacific. It is worth mentioning that, within Asia-Pacific, majority of the market share is contributed by China. Question 7: Which type of product contributes to the largest share of the cell therapy consumables market? Answer: In 2023, the cell therapy consumables market is expected to be dominated by media. This trend can be attributed to the large quantity of media required for manufacturing of cell therapies. CHAPTER OUTLINES Chapter 1 is a preface providing an introduction to the full report, Cell Therapy Consumables Market (2nd Edition), 2023-2035. Chapter 2 is an executive summary of the insights captured during our research, offering a high-level view on the current state of the cell therapy consumables market and its likely evolution in the mid-long term. Chapter 3 provides a general introduction to cell therapies, including details related to the development and manufacturing of such therapeutics products, with addition focus on role of raw materials in cell therapy production. It further provides a brief overview of the different types of cell therapy consumables and key challenges associated with their development. Chapter 4 includes a detailed assessment of the overall market landscape of companies offering cell therapy consumables, based on several relevant parameters, such as year of establishment, company size (in terms of number of employees), location of headquarters, type of product (kits, media, reagents and extracellular matrices), number and location of consumable facilities, accreditations received, type of end-user (industry and non-industry), media compatibility (serum free , xeno free and both), type of cell therapy (T-cell therapies, stem cell therapies, NK cell therapies, dendritic cell therapies and others), type of function (cell proliferation, cell expansion, cell differentiation, cell activation, cell isolation, cell attachment), kit components (supplements / reagents, growth / induction medium, expansion medium, differentiation medium and others), type of ECM coating (laminin, fibronectin, vitronectin, basement membrane extract and others), type of formulation (powder, liquid, pre-coated cultureware), shelf life (6-12 months, 13-18 months, 19-24 months and 25-36 months), scale of operation (discovery, preclinical, clinical and commercial), application area (research use and therapeutic use), storage temperature (refrigerated, frozen, ultra-low and room temperature), as well as volume of media, reagents and extracellular matrices. Chapter 5 presents a detailed competitiveness analysis of cell therapy consumable providers (kits, media, reagents and extracellular matrices) based on supplier strength (in terms of years of experience and company size), portfolio strength (considering media compatibility, number of unique types of cell therapies, application area, product manufacturing practices and number of consumable facilities) and number of products offered. Chapter 6 includes a detailed brand positioning analysis of prominent industry players (shortlisted on the basis of service portfolio strength), highlighting the current perceptions regarding their proprietary brands across different consumable classes. Chapter 7 features elaborate profiles of key players offering cell therapy consumables (shortlisted on the basis of portfolio strength and number of products offered); each profile includes a brief overview of the company, along with information on its cell therapy consumables focused product portfolio, consumable facilities, recent developments and an informed future outlook. Chapter 8 provides an analysis of recent developments within the cell therapy consumables domain, highlighting information on recent partnerships, collaborations, mergers, acquisitions and expansion initiatives that have taken place within this domain, during the period 2016-2022. Chapter 9 presents list of over 250 cell therapy developers that are anticipated to partner with cell therapy consumable providers; these players have been shortlisted based on several relevant parameters, such as developer strength (which takes into account a companys size and its experience in this field), pipeline strength and maturity (based on the number of pipeline drugs and affiliated stage of development), and availability of other cell therapy capabilities. Chapter 10 features a proprietary Roots Analysis competitive pricing framework, which analyzes the relative position of various companies engaged in this domain, by taking into consideration the prices and features of their consumable offerings (such as media and extracellular matrices). In addition, it presents an equation devised to calculate the likely price of cell therapy consumables based upon their characteristics. Chapter 11 includes an informed estimate of the annual demand for cell therapy consumables (in terms of volume of media required for total number of cells), based on scale of operation and key geographical regions. Chapter 12 presents a comprehensive market forecast analysis, highlighting the future potential of the market till 2035. Our year-wise projections of the current and forecasted opportunity have been further segmented based on relevant parameters, such as type of product (kits, media, reagents and extracellular matrices), type of cell therapy (t-cell therapies, stem cell therapies, dendritic cell therapies and NK cell therapies), scale of operation (clinical and commercial), type of end-user (industry and non-industry) and key geographical regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, MENA and Latin America). Chapter 13 features an in-depth discussion on the upcoming trends and future growth opportunities within the cell therapy consumables market. It presents information on the evolving trends related to cell culture media. Further highlighting the importance of automation in cell therapy manufacturing and the benefits of single use technologies in the production pipelines for cell therapies. Chapter 14 is a summary the overall report. The chapter provides the key takeaways from the report, and presents facts and figures described in the previous chapters. The chapter also highlights important evolutionary trends that were identified during the course of the study and are expected to influence the future of the cell therapy consumables market. Chapter 15 is a collection of transcripts of interviews conducted with various stakeholders in the industry. We have presented details of interviews held with Anant Kamath (Chief Operating Officer, Cellular Engineering Technologies), Vishal G. Warke (Director, R&D, Cell Culture and Immunology, HiMedia Laboratories) and Gauri W. Page (Assistant R&D Manager, Animal Cell Culture, HiMedia Laboratories) and Michael Maloney (Vice President, Business Development, Cell Culture, Akadeum Life Sciences). Chapter 16 is an appendix, which contains tabulated data and numbers for all the figures included in this report. Chapter 17 is an appendix, which contains a list of companies and organizations mentioned in this report. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06430648/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Story continues CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 An Indian Army Cheetah Helicopter crashed near Mandala, Arunachal Pradesh, today. The helicopter was performing an operational sortie near Bomdila, Arunachal Pradesh, when it was reported to have lost contact with the air traffic control (ATC) at around 09:15 AM on 16 March 23. Based on reports, both the pilots present in the helicopter have lost their lives in the incident. "An Army Aviation Cheetah helicopter flying an operational sortie near Bomdila, Arunachal Pradesh, was reported to have lost contact with the ATC at around 09:15am today. It is reported to have crashed near Mandala, West of Bomdila. Search parties have been launched," said, Lt Col Mahendra Rawat, PRO Defence Guwahati Also read: SpiceJet Pilots Grounded After Pic Of Beverage Kept On Key Equipment In Plane's Cockpit Goes Viral Based on the preliminary reports, two pilots were onboard the Cheetah helicopter. Teams of Army, SSB, and police have left for the crash site. Furthermore, the weather in the area is reported to be foggy with low visibility of up to 5 meters. Rohit Rajbir Singh, the superintendent of police, Special Investigation Cell (SIC), explained that villagers had found the crashed chopper ablaze in Dirang, and informed district officials. "Villagers from Bangjalep at Dirang located the chopper around 12.30 pm. It is still burning," Singh said. The helicopter involved in the crash is reported to be a Cheetah Helicopter, which is one of the old choppers in the Army's and IAF's fleet. The aging fleet of the aforementioned helicopters will be replaced by the indigenously developed Light Utility Helicopters (LUH). These new-generation helicopters will be incorporated in the three-tonne category and will be loaded with advanced features. It is to be noted that Arunachal Pradesh is considered one of the most unfavourable places for aircraft operations. Furthermore, the North-Eastern state has witnessed multiple aircraft crashes in the past. In October 2022, an Indian Army's ALH helicopter crashed in Arunachal Pradesh's Migging, killing five personnel onboard, including two pilots. With agency inputs The SpiceJet airline has again come under controversy after an image of a cockpit of the aircraft showing drinks on controls is going viral. The airline pilots have been accused of putting the beverage on the fuel cut-off lever. If spilled, the drinks can end up damaging the aircraft's controls. Furthermore, the photo also shows the food resting on the control in the aircraft's cockpit. The alleged unprofessional behaviour seriously threatens the safety of the passengers and crew members on board, creating worries and questions about the image. The image was shared on social media by a user going by the name Bandit. The user sharing the picture mentioned that such behaviour should not be tolerated. The caption on the picture said, "Appalling & extremely unprofessional behaviour by @flyspicejet pilots." It further said, "If the liquid (resting on the fuel cutoff levers) spills, it can short circuit the electronics affecting a range of systems and compromise the aircrafts ability to fly safely." Also read: 'I Can Suspect You': Choreographer Salman Asked To Speak In Kannada At Bengaluru Airport - Watch Video SpiceJet quickly took action against the involved pilots after the picture went viral and stressed how crucial it is always to follow safety procedures. Appalling & extremely unprofessional behaviour by @flyspicejet pilots. If the liquid (resting on the fuel cutoff levers) spills, it can short circuit the electronics affecting a range of systems and compromise the aircrafts ability to fly safely.@DGCAIndia @JM_Scindia pic.twitter.com/2n7O5daIg1 Bandit (@BanditOnYour6) March 14, 2023 Meanwhile, SpiceJet has had two Boeing 737-800 aircraft deregistered by the Indian aviation regulator, DGCA. The carrier has reaffirmed that the return of these planes won't interfere with business as usual. According to notices posted on the regulator's website, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) deregistered VT-SZK and VT-SYA on March 6 and 9, respectively. According to the Cape Town Convention, in the event of a default, lessors and lenders may request the deregistration of a leased aircraft. The Irrevocable De-registration and Export Request Authorisation governs such requests (IDERA). "While one of the aircraft is grounded for a long period and was to be returned earlier, the other is being returned due to certain engine issues with the lessor. Both aircraft are being returned in the most efficient manner consensually. This will have no impact on our operations," the SpiceJet spokesperson said. Bihar Board (BSEB) Class 12th Result 2023: The Bihar School Examination Board is expected to declare the Class 12th exam results soon. According to media reports, the BSEB is likely to announce the Bihar Board 12th Result 2023 this week. However, BSEB officials have not made any official announcement regarding the Bihar Board Inter results. Bihar Board 12th Result 2023: Where to check Inter BSEB result? Once announced, Class 12th students can check Bihar Board result 2023 on BSEB's official website at biharboardonline.bihar.gov.in. Bihar Board Class 12th Result 2023: Over 13 lakh students registered for Inter exams The Bihar Board Class 12th 2023 exams were held between February 1 and February 14. The BSEB Inter Exams were conducted in two shifts on all exam days. Over 13 lakh students registered for BSEB Class 12 exams 2023. Of these, 6,36,432 were female students and 6,81,795 were male students. On March 3, the Bihar Board released the BSEB Class 12 answer key on its official website (biharboardonline.bihar.gov.in) and allowed students to raise objections till March 6. Bihar Board 12th Result 2023 Date: Over 80% students passed last year In 2022, the Bihar Board's 12th results were announced by BSEB on March 16. Around 80.15 percent of students had passed the examination. The overall pass percentage for girls was 81.28 percent, while it was 76.66 percent for boys. Bihar Board Class 10th Result 2023: BSEB to release Secondary exams' scorecard soon The BSEB is also likely to release the Bihar Board Class 10th Result 2023 this week. There, however, has not been any official announcement on this. The BSEB Matric Annual Examination, 2023 was held from February 14 to February 22. Over 16 lakh students had registered for Bihar Board Class 10th 2023 exams. New Delhi: Aayush Sharma who had been shooting for his fourth film AS04 has wrapped the Azerbaijan schedule. The actor shared a picture with his co-actor and debutante Sushrii Mishraa announcing the wrap for the film slated for release this year. Creating a huge interest in the audience across quarters, the actor has been delving into the masses for the masala action entertainer. Aayush opened up about shooting in the cold weather of Baku, Azerbaijan saying, Kadake ke thand mein humne kiya kadak shoot Three cheers to Team #AS04 its a schedule wrap for us in Azerbaijan. Ever since the announcement of the yet untitled AS04 on Aayush Sharmas birthday last year, the action entertainer has been creating buzz with regular insights into the shoot and schedules of the film. Piquing the interest of the audience with his swagger personality and stylised action in the teaser, Aayush Sharma has further elevated the level of action post the critical appreciation and love from audience for his last release Antim: The Final Truth. Creating waves with not just the engaging content but also the interesting style of announcement, Aayush Sharma has introduced the prevailing pattern of untitled name to films in South Indian Film Industry by opting for his initials along with the chronological number of the film. Undergoing a remarkable physical transformation to feature washboard abs and toned muscles, Aayush Sharma has time and again shared glimpses from his rigorous training for the film. Sustaining injuring during filming the action sequences, the actor has been proving his versatility, dedication and commitment. Launching debutante Sushrii Mishraa with AS04, Aayush Sharma also roped in veteran South Indian actor Jagapathi Babu for the film. Produced by KK Radhamohan, under the banner of Srisathyasai Arts, the yet-untitled action entertainer AS04 stars Aayush Sharma as the lead, co-starring debutante Sushrii Mishraa. Directed by Katyayan Shivpuri, the film is slated for release in 2023. New Delhi: IT major TCS CEO Rajesh Gopinathan has reigned, and the company nominated its global head of the BFSI division K Krithivasan as the CEO Designate with immediate effect, the firm said on Thursday. Gopinathan will continue with the company till September 15, 2023, to provide transition and support to his successor. "After a stellar career of over 22 years with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and a successful stint as Managing Director and CEO during the last 6 years, Rajesh Gopinathan has decided to step down from the company to pursue his other interests," the company said in a statement. TCS has nominated its current President and Global Head of the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) Business Group K Krithivasan as CEO Designate with immediate effect. "The Board has nominated K Krithivasan as the CEO Designate, with effect from 16th March 2023. Krithivasan will go through a transition with Rajesh Gopinathan and will be appointed as the Managing Director & CEO in the next financial year," the statement said. Rajesh Gopinathan, MD & CEO, TCS, said; I have thoroughly enjoyed my exciting 22 year tenure at TCS. It has been a pleasure working closely with Chandra, who has mentored me through this entire period. The last six years of leading this iconic organization have been most enriching and fulfilling, adding over $10Bn in incremental revenues and over $70Bn increase in market capitalization. He added, I have been harboring a few ideas on what I want to do in the next phase of my life. After deep reflection and in discussion with the Chairman and the Board, we decided that the end of this fiscal year is a good time for me to step aside and pursue those interests. Having worked with Krithi over the last two decades, I am confident that he is best positioned to take TCS to greater heights along with the leadership team. I will be working closely with Krithi to give him all the support that he needs. New Delhi: Shahid Khan's 'Madhuri: A Tale of Bravery and Hope in the Face of Adversity' has been making waves since its release on Disney+ Hotstar. The film, which explores the struggles and triumphs of a group of underprivileged individuals, has received critical acclaim for its sensitive portrayal of the lives of the marginalized. At the heart of the film is Madhuri, a young girl who is forced to care for her younger siblings when her family falls on hard times. Directed and written by Shahid Khan, the film follows Madhuri's journey as she works as a street vendor to ensure her siblings have a better life, to chase this goal she worked so hard and finally got it. The film is set against the backdrop of a harsh and unforgiving world where poverty and inequality are rife. Despite the challenges they face, Madhuri and her family never lose hope, buoyed by the support of their close-knit community. Through its powerful storytelling and nuanced character development, "Madhuri" highlights the importance of resilience, courage, and community in the face of adversity. It also raises important questions about the structures of power and privilege that perpetuate poverty and inequality and the urgent need for social change and reform. The film has been a revolutionary success and trended as top 10 shows on Disney+ Hotstar. The director, Shahid Khan, has been praised for his phenomenal portrayal of the film, and has announced his next project, "Sarpanch Sahab which goes on floor on 20th March. Lucknow, (Uttar Pradesh): The Uttar Pradesh government led by Yogi Adityanath on Thursday informed that more than 10,000 encounters have taken place between police and criminals in the state in the past six years during which 63 criminals had been killed while a brave cop had also been martyred, according to the data released by the goverment. "In terms of number of encounters, Meerut is at the top in the state with the highest number of 3152 encounters taking place since 2017, in which 63 criminals were killed and 1708 criminals were injured," it said. During the same period, besides, a brave policeman was also martyred while 401 cops were injured during the police encounters. A total of 5,967 criminals were nabbed during the action of the UP Police. "The UP Police has conducted 10713 encounters since 2017 of which the highest 3152 were conducted by the Meerut police, followed by the Agra Police, which carried out 1844 encounters in which 4654 criminals were arrested while 14 dreaded criminals were killed and 55 cops were injured, and Bareilly where as many as 1497 encounters were conducted in which 3410 criminals were arrested while 7 died. During the encounters in Bareilly, 437 criminals were injured. In these operations, 296 brave police personnel were injured while 1 was martyred," the statement informed. "As soon as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took over the reins of the state, improving the law and order situation in the state became his priority. His government adopted zero tolerance policy against mafia and criminals and intensified crackdown on such elements to strengthen the state`s law and order," it added. According to the available statistics, in the last six years more than 10,000 encounters of criminals took place in the state. Reminding that due to this action of the police, the state which was once known for poor law and order situation and atrocities of mafias on innocent people, today is being known not only in the country but abroad as a "crime and fear-free state". It is noteworthy that during GIS-23, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and veteran leaders and investors praised the law and order situation of UP. The UP Police worked in a planned and phased manner to curb crime and crack down on criminals and encounter was the biggest strategy, which created fear among the criminals, after which they started fleeing from the state. New York: Bengaluru is among five global cities that have been recognised for achievements in preventing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and injuries, with the Indian tech city's efforts in tobacco control winning a USD 150,000 award by a leading global initiative supported by the WHO. Bengaluru was honoured on Wednesday with the 2023 Partnership for Healthy Cities Award, along with Montevideo in Uruguay; Mexico City, Mexico; Vancouver, Canada and Athens, Greece, at the inaugural Partnership for Healthy Cities Summit held in London, a statement by the World Health Organisation (WHO) said. More photos from today's #cities4health summit in London. I met with representatives from Mexico City and Bengaluru, India - both cities won a Partnership for Healthy Cities Award for their work in improving the health of their citizens. More at https://t.co/QqKjUee18Z pic.twitter.com/ZMWfBJU0sL Jose Luis Castro (@JLCastroGarcia) March 15, 2023 The cities were recognised for positively impacting the health of their population and making sustainable and lasting strides toward NCD and injury prevention that can be replicated in other jurisdictions. According to the statement, the five winning cities each received USD 150,000 to further their work with the partnership. The Karnataka capital was awarded for its "efforts in tobacco control, specifically, reducing smoking in public places and improving compliance with existing mandates on public smoking bans," the statement said. "The five cities being recognised today demonstrate that mayors can drive powerful progress to protect the health of their citizens," WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. "WHO remains committed to working through the Partnership for Healthy Cities to support mayors around the world, to build cities that promote and protect health rather than harm it," he added. Athens was honoured for increasing access to the opioid overdose reversal agent, naloxone, at community-based organisations and among healthcare professionals and Mexico City was recognised for improving road safety and safe and active mobility by launching a bike path on a busy road, leading to a 275 per cent increase in cyclists. Montevideo established nutritional standards for the preparation and sale of food in government agency offices and some public universities. It also focused on sodium reduction policies and developing media campaigns and educational materials. Vancouver made public health data more inclusive and accessible by launching an online public health data tool that tracks population health indicators and "working with urban Indigenous communities to better inform data management," the statement said. The Summit brought together mayors and officials from more than 50 major cities to discuss urgent public health concerns and best practices that save lives and create healthier cities, the statement said, adding that ensuring the health and well-being of residents in the world's urban centres is crucial, with the majority of the global population now living in urban settings. Noncommunicable diseases, including heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases and injuries, are responsible for over 80 per cent of all deaths globally. According to the statement, cities are uniquely positioned to transform the fight against NCDs and injuries by implementing policies that significantly reduce exposure to risk factors. The Summit highlighted "best practices and proven interventions, which is especially important as public health is at risk of becoming less of a priority three years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic," according to the statement. The first-of-its-kind Summit was convened in London by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the WHO, Vital Strategies, and Mayor Sadiq Khan of London. Founded in 2017, the Partnership for Healthy Cities is a global network comprising 70 cities working together to prevent NCDs and injuries. Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, in partnership with the WHO and Vital Strategies, the initiative enables cities worldwide to deliver a high-impact policy or programmatic intervention to reduce NCDs and injuries in their communities. Founder of Bloomberg and Bloomberg Philanthropies, former New York City mayor and WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries, Michael Bloomberg, said given the gains achieved by the inaugural award winners, "we expect even more leaders will follow in their footsteps as they create healthier, more vibrant cities." The mayors who attended the inaugural Partnership for Healthy Cities Summit -and their city's public health focus areas- included Mayor Kiritkumar Jivanlal Parmar of Ahmedabad, with a focus area on noncommunicable disease surveillance and Mayor Balendra Shah of Kathmandu, focusing on improving air quality surveillance. New Delhi: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday accused the government of orchestrating disruptions in both Houses of Parliament in a bid to sidestep questions raised by the opposition parties on a slew of issues and avoid accountability. On Thursday, for the first time, the party named the Adani Group in reference to the risk exposure of LIC and SBI, an issue it has been raising for quite some time now. "The BJP under (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and (Home Minister Amit) Shah are turning Parliament into a deep dark chamber. They do not want Parliament to run because the government has to be accountable to Parliament and then to the people. Modi and Shah don't want to be accountable to the people so they disrupt Parliament," said Derek O'Brien, the TMC floor leader in Rajya Sabha. O'Brien further said the Lok Sabha does not have a deputy speaker for almost four years and the prime minister has not answered a single question in either House of Parliament since 2016. The Adani controversy involving SBI and LIC warrants an UNBIASED investigation. We urge non-@BJP4India states to immediately investigate Adani's alleged looting of the SBI and LIC! It is imperative that we unite to safeguard our democracy and uphold justice for our people. pic.twitter.com/nfImszOrFn All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) March 16, 2023 The Lok Sabha took up only six short-duration discussions, he said, adding "if you go back, it was 59, 55 and 33 in previous sessions." "In the Rajya Sabha it is similar. Last six years no opposition MP has been given a chance to discuss any issue of importance," he alleged. "Mr Modi and Mr Shah have decided that Parliament will not run. The MPs have been asked to stand up and disrupt. This suits a government which does not want to be accountable to the people," said O'Brien. TMC MP Sougata Ray alleged that the government was scared of discussing the Adani issue. The two MPs said that they also wanted to discuss the issue of risk exposure of LIC and CBI, stating that the money at risk in the two public institutions is the money of the people. "We raised this issue in the earlier session. The TMC is very clear that we want a Supreme Court-monitored probe, the other parties want a JPC (joint parliamentary committee). All opposition parties...Are on the same page -- we want an enquiry," O'Brien said. One of the reasons why the TMC decided not to demand a JPC is that the chairperson and most of its members would be from the BJP, he said, adding JPC means putting the issue under the carpet. "What is stopping the CBI and the ED from investigating the man who looted 140 crore Indians. Let us get to the bottom of this LIC-SBI issue. No protecting the Adani Group. If Modi wants to protect the Adani Group, we appeal to all the state governments run by our friends in the opposition to stop the plunder and loot of the common people," he said. In response to a question on why the TMC did not sign a joint letter or join the opposition march over the issue, he said the Congress party needs to make up its mind. "In Tripura you will be friends with the Left, that's your choice, in Bengal you will fight us tooth and nail....Then in Meghalaya before the election you will write a litany (of charges) on how bad TMC is.... Then one of your senior parliamentarians and leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha will everyday make wild charges," he said, referring to Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. "TMC is very clear that you can't have separate rules. So, with this kind of situation and the kind of statements being issued everyday against the TMC leadership in Bengal, we won't sign a letter on a Congress party letterhead. It is not possible. This is the reality," he said. The two leaders also said the TMC does not have an electoral alliance with Congress. Srinagar: A Gujarat man posing as Additional Director (Strategy and Campaigns) in the Prime Minister's Office, New Delhi was arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir Police on March 3. Kiran Patel, a resident of Gujarat, was picked up by J&K Police from a 5-star hotel in Srinagar where he was staying as a top official. According to court documents, he was on his third visit to the Kashmir valley and was subsequently nabbed by alert security officials. Sources said that "Police got suspicious about him and started gathering information about the accused who turned out to be an imposter posing as Additional Director 'Strategy and Campaign' in the office of PMO in Delhi. Sources said that the con man had forged documents to deceive people in the security who provided him high-security cover during his stay in Valley, the imposter was given a thick security cover and accompanied him to the famous tourist destination Dudparhri where a top state official received and accompanied him. The police department, after receiving specific information about a person identified as Kiran Patel, son of Jagdish Patel, identified as Additional Director (Strategy and Operations) PMO, New Delhi, swiftly Acted and arrested the person in Srinagar. Police have registered an FIR against the accused and have been arrested. Sources said that preliminary investigation reveals that he has managed to dupe gullible people for monetary and other benefits. Accordingly, an FIR No. 19 of 2023 was registered by Srinagar Police at Nishat Police Station, which read, A reliable information received by Police Station Nishat on 02-03-2023 revealed that a fraudster Kiran Patel is a resident of Gujarat. He was involved in activities based on criminal intent within the jurisdiction of this Police Station and other parts of Kashmir Valley and by employing a high degree of forgery means. "The said person has cheated gullible persons by cheating, and forgery and will fully carry out activities in pursuance of a well-conceived scheme to gain monetary as well as material benefits ." As per FIR the fraudster has been booked under Section 419, 420, 467, 468, 471 IPC at Nishat police station and further investigation is on. Sources said Kiran Patel, who introduced herself as a senior Indian government official, also met at least two deputy commissioners during her visit to the Valley. A local court in Srinagar has sent Kiran Patel to judicial custody today. Company Logo Dublin, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Cell Therapy Media, Cell Therapy Kits, Cell Therapy Reagents and Cell Therapy Surface Market: Distribution by Type of Product, Type of Cell Therapy, Scale of Operation, Type of End-User and Key Geographical Regions: Industry Trends and Global Forecasts, 2023-2035" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. In the past few years, this therapeutic approach has emerged as one of the key areas of interest in the healthcare sector, given its ability to treat diseases which were previously considered untreatable. Consequently, driven by the benefits offered by cellular therapies and recent approvals granted by regulatory authorities, the demand for cellular therapies has increased considerably; this has led to a rise in the requirement of cell therapy raw materials. Specifically, cell therapy consumables refer to materials that are used in cell therapy manufacturing. It is worth mentioning that the selection of cell therapy consumables, specifically the cell culture media and supplements, is a crucial step in cell therapy manufacturing as they directly impact the potency and safety of the final product. In this report, we have considered the four predominant types of consumables applicable to cell therapy, namely cell culture media, media kits providing culture media along with the necessary media supplements, reagents and extracellular matrices. Key Market Insights Growing Demand for Cell Therapies Since the development of the first cell therapy, this therapeutic segment has garnered significant attention from researchers and medical practitioners. This can be attributed to the fact that cell therapies have been demonstrated to possess a vast potential in the treatment of rare disorders, which were previously considered incurable. The popularity of this therapeutic class of products can also be validated from the fact that, since 2019, more than 1,000 clinical trials focused on cell therapies have been initiated. It is also worth mentioning that over 35 cell and gene therapies have already been commercialized, across various geographical locations, till date. Notable examples of recently approved cell therapies include (in reverse chronological order) Breyanzi (June 2022), CarvyktiT (February 2022) and Abecma (March 2021). Story continues Need for High-Quality Cell Therapy Consumables Driven by the rise in popularity of cell therapies, there is a growth in demand for cell culture media, reagents and surfaces. It is worth mentioning that, amidst the increasing demand for such products, there is a rise in stringency from regulatory authorities to ensure that the quality of raw materials is good. Therefore, to meet the industry needs, cell therapy manufacturers are actively adopting serum free and xeno free products, which are known to reduce the risk of batch-to-batch variability. Role of Consumables in Commercialization of Cell Therapies Currently, the marketed cell-based therapies are exorbitantly priced. Even though, with the introduction of automation technologies in cell therapy bioprocessing, the cost and time required for development of such products has reduced significantly, there is still a considerable scope of improvement to make these therapies affordable. In this context, it is worth mentioning that consumables, including media, reagents and matrices, currently constitute nearly 25% of the overall cost of cell therapy manufacturing. Optimization of raw materials, by streamlining the production processes, can help mitigate wastage and further reduce the manufacturing cost. Moreover, for commercial applications, it is crucial to obtain consistent outcomes during the manufacturing process. Cell culture media, with chemically defined formulation, provides enhanced consistency for production purposes. Current Market Landscape of Cell Therapy Media, Kits, Reagents and Surfaces The cell therapy consumable providers market landscape features more than 80 companies, which claim to possess the necessary expertise for manufacturing of over 450 research and / or therapeutic grade raw materials. Some of these players also claim to have developed GMP certified facilities for the production of consumables, which are intended to be used for a range of human cells, including T-cells, stem cells, dendritic cells and NK cells. Subsequently, cell therapy media market represents majority share (57%) of consumables offered, followed by the share captured by media and supplement kits (26%), extracellular matrices (14%) and cell culture reagents (3%). The ancillary materials offered by these companies are available in various volumes and can be utilized for numerous functions, such as cell proliferation, cell differentiation and cell isolation. Recent developments in this domain indicate that cell therapy consumable providers are actively expanding their capacity and product portfolio in order to accommodate the current and anticipated demand for cell therapies. Recent Trends Related to Cell Culture Media In recent years, there has been a considerable rise in regulatory stringency as well as awareness related to disadvantages of using animal-based medica formulations, in the cell therapy domain. Specifically, animal-based media pose an undesirable risk of transfecting infectious agents. This has resulted in a shift towards the higher adoption of chemically defined, animal-component free (serum-free and xeno-free) media, in the cell culture media market. It is worth mentioning that, currently, majority of the cell culture media are being used for the development of stem cell therapies, followed by those intended for T-cell therapies. Key Drivers in the Cell Therapy Consumables Market One of the key drivers of the investments in this market is the success of previously commercialized cell therapies. More than USD 35 billion has already invested in cell therapy domain by private investors. In the last few years, cell therapies have offered a relatively more reliable approach for the treatment of rare diseases. According to a study published in 2019, the prevalence rate of rare diseases is about 263 to 446 million individuals, at any point of time. This necessitates the need for more such life-saving therapies. It is worth highlighting that, by 2030, close to 60 cell and gene therapies are anticipated to receive regulatory approval, further expanding the opportunities associated within the market. These factors will, in turn, lead to a surge in the requirement for cell therapy consumables products, driving significant growth of the domain. Market Size of the Cell Therapy Consumables Market Driven by the indubitably rising need for cell therapies, the market for cell therapy media and other consumables is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 12%, during the period 2023-2035. Specifically, in terms of scale of operation, the demand for consumable products for commercial operations are expected to expand rapidly with the anticipated approval of numerous cell therapies. Additionally, it is worth highlighting that more than 80% of the current market share is captured by players based in North America and Asia-Pacific. Example Players in the Cell Therapy Consumables Market Examples of players engaged in this domain (which have also been captured in this report) include BD Biosciences, Bio-Techne, CellGenix, Corning, Irvine Scientific (Acquired by FUJIFILM), Lonza, Miltenyi Biotech, Sartorius, STEMCELL Technologies and Thermo Fisher Scientific. Scope of the Report The study presents an in-depth analysis of the various firms / organizations that are engaged in this domain, across different segments. The report presents an in-depth analysis, highlighting the capabilities of various stakeholders engaged in this domain, across different regions. Amongst other elements, the report includes: A detailed assessment of the overall market landscape of companies offering cell therapy consumables, based on several relevant parameters, such as year of establishment, company size (in terms of number of employees), location of headquarters, type of product (kits, media, reagents and extracellular matrices), number and location of consumable facilities, accreditations received, type of end-user (industry and non-industry), media compatibility (serum free , xeno free and both), type of cell therapy (T-cell therapies, stem cell therapies, NK cell therapies, dendritic cell therapies and others), type of function (cell proliferation, cell expansion, cell differentiation, cell activation, cell isolation, cell attachment), kit components (supplements / reagents, growth / induction medium, expansion medium, differentiation medium and others), type of ECM coating (laminin, fibronectin, vitronectin, basement membrane extract and others), type of formulation (powder, liquid, pre-coated cultureware), shelf life (6-12 months, 13-18 months, 19-24 months and 25-36 months), scale of operation (discovery, preclinical, clinical and commercial), application area (research use and therapeutic use), storage temperature (refrigerated, frozen, ultra-low and room temperature), as well as volume of media, reagents and extracellular matrices. A detailed competitiveness analysis of cell therapy consumable providers (kits, media, reagents and extracellular matrices) based on supplier strength (in terms of years of experience and company size), portfolio strength (considering media compatibility, number of unique type of cell therapy, application area, product manufacturing practices and number of consumable facilities) and number of products offered. A detailed brand positioning analysis of prominent industry players (shortlisted on the basis of strength of service portfolio), highlighting the current perceptions regarding their proprietary brands across different consumable classes. Elaborate profiles of key players offering cell therapy consumables (shortlisted on the basis of portfolio strength and number of products offered); each profile includes a brief overview of the company, along with information on its cell therapy consumables focused product portfolio, consumable facilities, recent developments and an informed future outlook. An analysis of recent developments within the cell therapy consumable industry, highlighting information on several partnerships and collaborations, mergers and acquisitions, and expansion initiatives that have taken place within this domain, during the period 2016-2022. A list of over 250 cell therapy developers that are anticipated to partner with cell therapy consumable providers; these players have been shortlisted based on several relevant parameters, such as developer strength (which takes into account a company's size and its experience in this field), pipeline strength and maturity (based on the number of pipeline drugs and affiliated stage of development), and availability of other cell therapy capabilities. An informed estimate of the annual demand for cell therapy consumables (in terms of volume of media required for total number of cells), based on scale of operation and key geographical regions. An in-depth discussion on the upcoming trends and future growth opportunities within the cell therapy consumables market, featuring details related to the significance of automation in cell therapy manufacturing processes and benefits of single use technologies for production of cell therapies. Frequently Asked Questions Question 1: What are the factors driving the cell therapy consumables market? Answer: The growing demand for cell therapies, as a result of the increasing number of commercialized cell therapies and the rise in cell therapy focused clinical trials, is one of the key factors driving the growth of the cell therapy consumables market. Question 2: How many players are engaged in offering cell culture media for manufacturing of cell therapies? Answer: Currently, more than 65 companies claim to offer different types of cell culture media for the growth, proliferation, expansion and differentiation of numerous types of cell therapies. Question 3: How many players are engaged in offering kits for manufacturing cell therapies? Answer: At present, nearly 40 players claim to offer several types of kits required to manufacture cell therapies. These kits comprise of various key components, including supplements / reagents for isolation, activation and differentiation of cells, growth media, differentiation media and expansion media. Question 4: How many media products are available in the market for culturing cell therapies? Answer: The current market features the presence of nearly 260 media products, which can be used for the manufacturing of cell therapies intended for culturing of human cells. Question 5: What are the partnership and collaboration trends in the cell therapy consumables domain? Answer: At present, distribution agreements, mergers and acquisitions, and product commercialization agreements are the most common types of partnerships inked by stakeholders engaged in the cell therapy consumables domain. Question 6: Which geographical segment has the largest market share in the current cell therapy consumables market? Answer: North America captures the largest share in the current cell therapy consumables market, followed by Asia-Pacific. It is worth mentioning that, within Asia-Pacific, majority of the market share is contributed by China. Question 7: Which type of product contributes to the largest share of the cell therapy consumables market? Answer: In 2023, the cell therapy consumables market is expected to be dominated by media. This trend can be attributed to the large quantity of media required for manufacturing of cell therapies. Key Topics Covered: 1. PREFACE 2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3. INTRODUCTION 4. MARKET LANDSCAPE 5. COMPANY COMPETITIVENESS ANALYSIS 6. BRAND POSITIONING OF KEY INDUSTRY PLAYERS 7. COMPANY PROFILES 8. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS AND INITIATIVES 9. LIKELY PARTNER ANALYSIS FOR CELL THERAPY CONSUMABLE PROVIDERS 10. PRICING STRATEGY 11. DEMAND ANALYSIS 12. MARKET FORECAST AND OPPORTUNITY ANALYSIS 13. UPCOMING TRENDS AND FUTURE GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES 14. CONCLUDING REMARKS 15. INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/35w7tf About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 NEW DELHI: The budget session of the Delhi Assembly, starting Friday, is likely to witness heated exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches, with the ruling AAP targeting LG V K Saxena and the Centre over the arrest of Manish Sisodia and the BJP bringing a no-confidence motion against the Arvind Kejriwal government. The session will start with an address by the lieutenant governor (LG) and the budget will be presented on March 21, officials said. A senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said that the session will have discussions on the arrest of former deputy chief minister Sisodia and how the lieutenant governor was interfering in the works of the elected government. "The party will also raise the issue of the LG being involved in an incident with noted social activist Medha Patkar in 2002. We will also raise the issue of misuse of CBI and ED by the BJP-ruled Centre and the LG's interference in government functioning," he said. Another senior functionary of the AAP said, "The misuse of CBI and ED by the Centre is the biggest issue. The world's best education minister, Manish Sisodia, has been put behind bars in a false case. This is the biggest issue of Delhi." Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said in a statement that the BJP will bring a no-confidence motion against the Arvind Kejriwal government over its involvement in "corruption". The BJP MLAs, in a joint statement, said that they will corner the Kejriwal government as its two ministers were behind bars and it was facing allegations of "scams" involving liquor policy, classroom construction, electricity subsidy, and snooping by its Feedback Unit. "In such a situation, this government has no moral or constitutional right to be in office and a no-confidence motion is being brought against the government," it said. Bidhuri said the budget session has been called only for five days, out of which the provision of question hour has been kept only on two days. "This is like attacking the rights of the legislators and this government is continuously robbing the rights of the legislators," he alleged. The BJP will demand that the session be extended by at least 10 days, he said. The BJP MLAs have given notices to discuss the serious problems of Delhi in the Assembly and they want that all issues should be discussed so that the truth can come before the public, he said. Issues such as corruption, air pollution, drinking water crisis, collapse of the transport system, non-opening of new schools and colleges, lack of teachers, irregularities in mohalla clinics, and the Yamuna pollution will be raised by the opposition MLAs, he said. Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said the session will focus on making Delhi a modern, clean and development-oriented city. "There will be more focus on providing funds for sanitation, cleaning garbage mountains, making world class infrastructure in Delhi, making it development oriented in terms of good transport, making well connected network and bringing more electric buses." The annual budget for 2023-24 will be presented by Kailash Gahlot who assumed the charge as finance minister after the arrest of Sisodia by the CBI in connection with an alleged liquor policy scam. Nobel Peace Prize 2023: When it comes to popular and powerful world leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ranks among them without any doubt. Be it supply of Covid-19 vaccines or speaking against the Russia-Ukraine war, PM Modi has established himself as a voice that global leaders acknowledge. Reports have been going viral claiming that Nobel committee deputy leader Asle Toje endorsed PM Modi as a major contender for the Nobel Peace Prize. It may be recalled that Toje is currently visiting India and during his interviews with different media houses, he has praised the work done by PM Narendra Modi. "Indias intervention to remind Russia of the consequences of using Nuclear weapons was very helpful. India didnt speak in a loud voice, didnt threaten anybody, they just made their position known in a friendly manner. We need more of that in international politics," said Toje. Talking to a newspaper, Toje said that India is going to be the next superpower of the century. "India is one of the hopes for mankind. India is a country of ancient history having very deep philosophical insights and peaceful religions. I am very happy to see that this has filtered into the Indian government. I am very happy to see that India is ready to shoulder its global responsibility and be a force for peace, equity and fairness. India's power is growing. India is taken more seriously now than in the past. I am happy to see that PM Modi is using his power to give back to mankind....China and India are going to be the next superpowers," said Toje while praising the spiritual side of India. He also said that it's not a small thing if PM Modi is taking out time for helping the world restore peace. Toje noted that PM Modi intervened on a positive note in the Russia-Ukraine crisis warning Russia against using nuclear weapons. However, when asked about PM Modi as a contender for the nobel peace prize, Toje said that any leader in the world should aspire for the peace prize. "Any leader should try to do more for peace in the world to deserve this award. But, the work comes first and the world comes later," said Toje. Clarifying about a viral tweet claiming PM Modi as a Nobel peace prize contender, Toje told ANI that the tweet was fake. "I am the deputy leader of the Nobel committee. A fake news tweet was sent out. We should treat it as all fake news. It's fake. Let's not discuss it. Let's not give it any energy or oxygen. I categorically deny that I said anything resembling what was in that tweet." Asle Toje is a noted Norwegian academic visiting India. I was puzzled he had said that Mr. Modi was the strongest contender for the Nobel Peace Prize. Dr. Toje has categorically denied saying this. While his 'statement' was pumped by GodiMedia, his denial is being ignored. pic.twitter.com/J9o56eM0uU Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) March 16, 2023 This years Nobel Prize announcements will take place 29 October. All of the announcements will be streamed live at nobelprize.org. The Nobel Peace prize will be announced on October 6. The 2023 Nobel Prize announcement dates have been revealed. This years #NobelPrize announcements will take place from 2-9 October and will be broadcast live on https://t.co/3VsHzjF7LK. Read more: https://t.co/qHw1d4M47D pic.twitter.com/OeEWWcqHRU The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) March 10, 2023 Thus, it is clear that while Toje heaped praise on the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, he did not say a word about PM Modi as a contender for the Nobel Peace Prize. Thus, the news reports were fake. Gurugram: Gurugram police on Wednesday detained a foreign national for running naked on a road here, an official said. According to police, the man is suspected to be a Nigerian national and has been taken to Civil Hospital in sector 10 for a medical examination. "If his mental condition is stable, a case will be registered against him," said inspector Madan Lal, Station House Officer of Badshahpur police station. At around 6 pm on Wednesday, the man was seen running naked in the middle of the road near Tulip Chowk in sector 69 bringing traffic to a standstill. When police arrived at the scene, he ran towards a village where local residents caught and tied him to a tree, the official said. New Delhi: Hours after the Puducherry government announced a holiday for all schools up to Class 8 from March 16 to March 26 in view of the spread of the H3N2 influenza virus in the Union Territory, the Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday said that there will not be any holidays for students. In view of the spread of Influenza A Virus Subtype H3N2, the state's Minister for Medical and Family Welfare Ma Subramanian said the health department has stepped up screening measures across Tamil Nadu to contain the spread of the infection. He also informed that no severe cases of the H3N2 virus have been reported in the state. He also allayed fears of the spread of the influenza A virus and appealed to the public not to panic. "We are conducting over 1,000 medical camps on a day-to-day basis... We have conducted 1,586 medical camps today and this has been going on over the last few days... There has been no case of serious illness or requirement of admission into intensive care units (of any government hospital due to influenza)...," he told reporters. "There is no need to panic", he stressed. Asked whether schools would be required to be shut in line with the announcement made by the Puducherry government, he replied, "Such a condition does not arise in Tamil Nadu." "There is no such necessity here. Whatever infections reported in Tamil Nadu were not serious," the Minister in the MK Stalin cabinet said. H3N2 symptoms The H3N2 symptoms reported in Tamil Nadu are throat pain, and body cache, and people are recovering from mild infections, the Minister stated. As many as 476 mobile medical units have been pressed into service for medical camps across the state and even if a single infection was reported in a particular village, all those living in the area are screened completely, Subramanian said. Poonch: People`s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday visited a temple in the Poonch district and offered prayers. Bharatiya Janata Party termed Mufti`s temple visit a "political gimmick."BJP leader and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Kavinder Gupta said, "I have also just come from the temple but the news is about her (Mehbooba Mufti) because she is doing something different. "It is very obvious when elections are coming they start doing these kinds of "drama and gimmickry," he said today. "If they are really doing this with their whole heart then it`s good. May god give them the wisdom to work for the country and Jammu and Kashmir. I hope they do not support Pakistan" Gupta said. Talking about PDP chief Mufti`s visit, Udesh Pal Sharma, son of a late PDP leader said, "We are very happy that she visited the temple. She is the former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. She visited the temple, offered prayers, and offered water (jal) to lord Shiva. "This temple was built by Yashpal Sharma & his son wanted me to go inside the temple. After that, somebody gave me a vessel containing water, so it would have been wrong to deny it so I offered prayers," says PDP chief M Mufti offering prayers at Navagraha temple in Pooch. #WATCH | This temple was built by Yashpal Sharma & his son wanted me to go inside temple. After that, somebody gave me a vessel containing water, so it would have been wrong to deny it so I offered prayers: PDP chief M Mufti on offering prayers at Navagraha temple in Pooch pic.twitter.com/evgHCLAUs3 ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2023 She has set a tremendous example by visiting the temple."The former CM has given a message to the whole of Jammu and Kashmir that no one can destroy and harm the peace of J&K," he told ANI. Talking about the temple, he said, "In November 2017, the construction of the temple was started by my father former PDP leader late Yashpal Sharma. Each and every person of Poonch have contributed to the making of the temple." KOLKATA: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Trinamool Congress MLA of Murshidabad Jakir Hossain, TMC leader Anubrata Mondal's daughter Sukanya and two others to its office in New Delhi next week in connection with the ongoing investigation into the alleged cattle smuggling, an official of the probe body said on Thursday. Hossain, a former minister of the Mamata Banerjee government and a businessman, has been asked to carry all "necessary documents", he said. "We have summoned Jakir Hossain in connection with the cattle smuggling case. He was asked to appear on March 2 and because he did not appear we have summoned him again next week," the official told PTI. While the date of his appearance was not divulged by the probe agency, Hossain told PTI that he has not received the summons as yet. The Income Tax department seized Rs 11 crore in cash from properties linked to Hossain in January this year. Sukanya Mondal, her driver Tufan Midda and non-teaching staff of Labpur College in Birbhum district, Vijay Rajak were asked to appear before the ED in the national capital on March 20, the ED official said. Sukanya was earlier asked to appear before the ED in Delhi on Wednesday but had skipped it. She had sent a mail to the ED's office requesting for time to appear before it. Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad leader Kripamoy Ghosh, who was also served the summons on Wednesday night to present himself at the central investigation agency's office in Delhi on Thursday did not do so. Ghosh was seen sitting with Mondal, the TMC Birbhum president, at a restaurant in Shaktigarh when the arrested leader was being taken from Asansol correctional home to an ESI Hospital in Joka here for a fitness test before being sent to New Delhi. ED officials said that the bank accounts of Midda, Rajak and Ghosh were allegedly used to receive and transfer money. "It seems that money collected in the smuggling was transferred through the bank accounts of these people. We need to know about the details of these fictitious transactions and that is the reason they have been summoned," the ED official told PTI. The TMC strongman's daughter had earlier appeared before ED officers for interrogation related to some fictitious transactions made through the accounts of two companies where she was named as director. The probe agency arrested Mondal's chartered accountant Manish Kothari on Tuesday in connection with the alleged crime after several hours of questioning. Mondal, the president of TMC's Birbhum district unit and an influential leader of the party, was taken into custody by CBI in the cattle smuggling case in August 2022. He was arrested by the ED in November last year and taken to New Delhi for the probe into the scam. Budgam: Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah accused BJP of depriving the people of Jammu and Kashmir of the elected government for the last several years. A delegation of Opposition leaders from Jammu and Kashmir led by Lok Sabha member Farooq Abdullah met Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar today and demanded holding early assembly polls in the Union Territory. A delegation of leaders from the National Conference (NC), Congress, CPI (M), Dogra Sabha, Panther's Party, PDP and Awami National Conference met the CED in New Delhi and submitted a memorandum demanding early polls. In the memorandum, the leaders said the EC is under the Constitutional obligation to hold assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir. On the other hand, Omar Abdullah spoke to reporters on the sidelines of a party convention at the Aarigam Khansahab area of Central Kashmirs Budgam district. Omar further said that the last time elections were conducted in J&K was in the year 2014 and since then no assembly polls were held here. When asked why they are always meeting the opposition leaders and not the government, Omar Abdullah said there is no fun in meeting the government as it doesnt budge and doesnt listen to them. We have stopped meeting the government as it is a futile exercise...There is nothing wrong in meeting the Election Commission which is responsible for holding elections across India. The delegation wants to know what wrong Jammu Kashmir that people did here are being deprived of having their own elected government, he said. Omar Abdullah said except for the Opposition there is nobody in Jammu and Kashmir while the government dictates the terms and doesnt take people or political leaders on board. Government only knows how to harass people. When we tried to meet the government, it didnt oblige. Omer Abdullah also demanded the release of all political prisoners including former legislature Engineer Rashid. In response to a question, Omar Abdullah said that not only Engineer Rashid, but all those Kashmiris incarcerated in different jails should be released. He said Public Safety Act should go once and for all from the Jammu and Kashmir as the law is being misused to detain people illegally. We are not betraying anyone; what we say we do. There are some people who help BJP behind closed doors, and we are and always said that we are against BJP and want to keep them away and we will always work for that. Regarding the deferment of examinations by JKSSB after a row over the APTECH job recruiting agency, Omar Abdullah said it was better late than never. However, he demanded a thorough probe and said there is something fishy and people wanted to know why a blacklisted agency got the contract for holding examinations for Job recruitment in Jammu and Kashmir. New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said that he was not allowed to speak in the Parliament even after he urged Speaker Om Birla regarding it. The former party chief alleged that the house was adjourned within a minute of his arrival in the Lok Sabha. Addressing a press conference, Rahul said "four cabinet ministers have raised allegations against me in the parliament house and that is why I went there with an idea to speak on it but I wasn't allowed to do so." The Wayanad MP said that he is hopeful that the govt will let him speak in Lok Sabha tomorrow but he is not sure. When Gandhi entered the Lok Sabha on Thursday, the BJP members strongly demanded that he tenders an apology for his "democracy under attack" remark in London. Gandhi arrived in Parliament House after his return from abroad and smiled when asked if he would apologise for his remarks in London. Rahul also slammed the govt over the expunging of his last speech on PM Modi's relations with Gautam Adani. He said "my entire speech was based on information available in the public domain." Attacking the govt over the Adani row, Rahul said "PM Modi and BJP govt are scared of the Adani row and all these allegations against me are an attempt to divert attention." He said the main question is the 'relationship between PM Modi and Gautam Adani'. He also launched a scathing attack on the government over the involvement of the Adani group in key defence deals. The Congress leader also sought answers on the allegations by a Sri Lankan official that "PM Modi wanted Gautam Adani to get power project." Adani group's role in the Israel-India defence relationship and take over of major Indian airports by Adani group. "These are the questions PM does not want to give answers on," Rahul said. He further added, "As an MP my first responsibility is to speak in parliament first and then I will be sharing details with the media." During an event in the UK, Gandhi alleged that the structures of Indian democracy are under attack and there is a "full-scale assault" on the country's institutions. The BJP has stepped up the heat on Gandhi following his critical remarks. New Delhi: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi who recently returned from his week-long UK trip arrived at Parliament on Thursday (March 16). He said that he is willing to respond to BJP's demands for an apology for his statements made abroad if he is allowed to speak in Parliament. As Rahul Gandhi stepped out of his car, reporters asked him if would apologise for his remarks about the country in the UK as demanded by the BJP. Gandhi smiled but stayed mum on the subject and stepped inside the Parliament building. Both Houses of Parliament have been adjourned till 2 pm. Later, he told reporters that if he is allowed to speak in Parliament, he will express his views on BJP's demand for an apology over his comments on Indian democracy in London. "If they allow me to speak in Parliament, then I will say what I think," he said. #WATCH | Congress MP Rahul Gandhi arrives in Parliament, remains silent on the question of BJP's demand to tender an unconditional apology for this London speech pic.twitter.com/ksvV3pnyPP ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2023 For the past two days, the ruling BJP and the Congress have been engaging in a war of words in Parliament over Gandhi's remarks on Indian democracy in London. The BJP alleged that Rahul Gandhi had defamed the country by making such remarks but the Congress has continued to defend the comments. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had indirectly snubbed Gandhi at an event in Karnataka wherein he called India the 'Mother of Democracy'. Union Minister Anurag Thakur also took several digs at the Congress MP and asked him to apologise to the Parliament. "No matter how much help he (Gandhi) seeks from foreign friends, foreign newspapers and channels, foreign soil, foreigners can never dominate India. You have to vote here, not in England or America," Thakur said. "Rahul Gandhi should stop Cambridge cries and London lies and come back to Parliament and apologise to Parliament," he said. Rahul Gandhi, in London, had alleged that there was an 'attack' on Indian democracy and claimed that Opposition MPs were often prevented from speaking in Parliament as their mics were turned off. NEW DELHI: The BJP on Thursday slammed Rahul Gandhi for claiming that whether he is permitted to speak in Parliament or not is a test of democracy, saying his comments cannot become the "barometer" of success or failure of democracy. Former Union minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad accused Gandhi of making it a habit of seeking to derail and demean Indian democracy from foreign soils. At a press conference, he noted that the Congress leader did not deny making comments against the state of democracy in India and seeking the intervention of the US and Europe. Prasad said the BJP had posted the video of Gandhi's comments in Britain in which he urged foreign powers to take "notice" of the "falling standards" of democracy in India. The BJP will continue to campaign against the Congress leader, seeking his apology for insulting the country and its people, he said. The same democracy elected him to Lok Sabha from Wayanad and the Congress to power in Himachal Pradesh recently, he noted, asserting that Gandhi begins raising questions on it after his party is defeated in elections. The Congress drew a blank in the recent assembly polls in three northeastern states, he noted. People do not vote Gandhi or his party due to their misdeeds and he should not inflict insult on them for this, Prasad said. The former Congress president on Thursday alleged the whole "tamasha" around his remarks in the UK has been created by the government to divert attention from the Adani issue and asserted it is a "test of Indian democracy" as to whether he would be allowed to respond to the allegations by the BJP in Parliament. MILAN Loro Piana for me has the license to try; this is the true luxury. In his first, exclusive interview since taking the helm of the Italian brand in November 2021, chief executive officer Damien Bertrand mapped out growth avenues and the untapped potential of Loro Piana. More from WWD Bertrand is no stranger to luxury, joining Loro Piana, controlled by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, from Christian Dior Couture in Paris, where he was managing director. Speaking from his luminous office, personally furnished with distinctive vintage pieces, at Milans sprawling Loro Piana headquarters in the newly restored Cortile della Seta real estate development, Bertrands passion for the brand is palpable. A few days earlier, Loro Piana presented its fall collection during Milan Fashion Week, drawing inspiration from the homelands of its key fibers, referencing Peru to honor its vicuna, Mongolia for its renowned cashmere, and New Zealand and Australia for wool. For the first time, the brand showcased its mens and womens lines together. Bertrand enthused about Loro Pianas contribution to the protection of the endangered vicuna animal and the research into new fabrics such as CashFur, first employed for outerwear and now also for bags. Here, Bertrand explains why the brand is addictive in some way and why there is no need for a star creative director, as Loro Piana rolls out a new silhouette, and image and communication strategy. WWD: Lets talk about the concept of the new collection, because I see there is quite a strong menswear component. Are you expanding the category? Damien Bertrand: Not necessarily expanding. For me it was important to show for the first time men and women together, because I wanted to show the new silhouette of Loro Piana. I arrived at Loro Piana 15 months ago, which is a long time but not that long, and I wanted to take my time to discover the brand. Story continues First of all, Im so happy to have joined Loro Piana: its an exceptional maison. For me its the pinnacle of the Italian luxury, the quintessence of luxury. It was important to discover the heritage, the history, the hundreds of years of history of Loro Piana, which is very interesting and fascinating. Also, I spent time discovering the people, meeting the teams, going into the ateliers, the factories, the shops and I saw and met incredible people. People who are completely passionate and I realized that I could take this amazing resource with me and from the beginning my vision was to say, We can push them forward as much as we can and we can bring them all together in what I call the new silhouette. WWD: Will you describe the new Loro Piana silhouette? D.B.: It means, perhaps something a bit more modern, more stylish. Beyond man and woman, what is important to me is that for the first time I was able to show you and others this new vision. When you see some of the looks here, I find it very interesting because it is very Loro Piana. [Pointing to the designs displayed in his office.] Its free, its layered, its structured, theres baby cashmere, so it represents very well the beauty and the nobility of the Loro Piana fiber, but at the same time the contrast between the shoes and the trousers is slightly fresher for Loro Piana. The other element of the silhouette that is very important to me, and you have already mentioned it, is bringing men and women together, developing the collection together, with the same color palette, with the same inspiration, and the result is seen here. The silhouettes speak to each other. The womans wardrobe borrows from the men. Some of the jackets you saw were jackets borrowed from the male wardrobe. This is the attitude of the womenswear a little more spacious, comfortable, beautifully tailored, beautifully layered. So, for me, my vision and my dream is that we know that Loro Piana is very famous as the master of fiber, but we have to be able to translate that into the silhouette, so that when you walk down the street and you see ladies wearing our garments you think, Wow, this is so chic, so elegant, so timeless, this has to be Loro Piana. WWD: This is that special Je ne sais quoi D.B.: Exactly, the Je ne sais quoi, and so this is what we have been working on together, enjoying and being very proud of what the team has accomplished. WWD: Does this mean that you have been expanding the team of designers? D.B.: We have a Loro Piana Studio with a very talented team and designers. We are organized, but we dont have a studio for men and a studio for ladies: we work for categories of products. We took the time to redefine all the icons of Loro Piana, starting from the spring 2023 collection, re-proposing them in a new key. An example is the Horsey Jacket launched by Sergio Loro Piana in 1992 for the equestrian Italian team of the Barcelona Olympic Games. [Pointing to the Spagna jacket on a mannequin], this is one of the iconic pieces as well, and we reworked the fit, the details, because Loro Piana is all about detail and so we brought it back to the collection. For me, icons do not remain the same forever but need to be animated and re-adapted. Its the whole look which creates the silhouette. The silhouette is also created through the accessories. The Bale Bag, for example, is made to be worn with the silhouette of the spring collection, so it means that all the pieces are part of a global vision and work well together. It represents who is the Loro Piana lady. They are not separated pieces and they all have a stylistic language that speaks together. It is defined by a style that is modern, contemporary, with a lot of texture and layers, a lot of touch and innovation, and that constitutes what I call the silhouette. WWD: There is speculation now and again about a star designer joining the company Phoebe Philo a few months ago was one example. But I gather this is not a strategy you are endorsing? D.B.: Loro Piana never really had a creative director, so for the moment I dont think it is needed because the definition of the silhouette has already changed. Then, yes, there are rumors, but they are rumors. WWD: You spoke of values that touch and speak to you? D.B.: Heritage, excellence, obsession for quality, tradition, innovation. So, when you take these values even further, for me its already something fascinating to do and its already a pleasure. Then, when you bring this into a new vision and you see the change, the innovation, for me it is extremely satisfying. I would say the first moment of this breath of fresh air is with the Cocooning capsule collection. Remember that Loro Piana selects the most beautiful fibers in the world and turns them into masterpieces. And its very important to not forget that it takes time. So, to be able within less than one year to bring the Cocooning collection to the market with an amazing success, its something that made me very proud. An image from the Loro Piana spring 2023 campaign. WWD: When you joined, what do you think was missing and was there something that you really wanted to change? D.B.: I always knew that Loro Piana had a huge potential, and every day I had the confirmation of that. Every morning when I go to see the team and even yesterday when I went to Porto San Giorgio [in Italys central Marche region] to see the new factory, I could see people had stars in their eyes, people proud to work for Loro Piana. When I went to Australia to see the farmers and to see what has been built by the Loro Piana family, by Pier Luigi Loro Piana since many years, it was something very impressive and I felt that I, too, must take care of that. But to come back to your question, I dont know if there was something missing, but for me the opportunity in Loro Piana was exactly what I have described and you can see the evolution from the spring collection. I felt we could change the image of our communication and in fact you have seen the evolution of the advertising, to make the representation of the image more modern but at the same time also more varied. When we went live with the new fall campaign on social media, the level of engagement was very high; people responded very positively to this new image. Also, I want to explain more the savoir faire and craftsmanship of Loro Piana because its so unique and no one has this level of quality and obsession for quality, which is sustainable. Clients tell me of products that date back 25 years and they are impeccable. For me this needs to be communicated, so we took a little bit more time to communicate the savoir faire. We launched CashDenim for the first time last fall, made in collaboration with denim experts from Japan [in the Bingo province]. The beauty of this innovation is that for the first time we brought the expertise of the Japanese hands on denim with our beautiful cashmere and we created this first denim made with 40 percent of cashmere, which is in the inside, so you have the aspect of the denim and the touch of Loro Piana. We did this on old looms that [the makers] have had for more than 70 years. We did it because we believed in it, because it is an innovation and this is also what we communicate as part of our savoir faire and when we put the video on social media it got a lot of views. A lot of people reposted it because people love to understand and people love the innovation, the value. WWD: Apparently, price is not an issue for the Loro Piana customers, paying for quality. D.B.: Its important to have the fair price. For me, quality is paramount at Loro Piana and, as I said before, these items are made to last for your whole life. When you take the philosophy of Loro Piana that consists into sourcing the most beautiful fibers, whether its cashmere, whether its vicuna, whether its wool, and turn them into masterpieces, in a sustainable way, with the work of more than 1,000 artisans, its normal. I think that the best ambassadors are our clients. People are in love with Loro Piana, it makes you feel good, at home, with a beautiful touch on your skin, and at the same time be elegant and cool. So, capsules are a new area of business, like the Cocooning collection. Also, Loro Piana has good potential in accessories, in textile accessories for sure, but also in leather goods. I have lot of confidence in the future. WWD: You mentioned Porto San Giorgio. What does that factory produce? And how many plants do you have? D.B.: We make shoes there and we have 10 plants in Italy. Mostly for shoes are in Porto San Giorgio and Porto Sant Elpidio; then for leather goods we are in Impruneta, Tuscany; for knitwear and textiles in Piedmont. We are always expanding our facilities. If you look overall, all the categories should grow, not only one of them. WWD: Are you already thinking about expanding the brand in eyewear or fragrances or is it too early? D.B.: I often say that Loro Piana is the house of sensation because it touches people. Loro Piana is very particular because it is addictive in some way. It creates this special feeling on you. We could go in many directions, but step by step. My priority now is to establish this new silhouette. And its something that I dont want to do in a rush. Time is important, and creating beautiful things takes time. Loro Piana has a huge potential. WWD: The textile segment is also key for Loro Piana? D.B.: It is fundamental. Loro Piana was born by selling textiles, so for me it is something that I want to develop. Its a fundamental goal. We play with different types of fabrics, different type of combinations, innovation, so the textile part is extremely important for us now. Anyway, the bigger part in terms of sales is the one in the store. The Loro Piana Bale bag. WWD: You have also been developing the design and home categories? D.B.: Home is another part that I think has a huge potential. We started to accelerate it, and you will see a step forward also in terms of interior in the times to come. Loro Piana is about art de vivre, about lifestyle, and this is very important also because the Loro Piana family was obsessed with style. Its part of a natural evolution of the brand. WWD: What are your plans for Salone del Mobile and Design Week? D.B.: It will be very interesting because we are collaborating with Cristian Mohaded, an Argentinian artist and designer, who has a lot of shared values with Loro Piana, and he loves working with craftsmen. He comes from a place that is very close to Loro Piana because thats where the vicuna comes from, which is one of the most valuable materials we have. Well do the presentation here in the courtyard, but also in the center of the city, and in the store. Its a 360-degree approach. WWD: A little bit of business: what is your strategy in terms of distribution? D.B.: What I can say is that most of the Loro Piana business is represented by Europe [which also includes the Middle East] but we are also working in many markets around the world and were seeing a lot of possibilities. We are happy with the result that we received, and we are very confident for the future. WWD: Are you planning any store openings? How many stores do you have? D.B.: We now count 162 stores. We are opening a store in Palo Alto [California on Wednesday] and were also going to open other stores in Kuwait, China and Thailand. WWD: Are you planning to change the store concept? D.B.: We are planning a renovation of the concept that you will start to see in the new openings. For me Loro Piana is about touch and sensorial experience, so the material that we use must represent this and it must be the natural evolution of a concept that lasts for a long time. Clients must enjoy staying in the store, because they stay a lot when they come. Next year Loro Piana will be 100 years old and part of the objective is to prepare Loro Piana for the next 100 years. The Loro Piana fall 2023 presentation in Milan. Best of WWD Click here to read the full article. New Delhi: Stories related to people swallowing objects and doctors removing them through surgery are not uncommon but when one hears about people swallowing sharp objects, it makes one shudder in fear. In a strange incident, a 25-year-old man from Rajasthan reportedly swallowed 56 blades that were later removed from his stomach. The man, living in Data village in Sanchore, was taken to the hospital by his friends after he vomitted blood as per reports. When he reached the hospital, doctors performed an X-ray on the man which helped detect the metal traces in his stomach. Doctors, shocked by the development, conducted sonography and then an endoscopy, and the tests showed that the man had mental blades in his stomach. The doctors were able to successfully remove all the blades from the man's stomach. However, they were unable to discern the reason why the patient had swallowed the razors. According to NDTV, the patient revealed that he had eaten the blades with the plastic cover which is why he wasn't injured while swallowing it. But when the cover melted in his stomach, the blades may have damaged his organs. The reason for the man's actions is not clear yet. Doctors told the news website that the man may be suffering from a mental illness such as anxiety or depression which is why he ate the blades. New Delhi: The Minister of State for Education Dr. Subhash Sarkar on Wednesday (March 16), replied to a question on the concerning rise in student suicides at premier institutes such as Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), and Indian Institute of Management (IIMs) in the last five years. During a Rajya Sabha session, the minister was asked about the total number of suicide cases of students in IITs, NITs, and IIMs, whether the government has been able to identify the reasons behind the suicide cases, and what steps is the government taking to address the root cause of suicides in universities. Dr. Sarkar provided the student suicide data from the past six years. In 2018, the total number of student suicides were 11, with 7 at IIT, 3 at NIT, and 1 at IIM. In 2019, the total number was 16, whereas, in 2020, it was 5. In 2021, it was 7 and then in 2022, it was 16 and in 2023, 6 suicides were reported at the mentioned institutes. The minister said academic stress, family reasons, personal reasons, and mental health issues are some of the main causes behind the suicides. Speaking about the government's plan to tackle the suicides, he said, there is a counseling system in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 for this purpose. In addition, opportunities have been carved for students' extra-curricular activities such as participating in clubs, community service projects, sports, etc. He said that the Ministry aims to provide psychological help to those in need at institutes. Workshops and seminars on happiness and health are also part of the plan to improve students' mental well-being. In case of any behavioural change in the student, faculty at universities must inform the authorities about the same so that parents and caregivers are aware of the student's health. New Delhi: Lok Sabha was adjourned Thursday with proceedings lasting just three minutes through the day as the Opposition and treasury benches remained at loggerheads over Rahul Gandhi's democracy remarks and the demand for a joint parliamentary committee probe into the Adani issue. As the House reconvened at 2 PM, Rahul Gandhi was present in the House for the first time since the controversy around his remarks in the UK broke out. Kirit Solanki, who was in the chair, urged members to be seated and stop the sloganeering if they want a debate but the Opposition and treasury benches continued with their slogan-shouting and the House was adjourned for the day just a minute after reconvening. In the morning session, the House proceedings had lasted only for two minutes. Trinamool Congress members, with their mouths covered with a black ribbon, had gathered in the Well of the House as the proceedings got underway in the Lok Sabha. BJP members from West Bengal were seen raising slogans against the Trinamool Congress over the school recruitment scam in the state, while other members of the ruling party were demanding an apology from Gandhi over his remarks in London. Congress members also trooped in the Well of the Lok Sabha raising slogans but they couldn't be heard clearly in the din. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urged the members to allow the House to function. "I want to run the House, I want to give you enough opportunities and time to speak. You have to go to your seats. You come to the well and then go outside and tell that you don't get a chance to speak. This is not right," he said. The House has to function smoothly, Birla said, also gesturing at the members of the treasury benches to take their seats. "You come to the Well and also demand discussion. You don't want me to run the House. You do not want any discussion, you do not want any debate on the Budget. You just want to shout slogans. Parliament has dignity and we all have to maintain dignity," he said. With members unrelenting, Birla adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm. Since the start of the second leg of the Budget session, Lok Sabha has not been able to transact any significant business. Discussions on the demand for grants of various ministries and the budget for Jammu and Kashmir have been listed in the Lok Sabha. During his interactions in the UK, Gandhi alleged that the structures of Indian democracy are under attack and there is a "full-scale assault" on the country's institutions. The former Congress president also told British parliamentarians in London that microphones are often "turned off" in Lok Sabha when an opposition member raises important issues. Gandhi's remarks triggered a political slugfest, with the BJP accusing him of maligning India on foreign soil and seeking foreign intervention, and the Congress hitting back at the ruling party by citing instances of Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising internal politics abroad. Sambhal: A YouTuber was booked and taken into custody here after being accused of creating a ruckus during a state minister's visit to his village, where he had questioned her on pending development projects. Sanjay Rana, who is associated with the YouTube channel 'Moradabad Ujjala', was booked after a video of the event surfaced online and a local BJP youth wing leader filed a complaint. The YouTube journalist confronted Minister of State for Secondary Education Gulab Devi, who is also the local MLA when she visited Budh Nagar Khandua village in Sambhal district on Saturday for laying the foundation stone for a check dam. In UP's Sambhal, Sanjay Rana, a reporter with a Youtube channel confronted UP govt MoS Gulab Devi with promises of development as against reality at a function on March 11. An FIR was registered and Rana was arrested based on the complaint of genel sec of BJYM. pic.twitter.com/IwkphNjX8T Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) March 13, 2023 Superintendent of Police Chakresh Misra said Rana was taken into preventive detention and released later on bail granted by the sub-divisional magistrate. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav targeted the ruling BJP over the incident, linking it with its criticism of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's remarks in Britain on democracy in India. , pic.twitter.com/smhanrvILb Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) March 14, 2023 "This is the picture of democracy and freedom of expression under the BJP government," he tweeted, tagging a purported clip of Rana with a policeman who had tied his hand with a piece of rope. In a video online, the YouTuber is heard telling the minister that during her last visit, she had said she is adopting the village. She had taken an oath in the temple to get the village's work done, and sought help in getting herself elected, Rana had said. "You had talked about getting the temple road paved but it's still a rough road. What do you have to say about this?" he is heard asking. The minister then assures that she will get all those things done. On Sunday, a day after the minister's visit, a case was filed at Chandausi police station on the basis of local BJP youth wing leader Shubham Raghav's complaint. Raghav alleged that the "fake journalist" who carried a YouTube channel identity card and a microphone disrupted government work and used abusive and threatening language. The SP said the allegations in the FIR are being probed. Additional SP Shrish Chandra said Rana was booked for breach of peace. On Twitter, Akhilesh Yadav said, "The BJP which created a hue and cry over a statement on foreign soil on the state of democracy in India should also see the condition of a journalist in Uttar Pradesh Sambhal, taken into custody for questioning a BJP minister on development work." "This is the picture of democracy and freedom of expression under the BJP government," he added. Mumbai: Actor Sara Ali Khan, who is currently in vacation mode ditched her swanky car and enjoyed an auto ride in Punjab. Taking to Instagram on Thursday Sara shared a video on her stories in which she could be seen sitting inside an auto-rickshaw. In the video, Sara asked the auto driver, " Kahan Ja rahein hain ji? (Where are we heading to?) to which the driver replied, "Punjab jaa rahein hain ji Punjab," to which the `Love Aaj Kal` actor said "Punjab mein to hain (We are in Punjab)." In another video which she posted on her stories, Sara could be seen enjoying dhaba food in Chandigarh."Parantha, Dahi..Yummy! Missi roti, paneer it`s a blast," Sara said in the video. The `Atrangi Re` actor is an avid social media user and she frequently shares her videos and photos on social media which get viral. See the pics shared by Sara Meanwhile, on the work front, Sara is all set to come up with a film titled `Gaslight`. Helmed by Pavan Kirpalani, `Gaslight` also stars Vikrant Massey and Chitrangda Singh in the lead roles. The film will stream exclusively on the OTT platform Disney+ Hotstar from March 31. `Gaslight` has been a learning curve for Sara. "The character and story is very distinctive from the ones I have played before. The film has given me an opportunity to expand my horizons in acting and introduce different shades of Sara to my fans. It is an interesting whodunit and will keep the audience at the edge of their seats till the end. It has been an exciting journey during the shoot. Gaslight also marks my second association with Disney+ Hotstar and I am looking forward to audience reactions once they watch it," she had earlier said. Sara also has Laxman Utekar`s upcoming untitled rom-com film opposite Vicky Kaushal and Homi Adajania`s next `Murder Mubarak` in her kitty. New Delhi: Public sector Bank of Baroda has partnered with the Government of Tamil Nadu to offer co-branded RuPay Platinum Debit Card in the state offering customised solutions to its users, the bank said on Thursday. Bank of Baroda has launched the debit card that would be offered to the beneficiaries of the state government's 'Pudhumai Penn' scheme. Accordingly, the card offers personal accident insurance coverage upto Rs 2 lakh per annum and the joining and annual fees for the first year has been waived off, Bank of Baroda said in a statement. The Pudhumai Penn scheme by the government aims to enhance the enrolment ratio of the girls from government schools to higher educational institutions. Through this scheme, financial assistance of Rs 1,000 per month would be provided to ever girl till the completion of their degree course. Tamil Nadu government's special implementation department principal secretary T Udhayachandran, along with Bank of Baroda general manager and zonal head A Saravanakumar launched the card in the presence of senior officials of the bank at an event here, the release said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday lauded the first woman loco pilot who ran the Vande Bharat Express train, calling the feat as an assurance of realisation of Amrit Kaal. "This is the confidence of the new India`s women`s power! The achievements that women are making today in every field of life, give confidence that the country`s aspirations will be realized in Amrit Kaal," PM said replying to the tweet by Union Minister, Raosaheb Patil Danve. Surekha Yadav, a native of Satara district in western Maharashtra, piloted the Vande Bharat Express train between Solapur station and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai on March 13, becoming the first women loco pilot in Asia to run Vande Bharat train. ! , https://t.co/cyFvpubnsl Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 15, 2023 She further said that she became India`s first female train driver in 1988, and was awarded for her achievements at State and National levels. Yadav notched another feather in Central Railway`s cap by becoming the first woman loco pilot of Vande Bharat Express," the Central Railway said on Tuesday. Piloted by Yadav, the Vande Bharat Express departed Solapur at the right time and reached CSMT five minutes before time. Also read - Indian Railways: Shri Ramayana Yatra Tourist Train To Embark On April 7 - Check Details Yadav started her career as an assistant driver in 1989 and worked her way up to become a goods driver in 1996. Her next destination was that of motor woman in 2000. In 2010, she graduated to a ghat driver, after which she was allotted duty on the Deccan Queen, which runs between the city and Pune, negotiating the steep inclines of the ghat in between. Sharing her news on Twitter, Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw yesterday said, Vande Bharat "powered by Nari Shakti." Vande Bharat express was started in 2019. The first Vande Bharat Express train was flagged off on New Delhi-Kanpur-Allahabad-Varanasi route. Last February, Prime Minister Modi flagged off the Vande Bharat Express train from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) Solapur. Capgemini SE Media relations: Victoire Grux Tel.: +33 6 04 52 16 55 victoire.grux@capgemini.com Investor relations: Vincent Biraud Tel.: +33 1 47 54 50 87 vincent.biraud@capgemini.com Changes to the composition of Capgeminis Board of Directors proposed to the 2023 Shareholders Meeting Paris, March 16, 2023 The Board of Directors, based on the report of the Ethics & Governance Committee, deliberated on March 16, 2023 on the changes to its composition to be proposed to the upcoming Shareholders Meeting of May 16, 2023. The Board of Directors will propose to the 2023 Shareholders Meeting the appointment of Ms. Megan Clarken and Ms. Ulrica Fearn as members of the Board of Directors for a period of four years. These proposals are in line with the Boards ambition to enrich the diversity of its profiles, in particular in terms of international diversification, and deepen its sector expertise. Ms. Megan Clarken, a New Zealand citizen, is chief executive officer of a global technology company operating in commerce media. She has acquired throughout her career a solid expertise in technology, data and digital transformation as well as experience in the media and retail sectors. She would also bring to the Board her inclusion and diversity expertise, as well as her knowledge of the US and Asia Pacific markets. Ms. Ulrica Fearn, a Swedish citizen, has acquired throughout her career a strong financial expertise from multiple senior positions in leading global companies in the energy, telecommunications and consumer goods & retail sectors, all of which are industries leveraging technology as part of their sustainable transformation journey. The Board of Directors considers Ms. Megan Clarken and Ms. Ulrica Fearn to be independent pursuant to the criteria of the AFEP-MEDEF Code to which the Company refers. Ms. Xiaoqun Clever has expressed her wish not to renew her term of office. Ms. Tanja Rueckert, further to a change in her responsibilities within Bosch, has decided to stand down from the Board of Directors, effective following the end of the Shareholders Meeting of May 16, 2023. Story continues The Board of Directors warmly thanked Ms. Xiaoqun Clever and Ms. Tanja Rueckert for their respective contributions to the work of the Board and its Committees throughout their term of office. Assuming the adoption of these resolutions by the Shareholders Meeting of May 16, 2023, the composition of the Board of Directors would therefore count 15 directors, including two directors representing employees and one director representing employee shareholders. 83% of its members will be independent1, 40% will have international profiles and 42% will be women1. BIOGRAPHIES Ms. Megan Clarken Ms. Megan Clarken is Chief Executive Officer of Criteo. Born in New Zealand, Ms. Megan Clarken held senior leadership positions for large publishers and online technology providers in Australia, before joining Nielsen in 2004. From 2004 to 2019, Ms. Clarken held numerous senior positions at Nielsen in both commercial and product leadership, including Chief Commercial Officer of Nielsen Global Media and other management roles across Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. Ms. Clarken was also a champion of diversity & inclusion during her 15 years at Nielsen Global Media. Ms. Clarken was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Criteo S.A. effective November 25, 2019 and has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Criteo S.A. since August 2020. Ms. Ulrica Fearn Ms. Ulrica Fearn is Chief Financial Officer of Carlsberg Group since January 1st, 2023. Before joining Carlsberg, she was Chief Financial Officer of Equinor, the leading energy company in Norway. Prior to Equinor, she was Director, Group Finance at the British telecommunications company, BT Plc. She began her career at Diageo, where she spent almost 20 years in various senior finance and other management roles across Europe, Asia Pacific and the USA. A Swedish citizen, Ms. Fearn holds a masters degree in business and finance from the University of Halmstad, Sweden. About Capgemini Capgemini is a global leader in partnering with companies to transform and manage their business by harnessing the power of technology. The Group is guided every day by its purpose of unleashing human energy through technology for an inclusive and sustainable future. It is a responsible and diverse organization of 360,000 team members in more than 50 countries. With its strong 55-year heritage and deep industry expertise, Capgemini is trusted by its clients to address the entire breadth of their business needs, from strategy and design to operations, fueled by the fast evolving and innovative world of cloud, data, AI, connectivity, software, digital engineering, and platforms. The Group reported in 2022 global revenues of 22 billion. Get The Future You Want | www.capgemini.com 1 The directors representing employees and employee shareholders are not taken into account in calculating this percentage, in accordance with the provisions of the AFEP-MEDEF Code and the French Commercial Code. Attachment New Delhi: The Telangana Sahitya Academy has decided to felicitate lyricist Chandrabose, who penned Oscar award-winning song "Naatu Naatu". Academy Chairman Juluru Gowri Shankar on Wednesday announced that a felicitation programme will be held at Ravindra Bharathi in Hyderabad on March 28. He stated that the entire Telangana society is proud that by using Telugu rural phrases, Chandrabose penned an enlivening song that received the admiration of the world. Gowri Shankar on Wednesday held a meeting with representatives of various literary bodies to discuss the arrangements for the meeting. He observed that for the first time a Telugu song bagging the global award is a matter of happiness for all. The meeting decided to hold a meeting on March 28 to honour Chandrabose who brought such a huge honour for Telugu literacy in the field of film lyrics. The Academy Chairman appealed to poets and writers to attend the meeting. He said that film lyricist Chandrabose made Telangana proud by taking the Telugu song to the world stage. New Delhi: Cyclone Freddy has so far killed hundreds and displaced thousands as it barrelled through Mozambique and Malawi since late last week. It is set to move away from land later on Wednesday which should bring some relief to southern African regions that have been ravaged by its torrential rain and powerful winds. Cyclone Freddy has killed at least 225 people in Malawi's southern region including Blantyre, the country's financial hub, according to local authorities. Another 88,000 people are displaced. In neighbouring Mozambique, officials say at least 20 people have died since the storm made landfall in the port town of Quelimane on Saturday. Over 45,000 people are still holed up in shelters, with about 1,300 square kilometers (800 square miles) still underwater, according to the EU's Copernicus satellite system. Malawi, which has been battling a cholera outbreak, is now at risk of a resurgence of the disease. PM Modi Condoles Deaths Due To Cyclone Freddy In Malawi, Mozambique, Madagascar Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday expressed deep grief over the loss of lives due to Cyclone Freddy in Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar. In a tweet, the Prime Minister said, "Distressed by the devastation due to Cyclone Freddy in Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar. Condolences to President @LAZARUSCHAKWERA, President Filipe Nyusi and President @SE_Rajoelina, bereaved families and those affected by the cyclone. India stands with you in this tough time." Distressed by the devastation due to Cyclone Freddy in Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar. Condolences to President @LAZARUSCHAKWERA, President Filipe Nyusi and President @SE_Rajoelina, bereaved families and those affected by the cyclone. India stands with you in this tough time. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 15, 2023 Why Was Cyclone Freddy So Powerful? Scientists say climate change caused by mostly industrialised nations pumping greenhouse gases into the air has worsened Cyclone Freddy's activity, making them more intense and more frequent. The recently-ended La Nina that impacts weather worldwide also increased cyclone activity in the region. Cyclone Freddy has been causing destruction in southern Africa since late February. Freddy first developed near Australia in early February. The UN's weather agency has convened an expert panel to determine whether it has broken the record for the longest-ever cyclone in recorded history, which was set by 31-day Hurricane John in 1994. New Delhi: Eric Garcetti, who is President Joe Biden's close aide, was on Wednesday (March 15, 2023) confirmed by the US Senate as the country's next ambassador to India. The Senate voted 52-42 to fill the key diplomatic position that had been vacant for over two years. The former Los Angeles mayor's nomination was pending before the US Congress since July 2021 when he was nominated for the prestigious diplomatic posting by Biden. Last week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 13-8 in favour of his nomination. His nomination was not brought to the Senate floor for a vote during the last Congress as the ruling Democratic Party did not have enough support to get the close aide of Biden through. Proud to endorse @JoeBiden for president. He's a close friend who has been an incredible partner in delivering progress for L.A. on climate, #RaiseTheWageLA and more. We need him to bring our nation and world together during these divided and dangerous times. pic.twitter.com/fVRDazM86o Eric Garcetti (@ericgarcetti) January 10, 2020 Garcetti, 52, was not confirmed by the Senate in President Biden's first two years in office amid concerns by some lawmakers that the then-mayor had not adequately handled allegations against a former senior adviser of sexual assault and harassment. President Biden renominated Garcetti to the same position in January this year. Kenneth Juster, the last occupant of the ambassadorial residence of the US in New Delhi, stepped down in January 2021 after the change of government in America. Who Is Eric Garcetti, The New US Ambassador To India? Eric Garcetti was born on February 4, 1971, in California. H was then raised in the San Fernando Valley and earned his BA and MA from Columbia University. The new US envoy to India studied as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and the London School of Economics and taught at Occidental College and USC. Happy 75th birthday to my good friend @JoeBiden! Thanks for a lifetime of making the world a better place. pic.twitter.com/HP8p94wOH4 Eric Garcetti (@ericgarcetti) November 21, 2017 He was an officer in the US Navy reserve for 12 years and is an avid jazz pianist and photographer. Garcetti was elected four times by his peers to serve as President of the Los Angeles City Council from 2006 to 2012. From 2001 until taking office as Mayor, he also served as the Council member representing the 13th District which includes Hollywood, Echo Park, Silver Lake, and Atwater Village. A fourth-generation Angeleno, Garcetti and his wife Amy Elaine Wakeland have a young daughter. (Bloomberg) -- Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. founder Morris Chang declared globalization for the chip industry over and expressed support for US efforts to limit Chinas tech advancement through export curbs and company sanctions. Most Read from Bloomberg In the chips sector, globalization is dead. Free trade is dead, Chang said at an event in Taipei Thursday. Just look at the way China has been embargoed and the entity list. I agree with that. The 91-year-old industry pioneer said that the global chip supply chain will grow even more bifurcated as the US acts to curtail Chinas access to the most advanced technology, and I certainly support that part of American industrial policy to slow down Chinas progress. Chang said China is at least five to six years behind Taiwan in chipmaking technology, but he also cautioned Taiwan should not be naive about its position relative to the US. When American leaders speak of friend-shoring high-tech manufacturing, Taiwan is not included in that policy, Chang said, as theyve repeatedly voiced concerns about relying on Taiwan. US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo described US dependence on Taiwan for advanced chipmaking as untenable in July, and her countrys Chips and Science Act is designed to entice companies like TSMC and South Koreas Samsung Electronics Co. to set up operations within US borders. Taiwan and Korea have long been the epicenters of chipmaking TSMC leads the way with cutting-edge logic processors like Apple Inc.s bespoke Silicon parts while Samsung and SK Hynix Inc. dominate the memory market which has led to increasing discomfort in the US and Europe. Fears of China, which deems Taiwan part of its territory, attempting to seize the self-governing island by force have pushed some inside Washington to contemplate drastic measures. Among them, US officials have war-gamed scenarios where Taiwans sophisticated semiconductor industry would be wiped out to prevent it falling into Chinas hands. Story continues Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Initiated by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States has been held in Ankara. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended the event. President of the Republic of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, other heads of state and government. Then, a family photo was taken. Addressing the event, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan thanked President Ilham Aliyev for his initiative to hold the Extraordinary Summit themed Disaster-Emergency Management and Humanitarian Assistance following the earthquake, which occurred in Turkiye. Then, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, incumbent chair of the Organization of Turkic States, made a speech. A video was screened about the consequences of the devastating earthquake in Turkiye and humanitarian aids provided to the fraternal country. A minute of silence was observed in commemoration of those killed by the disaster. Then, Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty of the Milli Gengesh of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov delivered an address. The President of Azerbaijan addressed the Summit. Speech by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev - My dear brother, distinguished President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Dear heads of state and government, dear friends. We were deeply saddened by the consequences of the powerful earthquake that caused the deaths and injuries of many people in brotherly Turkiye. This devastating earthquake killed tens of thousands of people. My dear brother, on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, I once again offer my profound condolences to you, the families and loved ones of the victims, and the brotherly people of Turkiye, and wish the injured a speedy recovery. The government and people of Azerbaijan were mobilized to provide humanitarian aid to brotherly Turkiye the moment the earthquake struck. 940 people from Azerbaijan, including rescue workers, medical personnel and volunteers, were dispatched to the earthquake region. Azerbaijan topped the list of countries worldwide for the number of rescuers sent to Turkiye. Thanks to the efforts of our rescue workers and doctors, 53 people were saved from under the rubble. Also, the bodies of 780 people were found. Our medical personnel provided medical assistance to more than 3,000 people. To date, more than 45 million US dollars have been transferred into the bank accounts of AFAD and other humanitarian organizations. In addition, 5,300 tons of humanitarian aid was delivered. Azerbaijan and Turkiye have always been by each other's side on both joyful and somber days. And it will continue to be the case in the future too. I am confident that thanks to the leadership of distinguished President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkiye will successfully overcome the consequences of this earthquake. The political and moral support of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for Azerbaijan from the first hours of the Second Karabakh War to the last day in 2020 gave us extra strength. In the meantime, during the 44-day war, the entire Turkish people stood with Azerbaijan. Thousands of support and congratulatory messages from Turkiye came both during the war and after our historic Victory. In June 2021, the Shusha Declaration between Turkiye and Azerbaijan was signed in the city of Shusha, the crown jewel of Karabakh, and our relations were officially raised to the level of an alliance. In the last 20 years, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkiye has covered a tremendous and glorious path, Turkiye has gained a say in the whole world, and has become a powerhouse. Today, Turkiye is reckoned with and respected all over the globe. Everyone in the world now sees Turkiye's military power and tremendous successes in the defense industry. Continuous stability in Turkiye over these years and the country's development are essential for the entire Turkic world. The awarding of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with the Supreme Order of the Turkic World at the Summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Samarkand in 2022 is further evidence of his significant contributions to the strengthening of the Turkic world. I am sure my dear brother will make even more outstanding contributions to the further strengthening relations established based on brotherhood between our countries for many years to come. Dear friends, During the 30 years of occupation, hundreds of our cities and villages, historical and religious sites and cemeteries were deliberately destroyed by Armenia. Foreign experts describe the destroyed city of Aghdam as a Hiroshima of the Caucasus. The Armenians destroyed 65 out of 67 mosques in Karabakh and East Zangezur, and the remaining two were used as pig and cow sheds. Our natural resources were plundered, and the environment was gravely damaged. As a result of the first Karabakh war, about 4,000 of our citizens went missing, and almost all were tortured and killed. After the liberation of our lands, we discovered mass graves in several locations. Armenia still avoids providing information about the fate of the missing Azerbaijanis. Because of the Armenian occupation, Azerbaijan is now among the countries most contaminated with landmines. After the Second Karabakh War, i.e., since November 2020, nearly 300 Azerbaijanis have been killed or seriously injured in the aftermath of mine explosions. Although Armenia recognized Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty in Prague and Sochi in 2022, it has not yet fully withdrawn its troops from the territory of Azerbaijan. Illegal Armenian detachments and criminal elements still remain in Karabakh. Armenia also evades the obligation to open the Zangezur corridor. Therefore, Armenia flagrantly violates the Statement signed on November 10, 2020, and should be held accountable. After the liberation of Karabakh and East Zangezur from Armenian occupation in 2020, Azerbaijan launched large-scale reconstruction work in these areas. Azerbaijan is restoring life in vast areas Armenia has completely destroyed. We are building nine new cities and initially more than 300 villages and towns from scratch. This is a rare and unprecedented model of post-conflict reconstruction by a national government using its own financial resources. We have started implementing the Great Return program to return former internally displaced persons to their homelands. Turkish companies are actively involved in many infrastructure projects as contractors in the reconstruction process. To date, contracts worth more than 3 billion USD have been signed with Turkish companies. My dear brother Recep Tayyip Erdogan has visited the liberated lands three times. He has been to Shusha, Fuzuli, Zangilan and Jabrayil. Taking this opportunity, I express my gratitude to the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, for the school being built by Uzbekistan and the creative center under construction by Kazakhstan in the liberated Fuzuli city. At the same time, I would like to inform you that the Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Investment Fund and the Azerbaijan-Kyrgyz Development Fund have been recently established. Distinguished colleagues, The Turkic world is not limited to the borders of Turkic states. The Turkic world covers a more extensive geography. The number of Azerbaijanis living in the world exceeds 50 million, and only 10 million live in the independent Republic of Azerbaijan. The decision of the Soviet government in November 1920 to separate West Zangezur, our historical land, from Azerbaijan and hand it over to Armenia led to the geographical separation of the Turkic world. By 1991, all Azerbaijanis were driven out forcefully of the territory of present-day Armenia. As in Karabakh and East Zangezur, Armenia has also destroyed our cultural heritage, mosques and historical sites in present-day Armenia in Western Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani community has repeatedly appealed to UNESCO to send a fact-finding mission to monitor the Azerbaijani people's cultural heritage in present-day Armenia and expects a positive response from UNESCO. Our fellow compatriots suffered from ethnic cleansing in Western Azerbaijan have now united in the Western Azerbaijan Community. They have set the goal of a peaceful return to their historical lands. According to the Concept of Return developed by the Western Azerbaijan Community, an international legally binding agreement with an appropriate verification and guarantee mechanism for the return of Azerbaijanis forcefully deported from the territory of present-day Armenia should be put in place. Just as we, the state of Azerbaijan, will guarantee the individual rights and security of the Armenian residents living in Karabakh, Armenia must guarantee the rights and security of the Western Azerbaijanis based on the principle of reciprocity. Thank you for attention. x x x The event was initially due to be held in Shusha. However, following the devastating earthquake in Turkiye, President Ilham Aliyev put forward a proposal to hold the Summit in Ankara in an effort to support the brotherly country. After coordination of the matter with the leaders of other participating countries, the relevant decision was made. This is yet another clear example of the Azerbaijan-Turkiye brotherhood, as well as a sign of mutual support and respect in the Turkic world. Devoted to the theme of Disaster-Emergency Management and Humanitarian Assistance, the Summit serves as a high-level platform for the discussion of the extraordinary agenda of the Organization aroused due to the recent earthquake disaster happened in southern and southeastern regions of Turkiye. The leaders elaborated on devising solid multilateral cooperation and coordination mechanisms within the framework of the Organization in the fight against disasters as well as held consultations on current challenges in the region. HONG KONG, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Against all odds, tiger numbers have increased across the world over the past ten years. The individuals, NGOs and governments working hard to protect and save these magnificent cats proved that the threats they face can be reversed, bringing benefits to wildlife and communities alike. Whether it's patrolling the jungle or caring for rescued cubs, CNN's Mission Tiger spotlights the conservation heroes who are passionate about saving these endangered creatures. CNNs Mission Tiger spotlights the conservation heroes reversing the threats tigers face CNN first travels to the Indonesian island of Sumatra to visit Tambling Wildlife Nature Conservation (TWNC). Located on the southern tip of the island, its lush tropical forest and pristine coastline provide a haven for wildlife, including the critically endangered Sumatran tiger. CNN meets the rangers who patrol the forest to protect it from poachers and say they have identified 48 tigers in the reserve through camera trapping since 2012. With only 400 to 500 Sumatran tigers left in the wild, TWNC is built on the premise that every tiger counts. As well as protecting the forest where wild tigers live, the organization runs a sanctuary for tigers who have come into conflict with humans. CNN learns the ropes of their tiger rehabilitation programme, which is designed to help rescued animals re-learn the skills they need to survive in the wild, including the natural instinct to hunt prey. Next, CNN hears from Dr. Kanita Ouitavon. As a young researcher, she realized she could make an important contribution to protecting wildlife in her home country of Thailand. This passion led her to study biological sciences before re-joining the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) where she helped create the country's first wildlife forensic science unit in 2010. Ouitavon and her team perform DNA testing on confiscated illegal wildlife products like tiger parts, which are used in traditional medicine or sold as luxury goods. They provide crucial pieces of information that can be used as evidence in court cases on wildlife crime. Story continues In Malaysia, tigers are a traditional symbol, representing bravery and strength, and even appear on the country's coat of arms. However, less than 150 Malayan tigers are thought to exist in the wild today, due to heavy poaching and habitat loss. In the north of Malaysia, Royal Belum State Park remains one of the last refuges of the critically endangered Malayan tiger. CNN explores this jungle, which is also home to the Jahai people from the indigenous Orang Asli community. RIMAU, an NGO founded by filmmakers, Harun Rahman and Lara Ariffin, has partnered with Perak State Parks Corporation Director Shah Redza Hussein to assemble a team of Jahai patrollers who protect their forest home from poachers. This group of 30 patrollers, named "Menraq," meaning "people" in the Jahai language, remove deadly snare traps and report evidence of poaching to local authorities. Mission Tiger trailer: https://bit.ly/4070SFI Mission Tiger images: https://bit.ly/40cuFwF Airtimes for 30-minute special: Saturday, 18th March at 11:30pm HKT Saturday, 25th March at 12:30pm and 6pm HKT Monday, 27th March at 8:30am HKT About CNN International CNN's portfolio of news and information services is available in seven different languages across all major TV, digital and mobile platforms, reaching more than 475 million households around the globe. CNN International is the number one international TV news channel according to all major media surveys across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Asia Pacific region, and Latin America and has a US presence that includes CNNgo. CNN Digital is a leading network for online news, mobile news and social media. CNN is at the forefront of digital innovation and continues to invest heavily in expanding its digital global footprint, with a suite of award-winning digital properties and a range of strategic content partnerships, commercialised through a strong data-driven understanding of audience behaviours. CNN has won multiple prestigious awards around the world for its journalism. Around 1,000 hours of long-form series, documentaries and specials are produced every year by CNNI's non-news programming division. CNN has 36 editorial offices and more than 1,100 affiliates worldwide through CNN Newsource. CNN International is a Warner Bros. Discovery company. Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/cnns-mission-tiger-spotlights-the-conservation-heroes-reversing-the-threats-tigers-face-301773817.html SOURCE CNN International Contrive Datum Insights Pvt Ltd According to a market research study published by Contrive Datum Insights, North America dominated the Crew Management Market, Asia Pacific is expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period Farmington, March 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Crew Management Market is projected to grow from USD 1.79 Billion in 2022 to USD 3.15 Billion in 2030 at a CAGR of 8.41% in the 2022-2030 periods. The market for crew management is a rapidly expanding industry that deals with the scheduling, training, deployment, and salary administration of ship and aircraft crews. There are more ships and planes in use, and more people want efficient crew administration, so the market is likely to grow substantially over the next few years. The market for labor management is segmented by service type, application, end user, and region. The software and services sections make up the service type section. Because cloud-based crew administration solutions are growing in popularity, software is the largest service type segment. In the "Application" section, you will find "crew planning," "crew training," and "crew services," among other things. The group of end-users includes transportation companies, airlines, and others. Request Sample Copy of Report Crew Management Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth Opportunities, Future Trends, Covid-19 Impact, SWOT Analysis, Competition and Forecasts 2022 to 2030 , published by Contrive Datum Insights. Crew Management Market Recent Developments: In 2015, Saber Airline Solutions contracted with Alaska Airlines to provide a technology solution to track and monitor inventory of ancillary products. In 2016, Lufthansa Systems signed a 10-year contract with IBS Software Services to replace its existing Unisys-based crew management technology. This contract will help modernize the crew management system. In 2015, Fujitsu entered into a strategic partnership with Australia-based Constraint Technologies Incorporated to provide network operations, crew planning, tracking and management to the aviation industry. In 2017, Jeppesen signed a three-year contract with Swiss International Air Lines to optimize crew planning. Story continues Crew Management Market Dynamics: Driver: Crew management are essential for assuring flight safety. The necessity and significance of these systems, in addition to their efficacy in ensuring safe and efficient aircraft operations, are acknowledged globally. As a result, airlines are deploying these systems more frequently to assure sufficient rest time between flights to reduce crew fatigue. These systems also provide crew members with situational awareness and aid in troubleshooting, decision-making, and collaboration to ensure safe flight operations in the event of a malfunction in flight. Opportunity: New airline entry in developed nations presents some of the most alluring opportunities for the aviation industry's main players. Employment costs are significant in developed nations such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Germany. Multiple airlines are entering the aviation industry in these developed nations. Therefore, these airlines require a crew management system in order to make the most efficient use of their crews and reduce the expenses incurred by flight attendants. Regional Outlook: In terms of revenue share, North America dominated the Crew Management Market in 2019. This development can be attributed to factors such as increased offshore drilling activity, the shale boom, and increased oil production from oil fields such as the North Slope of Alaska, the Mississippi Strait, and the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, technological advancements and growing adoption of cloud-based systems are anticipated to fuel the regional market during the forecast period. Due to factors such as rising offshore drilling activity and rising energy demand from emerging nations including China and India, the Asia-Pacific region is anticipated to experience significant growth over the forecast period. The expansion of the fuel industry is anticipated to substantially increase fleet size over the next eight years, driving the demand for global crew management solutions. Buy this Premium Research Report@ https://www.contrivedatuminsights.com/buy/7194/ Scope of Report: Report Attributes Details Growth Rate 8.41% from 2023 to 2030 Market Size in 2022 USD 1.79 Billion Revenue Forecast by 2030 USD 3.15 Billion By Type On-Cloud Server-Based By Device Type Smartphones Personal Computers Tablets By Applications Crew Planning Crew Training Crew Services Crew Operations By Companies Sabre Airline Solutions, Lufthansa Systems, Fujitsu, Jeppesen, IBS Software, Aims, and Others Base Year 2022 Historical Year 2017 to 2021 Forecast Year 2023 to 2030 Crew Management Market Key Segments Covered: Top Market Players: Sabre Airline Solutions, Lufthansa Systems, Fujitsu, Jeppesen, IBS Software, Aims, and Others. By Type: On-Cloud Server-Based By Device Type: Smartphones Personal Computers Tablets By Application: Crew Planning Crew Training Crew Services Crew Operations Regions and Countries Covered North America: (US, Canada, Mexico, Rest of North America) Europe: (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK, Nordic Countries, Benelux Union, Rest of Europe) Asia-Pacific: (Japan, China, India, Australia, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Rest of Asia-Pacific) The Middle East & Africa: (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, South Africa, Rest of the Middle East & Africa) Latin America: (Brazil, Argentina, Rest of Latin America) Rest Of the World Check out more related studies published by Contrive Datum Insights: Jaw Crushers Market - The global Jaw Crusher Market is projected to resister a CAGR of around 6.2% during the forecast period. The Jaw Crusher market size is expected to be valued at USD 1,748 Million by the end of the forecast period. North America dominates the global jaw crusher market, accounting for a significant share due to the presence of established and technologically advanced manufacturers in the region. The US is the major market in North America owing to the high demand for jaw crushers in the country. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Landing Gear Market - The Global Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Landing Gear Market To Grow At A CAGR Of Around 13% During The Forecast Period. APAC will be the fastest-growing region in the market and is projected to grow at a high CAGR during the forecast period. Much of the region's growth is due to the military expansion of major countries such as China, Japan, India, and South Korea. High Performance Tire Market Global High-performance Tires Market is anticipated to reach US$ 46.96 Bn by 2030 from US$ 32 Bn in 2020 at a CAGR of 6.6% during a forecast period. In 2020, the US high-performance tire market will account for xx% share and is expected to grow at 5.4% during the forecast period. The European performance tire market is expected to reach 593 billion units by 2027. Diaphragm Compressors Market - The Global Diaphragm Compressor Market Size Is Expected To Grow At A CAGR Of 3.5% During The Forecast Period 2022 To 2030. The North American market is expected to follow the high demand for compressors in oil and gas industry applications, especially in hydraulic fracturing activities conducted in Canada and the United States. These companies are investing heavily in infrastructure expansion that will boost their product sales in the coming years. Customization of the Report: The report can be customized as per client needs or requirements.For any queries, you can contact us on anna@contrivedatuminsights.com or +1 215-297-4078. Our sales executives will be happy to understand your needs and provide you with the most suitable reports. About Us: Contrive Datum Insights (CDI) is a global delivery partner of market intelligence and consulting services to officials at various sectors such as investment, information technology, telecommunication, consumer technology, and manufacturing markets. CDI assists investment communities, business executives, and IT professionals to undertake statistics-based accurate decisions on technology purchases and advance strong growth tactics to sustain market competitiveness. Comprising of a team size of more than 100 analysts and cumulative market experience of more than 200 years, Contrive Datum Insights guarantees the delivery of industry knowledge combined with global and country-level expertise. Social: Facebook / LinkedIn / Twitter Contact Us: Anna B. | Head Of Sales Contrive Datum Insights Phone: +91 9834816757 | +1 2152974078 Email: anna@contrivedatuminsights.com Website: https://www.contrivedatuminsights.com Contrive Datum Insights Press Releases Latest Contrive Datum Insights Latest Reports DUBAI, UAE, March 16, 2023 On March 14th, 2023, Cummins Arabia and OWS Automotive signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on defense service applications. This collaboration follows the impressive participation of both firms at IDEX 2023 in Abu Dhabi and aims to explore powertrain solutions and technical support for defense end-users, with a focus on identifying viable and mutually beneficial business opportunities within the Middle East. From left to right: Amit Deshpande (MD, Cummins Arabia), Ian Norton (Operations Director, Cummins Arabia), Oweis Zahran (CEO, OWS Automotive), Anders Moeller (COO, OWS Automotive) during the signing ceremony. The partnership will leverage OWS's expertise in civilian and defense service solutions and Cummins Arabia's commitment to sustainability and innovation to develop high-quality solutions for defense end-users. The companies will work together to analyze available defense fleet information, develop feasibility studies, and plan exercises to jointly develop a business case for the establishment of powertrain product solutions and post-installation technical services. Mr. Oweis Zahran, CEO of OWS, stated, "We are excited to collaborate with Cummins Arabia in exploring opportunities to develop innovative solutions for defense service applications. Our joint efforts will support the region's evolving needs and reinforce our position as a leading provider of automotive solutions." Mr. Ian Norton, Operations Director at Cummins Arabia, commented, "As a company committed to sustainability and innovation that has been serving the defense industry for over a hundred years, we are eager to expand our operations in the Middle East. We'll closely work alongside OWS to identify opportunities to serve our defense users with high quality solutions leveraging Cummins' expertise in powertrain." Furthermore, this collaboration reinforces the importance of strategic partnerships in the automotive industry, particularly in the defense sector, where reliability and sustainability are critical. The MoU serves as a framework for the cooperation between the two companies, enabling them to work together to achieve common goals and explore new avenues for growth. Story continues About Cummins Arabia: Cummins Arabia is a joint venture between Cummins Inc. and the Olayan Group and consolidates Cummins distribution businesses in the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Our products range from diesel and natural gas engines and generators, along with parts, filtration, and service solutions, and the new power product (now Accelera) portfolio including hydrogen production and fuel cells. Comprising of 10 service branches, eight warehouses, a high horsepower (HHP) Master Rebuild Center and a service training center, Cummins Arabia is fully equipped to deliver the right capabilities and expertise to our customers. Abouve Solutions LLC is a leading automotive service provider in the region, founded in the USA over 30 years ago. OWS primarily focuses on Remanufacturing, Fleet Management and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul service solutions for governments and other entities in the Middle East and South East Asia Region. With a fully trained and qualified workforce and key strategic partnerships with governments, manufacturers and other key partners, OWS is fully positioned and has the core competencies to take the automotive sector in the region to the next level, providing its customers with sustainable, innovative solutions. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2033888/MoU_Signing.jpg Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cummins-arabia-and-ows-automotive-join-forces-to-develop-powertrain-solutions-for-defense-301773282.html SOURCE Cummins Arabia Future Market Insights Global and Consulting Pvt. Ltd. The ongoing trend of Health and Wellness and Clean-Labelled are positively influencing customers approach towards dairy enzymes. The United States is expected to be a significant revenue contributor to the global dairy enzymes market through 2033, with a value CAGR of approximately 5.6%. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, March 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The dairy enzymes market size is projected to be valued at US$ 877.5 million in 2023 and is expected to rise to US$ 1,812.8 million by 2033. The sales of dairy enzymes are expected to grow at a significant CAGR of 7.4% during the forecast period. Westernization, growing urbanization, rising demand for lactose-free dairy products among developing-economy consumers, and surging lactose intolerance among the population are some of the market growth determinants. Rising availability and popularity of various types of flavored dairy products, improved distribution channels, high degree of investment into the market combined with a changing consumer tastes and preferences is likely to spur market's growth. However, the negative health effects associated with high consumption, such as allergic reactions can possibly pose a significant challenge to the market's growth. Request a Sample@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-12775 Consumers' progressive inclination towards digestive wellness products has experienced a drastic shift in the decade, and probiotic food products have remained a requisite. According to the ITC Trade Map, the imported volume of yoghurt in the United Kingdom in 2021 is expected to be around 282980 tons, up from 219085 tons in 2019. Recent advancements in food enzyme discovery technology, such as extracting microbial sources for the dairy market, are expected to spur business growth. Key Takeaways from the Dairy Enzymes Market According to FMI's projections, North America is going to be a significant revenue contributor to the global dairy enzymes market through 2033, growing at a value CAGR of around 7.0% due to factors such as an increasing number of people suffering from lactose intolerance and an increase in digestive disorders, the region presents enormous opportunities for market participants. When compared to other sources of dairy enzymes, the animal & microorganism segment is estimated to account for the major share. FMI forecasts a 55.23% market share for this segment over the forecast period because of the simpler extraction process. Furthermore, conducting R&D on microorganisms is easier and more affordable than using plant-sourced dairy enzymes. Japan is a center of research and development for a variety of food enzymes, including dairy enzymes. The revenue is expected to rise soon. During the forecasted period, it is expected to contribute nearly 3.3% CAGR. By 2030, the dairy enzymes market from the whey protein application segment is expected to be worth more than $100 million. Dairy enzymes, such as protease, primarily work to cleave the peptide bonds of various proteins, resulting in smaller, more easily digestible pieces that propels whey protein uptake, resulting in a significant increase in demand for dairy enzymes. Story continues Request a Customization@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/customization-available/rep-gb-12775 Competitive Landscape SternEnzym, Novozymes, Kerry Group, DSM, Dow DuPont, Danisco A/S, Biocatalysts, Amano Enzyme, Advanced Enzymes Technologies, and CHR. Hansen are prominent players in this sector. In September 2021, Novozymes launched five powerful biological solutions to address key challenges for North American farmers seeking to improve yield and fertility while increasing biocontrol application. Latest Developments Nurica, a dairy enzyme that naturally harnesses the lactose present in milk in the United States, was launched in June 2021 by International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. The enzyme aids in the natural production of a higher yield of prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) fibres, which aid in the management of lactose intolerance and the optimization of fibre intake. Biocatalysts Ltd. announced the release of a new dairy enzyme, PromodTM 517MDP (P517MDP), in April 2021, in order to expand its Kosher and Halal certified dairy protein enzymes. International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. announced the launch of Enovera 3001 enzyme as the newest addition to its bakery industry ingredients range in March 2021. The new enzyme provides a label-friendly formulation for strengthening bakery dough without sacrificing texture or taste. Key Segments Covered in the Dairy Enzymes Market Report By Product: Carbohydrate Dairy Enzymes Protease Dairy Enzymes Polymerase & Nuclease Dairy Enzymes Lipase Dairy Enzymes Phytase Dairy Enzymes Other Dairy Enzymes By Source: Plant-Based Animal and Micro-organisms based By Application: Dairy Enzymes for Milk Dairy Enzymes for Cheese Dairy Enzymes for Ice Creams & Desserts Dairy Enzymes for Yogurt Dairy Enzymes for Whey Dairy Enzymes for Infant formula Dairy Enzymes for Other Applications By Distribution Channel: E-Commerce Speciality Retailers Supermarket/Hypermarket Others Browse Full Report@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/dairy-enzymes-market Table of Content 1. Executive Summary | Dairy Enzymes Market 1.1. Global Market Outlook 1.2. Market Analysis 1.3. Analysis and Recommendations 2. Market Overview 2.1. Market Definition 2.2. Market Taxonomy 3. Key Market Trends 3.1. Key Trends Impacting the Market 3.2. Product Innovation Trends Explore FMIs Extensive Coverage on Food & Beverage Domain: Fermented Dairy Ingredients Market Outlook: The Global Fermented Dairy Ingredients Market Value Is Projected to Increase from US$ 7.3 Billion In 2022 To US$ 16.1 Billion By 2032. Lactose Free Dairy Products Market Size: The Global Lactose Free Dairy Products Market Is Expected to Reach Market Valuation of USD 13.5 Billion By the Year 2022, Accelerating with A CAGR Of 5.5% By 2022-2032. Spicy Dairy Products Market Forecast: The Spicy Dairy Products Market Is Anticipated to Expand at A CAGR Of 3.4% And Would Be Worth US$ 966.4 Million By 2032 Functional Dairy Products Market Demand: The Global Functional Dairy Products Market Is Projected to Exhibit Growth at A CAGR Of 4.3% During 2022-2032. It Is Likely to Reach US$ 64.3 Billion by The End Of 2032. Fermented Dairy Products Market Share: The Global Fermented Dairy Products Market Is Expected to Accumulate US$ 4,920.5 Million In Value By 2022-End. During The Forecast Period Ranging From 2022 To 2032, A CAGR Worth 8.5% About Future Market Insights, Inc. Future Market Insights, Inc. is an ESOMAR-certified business consulting & market research firm, a member of the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce and is headquartered in Delaware, USA. A recipient of Clutch Leaders Award 2022 on account of high client score (4.9/5), we have been collaborating with global enterprises in their business transformation journey and helping them deliver on their business ambitions. 80% of the largest Forbes 1000 enterprises are our clients. We serve global clients across all leading & niche market segments across all major industries. Contact Us: Future Market Insights, Inc. 1602-6 Jumeirah Bay X2 Tower, Plot No: JLT-PH2-X2A, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai, United Arab Emirates LinkedIn| Twitter| Blogs | YouTube For Sales Enquiries: sales@futuremarketinsights.com Telia Lietuva On 16 March 2023, the Extraordinary General Meeting of Telia Lietuva, AB (hereinafter the Company or Telia Lietuva) shareholders was held. The Extraordinary General Meeting has decided: 1. Taking into consideration that Douglas Gordon Lubbe, a member and the Chair of the Board, has resigned from the Board of the Company as of 14 October 2022, and Dovile Grigiene, an independent member of the Board, has resigned from the Board on 15 December 2022, to elect to the Board of the Company for the current term of the Board: - Dan Olov Stromberg (proposed by Telia Company AB, a shareholder holding 88.15 per cent of the Companys shares and votes), - Leda Irzikeviciene (as an independent member of the Board proposed by Telia Company AB, a shareholder holding 88.15 per cent of the Companys shares and votes). Dan Olov Stromberg (born in 1958) is Senior Vice President & Head of cluster Lithuania, Estonia and Denmark (LED) at Telia Company AB (Sweden) and Chair of the Supervisory Council of Telia Eesti AS (Estonia). From 4 July 2018 till 28 February 2023 he was CEO of Telia Lietuva. He has studied Marketing and Finance at IHM/Stockholm University in Sweden. Has no direct interest in the share capital of Telia Lietuva. Leda Irzikeviciene (born in 1973) is Head of OP Corporate Bank (Finland) branch in Lithuania. Also, she is member of the Board of Association Lydere (Lithuania). Leda has Bachelor and Masters degrees in Business Administration from Vilnius University and completed International Executive Master of Business Administration programme at Baltic Management Institute (Lithuania). Has no direct interest in the share capital of Telia Lietuva. Both elected new members of the Board are regarded as non-executive members of the Board, and Leda Irzikeviciene is regarded as independent member of the Board. 2. To authorize the CEO of the Company to conclude the agreement with UAB Deloitte Lietuva for audit services, establishing the payment for services as agreed between the parties but in any case, not more than 161,000 (one hundred sixty-one thousand) euro (VAT excluded) for the audit of the Companys financial statements and the assessment of the annual report for the year 2022. Story continues 3. To authorise the CEO of the Company to implement all adopted decisions, sign all the related documents and conclude all the transactions required for the implementation of the aforementioned decisions. The CEO of the Company shall be entitled to authorise any other person to perform the aforementioned actions and to sign the aforementioned documents. ENCL.: - Curriculum Vitae (CV) of elected members of the Board. Darius Dziaugys, Head of Investor Relations, tel. +370 5 236 7878, e-mail: darius.dziaugys@telia.lt Attachments PARIS, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Delsey Paris, the leading European premium luggage manufacturer, has today announced its operational results for 2022. Net global sales grew 124% year over year ('YoY') reaching 207 million, exceeding pre-pandemic levels of 2019 and outpacing by nearly 4 times the rate of post-pandemic sector recovery. EBITDA margin grew to 11.4% on net sales, 6 times the pre-pandemic levels. Delseys 2022 full year results show 124% YoY net sales growth, EBITDA 6-fold increase compared to pre-pandemic levels Davide Traxler, CEO of Delsey, said: "We are proud to have achieved such results cementing our position as one of the leading brands globally. We will be working hard to build on this success and to deliver on our ambition to reinvent the language-making business in the new age of travel." Delsey's growth figures have been especially impressive in the US, where the company's net sales in US dollars almost tripled YoY to $96.6 million, beating the sector which rebounded at a rate of 35.6% YoY over the same period. The company's strategy of introducing new premium product lines and brand partnerships with well-known companies such as Roland-Garros, Air France and others, turning luggage into an extension of apparel style. This has helped Delsey to push up the average unit selling price by more than half while increasing the number of sold units by 54%. Founded in 1946 in France, Delsey had long held the second place in the global luggage market before running into financial difficulties in 2017-2018. After the acquisition by a group of investors led by Pemberton Asset Management, Delsey re-emerged as one of the most prominent luggage brands globally. Delsey's strategic priorities are to maintain current momentum and secure long-term growth by capitalising on the ongoing recovery in the travel industry. According to the UN World Tourism Organisation, international travel arrivals in 2022 rebounded to 63% of the pre-pandemic levels (compared to 2019). The global luggage market is projected to grow at a CAGR 6-7% to 2030. Story continues DELSEY PARIS is a French company founded in 1946. It sells its collections online and in more than 6,000 stores in over 110 countries. It ranks number two in the global luggage market, which features a very large number of players, and is a newcomer to the equally fragmented backpack market. SOURCE Delsey Paris MONTREAL, March 16, 2023 /CNW/ - TVA Group announces that Martin Carrier, President of MELS, is stepping down from his position on March 24. After three years at the helm of the company, Mr. Carrier has informed management that he wishes to pursue new challenges. Logo: MELS (CNW Group/TVA Group) Pierre Karl Peladeau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Quebecor, thanked Martin Carrier for his contribution to the company. In addition to his role in developing MELS' business and extending its reach, he launched a virtual production platform during the pandemic to offer local and foreign productions new creative possibilities. "I leave with the knowledge that MELS is on the right track," said Martin Carrier. "During my tenure, I have had the opportunity to take on major challenges with highly skilled professionals, to get through a pandemic and to make a major technological shift towards virtual production. I leave behind me a strong management team in which I have full confidence to ensure MELS' future success." In the coming weeks, management will establish a leadership transition plan. The existing team will ensure business continuity in all of MELS' areas of activity: Frederic Boucher for equipment rental, Julie Brabant for production mobiles and generators, Genevieve Brodeur for soundstages, Richard Cormier for virtual production and advertising, and Marie-Christine Jean for postproduction. About MELS Mels Studios and Postproduction, part of TVA Group, is a well-known name in the film industry. Its 350 professionals provide expert services under the motto "Proud partner in your projects." MELS' services include soundstage and equipment rental, virtual production, visual effects, sound and picture postproduction, mobile unit rental, theatrical distribution, and distribution for television, Internet and smart devices. SOURCE TVA Group Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2023/16/c6418.html The excitement of investing in a company that can reverse its fortunes is a big draw for some speculators, so even companies that have no revenue, no profit, and a record of falling short, can manage to find investors. Sometimes these stories can cloud the minds of investors, leading them to invest with their emotions rather than on the merit of good company fundamentals. Loss-making companies are always racing against time to reach financial sustainability, so investors in these companies may be taking on more risk than they should. Despite being in the age of tech-stock blue-sky investing, many investors still adopt a more traditional strategy; buying shares in profitable companies like Harrisons Holdings (Malaysia) Berhad (KLSE:HARISON). While profit isn't the sole metric that should be considered when investing, it's worth recognising businesses that can consistently produce it. Check out our latest analysis for Harrisons Holdings (Malaysia) Berhad How Fast Is Harrisons Holdings (Malaysia) Berhad Growing? The market is a voting machine in the short term, but a weighing machine in the long term, so you'd expect share price to follow earnings per share (EPS) outcomes eventually. So it makes sense that experienced investors pay close attention to company EPS when undertaking investment research. Impressively, Harrisons Holdings (Malaysia) Berhad has grown EPS by 36% per year, compound, in the last three years. If the company can sustain that sort of growth, we'd expect shareholders to come away satisfied. Careful consideration of revenue growth and earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) margins can help inform a view on the sustainability of the recent profit growth. While we note Harrisons Holdings (Malaysia) Berhad achieved similar EBIT margins to last year, revenue grew by a solid 13% to RM2.2b. That's encouraging news for the company! The chart below shows how the company's bottom and top lines have progressed over time. Click on the chart to see the exact numbers. Story continues Since Harrisons Holdings (Malaysia) Berhad is no giant, with a market capitalisation of RM562m, you should definitely check its cash and debt before getting too excited about its prospects. Are Harrisons Holdings (Malaysia) Berhad Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders? It's pleasing to see company leaders with putting their money on the line, so to speak, because it increases alignment of incentives between the people running the business, and its true owners. So it is good to see that Harrisons Holdings (Malaysia) Berhad insiders have a significant amount of capital invested in the stock. To be specific, they have RM55m worth of shares. This considerable investment should help drive long-term value in the business. As a percentage, this totals to 9.7% of the shares on issue for the business, an appreciable amount considering the market cap. Is Harrisons Holdings (Malaysia) Berhad Worth Keeping An Eye On? You can't deny that Harrisons Holdings (Malaysia) Berhad has grown its earnings per share at a very impressive rate. That's attractive. This EPS growth rate is something the company should be proud of, and so it's no surprise that insiders are holding on to a considerable chunk of shares. Fast growth and confident insiders should be enough to warrant further research, so it would seem that it's a good stock to follow. What about risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Harrisons Holdings (Malaysia) Berhad (of which 1 shouldn't be ignored!) you should know about. There's always the possibility of doing well buying stocks that are not growing earnings and do not have insiders buying shares. But for those who consider these important metrics, we encourage you to check out companies that do have those features. You can access a free list of them here. Please note the insider transactions discussed in this article refer to reportable transactions in the relevant jurisdiction. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here Although Armenia recognized Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty in Prague and Sochi in 2022, it has not yet fully withdrawn its troops from the territory of Azerbaijan. Illegal Armenian detachments and criminal elements still remain in Karabakh, said President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev as he addressed the Extraordinary Summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Ankara. Armenia also evades the obligation to open the Zangezur corridor. Therefore, Armenia flagrantly violates the Statement signed on November 10, 2020, and should be held accountable, the head of state noted. Eguana Technologies Inc. CALGARY, Alberta, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eguana Technologies Inc. ("Eguana" or the "Company") (TSXV: EGT) (OTCQB:EGTYF) is pleased to announce that ITOCHU Corporation (ITOCHU), a strategic investor in the Company, has purchased 16,666,666 common shares of Eguana (the Common Shares) through the exercise of share purchase warrants (the Warrants) issued in connection with an offering which closed on March 16, 2020 for aggregate consideration of $3,333,333.20 (the Warrant Exercise). Additionally, ITOCHU and Eguana have agreed to convert $1,145,506.84 of interest owing under the Companys 7% unsecured convertible debenture (the Convertible Debenture) into 4,242,617 Common Shares of Eguana in full satisfaction of the interest payment due on March 1, 2023. The exercise of the Warrants, along with the interest conversion, further demonstrates ITOCHUs confidence in our partnership and expansion plans, commented Eguana CEO Justin Holland. We currently have multiple ongoing objectives with ITOCHU including near and long term battery supply, homebuilder, and virtual power plant. In connection with the interest conversion, Eguana will issue 4,242,617 Common Shares at a deemed price of $0.27 per share on March 16, 2023. All of the Common Shares will be subject to a four month and one day hold period in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. The Conversion remains subject to final approval by the TSX Venture Exchange (the TSXV). Additional details regarding the Convertible Debenture issued on August 31, 2022 can be found in the Companys news releases dated August 26 and August 31 and additional details regarding the Warrants can be found in the Companys news releases dated March 2 and March 16, 2020, all of which are available on the Companys profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. As a result of ITOCHUs status as an insider of the Company, the foregoing interest conversion constitutes a related-party transaction under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). This transaction is exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 pursuant to sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 as neither the fair market value of the securities issued, nor the consideration provided therefore exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization Story continues Immediately prior to the Warrant Exercise and interest conversion, ITOCHU owned or exercised control or direction over 34,013,998 Common Shares and Warrants, representing 8.44% of the total issued and outstanding Common Shares and 16,666,666 common share purchase warrants of Eguana. Immediately following the Warrant Exercise and interest conversion, ITOCHU held 54,923,281 Common Shares, representing 12.95% of the total issued and outstanding Common Shares and no common share purchase warrants of Eguana. When combined with its existing holdings, the conversion in full of the Convertible Debenture would result in ITOCHU holding approximately 24.67% of the Common Shares of the Company. ITOCHU acquired the Common Shares for investment purposes. ITOCHU may from time to time (i) convert the existing securities held by it or acquire additional securities, (ii) dispose of some or all of the existing securities held by it, the securities received upon conversion of the existing securities or any additional securities acquired by it or (iii) may continue to hold the securities of the Company. The Warrant Exercise did not occur on a stock exchange or other securities market. ITOCHU will file an early warning report with the securities regulators with respect to the foregoing matters pursuant to National Instrument 62-103 The Early Warning System and Related Take-Over Bid and Insider Reporting Issues, a copy of which will be available under Eguanas profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Contact: ITOCHU Corporation 5-1, Kita-Aoyama 2-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8077 Japan Contact: Energy Storage Business Section https://www.itochu.co.jp/en/inquiry/index.html About ITOCHU The history of ITOCHU Corporation dates back to 1858 when the Company's founder Chubei Itoh commenced linen trading operations. Since then, ITOCHU has evolved and grown over 150 years. With approximately 110 bases in 63 countries, ITOCHU, one of the leading sogo shosha, is engaging in domestic trading, import/export, and overseas trading of various products such as textile, machinery, metals, minerals, energy, chemicals, food, general products, realty, information and communications technology, and finance, as well as business investment in Japan and overseas. About Eguana Technologies Inc. Based in Calgary, Alberta Canada, Eguana Technologies Inc. (TSXV: EGT) (OTCQB: EGTYF) designs and manufactures high performance residential and commercial energy storage systems. Eguana has two decades of experience delivering grid edge power electronics for fuel cell, photovoltaic and battery applications, and delivers proven, durable, high quality solutions from its high capacity manufacturing facilities in Europe, Australia and North America. With thousands of its proprietary energy storage inverters deployed in the European and North American markets, Eguana is one of the leading suppliers of power controls for solar self-consumption, grid services and demand charge applications at the grid edge. Company Inquiries Eguana Technologies Inc. Justin Holland CEO +1.416.728.7635 Justin.Holland@EguanaTech.com To learn more, visit www.eguanatech.com or follow us on Twitter @EguanaTech Forward Looking Information The reader is advised that some of the information herein may constitute forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (together, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning assigned by National Instrument 51-102 Continuous Disclosure Obligations and other relevant securities legislation. In particular, we include, among other things: the Companys ability to obtain necessary approvals from the TSXV and the issuance of the Common Shares. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and involves a number of risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or future events or developments, to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include, but are not limited to, risks associated with: failure to obtain necessary regulatory approvals; general economic, market and business conditions; industry capacity; the operations of Eguana's assets, competitive action by other companies, and other factors set out in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's most recent annual management's discussion and analysis for the three and twelve months ended September 30, 2022 which may be found on its website or at sedar.com. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information, which speaks only as of the date hereof. The Company does not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SkyQuest Technology Consulting Pvt. Ltd. SkyQuest's report on the electric aircraft market is a comprehensive analysis that provides reliable insights into the market. The report uses a robust methodology, including a SWOT analysis, technology assessment, economic evaluation, product benchmarking, recent developments, and accurate forecasting, to offer a deep understanding of the current market scenario. The report enables readers to identify the key players operating in the market and analyze their market share, strategies, and key developments. In addition, it provides accurate forecasting to help businesses make informed decisions and stay ahead of the competition. Westford, USA,, March 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The electric aircraft market is poised for significant growth, with North America expected to maintain its dominant position. This is attributed to the increasing demand for fuel-efficient modes of transportation and stringent government regulations promoting the adoption of clean technologies. Another advantage of electric aircraft is their reduced noise levels, making them suitable for operating in noise-sensitive areas such as airports. Additionally, electric aircraft are more fuel-efficient than traditional aircraft, contributing to their popularity and growth in the market. Furthermore, the logistics sector is emerging as a significant market driver, creating lucrative growth opportunities. As a result, electric aircraft are gaining traction as a more sustainable and eco-friendly transportation option in various industries. According to a recent study by SkyQuest, global passenger traffic increased by 34.23% between 2018 and 2021. The surge in global passenger traffic has pressured airlines to update their fleets with more fuel-efficient and eco-friendly aircraft. As a result, many airline operators are turning to electric aircraft as a viable solution. Get sample copy of this report: https://skyquestt.com/sample-request/electric-aircraft-market Story continues Browse in-depth TOC on "Electric Aircraft Market" Pages - 264 Tables - 172 Figures - 69 Electric aircraft are planes that use electric motors powered by batteries instead of traditional fossil fuels. This innovative technology is rapidly gaining popularity as the aviation industry looks for ways to reduce its carbon footprint and dependence on non-renewable energy sources. Additionally, electric aircraft have lower operating costs than traditional planes, as they require less maintenance and have fewer moving parts. They also operate more quietly, reducing noise pollution around airports and nearby communities. Prominent Players in Electric Aircraft Market Airbus Bye Aerospace Elbit Systems Ltd. Pipistrel Group Aerospace Limited Digisky S.R.L. Yuneec Holding Limited EHang Holdings Limited AeroVironment, Inc. Faradair Aerospace Limited Boeing Groupe Gorge Leonardo S.p.A. Light & Ultralight Aircraft Segment Contribute High as Electric Aircraft have Lower Operating Costs than Their Conventional Counterparts According to recent research, the electric aircraft market saw higher revenue growth in the light and ultralight aircraft segment in 2021. The current trend is predicted to continue over the next few years, with the light and ultralight segment continuing to dominate the market from 2022 to 2028. The growth of the light and ultralight segment can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, these aircraft types are more accessible and affordable for consumers, making them a popular choice for personal use. In addition, their smaller and lighter weight also makes them ideal for short-range trips and recreational flying. As per recent analysis, North America emerged as the primary driving force for the growth of the electric aircraft market in 2021. With advanced technological developments and increased investments in the electric aircraft industry, North America is expected to maintain its leading position until 2028. Furthermore, North America's favorable government policies and initiatives to promote the adoption of electric aircraft have played a crucial role in boosting market growth. For example, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been actively working to integrate electric aircraft into the national airspace system, thereby facilitating the widespread adoption of electric aircraft in the region. Browse summary of the report and Complete Table of Contents (ToC): https://skyquestt.com/report/electric-aircraft-market Electric Motors Segment to Drive Higher Sales Thanks to Its Combination of Efficiency, Weight Savings, Noise, and Vibration Reduction According to a recent research analysis, the electric motors segment emerged as the dominant player in the electric aircraft market in 2021. It is expected to continue its growth trajectory in the coming years. This segment is projected to be the most promising one from 2022 to 2028, thanks to its numerous benefits and advantages over traditional aircraft engines. One of the key advantages of electric motors is their superior energy efficiency, which allows for longer flight times and reduced operating costs. Moreover, electric motors are much quieter than conventional engines, producing less noise pollution and having a smaller environmental impact. These factors make electric motors an attractive option for airlines and aircraft manufacturers looking to reduce their carbon footprint and operate more sustainably. The electric aircraft market saw significant growth in Europe during 2021, with the Asia Pacific region closely following suit. This indicates a global trend toward adopting electric aircraft technology as a viable alternative to traditional fuel-powered aircraft. Europe has been at the forefront of electric aircraft development and testing, with several companies and organizations working on electric aircraft projects. The region has also seen an increase in manufacturers and suppliers, indicating a growing demand for electric aircraft. SkyQuest, a renowned research firm, has recently published a report on the electric aircraft market. The report sheds light on how these regional variations affect the market's revenue growth in different regions. By providing insights into the market demand and supply dynamics, the report helps market players to make informed decisions about their investment strategies. The report also offers an in-depth overview of the market's competitive landscape, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the leading players in the market. Key Developments in Electric Aircraft Market Beta Technologies, an innovative aerospace company, has announced that it has secured orders for its fixed-wing electric aircraft. This development is a significant milestone for the company, which has been working hard to bring electric aviation to the forefront of the aerospace industry. The fixed-wing electric aircraft is a new addition to Beta Technologies' portfolio, which includes its signature Alia eVTOL aircraft. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has taken a step towards eco-friendly transport by issuing an electric cargo aircraft license. This development is part of the UAE's efforts to shift towards more sustainable and environmentally-friendly modes of transport. The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) issued the license to the company Beta Technologies, a US-based aerospace company. Beta Technologies' electric cargo aircraft, Alia, can carry up to 1,500 kilograms of cargo and travel up to 300 kilometers on a single charge. Vertical, a leading aerospace technology company, has recently announced the opening of the Vertical Energy Centre, which is deemed to be the most advanced aerospace battery facility in the United Kingdom. This state-of-the-art facility will be instrumental in advancing the development of aerospace batteries, which play a vital role in the performance and safety of aircraft. Speak to Analyst for your custom requirements: https://skyquestt.com/speak-with-analyst/electric-aircraft-market Key Questions in Electric Aircraft Market Report How are market trends impacting the growth rate and valuation estimates of the target market, and what is their overall impact on market performance? Which sub-segments of the target market are expected to outperform, and what are the key drivers behind their growth? How do demand and supply vary across different regions in the target market, and how does this affect revenue growth in these regions? What factors contribute to the success or challenges of the leading players in the target market, and how do they differentiate themselves from their competitors? Related Reports in SkyQuests Library: Telescope Market Amphibious Vehicle Market Dynamic Positioning System Market Electrostatic Precipitator Market Border Security System Market About Us: SkyQuest Technology is leading growth consulting firm providing market intelligence, commercialization and technology services. It has 450+ happy clients globally. Address: 1 Apache Way, Westford, Massachusetts 01886 Phone: USA (+1) 617-230-0741 Email: sales@skyquestt.com LinkedIn Facebook Twitter OSLO, Norway, March 16, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Elliptic Labs (OSE: ELABS), a global AI software company and the world leader in AI Virtual Smart Sensors currently deployed in over 500 million devices today, has signed a software license agreement with a new Top-5 smartphone customer. This agreement will target Elliptic Labs AI Virtual Proximity Sensor INNER BEAUTY being utilized on the smartphone manufacturers upcoming foldable smartphone launch. "Bringing on yet another new global top-5 smartphone manufacturer as a customer signals that our 100% software-only AI Virtual Smart Sensor Platform is truly scalable," said Laila Danielsen, CEO of Elliptic Labs. "Were pleased that we are experiencing that several large smartphone OEMs are using our AI Virtual Proximity Sensor for their future flagship foldable smartphones." INNER BEAUTY is a registered trademark of Elliptic Labs. AI Virtual Smart Sensor, AI Virtual Proximity Sensor, and AI Virtual Smart Sensor Platform are trademarks of Elliptic Labs. All other trademarks or service marks are the responsibility of their respective organizations. AI Virtual Proximity Sensor INNER BEAUTY Elliptic Labs AI Virtual Proximity Sensor detects when a user holds their phone up to their ear during a call, allowing the smartphone to turn off its display and disable its screens touch functionality. This keeps the users ear or cheek from triggering unwanted actions during the call, such as hanging up or dialing numbers. Turning off the screen also helps conserve battery life. Proximity detection is a core capability that is used in all smartphones, but Elliptic Labs AI Virtual Proximity Sensor is a unique, software-only solution that delivers robust proximity detection without the need for a dedicated hardware sensor. By replacing hardware sensors with software sensors, the AI Virtual Proximity Sensor reduces device cost and eliminates sourcing risk. About Elliptic Labs Elliptic Labs is a global enterprise targeting the smartphone, laptop, IoT, and automotive markets. Founded in 2006 as a research spin-off from Norways Oslo University, the companys patented software uses AI, ultrasound and sensor fusion to deliver intuitive 3D gesture, proximity-, presence-, breathing- and heartbeat-detection experiences. Its scalable AI Virtual Smart Sensor Platform creates software-only sensors that are sustainable, human-friendly and already deployed in hundreds of millions of devices around the world. Elliptic Labs is the only software company that has delivered detection capabilities using AI software, ultrasound, and sensor fusion deployed at scale. The company joined the Oslo Brs main listing in March 2022. Story continues Elliptic Labs is headquartered in Norway with presence in the USA, China, South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. Its technology and IP are developed in Norway and are solely owned by the company. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230315005976/en/ Contacts PR Contact: Patrick Tsui pr@ellipticlabs.com Investor Relations: Lars Holmy Lars.Holmoy@ellipticlabs.com DUBLIN, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Europe Connected Roadside Assistance Solution Market 2022-2032 by Offering, Vehicle Type, Service Type, Solution Provider, and Country: Trend Forecast and Growth Opportunity" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Research_and_Markets_Logo Europe connected roadside assistance solution market was valued at $361.1 million in 2022 and will grow by 12.5% annually over 2022-2032, driven by the growing number of vehicles on road, rising need for real-time notification and alerts, advent of mobile devices and IoT technology, and increasing requirements for seamless roadside assistance across the world. This 137-page report is based on comprehensive research of the entire Europe connected roadside assistance solution market and all its sub-segments through extensively detailed classifications. Profound analysis and assessment are generated from premium primary and secondary information sources with inputs derived from industry professionals across the value chain. The report is based on studies on 2020-2022 and provides forecast from 2023 till 2032 with 2022 as the base year. In-depth qualitative analyses include identification and investigation of the following aspects: Market Structure Growth Drivers Restraints and Challenges Emerging Product Trends & Market Opportunities Porter's Fiver Forces The trend and outlook of Europe market is forecast in optimistic, balanced, and conservative view by taking into account of COVID-19 and Russia-Ukraine conflict. The balanced (most likely) projection is used to quantify Europe connected roadside assistance solution market in every aspect of the classification from perspectives of Offering, Vehicle Type, Service Type, Solution Provider, and Country. Based on Offering, the Europe market is segmented into the following sub-markets with annual revenue ($ mn) for 2022-2032 included in each section. Hardware Software & Apps Reporting & Analytics Real-time Notifications Positioning & Navigation Smart Payment Other Software & Apps Story continues Based on Vehicle Type, the Europe market is segmented into the following sub-markets with annual revenue ($ mn) for 2022-2032 included in each section. Passenger Vehicles Commercial Vehicles By Service Type, the Europe market is segmented into the following sub-markets with annual revenue ($ mn) for 2022-2032 included in each section. Towing Battery Jump Tire Replacement Fuel Delivery Other Service Types By Solution Provider, the Europe market is segmented into the following sub-markets with annual revenue ($ mn) for 2022-2032 included in each section. Auto Manufacturers Insurance Providers Independent Contractors Other Solution Providers Geographically, the following national/local markets are fully investigated: Germany UK France Spain Italy Russia Rest of Europe (further segmented into Netherlands, Switzerland, Poland, Sweden, Belgium, Austria, Ireland, Norway, Denmark, and Finland) Key Topics Covered: 1 Introduction 2 Market Overview and Dynamics 3 Segmentation of Europe Market by Offering 4 Segmentation of Europe Market by Vehicle Type 5 Segmentation of Europe Market by Service Type 6 Segmentation of Europe Market by Solution Provider 7 European Market 2022-2032 by Country 8 Competitive Landscape Companies Mentioned Access Roadside Assistance Allianz Worldwide Partners American Automobile Association (AAA) Auto Vantage Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW) AG Best Roadside Service Better World Club Chubb Limited Falck AS Ford Motor Company Good Sam Enterprise Honk Technologies, Inc. Medinyx Technologies GmbH National General Insurance Paragon Motor Club RAC Group (Holdings) Ltd. Roadside Masters The Allstate Corp. Toyota Motor Corporation TVS Auto Assist India Limited Verizon Telematics, Inc. Viking Redningstjeneste Topco AS. Volkswagen AG For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/upqbbz About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg Cision View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/europe-connected-roadside-assistance-solution-market-report-2022-sector-to-grow-by-12-5-annually-through-2032--301773969.html SOURCE Research and Markets PMI [PDF, Page-168] Construction Chemicals Market, Type (Concrete Admixture, Construction Adhesive, Construction Sealant and Flame Retardant) End-User Industry (Residential, Public Space, And Commercial), and By Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa) - Trends, Analysis and Forecast till 2030 Covina, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Construction Chemicals market is projected to grow from US$ $43.3 billion in 2019 to US$ 7.39 billion by 2029. The speedy industrial development and urbanization are the key reason for the growth of the target market. In modern days various manufacturer has stressing towards the launches and use of environmentally friendly chemicals that will have the least impact on the environment such factor fuel the growth of the target market. Rising government investment to developed infrastructure in the various region is boosting the growth for the target market. The report "Global Construction Chemicals Market by Type (Concrete Admixture, Construction Adhesive, Construction Sealant and Flame Retardant) End-User Industry (Residential, Public Space, And Commercial), and Region - Global Forecast to 2029" Key Highlights: In November 2019 Sika acquires Adeplast SA, the main manufacturer of mortars and thermal insulation solutions in Romania. This acquisition will meaningfully strengthen Sikas position in the local construction chemicals market and extend its manufacturing footprint. In February 2018 Berger Paints Bangladesh Ltd, a market leader in Bangladesh Paints Industry and Fosroc International Ltd, a global leading company in Construction Chemicals, entered into a Joint Venture agreement to setting up a new legal entity Berger Fosroc Limited This venture will support Research & Development facilities to create revolutionary product development and innovation Request Sample: https://www.prophecymarketinsights.com/market_insight/Insight/request-sample/3925 Story continues Key Market Insights from the report: The Construction Chemicals market accounted for from US$ $43.3 billion in 2019 to US$ 7.39 billion by 2029. over the forecast period. The market report has been segmented based on type and end-user and region. By type the construction chemicals market classified into concrete admixture, construction adhesive, construction sealant and flame retardant Based on by end-user the construction chemicals market classified into residential, public space, and commercial. By region, The Asia Pacific expected to dominate the target market. Owing to the rising population, an increase in middle-class incomes, and urbanization. China dominates the regional market for construction chemicals globally due to higher production for construction chemical. Request sample PDF: https://www.prophecymarketinsights.com/market_insight/Insight/request-pdf/3925 Key Players: BASF SE W.R. Grace RPM International Sika A.G. Fosroc International The Dow Chemical Company Arkem S.A. Ashland Inc Mapei S.p.A Pidilite Industries. The key player in the market is focusing on the partnership and acquisition strategy. For example, In December 2019 Lone Star, a global private equity firm, signed a purchase agreement for the acquisition of BASF's Construction Chemicals business. Under Lone Star, the Construction Chemicals team aims to focus on a growth path with an industry-specific approach. Segmentation: Market Segmentation: By Market Type - Concrete Admixture, Construction Adhesive, Construction Sealant and Flame Retardant By End User Industry Residential, Public Space and Commercial Regional scope: North America - U.S., Canada Europe - UK, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Russia, Rest of Europe Asia Pacific - Japan, India, China, South Korea, Australia, Rest of Asia-Pacific Latin America - Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Rest of Latin America Middle East & Africa - South Africa, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Rest of Middle East & Africa Regional Insights: The construction chemicals market accounted for US$ 34.54 billion in 2020 and is estimated to be US$ 70.05 billion by 2030 and is anticipated to register a CAGR of 7.4%. On region the global construction chemicals market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. The Asia-Pacific region is accepted to dominate the target market. Owing to the rising population, an increase in middle-class incomes, and urbanization. For instance, according to adb.org Asian cities are growing rapidly and it estimated that around 1.1 billion people will live in cities in the next 20 years. Also, by 2030, around 55% of the population of Asia will be urban. China dominates the regional market for construction chemicals globally due to higher production for construction chemical. Construction Chemicals Market by development: The construction chemicals market has been steadily growing over the years and is expected to continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Construction chemicals are specialty products that are used in the construction industry to enhance the performance of concrete, cement, and other building materials. The growth of the construction industry and the increasing demand for durable and sustainable building materials are the major drivers of the construction chemicals market. With rapid urbanization, population growth, and increasing infrastructure development, the demand for construction chemicals is expected to increase. Additionally, the adoption of green building practices and the increasing focus on energy efficiency in buildings are expected to create new opportunities for construction chemicals manufacturers. In terms of product types, the construction chemicals market can be segmented into adhesives and sealants, concrete admixtures, protective coatings, asphalt modifiers, and others. Concrete admixtures, which are used to improve the workability and durability of concrete, are the largest product segment within the construction chemicals market. Construction Chemicals Market trend: Growing demand for green building materials: One of the major trends in the construction chemicals market is the increasing demand for green building materials. As sustainability and environmental concerns become more important to consumers, builders are looking for ways to incorporate eco-friendly materials into their projects. Construction chemicals manufacturers are responding to this trend by developing products that are low-emission, non-toxic, and recyclable. Rise in demand for self-healing concrete: Self-healing concrete is a new technology that has the potential to revolutionize the construction industry. It uses special additives that can repair cracks in concrete structures on their own, without the need for human intervention. This technology is gaining traction in the construction chemicals market, as builders look for ways to reduce maintenance costs and increase the lifespan of their structures. Focus on energy efficiency: Another trend in the construction chemicals market is the increasing focus on energy efficiency. Builders are looking for ways to reduce energy consumption in buildings, and construction chemicals manufacturers are responding by developing products that can improve insulation, reduce heat loss, and lower energy consumption. Technological advancements: Technology is playing an increasingly important role in the construction chemicals market. Advances in materials science, nanotechnology, and other fields are driving the development of new and innovative construction chemicals. For example, researchers are exploring the use of nanomaterials in concrete admixtures, which could improve strength and durability. Increasing demand from emerging markets: Finally, the construction chemicals market is seeing increasing demand from emerging markets. As developing countries invest in infrastructure and building projects, the demand for construction chemicals is growing. This is particularly true in Asia-Pacific, where countries such as China and India are investing heavily in infrastructure development. Request a Customized link here: https://www.prophecymarketinsights.com/market_insight/Insight/request-customization/3925 Questions answered by Construction Chemicals Market: What is the current market size and growth rate? What are the key market trends and market dynamics? Who are the major players in the market and what is their market share? What is the competitive landscape like in the market? What are the major drivers and restraints affecting the market? What are the growth opportunities in the market? What are the regional and local market conditions and consumer behavior? What is the market size and growth forecast for different regions and countries? What is the impact of government regulations and policies on the market? About Us: Prophecy Market Insights is specialized market research, analytics, marketing/business strategy, and solutions that offers strategic and tactical support to clients for making well-informed business decisions and to identify and achieve high-value opportunities in the target business area. We also help our clients to address business challenges and provide the best possible solutions to overcome them and transform their business. Read Related Insights: Benzene Market - By Derivative ( Cumene, Aniline, Ethylbenzene, Cyclohexane, Chlorobenzene, Maleic Anhdride, Alkylbenzene, phenol, styrene), By Application (Solvent, Chemical Intermediates, Surfactants, Plastics, Rubber Manufacturing, Detergent, Lubricants, Pesticides) and By Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa) - Trends, Analysis and Forecast till 2030 Corrosion Inhibitors Market - By Type (Oil based, Water based), By Product (Organic, Inorganic), By Application (Water Treatment, Paper & Pulp, Power Generation, Oil & Gas, Chemical Processing, Metal Processing, and Others),and By Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa) - Trends, Analysis and Forecast till 2032 CONTACT: Shweta R Prophecy Market Insights U.S.: +1 860 531 2701 APAC: +917775049802 Email- sales@prophecymarketinsights.com Web: www.prophecymarketinsights.com MELBOURNE, Australia, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX: TLX, Telix, the Company) today announces that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a supplementary New Drug Application (sNDA) for Illuccix (kit for the preparation of gallium Ga 68 gozetotide injection) to enable its use for the selection of patients with metastatic prostate cancer, for whom lutetium-177 (177Lu) PSMA-directed therapy is indicated.[1] (PRNewsfoto/Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited) The label expansion means Illuccix is now approved in the U.S. to identify and select patients who are candidates for the only FDA-approved prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)- directed radioligand therapy (Pluvicto),[2] providing doctors with critical information to guide patient management and help optimise treatment outcomes. To qualify for radioligand therapy, patients must be imaged with an approved gallium-based PSMA-PET agent.[3] As the only diagnostic agent for prostate cancer that combines the accuracy of gallium imaging with the reliability and flexibility of Telix's distribution network, the expanded indication for Illuccix has the potential to improve access to imaging for patients who are candidates for radioligand therapy. Kevin Richardson, Chief Executive Officer for Telix Americas said, "We welcome the FDA's decision to expand the label indication for Illuccix. This additional indication further demonstrates our continued commitment to support patients fighting prostate cancer and to empower the doctors who treat them. Clinicians now have the ability to use Illuccix in more stages of the patient journey, to confidently and accurately detect and help manage this disease." Use of Illuccix in the VISION Phase III study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03511664)[4] helped doctors detect prostate cancer and identify the appropriate patients for PSMA-based radioligand therapy. Telix wishes to acknowledge collaboration with Novartis to deliver this outcome to patients. Story continues Dr Oliver Sartor, Medical Director at Tulane Cancer Center, added, "As radioligand therapy for prostate cancer becomes more prevalent, it is critical for doctors to understand who may or may not respond to those treatments. There's no doubt that appropriate selection of patients for PSMA targeted radioligand therapy is dependent on appropriate imaging. Ga-68 PSMA-11 PET was used in the VISION trial and, when used in combination with contrast-enhanced CT, represents a powerful tool for detecting prostate cancer and helping manage patients." It is estimated that 32,000 patients per year in the U.S. may be considered for PSMA-directed radioligand therapy.[5] About Illuccix Illuccix is a kit for the preparation of gallium-68 (68Ga) gozetotide (also known as PSMA-11) injection, a radioactive diagnostic agent indicated for positron emission tomography (PET) of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positive lesions in patients with prostate cancer: with suspected metastasis who are candidates for initial definitive therapy; with suspected recurrence based on elevated serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level; for whom lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan PSMA-directed therapy is indicated. About Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited Telix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialisation of diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. Telix is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia with international operations in the United States, Europe (Belgium and Switzerland), and Japan. Telix is developing a portfolio of clinical-stage products that aims to address significant unmet medical need in oncology and rare diseases. Telix is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: TLX). For more information visit www.telixpharma.com and follow Telix on Twitter (@TelixPharma) and LinkedIn. Telix's lead product, Illuccix, has been approved by the FDA,[6] and by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA),[7] and by Health Canada.[8] Telix Investor Relations Ms. Kyahn Williamson Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited SVP Corporate Communications and Investor Relations Email: kyahn.williamson@telixpharma.com Legal Notices This announcement is not intended as promotion or advertising directed to any healthcare professional or other audience in any country worldwide (including Australia, United States and the United Kingdom). This announcement may include forward-looking statements that relate to anticipated future events, financial performance, plans, strategies or business developments. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of words such as "may", "expect", "intend", "plan", "estimate", "anticipate", "outlook", "forecast" and "guidance", or other similar words. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the Company's good-faith assumptions as to the financial, market, regulatory and other risks and considerations that exist and affect the Company's business and operations in the future and there can be no assurance that any of the assumptions will prove to be correct. In the context of Telix's business, forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about: the initiation, timing, progress and results of Telix's preclinical and clinical studies, and Telix's research and development programs; Telix's ability to advance product candidates into, enrol and successfully complete, clinical studies, including multi-national clinical trials; the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals, manufacturing activities and product marketing activities; the commercialisation of Telix's product candidates, if or when they have been approved; estimates of Telix's expenses, future revenues and capital requirements; Telix's financial performance; developments relating to Telix's competitors and industry; and the pricing and reimbursement of Telix's product candidates, if and after they have been approved. Telix's actual results, performance or achievements may be materially different from those which may be expressed or implied by such statements, and the differences may be adverse. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable laws or regulations, Telix does not undertake to publicly update or review any forward-looking statements. Past performance cannot be relied on as a guide to future performance. Readers should read this announcement together with our material risks, as disclosed in our most recently filed reports with the ASX and on our website. 2023 Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited. The Telix Pharmaceuticals and Illuccix name and logo are trademarks of Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited and its affiliates (all rights reserved). [1] Specifically, lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan PSMA-directed therapy. [2] Pluvicto is a registered trademark of Novartis AG and/or its affiliates. [3] Per the Pluvicto package insert. [4] VISION study sponsored by Endocyte, a Novartis company. Telix provided Illuccix (TLX591-CDx) for 68Ga-PSMA-11 Positron Emission Tomography (PET)/Computed Tomography (CT) imaging. [5] American Cancer Society (ACS). Key Statistics for Prostate Cancer | Prostate Cancer Facts. 2023. [6] ASX disclosure 20 December 2021. [7] ASX disclosure 2 November 2021. [8] ASX disclosure 14 October 2022. Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/fda-approves-expanded-indication-for-telixs-illuccix-to-include-patient-selection-for-psma-directed-radioligand-therapy-301773602.html SOURCE Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited Fraser Institute VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With current fiscal policies, and prior to the 2023 budget being presented, the federal government faces between a 30 per cent and 53 per cent chance of failing to meet its core fiscal goal of reducing federal debt as a share of the Canadian economy, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank. The federal government has committed to gradually reducing federal debt as a share of the national economy over the medium term, but they have not accounted for the impact of recessions, which will make it difficult to achieve this stated goal, commented Jake Fuss, associate director of fiscal studies at the Fraser Institute. Stress Testing the Federal Fiscal Anchor finds that that there is a 30 per cent chance that the federal debt to GDP ratio will increase over a 10-year time period, meaning the federal government would fail to achieve its core fiscal goal. The chance of federal debt increasing relative to the size of the economy increases to 53 per cent over a 20-year time horizon. The added insight from this analysis is the addition of recessions to economic forecasts, which are excluded from government projections. The study finds, for instance, that there is a 32 per cent chance of a recession over the next 20-year period and a 28 per cent chance of two recessions. If two recessions occur, there is a 60 per cent chance that federal debt will increase as a share of the economy. Critically, major economic downturns, such as recessions, directly impact public debt due to declines in government revenues and increases in government spending, leading to larger budget deficits. The direct and indirect effects of a recession could set off a debt doom loop, with debt continuing to increase relative to the size of the economy if the government does not quickly respond by reducing its post-recession budget deficits. Story continues The combination of the high likelihood that Ottawa will miss its current fiscal goal coupled with the abandonment of previous fiscal goals, indicates the federal government lacks any effective fiscal rules or constraints, Fuss said. It is critical policymakers evaluate how major economic downturns like a recession could affect the public debt in the future, and conclude the best way to lower budget deficits and public debt is through government spending restraint that would keep federal finances in check. MEDIA CONTACT: Jake Fuss, Associate Director, Fiscal Studies Fraser Institute To arrange media interviews or for more information, please contact: Drue MacPherson, Media Relations, Fraser Institute 604-688-0221 ext. 721 drue.macpherson@fraserinstitute.org Follow the Fraser Institute on Twitter | Like us on Facebook The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families and future generations by studying, measuring and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship and choice on their well-being. To protect the Institutes independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit www.fraserinstitute.org LEIPZIG, Germany, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Intelligent fluids, an award-winning German DeepTech scaleup, has announced a 10mn Series B financing round. The round was led by WAVE Equity Partners, a US-based sustainability fund, with participation from existing institutional investors, High-Tech Grunderfonds (HTGF) and IBG Sachsen-Anhalt. Intelligent Fluids On the fundraise, Christian Romlein, CEO of intelligent fluids, said, "The funding by WAVE Equity Partners demonstrates the value of the innovation we have developed, and enables us to provide direct support to our global customer base through local production facilities. WAVE has a tremendous track record in backing sustainable technology innovation, and we are glad to have their support in this journey." Intelligent fluids (IFC) is revolutionizing industrial and commercial cleaning. Conventional cleaning agents are aggressive, hazardous to health and harmful for the environment. IFC has developed patented technology which is water-based, non-toxic and biodegradable. These "intelligent fluids" also deliver superior performance to solvent based cleaners, with significant reductions in carbon emissions, material consumption and energy costs. The technology has wide ranging applications, from oil and gas to LED displays, and adhesive removal to microelectronics. IFC has won several accolades, with the Global Green Product Award 2021 and the European Business Hero Award for Sustainability 2022, key among them. Christian further said, "We have proven that sustainability and superior performance can co-exist. We aim to set up new benchmarks in this industry, and usher in the post-solvent era of cleaning." IFC will use the funds to grow the team, increase manufacturing capacity at its German plant, and initiate expansion into global markets through establishment of manufacturing entities in USA, India, MENA and Taiwan. Praveen Sahay, Founder and Managing Director of WAVE Equity Partners, said, "The companies we invest in have exceptional green innovations for global markets, thereby enabling a healthier planet. We are thrilled to have added a pearl of German engineering to our portfolio with intelligent fluids, and with our massive support we forecast impressive development for the company over the next few years. The ambition to make a real impact with a combination of performance and sustainability will benefit not only the environment but also many companies and their ESG balance sheets." Story continues Advisory board Chairman and founding member of investment group ARMATO, Armin Eiche, said that the investment marked a valuable milestone in intelligent fluids' journey. Media contact: Bharat Jakati +49 3413196810 info@intelligent-fluids.com Cision View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/german-deeptech-scaleup-intelligent-fluids-secures-10m-for-global-success-of-revolutionary-cleaning-technology-301773905.html SOURCE Intelligent Fluids FACT.MR Global building panels market to be driven by ever-growing construction industry. Acquire Fact.MRs latest report to know more about market dynamics. Rockville, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to Fact.MR, a market research and competitive intelligence provider, the global building panels market is valued at US$ 177.9 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach US$ 318.5 billion by the end of 2033. Building panels are used in the creation of brand-new structures as well as the renovation of older ones with a fresh perspective. The exterior and interior aspects of a structure are built using building panels. Concrete panels and structural panels are the two most widely utilized panels in the construction industry. The most architectural and economical way to make enclosures is with structural insulated panels, which also give highly engineered, tough, and long-lasting walls. Rapidly growing global population is another key factor boosting the sales of building panels. This is because the growing population is increasing the demand for residences, which is subsequently driving the need for building panels. Download a Free Sample Copy of this Report - https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=8438 The world is battling climate change as a result of several factors, including carbon pollution and emissions of greenhouse gases brought on by excessive fossil fuel consumption and temperature imbalance. In 75% of the buildings that are now standing in Europe, fossil fuel energy is used to regulate the temperature, such as cooling or heating. Users and manufacturers have become more conscious, and, as a result, they are putting more effort into making sure that current structures are carbon-neutralized and that green, environment-friendly homes and buildings are built. When it comes to providing adequate insulation against issues such as fires, temperatures, water, etc., structural insulated panels are thought to be the best material. As a result, structural insulated panel demand is expected to increase substantially over the next ten years. Story continues Key Takeaways from Market Study Worldwide sales of building panels are expected to increase at a CAGR of 6% from 2023 to 2033. Market in China is predicted to expand at a CAGR of 7.5% during the forecast period. Use of building panels in the residential sector is expected to rise at a CAGR of 6.5% during the next 10 years. Germanys building panels market is predicted to expand at a CAGR of 5% from 2023 to 2033. Rapid industrialization and urbanization across the globe are driving high demand for building panels, says a Fact.MR analyst. Key Segments of Building Panels Industry Research By Type : Concrete Panels Vacuum Insulated Panels Structural Insulated Panels Wood Panels By Raw Material : Concrete Plastic Metal Wood Silica By Application : Residential Non-residential By End Use : Floors & Roofs Walls Columns & Beams Staircases By Region : North America Latin America Europe East Asia South Asia & Oceania MEA Get Customization on this Report for Specific Research Solutions https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=RC&rep_id=8438 Report Attributes Details Market Size (2023E) US$ 177.9 Billion Forecasted Market Value (2033F) US$ 318.5 Billion Global Market Growth Rate (2023 to 2033) 6% CAGR No. Of Pages 170 Pages No. Of Tables 80 Tables No. Of Figures 219 Figures Recent Market Developments Owens Corning debuted their FOAMGLAS Perinsul SIP, a thermal bridge solution for high-performance structures, in January 2022. Cellular glass is used in the innovative structural insulated panel to reduce performance loss caused by moisture exposure, eliminate thermal bridging, and boost energy efficiency. By purchasing Logstor for around US$ 300 million in March 2021, Kingspan Group was expected to establish a significant presence in the North American, European, and Middle Eastern markets. Key Companies Profiled Armstrong World Industries, Inc. Atlas Engineered Products Ltd. Arpa Industriale SpA Apex Steel Pty., Ltd. ABC Supply Co., Inc. Aluminum Coil Anodizing Corp. (ACA) Allied Steel Buildings, Inc. Advenira Enterprises, Inc. Atlas International Inc. Asc Profiles, Inc. AbTech, Inc Architectural Cladding Australia Pty Limited A.E. Concrete Precast Products Limited 3D Laminates Ltd AKW Medi-Care Ltd. Explore Our Safe & Secure Payment Options for Quick Buy https://www.factmr.com/checkout/8438 More Valuable Insights on Offer Fact.MR, in its new offering, presents an unbiased analysis of the global building panels market, presenting historical demand data (2018 to 2022) and forecast statistics for the period (2023 to 2033). The study divulges essential insights on the market based on type (concrete panels, vacuum insulated panels, structural insulated panels, wood panels), raw material (concrete, plastic, metal, wood, silica), application (residential, non-residential), and end use (floors & roofs, walls, columns & beams, staircases), across five major regions of the world (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and MEA). Check out more related studies published by Fact.MR Research: Building Modules Market: According to the latest report by Fact.MR, the building modules market is projected to show decent growth over the forecast period (2021-2031). Steady growth in demand and sales of modular constructed homes seems to provide a positive outlook to the industry. Moreover, constant demand from the modular construction industry for better and economical homes will act as a constant driver for the sales in the long run. Concrete Floor Grinding Machine Market: Improvement in overall economic conditions has led to a continuous increase in construction activities over the years. This has fuelled the demand for malls, office & residential areas, which in turn is driving the growth of the concrete floor grinding machine market. Concrete floor grinding machines are used for polishing and grinding concrete, granite, marble or any other kind of floor materials. Roofing Market: Global demand for roofing materials is expected to increase at a CAGR of 5.5% from 2023 to 2033. The global roofing market is valued at US$ 82.2 billion in 2023 and is this expected to reach US$ 140.4 billion by the end of 2033. A roof or roofing is the process of covering the upper part of any building. Roofing materials are used to create or repair the topmost layers of a building's roof. Solar Pumps Market: Expanding at a stellar CAGR of 12.1%, the global solar pumps market is forecasted to surge from a valuation of US$ 1.5 billion in 2023 to US$ 4.7 billion by the end of 2033. A solar pump, also known as a solar-powered pump, is a mechanism used to pump water using electricity produced by photovoltaic (PV) panels. Since it produces energy using sunshine, it serves as a good substitute for conventional generators that burn fossil fuels to pump water. Cold Storage Construction Market: The global cold storage construction market is valued at US$ 13.4 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach US$ 49.6 billion by 2033. Global demand for cold storage construction services is predicted to increase rapidly at a CAGR of 14% during the next 10 years. Low temperatures are managed in cold storage buildings to prolong the freshness of perishable products and ensure consistent quality throughout their lifespan. About Us: We are a trusted research partner of 80% of fortune 1000 companies across the globe. We are consistently growing in the field of market research with more than 1000 reports published every year. The dedicated team of 400-plus analysts and consultants is committed to achieving the utmost level of our clients satisfaction. Specialties: Competition Tracking, Customized Research, Syndicated Research, Investment Research, Social Media Research, Business Intelligence, Industry Analysis, Thought Leadership. Contact: US Sales Office: 11140 Rockville Pike Suite 400 Rockville, MD 20852 United States Tel: +1 (628) 251-1583 Connect to Author: Shubham Patidar Email : shubham@factmr.com Sales Team : sales@factmr.com Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube Mordor Intelligence Hyderabad, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to a new market research report titled Global Commercial Aviation Market Share (2023-2028), the commercial aviation industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.65%. The United States is predicted to capture a major market share during 2022-2028 as airlines place more orders for commercial aircraft and the amount of air travel rises. Investing in these trends will create lucrative opportunities for this sector of the economy. Rising domestic and international air traffic levels are driving the airlines to procure more aircraft, thereby boosting the growth of the regional commercial aircraft market. Commercial Aviation Market trends - What is driving the growth of the market? According to the UNWTO, tourism contributes 10% of the world's GDP, making it one of the main sources of income in the modern world, with 57% of cross-border travelers using aircraft. In the last 15 years, the number of passengers in commercial aviation has doubled. Some f the major market trends shaping the commercial aviation market according to our research experts include: Airbus offers the most comprehensive product range in the industry. Over the next 20 years, Airbus estimates that more than 38,000 new airplanes will be delivered. Some of them will replace the more aged aircraft in the current fleet. Airlines are looking for aircraft with better fuel efficiency and range. The development of new aircraft will help OEMs attract more airline customers in the years to come. The market for narrow-body aircraft is anticipated to rebound faster than the demand for wide-body aircraft. Hence, all such favorable trends are expected to drive the growth of the global commercial aviation market during the forecast period 2023-2028. How is the growth being addressed? During the forecast period, the Asia-Pacific region is anticipated to have one of the fastest-growing markets. Domestic passenger traffic progressively increased in 2021 despite the effects of the pandemic on the aviation sector of the region. Story continues In 2021, the region constituted 27.5% of global air passenger travel worldwide. Asia-Pacific may have around 40% of the total commercial aircraft deliveries during 2022-2028. North America is expected to be the second-highest growing market after Asia-Pacific. In terms of aircraft deliveries, North Americas commercial aircraft accounted for almost 29% of the total commercial aircraft worldwide from 2016 to 2021. Aircraft deliveries are expected to rise by 57% during the forecast period. North America is expected to be accountable for 27% of the total aircraft deliveries during the forecast period. Europes commercial aircraft accounted for 17% of the total commercial aircraft worldwide from 2016 to 2021. The Middle East held a share of around 6.5% of the global air passenger traffic, while the African region held a share of around 1.9%. During the forecast period, Europe, Middle East & Africa, and South America may account for around 20%, 9%, and 3% of total aircraft deliveries, respectively. Who are the key players in the Commercial Aviation Market? The global commercial aviation market is fairly consolidated, with the top five companies occupying 90.62% of the market share. The major players include: Airbus SE ATR Embraer The Boeing Company United Aircraft Corporation COMAC De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd Recent developments in this market are: In August 2022: Boeing invested USD 5 million in a St. Louis facility for advanced manufacturing innovation. In July 2022: In July 2022, 20 Embraer E195-E2s were ordered by Porter Airlines to support a significant expansion plan. In June 2022: Qantas and Airbus invested up to USD 200 million to support the development of a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry. Briefly, the Mordor Intelligence Market Research Report is a must-read for start-ups, industry players, investors, researchers, consultants, business strategists, and all those who are looking to understand this industry. Get a glance at the https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/commercial-aircraft-market About Mordor Intelligence: Mordor Intelligence is a market intelligence and advisory firm. At Mordor Intelligence, we believe in predicting butterfly effects that have the potential to change or significantly impact market dynamics. Our market research reports are comprehensive and provide exclusive data, facts and figures, trends, and the competitive landscape of the industry. Some of the trending reports you may be interested in: Attachment CONTACT: Company Name: Mordor Intelligence Email: info@mordorintelligence.com Phone: +1 617-765-2493 Location: Hyderabad, Telangana Country: India Qabil Ashirov On March 16, 2023, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov participated at the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) held in Ankara, Turkiye, and delivered a speech Azernews reports, citing Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry. In his speech, Jeyhun Bayramov noted that the extraordinary Summit of the OTS, which will be held today at the initiative of Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev, aims to show solidarity with brotherly Turkiye after the devastating earthquakes that occurred in Turkiye on February 6, 2023. He mentioned that despite the fact that these earthquakes, which are a major disaster and tragedy of the century, caused tens of thousands of casualties, a great destruction, and humanitarian problems, the powerful Turkish nation and Turkiye will cope with the consequences of the earthquake with dignity as soon as possible. He emphasized that Turkic peoples, who share their joys as well as their pains together, have demonstrated a rare example of solidarity even in these bitter days. Jeyhun Bayramov noted that in order to eliminate the consequences of the earthquake, sending search and rescue teams and humanitarian aid in a short period of time by the international community, including OTS members and observer states, is of great moral importance. In this regard, Azerbaijan, which has been with brother Turkiye since the first moment of the disaster, will continue to support Turkiye in the reconstruction of the devastated areas. He pointed out that according to the instructions of the Azerbaijani President, all relevant institutions of Azerbaijan have provided assistance to Turkiye in an operational manner, and in this context, humanitarian aid was sent from Azerbaijan with rescue and medical personnel, field hospitals, dozens of planes and hundreds of trucks. He also spoke about the importance of cooperation between the member states in the field of emergency preparedness and response measures against the background of the natural disaster, including the strengthening of joint activities, and noted the importance of the practical implementation of the road map for the creation of the Civil Defense Mechanism of the OTS. Azerbaijani FM said that over the past years since the establishment of the OTS, the strengthening of cooperation between the member states of the Organization in various fields, including political, economic, trade, transport, and communications, as well as the increase of the institution's international reputation, has been noted with satisfaction. In this regard, it was pointed out that Uzbekistan's chairmanship of OTS will serve to further strengthen the Organization. It is of note that the events in the region and the world have increased the importance of cooperation in the field of transport and communications, Minister Jeyhun Bayramov gave detailed information about the creation of new transport infrastructure in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan, including the start of the Zangazur corridor. In this regard, confidence was expressed that these efforts of Azerbaijan, which will create conditions for using the transit potential of the Middle Corridor, will in turn make an important contribution to the strengthening of regional peace and security. Foreign ministers of OTS member countries also spoke at the Council of Foreign Ministers, and documents and draft political declarations to be approved by the leaders of the countries were reviewed at the Summit. DUBLIN, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Deep Learning Market in Drug Discovery and Diagnostics: Distribution by Therapeutic Areas and Key Geographical Regions: Industry Trends and Global Forecasts (2nd Edition), 2023-2035" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Research and Markets Logo This report features an extensive study of the current market landscape and the likely future potential of the deep learning solutions market within the healthcare domain. The report highlights the efforts of several stakeholders engaged in this rapidly emerging segment of the pharmaceutical industry. The report answers many key questions related to this domain. Since the mid-twentieth century, computing devices have continually been explored for applications beyond mere calculations, to emerge as machines that possess intelligence. These targeted efforts have contributed to the introduction of artificial intelligence, the next-generation simulator that employs programmed machines possessing the ability to comprehend data and execute the instructed tasks. The progress of artificial intelligence can be attributed to machine learning, a field of study imparting computers with the ability to think without being explicitly programmed. Deep learning is a complex machine learning algorithm that uses a neural network of interconnected nodes / neurons in a multi-layered structure, thereby enabling the interpretation of large volumes of unstructured data to generate valuable insights. The mechanism of this technique resembles the interpretation ability of human beings, making it a promising approach for big data analysis. Owing to the distinct characteristic of deep learning algorithm to imitate human brain, it is currently being deployed in the life sciences domain, primarily for the purpose of drug discovery and diagnostics. Considering the challenges associated with drug discovery and development, such as the high attrition rate and increased financial burden, deep learning has been found to improve the overall R&D productivity and enhance diagnosis / prediction accuracy. Story continues Recent advancements in the deep learning domain have demonstrated its potential in other healthcare-associated segments, such as medical image analysis, molecular profiling, virtual screening and sequencing data analysis. Driven by the ongoing pace of innovation and the profound impact of implementation of such solutions, deep learning is anticipated to witness substantial growth in the foreseen future. Key Market Insights What is the Current Market Landscape of the Deep Learning Market Focused on Drug Discovery and Diagnostics? Currently, more than 200 industry players are focused on providing deep learning-based services / technologies for drug discovery and diagnostic purposes. The primary focus areas of these companies include big data analysis, medical imaging, medical diagnosis and genetic / molecular data analysis. Further, these players are engaged in offering services across a wide range of therapeutic areas. It is worth highlighting that deep learning-powered diagnostic service providers offer various diagnostic solutions, such as structured analysis reports, image interpretation and biomarker identification solutions, with input data from several compatible devices. What is the Market Size of Deep Learning in Drug Discovery? Lately, the industry has witnessed the development of advanced deep learning technologies / software. These technologies possess the ability to obviate the concerns associated with the conventional drug discovery process. Eventually, such technologies will aid in the reduction of financial burden associated with drug discovery. The global deep learning market focusing on drug discovery is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of over 20% between 2023 and 2035. By 2035, the deep learning in drug discovery market for oncological disorders is expected to capture the majority share. In terms of geography, the market in North America and Europe is anticipated to grow at a relatively faster pace by 2035. What is the Market Size of Deep Learning in Diagnostics Market? The adoption of deep learning-powered technologies to assist medical diagnosis, as well as prevention of diseases, has increased in the recent past. The global deep learning market focusing on diagnostics is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of over 15% between 2023 and 2035. By 2035, the deep learning in diagnostics market in North America is expected to capture the majority share. In terms of therapeutic areas, the deep learning in diagnostics market for endocrine and respiratory disorders is anticipated to grow at a relatively faster pace by 2035. Which Segment held the Largest Share in Deep Learning Market? The study covers the revenues from deep learning technology for their potential applications in the drug discovery and diagnostics domain. As of 2022, deep learning based diagnostics held the largest share of the market, owing to the efficiency and precision of applying deep learning-powered diagnostic solutions. Further, the deep learning in drug discovery market is anticipated to grow at a relatively higher growth rate during the given time period with several pharmaceutical companies actively collaborating with solution providers for drug design and development. What are the Key Advantages offered by Deep Learning in Drug Discovery and Diagnostics? The use of deep learning in drug discovery has the potential to reduce capital requirements and the failure-to-success ratio, as algorithms are better equipped to analyze large datasets. Similarly, in diagnostics domain, deep learning technology can be used to assist medical professionals in medical imaging and interpretation. This enables quick and efficient diagnosis of disease indications at an early stage. What are the Key Drivers of Deep Learning in Drug Discovery and Diagnostics Market? In the last decade, the healthcare industry has witnessed an inclination towards the adoption of information services and digital analytical solutions. This can be attributed to the fact that companies have recently shifted towards high-resolution medical images and electronic health and medical records, generating large and complex data, referred to as big data. In order to analyze such large, structured and unstructured datasets, efficient tools and technology, such as deep learning, are required. Thus, these massive datasets are anticipated to be a primary driver of technological advancements in the deep learning and artificial intelligence domain. What are the Key Trends in the Deep Learning in Drug Discovery and Diagnostics Market? Many stakeholders have been making consolidated efforts to forge alliances with other industry / non-industry players for research, software licensing and collaborative drug / solution development purposes. It is worth highlighting that over 240 clinical studies are being conducted to evaluate the potential of deep learning in diagnostics, highlighting the continuous pace of innovation in this field. Moreover, the field is evolving continuously, as a number of start-ups have emerged with the aim of developing deep learning technologies / software. In this context, in the past seven years, over 60 companies providing deep learning-based solutions have been established. Given the inclination towards advanced deep learning technologies and their vast applications in the healthcare segment, we believe that the deep learning market is likely to evolve at a rapid pace over the coming years. Frequently Asked Questions Question 1: What is deep learning? What are the major factors driving the deep learning market focused on drug discovery and diagnostics? Answer: The paradigm shift of industry players towards digitization and challenges associated with the drug discovery process have contributed to the overall adoption of deep learning technologies for drug discovery, leading to a reduced economic load. The potential of deep learning technologies in assisting medical personnel in an early-stage diagnosis of various disorders has fueled the adoption of such technologies in the diagnostics segment. Question 2: Which companies offer deep learning technologies / services for drug discovery and diagnostics? Answer: Presently, more than 200 players are engaged in the deep learning domain, offering technologies / services, specifically for drug discovery and diagnostics purposes. Question 3: How much funding has taken place in field of deep learning in drug discovery and diagnostics? Answer: Since 2019, more than USD 15 billion has been invested in the deep learning in drug discovery and diagnostics domain across multiple funding instances. Of these, the most prominent funding types included venture capital and grants, demonstrating high start-up activity in this domain. Question 4: How many clinical trials, based on deep learning technologies, are being conducted? Answer: Currently, more than 420 clinical trials are being conducted tor evaluate the potential of deep learning for diagnostic purposes. Of these, 63% of the trials are active. Question 5: What is the likely cost saving potential associated with the use of deep learning-based technologies in diagnostics? Answer: Considering the vast potential of artificial intelligence, deep learning technologies are believed to save around 45% of the overall drug diagnostic costs. Question 6: Which therapeutic area accounts for the largest share in the deep learning for drug discovery market? Answer: Presently, oncological disorders capture the largest share (close to 40%) of the deep learning in drug discovery market. However, therapeutic areas, such as cardiovascular and respiratory disorders are likely to witness higher annual growth rates in the upcoming years. This can be attributed to the increasing applications of deep learning technologies across drug discovery. Question 7: Which region is expected to witness the highest growth rate in the deep learning market for diagnostics? Answer: The deep learning market for diagnostics in North America is likely to grow at the highest CAGR, during the period 2023- 2035. Key Topics Covered: 1. PREFACE 2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3. INTRODUCTION 4. MARKET OVERVIEW: DEEP LEARNING IN DRUG DISCOVERY 4.1. Chapter Overview 4.2. Deep Learning in Drug Discovery: Overall Market Landscape of Service / Technology Providers 4.2.1. Analysis by Year of Establishment 4.2.2. Analysis by Company Size 4.2.3. Analysis by Location of Headquarters 4.2.4. Analysis by Application Area 4.2.5. Analysis by Focus Area 4.2.6. Analysis by Therapeutic Area 4.2.7. Analysis by Operational Model 4.2.7.1. Analysis by Service Centric Model 4.2.7.2. Analysis by Product Centric Model 5. MARKET OVERVIEW: DEEP LEARNING IN DIAGNOSTICS 5.1. Chapter Overview 5.2. Deep Learning in Diagnostics: Overall Market Landscape of Service / Technology Providers 5.2.1. Analysis by Year of Establishment 5.2.2. Analysis by Company Size 5.2.3. Analysis by Location of Headquarters 5.2.4. Analysis by Application Area 5.2.5. Analysis by Focus Area 5.2.6. Analysis by Therapeutic Area 5.2.7. Analysis by Type of Offering / Solution 5.2.8. Analysis by Compatible Device 6. COMPANY PROFILES 6.1. Chapter Overview 6.2. Aegicare 6.2.1. Company Overview 6.2.2. Service Portfolio 6.2.3. Recent Developments and Future Outlook 6.3. Aiforia Technologies 6.4. Ardigen 6.5. Berg 6.6. Google 6.7. Huawei 6.8. Merative 6.9. Nference 6.10. Nvidia 6.11. Owkin 6.12. Phenomic AI 6.13. Pixel AI 7. PORTER'S FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS 8. CLINICAL TRIAL ANALYSIS 9. FUNDING AND INVESTMENT ANALYSIS 10. START-UP HEALTH INDEXING 11. COMPANY VALUATION ANALYSIS 11.1. Chapter Overview 11.2. Company Valuation Analysis: Key Parameters 11.3. Methodology 11.4. Company Valuation Analysis: Publisher Proprietary Scores 12. MARKET SIZING AND OPPORTUNITY ANALYSIS: DEEP LEARNING IN DRUG DISCOVERY 13. MARKET SIZING AND OPPORTUNITY ANALYSIS: DEEP LEARNING IN DIAGNOSTICS 14. DEEP LEARNING IN HEALTHCARE: EXPERT INSIGHTS 15. CONCLUDING REMARKS 16. INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS 17. APPENDIX 1: TABULATED DATA 18. APPENDIX 2: LIST OF COMPANIES AND ORGANIZATIONS For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ebax2s About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg Cision View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-deep-learning-in-drug-discovery-and-diagnostics-market-to-2035-ongoing-pace-of-innovation-drives-growth-301774164.html SOURCE Research and Markets Future Market Insights Global and Consulting Pvt. Ltd. Rising adoption of electric vehicles is anticipated to favor the expansion of the global lithium-ion battery separator market in coming years. The Asia-Pacific is expected to be the largest and fastest-growing Battery Separator Market during the forecast period NEWARK, Del, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global lithium ion battery separator market is expected to reach an evaluation of US$ 3,256.7 million, with sales growing at a healthy CAGR of 7.2% from 2022 to 2032. The target market was valued at US$ 1,624.9 million in 2022. The accelerated shift from fuel-based to zero-emission electric vehicles along with the rapid growth of automobiles, storage systems, and consumer electronics are responsible for the steady growth of the market during this observation period. Battery cells with abnormal heat generation are separated by a lithium ion battery separator which shuts down the battery mechanism. These separators facilitate ion transport while preventing short circuits which increases battery reliability as it prevents physical contact between the anode and cathode. This aspect encourages higher demand for lithium ion battery separators. Request a Sample @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2292 Historically, the market for lithium ion battery separators recorded a moderate CAGR of 5.3% from 2016 to 2021. It is expected that the market will recover and grow at a restored growth rate of 7.2%. This market is heavily influenced by advancing battery technology. The advancement of battery technology has led to a sharp incline in the need for better separator designs. This is because battery technology relies heavily on separators to maintain efficiency and reliability which, in turn, invites greater research and development efforts in this field as the current separators do not meet standards. Hence, the lithium ion battery separator market is expected to undergo robust growth in the upcoming years. Story continues The implementation of stringent government regulations regarding carbon emissions has resulted in a gradual shift from fuel-based to lithium-ion batteries for various industrial and automobile applications by manufacturers. Consequently, remunerative opportunities have opened up for the lithium ion battery separator market. Additionally, an upsurge in the consumption of smartphones, tablets, and electronic items also supplements the growth of the lithium-ion battery separator market. The introduction of electronic drivetrains and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles has led to the automobile sector focusing on the production of lithium ion battery separators. Though all of these factors invite growth for the market, it also faces certain restraints. Difficulty in transportation, availability of separators with poor resistance which results in the shutdown of batteries, and safety concerns are certain factors that will likely impede the growth of the lithium-ion battery market. Before Buying, Visit for Customization @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/customization-available/rep-gb-2292 Key Takeaways: In 2022, the North American lithium ion battery separator market accounted for 25.4% of the global market share. The lithium ion battery separator market in Europe accounted for 19.8% of the overall market share in 2022. By material type, the polyethylene (PE) segment held about 37.26% of the global market share in 2022 and will continue similar growth during the assessment period. Based on thickness, the 25m segment will generate higher demand for the market. Competitive Landscape Asahi Kasei Group, Natrion, Gellec, SEMCORP, TEIJIN Limited, Entek International LLC, and Targray Technology International Inc., among others, are some of the key players in the lithium ion battery separator market profiled in the full version of the report. In a competitive environment, leading market players are focusing on product development, innovation, and the launch of novel products. These companies also employ various expansion tactics to gain a competitive edge. For instance, in September 2022, the Mark Cuban-backed solid-state battery manufacturer launched the LISIC278 separator for traditional pouch cells. Ask an Analyst @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-question/rep-gb-2292 Key Segments Profiled in the Global Lithium Ion Battery Separator Market By Material: Polypropylene Lithium Ion Battery Separator Polyethylene Lithium Ion Battery Separator Nylon Lithium Ion Battery Separator Other Materials-based Lithium Ion Battery Separator By Temperature: 10oC -25oC Lithium Ion Battery Separator 130oC-135oC Lithium Ion Battery Separator By Thickness: 16m Lithium Ion Battery Separator 20m Lithium Ion Battery Separator 25m Lithium Ion Battery Separator By Region: North America Latin America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa More Insights into the Lithium Ion Battery Separator Market In its latest report, FMI offers an unbiased analysis of the global lithium ion battery separator market, providing historical data from 2016 to 2021 and forecast statistics for 2022 to 2032. This report presents a ten-year sales forecast and insights into market drivers, restraints, and opportunities. For a complete understanding of the global market potential, growth, and scope, the market is segmented on the basis of material, temperature, thickness, and region. According to the reports, based on segmentation, the 25m category will dominate the global marketplace. This segment will create greater demand for the market as this is the ideal thickness that is capable of transporting lithium ions while maintaining its mechanical attributes. In terms of material, the polyethylene segment will account for a significant portion of the market share. Based on region, the lithium ion battery separator market in North America will demonstrate impressive growth. In 2022, the target market in this region held about 25.4% of the global market share. The strong presence of leading battery manufacturers and battery separator organizations as well as the advancement of EV manufacturers in the US will drive the growth of the lithium ion battery separator market in North America. Europe, too, contributes to the global growth of the lithium ion battery separator market. Browse the Full Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/lithium-ion-battery-separator-market Table of Content 1. Executive Summary | Lithium Ion Battery Separator Market 1.1. Global Market Outlook 1.2. Demand-side Trends 1.3. Supply-side Trends 1.4. Technology Roadmap Analysis 1.5. Analysis and Recommendations 2. Market Overview 2.1. Market Coverage / Taxonomy 2.2. Market Definition / Scope / Limitations 3. Market Background Have a Look at Trending Reports of Chemicals & Materials Domain Biostimulants Market: Extensive development takes place in the agricultural industry, as it increases yield per unit area and crop productivity, which is boosting demand for biostimulants. Mixed Xylene Market: Demand for mixed xylene is predicted to be majorly influenced by rising demand for paraxylene in chemicals and other end-use industries. Abrasives Market: Abrasive is the most used material across the various industries for cleaning the hard surface, grinding wheel and polishing. Flue Gas Desulfurization System Market: Future technologies aimed at reducing pollution emissions will be crucial to reducing the demand for electricity and dependence on fossil fuels. Hydrophobic Coatings Market: The global market for industrial coatings has developed at a nearly 5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the past five years. About Future Market Insights, Inc. Future Market Insights, Inc. is an ESOMAR-certified business consulting & market research firm, a member of the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce and is headquartered in Delaware, USA. A recipient of Clutch Leaders Award 2022 on account of high client score (4.9/5), we have been collaborating with global enterprises in their business transformation journey and helping them deliver on their business ambitions. 80% of the largest Forbes 1000 enterprises are our clients. We serve global clients across all leading & niche market segments across all major industries. Contact Us: Future Market Insights Inc. Christiana Corporate, 200 Continental Drive, Suite 401, Newark, Delaware - 19713, USA T: +1-845-579-5705 LinkedIn| Twitter| Blogs | YouTube For Sales Enquiries: sales@futuremarketinsights.com Future Market Insights Global and Consulting Pvt. Ltd. Asia Pacific and South America, impressive demand for district cooling technology is being observed in recent times. During the projection period, the electric chillers market is predicted to be the largest segment in the district cooling market by production technology DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, March 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global district cooling market is worth US$ 29.2 Billion as of now and is expected to reach US$ 63.2 Billion by the year 2033 at a CAGR of 8% between 2023 and 2033. District cooling comes across as a centralized distribution system to cool energy. It is basically used in houses, apartments, offices, and industries for space cooling. Insulated pipes are used for distributing chilled water for cooling indoor environment of buildings in the area. With manufacturers shifting to energy-efficient refrigeration technology, the district cooling market wont be looking back in the near future. District cooling makes use of a thermal storage system that cuts down on cooling energy consumption by close to 50%. Coming to installation and capacity design, systems are pretty flexible and capable of storing up to 30% of the potential power by retention of chilled water in tanks. They are known for saving 30-45% more energy as compared to conventional water-cooled air-conditioners. Request a Sample Report: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-14274 Land clearing for industrial activities and agriculture has actually resulted in growing concentration of greenhouse gases. This has, in turn, resulted in global warming. As per NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), The global temperature has risen by nearly 0.8 degree Celsius in the last century. The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) that includes over 1300 scientists from all over, the upcoming century is expected to witness a rise in temperature by 2.5 10-degree F. At the same time, the fact that district cooling systems are time- and capital-expensive as they need extensive planning cant be ignored. Besides, distribution network is costly as far as installation is concerned. This factor is expected to restrain the district cooling market in the near future. Story continues Future Market Insights has walked through these facts with future perspectives in its latest market study entitled District Cooling Market. It has its team of analysts and consultants to deploy a 360-degree view across macros and micros. With space cooling being of utmost importance, the global district cooling market is expected to grow on an unstoppable note in the near future, says an analyst from Future Market Insights. Customized Research Report As per your Requirements: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/customization-available/rep-gb-14274 Key Takeaways from District Cooling Market North America holds a significant market share. As per TERI, following guidelines regarding energy-efficient retrofits of the existing buildings does result in 20-40% less consumption of energy and harmful gases. The IDEA (International District Energy Association) states that almost 400 systems do serve cities as well as universities all across North America. The MEA is led by the UAE. This could be reasoned with several high-end luxury hotels and business centers like restaurants and shopping malls herein incorporating DC systems. The UAE government has actually formed the RSB (regulation and Supervision Bureau), which is actually studying methods to promote and regulate DC all over. It holds the distinction of having formulated the DIES (Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy) identifying DC technology for promoting energy efficiency. The Asia-Pacific is led by South Korea, India, Singapore, Malaysia, China, and Japan. Competitive Cooling Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (empower), in March 2022, did announce that it was awarded a contract worth close to US$ 52.6 Million for constructing a new-fangled DC system, thereby targeting DLRC (Dubai Land Residence Complex) region. The construction has already started with total manufacturing facility of 47,000 RT upon completing construction phases. Emirates District Cooling (Emicool) LLC, in March 2021, did announce that it had completed its state-of-the-art DCP (District Cooling Plant) at Dubai Expo 2020. Phase 1 of facility would be providing chilled water cooling solutions to the areas like Conference & Exhibition Center, RTA Station, and EXPO Village. Keppel DHCS, in October 2020, inked a contract worth US$ 300 Million with Jurong Innovation District for building, owning, and operating a new DCS (District Cooling System) plant for 3 decades. Empower, in August 2021, inked an agreement for acquiring district cooling systems of Dubai International Airport with total cooling capacity of 110K refrigeration tons (RT) for total value of AED 1.1 Billion by combining debt financing and internal accruals from international and local banks through which Empower does have amicable relations. Competitive Landscape National Central Cooling Company PJSC Emirates District Cooling LLC (EMICOOL) Shinryo Corporation ADC Energy Systems LLC Keppel DCHS PTE LTD LOGSTOTR A/S Ramboll Group A/S SIEMENS AG Stellar Energy What does the Report enclose? The research study is based on production technique (free cooling, adsorption cooling, and electric chiller), and by application (residential, commercial, and industrial). With an ever-increasing demand for effective cooling in the hot temperature locations, the global district cooling market is bound to grow incessantly in the years to come. Browse Full Report: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/district-cooling-market Key Segment By Production Technique: Free Cooling Absorption Cooling Electric Chiller By Application: Residential Commercial Industrial By Region: North America Latin America Europe Asia Pacific The Middle East and Africa Click on the Below Link to Buy this Report: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/14274 Table of Content 1. Executive Summary 1.1. Global Market Outlook 1.2. Demand-side Trends 1.3. Supply-side Trends 1.4. Technology Roadmap Analysis 1.5. Analysis and Recommendations 2. Market Overview 2.1. Market Coverage / Taxonomy 2.2. Market Definition / Scope / Limitations 3. Market Background 3.1. Market Dynamics 3.2. Scenario Forecast 3.3. Opportunity Map Analysis 3.4. Product Life Cycle Analysis 3.5. Investment Feasibility Matrix 3.6. PESTLE and Porters Analysis 3.7. Regulatory Landscape 3.8. Regional Parent Market Outlook 4. Global Market Analysis 2017 to 2022 and Forecast, 2023 to 2033 4.1. Historical Market Size Value (US$ Million) Analysis, 2017 to 2022 4.2. Current and Future Market Size Value (US$ Million) Projections, 2023 to 2033 Source: District Cooling System industry is poised to increase at a steady CAGR of 3%, reaching US$ 1.28 Bn by 2032 | Future Market Insights, Inc. Explore wide-ranging Coverage of FMIs Industrial Automation Market Insights Landscape: Latin America Hydraulic Filtration Market Share: Latin America's hydraulic filtration market size is likely to surpass a valuation of US$ 156.4 million in 2022. the overall demand for hydraulic filtration products across Latin America is expected to rise at 4.9% CAGR between 2022 and 2032, totaling a valuation of US$ 251.9 million by 2032. Southeast Asia Submersible Pumps Market Size: Southeast Asia's submersible pump market is expected to reach US$ 1,076.8 million in 2032 and showcase steady growth at a CAGR of 5.5% between 2022 and 2032. Land Survey Equipment Market Analysis: The global land survey equipment market size reached US$ 5,579.8 Mn in 2021 and it is expected to touch a valuation of US$ 5,945.3 Mn in 2022. The overall demand for land survey equipment is poised to rise at 7.2% CAGR between 2022 and 2032 Cutting and Bending Machine Market Growth: The global cutting and bending machine market size reached US$ 7,751.7 Million in 2021 and it is expected to touch a valuation of US$ 8,238.3 Million in 2022. The overall sales of cutting and bending machines are projected to rise at 7.1% CAGR between 2022 and 2032, reaching a valuation of US$ 16,383.6 Million by 2032. Loading Spout Market Demand: The global loading spout market is currently valued at US$ 3,495 Million and is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 5.25%. Owing to the growing support from various governmental organizations, the market is likely to propel to US$ 5830 Million by 2032. About Future Market Insights, Inc. Future Market Insights, Inc. is an ESOMAR-certified business consulting & market research firm, a member of the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce and is headquartered in Delaware, USA. A recipient of Clutch Leaders Award 2022 on account of high client score (4.9/5), we have been collaborating with global enterprises in their business transformation journey and helping them deliver on their business ambitions. 80% of the largest Forbes 1000 enterprises are our clients. We serve global clients across all leading & niche market segments across all major industries. Contact Us: Future Market Insights, Inc. 1602-6 Jumeirah Bay X2 Tower, Plot No: JLT-PH2-X2A, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai, United Arab Emirates LinkedIn| Twitter| Blogs | YouTube For Sales Enquiries: sales@futuremarketinsights.com The Government of Canada supports increased accessibility and inclusivity at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet WINNIPEG, MB, March 16, 2023 /CNW/ - Investing in Canada's cultural infrastructure improves access for all Canadians to arts and culture, contributes to the economy, and provides essential opportunities for artists and performers. Today, Terry Duguid, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Member of Parliament (Winnipeg South), announced $2 million in funding for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's campus expansion and modernization project. This initiative will improve the efficiency, accessibility, inclusivity, and safety of the campus facilities. He made this announcement on behalf of the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Pablo Rodriguez. The Royal Winnipeg Ballet's campus expansion and modernization project includes new construction, renovation work and specialized equipment purchases at each of its campus facilities, with construction of the new student living centre already complete. Canadian Heritage funding, provided through the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, will support the highest-priority renovations and specialized equipment purchases in the current project phase, with a specific focus on the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's dance studios and its public performance space, the Founder's Studio. Quotes "Cultural spaces and the performing arts are important economic drivers that sustain communities and allow us to promote our heritage. The Government of Canada is pleased to support the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's Campus Expansion and Modernization project so that current and future students can benefit from a safe and modern campus and dance studios that will allow them to develop their talent and their passion." Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage "The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is a much-loved and widely respected institution that contributes significantly to our local arts scene and to our economy. Today's investment will help to better support the RWB's students and future performers and, in turn, ensure the longevity of our beloved ballet company. We are proud to support the improvement of the studio and performance spaces to increase accessibility, safety, and inclusivity." Story continues Terry Duguid, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Member of Parliament (Winnipeg South) "Dancers and dance-makers of all ages, levels, backgrounds, and abilities come to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet campus to discover, explore, and share their talent and creativity. A place of inspiration, education, and connection, the RWB campus is a landmark of culture and the arts in Manitoba, and we are extremely grateful to the Government of Canada for their support of our important expansion and modernization plan. Thanks to the generosity of our partners, we are improving the efficiency, accessibility, inclusivity, and safety of our campus for all of our dancers and everyone in the community." Andre Lewis, Artistic Director and CEO, Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet Quick Facts Founded in 1939, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet holds the double distinction of being Canada's premiere ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America. In 2019, the RWB marked its 80th anniversary, and in 2020, the RWB School Professional Division celebrated 50 years of inspiring young artists and supporting them in the pursuit of their goals. Today, the RWB School Professional Division is well-known across Canada and around the world for delivering excellence in dance education. Since 1939, the Recreational Division of the RWB School has made a meaningful contribution in communities across Manitoba by providing quality dance instruction to dancers of all ages, levels, and interests. The School's state-of the-art facility, located in historic downtown Winnipeg, is home to the more than 1,500 students annually who make up the Professional and Recreational Divisions of the School. The Canada Cultural Spaces Fund supports the improvement of physical conditions for arts, heritage, culture, and creative innovation. The Fund supports renovation and construction projects, the acquisition of specialized equipment, and feasibility studies related to cultural spaces. Associated Links Canada Cultural Spaces Fund Royal Winnipeg Ballet SOURCE Canadian Heritage Cision View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2023/16/c3203.html Filing taxes serves as a critical first step out of poverty CALGARY, AB, March 16, 2023 /CNW/ - Starting Sunday, in its 7th year, H&R Block is kicking off the Returning Hope program in partnership with 15 regional social serving agencies and non-profit organizations to provide free tax filing support to help low-income individuals, or those living in poverty, who may not otherwise be able to access vital government benefits. The week-long pro-bono tax clinics pair Canadians in need with a tax expert who can help them file, and most importantly, access credits and benefits they may be entitled to. H&R Block (CNW Group/H&R Block Canada Inc.) Many Canadians struggle to make ends meet, especially in challenging financial times. According to 2021 Census data, more than 8% of Canadians live in poverty. For those who are forced to rely on food banks and shelters, filing a tax return can be difficult because of barriers like not having a permanent address, bank account, government ID or access to a computer. Without filing taxes, these Canadians are missing out on access to essential federal and provincial government tax credits and programs, including the GST/HST credit, Employment Insurance, the Canada Child Benefit, disability tax credits, the Canada Workers Benefit, and many more. Additionally, Canadians must file a current tax return to apply for affordable housing. "The Returning Hope program is about changing lives for the better," said Peter Bruno, President of H&R Block Canada. "Even for Canadians who have little to no income, filing taxes is important to access credits and benefits they may be entitled to throughout the course of the year. We've seen first-hand the difference the Returning Hope program can make in the lives of our community members. For some clients, they've used their tax refund to make significant life changes, including having the means to cover some core needs, or paying first and last month's rent on a new place to live. We're proud to be able to make a difference in the lives of our neighbours." Story continues Since the inaugural Returning Hope tax clinic in 2016, H&R Block has partnered with more than a dozen organizations across Canada to file 2,721 tax returns for those in need, and helped find more than $1.8 million in missed credits and refunds. This year, the program is set to surpass the $2 million mark of putting funds back into the pockets of participants since the program's inception. This year's program will run at non-profits and social serving agencies in 15 cities across Canada, including Street Haven in Toronto, Carnegie Community Centre in Vancouver, The Mustard Seed in Kamloops, The Mustard Seed in Medicine Hat, The Mustard Seed in Red Deer, The Mustard Seed in Calgary, The Mustard Seed in Edmonton, The Friendship Inn in Saskatoon, The Madison in Winnipeg, Inn From the Cold in Markham, The Ottawa Mission in Ottawa, St. Vincent Place in Sault Ste. Marie, The Benoit Labre Maison House in Montreal, Souls Harbour Rescue Mission in Halifax, and The Gathering Place in St. John's, from March 19-26. Special thanks to Lenovo Canada for providing the Returning Hope program with laptops to serve clients onsite at their social serving agencies. If your organization is interested in joining the Returning Hope program, reach out to block.builders@hrblock.ca, or visit hrblock.ca for further information. About H&R Block Canada A trusted partner of Canadians for over 55 years, H&R Block Canada is Canada's tax leader. Serving more than 900 locations across Canada, H&R Block's team of Tax Experts use the latest in technological advances combined with real-world expertise to help people file taxes in office, remotely, via drop off or use do-it-yourself Tax Software. H&R Block Canada can support in the preparation of personal, small business, corporate, U.S., rental and estate taxes. H&R Block's comprehensive education program, Tax Academy, trains new experts and ensures our Tax Experts continually update their skills. Learn more at www.hrblock.ca or 1-800-HRBLOCK. SOURCE H&R Block Canada Inc. Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2023/16/c5574.html NORWALK, Calif., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Los Angeles Community Hospital at Norwalk has been recognized by Healthgrades as a 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient. This distinction places Los Angeles Community Hospital at and Norwalk among the top 5% of all acute care hospitals as evaluated by Healthgrades, the leading marketplace connecting patients and providers. Los Angeles Community Hospital at Norwalk has received the Patient Safety Excellence Award for a second year in a row (2022-2023). Los Angeles Community Hospital at Norwalk "This award is an affirmation of the consistent focus the leadership, medical staff, clinical and non-clinical employees at our Norwalk campus have placed on quality of care and patient safety over the last five years, even during the COVID-19 pandemic," said Hector Hernandez, the hospital's CEO. "This commitment to improving our quality and patient safety metrics has also resulted in Los Angeles Community Hospital at Norwalk earning four stars in CMS's Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating system for two years in a row, placing us among the higher-rated hospitals in our community." During the 2019-2021 study period, 164,592 potentially preventable patient safety events occurred among Medicare patients in U.S. hospitals.* Healthgrades found that just four patient safety indicators accounted for 74% of all patient safety events: hip fracture due to an in-hospital fall, collapsed lung resulting from a procedure/surgery, pressure or bed sores acquired in the hospital, and catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired in-hospital. Healthgrades' analysis also revealed that patients treated in hospitals receiving the Healthgrades 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Award were, on average: 61.4%% less likely to experience an in-hospital fall resulting in hip fracture, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals* 52.7% less likely to experience a collapsed lung resulting from a procedure or surgery in or around the chest, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals* 66.1% less likely to experience pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals* 67.3% less likely to experience catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at nonrecipient hospitals* Story continues When it comes to choosing healthcare, quality saves lives, which is why Healthgrades is committed to delivering the most scientifically accurate and comprehensive information about doctors and hospitals with data insights not available anywhere else. To that end, it's important for consumers to know that if all hospitals, as a group, performed similarly to the 2023 Patient Safety Award recipients, on average, 95,880 patient safety events could have been avoided.* "Through our 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Awards, we seek to recognize hospitals that excel in providing top-quality care for their patients while preventing serious injuries during hospital stays," said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer and head of Data Science, Healthgrades. "We are proud to name Los Angeles Community Hospital at Norwalk as a 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient and look forward to their continued efforts to make patient safety a top priority." Consumers can visit healthgrades.com for more information on how Healthgrades measures hospital quality and access the complete methodology here . *Statistics are calculated from Healthgrades Patient Safety Ratings and Excellence Award methodology which is based primarily on AHRQ technical specifications (Version 2022.0.1) for MedPAR data years 2019 through 2021 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only. About Los Angeles Community Hospital at Norwalk Norwalk Community Hospital is a 50-bed acute care hospital offering a comprehensive range of medical services, including a paramedic-receiving emergency department. Serving Norwalk residents for generations, the hospital is named among the top 5% in the nation for Patient Safety Excellence (2023) and Pulmonary Care Excellence (2022) by Healthgrades. Los Angeles Community Hospitals include two acute care hospitals in Norwalk and East LA, and a behavioral health facility in Bellflower. Learn more at LACH-Norwalk.com or call (562) 863-4763. Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/healthgrades-names-los-angeles-community-hospital-at-norwalk-a-2023-patient-safety-excellence-award-recipient-301774104.html SOURCE Los Angeles Community Hospital at Norwalk CULVER CITY, Calif., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Hospital at Culver City has been recognized by Healthgrades as a 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient. This distinction places Southern California Hospital at Culver City among the top 5% of all short-term acute care hospitals as evaluated by Healthgrades, the leading marketplace connecting patients and providers. Southern California Hospital at Culver City has received the Patient Safety Excellence Award for six years in a row (2018-2023). Southern California Hospital at Culver City "Improving quality of care and patient safety is one of our most important initiatives at Southern California Hospital at Culver City," said Omar Ramirez, Interim CEO at SCH-Culver City. "The results we have achieved are due to our increased use of data and metrics to drive improvements as well as the commitment of our medical staff, clinical care teams and other staff to effective communications. These accomplishments would not have been possible without the dedication of our outstanding physicians, nurses, and other clinical and non-clinical staff." During the 2019-2021 study period, 164,592 potentially preventable patient safety events occurred among Medicare patients in U.S. hospitals.* Healthgrades found that just four patient safety indicators accounted for 74% of all patient safety events: hip fracture due to an in-hospital fall, collapsed lung resulting from a procedure/surgery, pressure or bed sores acquired in the hospital, and catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired in-hospital. Healthgrades' analysis also revealed that patients treated in hospitals receiving the Healthgrades 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Award were, on average: 61.4% less likely to experience an in-hospital fall resulting in hip fracture, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals* 52.7% less likely to experience a collapsed lung resulting from a procedure or surgery in or around the chest, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals* 66.1% less likely to experience pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals* 67.3% less likely to experience catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at nonrecipient hospitals* Story continues When it comes to choosing healthcare, quality saves lives, which is why Healthgrades is committed to delivering the most scientifically accurate and comprehensive information about doctors and hospitals with data insights not available anywhere else. To that end, it's important for consumers to know that if all hospitals, as a group, performed similarly to the 2023 Patient Safety Award recipients, on average, 95,880 patient safety events could have been avoided.* "Through our 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Awards, we seek to recognize hospitals that excel in providing top-quality care for their patients while preventing serious injuries during hospital stays," said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer and head of Data Science, Healthgrades. "We are proud to name Southern California Hospital at Culver CIty as a 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient and look forward to their continued efforts to make patient safety a top priority." Consumers can visit healthgrades.com for more information on how Healthgrades measures hospital quality and access the complete methodology here . *Statistics are calculated from Healthgrades Patient Safety Ratings and Excellence Award methodology which is based primarily on AHRQ technical specifications (Version 2022.0.1) for MedPAR data years 2019 through 2021 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only. About Southern California Hospitals at Hollywood and Culver City Southern California Hospital at Culver City has dedicated itself to providing quality care to the culturally diverse populations of the Culver City and West Los Angeles communities. The hospital offers a wide range of inpatient and outpatient acute care services, including general and specialized surgery, orthopedic and spine program, emergency department, cardiovascular services, weight-loss surgery, acute rehabilitation, gender confirmation surgery, and behavioral health and chemical dependency programs. The hospital is named among the top 5% in the nation for Patient Safety Excellence by Healthgrades (2018-2023). Southern California Hospitals include locations in Culver City and Hollywood, as well as a behavioral health hospital in Van Nuys. Learn more at SCH-CulverCity.com or call (310) 836-7000. Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/healthgrades-names-southern-california-hospital-at-culver-city-a-patient-safety-excellence-award-recipient-for-6th-year-in-a-row-301774114.html SOURCE Southern California Hospital at Culver City Hexagon Purus ASA (Oslo, 16 March 2023) Hexagon Purus ASA (Hexagon Purus or the Company) today announces that Knut Flakk has stepped down as member of the Companys Board of Directors. Mr. Flakk has played an important role in the development of Hexagon Purus since its inception, and the Company would like to thank Mr. Flakk for his service. Mr. Flakk will continue as chairman of the Board of Directors of Hexagon Composites, the largest shareholder of Hexagon Purus. For more information: Mathias Meidell, Investor Relations Director, Hexagon Purus Telephone: +47 909 82 242 | mathias.meidell@hexagonpurus.com About Hexagon Purus Hexagon Purus, a Hexagon Composites company, enables zero emission mobility for a cleaner energy future. The company is a world leading provider of hydrogen Type 4 high-pressure cylinders and systems, battery systems and vehicle integration solutions for fuel cell electric and battery electric vehicles. Hexagon Purus' products are used in a variety of applications including light, medium and heavy-duty vehicles, buses, ground storage, distribution, refueling, maritime, rail and aerospace. Learn more at www.hexagonpurus.com and follow @HexagonPurus on Twitter and LinkedIn. This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act Leading Iced Tea Franchise Ranks No. 59 on Inc. Magazine's List of the Southwest Region's Fastest-Growing Private Companies FORT WORTH, Texas, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- HTeaO, America's largest iced tea franchise, ranked No. 59 on Inc. magazine's fourth annual Inc. 5000 Regionals Southwest list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing private companies based in Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Born of the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this regional list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the Southwest economy's most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. HTeaO Logo (PRNewsfoto/HTeaO) The Inc. Regionals recognizes additional up-and-coming fast-growth companies in key regions across the country. HTeaO was one of 166 companies recognized for its two-year revenue growth from 2019 to 2021 and southwest expansion. HTeaO experienced a Two-Year Revenue Growth of 240 Percent. "Growing regionally has always been our strategy to test, perfect, and enhance our business model as we bring it to more communities across the United States," said Andrew Hawes, Chief Development Officer of HTeaO. "We're honored that our expansion has been recognized by Inc. Magazine for our efforts expanding across the southwest region." The companies on this list show a remarkable rate of growth across all industries in the Southwest region. Between 2019 and 2021, these 166 private companies had an average growth rate of 557 percent and, in 2021 alone, they added 16,116 jobs and nearly $5.5 billion to the Southwest region's economy. Companies based in the Austin, Scottsdale and Fort Worth areas had the highest growth rates overall. "This year's Inc. 5000 Regional winners represent one of the most exceptional and exciting lists of America's off-the-charts growth companies. They're disrupters and job creators, and all delivered an outsize impact on the economy. Remember their names and follow their lead. These are the companies you'll be hearing about for years to come," says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. magazine. Story continues The 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2019 and 2021. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2021. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2021 is $1 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. About HTeaO HTeaO is the leading iced tea franchise and is breaking into a niche category within the beverage industry. With a cost-effective business model, the brand operates their own supply chain, significantly lowering the cost of goods. HTeaO serves ultra-premium tea, water and coffee related products to customers in-store and through a drive-thru. 26 handcrafted flavors of sweetened and unsweetened tea are sold at each location, created with a proprietary water filtration system, and 100% all natural ingredients. In early January this year, HTeaO announced a minority partnership with two Dallas based Private equity firms: Crux Capital and Trive Capital. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, and the partnership will help to ensure HTeaO's stable expansion. HTeaO believes in creating a welcoming atmosphere and makes a large effort to give back to the local community. For more information about the franchise opportunity, visit https://hteao.com/franchise/. About Inc. Media The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hteao-recognized-by-inc-regionals-2023-fastest-growing-companies-in-the-southwest-301773571.html SOURCE HTeaO ReportLinker Forecasts by Technology (Fully Hydrogen-Powered Aircraft, Hybrid Electric Aircraft), by Power Source (Hydrogen Combustion, Hydrogen Fuel Cell, Hybrid Power Source), by Range (Up to 20 km, 20 km to 100 km, 100 km to 500 km, More than 500 km), by End-user (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Air Taxis, Business Jets, Cargo Aircraft, Other) AND Regional and Leading National Market Analysis PLUS Analysis of Leading Companies AND COVID-19 Impact and Recovery Pattern Analysis. New York, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Hydrogen Aircraft Market Report 2023-2033" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06430657/?utm_source=GNW The Hydrogen Aircraft Market Report 2023-2033: This report will prove invaluable to leading firms striving for new revenue pockets if they wish to better understand the industry and its underlying dynamics. It will be useful for companies that would like to expand into different industries or to expand their existing operations in a new region. The Market Potential for Hydrogen Aircrafts Is Significant as Countries Around the World Strive to Reduce Carbon Emissions The hydrogen aircraft market is poised for growth as the aviation industry looks for more sustainable and environmentally friendly options. Hydrogen fuel cell technology has the potential to revolutionize the industry, as it provides a clean and efficient alternative to traditional fuel sources. The development of hydrogen-powered aircrafts has already begun, and several companies worldwide are investing in research and development to bring these aircrafts to market. The market potential for hydrogen aircrafts is significant, as countries worldwide strive to reduce carbon emissions and transition to sustainable aviation. The market is expected to experience growth in regions such as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa, where governments are providing support for research and development of hydrogen fuel cell technology. Although there are challenges to the development of the hydrogen aircraft market, such as the need for infrastructure and the high cost of technology development, there are opportunities for growth in the market. Hydrogen aircrafts have the potential to be used not only for passenger transport but also for cargo transport, military applications, search and rescue missions, and agricultural applications. Overall, the hydrogen aircraft market presents a significant opportunity for the aviation industry to reduce its carbon footprint and transition to more sustainable technologies. The development of hydrogen fuel cell technology for aviation is still in its early stages, but the potential benefits are significant, including reduced emissions, increased efficiency, and a more sustainable future for the aviation industry. With continued research and investment, the hydrogen aircraft market is expected to grow and play a significant role in the future of aviation. What Questions Should You Ask before Buying a Market Research Report? How is the hydrogen aircraft market evolving? What is driving and restraining the hydrogen aircraft market? How will each hydrogen aircraft submarket segment grow over the forecast period and how much revenue will these submarkets account for in 2033? How will the market shares for each hydrogen aircraft submarket develop from 2023 to 2033? What will be the main driver for the overall market from 2023 to 2033? Will leading hydrogen aircraft markets broadly follow the macroeconomic dynamics, or will individual national markets outperform others? How will the market shares of the national markets change by 2033 and which geographical region will lead the market in 2033? Who are the leading players and what are their prospects over the forecast period? What are the hydrogen aircraft projects for these leading companies? How will the industry evolve during the period between 2023 and 2033? What are the implications of hydrogen aircraft projects taking place now and over the next 10 years? Is there a greater need for product commercialisation to further scale the hydrogen aircraft market? Where is the hydrogen aircraft market heading and how can you ensure you are at the forefront of the market? What are the best investment options for new product and service lines? What are the key prospects for moving companies into a new growth path and C-suite? You need to discover how this will impact the hydrogen aircraft market today, and over the next 10 years: Our 250-page report provides 107 tables and 161 charts/graphs exclusively to you. The report highlights key lucrative areas in the industry so you can target them NOW. It contains in-depth analysis of global, regional and national sales and growth. It highlights for you the key successful trends, changes and revenue projections made by your competitors. This report tells you TODAY how the hydrogen aircraft market will develop in the next 10 years, and in line with the variations in COVID-19 economic recession and bounce. This market is more critical now than at any point over the last 10 years. Forecasts to 2033 and other analyses reveal commercial prospects In addition to revenue forecasting to 2033, our new study provides you with recent results, growth rates, and market shares. You will find original analyses, with business outlooks and developments. Discover qualitative analyses (including market dynamics, drivers, opportunities, restraints and challenges), cost structure, impact of rising hydrogen aircraft prices and recent developments. This report includes data analysis and invaluable insight into how COVID-19 will affect the industry and your company. Four COVID-19 recovery patterns and their impact, namely, V, L, W and U are discussed in this report. Segments Covered in the Report Market Segment by Technology Fully Hydrogen-Powered Aircraft Hybrid Electric Aircraft Market Segment by Power Source Hydrogen Combustion Hydrogen Fuel Cell Hybrid Power Source Market Segment by Range Up to 20 km 20 km to 100 km 100 km to 500 km More than 500 km Market Segment by End-User Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Air Taxis Business Jets Cargo Aircraft Other End-User In addition to the revenue predictions for the overall world market and segments, you will also find revenue forecasts for four regional and 20 leading national markets: North America U.S. Canada Europe Germany Spain United Kingdom France Italy Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China Japan India Australia South Korea Rest of Asia Pacific Latin America Brazil Mexico Rest of Latin America Middle East and Africa GCC South Africa Rest of Middle East and Africa The report also includes profiles and for some of the leading companies in the Hydrogen Aircraft Market, 2023 to 2033, with a focus on this segment of these companies operations. Leading companies and the potential for market growth Airbus SE Boeing Company EasyJet plc GKN Aerospace HES Energy Systems Joby Aviation Nikola Motors Rolls-Royce Limited Urban Aeronautics Ltd ZeroAvia Overall world revenue for Hydrogen Aircraft Market, 2023 to 2033 in terms of value the market will surpass US$247 million in 2023, our work calculates. We predict strong revenue growth through to 2033. Our work identifies which organizations hold the greatest potential. Discover their capabilities, progress, and commercial prospects, helping you stay ahead. How will the Hydrogen Aircraft Market, 2023 to 2033 report help you? In summary, our 250-page report provides you with the following knowledge: Revenue forecasts to 2033 for Hydrogen Aircraft Market, 2023 to 2033 Market, with forecasts for technology, power source, range, end-user and company size, each forecast at a global and regional level discover the industrys prospects, finding the most lucrative places for investments and revenues. Revenue forecasts to 2033 for four regional and 20 key national markets See forecasts for the Hydrogen Aircraft Market, 2023 to 2033 market in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa. Also forecasted is the market in the US, Canada, Brazil, Germany, France, UK, Italy, China, India, Japan, and Australia among other prominent economies. Prospects for established firms and those seeking to enter the market including company profiles for 10 of the major companies involved in the Hydrogen Aircraft Market, 2023 to 2033. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06430657/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Story continues CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 We have started implementing the Great Return program to return former internally displaced persons to their homelands. Turkish companies are actively involved in many infrastructure projects as contractors in the reconstruction process, said President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev as he addressed the Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States in Ankara. The head of state noted that contracts worth more than 3 billion USD had been signed with Turkish companies to date. He pointed out that the President of Turkiye had visited the liberated lands three times including Shusha, Fuzuli, Zangilan and Jabrayil. President Ilham Aliyev also thanked President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for the school being built by Uzbekistan and the creative center under construction by Kazakhstan in the liberated Fuzuli district. TRIESTE, Italy, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- illy coffee will delight art lovers and exhibitors at Tefaf, the art fair that will take place in Maastricht at MEEC from March 11th to 19th and in New York at Park Avenue Armory from May 12th to 16th. illy logo (PRNewsfoto/illycaffe) illycaffe, the global coffee brand recognized for its sustainable quality and for the privileged communication channel it has created within the world of contemporary art, for the first time will serve its Arabica coffee blend at Tefaf, one of the world's most unique meeting point for dealers, galleries, collectors, interior designers, curators, art lovers and art professionals, featuring the most significant galleries from all over the world. illycaffe has been creating a connection with the most important contemporary art fairs for more than 30 years, as the company's coffee culture is based on the concept that there is art in everything we do. Looking at the aesthetic, discovering it, making it emerge and enhancing it, is the purpose that distinguishes illy's entrepreneurial culture, and its connection with the world of contemporary art. People who stop for a break at any food and beverage point inside the Tefaf art fair will be able to enjoy the unique illy blend, because even something as little as sipping a cup of coffee with illy can become an inspiration and a way to share the same passion for art. illycaffe is an Italian family-owned company, founded in Trieste in 1933. Its mission has always been to offer the best coffee to the world. Illycaffe produces a unique 100% Arabica blend, combining 9 of the best varieties in the world, selected by illycaffe: every day 8 million cups of illy coffee are served in over 140 countries around the globe, in the cafes, restaurants and hotels, in single-brand cafes and shops, at home and in the office. As a result of its innovations, illycaffe contributes to the coffee technology progress at global level. In 1991, the "Premio Ernesto Illy de Qualidade Sustentavel do Cafe para Espresso." was launched in Brazil for quality espresso coffee. Illycaffe has contributed to the sharing of the know-how, paying growers a premium price for the best quality selected by illycaffe. Since 2016, with the "Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award", the company has celebrated coffee growers all over the world that, according to illy, have produced the best sustainable coffee. Since 2013, the company has been in the list of the World Most Ethical Companies. In 2019, it enhanced its commitment to pursue a sustainable business model integrating the interest of people with the environment, adopting the status of Societa Benefit (Benefit Company) and adding this commitment into its own bylaws. In 2021, illycaffe was the first Italian company in the coffee sector to obtain the international certification as B Corp as a result of its commitment to comply with the highest standards of social and environmental performance. The company also founded the University of Coffee, which has the objective of sharing culture at all levels, offering a comprehensive and practical training to growers, baristas and coffee lovers. Everything that is "made in illy" is about beauty and art, the founding principles of the brand, starting from its logo, designed by artist James Rosenquist, up to illy Art Collection cups, decorated by over 125 international artists. In 2021, the company had 1305 employees and a turnover of about 500 million. There are 205 illy single-brand shops in over 40 countries all over the world. In 2021, Rhone Capital became a minority shareholder of illycaffe with the aim of contributing to the company's international growth plans. Story continues Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/illy-coffee-at-tefaf-to-further-strengthen-its-link-with-art-301773456.html SOURCE illycaffe Contrive Datum Insights Pvt Ltd According to a market research study published by Contrive Datum Insights, during the time frame of the forecast, the market is likely to be dominated by Asia Pacific. The area was worth $320.85 billion in 2020. Farmington, March 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Industrial Waste Management Market is expected to grow from USD 979.60 billion in 2022 to USD 1,434.98 billion in 2030 at a CAGR of 5.6% in the 2022-2030. In 2020, the size of the industrial waste management market around the world was $937.06 billion. COVID-19 has had devastating effects around the world that have never been seen before. During the pandemic, there have been negative demand shocks in all regions. In 2020, the global market was down by -10.4%, according to our research. Industrial waste is made up of solid, liquid, and gaseous waste from industries like construction, oil and gas, chemicals, nuclear power, farming, and mining. It is a mix of dangerous and non-dangerous trash. It is dumped in the oceans, rivers, or on land without being properly cleaned. Because of this, it has become a big source of pollution. Most of the dangerous industrial waste made each year comes from the chemical, oil and gas, and nuclear industries. Due to the nature of many industrial processes, handling, collecting, and getting rid of waste materials safely can be very hard. The waste may be dangerous or bad for the environment, which means that safety, compliance, and environmental protection must be taken very seriously. Request Sample Copy of Report Industrial Waste Management Market Size, Share & Trends Estimation Report By Type (Municipal Waste, Industrial Waste, Hazardous Waste), By Services (Collection Service, Disposable Service), By End Use (Collection, Landfill, Transfer), By Application (Chemicals, Primary Metals, Petroleum, Metal Mining, Electric), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030 , published by Contrive Datum Insights. Industry Development: In November 2020 - Mumbai's only biomedical waste incineration plant has begun moving out of the city and is expected to complete the process by February 2022. In May 2018 Sembcorp Environment, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sembcorp Industries, sold its medical waste disposal business to TEE Medical Services for US$20 million. Sembcorp's Medical Waste Division specializes in the treatment and disposal of biohazard and pharmaceutical waste. Story continues Market Dynamics: Drivers: Increasing industrialization and urbanisation: As cities and factories grow, so does the amount of waste they make. Because of this, it's important to find good ways to deal with trash so it doesn't hurt the environment. Governments are putting in place strict rules to stop pollution and encourage good environmental practises. Waste management has become more important in many areas as a result. People want to recycle more because they want to save natural resources and lower the cost of getting rid of trash. Improvements in waste management technologies: New and advanced technologies like waste-to-energy, landfill gas-to-energy, and bioreactor landfills are driving the growth of the industrial waste management market. Restraints: High cost: It costs a lot of money to build new waste management facilities and use new technologies. This can be hard for small and medium-sized businesses. Lack of knowledge: Many businesses and people still don't know how important it is to handle waste well or what benefits it could bring. Lack of good places to put trash: Finding good places to put trash is getting harder and harder, which could slow the growth of the industrial waste management market. Fragmented market: There are a lot of small and big players in the market for managing industrial waste, and they are all trying to get a bigger share of the market. Opportunities: The number of people who want sustainable ways to deal with trash is growing. As people learn more about how to protect the environment, the need for sustainable ways to handle trash grows. When the following things happen: A circular economy is based on the idea that waste materials can be used to make new things. This opens up new chances for the market for managing industrial waste. Getting rid of trash in a smart way: Smart waste management solutions that use technology to improve how trash is collected, processed, and thrown away are becoming more and more popular. Investment in emerging markets: In Asia-Pacific and Latin American emerging markets, which are becoming more industrialised and urbanised, there is a lot of room for the industrial waste management market to grow. Regional Outlook: During the time frame of the forecast, the market is likely to be dominated by Asia Pacific. The area was worth $320.85 billion in 2020. Compared to other regions, the Asia-Pacific region has a very large number of people. Several industries in the area are also growing, which means that there is a lot of extra sludge. China makes a lot of trash in this area, and the government is taking serious steps to stop pollution. To deal with the growing amount of trash in the area, there is a growing need for industrial waste management. During the period of the forecast, North America is likely to grow a lot. People in the area are becoming much more aware of how their actions affect the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency says that the laws about dumping have changed in the area. For illegally dumping trash and burning it, the US government has fined each person $7,500. As industrialization and other related activities grow, more waste is made. Governments are taking different steps to deal with these wastes in the right way. So, it will drive growth in North America over the next few years. The Middle East and Africa are expected to contribute a lot to the growth of the market. The region's industrial sector is doing very well, which means that there is a lot of waste. To deal with this waste, the government is working to improve the waste management market. The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment in the UAE has made a decision about how hazardous waste can be exported and moved across UAE borders. This will help this area grow over the next few years. Buy this Premium Research Report@ https://www.contrivedatuminsights.com/buy/46386 Scope of Report: Report Attributes Details Growth Rate CAGR of 5.6% from 2023 to 2030. Revenue Forecast by 2030 USD 1,434.98 Billion By Type Municipal Waste, Industrial Waste, Hazardous Waste, Others By Services Collection Service, Disposable Service, Other By End-use Collection, Landfill, Transfer, Other By Application Chemicals, Primary Metals, Petroleum, Metal Mining, Electric, Other By Companies Waste Management, Republic Services, Clean Harbors, Waste Connections, Stericycle, US Ecology, Rumpke, Heritage Environmental Services, Perma-Fix, Casella Waste Systems, Veolia Environnement, Progressive Waste Solutions, Suez Environnement, Tradebe, SembCorp (Singapore) Regions and Countries Covered North America: (US, Canada, Mexico, Rest of North America) Europe(Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK, Nordic Countries, Benelux Union, Rest of Europe) Asia-Pacific (Japan, China, India, Australia, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Rest of Asia-Pacific) The Middle East & Africa(Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, South Africa, Rest of the Middle East & Africa) Latin America(Brazil, Argentina, Rest of Latin America) Rest Of the World Base Year 2022 Historical Year 2017 to 2022 Forecast Year 2023 to 2030 Key Segments Covered: Top Market Players: Waste Management, Republic Services, Clean Harbors, Waste Connections, Stericycle, US Ecology, Rumpke, Heritage Environmental Services, Perma-Fix, Casella Waste Systems, Veolia Environnement, Progressive Waste Solutions, Suez Environnement, Tradebe, SembCorp (Singapore), and others. By Type Municipal Waste Industrial Waste Hazardous Waste Others By Services Collection Service Disposable Service Others By Application Chemicals Primary Metals Petroleum Metal Mining Electric Others By End-use Collection Landfill Transfer Others Regions and Countries Covered North America: (US, Canada, Mexico, Rest of North America) Europe: (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK, Nordic Countries, Benelux Union, Rest of Europe) Asia-Pacific: (Japan, China, India, Australia, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Rest of Asia-Pacific) The Middle East & Africa: (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, South Africa, Rest of the Middle East & Africa) Latin America: (Brazil, Argentina, Rest of Latin America) Rest Of the World Check out more related studies published by Contrive Datum Insights: Mid-Range FPGA Market - The Global Mid-Range FPGA Market Which Was Growing At A Value Of 1.87 Billion In 2021 And Is Expected To Reach The Value Of USD 4.73 Billion By 2030, At A CAGR Of 12.30% During The Forecast Period Of 2023-2030. Air Conditioning System Market - The Global Air Conditioning System Market Is Estimated At USD 123 Billion In 2023 And Is Forecast To Surpass USD 198 Billion By 2031, Growing At A CAGR Of 4.8% During 2023-2031. Magnet Wire Market - The Global Magnet Wire Market Is Expected To Reach USD 52.94 Billion By 2030, Which Is USD 34.49 Billion In 2022, Registering A CAGR Of 5.50% During The Forecast Period Of 2023 To 2030. Customization of the Report: The report can be customized as per client needs or requirements.For any queries, you can contact us on anna@contrivedatuminsights.com or +1 215-297-4078. Our sales executives will be happy to understand your needs and provide you with the most suitable reports. About Us: Contrive Datum Insights (CDI) is a global delivery partner of market intelligence and consulting services to officials at various sectors such as investment, information technology, telecommunication, consumer technology, and manufacturing markets. CDI assists investment communities, business executives, and IT professionals to undertake statistics-based accurate decisions on technology purchases and advance strong growth tactics to sustain market competitiveness. Comprising of a team size of more than 100 analysts and cumulative market experience of more than 200 years, Contrive Datum Insights guarantees the delivery of industry knowledge combined with global and country-level expertise. Social: Facebook / LinkedIn / Twitter Contact Us: Anna B. | Head Of Sales Contrive Datum Insights Phone: +91 9834816757 | +1 2152974078 Email: anna@contrivedatuminsights.com Website: https://www.contrivedatuminsights.com Contrive Datum Insights Press Releases Latest Contrive Datum Insights Latest Reports (Bloomberg) -- Pakistans Maqsad raised the nations largest funding round by an education technology provider, showing that some startups in the nascent market are attracting investors despite a global venture financing slump. Most Read from Bloomberg The Karachi-based company raised $2.8 million in an oversubscribed seed round led by Speedinvest GmbH, one of Europes largest seed investors, and existing backer Indus Valley Capital, according to co-founder Rooshan Aziz. Stellar Capital, Alter Global and angel investors also participated. Pakistans venture funding was little changed at about $350 million last year, but startups including AdalFi and Truckrr have raised sizable rounds for the market this year. The nation has the worlds fifth-largest population with a high proportion of young people. The ecosystem is going through a bit of a shake, but the companies which you know are solving fundamental basic problems, theyll survive, Aziz said in an interview. Maqsads operations are relatively lean and scalable and its education content always remains relevant, Aziz said. Education spending in Pakistan is estimated at $37 billion by 2032 with a quarter of this going to after-school academic support, the target market for Maqsad, according to the startup. The mobile-only service targets students on grades nine to twelve and offers cheaper rates than brick-and-mortar tutoring companies. Its services include a feature that allows students to take a photo of a question and receive an answer instantly. The app has been downloaded more than a million times and it has answered 4 million queries in the past 6 months. The startup can impact millions of students and become one of the most successful businesses in Pakistan, said Philip Specht, a partner at Speedinvest, which has one edtech unicorn in its portfolio. Story continues The startup was founded by high-school friends Taha Ahmed and Aziz, who went to the London School of Economics and worked in the city before returning to Karachi to start the venture. The startup will start monetization in the coming months and may partner with other public and private institutions, Aziz said. This is an interesting time for edtech because globally the hype has kind of settled down after Covid, said Ahmed. So only serious companies are being funded in this space. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Information Services Corporation REGINA, Saskatchewan, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Information Services Corporation (TSX:ISV) ("ISC" or the "Company") has been recognized as one of Saskatchewan's Top Employers for 2023. For the last 15 years, ISC has received this special designation as an employer who leads our industry and offers an exceptional place to work in Saskatchewan. "At ISC, we know that our people have been and always will be critical to our success," says ISC's President and CEO, Shawn Peters. "We therefore invest in our people and build an inclusive workplace to foster a productive environment where our colleagues can interact easily and feel empowered to make a meaningful contribution. I'm grateful to be part of such a strong company with a great future, and I want to thank ISC employees for their ongoing support and commitment to our customers and to each other." Employers throughout Saskatchewan were evaluated by the editors from Canada's Top 100 Employers using the same criteria as the national competition, including topics like physical workplace; social and work atmosphere; health, financial and family benefits; vacation and time off; employee communications; performance management; training and skills development; and community involvement. Employers are compared to other organizations in their field to determine which companies offer the most progressive and forward-thinking programs. ISC was selected as top employer for many reasons, including: offering flexible work arrangements and paid personal days that help employees balance work and their personal lives, encouraging employees to put their health first; developing a Wellness and Inclusion Committee that supports employee mental health and overall wellness including the introduction of the Not Myself Today mental health campaign, which incorporates training on mental health for managers and employees; implementing corporate recognition and Long Service Awards that recognize employees and teams for their significant and sustained contributions to the organization providing both monetary or non-monetary recognition for their efforts; access to development opportunities and funding, including course tuition, in-house and online training courses; and supporting non-profit organizations, community initiatives and cultural programs, while actively involving ISC employees in our communities particularly supporting those that can benefit from our specialized resources and expertise. Story continues Learn more about ISC as a Saskatchewan Top Employer at reviews.canadastop100.com/top-employer-isc. For information about ISC careers opportunities, including benefits and career opportunities, visit company.isc.ca/careers. About ISC Headquartered in Canada, ISC is a leading provider of registry and information management services for public data and records. Throughout our history, we have delivered value to our clients by providing solutions to manage, secure and administer information through our Registry Operations, Services and Technology Solutions segments. ISC is focused on sustaining its core business while pursuing new growth opportunities. The Class A Shares of ISC trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol ISV. Media Contact Jodi Bosnjak External Communications Specialist Toll Free: 1-855-341-8363 in North America or 1-306-798-1137 corp.communications@isc.ca Market Research Future Luxury Handbags Market Research Report Trends and Insights Information By Type (Clutches, Crossbody Bags, Shoulder Bags, Satchels, Hobo Bags, Tote Bags, Briefcases, and Others), By Material Type (Leather, Cotton, Synthetic, and Others), By Consumer Group (Men, Women, and Unisex), By Distribution Channel (Store-Based and Non-Store-Based), And By Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, And Rest Of The World) Competitive Market Growth, Size, Share and Forecast to 2030. New York, US, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Luxury Handbags Market Overview According to a Comprehensive Research Report by Market Research Future (MRFR), Luxury Handbags Market Information By Type, Material Type, Consumer Group, Distribution Channel, And Region - Forecast till 2030"; the market will reach USD 53,802.99 million by 2030 at a 7.20% CAGR. Market Synopsis Luxurious handbags are made by skilled artisans and are valued as investments and status symbols. Luxurious handbags are easily accessible through both offline and online distribution channels. Luxury handbag producers have begun to pay attention to the emerging customer class, which is on the increase right now and is projected to grow more and more significantly in the coming years in an era of rapidly shifting fashion trends. Also, businesses are pledging to spend a substantial amount of money to pique the attention of the younger demographic, including millennials and Gen Z, also known as the market's future clients. Handbags have recently become popular among the most coveted personal items worldwide. Many handbags have gained significant notoriety and popularity due to their accessibility, visibility, and desirability. Handbags are utilized by everyone for various functions in their daily lives and are made from various materials, including straw, canvas, mesh, leather, nylon, vegan leather, and jute. For instance, individuals typically favor canvas handbags for shopping; professionals in the corporate world typically favor leather bags; conversely, women typically prefer clutches or wristlets for events or a night away. The rise in income per capita of the target market and ongoing attempts by luxury handbag makers to evolve their product offerings are some of the major factors driving the expansion of the world market for luxury handbags. Significant market development potential is also created by consumers' increased demand for luxury handbags made sustainably and with minimal environmental impact. Story continues Get Free Sample PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/7922 Report Scope: Report Attribute Details Market Size in 2030 USD 53,802.99 million CAGR 7.20% Base Year 2021 Forecast Period 2022-2030 Historical Data 2020 Forecast Units Value (USD Million) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered By Type, Material Type, Consumer Group, Distribution Channel, And Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW) Key Market Drivers Rising female employment rate increasing inclination towards fashion products Market Competitive Landscape: The illustrious contenders in the luxury handbags market are: Atelier (US) Louis Vuitton (France) Burberry Group PLC (UK) Chanel S.A. (France) Dolce & Gabbana S.R.L. (Italy) Prada S.p.A. (Italy) Michael Kors GmbH (Switzerland) Ralph Lauren Corporation (US) Cartier International SNC (France) PVH Corp. (US) MCM Worldwide (Germany) Guccio Gucci S.p.A. (Italy) Giorgio Armani S.p.A. (Italy) Valentino S.p.A. (Italy) Tory Burch LLC (US), Market U.S.P. Covered: Market Drivers: Premiumization has persisted as a trend across numerous industries, including food, clothing, cosmetics, and others. Manufacturers use this approach to highlight a product's exceptional quality and exclusivity to increase consumer attractiveness. Because the bulk of the target market's per capita income has increased, they emphasize the product's quality more than its price. Global demand and supply are rising as people become more aware of the various brands. The increasing availability of raw materials used to make handbags is causing a healthy market growth rate. This continuing trend has significantly boosted the value of the worldwide handbag market overall. Although the "new" tech-savvy generation seeks a personalized, flawless brand association, luxury handbag companies are investing globally in digital marketing and using social networks to communicate with customers more and more. The market has more room to grow due to increased social media bloggers and increased use of social media platforms. In other words, increasing consumer awareness of the newest styles and patterns due to endorsements from bloggers and celebrities, combined with the desire to wear the newest styles, directly impacts market growth. Also, the development and growth of the consumer goods sector directly affect the market expansion rate. Companies are also reevaluating the importance of brand history and heritage to their customers. Also, luxury businesses have begun to communicate with customers by capitalizing on social networking sites due to the increase in internet usage and the importance of social media. Browse In-depth Market Research Report (90 Pages) on Luxury Handbags: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/luxury-handbags-market-7922 Market Restraints: The elevated cost of research and development, the lack of adequate infrastructure, the unevenly excessive cost of the products, and the detrimental effects of COVID-19 on the supply chain, on the other hand, are anticipated to restrain market expansion. Also, the market is expected to face challenges from high import taxes, increasing import levies, a supply of fake goods, and insufficient infrastructure in middle-income and low-income nations during the forecast period. COVID-19 Analysis The market was negatively impacted by COVID-19. This was brought on by closing the factories and plants due to the lockdown and limitations. Most of the world's population was forced to stay home due to lockdown regulations and travel bans brought on by the COVID-19 epidemic. Most customers reported cutting back on their purchases of trendy clothing and accessories, ascribed to factors like restrictions on imports and exports in addition to tourism and travel. The need for handbags is predominantly fueled by increased female employment across all industries and rising brand awareness among consumers globally. Disruptions in the transportation and supply chains added to the market's challenges. In other words, the value chain disruptionswhich included job losses, changes in the raw material supply, trade, logistics, and uncertain customer demandled to a backlash in the market. Market Segmentation By material type, the market includes leather, synthetic, and cotton. By type, the market includes tote bags, clutches, shoulder bags, satchels, crossbody bags, hobo bags, and briefcases. By distribution channel, the market includes store-based and non-store-based. By consumer group, the market includes men, women, and unisex. Buy Now: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=7922 Regional Analysis Europe dominates the market for luxury handbags worldwide because countries like France, the UK, Germany, and others have several important value-added companies that have been getting more traction with target consumers. The market for luxury handbags is expected to be significantly influenced by the increase in the number of working women in Europe. Also, an increase in assets in Eastern Europe is anticipated to affect market expansion positively. Also, the rise in millionaires due to the prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region fuels the expansion of the luxury handbag market. Because that consumers in North America have a high discretionary income, the fashion industry's growing influence over a larger audience is predicted to increase interest in handbags in the region. International providers in the North American industry experience increased sales during these occasions. Discover more research Reports on Consumer and Retail Industry , by Market Research Future: Luxury Furniture Market Research Report: Information by Product Type (RTA and Non-RTA), Material Type (Wood, Melamine, Glass, Steel, Wrapped Panels, Finished Foils, Laminates and Lacquered Panels), Furniture Type (Chairs, Sofas, Tables, Beds, Cabinets and Others), End-Use (Commercial and Household) and Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World) - Forecast till 2030 Luxury Fashion Market : Information by Product Type (Clothing & Apparel, Footwear, and Accessories), by End User (Men, Women, and Unisex), by Distribution Channel (Store-Based and Non-Store Based), and Region (North America, Europe,Asia-Pacific, Rest of the World)Forecast till 2028 Luxury Jewelry Market Research Report Information By Type (Necklace, Ring, Bracelet, Earrings, and Others), By Material (Gold, Silver, Platinum, and Others), By End-Users (Men and Women), and By Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, And Rest Of The World) Market Forecast Till 2030. About Market Research Future: Market Research Future (MRFR) is a global market research company that takes pride in its services, offering a complete and accurate analysis with regard to diverse markets and consumers worldwide. Market Research Future has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions. Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter CONTACT: Market Research Future (Part of Wantstats Research and Media Private Limited) 99 Hudson Street, 5Th Floor New York, NY 10013 United States of America +1 628 258 0071 (US) +44 2035 002 764 (UK) Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Website: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com Medaro Mining Corp. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Medaro Mining Corp. (CSE: MEDA) (OTC: MEDAF) (FWB: 1ZY) (Medaro or the Company), a multi-faceted venture aimed at developing an innovative spodumene processing technology concurrent with its lithium focused exploration in Canada, is pleased to announce that it has narrowed down the search for a U.S. location to build its first pilot plant. The Company is carefully evaluating sites in Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia, states that were chosen for their proximity to burgeoning markets for lithium. Additionally, each of these states has a robust infrastructure and a skilled workforce, making it entirely suitable for Medaro pilot plant construction, operation and maintenance. The Companys innovative spodumene conversion technology has the potential to revolutionize the industry, and the pilot plant will play a critical role in demonstrating its commercial viability. Medaro has commenced purchasing equipment for the pilot plant and has tentative plans for buildout in Q3/Q4 of this year. The Company is committed to working with local communities and authorities to ensure that the project is developed in an environmentally responsible manner. We are excited to have narrowed down the search for our U.S. pilot plant location and are pleased to be considering three states that have robust infrastructures and skilled workforces, said Faizaan Lalani, President of Medaro. We will continue to investigate the relative merits of potential sites as we move forward in selecting the final location for our pilot plant. Other companies such as Piedmont Lithium Inc. and Albemarle Corporation have already announced plans to produce spodumene-sourced lithium in Tennessee and North Carolina, with strong financial support (US$141.7M for Piedmont Lithium and US$150M for Albemarle) coming from U.S. Department of Energy grants received as part of the Presidents Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to expand domestic manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and the electrical grid. Story continues This is an exciting time for Medaro Mining Corp. and the lithium industry as a whole. The Company looks forward to updating stakeholders on the progress of the pilot plant as it moves forward. On Behalf of the Board of Directors, Faizaan Lalani President & Director About Medaro Mining Corp. Medaro Mining Corp. is a lithium exploration company based in Vancouver, BC. and holds options over the Darlin, Rapide, Lac La Motte and the CYR South lithium properties in Quebec; and the Yurichson Uranium property in the Athabasca basin in Saskatchewan. The Company is also involved in the development and commercialization of a new process to extract lithium from spodumene concentrate through its Global Lithium Extraction Technologies joint venture. For more information, investors should review the Companys filings that are available at www.sedar.com. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, including statements regarding the pilot plants buildout and the purpose and timing thereof, Medaros commitment to developing the project in an environmentally responsible manner, plans by industry players to produce spodumene-lithium in Tennessee and North Carolina, this being an exciting time for Medaro and the lithium industry as a whole and Medaros plan to update stakeholders on the pilot plants progress are "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company based on information currently available to it. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in filings made by the Company with securities regulatory authorities, which may cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. Contact Information info@medaromining.com 604-602-0001 Company Logo Dublin, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Medical Tourism In A Changing World - A Global Market Report" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Medical tourism is again booming Medical tourists may number an estimated 14 million and rising so they are increasingly being courted by nations. The world has changed so medical tourism destinations and businesses risk being left behind. Medical tourism represents a promising growth market within tourism. Medical tourism will grow by 10% a year and as economies recover this will reach 20%. Outward medical travel is a global industry valued at hundreds of billions of dollars and is projected to grow dramatically over the next five years. Ten Key Trends The greater proportion of medical travel is regional or domestic within a country. The increasing cost of air travel and decreased wish to travel a long distance combined means long distance medical tourism is fading. Many medical tourists do not seek out the cheapest destination. Much medical tourism is for cosmetic, fertility or dental treatment. Medical tourists are increasingly being courted by nations in an organised way. The key drivers for medical tourism are the lack of insurance and services (in the patients' home country), lower costs, better quality care, procedures unavailable at home and shorter waiting periods. Practices like opening offices in source markets; raising awareness about their competitive edge, effective communication, offering ease of visa and travel bundled with tourism-and-treatment were popular strategies. Healthcare businesses are setting up physically in another country. Some countries have exited the market but others known as suppliers- are becoming destinations. Electronic telemedicine is where a patient gets help from a doctor in another country without either travelling. Dynamic market The medical tourism market is a dynamic one that is fast moving and changing quickly. Who the report is for Medical tourism destinations Global healthcare providers Medical tourism agents Medical tourism trainers and consultants Management consultants Insurance companies and brokers Professionals working in global healthcare markets Hospital and clinic groups operating internationally Travel agents Banks and other financial institutions Investors and private equity National and local government policy makers Lawyers Policy advisors Think tanks Assistance companies Travel managers Story continues Why buy this report? Keep up to date with trends in medical tourism and how the market is changing Understand the impact of political and economic changes. See an overview of what key countries are doing. Find out which countries are succeeding in promoting medical tourism. Key Topics Covered: Market definitions Ten key trends Top ten destinations by revenue Top ten sources of medical tourism Global medical tourism in a changing world Medical tourism in 2023 and beyond Tourism and medical tourism in 2023 Medical tourism traditional Medical tourism new definitions How medical tourism is changing How medical tourism needs to change Medical tourism strategy and planning Global figures on medical tourism International patients Why migration affects figures Global medical tourism figures by country Regional promotion Diasporic medical tourism High value state paid patients Taking hospitals to the patients How medical tourism will evolve Dental care in Europe Hair transplant surgery Spa customers Spas and medical tourism Global medical costs How to build a medical tourism destination Moving away from price Price versus quality Domestic medical tourism Hotels and medical tourism Sanctions against Russia Asia-Pacific Caribbean Europe Gulf and Middle East Future of top medical tourism countries Country news and plans New from leading accreditor organisations APPENDIX TABLES Top 50 global medical tourism destinations 2019 Medical tourism inbound 2020 Medical tourism inbound 2021 Medical tourism inbound 2022 Top 50 outbound medical tourism sources 2019 Medical tourism outbound 2020 Medical tourism outbound 2021 Medical tourism revenue top 25 destinations 2019 Medical tourism revenue destinations 2020 Medical tourism revenue destinations 2021 Medical tourism revenue destinations 2022 For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/i5d04v About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 Company Logo Dublin, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Mexico Social Commerce Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics Databook - 50+ KPIs on Social Commerce Trends by End-Use Sectors, Operational KPIs, Retail Product Dynamics, and Consumer Demographics - Q1 2023 Update" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. According to the publisher, social commerce industry in Mexico is expected to grow by 29.8% on annual basis to reach US$2066.1 million in 2023. The social commerce industry is expected to grow steadily over the forecast period, recording a CAGR of 21.0% during 2022-2028. The social commerce GMV in the country will increase from US$2066.1 million in 2023 to reach US$6488.4 million by 2028. This report provides a detailed data centric analysis of social commerce industry, covering market opportunities and risks. With over 50+ KPIs at country level, this report provides a comprehensive understanding of social commerce market dynamics, market size and forecast, and market share statistics. The research methodology is based on industry best practices. Its unbiased analysis leverages a proprietary analytics platform to offer a detailed view on emerging business and investment market opportunities. Reasons to buy In-depth Understanding of Social Commerce Market Dynamics: Understand market opportunities and key trends along with forecast (2019-2028). Insights into Opportunity by end-use sectors - Get market dynamics by end-use sectors to assess emerging opportunity across various end-use sectors. Develop Market Specific Strategies: Identify growth segments and target specific opportunities to formulate social commerce strategy; assess market specific key trends, drivers, and risks in the industry. Scope This report provides in-depth, data-centric analysis of social commerce in Mexico. Below is a summary of key market segments: Mexico Ecommerce Industry Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics by Key Performance Indicators, 2019-2028 Mexico Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics by Key Performance Indicators, 2019-2028 Mexico Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Retail Product Categories, 2019-2028 Clothing & Footwear Beauty and Personal Care Food & Grocery Appliances and Electronics Home Improvement Travel Hospitality Story continues Mexico Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by End Use Segment, 2019-2028 B2B B2C C2C Mexico Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by End Use Device, 2019-2028 Mobile Desktop Mexico Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Location, 2019-2028 Domestic Cross Border Mexico Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Location, 2019-2028 Tier-1 Cities Tier-2 Cities Tier-3 Cities Mexico Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Payment Method, 2019-2028 Credit Card Debit Card Bank Transfer Prepaid Card Digital & Mobile Wallet Other Digital Payment Cash Mexico Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Platforms Video Commerce Social Network-Led Commerce Social Reselling Group Buying Product Review Platforms Mexico Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Consumer Demographics & Behaviour,2022 By Age By Income Level By Gender For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/bazx8u About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 (all amounts expressed in U.S. dollars unless otherwise stated) MEDELLIN, Colombia, March 16, 2023 /CNW/ - Mineros S.A. (TSX: MSA) (CB: MINEROS) ("Mineros" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that a positive prefeasibility study ("PFS") has been completed on the gold-silver-zinc Porvenir Project (the "Porvenir Project" or "Porvenir") on its Hemco Property (the "Hemco Property"), in northeastern Nicaragua, significantly increasing the mine life of the Hemco Property Mineral Reserves from five to thirteen years. In addition to the Porvenir Project, the Hemco Property includes the Panama and Pioneer Mines, and produces gold from material purchased from artisanal mining collectives with whom the Company has a strong collaborative relationship. A new NI 43-101 technical report on the Hemco Property will be filed within 45 days of this news release. HIGHLIGHTS: An eight year increase of life of mine ("LOM") for the Hemco Property, from five to thirteen years. First-time disclosure of Porvenir Mineral Reserves as of December 31, 2022: Porvenir Project base case economics include an after-tax net present value (using a 10% discount rate) ("NPV 10% ") of approximately $42 million, an after-tax internal rate of return ("IRR") of approximately 16% and a payback period of approximately 4 years from start of production in 2027, assuming $1,500/oz Au, $19.00/oz Ag, and $1.27/lb Zn. The Porvenir Project will add average annual production over its nine-year mine life of 56,700 oz Au per year, along with 112,300 oz Ag per year and 38.5 Mlb Zn per year to the Hemco Property. After-tax net present value (using a 5% discount rate) ("NPV 5% ") of $160mm at $1,650/oz Au, $20.90/oz Ag, and $1.40/lb Zn; increasing to $216mm at $1,800/oz Au, $22.80/oz Ag, and $1.52/lb Zn. IRR of 21% and after-tax payback period of 3.5 years from start of production at $1,650/oz Au, $20.90/oz Ag, and $1.40/lb Zn. Andres Restrepo, President and Chief Executive Officer commented: "We are pleased to have reached this milestone for the Porvenir Project, which is a key project in our pipeline of organic growth projects. The advance of the Porvenir Project would allow us to extend the life of mine at the Hemco Property for eight additional years, allowing us to strengthen our presence in the Bonanza-Siuna-Rosita Mining Triangle district. This would give us the opportunity to make additional contributions to the sustainable development and the well-being of the communities that embrace us, thanks to the trust that we have built by maintaining high standards of environmental and social responsibility. We are continuing to invest in brownfield and greenfield exploration at our Hemco Property, with a view to further expanding the current Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves and making new discoveries, paving the way for future growth." Story continues No Mineral Reserves or Mineral Resources for Porvenir have been attributed to material within 30 metres of the topographic surface, which is reserved by law for artisanal mining. In addition to planned production from the Company's mines, pursuant to the Bonanza Model (described below), the Company purchases and refines mineralized material collected by artisanal mining collectives at the Hemco Property. Purchases of mineralized material under this model are expected to continue consistent with historical levels and are not included in the LOM plan and cash flow model. PORVENIR PROJECT PFS MINERAL RESOURCES Table 1: Porvenir Mineral Resources Effective December 31, 2022 Mineral Resource Category Tonnes Gold Grade Silver Grade Zinc Grade Contained Metal Contained Metal Contained Metal (kt) (g/t Au) (g/t Ag) (% Zn) (koz Au) (koz Ag) (Mlb Zn) Measured 59 1.75 8.08 2.11 3 15 3 Indicated 974 2.39 8.13 2.56 75 255 55 Total M+I 1,033 2.35 8.13 2.53 78 270 58 Inferred 1,694 2.42 12.10 3.64 132 656 136 Notes: 1. Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum ("CIM") "CIM Definition Standards - For Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves" (2014) adopted by the CIM Council (as amended, the "CIM Definition Standards") were followed for Mineral Resources. 2. Mineral Resources are exclusive of Mineral Reserves. 3. Mineral Resources are estimated at a net smelter return ("NSR") cut-off value of US$82.30/t for sub-level stoping resource shapes. 4. A minimum mining width of 0.8 m was used to create resource shapes. 5. Mineral Resources are estimated using a long-term gold price of US$1,700/oz Au, a silver price of US$20/oz Ag, and a zinc price of US$1.36/lb Zn. 6. Bulk density is between 2.65 t/m3 and 2.9 t/m3. 7. Metallurgical recoveries applied on a block-by-block basis and average 63.4% for gold, 52.6% for silver and 84.1% for zinc. 8. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. 9. Material within 30 m of the topographic surface has been excluded from Mineral Resources to allow for artisanal mining. This material is exclusive of the artisanal areas. 10.Totals may differ due to rounding. Porvenir Project Mineral Resources were estimated by SLR Consulting (Canada) Ltd. ("SLR"). The geological model, block model estimates, and resource classification criteria have not changed since the Mineral Resource estimate disclosed in the prior Hemco Property technical report dated September 15, 2021, as amended on October 29, 2021 (the "2021 Hemco Technical Report"). However, the updated Mineral Resource estimate effective December 31, 2022, accounts for updated metal prices, cost estimates, metallurgical recoveries, and resource reporting using a US$82.30/t NSR cut-off for sub-level stoping resource shapes. MINERAL RESERVES Table 2: Porvenir Mineral Reserves Effective December 31, 2022 Mineral Reserve Category Tonnes Gold Grade Silver Grade Zinc Grade Contained Metal Contained Metal Contained Metal (kt) (g/t Au) (g/t Ag) (% Zn) (koz Au) (koz Ag) (Mlb Zn) Proven 270 2.70 13.61 3.14 23 118 19 Probable 5,524 3.09 10.16 2.96 549 1,804 360 Proven and Probable 5,794 3.07 10.32 2.96 572 1,922 379 Notes: 1. Material within 30 m of the topographic surface has been excluded from the Porvenir Project Mineral Reserves to allow for artisanal mining. This material is exclusive of the artisanal areas. 2. The CIM Definition Standards were followed for Mineral Reserves. 3. Mining is by cut-and-fill stoping and sub-level stoping. The assumed minimum mining width is 1.55 m. 4. Includes dilution skins 0.25 m thick on stope footwalls and 0.5 m thick on hanging walls. 5. Mining extraction factors for cut-and-fill with pillars was 78%, 90% for cut-and-fill with by-pass drifts, and 90% for sub-level stoping. 6. Economic cut-offs are based on NSR value per tonne determinations using assumed metal prices, metal recoveries, and smelter terms. Breakeven NSR cut-off values vary from $81.34/t to $83.10/t, depending upon the mining method. 7. Metallurgical recoveries were applied on a block-by-block basis and average 85.6% for gold, 52.8% for silver and 91.1% for zinc. 8. Mineral Reserves estimated using an average long term gold price of US$1,500/oz Au, $19.00/oz Ag, and $1.27/lb Zn. 9. Totals may differ due to rounding. Mineral Reserves, which were estimated by BISA Ingenieria de Proyectos S.A. ("BISA") and reviewed by SLR, use the Mineral Resource estimate disclosed in the 2021 Hemco Technical Report, and Deswik stope optimizer software to prepare stope designs for cut-and-fill and sub-level long hole stoping of the deposit. Mine access designs assume the use of mechanized equipment for mucking and haulage and conventional ventilation and backfill systems. Dilution was added to the footwall and hanging wall of stopes and mining extraction factors were included to account for pillars and practical ore extraction from stopes. The Porvenir Mineral Reserves represent 79% of the total tonnes of Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves on the Hemco Property. The gold only Hemco Property Mineral Reserves, including Porvenir, effective December 31, 2022, are presented in Table 3. Table 3: Hemco Property Mineral Reserves (Gold only) Effective December 31, 2022 Category Deposit Tonnes Grade Metal (kt) (g/t Au) (koz Au) Proven Panama 47 3.36 5 Pioneer 110 6.06 21 Porvenir 270 2.70 23 Total 428 3.64 50 Probable Panama 983 4.05 128 Pioneer 427 4.53 62 Porvenir 5,524 3.09 549 Total 6,934 3.31 739 Proven + Probable Panama 1,031 4.02 133 Pioneer 537 4.84 84 Porvenir 5,794 3.07 572 Total 7,362 3.33 789 Notes: 1. Material within 30 m of the topographic surface has been excluded from the Pioneer Mine and Porvenir Project Mineral Reserves to allow for artisanal mining. This material is exclusive of the artisanal areas. 2. CIM Definition Standards were followed for Mineral Reserves. 3. Mining method: a. Panama and Pioneer: shrinkage stoping, sub-level open stoping (SLOS), and sub-level stoping (SLS) with backfill. b. Porvenir: cut-and-fill stoping and sub-level stoping. 4. Minimum mining width: a. Panama and Pioneer: 0.90 m for shrinkage stoping and between 1.80 m and 2.00 m for mechanized mining methods. b. Porvenir: 1.55 m. 5. Economic cut-offs: a. Panama and Pioneer: marginal and break-even cut-off grades of 2.80 g/t Au and 3.56 g/t Au, 2.12 g/t Au and 2.31 g/t Au, and 2.45 g/t Au and 2.78 g/t Au were applied to shrinkage, SLOS, and SLS with backfill mining methods respectively. b. Porvenir: based on NSR value per tonne determinations using metal prices, metal recoveries, and smelter terms. Breakeven NSR cut-off values vary from $81.34/t to $83.10/t depending on the mining method. 6. Metallurgical recoveries: a. Panama and Pioneer: 90% for gold. b. Porvenir: were applied on a block-by-block basis and average 85.6% for gold, 52.8% for silver, and 91.1% for zinc. 7. Dilution: a. Panama and Pioneer: dilution skins of 0.25 m were applied to shrinkage stopes and between 0.6 m to 0.8 m to mechanized stopes. b. Porvenir: dilution skins 0.25 m thick on stope footwalls and 0.5 m thick on hanging walls. 8. Mining Extraction: a. Panama and Pioneer: a factor of 70% was applied to shrinkage stopes and between 75% and 95% to mechanized stopes. b. Porvenir: cut-and-fill 78% to 90% and 90% for sub-level stoping. 9. Mineral Reserves estimated using an average long term metal prices of US$1,500/oz Au, $19.00/oz Ag, and $1.27/lb Zn. 10. Totals may not add due to rounding. Economic Analysis The Porvenir Project base case economics include a NPV 10% of approximately $42 million, an after-tax IRR of approximately 16% and a payback period from start of production in 2027 of approximately 4 years assuming $1,500/oz Au, $19.00/oz Ag, and $1.27/lb Zn. The Porvenir Project will add average annual production over its nine-year mine life of 56,700 oz Au per year, along with 112,300 oz Ag per year and 38.5 Mlb Zn per year to the Hemco Property. Porvenir Project initial capital costs, including contingency, of approximately $161 million. Porvenir Project expansion and sustaining capital costs (including reclamation and closure) of approximately $88 million. Although located on the Hemco Property, the Porvenir Project is planned to be independent of the Panama and Pioneer Mines, with its own mine access, process plant, tailings facilities, and other required infrastructure. Mining and processing operations are planned to commence at a rate of 1,000 tonnes per day ("tpd") in 2027, ramping up to 2,000 tpd beginning in 2029 (Figures 1 and 2). Ore will be mined by cut-and-fill stoping and sub-level long hole stoping. Ore will be processed using cyanidation and a Merrill-Crowe circuit for gold and silver recovery, and a flotation circuit for the recovery of zinc and minor gold to a zinc concentrate. Figure 1: Porvenir Project Ore Production Profile (CNW Group/Mineros S.A.) Under the PFS LOM plan, the Porvenir Project will be developed in two stages. In Stage 1 (2027 and 2028), average annual production will be 43 koz Au and 89 koz Ag in dore, plus 28 Mlb Zn and 1.7 koz Au in zinc concentrates. In Stage 2 (2029 through 2035), average annual production will be 60 koz Au and 119 koz Ag in dore, plus 42 Mlb Zn and 2.2 koz Au in zinc concentrates. Average LOM all-in sustaining cost1 ("AISC") per ounce of gold equivalent2 ("AuEq") sold is estimated at $929/oz AuEq.3 Initial and expansion capital costs are estimated at $161 million and $17 million, respectively, with LOM sustaining capital costs (including reclamation and closure) estimated at $71 million . Base case cash flow is based on metal prices of $1,500/oz Au, $19.00/oz Ag, and $1.27/lb Zn, and generates an after-tax NPV 10% of $42 million and an after-tax IRR of 16%. Applying the same economic assumptions, using a discount rate of 5%, the Porvenir Project generates an after-tax NPV 5% of $98 million. Sensitivity analysis on the base case is provided below (Table 4). Table 4: After-tax sensitivity analysis Metal Prices (US$/oz Au) NPV 10% (US$000) NPV 5% (US$000) $1,200 (59,595) (40,486) $1,350 (7,263) 31,147 $1,500 (Base Case) 41,750 98,537 $1,650 86,359 159,571 $1,800 127,902 216,236 The PFS was managed by Mineros, completed by BISA, and reviewed by SLR. Both BISA and SLR are independent of Mineros. ____________________________________________ 1 AISC per ounce of AuEq sold is a non-IFRS ratio based on AISC, which is a forward-looking non-IFRS financial measure with no standardized meaning under IFRS, which may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. For the year ended December 31, 2022, the following historical non-IFRS financial measures were reported in the Company's management's discussion and analysis ("MD&A") for the year ended December 31, 2022: AISC $392,648,000; AISC per ounce of gold sold $1,365. AISC and AISC per ounce of AuEq sold disclosed in this press release and the PFS differ from the equivalent historical non-IFRS financial measures reported in the Company's MD&A. For further information, see "Non-IFRS Financial Measures" in this news release. 2 Gold equivalent sold includes Au and equivalent values for Ag and Zn assuming long-term metal prices of US$1,500/oz Au, $19.00/oz Ag, and $1.27/lb Zn. 3 Based on estimated AISC per ounce of AuEq sold for the Porvenir Project of $929/oz AuEq. AISC per ounce of gold sold (excluding silver and zinc) is estimated at $1,411/oz Au. NEXT STEPS Future work on the Porvenir Project will focus on Mineral Resource conversion and ongoing metallurgical and economic optimization activities. These opportunities are not included in the PFS economic analysis. Alternative mining methods will be evaluated to convert part of the current Mineral Resources into Mineral Reserves, as small structures were not considered in the current LOM due to minimum mining width criteria. The mineralization at Porvenir remains open laterally and at depth, representing opportunities for mine life extension. In 2023, the Company is planning a 6,000 metre metallurgical diamond drilling program with the objectives of improving the current metallurgical model and evaluating the viability of ore sorting. The Company continues to investigate opportunities to further improve the economics of the Porvenir Project, including further optimizing of capital and operating costs, evaluating different ore processing alternatives. ABOUT THE HEMCO PROPERTY The Hemco Property was acquired by Mineros in 2013. It is located in northeastern Nicaragua in the Mining Triangle, in the vicinity of the town of Bonanza, approximately 230 km northeast of the capital of Managua. The Hemco Property includes the Panama and Pioneer Mines, the Porvenir Project, the Luna Roja Deposit, the Caribe Exploration Target, artisanal mining, and the Hemco, La Curva, and Vesmisa processing plants. Since acquisition, the Company has worked extensively with artisanal miners through the "Bonanza Model" which aims to maintain a reliable supply of mineralized material from artisanal mining by exploring and identifying areas for artisanal miners to work, offering a fair price for their production, promoting enhanced working conditions, including health and safety, supporting their organization in cooperatives, and ensuring the participation of miner groups, and local and national authorities in the steering committee that organizes the artisanal miners. ABOUT MINEROS S.A. Mineros is a Latin American gold mining company headquartered in Medellin, Colombia. The Company has a diversified asset base, with mines in Colombia, Nicaragua, and Argentina and a pipeline of development and exploration projects throughout the region. The Board of Directors and management of Mineros have extensive experience in mining, corporate development, finance, and sustainability. Mineros has a long track record of maximizing shareholder value and delivering solid annual dividends. For almost 50 years, Mineros has operated with a focus on safety and sustainability at all its operations. Mineros' common shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "MSA", and on the Colombia Stock Exchange under the symbol "MINEROS". The Company has been granted an exemption from the individual voting and majority voting requirements applicable to listed issuers under Toronto Stock Exchange policies, on grounds that compliance with such requirements would constitute a breach of Colombian laws and regulations which require the directors to be elected on the basis of a slate of nominees proposed for election pursuant to an electoral quotient system. For further information, please see the Company's most recent annual information form filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. QUALIFIED PERSON, TECHNICAL INFORMATION, AND QUALITY CONTROL The Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve estimates summarized in this news release have an effective date of December 31, 2022. The Mineral Resource estimate, including verification of the data disclosed, was prepared by SLR. Sean Horan, P.Geo., who is Technical Manager Geology and Principal Geologist with SLR, is responsible for the Mineral Resource estimate. Mr. Horan is an independent "qualified person", as defined by NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the information relating to the Mineral Resource estimate that is contained in this news release. The Mineral Reserve estimate was completed by BISA of Lima, Peru and audited by SLR. The individual responsible for the Mineral Reserve estimate is Dennis Bergen, P.Eng., Associate Principal Mining Engineer with SLR. Mr. Bergen is an independent qualified person and has reviewed and approved the information relating to the Mineral Reserve estimate that is contained in this news release. All other scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Jorge Aceituno, a Registered Member of the Chilean Mining Commission and the Planning Manager, Resources and Reserves for Mineros and a qualified person. Mineros has implemented a quality assurance/quality control ("QA/QC") program aligned with industry best practices, in which certified reference materials ("standards"), duplicates and blanks are routinely inserted into the sample stream to assess precision, accuracy, contamination and bias. All standards, duplicates and blanks are validated and any batches that fail QA/QC are reanalyzed. Diamond drill core samples are selected by the geologists on site; sample intervals are typically 1 m in length, but can range from a minimum of 0.2 m to a maximum of 2 m. HTW-diameter diamond drill core to be sampled is cut in half lengthwise, with one half of the core stored on-site in wooden core boxes and the other half sent to the Bureau Veritas Commodities Canada Ltd. ("Bureau Veritas") laboratory in Managua, Nicaragua for sample preparation, then to the Bureau Veritas laboratory in Vancouver, Canada for geochemical analysis. The materials sent for sample preparation and analysis are packed by Mineros geologists in plastic bags with tamper-proof seals, with a chain of custody procedure for delivery to Bureau Veritas. Sample preparation is carried out following the PREP70-250 package (crushing of the entire sample to > 70% passing 2 mm screen, pulverization of 250 grams > 85% 75 m). Geochemical analysis is certified by SCC (Standards Council of Canada) Standard ISO/IEC 17025:2017 with validation date until 2023-10-07. Samples, standards, duplicates and blanks are analyzed for gold using a standard fire assay method (30 g aliquot) and atomic absorption finish (AAS). Those over 10 ppm are re-analyzed by 30 g fire assay with gravimetric finish, for all analyses a 45-element suite is run with a 4-acid digestion and an ICP-ES/MS finish. All coarse rejects and pulps are returned by the laboratory and stored by the Company in as secure warehouse. Pulps from 5% of the materials analyzed are sent to a certified secondary laboratory (ALS Chemex, in Medellin, Colombia) to be analyzed using methods analogous to those used at Bureau Veritas. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains "forward looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward looking information includes statements that use forward looking terminology such as "may", "could", "would", "will", "should", "intend", "target", "plan", "expect", "budget", "estimate", "forecast", "schedule", "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "potential", "view" or the negative or grammatical variation thereof or other variations thereof or comparable terminology. Such forward looking information includes, without limitation, statements with respect to estimates and expectations for production, production costs of sales, all-in sustaining cost and capital expenditures, cost savings, project economics (including net present value and internal rates of return) and other information contained in the PFS; references to the future price of gold, silver and zinc; the estimation of Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources; the realization of Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource estimates; the timing and amount of estimated future production, costs of production, and capital expenditures; costs and timing of the development of the Porvenir Project and mining and processing activities; timing of filing a new NI 43-101 technical report on the Hemco Property; planned exploration, development and production activities at the Hemco Property, including at Porvenir; the supply of mineralized material from artisanal mining; and any other statement that may predict, forecast, indicate or imply future plans, intentions, levels of activity, results, performance or achievements. Forward looking information is based upon estimates and assumptions of management in light of management's experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, as of the date of this news release including, without limitation, assumptions about: the accuracy of the Company's current Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource estimates; the absence of significant disruptions affecting the Company's operations, whether due to extreme weather events, natural disasters, labour disruptions, supply disruptions, power disruptions, damage to equipment or otherwise; permitting, development, operations and production from the Porvenir Project being consistent with the Company's expectations; political, legal and regulatory developments in Nicaragua being consistent with current expectations; tax and royalty rates applicable to production from the Hemco Property; exchange rates between the U.S. dollar, the Colombian peso, and the Nicaraguan cordoba being approximately consistent with current levels; certain price assumptions for gold, silver and zinc; prices for key supplies, labour and materials being consistent with current expectations; production, LOM and cost forecasts meeting expectations; the accuracy of the current Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource estimates; and the completion of further studies including metallurgical and economic optimization studies, and the results of such studies; the availability of any necessary additional capital to advance the production, development and exploration of the Company's properties and assets on reasonable terms; and positive relations with local groups, including artisanal mining cooperatives in Nicaragua, and the Company's ability to meet its obligations under its agreements with such groups. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable, many of them are based on factors and events that are not within the control of the Company and there is no assurance they will prove to be correct. The assumptions are inherently subject to significant business, social, economic, political, regulatory, competitive and other risks and uncertainties, contingencies and other factors that could cause actual actions, events, conditions, results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those projected in the forward looking information. These risk factors specifically include, without limitation: risks relating to variations in the mineral content within the material identified as Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves from that predicted; variations in rates of recovery and extraction; developments in world metals markets; exchange rate fluctuations; increases in the estimated capital and operating costs or unanticipated costs; difficulties attracting the necessary work force; increases in financing costs or adverse changes to the terms of available financing, if any; changes in tax rates or royalties; changes in development or mining plans due to changes in logistical, technical or other factors; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; risks relating to receipt of regulatory approvals; delays in stakeholder negotiations; changes in regulations applicable to the development, operation, and closure of mining operations; the effects of competition in the markets in which the Company operates; operational and infrastructure risks; and the additional risks described in the ''Risk Factors" sections of the Company's annual information form dated March 31, 2022, and the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the three months and year ended December 31, 2022, available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The Company cautions that the foregoing lists of important assumptions and factors that may affect future results are not exhaustive. Other events or circumstances could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimated or projected and expressed in, or implied by, the forward looking information contained herein. There can be no assurance that forward looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward looking information. Forward looking information contained herein is made as of the date of this news release and the Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as and to the extent required by applicable securities laws. NON-IFRS FINANCIAL MEASURES This news release contains certain forward-looking non-IFRS financial measures. AISC per ounce of AuEq sold included in this press release is a non-IFRS financial ratio based on AISC, which is a non-IFRS financial measure. Management believes that non-IFRS financial measures and non-IFRS ratios, when supplementing measures determined in accordance with IFRS, provide investors with an improved ability to evaluate the underlying performance of the Company. Non-IFRS financial measures and non-IFRS ratios do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS, and therefore they may not be comparable to similar measures employed by other companies. This data is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. For a discussion of the use of non-IFRS financial measures and reconciliations thereof to the most directly comparable IFRS measures, please refer to the Company's MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2022, which is available on the Company's SEDAR profile (www.sedar.com). Please note that in this news release, AISC and AISC per ounce of AuEq sold differ from the equivalent historical non-IFRS financial measures reported in the Company's MD&A, AISC and AISC per ounce of gold sold, because, as used in this news release and the PFS: (a) AISC is calculated as cost of sales, less administrative expenses, sustaining capital expenditures, and royalties; (b) cost of sales excludes costs associated with production from artisanal mining; (c) ounces of AuEq sold excludes production from artisanal mining; and (d) AISC per ounce of AuEq sold is reported on a gold equivalent basis, not on a by-product basis, and accordingly, cost of sales is not adjusted for sales of silver. Mineros Logo (CNW Group/Mineros S.A.) SOURCE Mineros S.A. Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2023/16/c8594.html 180 jobs supported through PrairiesCan investments of over $10.2 million in agri-food and advanced manufacturing innovation, and community revitalization SASKATOON, SK, March 16, 2023 /CNW/ - Saskatchewan is a global leader in agriculture and food processing, and home to world-class advanced manufacturing solutions companies that are helping feed Canadians and the world and sustains countless jobs. Minister Hutchings announces investments in business growth and community improvement projects across Saskatchewan (CNW Group/Prairies Economic Development Canada) Many of these companies are located in small towns across the province, like Perdue, Yorkton and Emerald Park, generating economic benefits for these communities. Today, the Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development, on behalf of the Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister for PrairiesCan, announced a federal investment of $7.9 million to help five high-growth Saskatchewan businesses access the resources they need to scale-up and bring their innovative products and services to new markets. The investment supports key sectors of Saskatchewan's economy, including agriculture, agri-food and advanced manufacturing. Minister Hutchings also announced an additional $2.3 million to build and improve recreation, tourism and community infrastructure in 13 urban, rural and Indigenous communities across Saskatchewan. These investments, totalling $10,215,570, will help create vibrant urban and rural communities and ensure that Saskatchewan businesses thrive as strong contributors to the Prairie economy now and into the future, all while sustaining good jobs for Canadian workers. Quotes "Saskatchewan is home to dynamic agri-food and advanced manufacturing sectors that are key employers and drivers of Saskatchewan's economy. Our government is working in partnership with Saskatchewan entrepreneurs so they can share their innovative products and services with the global marketplace, support food security and sustainability, and create good jobs in vibrant communities across the province." The Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister for PrairiesCan Story continues "Whether it is rural farming communities, Indigenous communities, or busy urban areas, Saskatchewan is built on strong agricultural roots. Vibrant communities supported by thriving local businesses and innovative entrepreneurs will make sure that all communities participate in the province's growing economy and benefit from its success." The Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development "The Food Centre has been supporting companies in launching new products and providing them interim processing solutions. This project will build on our current capacity to expand our capabilities in specific areas such as packaging, food processing, milling, modified ingredient scale-up, and ingredient isolation in the plant-based food sector." Mehmet Tulbek, President, The Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre Inc. "Protein Powered Farms and Sunnydale Foods welcomes Canada's investment in Saskatchewan's first commercial scale extrusion facility. It is a strong signal of Canada's confidence in Saskatchewan's capacity to develop sustainable food products that are both healthy for consumers and healthy for the planet. This project showcases how Canada is leading the way in sustainable and environmentally conscious food development." Heidi Dutton, Protein Powered Farms Inc. ""Prairie's Canada funding toward our trail development provides Whitecap Dakota community residents and Dakota Dunes Resort visitors with safe, accessible, year round recreation activity options. These trails further our community and tourism development and provide an opportunity for education on Dakota history and culture that can support reconciliation." Chief Darcy Bear, Whitecap Dakota First Nation Quick facts Saskatchewan is home to more than 40 per cent of Canada's cultivated farmland and is one of the largest exporter of agri-food products in Canada. Since 2012, Saskatchewan's annual revenue from value-added agriculture has almost doubled from $3.5 billion to an estimated $6.8 billion in 2020-21. More than 300 food processing and beverage companies in Saskatchewan produce a wide range of cereal, meat, dairy and bakery products, as well as food ingredients. Saskatchewan companies design and produce world-class advanced manufacturing solutions. The sector is a key employer of graduates from universities and technical schools. Backgrounder Federal funding of $10,215,570 through PrairiesCan to support 18 projects in urban, rural and Indigenous communities across Saskatchewan, creating and maintaining 180 jobs. These investments in the Saskatchewan economy will support innovation and business growth in agri-food and advanced manufacturing, and community revitalization. Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSP) Investment of $6,400,000 Through the BSP program, the Government of Canada is supporting high-growth businesses that are seeking to improve productivity, scale-up and commercialize technology. It offers interest-free, repayable funding to incorporated businesses. The BSP program supports incorporated high-growth businesses that have been operating in the Prairie Provinces for a minimum of two years. Three Saskatchewan BSP recipients receiving funding through PrairiesCan were announced today: Protein Powered Farms Inc. ($3,000,000) Install new plant-based fiber and extrusion equipment to increase its ingredient processing capacity and develop new products. Protein Powered Farms is a protein extraction plant, located in Perdue, which extracts protein from peas, lentils and fava beans. TC Nutrition Inc. ( $2,797,500) Install advanced manufacturing processing and packaging equipment at its new manufacturing facility in Saskatoon. TC Nutrition manufactures and packages nutritional supplements. SeedMaster Manufacturing Ltd. ($602,500) Integrate new advanced manufacturing technologies that will expand its production and export packaging capacities in order to increase global sales. Located in Emerald Park, SeedMaster designs, builds and distributes precision seeding equipment. Regional Innovation Ecosystems (RIE) Investment of $1,000,000 Through the RIE program, the Government of Canada makes targeted investments in not-for-profit organizations that support businesses in priority sectors to innovate, grow and compete globally. RIE is open to not-for-profit organizations that support businesses, innovators and entrepreneurs, for start-up, growth, productivity, technology commercialization, technology adoption, and export and investment attraction. One Saskatchewan RIE recipient receiving funding through PrairiesCan was announced today: Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre Inc. ($1,000,000) Enhance co-packaging capacity for the agri-food sector in Saskatchewan. Jobs and Growth Fund (JGF) Investment of $500,000 JGF provides funding to businesses and organizations to help create jobs and position local economies for long-term growth. The Fund, delivered by Canada's regional development agencies, provides $700 million nationally over three years. Today, one JGF project funded through PrairiesCan was announced: Parkland Welding & Machine LTD. ($500,000) Install automation equipment at its Yorkton plant to increase manufacturing capacity of its fluid power products which are used by original equipment manufacturer's (OEM's) across North America. Canada Community Revitalization Fund (CCRF) Investment of $2,315,570 The CCRF helps communities across Canada build and improve community infrastructure projects so they can continue to rebound from the impacts of the pandemic. With a national investment of $500 million over two years, the Fund's purpose is to help not-for-profit organizations, municipalities and other community groups, as well as Indigenous communities build new community infrastructure and revitalize existing assets, bring people to public spaces, create jobs, and stimulate local economies. Today, 13 Saskatchewan CCRF recipients received funding through PrairiesCan: City of North Battleford ($734,267) Revitalize aging downtown streets in North Battleford. Whitecap Dakota First Nation ($675,000) Develop a community trail network at Whitecap Dakota First Nation. Lloydminster Native Friendship Centre Inc. ($239,800) Revitalize and upgrade the Lloydminster Native Friendship Centre and outdoor area. City of Regina ($225,000) Upgrade an accessible spray park and playground at Imperial Park. Village of Clavet ($149,940) Construct a new playground and install fitness equipment at Bentley Park and upgrade playground equipment at Queen Street Park. Rural Municipality of Spy Hill No. 152 ($67,575) Replace the curling club roof. Town of Rouleau ($48,750) Make improvements at the community centre. Town of Lashburn ($48,038 ) Build a multi-use paved sport pad in Heritage Park. Town of Mossbank ($45,000) Construct a trail system connecting to the downtown area. Town of Hanley ($33,420) Upgrade the spray park. Rural Municipality of Turtle River No. 469 ($18,000) Rebuild the outdoor skating rink in Vawn. Town of LeRoy ($15,780) Build an accessible walking path around an assisted living facility and make improvements to a downtown park. Rural Municipality of Heart's Hill No. 352 ($15,000) Install a new wheelchair ramp at Cactus Lake Hall. Associated links Stay connected Follow PrairiesCan on Twitter and LinkedIn Toll-Free Number: 1-888-338-9378 TTY (telecommunications device for the hearing impaired): 1-877-303-3388 SOURCE Prairies Economic Development Canada Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2023/16/c8028.html Today, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev addressed the Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States held in Ankara. In the last 20 years, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkiye has covered a tremendous and glorious path, Turkiye has gained a say in the whole world, and has become a powerhouse. Today, Turkiye is reckoned with and respected all over the globe, the President said Everyone in the world now sees Turkiye's military power and tremendous successes in the defense industry. Thanks to the leadership of my dear brother, continuous stability in Turkiye over these years and the country's development are essential for the entire Turkic world, the Azerbaijani President added. NOIDA, India, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new report published by UnivDatos Markets Insights, the Nasogastric Tube Holders Market was valued at more than USD 410 million in 2021 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 6% from 2022-2028. The analysis has been segmented into Material Type (Tape-Based, Plastic-Based); End User (Hospitals, Emergency Departments, Clinics, Others); Region/Country. UnivDatos_Logo Click here to view the Report Description & TOC https://univdatos.com/report/nasogastric-tube-holders-market/ The nasogastric tube holders market report has been aggregated by collecting informative data on various dynamics such as market drivers, restraints, and opportunities. This innovative report makes use of several analyses to get a closer outlook on the nasogastric tube holders market. The nasogastric tube holders market report offers a detailed analysis of the latest industry developments and trending factors in the market that are influencing the market growth. Furthermore, this statistical market research repository examines and estimates the nasogastric tube holders market at the global and regional levels. Request for Sample Pages https://univdatos.com/get-a-free-sample-form-php/?product_id=34786 Market Overview Nasogastric tube holders allow safe and comfortable positioning of the enteral tube. Prevents displacement or dislodgement of the tubes and complications. Reduces skin irritation, erosion, or necrosis due to pressure or humidity injuries. The tube can be used to offer vital nutritional and pharmaceutical support to sick individuals as well as evacuate the contents of the stomach. Babies that are premature or ill have a restricted quantity of nutrients and energy. In these critical situations, the nasogastric tubes (NG) supply nutrition, and medical care. The NG tube holders rise in demand due to the increasing awareness about the irritation and inconvenience caused using nasogastric tubes. Thus, the growing focus and investment of key stakeholders in the research and development of technologically advanced nasogastric tube holders is further expected to support market growth. For instance, in May 2021, QMD, a subsidiary of Q Holding Company, expanded its enteral feeding portfolio with the addition of nasogastric tubes to the Degania enteral feeding product family. This product range includes a number of pediatric and adult designs along with enhanced patient safety. Story continues Some of the major players operating in the market include Dale Medical Products, Inc.; Tri-anim Health Services, Medline Industries, LP; Boen Healthcare Co., Ltd.; Guangdong Baihe Medical Technology Co. Ltd; QMD; Vygon; Bcakclar; Angiplast Pvt. Ltd. COVID-19 Impact The recent covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the world and has brought a state of shock to the global economy. The global pandemic has impacted the healthcare industry and has transformed the way healthcare is delivered. The nasogastric tube holder market has been significantly affected during these times owing to the delay in elective surgeries during the pandemic. The global nasogastric tube holders market report is studied thoroughly with several aspects that would help stakeholders in making their decisions more curated. Based on material type, the market is segmented into tape-based, and plastic-based. Among these, tape-based held a significant share of the market in 2020. Most nasogastric tube holders now in use are tape-based. To handle nasogastric feeding and aspiration tubes. The holder has a skin-friendly adhesive that sticks to the skin of the nose fast and easily, which makes it superior to tape and other adhesive-backed holders. On the basis of end users, the market is categorized into hospitals, emergency departments, clinics, and others. Among these, clinics are expected to grow with a significant CAGR during the forecast period. This is mainly due to the nasogastric tube holders are used in clinics or in various medical fields for the prevention of infections and for safety measures to meet medical standards and have wide applications in the healthcare industry. Have a Look at the Chapters https://univdatos.com/report/nasogastric-tube-holders-market/ Nasogastric Tube Holders Market Geographical Segmentation Includes: North America (United States, Canada, and Rest of North America) Europe (Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, France, and the Rest of Europe) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, and the Rest of Asia-Pacific) Rest of the World North America held a significant share of the global nasogastric tube holder market. This is mainly attributed to the rise in preterm births in the United States. As per the CDC, in 2021, preterm birth affected about 1 of every 10 infants born in the United States. The preterm birth rate rose 4% in 2021, from 10.1% in 2020 to 10.5% in 2021. The sector will continue to expand as novel nasogastric tube intubation techniques in sick and preterm babies for the supply of nutrition and medications. In addition, the growing older patient population and advanced healthcare infrastructure will boost the growth of the nasogastric tube holder market in the United States over the next few years. The major players targeting the market include Dale Medical Products, Inc. Tri-anim Health Services Medline Industries, LP Boen Healthcare Co., Ltd. Guangdong Baihe Medical Technology Co. Ltd QMD Vygon Bcakclar Angiplast Pvt. Ltd. Competitive Landscape The degree of competition among prominent global companies has been elaborated by analyzing several leading key players operating worldwide. The specialist team of research analysts sheds light on various traits such as global market competition, market share, most recent industry advancements, innovative product launches, partnerships, mergers, or acquisitions by leading companies in the Nasogastric tube holders market. The major players have been analyzed by using research methodologies for getting insight views on global competition. Key questions resolved through this analytical market research report include: What are the latest trends, new patterns, and technological advancements in the nasogastric tube holders market? Which factors are influencing the nasogastric tube holders market over the forecast period? What are the global challenges, threats, and risks in the nasogastric tube holders market? Which factors are propelling and restraining the nasogastric tube holders market? What are the demanding global regions of the nasogastric tube holders market? What will be the global market size in the upcoming years? What are the crucial market acquisition strategies and policies applied by global companies? We understand the requirement of different businesses, regions, and countries, we offer customized reports as per your requirements of business nature and geography. Please let us know If you have any custom needs. About UnivDatos Market Insights (UMI) Browse Other Related Research Reports from UnivDatos Market Insights Nasogastric Tube Holders Market Report Coverage Report Attribute Details Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2028 Growth momentum Accelerate at a CAGR of over 6% Market size 2021 USD 410 million Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, Rest of World Major contributing region North America to Dominate the Global Nasogastric tube holders Market Key countries covered United States, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, France, China, Japan, India, and Australia Companies profiled Dale Medical Products, Inc.; Tri-anim Health Services, Medline Industries, LP; Boen Healthcare Co., Ltd.; Guangdong Baihe Medical Technology Co. Ltd; QMD; Vygon; Bcakclar; Angiplast Pvt. Ltd. Report Scope Market Trends, Drivers, and Restraints; Revenue Estimation and Forecast; Segmentation Analysis; Impact of COVID-19; Demand and Supply Side Analysis; Competitive Landscape; Company Profiling Segments Covered By Material Type; By End User; By Region/Country About UnivDatos Market Insights UnivDatos Market Insights (UMI) is a passionate market research firm and a subsidiary of Universal Data Solutions. We believe in delivering insights through Market Intelligence Reports, Customized Business Research, and Primary Research. Our research studies are spread across topics across the world, we cover markets in over 100 countries using smart research techniques and agile methodologies. We offer in-depth studies, detailed analysis, and customized reports that help shape winning business strategies for our clients. Contact: UnivDatos Market Insights Ankita Gupta Director Operations Ph: +91-7838604911 Email: Ankita.gupta@univdatos.com Website: https://univdatos.com/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1225049/UnivDatos_Logo.jpg Cision View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nasogastric-tube-holders-market-is-expected-to-display-a-steady-growth-of-6-due-to-the-rising-number-of-premature-and-sick-babies-univdatos-market-insights-301774146.html SOURCE UnivDatos Market Insights Pvt. Ltd. Be The Match Be The Match announces two new recipients of its Amy Strelzer Manasevit Research Program grant and launches a research program for pediatric bone marrow transplant nurses MINNEAPOLIS, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP)/Be The Match announced two recipients of its Amy Strelzer Manasevit Research Program grant for 2023. The grant underscores NMDP/Be The Matchs commitment to research to advance the future of care and improve outcomes for patients diagnosed with life-threatening blood cancer or blood diseases. The Amy Strelzer Manasevit Research Program, among the largest and most coveted grants in the transplant and cellular therapy field, supports the research efforts of scientists and clinicians early in their careers. Celebrating its 25th year, the award is funded through generous gifts to the Be The Match Foundation and focuses on launching young investigators on a lifelong journey of discovery to prevent or treat life-threatening complications following all forms of cellular therapy. This years grant recipients, called Amy Scholars, include Eiko Hayase, MD, PhD, and Melody Smith, MD, MS. Dr. Hayase is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center who specializes in treatment strategies in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. This grant will help Dr. Hayase evaluate a novel treatment for dysbiotic microbiota induced intestinal graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). GVHD is a post-transplant complication in which donor T cells attack tissues in the recipients body. Dr. Smith is an assistant professor at Stanford University in the Department of Medicine, Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, where she established an independent lab. Her research focuses on studies evaluating strategies whereby donor T cells can be administered to improve outcomes following blood and marrow transplant. Specifically, she studies novel treatment strategies using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy. Story continues We are honored to support Dr. Hayase and Dr. Smith and their research efforts to improve the lives of those battling a blood cancer or blood disease, said Jeffery Auletta, MD, Senior Vice President, Patient Outcomes and Experience, NMDP/Be The Match and Chief Scientific Director, CIBMTR (Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research). With their continued commitments to research, we are confident they will impact many lives and are proud to award them with this grant. A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on the image or link below: The grant will support Dr. Hayases and Dr. Smiths research through its 5-year provision of a total $400,000 each. Since 1998, Be The Match Foundation has invested nearly $12 million to fund 49 early career physician-scientists to develop research portfolios and establish their labs. Additionally, NMDP/Be The Match continues supporting research by announcing the launch of the Barbara Buchbinder Nurse Research Program. This Program was established through a philanthropic gift to the Be The Match Foundation, to support focused research from bone marrow transplant (BMT) nurses to improve transplant experience and outcomes for our pediatric patients. We are deeply grateful and inspired when a family chooses to honor a loved one through philanthropy. Barbara helped so many pediatric patients throughout her career, and that legacy will continue through the lives that will be impacted by this new program, said Joy King, Chief Advancement Officer, NMDP/Be The Match and Executive Director, Be The Match Foundation. Barbara was dedicated to pediatric hematology/oncology and transplant care for more than 20 years. This annual research grant will be awarded to a chosen BMT nurse each year, beginning in 2024. Recipients will be chosen through an application and review process facilitated by the NMDP/Be The Match. The application period opens later this year. National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP)/Be The Match The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP)/Be The Match is the leading global partner working to save lives through cellular therapy. With 35 years of experience managing the most diverse registry of potential unrelated blood stem cell donors and cord blood units in the world, NMDP/Be The Match is a proven partner in providing cures to patients with life-threatening blood and marrow cancers and diseases. Through their global network, they connect centers and patients to their best cell therapy optionfrom blood stem cell transplant to a next-generation therapyand collaborate with cell and gene therapy companies to support therapy development and delivery through Be The Match BioTherapies. NMDP/Be The Match is a tireless advocate for the cell therapy community, working with hematologists/oncologists to remove barriers to consultation and treatment, and supporting patients through no-cost programs to eliminate non-medical obstacles to cell therapy. In addition, they are a global leader in research through the CIBMTR (Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research)a collaboration with Medical College of Wisconsin, investing in and managing research studies that improve patient outcomes and advance the future of care. CONTACT: Contact: Erica Sevilla Be The Match (763) 406-8758 esevilla@nmdp.org Growth Plus Reports Newark, New Castle, USA, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the latest report published by Growth Plus Reports, the global non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) market is expected to clock US$ 7.64 billion and to grow at a CAGR of 7.64% during the forecast period. The adoption of non-invasive prenatal testing is increasing due to rising rates of chromosomal abnormalities in newborns. Over the forecast period, the consistent growth in the incidence of chromosomal deformities is anticipated to drive the growth of the global non-invasive prenatal testing market. The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) in February 2020 mentioned that Down syndrome is the most prevalent genetic condition affecting newborns and is brought on by trisomy of Homo sapiens chromosome 21 (HSA21). Down syndrome is becoming far more common as the global population expands. Request Free Sample Copy of the Research Report: https://www.growthplusreports.com/inquiry/request-sample/non-invasive-prenatal-testing-nipt-market/8147 Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) Market Scope Report Attribute Details Market size value in 2021 US$ 3.36 billion Revenue forecast in 2030 US$ 7.64 billion Growth Rate CAGR of 7.64% from 2022 to 2030 Base year for estimation 2021 Forecast period 2022-2030 Historical Year 2020 Segments covered Products & Services, Method, Application, End User, and Region. Regional scope North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World (ROW) Moreover, the increasing adoption of new strategies, such as collaborations among key players, is anticipated to drive the non-invasive prenatal testing market during the forecast period. In February 2018, Illumina Inc. signed a contract with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, a non-profit health services company. The agreement is aimed at enhancing patient access and the reimbursement of next-generation sequencing for non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). The global non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) market has been analyzed from five perspectives: Products & Services, Method, Application, End User and Region. Story continues Excerpts from By Products & Services Consumables, instruments, and services collectively make the global non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) market, based on: Products Services The consumables segment has the majority of the market share in 2021. It is due to top players' introduction of new kits in the market. In addition, the consumables segment is further growing due to high volume uptake in diagnostics and research and development. The instruments segment is anticipated to grow with a high CAGR in the coming years. This is attributed to the increased focus of top players in bringing automation to non-invasive prenatal diagnostic instruments. Moreover, automation in non-invasive testing can quickly and precisely give results. Excerpts from By Method According to the methods, the global non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) market is divided into: Ultrasound Detection Biochemical Screening Testing Cell-Free DNA Maternal Plasma Tests The segment for ultrasound detection has the largest market share of these. The high prevalence of structural abnormality and fetal chromosomal aneuploidy diagnosis in clinical settings, as well as their accuracy and safety, are the factors that contribute to the high demand for ultrasound detection. Excerpts from By Application According to the applications, the global non-invasive prenatal testing market is divided into: Trisomy Microdeletion Syndrome Others Trisomy is the dominating segment. Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is an effective and secure prenatal screening method for trisomy 21, 18, and 13 in the average-risk or general population. Additionally, non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is strongly advised for pregnancies resulting from in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Also, NIPT is an ideal screening tool for pregnant women following an IVF procedure due to its outstanding sensitivity and specificity in screening for fetal aneuploidy. Request for Customization https://www.growthplusreports.com/inquiry/customization/non-invasive-prenatal-testing-nipt-market/8147 Excerpts from By End User The global non-invasive prenatal testing market is segmented into: Diagnostic Laboratories Hospitals The diagnostic laboratories category dominates the global non-invasive prenatal testing market in 2021. Patients and healthcare professionals are increasingly favoring non-invasive prenatal testing, fostering the segment expansion. Additionally, diagnostic labs are receiving a larger volume of tests due to the presence of well-equipped facilities and qualified laboratory staff, which is growing the market share. Additionally, it is projected that the rising number of initiatives implemented by diagnostic laboratories to provide safe and accurate prenatal testing over the projection period would promote the growth of the non-invasive prenatal testing market. Excerpts from By Region Geographically, the global non-invasive prenatal testing market is divided into: North America Europe Asia Pacific Rest of the World In 2021, North America held the largest market share, followed by Europe. High demand for genetic testing in North America, high R&D expenditures, greater preterm birth rate, a well-established research framework, and increased complicated birth rates are projected to support the expansion of the North America non-invasive prenatal testing market. Additionally, a robust reimbursement system in North America also supports the non-invasive prenatal testing demand in the region. The Europe non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) market is influenced by factors such as high incidence of Down syndrome. According to the estimates by Contact A Family, March 2022, in the United Kingdom, one in every 1,000 children is born with Down syndrome. This rising prevalence is raising concerns among expecting parents, which increases the adoption of non-invasive prenatal testing in Europe. Moreover, increasing trend of childbearing at advanced maternal ages (35 or older) is growing the demand for NIPT in the region. The Asia Pacific region is predicted to grow rapidly in the coming years. The increased growth is linked to the large number of pregnancies resulting in children with Down syndrome. Additionally, government initiatives in some regions are also influencing the market growth. Excerpts from Competitive Landscape Some prominent players operating in the global non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) market are: YOURGENE HEALTH Plc Illumina, Inc. Natera, Inc. F.Hoffman La Roche AG Perkin Elmer Inc. Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings Eurofins LifeCodex GmbH Progenity, Inc. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated Table of Content INTRODUCTION Market Ecosystem Timeline Under Consideration Historical Years 2020 Base Year 2021 Forecast Years 2022 to 2030 Currency Used in the Report RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research Approach Data Collection Methodology Data Sources Secondary Sources Primary Sources Market Estimation Approach Bottom Up Top Down Market Forecasting Model Limitations and Assumptions PREMIUM INSIGHTS Current Market Trends Key Players & Competitive Positioning (2021) MARKET DYNAMICS Drivers Restraints/Challenges Opportunities TOC Continued Buy this Premium Research Report: https://www.growthplusreports.com/checkout-8147 VALUE PROPOSITIONS RELATED TO THE REPORT: Powered with Complimentary Analyst Hours and Expert Interviews with Each Report Comprehensive quantitative and qualitative insights at segment and sub-segment level Covid 19 impact trends and perspective Granular insights at global/regional/country level Deep-rooted insights on market dynamics (drivers, restraints, opportunities) and business environment Blanket coverage on competitive landscape Winning imperatives Exhaustive coverage on 'Strategic Developments' registered by leading players of the market CUSTOMIZATION OPTIONS: Distributor Landscape Assessment Pricing Intelligence Customer Base Assessment Investment & Initiatives Analysis 'Business Profile' of Key Players Schedule a call with our analyst: https://appoint.ly/s/salesZ3Jvd3RocGx1c3JlcG9ydHMuY29t/introduction Visit our report store at - https://www.growthplusreports.com/report-store Browse related reports: Yersinia Diagnostics Market by Test (ELISA, Stool Culture, Radioimmunoassay, CT Scan), Technique (DNA Probes, PCR, Immunoassay, Monoclonal Antibodies) - Global Outlook & Forecast 2023-2031 Titanium Dental Implant Market by Product (Endosteal, Subperiosteal), Procedure (Two-stage, Single-stage), End-user (Hospitals & Clinics, Dental Laboratories) - Global Outlook and Forecast 2023-2031 Surgical Drapes & Gowns Market by Product Type (Surgical Drapes, Surgical Gown), Usage (Disposable, Reusable), End-user (Hospitals, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, Others) Global Outlook & Forecast 2023-2031 Single-Cell Analysis Market by Product (Consumables, Instruments), Application (Cancer, Immunology, Neurology), End User (Academic and Research Laboratories, Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Companies) Global Outlook & Forecast 2023-2031 Refractory/Relapsed B-Cell and T-Cell Lymphoma Market by Type (B-Cell Lymphoma, T-Cell Lymphoma), Therapy (Monotherapy, Combination Therapy) Global Outlook & Forecast 2023-2031 About Us: Growth Plus Reports is part of GRG Health, a global healthcare knowledge service company. We are proud members of EPhMRA (European Pharmaceutical Marketing Research Association). Growth Plus portfolio of services draws on our core capabilities of secondary & primary research, market modelling & forecasting, benchmarking, analysis and strategy formulation to help clients create scalable, ground-breaking solutions that prepare them for future growth and success. We were awarded by the prestigious CEO Magazine as "Most Innovative Healthcare Market Research Company in 2020. CONTACT: Manan Sethi Director, Market Insights Email: sales@growthplusreports.com 256 Chapman Road STE 105-4, Newark, New Castle - 19702, USA Phone no: +1 888 550 5009 Web: https://www.growthplusreports.com/ ReportLinker INTRODUCTION. Nucleic acid-based therapies have been demonstrated to be capable of targeting genetic blueprints in order to enable treatment of a range of disease indications. Over the years, an increasing number of nucleic acid-based therapies have received regulatory approval, highlighting the therapeutic potential and growing popularity of this class of therapeutics. New York, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Non-Viral Transfection Reagents and Systems Market (2nd Edition) by Type of Non-Viral Transfection Method, End-User, Application Areas and Key Geographical Regions: Industry Trends and Global Forecasts, 2023-2035" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06430647/?utm_source=GNW Consequently, this has created increased demand for vectors, which can effectively deliver such therapies. In this context, it is important to note that, conventionally, the production of such therapies was primarily dependent on viral vectors. However, despite the remarkable success in research and development of viral vectors, there are still certain limitations associated with their use. The challenges in use of viral vectors can be attributed to the complications related to immunogenicity and cytotoxicity, cost-intensive development process, and quantity of genetic material, which can be transported in a single run. To mitigate these concerns, innovators are switching to non-viral gene delivery vehicles for the purpose of transfection. Non-viral transfection refers to the targeted delivery of genetic material into a wide variety of cells, using non-viral vectors as the preferred type of carriers. In order to support the growing demand for nucleic acid-based therapies, novel non-viral transfection reagents and systems, which are deemed to be highly suitable for in vitro intracellular delivery, are being developed. Further, considering the growing demand for non-viral vectors and prevalent trends associated with reagents and systems, we believe that this market is likely to witness a steady growth over the coming years. SCOPE OF THE REPORT The Non-Viral Transfection Reagents and Systems Market (2nd Edition) - Distribution by Type of Non-Viral Transfection Method (Chemical Methods and Physical Methods), End-User (Academic and Research Institutions, Pharmaceutical Companies and Other End-Users), Application Area (Clinical Applications and Research Applications) and Key Geographical Regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World): Industry Trends and Global Forecasts, 2023-2035 report features an extensive study of the current market landscape and future opportunity for the players involved in the development of non-viral transfection reagents and systems. The report answers many key questions related to this domain. Growing Demand for Non-Viral Transfection Reagents and Systems Non-viral transfection, owing to its multiple benefits, has emerged as a promising alternative for conventional transfection approaches. Advantages offered by this technique include shorter transfection timelines, higher biological efficiency, reduced toxicity levels and versatile nucleic acid delivery. It is worth highlighting that non-viral transfection reagents and systems are anticipated to become a reliable and powerful tool for artificial introduction of genetic materials. At present, several innovator companies are engaged in the development of transfection reagents and systems. Current Market Landscape of Non-Viral Transfection Reagent and System Developers The market landscape of non-viral transfection reagent and system developers features a mix of close to 100 large, mid-sized and small companies, which have the required expertise to offer various reagents and systems for non-viral transfection, across different scales of operation. Of these, close to 60 companies have the ability to develop over 185 transfection reagents and transfection kits, that can be used for delivery of genetic materials (DNA, RNA, nucleic acids and proteins). It is worth mentioning that more than 50% of the companies offer lipid-based carrier transfection reagents. Moreover, majority of the transfection reagents are being used for delivery of DNA. Market Size of Non-Viral Transfection Reagents and Systems Market Driven by the rising interest in research and development activities and the growing demand for non-viral transfection-based products, the non-viral transfection reagents and systems market is anticipated to witness a noteworthy growth in the foreseen future. Specifically, in terms of type of product, the market is anticipated to be driven by chemical methods of non-viral transfection. Further, in the near future, close to 70% of the market is anticipated to be occupied by the players based in North America and Europe. Who are the Key Players in the Non-Viral Transfection Reagents and Systems Market Examples of players engaged in this domain (which have also been captured in this report) include Altogen Biosystems, Bio-Rad Laboratories, BEX, BTX (A subsidiary of Harvard Bioscience), Imunon (Formerly known as Celsion), Genprex, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, MaxCyte, MilliporeSigma, Nepa Gene, OZ Biosciences and Thermo Fisher Scientific. The study presents an in-depth analysis, across different geographies, highlighting the capabilities of various stakeholders engaged in this domain. Amongst other elements, the report includes: An executive summary of the insights captured during our research. It offers a high-level view on the current state of non-viral transfection reagents and systems market and its likely evolution in the mid-long term. A general overview of non-viral transfection reagents and systems, highlighting details on transfection methods and its applications, such as advanced therapy medicinal product development, gene silencing, bioproduction of therapeutic protein and stem cell engineering. It also provides information on the different methods of transfection (viral and non-viral), types of viral vectors (AAV, adenoviral, lentiviral, retroviral and others), along with details on chemical methods (lipoplexes, polyplexes, lipoplexes and others) and physical methods (electroporation, gene gun, sonoporation, magnetofection and others) of transfection. A detailed assessment of the overall market landscape of the companies developing non-viral transfection reagents, based on several relevant parameters, such as type of carrier used (lipid-based carrier, polymer-based carrier, protein-based carrier, nanotechnology-based carrier, calcium phosphate-based carrier and minicircle-based carrier), compatible cell type (human cell, monkey cell, murine cell and other cell), type of molecule delivered (DNA and RNA), and serum compatibility (serum free and serum compatibility). It also features information on the non-viral transfection reagent developers, highlighting the year of establishment, company size and location of headquarters. A detailed assessment of the overall market landscape of the companies developing electroporation-based non-viral transfection systems. The relevant parameters used for the assessment include, compatible cell type (human mammalian cells and other mammalian cells) and type of molecule delivered (DNA and RNA). It also features information on the electroporation transfection systems developers, highlighting the year of establishment, company size and location of headquarters. A detailed assessment of the overall market landscape of the companies developing other non-viral transfection systems. The relevant parameters used for the assessment include, compatible cell type (human mammalian cells and other mammalian cells) and type of molecule delivered (DNA and RNA). It also features information on the other non-viral transfection systems developers, highlighting the year of establishment, company size and location of headquarters. An in-depth company competitiveness analysis of non-viral transfection reagent and system developers based in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. The analysis compares various developers based on developer strength (in terms of years of experience and company size) and product portfolio strength (type of carrier used, compatible cell type, type of molecule delivered and serum compatibility). A detailed technology competitiveness analysis of electroporation transfection systems and other non-viral transfection systems, taking into consideration the developer strength (based on the year of establishment and company size of developer) and product portfolio strength (in terms of compatible cell type and type of molecule delivered). Tabulated profiles of key players engaged in the development of non-viral transfection reagents and systems (shortlisted based on the type of carrier used, compatible cell type, type of molecule delivered and serum compatibility). Each profile includes a brief overview of the company, financial information (if available), recent developments and an informed future outlook. An in-depth analysis of over 80 cell (including TCR and CAR-T cell) and gene therapy developers that are likely to partner with non-viral transfection reagent and system developers, based on several relevant parameters, such as pipeline maturity (which takes into account the phase of development), developer strength (in terms of number of employees), pipeline strength (based on the number of non-viral transfection reagents in pipeline), and type of therapy. A review of the various non-viral focused initiatives undertaken by big pharma players (shortlisted on the basis of the revenues generated in 2021), featuring various insightful representations, based on year of initiative, type of initiative (in terms of collaborations and funding), type of therapy (in terms of cell and gene therapies) and target therapeutic area. An in-depth analysis of close to 870 patents that have been filed / granted related to non-viral transfection systems, since 2019, highlighting key trends associated with these patents, across type of patent, publication year, application year, geography, type of applicant, CPC symbols, emerging focus areas, leading players (in terms of number of patents granted / filed). In addition, the chapter includes a detailed patent benchmarking and an insightful valuation analysis. A detailed analysis of more than 450 peer-reviewed, scientific articles focused on non-viral transfection reagents and systems that have been published since 2015, based on year of publication, type of publication, type of molecule delivered, target therapeutic area, key focus areas, popular cells and cell lines. The chapter also highlights the leading publishers across different geographies, key journals (in terms of number of articles published). An insightful framework to understand the pricing strategy of the non-viral transfection reagents offered by a company, along with its competitive position in the market. In addition, it presents the equation devised to calculate the likely price of non-viral transfection reagents based upon their characteristics. One of the key objectives of the report was to understand the primary growth drivers and estimate the future opportunity within the market. Based on several parameters, such as annual number of transfections, share of non-viral systems within the transfections market, cost per transfection and expected annual growth rate across various geographies, we have provided an informed estimates of the likely evolution of the market in the mid to long term, for the period 2023-2035. Our year-wise projections of the current and future opportunity have further been segmented based on relevant parameters, such as type of non-viral transfection method (chemical method, and physical method), end-user (academic and research institutions, pharmaceutical companies and other end-users), application area (clinical applications and research applications) and key geographical regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World). In order to account for future uncertainties associated with some of the key parameters and to add robustness to our model, we have provided three market forecast scenarios, portraying the conservative, base and optimistic scenarios of the industrys evolution. The opinions and insights presented in the report were influenced by discussions held with stakeholders in this domain. The report features detailed transcript of interview held with the industry stakeholders. All actual figures have been sourced and analyzed from publicly available information forums and primary research discussions. Financial figures mentioned in this report are in USD, unless otherwise specified. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The data presented in this report has been gathered via secondary and primary research. For all our projects, we conduct interviews / surveys with experts in the area (academia, industry, medical practice and other associations) to solicit their opinions on emerging trends in the market. This is primarily useful for us to draw out our own opinion on how the market will evolve across different regions and technology segments. Wherever possible, the available data has been checked for accuracy from multiple sources of information. The secondary sources of information include: Annual reports Investor presentations SEC filings Industry databases News releases from company websites Government policy documents Industry analysts views While the focus has been on forecasting the market till 2035, the report also provides our independent view on various emerging trends in the industry. This opinion is solely based on our knowledge, research and understanding of the relevant market, gathered from various secondary and primary sources of information. KEY QUESTIONS ANSWERED Question 1: How is the research and development (R&D) activity evolving in the non-viral transfection reagents and systems domain? Answer: Presently, the non-viral transfection reagents and systems market represents one of the fastest expanding segments of the biopharmaceutical domain. The increasing number of patents (~870 patents in past four years) and publications (~455 publications in past seven years) focused on non-viral vectors demonstrate the continued innovation being carried out in this domain. Question 2: How many companies offer non-viral transfection reagents and systems? Answer: At present, close to 100 companies have the required capabilities to offer non-viral transfection reagents and systems across different scales of operation. Further, several developers are entering into strategic alliances in order to consolidate their presence in this field and enhance their existing capabilities related to non-viral transfection systems. Question 3: What are the different types of initiatives being undertaken by big pharma players for the manufacturing of non-viral transfection reagents and systems? Answer: More than 10 big pharma players have undertaken several collaborative initiatives related to various transfection reagents and systems. 70% of the collaborations inked by big pharma players in this domain have been focused on research and development. Question 4: Which segment is likely to have the largest share in the non-viral transfection reagents and systems market? Answer: Presently, chemical-based transfection method dominates the non-viral transfection reagents and systems market. However, the market is anticipated to be driven by electroporation-based transfection methods, in the foreseen future. Question 5: How is the non-viral transfection reagents and systems market likely to evolve in the coming years? Answer: The non-viral transfection reagents and systems market is projected to grow at a CAGR of ~10% in the coming years. Currently, in terms of end-user, the market is likely to be driven by research institutions, followed by pharmaceutical companies. Specifically, in terms of geographical regions, the non-viral reagents and systems market in Europe is anticipated to grow at a relatively faster pace (~13%), in the long term. CHAPTER OUTLINES Chapter 1 is a preface providing an introduction to the full report, Non-Viral Transfection Reagents and Systems Market (2nd Edition), 2023-2035. Chapter 2 is an executive summary of the insights captured during our research. It offers a high-level view on the current state of non-viral transfection reagents and systems market and its likely evolution in the mid-long term. Chapter 3 provides a general overview of non-viral transfection reagents and systems, highlighting details on transfection and its applications, such as advanced therapy medicinal product development, gene silencing, bioproduction of therapeutic protein and stem cell engineering. It also provides information on the different methods of transfection (viral and non-viral), types of viral vectors (AAV, adenoviral, lentiviral, retroviral and others), along with details on chemical methods (lipoplexes, polyplexes, lipoplexes and others) and physical methods (electroporation, gene gun, sonoporation, magnetofection and others) of transfection. Chapter 4 highlights a detailed assessment of the overall market landscape of the companies developing non-viral transfection reagents, based on several relevant parameters, such as type of carrier used (lipid-based carrier, polymer-based carrier, protein-based carrier, nanotechnology-based carrier, calcium phosphate-based carrier and minicircle-based carrier), compatible cell type (human cell, monkey cell, murine cell and other cell), type of molecule delivered (DNA and RNA), and serum compatibility (serum free and serum compatibility). It also features information on the non-viral transfection reagent developers, highlighting the year of establishment, company size and location of headquarters. Chapter 5 includes a detailed assessment of the overall market landscape of the companies developing electroporation-based non-viral transfection systems. The relevant parameters used for the assessment include, compatible cell type (human mammalian cells and other mammalian cells) and type of molecule delivered (DNA and RNA). It also features information on the electroporation based-transfection systems developers, highlighting the year of establishment, company size and location of headquarters. Chapter 6 includes a detailed assessment of the overall market landscape of the companies developing other non-viral transfection systems. The relevant parameters used for the assessment include, compatible cell type (human mammalian cells and other mammalian cells) and type of molecule delivered (DNA and RNA). It also features information on the other non-viral transfection systems developers, highlighting the year of establishment, company size and location of headquarters. Chapter 7 includes an in-depth company competitiveness analysis of non-viral transfection reagent and system developers based in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. The analysis compares various developers based on developer strength (in terms of years of experience and company size) and product portfolio strength (type of carrier used, compatible cell type, type of molecule delivered and serum compatibility). Chapter 8 presents a detailed technology competitiveness analysis of electroporation-based transfection systems and other non-viral transfection systems, taking into consideration the developer strength (based on the year of establishment and company size of developer) and product portfolio strength (in terms of compatible cell type and type of molecule delivered). Chapter 9 presents tabulated profiles of key players engaged in the development of non-viral transfection reagents and systems (shortlisted based on the type of carrier used, compatible cell type, type of molecule delivered and serum compatibility). Each profile includes a brief overview of the company, financial information (if available), recent developments and an informed future outlook. Chapter 10 presents an in-depth analysis of over 80 cell (including TCR and CAR-T cell) and gene therapy developers that are likely to partner with non-viral transfection reagent and system developers, based on several relevant parameters, such as pipeline maturity (which takes into account the phase of development), developer strength (in terms of number of employees), pipeline strength (based on the number of non-viral transfection reagents in pipeline), and type of therapy. Chapter 11 provides a review of the various non-viral focused initiatives undertaken by big pharma players (shortlisted on the basis of the revenues generated in 2021), featuring various insightful representations, based on year of initiative, type of initiative (in terms of collaborations and funding), type of therapy (in terms of cell and gene therapies) and target therapeutic area. Chapter 12 features an in-depth analysis of close to 900 patents that have been filed / granted related to non-viral transfection systems, since 2019, highlighting key trends associated with these patents, across type of patent, publication year, application year, geography, type of applicant, CPC symbols, emerging focus areas, leading players (in terms of number of patents granted / filed). In addition, the chapter includes a detailed patent benchmarking and an insightful valuation analysis. Chapter 13 features a detailed analysis of more than 450 peer-reviewed, scientific articles focused on non-viral transfection reagents and systems that have been published since 2015, based on year of publication, type of publication, type of molecule delivered, target therapeutic area, key focus areas, popular cells and cell lines. The chapter also highlights the leading publishers across different geographies, key journals (in terms of number of articles published). Chapter 14 presents an insightful framework to understand the pricing strategy of the non-viral transfection reagents offered by a company, along with its competitive position in the market. In addition, it presents the equation devised to calculate the likely price of non-viral transfection reagents based upon their characteristics. Chapter 15 features the likely distribution of the future opportunity across, non-viral transfection systems (chemical method and physical method ), end-user (academic and research institutions, pharmaceutical companies and other end-users), application area (clinical application and research application) and geographical regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and rest of the world). In order to account for future uncertainties associated with some of the key parameters and to add robustness to our model, we have provided three market forecast scenarios, portraying the conservative, base and optimistic scenarios of the industrys evolution. Chapter 16 summarizes the entire report. It presents a list of key takeaways and offers our independent opinion on the current market scenario. Further, it summarizes the various evolutionary trends that are likely to influence the future of this market. Chapter 17 provides the transcripts of interviews conducted with key stakeholders in this industry. Chapter 18 is an appendix, that contains tabulated data and numbers for all the figures provided in the report. Chapter 19 is an appendix, that provides the list of companies and organizations mentioned in the report. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06430647/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Story continues CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 Aspocomp Group Plc Aspocomp Group Plc., Stock Exchange Release, March 16, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. Notice is given to the shareholders of Aspocomp Group Plc. to the Annual General Meeting to be held on Thursday, April 20, 2023 at 10 a.m. (EET), address Keilaranta 1, 1st floor Auditorium, Espoo, Finland. The reception of persons who have registered for the meeting will commence at 9.30 a.m. (EET). A. MATTERS ON THE AGENDA OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING At the Annual General Meeting, the following matters will be handled: 1. Opening of the meeting 2. Calling the meeting to order 3. Election of persons to scrutinize the minutes and to supervise the counting of votes 4. Recording the legality of the meeting 5. Recording the attendance at the meeting and adoption of the list of votes 6. Presentation of the annual accounts, the consolidated annual accounts, the report of the Board of Directors and the auditors report for the year 2022 - Review by the CEO The annual report of the company for the year 2022, including the companys annual accounts, the consolidated annual accounts and the report of the Board of Directors as well as the auditors report shall be available on the companys website at www.aspocomp.com/reports as of March 28, 2023. 7. Adoption of the annual accounts and the consolidated annual accounts 8. Resolution on the use of the profit shown on the balance sheet and payment of dividend The Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting, that a dividend of EUR 0.21 per share be paid. The dividend would be paid to shareholders registered in the Register of Shareholders maintained by Euroclear Finland Ltd on the record date of the dividend distribution, April 24, 2023. The Board of Directors proposes that the dividend will be paid on May 2, 2023. 9. Resolution on the discharge from liability of the members of the Board of Directors and the CEO 10. Presentation of the remuneration report 2022 for companys governing bodies The Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting that it would approve the companys remuneration report for governing bodies 2022. The resolution concerning approval of the remuneration report is advisory in nature. The remuneration report will be available on the companys website www.aspocomp.com/agm as of March 16, 2023 11. Resolution on the remuneration of the members of the Board of Directors The Shareholders Nomination Board proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the amount of remuneration payable to the Board of Directors remain the same as in the ending term and that Board Members be thus compensated as follows: EUR 30,000 for the chairman of the Board of Directors, EUR 20,000 for the vice chairman, and EUR 15,000 for each of the other members in remuneration for their term of office. The Nomination Board further proposes that EUR 1,000 be paid as remuneration per meeting to the chairman and that the other members be paid EUR 500 per meeting of the Board and its committees. The Nomination Board also proposes that the members of the Board of Directors be reimbursed for reasonable travel costs. 12. Resolution on the number of members of the Board of Directors The Shareholders Nomination Board proposes to the Annual General Meeting that four (4) members be elected to the Board of Directors. 13. Election of members of the Board of Directors The Shareholders Nomination Board proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the current members of the Board of Directors Ms. Paivi Marttila, Ms. Kaarina Muurinen, Mr. Jukka Huuskonen and Mr. Anssi Korhonen be re-elected as members to the Board of Directors. In accordance with the Articles of Association of the company, the term of office of the members of the Board of Directors ends at the closing of the next Annual General Meeting following the election. The said director nominees have given their consents to the election. The nominees' personal details are available on the companys website www.aspocomp.com. In accordance with the Articles of Association the Board of Directors elects its chairman from among its members. The Nomination Board proposes to the inaugural meeting of the Board of Directors to be held after the Annual General Meeting that Ms. Paivi Marttila is re-elected as chairman of the Board of Directors. The Nomination Board has assessed the director nominees' independence against the independence criteria of the Finnish Corporate Governance Code. According to the evaluation carried out by the Nomination Board, all director nominees are independent of the company's significant shareholders. The Nomination Board has also assessed that all nominees are independent of the company. 14. Resolution on the remuneration of the auditor The Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the auditors fees be paid according to the auditors invoice. 15. Election of auditor The Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting that PricewaterhouseCoopers Oy, Authorized Public Accountants be re-elected as the company's auditor. PricewaterhouseCoopers Oy has notified that Mr. Tuukka Kiuru, Authorized Public Accountant, will act as the principal auditor. In accordance with the Articles of Association of the company, the term of office of the auditor ends at the closing of the next Annual General Meeting following the election. 16. Authorizing the Board of Directors to decide on share issues as well as the issue of options and other special rights The Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the Board of Directors be authorized to, in one or several instalments, decide on the issuance of shares and the issuance of options and other special rights entitling to shares referred to in Chapter 10 Section 1 of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act as follows: The number of shares to be issued based on the authorization may in total amount to a maximum of 681,144 shares. The Board of Directors decides on all the terms and conditions of the issuances of shares and of options and other special rights entitling to shares. The authorization concerns both the issuance of new shares as well as own shares possibly held by the company. The issuance of shares and of options and other special rights entitling to shares referred to in Chapter 10 Section 1 of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act may be carried out in deviation from the shareholders pre-emptive rights (directed issue). The authorization cancels the authorization given by the General Meeting on April 26, 2022, to decide on the issuance of shares as well as the issuance of special rights entitling to shares. The authorization is valid until June 30, 2024. 17. Amendment of the Articles of Association The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting would decide to amend the companys Articles of Association to enable convening a General Meeting as a virtual meeting without a meeting venue as an alternative to a customary general meeting or a hybrid meeting. The Finnish Companies Act requires that shareholders can exercise their full rights in virtual meetings, with equal rights to those in customary in-person General Meetings. Pursuant to the proposal of the Board of Directors, 9 of the companys Articles of Association would be amended to read as follows: 9 The General Meeting shall be held in Helsinki or Espoo. The Board may decide that the General Meeting is arranged without a meeting venue in a manner where shareholders exercise their full decision-making powers in real time during the General Meeting using telecommunications and technical means (virtual meeting). In order to exercise his right to speak and vote at the General Meeting, a shareholder must register in the manner specified in the invitation to the meeting. The closing date for registration shall be no sooner than ten days before the meeting. 18. Closing of the meeting B. DOCUMENTS OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The aforementioned proposals of the Shareholders Nomination Board and the Board of Directors relating to the agenda of the Annual General Meeting, this notice and the companys Remuneration Report for Governing Bodies 2022 will be available on the companys website at www.aspocomp.com/agm starting from March 16, 2023. The annual report of the company for the year 2022, including the companys annual accounts, the consolidated annual accounts and the report of the Board of Directors as well as the auditors report shall be available on the companys website at www.aspocomp.com/reports as of March 28, 2023. The proposals for decisions and the other above-mentioned documents are also available at the meeting. Copies of these documents and of this notice will be sent to shareholders upon request The minutes of the Annual General Meeting will be available at www.aspocomp.com/agm no later than May 4, 2023. C. INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 1. The right to participate and registration Each shareholder, who on the record date of the Annual General Meeting, April 6, 2023, is registered in the shareholders register of the company held by Euroclear Finland Ltd., has the right to participate in the Annual General Meeting. Each shareholder, whose shares are registered on his/her/its personal Finnish book-entry account, is registered in the shareholders register of the company. A shareholder, that is registered in the shareholders register of the company, who wants to participate in the Annual General Meeting, shall register for the meeting within the period March 16, 2023 April 17, 2023. The registration must be available at the company at the latest on Monday, April 17, 2023, by 10 a.m. (EET). Such notice can be given: a) via Aspocomps website at https://aspocomp.com/investors/governance/agm/ Electronic registration requires strong identification of the shareholder or his/her representative or proxy with Finnish or Swedish bank IDs or mobile certificate., b) by e-mail at the address agm@innovatics.fi, c) by telephone at number +358 10 2818 909 on weekdays between 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1-4 p.m. (EET), or d) by regular mail to Innovatics Oy, Yhtiokokous/ Aspocomp Group Oyj, Ratamestarinkatu 13 A, 00520 Helsinki, Finland. In connection with the registration a shareholder shall provide requested information, such as his/her/its name, personal identification number of Business ID, address, telephone number, email address and the name of a possible assistant or proxy representative and the personal identification number of a proxy representative. The personal data given to Aspocomp Group Plc. or Innovatics Oy is used only in connection with the Annual General Meeting and the processing of related necessary registrations. 2. Holders of nominee registered shares A holder of nominee registered shares has the right to participate in the Annual General Meeting by virtue of shares based on which he/she/it on the record date of the meeting, i.e. on April 6, 2023, would be entitled to be registered in the shareholders register of the company held by Euroclear Finland Ltd. The right to participate in the Annual General Meeting requires, in addition, that the shareholder has on the basis of such shares been temporarily registered into the shareholders register of the company held by Euroclear Finland Ltd. at the latest on April 17, 2023, by 10.00 a.m. (EET). As regards nominee registered shares this constitutes due registration for the Annual General Meeting. A holder of nominee registered shares is advised without delay to request necessary instructions regarding the temporary registration in the shareholders register of the company, the issuing of proxy documents and voting instructions and registration for the Annual General Meeting from his/her/its custodian bank. The account manager of the custodian has to register a holder of nominee registered shares, who wants to participate in the Annual General Meeting, temporarily into the shareholders register of the company at the latest on April 17, 2023, by 10.00 a.m. (EET). 3. Proxy representative and powers of attorney A shareholder may participate in the Annual General Meeting and exercise his/her/its rights at the meeting by way of proxy representation. A proxy representative shall produce a dated proxy document or otherwise in a reliable manner demonstrate his/her right to represent the shareholder at the Annual General Meeting. When a shareholder participates in the Annual General Meeting by means of several proxy representatives representing the shareholder with shares at different securities accounts, the shares by which each proxy representative represents the shareholder shall be identified in connection with the registration for the Annual General Meeting. A proxy representative may deliver the duly completed and signed proxy documents, primarily as attachments in connection with electronic registration, or by post to the address Innovatics Oy, Annual General Meeting / Aspocomp Group Plc, Ratamestarinkatu 13 A, 00520 Helsinki, Finland, or by e-mail to agm@innovatics.fi before the deadline for delivering the notice of participation on April 17, 2023, by 10.00 a.m. (EET), by which time the documents must be received. In addition to the delivery of proxy representative shall register for the Annual General Meeting as described in this notice. Shareholders that are legal entities may also, as an alternative to traditional proxy documents, use the electronic Suomi.fi authorisation service for authorising their proxy representatives. The representative is mandated in the Suomi.fi service at www.suomi.fi/e-authorizations (using the authorisation topic Representation at the General Meeting). In the general meeting service, authorised representatives shall identify themselves through strong electronic authentication and register on behalf of the shareholder they represent. The strong electronic authentication takes place with personal online banking credentials or a mobile certificate. For more information, see www.suomi.fi/eauthorizations. Proxy template is available at the companys website www.aspocomp.com/agm. 4. Other instructions and information Pursuant to Chapter 5 Section 25 of the Finnish Companies Act, a shareholder who is present at the Annual General Meeting has the right to request information with respect to the matters to be handled at the meeting. Changes in shareholding after the record date do not affect the right to participate in the meeting or the number of voting rights held in the meeting. On the date of the notice to the Annual General Meeting, March 16, 2023, the total number of shares and votes in Aspocomp Group Plc. is 6,841,440. The company does not have treasury shares in its possession. In Espoo, March 16, 2023 ASPOCOMP GROUP PLC. THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS For further information, please contact Mikko Montonen, CEO, tel. +358 40 5011 262, mikko.montonen(at)aspocomp.com. ASPOCOMP GROUP PLC. Mikko Montonen CEO Aspocomp Heart of your Technology A printed circuit board (PCB) is used for electrical interconnection and as a component assembly platform in electronic devices. Aspocomp provides PCB technology design, testing and logistics services over the entire lifecycle of a product. The companys own production and extensive international partner network guarantee cost-effectiveness and reliable deliveries. Aspocomps customers are companies that design and manufacture telecommunication systems and equipment, automotive and industrial electronics, and systems for testing semiconductor components for security technology. The company has customers around the world and most of its net sales are generated by exports. Aspocomp is headquartered in Espoo and its plant is in Oulu, one of Finlands major technology hubs. www.aspocomp.com Story continues Attachment Novozymes OneHealth Shanghai, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 26th Food Ingredients China (FIC) kicked off on March 15 in Shanghai. Novozymes OneHealth participated in the exhibition with the theme of Exploration and Discovery and discuss the future trend of food industry! This year's show was full of highlights, as Novozymes OneHealth (hereinafter referred to as OneHealth) presented a feast of technology in digital form and interactive experience to the attendees, which fully demonstrates OneHealth's hard power to help consumers face health challenges with technology. With professional empowerment, enhance brand influence in the industry With the purpose of promoting the prosperous development of big health and providing consumers with better health and nutrition products, OneHealth and Sanofi Consumer Healthcare China decided to join hands in a strategic partnership to incubate big health products and promote the technological innovation, production, sales and marketing of probiotic health products in China. Ms. Chen Xi, general manager of Sanofi Consumer Healthcare China, said:We hope to use Sanofi's strong medical and pharmaceutical R&D technology to create quality products for Chinese consumers in a consumer product way, which is also in line with the philosophy that OneHealth insists on. It solves consumers health problems with scientifically proven and consumer needs as the focus. We are excited about this alliance and look forward to working with OneHealth in the future to achieve success in the field of human health. (left)Sanofi Consumer Healthcare China -Chen Xi (right)Novozymes OneHealth China General Manager-Cheng Xian In addition to the strong alliance to expand the brand influence, OneHealth also invited a group of heavyweight experts in the field to explore the wonderful world of microorganisms and the market demand and solutions of the probiotics segment. Professor Zhao Jianxin, Director of Food Biotechnology Research Center in Jiangnan Universitys said at the show that Chinese consumers' perceptions have changed from being well fed and clothed to being health conscious, which has contributed to the development of the overall health industry. Jiangnan University is also aware of the changes in the industry. Through years of experience in food microbiology and nearly 20-year extension to the field of probiotics research, we catch the opportunity to carry out research cooperation with Novozymes. We look forward to working with leading companies to standardize our research results and bring better products to consumers, as well as working with OneHealth to reach even higher heights. Story continues Guo Xinguang, Vice President of the China National Research Institute of Food and Fermentation Industries, who is also very influential in the industry, said: At present, there is no relatively perfect standard system for probiotic products from R&D, production to promotion in China, so we have the same expectation as Jiangnan University, moreover, we hope to work with academic and industry colleagues to establish a series of processes from scientific research, standardization to regulations for probiotic products, which helps to bring better products to consumers for sustainable industry development. As a leader in the probiotic segment, OneHealth also brought several important products to the event, including BioFresh4+TM for fresh breath, BioFreshTMClean for plaque elimination, ProbioBrainTM for stress relief and sleep, IBmeTM for IBS relief, as well as SmartGuardTM for eliminating harmful heavy metals from the body except for PylopassTM. Focus on market demand and deepen the anti-pylori track The application of probiotics in various segments including anti-pylori. Pylopass is one of the first strains to be commercialized with a large clinical population. It is also the early one included in professional treatment guidelines and used in the countries all over the world. OneHealth also cooperates with SmartPath to understand the real voice of consumers in a more diversified way. Ms. Zou Mingjun, Senior Data Specialist of Shanghai SmartPath said at the conference: China's retail market size achieved 44 trillion in 2022, of which, 39.3% was made online. Probiotics have more and more growth, the scale is very impressive. For the online probiotics market, probiotics achieved a high growth of 53% for the year 2022 and Pylopass has a rapid growth. In addition to grasping industry trends, consumer insights are particularly important to the success or failure of products. OneHealth has always been committed to thorough insights into consumer pain points and needs in order to bring targeted solutions to the market and continue to lead the probiotic market segment. OneHealth is precisely rooted in the market and has established partnerships with many well-known brands. Wonderlab have always adhered to a scientifically proven attitude to research and innovation. H. pylori is not easy to remove and is prone to drug resistance during treatment, so we need to actively look for clinically proven scientific solutions and we chose OneHealth's Pylopass ingredients. said Mr. Van Rooy, senior R&D scientist of Wonderlab at the conference. OneHealth actively provides natural and healthy diversified products for consumers. At the meeting, Novozymes OneHealth invited Mr. Qiu Yuan, Deputy General Manager of COSMAX to introduce the demand of Chinese health care products for product formulation and dosage form innovation. He mentioned the determination to deepen cooperation with OneHealth. COSMAXs factories are located in Korea, the United States, Australia and China, and we can produce solid beverages such as tablet candy. The jelly that is known to everyone has nutritional jelly and the jelly has good water locking, so that it is not easy to stain clothes when consumers tear it open and eat it. At the same time, the flavor is not affected, so it is loved by consumers. Continue high growth and pioneer the new blue ocean in Chinese market Novozymes Group achieved a strong performance in a volatile market environment in 2022. Organic sales grew by 9% for the year and we are confident that we will achieve 4-7% growth in 2023. The performance are market are of equal importance. While focusing on achievements, it is worthwhile for the OneHealth strategy team and the entire probiotic industry to think about how to bring the OneHealth brand and products deeper into the market and do a better job in the probiotic segment. The leaders of OneHealth Global and China also express that: OneHealth General Manager-Ulrich Irgens said: we have made China an important segment of OneHealth's strategy, not only because of the size and rapid development of the Chinese market, but also because we see China at the forefront of innovation, the high level of innovation and speed of our partners, as well as the high acceptance of Chinese consumers and doctors (for product) OneHealth China General Manager-Cheng Xian said: we are especially grateful to our industry colleagues and partners for their help and recognition, which has enabled Novozymes OneHealth to enter such a vast and vibrant market as China and take a place in the relevant market segments. Achieve new breakthroughs and capture the 100 billion health windfall With a firm grasp on the 100 billion probiotic health market, OneHealth will continue to make new breakthroughs in different segments and explore scientifically proven biotech solutions to help Chinese consumers address health challenges such as intestinal discomfort, negative emotions and sleep disturbances brought about by modern lifestyles. Novozymes OneHealth China team The 26th China International Food Additives and Ingredients Expo is a gathering of authoritative industry insights and technological innovations, providing strong momentum for the industry's development. OneHealth will also continue to innovate and energize the industry, as well as explore scientifically proven biotechnology solutions in different segments to address the health challenges of modern lifestyles and help consumers have a healthier and better life. CONTACT: Tim Brown tim198515@gmail.com COVINGTON, WA / ACCESSWIRE / March 16, 2023 / In a new campaign launched today, Washington fish farming workers, who have grown affordable, high-quality fish in Puget Sound for over 40 years, are speaking out for the first time to expose the pain they and their families have endured as the result of DNR Commissioner Hilary Franz's unilateral and unscientific decision to ban fish farming in state waters. "Franz's blatantly political action last November not only forced fish farmers out of work, but also ended the availability of affordable, nutritious, sustainable, and locally farmed fish for Washington consumers," said Jeanne McKnight, Executive Director of the Northwest Aquaculture Alliance (NWAA), the organization behind the campaign. In its new www.stophilaryfranz.com grass-roots advocacy campaign, NWAA appeals to Washington citizens, asking them to send a letter to state legislators requesting an examination of Franz's actions. Click here to watch and share the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLkxXMW3KtM "This unscientific ban on commercial net pens shows that Hilary Franz is playing politics with your dinner plate-at the expense of hard-working, dedicated people who have made the production of nutritious seafood their life-long career," McKnight said. "It's outrageous that Franz ignored multiple peer-reviewed scientific studies proving the ecological safety of farming fish and completely disregarded a unanimous Supreme Court decision affirming the legality of farming native steelhead in our state waters. We are outraged that she completely ignored the multi-year comprehensive study, conducted right here in Puget Sound, that gave rise to the recent biological opinion from NOAA showing no significant adverse impacts on endangered species by fish farms operating in the state. Hilary Franz needs to act like a true leader and explain to our farmers who lost their livelihoods, just what science she used to make this harmful decision. She refuses to do that," McKnight said. Story continues "As the video reveals, Washington fish farm workers first learned about the Franz decision from a news story. This is unconscionable. This is NOT the kind of transparent leadership we should expect from our elected public servants." McKnight said. She added, "We applaud these dedicated farm workers for making a public appeal, and on their behalf, we are pleading with Governor Jay Inslee and the Washington state Legislature to take a closer look at the devastating consequences of the Franz decision by hearing directly from the farmers who lost their livelihoods with no warning. It is important to question whether this unilateral decision runs counter to the letter and spirit of Washington law." Northwest Aquaculture Alliance, Thursday, March 16, 2023, Press release picture An aquaculture supporter holds a "No Farms, No Food" sign behind Washington DNR Commissioner Hilary Franz as she announces her decision to end commercial fish farming in Washington. In 1985, the legislature passed SB 3067, the "Aquatic Farming Act," which declares that "aquatic farming provides a consistent source of quality food, offers opportunities of new jobs, increased farm income stability, and improves balance of trade." The Act also declares, "It is therefore the policy of this state to encourage the development and expansion of aquaculture within this state." This legislation is still Washington law, although it was modified by the passage of HB 2957 in 2018, calling for the end of farming of non-native species in state waters, but legalizing the farming of native species in state waters. The farmers who lost their jobs because of Franz's actions were successfully farming native steelhead. NWAA believes the Franz decision to ban fish farming in commercial net pens represents egregious government over-reach on the part of a politically ambitious agency head, and in its campaign, NWAA urges the legislature to take back its definitive authority to establish state policy around this critically important issue. Farmers across the state consider it shameful that Commissioner Franz, flanked at a celebratory press conference by well-known anti-aquaculture and anti-commercial fishing activists, would gloat over destroying an important food production sector and killing the jobs of Washington farmers just one week before Thanksgiving last Fall. It's clear that Hilary Franz was trying to score political points with activist groups, but without the courtesy of first notifying the employees whose jobs she killed. She refused to meet with the employees who attended her press conference and had asked to speak with her. Instead, she sent a political fundraising appeal within hours, bragging about what she had just done. This is not the type of leadership we expect from Franz or other Washington elected officials, especially at a time when food prices are at an all-time high and good jobs are scarce in rural communities. After the last farmed steelhead was harvested in Puget Sound last month, a USDA-funded study revealed the Seattle-Tacoma market has the highest per capita consumption of farmed steelhead of any other metropolitan region in the country. With local fish farmers banned from producing such in-demand fish, Commissioner Franz's actions will lead to higher prices and less availability of fresh, local, sustainably farmed, affordable fish. Media contact: Jeanne McKnight jmcknight@mcknightpr.com 206-963-6478 SOURCE: Northwest Aquaculture Alliance View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/744233/NWAA-Launches-Grassroots-Campaign-Spotlighting-Damage-Done-by-DNR-Commissioner-Hilary-Franzs-Political-Decision-to-End-Commercial-Net-Pen-Fish-Farming-In-Washington O.U.R. forms partnership with A.R.C. & increases its support in Ghana; aids in the arrests of pedophile suspects and contributes nutritional support for vulnerable children in Ecuador SALT LAKE CITY, March 16, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--During March 2023, Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.) provided focused support for arrests of sex trafficking perpetrators in Ghana and assisted in identifying perpetrators and providing nutritional support for vulnerable children in Ecuador. O.U.R. entered a new partnership this month with Abuse Relief Corps (A.R.C.) to amplify efforts to rescue child sex trafficking victims and help law enforcement agencies catch and prosecute perpetrators in Ghana. On March 3, 2023, O.U.R. and A.R.C. joined government leaders and other stakeholders to announce the new partnership in Accra, Ghana. Offering Hope in Ghana For the past seven years, A.R.C. has been aiding and funding post-assault care of victims of rape, sexual violence, and child marriage in Ghana. Since 2013, O.U.R. has expanded into more than 40 countries and all 50 U.S. states, providing operations and aftercare efforts that have led to the rescue of more than 5,000 child sex trafficking survivors and the arrest of more than 4,000 predators. David Jacobs, O.U.R. Chief Global Operation Manager, said the organization is honored to serve Ghana and is optimistic the merger will help both organizations to make an even greater impact on behalf of the countrys children whove been victimized by sex trafficking. For example, O.U.R. recently provided diapers, food, clothing, and medical support for a 12-year-old survivor in Ghana who had a baby after being trafficked. The organization furnished funds for DNA testing for the trafficker who denied paternity and supplied medical support, police investigation facilitation, legal assistance, and counseling for three additional minor survivors. At the announcement, O.U.R. Ghana presented ten laptops to the Ghana Police Anti Trafficking Unit. Story continues Robyn Jesse Ern, A.R.C. Founder, noted at the event that her organization has made a big difference in Ghana but looks forward to increased activities and the raising of additional funds to do even more to stop human trafficking and gender-based violence. Former Ghana Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister Nana Oye Bampoe Addo spoke at the launch about the need for shelters and education throughout the country and praised O.U.R.s approach to help stop trafficking. "O.U.R. Ghana has now added the teaching of self-defense," she said. "This is innovative." Global Outreach in Ecuador On another continent, following the arrest of a member of an alleged pedophile ring in Mexico, O.U.R. digital forensics experts found a photo that led them to a hotel in a remote part of Ecuador. The ongoing investigation revealed the suspects were exploiting the childrens hunger in the region to lure them into the hotel with the promise of meals. Law enforcement successfully arrested the predators. The community organized volunteers to start a small kitchen in the rear of a beauty salon to feed vulnerable children. O.U.R. is assisting with the expansion of the kitchen by remodeling an adjacent area for children to sit comfortably while eating their meals. Additionally, O.U.R. is providing cooking equipment, creating weekly menus with appropriate nutritious meals and recruiting parents to prepare food for as many as 350 children per day and is now supporting the kitchen in providing the only hot and nutritious meal of the day for most of these children. About Operation Underground Railroad Operation Underground Railroad is a nonprofit organization that works with law enforcement around the world to extract children from slavery and then place survivors on a path to recovery by partnering with vetted aftercare providers. O.U.R. will continue its rescue, aftercare and prevention programs, while leveraging research for new public and private support. For more information visit www.OURrescue.org. #EndChildTrafficking #ChildSexTrafficking #ChildSexualExploitation #TheHiddenWar View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005683/en/ Contacts Operation Underground Railroad pr@OURrescue.org SnappConner PR Cheryl Conner 801-805-0160 NEW YORK, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The organic food and beverages market size is forecast to increase by USD 310.08 billion from 2022 to 2027, at a CAGR of 15.85%, according to the recent market study by Technavio. The market is driven by the rising number of new product launches. Successful new product launches will boost vendors' revenue streams and market shares. For instance, Grain Forests' new organic products were introduced in July 2022 in an effort to connect the remote farm with the city. Moringa powder for daily nutrition, sprouted ragi for babies, a health mix for diabetics, and ragi dosa for a filling breakfast are just a few of the new additions. Similarly, the first zero-sugar organic ultra-filtered milk was introduced in 2021 by Maple Hill Creamery, America's original 100% grass-fed organic dairy brand. With its most recent product innovation, Maple Hill offers consumers an organic milk option that contains no sugar, no additional sweeteners, and no carbohydrates. Thus, the rising number of new product launches in the various segments of the market will drive the growth of the market during the forecast period. Take action now and gain valuable insights into the impact of the US crisis with our comprehensive analysis report - Talk to us Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Organic Food and Beverages Market 2023-2027 Organic food and beverages market Segment Overview The market is segmented by type (organic fruits and vegetables, organic dairy products, organic prepared foods, organic meat, and others), distribution channel (offline and online), and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, Middle East and Africa, and South America). Segmentation by application (Inclusion/Exclusion) The market share growth by the organic fruits and vegetables segment will be significant during the forecast period. Over the course of the forecast period, the segment's growth is anticipated to be fueled by the growing concerns surrounding artificial preservatives and additives. Originating in developed nations like North America and Europe and later spreading to developing nations like China and India, organic foods are gaining popularity worldwide. Fresh fruits and vegetables that are organic have more advantages over conventional, non-organic fruits and vegetables. Despite their high price, these benefits are driving up demand for organic fresh fruits and vegetables. Hence, during the forecast period, an increase in the consumption of organic fruits and vegetables is anticipated. Story continues Organic food and beverages market Regional Analysis North America is estimated to contribute 35% to the growth of the global market during the forecast period. Since vegans only consume plant-based products, the rising vegan population in the US will also help the regional organic food and beverage market expand over the forecast period. Two to six percent of US consumers consider themselves vegetarians. Celebrities are also becoming more and more pro-vegan in America. Additionally, the number of US startups providing vegan nutrition is growing. As consumers believe they are healthier than regular organic foods and beverages, the demand for organic food and drink is rising in the area. During the forecast period, this will also aid in the market's expansion. During the forecast period, there is also expected to be an increase in the number of new players offering products made from organic foods and drinks. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Organic food and beverages market Vendor Landscape Technavio has extensively analyzed 15 major vendors, including Agrowave Organic Vegetable and Fruits, Amys Kitchen Inc., Archer Daniels Midland Co., Ardent Mills LLC, Arla Foods amba, AUGA Group AB, Aurora Organic Dairy, Bunge Ltd., Cargill Inc., Danone SA, Del Monte Pacific Ltd., General Mills Inc., Hometown Food Co., Kellogg Co., Maple Hill Creamery LLC, Mehrotra Consumer Products Pvt. Ltd., Nestle SA, ORGANIC INDIA Pvt. Ltd., Organic Valley, PepsiCo Inc., Premium Brands Holdings Corp., PS Organic, The Coca Cola Co., The Hain Celestial Group Inc., The Hershey Co., United Natural Foods Inc., and Drakes Organic Spirits Inc. Why Buy? Add credibility to strategy Analyzes competitor's offerings Get a holistic view of the market Grow your profit margin with Technavio Buy the Report! Key Benefits for Industry Players & Stakeholders The report offers information on the criticality of vendor inputs, including R&D, CAPEX, and technology. It also provides detailed analyses of the market's competitive landscape and vendors' product offerings. The report also provides a qualitative and quantitative analysis of vendors to help clients understand the wider business environment as well as the strengths and weaknesses of key market players. Data is qualitatively analyzed to categorize vendors as pure play, category-focused, industry-focused, and diversified; it is quantitatively analyzed to categorize vendors as dominant, leading, strong, tentative, and weak. Expand operations in the future - To get requisite details, ask for a custom report. Customer Landscape - Analysis of Price Sensitivity, Adoption Lifecycle, Customer Purchase Basket, Adoption Rates, and Purchase Criteria by Technavio One of the core components of the customer landscape is price sensitivity, an analysis of which will help companies refine marketing strategies to gain a competitive advantage. Another key aspect is price sensitivity drivers (purchases are undifferentiated, the purchase is a key cost to buyers, and quality is not important), which range between LOW and HIGH. Furthermore, market adoption rates for all regions have been covered. Get a holistic overview of the endoscopic closure devices market by industry experts to evaluate and develop growth strategies. Download the Sample What are the key data covered in this organic food and beverages market report? CAGR of the market during the forecast period Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the organic food and beverages market between 2023 and 2027 Precise estimation of the size of the organic food and beverages market size and its contribution to the market in focus on the parent market Accurate predictions about upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior Growth of the organic food and beverages market industry across APAC, Europe, North America, Middle East and Africa, and South America A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of organic food and beverages market vendors Related Reports: The organic food preservatives market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 4.71% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 367.66 million. Furthermore, this report extensively covers market segmentation by application (bakery and confectionary, beverages, dairy, sweet and savory snacks, and others) and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA). The functional foods and beverages market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 7.29% between 2022 and 2027. Furthermore, this report extensively covers functional foods and beverages market segmentation in North America by product (functional foods and functional beverages) and geography (US, Canada, and Mexico). Organic Food And Beverages Market Scope Report Coverage Details Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 15.85% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 310.08 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 9.25 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, Middle East and Africa, and South America Performing market contribution North America at 35% Key countries US, Canada, Japan, Germany, and France Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Agrowave Organic Vegetable and Fruits, Amys Kitchen Inc., Archer Daniels Midland Co., Ardent Mills LLC, Arla Foods amba, AUGA Group AB, Aurora Organic Dairy, Bunge Ltd., Cargill Inc., Danone SA, Del Monte Pacific Ltd., General Mills Inc., Hometown Food Co., Kellogg Co., Maple Hill Creamery LLC, Mehrotra Consumer Products Pvt. Ltd., Nestle SA, ORGANIC INDIA Pvt. Ltd., Organic Valley, PepsiCo Inc., Premium Brands Holdings Corp., PS Organic, The Coca Cola Co., The Hain Celestial Group Inc., The Hershey Co., United Natural Foods Inc., and Drakes Organic Spirits Inc. Market dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, and Market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized. Table of Contents: 1 Executive Summary 1.1 Market overview 2 Market Landscape 2.1 Market ecosystem 3 Market Sizing 3.1 Market definition 3.2 Market segment analysis 3.3 Market size 2022 3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027 4 Historic Market Size 4.1 Global organic food and beverages market 2017 - 2021 4.2 Product type Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 4.3 Distribution channel Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 4.4 Geography Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 4.5 Country Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 5 Five Forces Analysis 5.1 Five forces summary 5.2 Bargaining power of buyers 5.3 Bargaining power of suppliers 5.4 Threat of new entrants 5.5 Threat of substitutes 5.6 Threat of rivalry 5.7 Market condition 6 Market Segmentation by Product Type 6.1 Market segments 6.2 Comparison by Product Type 6.3 Organic fruits and vegetables - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 6.4 Organic dairy products - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 6.5 Organic prepared foods - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 6.6 Organic meat - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 6.7 Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 6.8 Market opportunity by Product Type 7 Market Segmentation by Distribution Channel 7.1 Market segments 7.2 Comparison by Distribution Channel 7.3 Offline - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 7.4 Online - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 7.5 Market opportunity by Distribution Channel 8 Customer Landscape 8.1 Customer landscape overview 9 Geographic Landscape 9.1 Geographic segmentation 9.2 Geographic comparison 9.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 9.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 9.5 APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 9.6 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 9.7 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 9.8 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 9.9 Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 9.10 Canada - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 9.11 France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 9.12 Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 9.13 Market opportunity by geography 10 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 10.1 Market drivers 10.2 Market challenges 10.3 Impact of drivers and challenges 10.4 Market trends 11 Vendor Landscape 11.1 Overview 11.2 Vendor landscape 11.3 Landscape disruption 11.4 Industry risks 12 Vendor Analysis 12.1 Vendors covered 12.2 Market positioning of vendors 12.3 Amys Kitchen Inc. 12.4 Archer Daniels Midland Co. 12.5 Bunge Ltd. 12.6 Cargill Inc. 12.7 Danone SA 12.8 General Mills Inc. 12.9 Hometown Food Co. 12.10 Kellogg Co. 12.11 Nestle SA 12.12 Organic Valley 12.13 PepsiCo Inc. 12.14 PS Organic 12.15 The Coca Cola Co. 12.16 The Hain Celestial Group Inc. 12.17 United Natural Foods Inc. 13 Appendix 13.1 Scope of the report 13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist 13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ 13.4 Research methodology 13.5 List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: media@technavio.com Website: www.technavio.com/ Global Organic Food and Beverages Market 2023-2027 Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/organic-food-and-beverages-market-size-is-estimated-to-grow-by-usd-310-08-billion-between-2022-and-2027-evolving-opportunities-with-amys-kitchen-inc-archer-daniels-midland-co-among-others--us-bank-failure-impact-2023---tech-301773123.html SOURCE Technavio Pay My Legal Bills Before Anyone Else, Sam Bankman-Fried Tells FTX Listen to the CoinMarketRecap podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts Sam Bankman-Fried would like FTX's new management to make paying his legal bills a priority and put him on top of the payout list. Specifically, SBF is asking the bankruptcy court to give him access to FTX's $10 million director and officer insurance policies. These cover legal expenses not indemnified by the company for "all loss which the insured persons become legally obligated to pay on account of any claim first made against them for a wrongful act," the filing said. Beyond that, the insurance "provides priority of payment to individual insured with unindemnified loss like Mr Bankman-Fried," and requires the company to waive objections to those payments. It added: Which means Bankman-Fried could get a payout running into the millions of dollars before anyone else in the bankruptcy proceedings sees a dime. The D&O coverage is needed, the filing said, because the disgraced founder and former CEO of FTX "has been named as a defendant or is otherwise involved in criminal, regulatory, civil, and other actions and proceedings that have resulted in and can be expected to continue to result in significant unreimbursed legal fees and other expenses." His criminal defense alone is expected to run to several million dollars. SBF is facing 12 charges including multiple counts of fraud and conspiracy, as well as anti-money laundering and campaign finance law violations in relation to the alleged theft of $10 billion worth of FTX customer funds to prevent his private trading firm Alameda Research from going bust. At least $8 billion appears to have been lost, and three former top executives of the two firms have pleaded guilty to fraud charges. D&O policies are very common, and in many cases including this one, according to the filing provide benefits to the company, but only after the primary officers claims have been paid. Along with federal criminal charges, the filing details that Bankman-Fried is facing three suits by regulators including the Securities and Exchange Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission and Texas State Securities Board. Then there are the five insolvency-related cases and seven civil lawsuits. Azerbaijan and Turkiye have always been by each other's side on both joyful and somber days. And it will continue to be the case in the future too, Azerbaijani President said addressing the Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States in Ankara. The political, diplomatic and moral support of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for Azerbaijan from the first hours of the Second Karabakh War to the last day in 2020 gave us extra strength. In the meantime, during the 44-day war, the entire Turkish people stood with Azerbaijan. Thousands of support and congratulatory messages from Turkiye came both during the war and after our historic Victory, the President underlined. In June 2021, the Shusha Declaration between Turkiye and Azerbaijan was signed in the city of Shusha, the crown jewel of Karabakh, and our relations were officially raised to the level of an alliance, the President added. Planting Hope CEO Julia Stamberger has been elected to the board of directors of the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) for a two-year term The PBFA is the leading trade association in North America representing the plant-based food industry, with more than 300 members Stamberger joins leaders from across the plant-based foods industry on the PBFA board, including Impossible Foods, Outstanding Foods, No Evil, Tofurky, Good Catch & Wicked Kitchen, Upton's Naturals, and Green Boy Group CHICAGO, IL and VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 16, 2023 / The Planting Hope Company Inc. (TSXV:MYLK)(OTCQB:MYLKF)(FRA:J94) ("Planting Hope" or the "Company"), a plant-based food and beverage company focused on producing the world's most nutritious and planet-friendly products, is proud to announce that CEO and Co-founder Julia Stamberger has been elected to the Board of Directors for the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA), the leading industry trade association representing manufacturers and suppliers in the plant-based foods industry. Founded in 2016, the PBFA plays a hands-on role in influencing policy and key issues of concern to its members, from FDA labeling guidance to advancement of plant-based foods across the industry from retailers to foodservice, data collection and analysis on plant-based food and consumer trends. "I am thrilled to be elected to join the PBFA board of directors by its membership," said Planting Hope CEO and Co-founder Julia Stamberger. "Since the inception of the PBFA, the organization has worked to advance awareness of how the skyrocketing growth of plant-based food and beverages is permanently changing the way we eat. The PBFA is leading the discussion around plant-based and sustainable foods as the food landscape across channels, from grocery to foodservice, rapidly shifts focus to service consumer demand for more plant-forward and plant-rich diets." The Planting Hope Company has been a member of the PBFA since July 2019, and its Hope and Sesame Sesamemilk and Mozaics Real Veggie Chips carry the PBFA certification and seal, certifying that they are fully plant-based (vegan). Planting Hope co-founder James Curley has served on the Sustainability Committee of the PBFA since March 2022. Story continues Other new and existing board members elected to or serving 2-year terms include leaders at Impossible Foods, Outstanding Foods, No Evil, Tofurky, Good Catch & Wicked Kitchen, Upton's Naturals, and Green Boy Group. "I am so pleased to welcome Julia Stamberger to the PBFA Board," said Rachel Dreskin, CEO of the Plant Based Foods Association. "PBFA serves the industry by being guided by the industry, and having pioneering leaders such as Julia in this governing role is critical to achieving our mission of championing, elevating, and strengthening our membership and the plant-based foods industry." About the Plant Based Foods Association PBFA was founded in 2016 in conjunction with the meteoric rise and rapid acceleration of the plant-based foods industry. As a growing number of consumers became interested in plant-based foods, there became a clear need for the industry to establish a collective voice to champion initiatives and advocate for government policies that ensure access to a fair marketplace, and that the supply of plant-based foods can meet growing consumer demand. PBFA is now 350 members strong, representing a diverse roster of plant-based food companies, ingredient suppliers, investors, and key stakeholders in the plant-based industry. The Planting Hope Company Inc., Thursday, March 16, 2023, Press release picture Additionally, the PBFA is part of the International Plant Based Foods Working Group (IPBFWG). IPBFWG is a coalition of eight international plant-based food trade associations, including the Plant Based Foods Association (USA), Plant-Based Foods of Canada, European Alliance for Plant Based Foods, European Plant-based Foods Association, Plant-Based Food Alliance UK, the Plant Based Foods Industry Association (India), the Mexican Association of Vegan Entrepreneurs, and China Plant Based Foods Association, united in the effort to bring about a healthier, more sustainable, and more humane food system. For more on the PBFA and its board and leadership, please see: www.plantbasedfoods.org. About The Planting Hope Company Inc. Planting Hope develops, launches, and scales uniquely innovative plant-based and planet-friendly food and beverage brands. Planting Hope's award-winning and cutting-edge products fill key unmet needs in the skyrocketing plant-based food and beverage space. The Planting Hope brand family includes Hope and Sesame Sesamemilk, Barista Blend Sesamemilk, and Sesamilk creamers, RightRice Veggie Rice, Mozaics Real Veggie Chips, and Veggicopia Veggie Snacks. Planting Hope products are currently found in more than 15,000 retail doors and 70,000 total distribution points across North America. Founded by experienced food industry entrepreneurs, Planting Hope is a women-managed and woman-led company focused on nutrition, sustainability, and representation. For more information about Planting Hope please visit plantinghopecompany.com, sign up for Planting Hope news emails HERE and follow on LinkedIn. An informational webinar on The Planting Hope Company from CEO and Co-Founder Julia Stamberger is available HERE. To follow the brands on Instagram and Facebook, please visit: @hopeandsesameco, @rightrice, @mozaicschips, @veggicopia. To find Planting Hope products at a store near you in the United States or Canada, please visit the store locator at each brand website: Hope and Sesame store locator, RightRice store locator, Mozaics store locator. Planting Hope products are also available at plantinghopebrands.com and ecommerce retailers including Amazon.com and Amazon.ca. Contacts Company Contact: Julia Stamberger CEO and Co-Founder (773) 492-2243 julia@plantinghopecompany.com Investor Relations Contact: Glen Akselrod, Bristol Capital (905) 326-1888 ext. 1 glen@bristolir.com Media Contact: Alex Jessup, Jessup PR (323) 529-3541 alex.jessup@jessuppr.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" (collectively referred to hereafter as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements that address activities, events, or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will, or may, occur in the future, including statements about the Company's ability to execute on its goals, the timing pertaining to these goals the potential demand for the Company's products, the timing and success of anticipated product launches and distribution of the Company's products, and the Company's business prospects, future trends, plans and strategies. In some cases, forward looking statements are preceded by, followed by, or include words such as "may", "will," "would", "could", "should", "believes", "estimates", "projects", "potential", "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "continues", or the negative of those words or other similar or comparable words. In preparing the forward looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to, the assumption that demand for the Company's product will be sustained or increase in accordance with management's projections, that the Company's internal research and analysis is indicative of broader market trends and the Company's anticipated future demand for its products, that changes in consumer preferences in the plant-based food industry will continue in accordance with the Company's expectations, that the Company's current business objectives can be achieved and that its other corporate activities will proceed as expected, and that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner. Although the management of the Company believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any forward-looking statement herein will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. Risks and uncertainties applicable to the Company, as well as trends identified by the Company affecting its industry can be found in the Company's annual information form dated January 6, 2022 and the Company's continuous disclosure record available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Such cautionary statements qualify all forward-looking statements made in this news release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. SOURCE: The Planting Hope Company Inc. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/744119/Planting-Hope-CEO-Julia-Stamberger-Named-to-Board-of-Directors-of-the-Plant-Based-Foods-Association MAXIMIZE MARKET RESEARCH PRIVATE LIMITED Polyvinyl Butyral Market is segmented based on Polyvinyl Butyral Type (Adhesive Films, Paints and Coatings, Printing Inks and Lacquers, Others, End users industry (Automotive, Construction, Power Generation, Others) and Region. Increase in demand from automotive industry is expected to influence the Polyvinyl Butyral Market growth. Dublin, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Maximize Market research, a global Material & Chemical business-consulting firm, has published a market intelligence and competitive landscape report on the Polyvinyl Butyral Market . The total market opportunity for the Polyvinyl Butyral market was USD 3.27 Bn in 2021 and is expected to grow at 6.1 percent CAGR over the forecast period to reach USD 5.25 Bn by 2029. Market Size in 2021 USD 3.27 Bn Market Size in 2029 USD 5.25 Bn CAGR 6.1 percent (2022-2029) Forecast Period 2022-2029 Base Year 2021 Number of Pages 250 No. of Tables 130 No. of Charts and Figures 120 Segment Covered Type and End User Regional Scope North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, South America Report Coverage Market Share, Size & Forecast by Revenue | 20222029, Market Dynamics, Growth Drivers, Restraints, Investment Opportunities, and Key Trends, Competitive Landscape, Key Players Benchmarking, Competitive Analysis, MMR Competition Matrix, Competitive Leadership Mapping, Global Key Players Market Ranking Analysis. Request For Free Sample Report: https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-sample/68781 Polyvinyl Butyral Market Scope and Research Methodology: The report is an analysis on Polyvinyl Butyral Market by region, segment and at a global level. For better understanding the factors affecting the Polyvinyl Butyral Market, the report presents drivers, challenges, restraints and opportunities prevailing in Polyvinyl Butyral Market. The Polyvinyl Butyral Market report provides in-depth analysis of market competition among the key players with company profiles and new entrants in the market. The report covers the new trends prevailing in the market along with estimations about future trends to help understand investors identify investment and opportunities in the Polyvinyl Butyral Market. The segments covered in the Polyvinyl Butyral Market are by Type and End User. Story continues The Polyvinyl Butyral Market report provides an overview of the Polyvinyl Butyral industry for stakeholders, investors, market players and followers and new entrants for developing investment strategies and marketing strategies. The bottom up approach was used to estimate Polyvinyl Butyral Market size in terms of value and volume by different segments of the product. SWOT analysis was conducted to provide the strengths and weaknesses of the Polyvinyl Butyral Market and PESTLE was employed to understand the potential impact of the micro-economic factors affecting the Polyvinyl Butyral Market. Thus the report provides a detailed overview of the Polyvinyl Butyral Market. Polyvinyl Butyral Market Overview Polyvinyl Butyral is a well-known thermoplastic encapsulant. Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB,) commonly used in the automotive and architectural fields, comprises a protective interlayer. Polyvinyl Butyral is laminated glass used for automobile shield and glass car windows collection. Get a Sample Copy of the Report: https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-sample/68781 Increase in demand and application of Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB) in laminated glass market is expected to growth during the forecast period Polyvinyl Butyral is used in range of application such as printing inks, adhesive films, paints and coatings, lacquers, binders for reflective sheet and for magnetic media and these factors are expected to influence Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB) Market growth. During accident, PVB prevents shattering of glass, protects against personal injury by sharp glass fragments and also offers UV resistance feature to prevent interiors from fading up is expected to influence the Polyvinyl Butyral Market growth. High production cost of Polyvinyl butyral (PVB) might limit the growth of the Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB) market. Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) is substitute product for Polyvinyl butyral (PVB), both are having high cost manufacturing and processing. Processing for PVB requires a special temperature controlled chamber. The glass must be processed in an autoclave that requires expensive machinery while Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) laminated glass can be produced in convention. This factor might limit the growth of the Polyvinyl butyral (PVB) market. Asia Pacific region is expected to be the fastest Polyvinyl butyral market over the forecast period Asia Pacific region held the largest Polyvinyl Butyral Market share in 2021 and is expected to maintain the shares over the forecast period. Growing investments in the auto, construction, and other industries would lead to a rise in demand for Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB) as it serves many industries. Increasing construction activities in China and Japan with the continuous investemts done in region .This is expected to have a positive impact on the Polyvinyl Butyral Market over the forecast period. China government is encouraging the use of electric cars, bikes which is favourably affecting the Polyvinyl Butyral industry to grow during the forecast period Get Customization on this Report for Specific Research Solutions: https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-customization/68781 Polyvinyl Butyral Market Segmentation By Type- Adhesive Films and Paints and Coatings is expected to be the largest source of Polyvinyl Butyral Market over the forecast period Polyvinyl butyral are commonly used as binders in inks, paints and primers. Regardless of the application, polyvinyl butyral is able to adhere exceptionally well to virtually any materials due to its excellent bonding properties are factors responsible for the growth of Polyvinyl Butyral Market growth. By End-User- Automotive segment is expected to dominate the Polyvinyl Butyral Market growth over the forecast period PVB is mostly found in laminated safety glass for car windshields. Because of the safety and security it provides in automotive windscreens, the demand for PVB as an interlayer in sandwich laminated glass has skyrocketed. Automotive segment is expected to witness a significant growth over the forecast period. Demand for PVB as an interlayer in laminated glass has skyrocketed and provides safety and security in automotive windscreens which are responsible for the growth of Polyvinyl Butyral Market. By Type Adhesive Films Paints and Coatings Printing Inks and Lacquers Others By End-User Automotive Construction Power Generation Others Polyvinyl Butyral Market Key Players include: Chang Chun Group(Taiwan) Hui Da Chemical (US) DuLite PVB FILM(US) Eastman Chemical Company(US) WMC GLASS(US) Eastman (Solutia)(US) Everlam (Belgium) Huakai Plastic (Chongqing) Co. Ltd(China) Kingboard (FoGang) Specialty Resins Co. Ltd(China) Anhui WanWei Bisheng New Material Co., Ltd.(China) RongXin New Materials(China) Xinfu Pharm(China) Guangda Bingfeng(China) Longcheng High-tech Material (China) Sichuan EM Technology(China) Kuraray Co. Ltd (Japan) Sekisui Chemical Co. Ltd.(Japan) Hubergroup(Germany) Tridev Resin Pvt. Ltd.(India) Genau Manufacturing Company LLP (GMC LLP)(India) Request For Free Sample Report: https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-sample/68781 Eastman (Solutia) (US) Eastman Chemical Company, in partnership with SEEN AG, introduced a new Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB) interlayer for laminated glass, Saflex Fly Safe 3D, a highly effective solution to avoid bird collisions without compromising on the view or beauty of glass facades. Key questions answered in the Polyvinyl Butyral Market are: What is Polyvinyl Butyral? What was the Polyvinyl Butyral market size in 2021? What is the forecast period of Polyvinyl Butyral market? What will be the Polyvinyl Butyral market size by 2029? What is the growth rate of the Polyvinyl Butyral Market? Which are the factors expected to drive the Polyvinyl Butyral Market growth? What factors are expected to hamper the Polyvinyl Butyral Market growth? Which segment dominated the Polyvinyl Butyral Market growth? What is the demand pattern for the Polyvinyl Butyral market? Which region held the largest share in the Polyvinyl Butyral market? Who are the key players in the Polyvinyl Butyral market? Key Offerings: Past Market Size and Competitive Landscape (2018 to 2021) Past Pricing and price curve by region (2018 to 2021) Market Size, Share, Size & Forecast by different segment | 20222029 Market Dynamics Growth Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities, and Key Trends by region Market Segmentation A detailed analysis by Type, End User Competitive Landscape Profiles of selected key players by region from a strategic perspective Competitive landscape Market Leaders, Market Followers, Regional player Competitive benchmarking of key players by region PESTLE Analysis PORTERs analysis Value chain and supply chain analysis Legal Aspects of business by region Lucrative business opportunities with SWOT analysis Recommendations Maximize Market Research is leading Material & Chemical research firm, has also published the following reports: Impact Resistant Glass Market : The total market size was valued at USD 2.89 Bn in 2022 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.7 percent from 2022 to 2029, reaching USD 5.19Bn. Growing urbanisation plans in developing nations will support the infrastructure industry and the impact-resistant glass market is expected to influence the market growth. PVB Interlayers Market : The total market size was valued at USD 3.67 Bn in 2021 and is expected to reach USD 6.30 Bn by 2029 at a CAGR of 7 percent during the forecast period. The growing focus on renewable sources for energy generation, consumption of PVB interlayers in this industry is expected to grow during the forecast period. Glacial Acrylic Acid Market -The market size is expected to reach USD 3.48 billion by 2029 at a CAGR of 3.7 percent during the forecast period. It is expected to be driven by growth in the healthcare industry. Alkoxylates Market -The market size is expected to reach USD 10.97 billion by 2029 at a CAGR of 5.4 percent during the forecast period. It is expected to be driven by increasing demand for low-rinse detergents. Silicon Carbide Market -The market size is expected to reach USD 3519.14 million by 2029 at a CAGR of 18.60 percent during the forecast period. It is expected to be driven by growing steel and automotive industry. About Maximize Market Research: Maximize Market Research is a multifaceted market research and consulting company with professionals from several industries. Some of the industries we cover include medical devices, pharmaceutical manufacturers, science and engineering, electronic components, industrial equipment, technology, and communication, cars, and automobiles, chemical products and substances, general merchandise, beverages, personal care, and automated systems. To mention a few, we provide market-verified industry estimations, technical trend analysis, crucial market research, strategic advice, competition analysis, production and demand analysis, and client impact studies. CONTACT: Contact Maximize Market Research: 3rd Floor, Navale IT Park, Phase 2 Pune Banglore Highway, Narhe, Pune, Maharashtra 411041, India sales@maximizemarketresearch.com +91 96071 95908, +91 9607365656 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 16, 2023 / The Power Play by The Market Herald has announced the release of new interviews with Spey Resources, Melkior Resources and BioVaxys Technology discussing their latest news. The Power Play by The Market Herald provides investors with a quick snapshot of what they need to know about the company's latest press release through exclusive insights and interviews with company executives. Spey (CSE:SPEY) evaluating potential resource estimate study at Incahuasi Salar The Market Herald, Thursday, March 16, 2023, Press release picture Spey (SPEY) is progressing with its drilling and exploration plan at its Incahuasi Salar property in Argentina. It intends to build a potential resource estimate study for the Candela II area, with bid proposals expected soon. It secured a contractor for a magnetotelluric survey at Candela II in April 2023 motivated by drilling yields as high as 173 ppm Li. CEO Phillip Thomas spoke with Simon Druker about the news. For the full interview with Phillip Thomas and to learn about Spey, click here. Melkior (TSXV:MKR) intersects high-potential copper in Timmins The Market Herald, Thursday, March 16, 2023, Press release picture Melkior (MKR) has announced encouraging results from its maiden program at the Genex Project in Timmins, Ontario. Highlights include 0.96 per cent Cu and 0.22 g/t Au over 27.0 m, including 2.29 per cent Cu and 0.32 g/t Au over 7.78 m (GEN-22-01). The results demonstrate wide development possibility with significant near-term resource potential. CEO Jonathon Deluce spoke with Coreena Robertson about the discovery. For the full interview with Jonathon Deluce and to learn about Melkior, click here. BioVaxys (CSE:BIOV) acquires TAETSoftware, completes financing The Market Herald, Thursday, March 16, 2023, Press release picture BioVaxys (BIOV) has acquired TAETSoftware, a Vancouver-based clinical studies management company. TAETSoftware is developing a software application for clinical study subjects to record and submit Adverse Drug Events reports to study sponsors in real time. Consideration includes 24,500,000 common shares, with an additional 2,500,000 common shares payable upon the successful testing of the application's beta version. CEO James Passin joined Coreena Robertson to discuss the news. Story continues For the full interview with James Passin and to learn about BioVaxys, click here. Interviews for The Power Play by The Market Herald are released daily. To learn more about the companies featured in The Power Play or to explore our other interviews visit The Power Play by The Market Herald. About The Market Herald The Market Herald Canada is the leading source of authoritative breaking stock market news for self-directed investors. Our team of Canadian markets reporters, editors and technologists covers the entire listed company universe in Canada. We cover over 3,985 businesses, their people, their investors, and their customers. We write the stories that move the Canadian capital markets. DISCLAIMER: Report Card Canada Media Ltd. ("Report Card") is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Market Herald Limited, an Australian company ("Market Herald"). Report Card is not an advisory service, and does not offer, buy, sell, or provide any other rating, analysis or opinion on the securities we discuss. We are retained and compensated by the companies that we provide information on to assist them with making information available to the public. All information available on themarketherald.ca and/or this press release should be considered as commercial advertisement and not an endorsement, offer or recommendation to buy or sell securities. Report Card is not registered with any financial or securities regulatory authority in any province or territory of Canada, will not be performing any registerable activity as defined by the applicable regulatory bodies and do not provide nor claim to provide investment advice or recommendations to any visitor of this site or readers of any content on or originating from themarketherald.ca. Market Herald and/or its affiliates and/or their respective officers, directors or employees may from time to time acquire, hold or sell securities and/or commodities and/or commodity futures contracts in certain underlying companies mentioned in this site and which may also be clients of Market Herald's affiliates. In such instances, Market Herald and/or its affiliates and/or their respective officers, directors or employees will use all reasonable efforts to avoid engaging in activities that would lead to conflicts of interest and Market Herald and/or its affiliates will use all reasonable efforts to comply with conflicts of interest disclosures and regulations to minimize any conflict. All the information on this document and/or the website - themarketherald.ca - is published in good faith and for general information purpose only. Report Card does not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability, and accuracy of this information. Any action you take upon the information you find on this document and/or website (themarketherald.ca) is strictly at your own risk. Report Card will not be liable for any losses and/or damages in connection with the use of our website. From our website, you can visit other websites by following hyperlinks to such external sites. While we strive to provide only quality links to useful and ethical websites, we have no control over the content and nature of these sites. These links to other websites do not imply a recommendation for all the content found on these sites. Site owners and content may change without notice and may occur before we have the opportunity to remove a link which may have gone 'bad'. Please be also aware that when you leave our website, other sites may have different privacy policies and terms which are beyond our control. Please be sure to check the Privacy Policies of these sites as well as their "Terms of Service" before engaging in any business or uploading any information. CONTACT: The Market Herald marketing@themarketherald.ca themarketherald.ca SOURCE: The Market Herald View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/744249/The-Power-Play-by-The-Market-Herald-Releases-New-Interviews-with-Spey-Resources-Melkior-Resources-and-BioVaxys-Technology-Discussing-Their-Latest-News Market Research Future The rise in the adoption of proactive security services among SMEs and large enterprises and growing adoption of cloud-based security solutions are the key drivers for the growth of the proactive security market in Asia-Pacific. New York, US, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to a comprehensive research report by Market Research Future (MRFR), Global Proactive Security Market By Component, Services, Organization Size, Vertical, Region. The global proactive security market will touch USD 87.2 billion at a 15.80% CAGR by 2030, as per the latest Market Research Future report. Drivers Growing Penetration of Cloud Technology to Boost Market Growth The necessity for proactive security will rise as cloud technology is increasingly used. Identity verification services delivered via the cloud help businesses cut expenses while enhancing operational awareness. Businesses are digitizing as a result of technological advancements, and strict rules like GDPR, PCI DSS, & others are being implemented to safeguard IT systems against hacker assaults and data breaches. Enterprises are implementing efficient security solutions as a result of these rules and compliances, and the market will grow quickly. Proactive Security Market Key Players Eminent industry players profiled in the global proactive security market report include: IBM Corporation (US) Corvil (Ireland) Altran (France) Cisco Systems Inc. (US) Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (US) Securonix, Inc. (US) LogRhythm, Inc. (Netherlands) Rapid7 ( US) Symantec Corporation (US) FireEye, Inc. (US) McAfee, LLC (US) CyArx Technologies LTD (US) Oracle Corporation (US) AT&T (US), FUJITSU (Japan) Skybox Security, Inc. (US) Splunk Inc. (US) Swimlane LLC. (US) Centrify Corporation (US) ThreatConnect Inc. (US) DEMISTO (US), RSA Security LLC. (US) FireMon, LLC. (US) CyberSponse, Inc. (US) Trustwave Holdings, Inc. (US) Qualys, Inc. (US) Get Free Sample PDF Brochure: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/7872 Story continues Opportunities Increasing Adoption by SMEs to offer Robust Opportunities Given their significant sensitivity to internal and external data breaches, small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are driving the largest demand in the industry. Organizations are able to protect vital information from data breaches by using proactive security solutions. Restraints and Challenges High Implementation Cost to act as Market Restraint The high implementation cost, unavailability of skilled experts, and budgetary issues may act as market restraints over the forecast period. Proactive Security Market Report Scope: Report Metrics Details Market Size by 2030 USD 87.2 Billion CAGR during 2022-2030 15.80% Base Year 2021 Forecast 2022-2030 Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Key Market Drivers The rise in the adoption of proactive security services among SMEs and large enterprises and growing adoption of cloud-based security solutions are the key drivers for the growth of the proactive security market in Asia-Pacific. Market Segmentation The global proactive security market is bifurcated based on vertical, organization size, and complex. By component, risk & vulnerability management will lead the market over the forecast period. By organization size, large enterprise will domineer the market over the forecast period. By vertical, BFSI will spearhead the market over the forecast period. COVID-19 Analysis Even though governments have implemented lockdowns to stop the virus's spread, businesses have started allowing employees to work from home, which has increased internet usage across all sectors and increased the amount of data uploaded online, making it more vulnerable to data breaches. As a result, businesses are investing in the proactive security solutions in order to stop threats before they happen, which is expected to drive the proactive security market in the future. Browse In-depth Market Research Report (111 Pages) on Proactive Security Market: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/proactive-security-market-7872 Regional Analysis North America to Head Proactive Security Market Due to strategic shifts made by businesses towards the proactive security solutions as a result of the growing sophistication of cyberattacks, North America held the largest market share. Due to important firms' early use of cybersecurity solutions & initiatives in the form of collaborations with other technological providers for product improvement, the US now dominates the market in North America. The market is expanding due to increased security breach and attack prevention. With businesses needing to safeguard their data from sophisticated cyberattacks & maintain compliance with regional legislation and standards, North America is anticipated to be the market with the largest size. Also, the US is home to the majority of the major industry participants, which is likely to contribute to the market. The region's proactive security market is anticipated to be driven by enterprises' growing requirement to defend their data against sophisticated cyber-attacks and comply with strict governmental laws. With security analytics, security orchestration, security monitoring, AMP, attack simulation, & risk & vulnerability management, security companies all around the North American region are providing proactive security solutions. Ask To Expert: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/ask_for_schedule_call/7872 Organizations have raised their IT security investments to safeguard against cutting-edge attacks as the occurrence of security breaches has significantly grown over the previous five years. Also, the increasing use of cloud-based services and solutions by businesses is anticipated to present considerable development prospects, driving up demand for proactive security solutions across North America during the projection period. Due to technological improvements, a growth in the demand for data protection from cyber-attacks, and the requirement to follow rules and regulations, North America is anticipated to hold the biggest market share over the projection period. Major service providers too are also located in this area. The proactive security market is anticipated to be driven by the increased necessity for businesses to secure their data from all types of sophisticated & advanced cyber-attacks as well as strict regulatory restrictions. Europe to Have Favorable Growth in Proactive Security Market Due to the increasing pressure on businesses to protect customer data and adhere to strict rules, Europe is predicted to be the second-biggest market over the review period. Due to the rapid deployment of the proactive security to counter the rising number of assaulting strategies, the proactive security industry in Europe has been assessed to be the second largest. The regional market is significantly boosted by the growing requirement to manage stringent rules and compliances, as well as by the rising usage of the IoT, BYOD, and smart mobile devices. Ask To Customization: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/ask_for_customize/7872 Industry Updates March 2023- In order to provide consumers with improved breach prevention, ThreatBlockr & Engaged Security Partners launched a cooperation that focuses on "left of boom" security. ThreatBlockr's software is used by Engaged Security Partners to handle threat intelligence and incorporate it into the network. Together, the customers of Engaged Security Partners will gain from the blocking of harmful traffic, less human error, transformation of staff into threat hunters, and development of a solid first & last line of defense. Threat Blockr is thrilled to collaborate with Engaged Security Partners for offering their customers a proactive solution and keep up monitoring, managing, and blocking every threat. About Market Research Future: Market Research Future (MRFR) is a global market research company that takes pride in its services, offering a complete and accurate analysis regarding diverse markets and consumers worldwide. Market Research Future has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions. Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter CONTACT: Contact Market Research Future (Part of Wantstats Research and Media Private Limited) 99 Hudson Street, 5Th Floor New York, NY 10013 United States of America +1 628 258 0071 (US) +44 2035 002 764 (UK) Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Website: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com Range Resources Corporation FORT WORTH, Texas, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION (NYSE: RRC) announced today that, after almost 20 years of service which included the discovery and development of the Marcellus Shale field, Jeff Ventura plans to retire from the Company effective June 2, 2023 and will not seek reelection to the Board. Ranges Board of Directors has selected Dennis Degner, the Companys Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer to assume the role of President and Chief Executive Officer effective at the Companys annual shareholder meeting May 10, 2023. In addition, Mr. Degner will be nominated for election to the Companys Board of Directors. Mr. Degner has more than 25 years of modern shale gas development experience, including having served as Division Vice President of Ranges Appalachia Division with responsibility for what is currently the Companys sole operational area. Dennis leadership and technical skills have enhanced Ranges operational strategy, performance, and company culture. He has played a key role in Ranges growth and success over the past decade and is the right leader at the right time for Range, said Ventura. I am very proud of what we have accomplished together, specifically in Pennsylvania, where we pioneered the Marcellus shale and matured Range into a top-ten producer of natural gas and natural gas liquids in the country. Ventura has served as the companys CEO since 2012 having joined the Company as Chief Operating Officer in 2003. He was instrumental in the discovery of and the development of the Marcellus Shale in Appalachia, which is now one of the largest natural gas discoveries in the world. I have had the pleasure of working with and serving alongside Jeff for the last seven years. Jeff provided steady leadership and a consistent vision during an extremely challenging chapter for our whole industry, said Chairman Greg Maxwell. Jeff will leave Range with the strongest balance sheet in company history, record free cash flow, and a business that is well-positioned to generate shareholder returns. This succession plan is a testament to the strong culture at Range, and we are excited to promote our next CEO from within the Companys existing leadership team. The Board is confident Dennis will continue to elevate the Companys performance and drive shareholder value. Story continues In addition, in recognition of the outstanding work by Mark S. Scucchi as Chief Financial Officer, the Board has elected Mr. Scucchi to the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Maxwell commented Mark has done an excellent job managing the Companys balance sheet and financial resources to support the Companys operational success. As a key member of the management team, the Board not only recognizes his contributions but the importance of his leadership in the future and we congratulate him on being promoted to the position of Executive Vice President. RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION (NYSE: RRC) is a leading U.S. independent natural gas and NGL producer with operations focused on stacked-pay projects in the Appalachian Basin. The Company is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. More information about Range can be found at www.rangeresources.com. SOURCE: Range Resources Corporation Range Investor Contact: Laith Sando, Vice President Investor Relations 817-869-4267 lsando@rangeresources.com Range Media Contact: Mark Windle, Director of Corporate Communications 724-873-3223 mwindle@rangeresources.com Red White & Bloom Brands Inc. TORONTO, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Red White & Bloom Brands Inc. ("RWB" or the "Company") (CSE: RWB and OTC: RWBYF), is pleased to confirm the appointment of Mr. Edoardo (Eddie) Mattei as its Chief Financial Officer, subject to final US state regulatory approval. As of December 1st, 2022, Eddie was contracted by the Company in a fractional role to assist with the orderly transition and timely restructuring of the Companys Finance, Information Technology, and Human Resources teams. Effective March 15, 2023, subject to the aforementioned regulatory approval, Eddie will assume the role of Chief Financial Officer and will also be appointed the Company's Corporate Secretary. Eddie will be based at the Companys headquarters in Toronto, Ontario. With over twenty years of experience in diverse industries, operating in both public and private markets, Eddie brings a grounded CFO skillset to the Company having held leadership roles with responsibility for financial reporting, corporate finance, domestic and international taxation, global treasury, business development, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, investor relations, information technology, human resources, and risk management. Eddie holds an MBA from Wilfrid Laurier University and is a CPA (CA) and started his career at Grant Thornton, LLP in Toronto. "I am grateful for the opportunity to join RWB and to work alongside a talented and hard-working team of individuals focused on the Companys success. We have undertaken a comprehensive review at our broader scope reporting skillsets, both within RWB and within our service provider network, and, as a result, have proactively implemented value-added staffing, and system changes as well as instituted practices within RWB that will encourage collaborative workflows, open dialogue, and a team-based approach to defining and executing solutions to challenges that we face as a public company in the cannabis marketplace. All of these changes will ensure that the Company can and will continue to meet its reporting timelines, starting with the Companys 2022 year-end financial statements and associated disclosures, due May 1, 2023, in addition to improving the quality of the information disseminated to our valued shareholders. I look forward to supporting Brad, Colby, and the entire RWB team, as we continue on the Companys path to success, said Eddie Mattei, Chief Financial Officer of the Company. Story continues "We are proud to welcome Eddie to our management team as our new CFO," said Colby De Zen, President of RWB. "His practical financial and operational experience will be invaluable to the Company as we continue to grow and expand our business and optimize the day-to-day operations of the Company. The Company further reports that it has issued 1,250,000 stock options to an officer of the Company. The stock options are exercisable to acquire up to 1,250,000 common shares of the Company at an exercise price of $0.10 for a period of ten years from issuance. The stock options vest quarterly over a period of two years commencing on the first anniversary date of the grant. The terms for the grant are in line with the parameters set out in the Companys existing Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP). About Red White & Bloom Brands Inc. Red White & Bloom is a multi-state cannabis operator and house of premium brands in the U.S. legal cannabis sector. RWB is predominantly focusing its investments on the major U.S. markets, that include Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Missouri, and Michigan. For more information about Red White & Bloom Brands Inc., please contact: Edoardo (Eddie) Mattei, CFO IR@RedWhiteBloom.com Visit us on the web: https://www.redwhitebloom.com/ Follow us on social media: @rwbbrands @redwhitebloombrands @redwhitebloombrands Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION This press release contains forward-looking statements and information that are based on the beliefs of management and reflect the Company's current expectations. When used in this press release, the words "estimate", "project", "belief", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "predict", "may" or "should" and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. There is no assurance that these transactions will yield results in line with management expectations. Such statements and information reflect the current view of the Company with respect to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements and information. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the following risks: risks associated with the implementation of the Company's business plan and matters relating thereto, risks associated with the cannabis industry, competition, regulatory change, the need for additional financing, reliance on key personnel, market size, and the volatility of the Company's common share price and volume. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. There are several important factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements and information. Such factors include, among others, risks related to the Company's proposed business, such as failure of the business strategy and government regulation; risks related to the Company's operations, such as additional financing requirements and access to capital, reliance on key and qualified personnel, insurance, competition, intellectual property, and reliable supply chains; risks related to the Company and its business generally; risks related to regulatory approvals. The Company cautions that the foregoing list of material factors is not exhaustive. When relying on the Company's forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. The Company has assumed a certain progression, which may not be realized. It has also assumed that the material factors referred to in the previous paragraph will not cause such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors. While the Company may elect to, it does not undertake to update this information at any particular time. Amber Grid AB Amber Grid, legal entity code: 303090867. Address: Laisves pr. 10, LT-04215 Vilnius, Lithuania. European Energy Exchange AG (EEX) was approved as the winner of the international public tender aimed at choosing a strategic partner of the gas exchange GET Baltic. In 2023 March 16 the Board of Amber Grid made a decision to approve the sale of 66% shares of the daughter company gas exchange GET Baltic to the buyer EEX for EUR 6.5 million. The price reflects the financial performance of GET Baltic in the year 2022 with a revenue of EUR 1.61 million and an EBITDA of EUR 0.93 million. This decision of the Board will have to be approved by Amber Grid's general meeting of shareholders, which will take place in April 7, 2023. The strategic partner who offered the highest price for GET Baltic shares met all the requirements of the public tender. The rest of the shares 34% can later be sold via an option to the same partner, after he fulfills the investor obligations included in the contract, related to ensuring benefits for the market of the Baltic states and Finland. Attached: 1. Press release. More information: Laura Sebekiene, Head of Communications of Amber Grid, Ph. +370 699 61 246, e-mail: l.sebekiene@ambergrid.lt Attachment ISS A/S Company Announcement Copenhagen, 16 March 2023 No. 08/2023 Resignation of Group CEO ISS A/S, a leading workplace experience and facility management company, today announces that Group CEO Jacob Aarup-Andersen has submitted his resignation to the Board of Directors as he has accepted a new position as CEO of Carlsberg Group. ISS will now initiate a search for a new Group CEO. Jacob Aarup-Andersen will stay on as Group CEO until a successor has been found. Jacob Aarup-Andersen joined ISS in September 2020. Since then, the company has launched its new OneISS strategy, delivered a financial turnaround and announced new financial targets for the coming years. At ISS, I have been incredibly blessed to work with a fantastic team and organisation who have all made this transformation possible. I am leaving the company somewhat sooner than I had anticipated; however, the offer to join Carlsberg as their CEO was a career opportunity that I could not pass up. Thankfully, ISS is in great shape with a strong leadership team for the future, says Group CEO Jacob Aarup-Andersen. Jacob Aarup-Andersen will stay on as Group CEO until a successor has been found and to ensure a smooth transition together with the rest of the Executive Group Management team. Commenting on the resignation, Niels Smedegaard, Chair of the ISS Board of Directors, says: Although we regret Jacobs decision to leave the company, ISS is now in a much stronger position compared to a few years back. We have a solid strategic, commercial, and operational foundation and a strong leadership team to continue the execution of the OneISS strategy. I am confident that we can continue the great progress we have seen under Jacobs leadership. The Board of Directors will now initiate a search process to find a new Group CEO for ISS. During this process, we will explore both internal and external candidates to find the right person to lead ISS forward. Meanwhile, it is business as usual as we continue our strategic journey, says Niels Smedegaard. Story continues For investor enquiries Jacob Johansen, Head of Group Investor Relations, +45 21 69 35 91 Kristian Tankred, Senior Investor Relations Manager, +45 30 67 35 25 For media enquiries Kenni Leth, Head of Global PR & Media Relations, +45 51 71 43 68 About ISS ISS is a leading, global provider of workplace and facility service solutions. In partnership with customers, ISS drives the engagement and well-being of people, minimises the impact on the environment, and protects and maintains property. ISS brings all of this to life through a unique combination of data, insight and service excellence at offices, factories, airports, hospitals and other locations across the globe. ISS has more than 350,000 employees around the globe, who we call placemakers. In 2022, Group revenue was DKK 76.5 billion. For more information on the ISS Group, visit www.issworld.com. ISS A/S, ISIN DK0060542181, ISIN US4651472056, ISS Global A/S, ISIN XS2013618421, ISIN XS1145526825, ISIN XS1673102734, ISS Finance B.V., ISIN XS2199343513 Attachment Foundation leadership to meet with grantees, private sector, and government officials in support of India's renewable energy initiatives, and G20 leadership to help reform international financial institutions NEW YORK, March 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Rockefeller Foundation announced today that President Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, along with leaders of the Foundation's Power & Climate and Asia Regional Office teams, will meet with senior government and private sector officials in New Delhi and Mumbai. The Rockefeller Foundation team will reinforce their support for India's renewable energy innovation efforts and leadership on international financial institutions reforms, which can unlock much-needed investment into climate and sustainable development solutions in India and the world. They will also travel to witness a range of efforts being undertaken to build climate resilience around the country. Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation, visits the site of a solar mini-grid installation in a village in Bihar, India on Nov 11, 2019. "For more than 100 years, The Rockefeller Foundation has stood with the people of India as they sought to make opportunity universal and sustainable," said Dr. Shah. "The last time I was in India, in November 2019, we were celebrating the launch of an ambitious new partnership with Tata Power to develop 10,000 rural microgrids. I also had the opportunity to visit a solar micro-grid installation in Derni, Bihar, which was developed with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, where I saw how affordable, reliable, renewable electricity can empower people and transform communities." Investing in India's Renewable Energy Solutions The Rockefeller Foundation first invested in solar microgrids in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in 2009 to test, adapt, and ultimately, scale this renewable energy solution across India and the world. In 2015, the Foundation announced a USD 75 million commitment to support rural electrification. Then in November 2019, the Foundation partnered with Tata Power to develop 10,000 rural microgrids across the country in order to reach up to 25 million people, and ultimately help drive down the costs of solar power to 15 cents per kilowatt hour. This work has included government, businesses, community organizations, and energy service companies creating a new and holistic ecosystem that drives solar microgrid installations in rural villages. Story continues "Over the last decade, India has become a leader in large-scale solar projects that have in turn spurred growth and investment in local manufacturing and small businesses," said Ashvin Dayal, Senior Vice President for Power & Climate at The Rockefeller Foundation. "As India's leadership in renewable technologies particularly green hydrogen, battery storage solutions, PV and wind continues to advance, we expect the country to become a central player in the global renewable energy supply chain." "At The Rockefeller Foundation, we are committed to making opportunity universal and sustainable. India is a priority for the Foundation, and the leadership's timely visit to India is a testament to our support for the country's ambitious goals and unparalleled leadership on the sustainable development agenda," said Deepali Khanna, Vice President, Asia Regional Office, The Rockefeller Foundation. "India's renewable electrification initiatives are proof of what is possible by harnessing innovation in service of humanity," said Dr. Shah. "As host of the G20 and a rising power global power, India is in a unique position to push for international action to address this era's challenges. With India's leadership, the world can ensure today's international finance institutions are positioned to better serve the lives of the most vulnerable around the world tomorrow." About The Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation that enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. We work to promote the well-being of humanity and make opportunity universal and sustainable. Our focus is on scaling renewable energy for all, stimulating economic mobility, and ensuring equitable access to health care and nutritious food. For more information, sign up for our newsletter at rockefellerfoundation.org and follow us on Twitter @RockefellerFdn. Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rockefeller-foundation-president-rajiv-j-shah-to-travel-to-india-next-week-301773576.html SOURCE The Rockefeller Foundation WADSWORTH, Ohio, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Rohrer Corporation is pleased to announce the appointment of Tim Swanson as its new Chief Executive Officer effective immediately. Tim Swanson Tim Swanson brings broad business experience and a proven track record of success across multiple industries. He has held various senior executive positions at leading companies where he has been instrumental in driving growth, innovation, and value creation. Tim will serve on the Rohrer Corporation board. Tim Swanson stated, "Rohrer has been built on a legacy of packaging innovation and customer service, and those differentiators continue to be the cornerstone of our business. As we now focus the enterprise on extending our leadership position, key investments in product technology and best in class manufacturing capabilities, will enable Rohrer to help customers be successful with the most innovative and sustainable packaging platform." Tim comes to Rohrer from Bettcher Industries, a global protein processing platform, where he served as CEO implementing an acquisitive growth framework while accelerating the core business, resulting in a successful sale to KKR. Prior to that, Tim served as President with Barnes Group, leading their global force and motion systems platform. Tim has held various leadership roles at Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Whirlpool Corporation in his career. Tim and his wife Sue will continue to reside in suburban Cleveland. "Tim brings a stellar track record across both public and private companies. His background shows an ability to drive growth and simplify business processes across a broad range of manufacturing companies, most recently as CEO of Bettcher, a successful private equity-backed business. We believe he is a uniquely qualified choice to lead Rohrer," said Matt Harrison, Managing Partner at Wellspring Capital Management Group. Rohrer Corporation thanks former CEO Steve Wirrig for his leadership and contributions to the company and wishes him all the best in his future endeavors. Story continues About Rohrer Corporation: Rohrer believes true partners make the perfect package. Our award-winning team uses state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies to provide innovative retail packaging solutions for our partners. Our partners enjoy industry-leading speed, quality, and value through our ezCombo program, and beautiful design and inventive solutions in our custom packaging programs. Rohrer's packaging solutions help build brands and bottom lines. For additional information, please visit Rohrer.com. Media Contact: Jeremy Selin, Marketing Manager // jeremy.selin@rohrer.com Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rohrer-welcomes-new-ceo-tim-swanson-301774577.html SOURCE Rohrer Corporation By Azernews Sabina Mammadli The state of combat readiness of Azerbaijan Armys military units was inspected, Azernews reports per the ministry. The inspection was carried out according to the combat training plan for 2023, approved by Azerbaijani Defense Minister Col Gen Zakir Hasanov. The inspection started with the honoring of the memory of National Leader Heydar Aliyev and Azerbaijani martyrs by observing a minute of silence. Furthermore, the military orchestra performed Azerbaijans National Anthem. In military units drill reviews were conducted, material and technical bases, weapons, and combat equipment of military personnel, as well as individual training of military personnel were inspected. Then, based on the final results of the inspection, a ceremony was held to reward units distinguished in combat training. The tasks of the defense minister regarding the further improvement of the combat capability of the units, the improvement of the knowledge and skills of the commanding staff, the study of the capabilities of newly adopted weapons, equipment and devices, the conduct of drills in conditions close to real combat, and the increase of vigilance during holidays were delivered accordingly during the ceremony. The ceremony ended with the demonstration of exemplary combat training classes and the presentation of valuable gifts and honorary diplomas to a group of military personnel who excelled in military service. (Bloomberg) -- Large swaths of Californias tech hub Silicon Valley remained without electricity after the latest atmospheric river brought heavy rain and high winds that toppled power lines. Most Read from Bloomberg Almost one-third of the homes and businesses in Santa Clara County home to tech giants including Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.s Google were without power as of Wednesday morning, according to PowerOutage.us. More than 180,000 customers in the San Francisco Bay Area were blacked out as of 10 a.m. local time. PG&E Corp., the utility that serves most customers in the region, said the storm was stronger than forecast and resulted in hundreds of trees or limbs striking power equipment and disrupting electricity service. The utility has sent additional crews into the hardest-hit areas. California is still in an active storm period and rain could return as soon as early next week when another atmospheric river is forecast to strike, according to Marc Chenard, a senior branch forecaster with the US Weather Prediction Center. --With assistance from Brian K. Sullivan. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Company Logo Dublin, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Singapore Social Commerce Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics Databook - 50+ KPIs on Social Commerce Trends by End-Use Sectors, Operational KPIs, Retail Product Dynamics, and Consumer Demographics - Q1 2023 Update" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. According to the publisher, social commerce industry in Singapore is expected to grow by 55.2% on annual basis to reach US$1255.7 million in 2023. The social commerce industry is expected to grow steadily over the forecast period, recording a CAGR of 32.5% during 2022-2028. The social commerce GMV in the country will increase from US$1255.7 million in 2023 to reach US$6781.9 million by 2028. This report provides a detailed data centric analysis of social commerce industry, covering market opportunities and risks. With over 50+ KPIs at country level, this report provides a comprehensive understanding of social commerce market dynamics, market size and forecast, and market share statistics. The research methodology is based on industry best practices. Its unbiased analysis leverages a proprietary analytics platform to offer a detailed view on emerging business and investment market opportunities. Reasons to buy In-depth Understanding of Social Commerce Market Dynamics: Understand market opportunities and key trends along with forecast (2019-2028). Insights into Opportunity by end-use sectors - Get market dynamics by end-use sectors to assess emerging opportunity across various end-use sectors. Develop Market Specific Strategies: Identify growth segments and target specific opportunities to formulate social commerce strategy; assess market specific key trends, drivers, and risks in the industry. Scope This report provides in-depth, data-centric analysis of social commerce in Singapore. Below is a summary of key market segments: Singapore Ecommerce Industry Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics by Key Performance Indicators, 2019-2028 Singapore Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics by Key Performance Indicators, 2019-2028 Singapore Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Retail Product Categories, 2019-2028 Clothing & Footwear Beauty and Personal Care Food & Grocery Appliances and Electronics Home Improvement Travel Hospitality Story continues Singapore Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by End Use Segment, 2019-2028 B2B B2C C2C Singapore Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by End Use Device, 2019-2028 Mobile Desktop Singapore Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Location, 2019-2028 Domestic Cross Border Singapore Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Location, 2019-2028 Tier-1 Cities Tier-2 Cities Tier-3 Cities Singapore Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Payment Method, 2019-2028 Credit Card Debit Card Bank Transfer Prepaid Card Digital & Mobile Wallet Other Digital Payment Cash Singapore Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Platforms Video Commerce Social Network-Led Commerce Social Reselling Group Buying Product Review Platforms Singapore Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Consumer Demographics & Behaviour,2022 By Age By Income Level By Gender For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/p2wz04 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 ReportLinker Forecasts by Product (Wearables (Smart Watches and Bands, Other), by Non-wearables (Beds, Sleep Monitors, Other)), by Distribution Channel (Direct-to-Consumer (DtC), Hospital Networks, Specialty Clinics Networks, Other), by Gender (Male, Female), by Application (Insomnia, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Narcolepsy, Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP), Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), Other) AND Regional and Leading National Market Analysis PLUS Analysis of Leading Companies AND COVID-19 Impact and Recovery Pattern Analysis. New York, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Sleep Tech Market Report 2023-2033" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06430650/?utm_source=GNW The Sleep Tech Market Report 2023-2033: This report will prove invaluable to leading firms striving for new revenue pockets if they wish to better understand the industry and its underlying dynamics. It will be useful for companies that would like to expand into different industries or to expand their existing operations in a new region. Investments and Innovation in the Sleep Tech Sector to Augment Industry Growth The global sleep tech outlook is showing a trend towards increased investment, innovation, and growth in the sector. Sleep tech devices and products are becoming more advanced and diverse to cater to the changing needs and demands of consumers. From smart bedding to wearable sleep tracking devices, the options are becoming more sophisticated and accessible to the masses. The rise in the awareness of the importance of sleep and its impact on overall health and wellbeing has led to a growing interest in sleep tech solutions. This, in turn, is driving the growth of the sleep tech market, as consumers seek to improve their sleep quality and quantity. The market is also being driven by advancements in technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), which are being used to develop more effective sleep solutions. With continued innovation, the future of sleep tech looks promising and is poised for further growth in the coming years. What Questions Should You Ask before Buying a Market Research Report? How is the sleep tech market evolving? What is driving and restraining the sleep tech market? How will each sleep tech submarket segment grow over the forecast period and how much revenue will these submarkets account for in 2033? How will the market shares for each sleep tech submarket develop from 2023 to 2033? What will be the main driver for the overall market from 2023 to 2033? Will leading sleep tech markets broadly follow the macroeconomic dynamics, or will individual national markets outperform others? How will the market shares of the national markets change by 2033 and which geographical region will lead the market in 2033? Who are the leading players and what are their prospects over the forecast period? What are the sleep tech projects for these leading companies? How will the industry evolve during the period between 2023 and 2033? What are the implications of sleep tech projects taking place now and over the next 10 years? Is there a greater need for product commercialisation to further scale the sleep tech market? Where is the sleep tech market heading and how can you ensure you are at the forefront of the market? What are the best investment options for new product and service lines? What are the key prospects for moving companies into a new growth path and C-suite? You need to discover how this will impact the sleep tech market today, and over the next 10 years: Our 274-page report provides 115 tables and 157 charts/graphs exclusively to you. The report highlights key lucrative areas in the industry so you can target them NOW. It contains in-depth analysis of global, regional and national sales and growth. It highlights for you the key successful trends, changes and revenue projections made by your competitors. This report tells you TODAY how the sleep tech market will develop in the next 10 years, and in line with the variations in COVID-19 economic recession and bounce. This market is more critical now than at any point over the last 10 years. Forecasts to 2033 and other analyses reveal commercial prospects In addition to revenue forecasting to 2033, our new study provides you with recent results, growth rates, and market shares. You will find original analyses, with business outlooks and developments. Discover qualitative analyses (including market dynamics, drivers, opportunities, restraints and challenges), cost structure, impact of rising sleep tech prices and recent developments. This report includes data analysis and invaluable insight into how COVID-19 will affect the industry and your company. Four COVID-19 recovery patterns and their impact, namely, V, L, W and U are discussed in this report. Segments Covered in the Report Product Wearables - Smart Watches and Bands - Other Wearables Non-wearables Beds Sleep Monitors Other Non-wearables Distribution Channel Direct-to-Consumer (DtC) Hospital Networks Specialty Clinics Networks Other Distribution Channels Gender Male - < 18 - 18-36 - 37-55 - > 55 Female - < 18 - 18-36 - 37-55 - > 55 Application Insomnia Obstructive Sleep Apnea Narcolepsy Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP) Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Other Applications In addition to the revenue predictions for the overall world market and segments, you will also find revenue forecasts for four regional and 20 leading national markets: North America U.S. Canada Europe Germany Spain United Kingdom France Italy Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China Japan India Australia South Korea Rest of Asia Pacific Latin America Brazil Mexico Rest of Latin America Middle East and Africa Saudi Arabia Turkey South Africa Rest of Middle East and Africa The report also includes profiles and for some of the leading companies in the Sleep Tech Market, 2023 to 2033, with a focus on this segment of these companies operations. Leading companies and the potential for market growth Beddit (Apple) Casper Sleep Compumedics Limited Eight Sleep Koninklijke Philips N.V.( Philips) Nihon Kohden Corporation Oura Health Oy ResMed Sleepace Xiaomi Corporation Overall world revenue for Sleep Tech Market, 2023 to 2033 in terms of value the market will surpass US$18.0 billion in 2023, our work calculates. We predict strong revenue growth through to 2033. Our work identifies which organizations hold the greatest potential. Discover their capabilities, progress, and commercial prospects, helping you stay ahead. How will the Sleep Tech Market, 2023 to 2033 report help you? In summary, our 370+ page report provides you with the following knowledge: Revenue forecasts to 2033 for Sleep Tech Market, 2023 to 2033 Market, with forecasts for wearables, non-wearables, distribution channel, gender, application and company size, each forecast at a global and regional level discover the industrys prospects, finding the most lucrative places for investments and revenues. Revenue forecasts to 2033 for four regional and 20 key national markets See forecasts for the Sleep Tech Market, 2023 to 2033 market in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa. Also forecasted is the market in the US, Canada, Brazil, Germany, France, UK, Italy, China, India, Japan, and Australia among other prominent economies. Prospects for established firms and those seeking to enter the market including company profiles for 10 of the major companies involved in the Sleep Tech Market, 2023 to 2033. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06430650/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Story continues CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 ReportLinker Forecasts by Plant Process (Gas Treatment, H2S/CO2 Removal, Dehydration, Heavy Component Removal, LNG Liquefaction, Other), by Transport (Small LNG Carriers, Small LNG Trucks, Other), by Value Chain (SSLNG Liquefaction Plant, SSLNG Storage, SSLNG Transport, SSLNG Re-gasification), by Re-Gasification (Open Rack Vaporisers (ORV), Submerged Combustion Vaporisers (SCV), Ambient Air Vaporisers (AAV), Odorisation, Send-out, and Delivery, Other), by Storage (Single Containment Tanks, Double Containment Tanks, Full Containment Tanks, Pressurised Small Tanks, Membrane Tanks, In-ground Tanks) AND Regional and Leading National Market Analysis PLUS Analysis of Leading Companies AND COVID-19 Impact and Recovery Pattern Analysis. New York, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Small Scale Liquefied Natural Gas (SSLNG) Market Report 2023-2033" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06430654/?utm_source=GNW The Small Scale Liquefied Natural Gas (SSLNG) Market Report 2023-2033: This report will prove invaluable to leading firms striving for new revenue pockets if they wish to better understand the industry and its underlying dynamics. It will be useful for companies that would like to expand into different industries or to expand their existing operations in a new region. The Small Scale LNG Market Is Poised for Significant Growth in the Coming Years The Small Scale LNG market is poised for significant growth in the coming years, driven by increasing demand for natural gas as a cleaner and more cost-effective fuel option. The market is expected to play a key role in supporting the global transition to a more sustainable energy system, as countries look to reduce their carbon footprint and meet their climate targets. North America and Europe are expected to be key markets for Small Scale LNG, driven by the growth of the transportation and power generation sectors, as well as the development of LNG bunkering infrastructure. In the Asia Pacific region, India, Indonesia, and China are expected to be the major growth drivers, as these countries look to expand their natural gas infrastructure and reduce their reliance on traditional fossil fuels. In the Middle East and Africa, the Small Scale LNG market is expected to benefit from the regions significant natural gas reserves and the development of new LNG liquefaction and regasification technologies. The market is also expected to play a key role in supporting the regions efforts to diversify its energy mix and reduce its carbon footprint. Overall, the growth of the Small Scale LNG market is expected to be driven by a combination of government policies, technological advancements, and increasing demand for cleaner and more cost-effective fuel options. While the market still faces some challenges, such as the high capital costs associated with liquefaction and regasification infrastructure, the long-term outlook for Small Scale LNG remains positive, as it offers a viable solution for meeting the growing demand for natural gas in a sustainable manner. What Questions Should You Ask before Buying a Market Research Report? How is the small scale liquefied natural gas (SSLNG) market evolving? What is driving and restraining the small scale liquefied natural gas (SSLNG) market? How will each small scale liquefied natural gas (SSLNG) submarket segment grow over the forecast period and how much revenue will these submarkets account for in 2033? How will the market shares for each small scale liquefied natural gas (SSLNG) submarket develop from 2023 to 2033? What will be the main driver for the overall market from 2023 to 2033? Will leading small scale liquefied natural gas (SSLNG) markets broadly follow the macroeconomic dynamics, or will individual national markets outperform others? How will the market shares of the national markets change by 2033 and which geographical region will lead the market in 2033? Who are the leading players and what are their prospects over the forecast period? What are the small scale liquefied natural gas (SSLNG) projects for these leading companies? How will the industry evolve during the period between 2023 and 2033? What are the implications of small scale liquefied natural gas (SSLNG) projects taking place now and over the next 10 years? Is there a greater need for product commercialisation to further scale the small scale liquefied natural gas (SSLNG) market? Where is the small scale liquefied natural gas (SSLNG) market heading and how can you ensure you are at the forefront of the market? What are the best investment options for new product and service lines? What are the key prospects for moving companies into a new growth path and C-suite? You need to discover how this will impact the small scale liquefied natural gas (SSLNG) market today, and over the next 10 years: Our 376-page report provides 171 tables and 203 charts/graphs exclusively to you. The report highlights key lucrative areas in the industry so you can target them NOW. It contains in-depth analysis of global, regional and national sales and growth. It highlights for you the key successful trends, changes and revenue projections made by your competitors. This report tells you TODAY how the small scale liquefied natural gas (SSLNG) market will develop in the next 10 years, and in line with the variations in COVID-19 economic recession and bounce. This market is more critical now than at any point over the last 10 years. Forecasts to 2033 and other analyses reveal commercial prospects In addition to revenue forecasting to 2033, our new study provides you with recent results, growth rates, and market shares. You will find original analyses, with business outlooks and developments. Discover qualitative analyses (including market dynamics, drivers, opportunities, restraints and challenges), cost structure, impact of rising small scale liquefied natural gas (SSLNG) prices and recent developments. This report includes data analysis and invaluable insight into how COVID-19 will affect the industry and your company. Four COVID-19 recovery patterns and their impact, namely, V, L, W and U are discussed in this report. Segments Covered in the Report Market Segment by Plant Process Gas Treatment H2S/CO2 Removal Dehydration Heavy Component Removal LNG Liquefaction Other Plant Process Market Segment by Transport Small LNG Carriers Small LNG Trucks Other SSLNG Transport Market Segment by Value Chain SSLNG Liquefaction Plant SSLNG Storage SSLNG Transport SSLNG Re-gasification Market Segment by Re-Gasification Open Rack Vaporisers (ORV) Submerged Combustion Vaporisers (SCV) Ambient Air Vaporisers (AAV) Odorisation, Send-out, and Delivery Other Re-Gasification Market Segment by Storage Single Containment Tanks Double Containment Tanks Full Containment Tanks Pressurized Small Tanks Membrane Tanks In-ground Tanks In addition to the revenue predictions for the overall world market and segments, you will also find revenue forecasts for four regional and 20 leading national markets: North America U.S. Canada Europe Russia Spain Portugal France Belgium Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China India Japan Indonesia Malaysia Rest of Asia Pacific Latin America Brazil Mexico Rest of Latin America Middle East and Africa GCC South Africa Rest of Middle East and Africa The report also includes profiles and for some of the leading companies in the Small Scale Liquefied Natural Gas (SSLNG) Market, 2023 to 2033, with a focus on this segment of these companies operations. Leading companies and the potential for market growth Buffalo Marine Service INC Gasum Oy Gazprom ltd ENN Energy Holdings Ltd. China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (SINOPEC) Encana (Ovintiv Inc) Equinor ASA Ferus Inc. Flint Hills Resources LLC Hokkaido Gas co., ltd. Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd. Nippon Gas Co., Ltd Petronas Dagangan Berhad Polish Oil and Gas Company (PGNiG) Royal Dutch Shell Plc. Overall world revenue for Small Scale Liquefied Natural Gas (SSLNG) Market, 2023 to 2033 in terms of value the market will surpass US$7.30 billion in 2023, our work calculates. We predict strong revenue growth through to 2033. Our work identifies which organizations hold the greatest potential. Discover their capabilities, progress, and commercial prospects, helping you stay ahead. How will the Small Scale Liquefied Natural Gas (SSLNG) Market, 2023 to 2033 report help you? In summary, our 370+ page report provides you with the following knowledge: Revenue forecasts to 2033 for Small Scale Liquefied Natural Gas (SSLNG) Market, 2023 to 2033 Market, with forecasts for plant process, transport, storage, value chain, regasification and company size, each forecast at a global and regional level discover the industrys prospects, finding the most lucrative places for investments and revenues. Revenue forecasts to 2033 for four regional and 20 key national markets See forecasts for the Small Scale Liquefied Natural Gas (SSLNG) Market, 2023 to 2033 market in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa. Also forecasted is the market in the US, Canada, Russia, France, Belgium, China, Indonesia, India, and GCC among other prominent economies. Prospects for established firms and those seeking to enter the market including company profiles for 15 of the major companies involved in the Small Scale Liquefied Natural Gas (SSLNG) Market, 2023 to 2033. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06430654/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Story continues CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SkyQuest Technology Consulting Pvt. Ltd. SkyQuest, a well renowned research firm, provides a 360-degree overview of small scale LNG market and its prime growth trajectories. The report focuses on all aspects of growth such as factors driving or repelling growth, significant market trends, and others. The report also discusses the table of segmentation in details and enlists the dominating segments with factors supporting its growth. Initiatives taken by key players operating in this market is also listed which helps competitors and interested candidates to understand the current competition and accordingly act on it for the benefit of their businesses. The key objective of these reports is to help market competitors to create profits and expand their business across multiple geographies. For more information on the small scale LNG market, log on to the company website. Westford, USA, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- North America contributed the largest market shares in the global small scale LNG industry and emerged dominant. This is owing to the presence of large industries that require storage units, receiving terminals, vessels, and others for energy and power storage. The need for low magnitude is further projected to aid in market expansion during the forecast period. In adition to this, the rise in demand for energy, especially in remote locations is projected to boost market growth during the forecast period. SkyQuest's worldwide research predicts the increase in demand for natural gas across residential and commercial sectors to augment market demand. This coupled with the rise in offshore and onshore activities post COVID era where businesses are back on track will further help create lucrative business opportunities for the global small scale LNG market in the coming years. Browse in-depth TOC on "Small Scale LNG Market" Pages - 293 Tables 116 Figures - 73 According to a recent study by SkyQuest, the rise in need for ship inspection and maintaining activities for the marine sector is considered a key growth driver. For instance, Trident B.V. was acquired by Wartsila, thereby helping the Netherlands-based company, Wartsila to emerge as a global operator for the underwater services market. This acquisition is projected to strengthen the underwater inspection, maintenance, and repair services. Story continues Get a sample copy of this report: https://skyquestt.com/sample-request/small-scale-lng-market The key function of LNG terminals is to store and regasification of LNG that is shipped from their respected production units. They use LNG terminals in their liquefied natural form unlike traditional regasification mode. These terminals help to develop and provide natural directly to the consumer. Thus, it is not compulsory to have LNG setups in onshore and offshore markets as they are flexible in terms of manufacturing and transportation bases. Prominent Players in Small Scale LNG Market Novatek Prometheus Energy Excelerate Energy L.P. IHI Corportaion Gasnor Skangass AS Engie Plum Energy Gazprom Energy Holdings Limited Glong Indonesia General Electric Wartsila Corporation The Linde Group FLUXYS Kunlun Energy Honeywell International Linde Plc. Gasum Ltd. Cryostar NYK Line Teekay Corporation Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Shell Plc. Novatek Hyundai Heavy Industries & Construction Holdings Co. Ltd. Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Holdings Co. Ltd. Browse summary of the report and Complete Table of Contents (ToC): https://skyquestt.com/report/small-scale-lng-market Liquefaction Segment to Emerge Dominant Attributing to Rise in Exports of LNG The small scale LNG market is bifurcated into regasification, and liquefaction on the basis of type analysis. Among these, the liquefaction segment earned the largest market share in 2022 and is likely to continue dominating the market in the forecast period as well. Factors supporting the growth of this segment include the rise in transportation activities that includes shifting of natural gas or LNG from one port to another. In addition to this, the increase in the number of liquefaction terminals worldwide is also expected to augment the demand for LNG, thereby creating new growth opportunities for the liquefaction section in the coming years. Heavy-duty Vehicles Segment to Lead Market in Future Attributing to Increasing use of LNG as fuel for such vehicles In terms of classification by application, the global market for small scale LNG is categorized into heavy-duty vehicles, industrial & power, marine transport, and others such as rail engines and mining activities. Among these, the heavy-duty vehicles segment held the dominant share in 2022 and is likely to continue so in the forecast period. Factors supporting the growth of this market include the rise in use of LNG as fuel for heavy-duty vehicles. Regionwise, the small scale LNG market witnessed high market shares from North America on account of the rise in number of LNG export activities. In addition to this, the rise in demand for fiber cement LNG in the developing nations is further projected to augment the growth of this regional market. On the other side, Asia Pacific is projected to rise significantly in the forecast period owing to the increase in number of residential construction activities and rising demand for natural gas from countries such as Japan, Singapore, India, China, and others. SkyQuest offers both qualitative and quantitative overview of the market focusing on all possible strategies and initiatives taken by market players. It also focuses on the drivers, restraints, challenges, and upcoming opportunities that may shape the future of this market during the forecast period. The table of segmentation is discussed in details with factors supporting the growth of each segment. Speak to Analyst for your custom requirements: https://skyquestt.com/speak-with-analyst/small-scale-lng-market Recent Developments in Small Scale LNG Market Ennore LNG terminal was launched in Tamil Nadu, India. This new small scale LNG aims at transporting LNG to consumers with the help of a pipeline that spreads across Tuticorin in South Tamil Nadu via Trichy and Poducherry. CNOOC provided LNG distributors such as Longkou Shengtong Energy and pipeline developers such as ENN Energy to utilize their LNG terminals with specific slots on the east coast of China for more than a decade. Key Questions Answered in Small Scale LNG Market Report What factors are promoting the growth of the global small scale LNG market? What are the key application sectors in the small scale LNG market? Who are the key players of the small scale LNG market and what are their key strategies? Which region will dominate the small scale LNG market and why? Related Reports in SkyQuests Library: Global Solar Cells Market Global Biofuels Market Global Off-Grid Housing Market Global Charcoal Market Global Sodium-ion Battery Market About Us: SkyQuest Technology is leading growth consulting firm providing market intelligence, commercialization and technology services. It has 450+ happy clients globally. Address: 1 Apache Way, Westford, Massachusetts 01886 Phone: USA (+1) 617-230-0741 Email: sales@skyquestt.com LinkedIn Facebook Twitter ReportLinker Forecasts by Screen Shape (Curved TV, Flat TV), by Resolution (UHD TV, HDTV, Other), by Screen Size (Below 32 in, 32 to 45 in, 46 to 65 in, Above 65 in), by Technology (OLED, QLED, LED, Plasma, Other), by Operating System (Tizen, WebOS, Android TV, Roku TV, FireFox OS, Other) AND Regional and Leading National Market Analysis PLUS Analysis of Leading Companies AND COVID-19 Impact and Recovery Pattern Analysis. New York, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Smart TV Market Report 2023-2033" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06430653/?utm_source=GNW The Smart TV Market Report 2023-2033: This report will prove invaluable to leading firms striving for new revenue pockets if they wish to better understand the industry and its underlying dynamics. It will be useful for companies that would like to expand into different industries or to expand their existing operations in a new region. The Increasing Demand for Digital Content, the Rise of the Internet, and the Growing Middle-Class Population The smart TV market has experienced significant growth in recent years and is expected to continue to grow in the coming years. With the increasing demand for digital content, the rise of the Internet, and the growing middle-class population, consumers are becoming more interested in connecting their televisions to the Internet. Smart TVs offer a range of features such as online streaming, gaming, and social media, making them a popular choice among consumers. The increasing disposable income and the growing e-commerce sector are also contributing to the growth of the smart TV market. Online retailers are making it easier for consumers to purchase these devices by offering a wide range of smart TV models at competitive prices. As the market for smart TVs continues to grow, brands are expected to introduce more advanced models with better features and capabilities. The smart TV market is poised for strong growth, driven by the increasing demand for digital content, the rising middle-class population, and the growing e-commerce sector. Overall, the smart TV market presents significant opportunities for companies operating in this sector. Brands will need to continue to innovate and introduce new products to capture the growing demand for smart TVs. The future of the smart TV market looks promising, and it will be exciting to see how this market evolves in the coming years. What Questions Should You Ask before Buying a Market Research Report? How is the smart TV market evolving? What is driving and restraining the smart TV market? How will each smart TV submarket segment grow over the forecast period and how much revenue will these submarkets account for in 2033? How will the market shares for each smart TV submarket develop from 2023 to 2033? What will be the main driver for the overall market from 2023 to 2033? Will leading smart TV markets broadly follow the macroeconomic dynamics, or will individual national markets outperform others? How will the market shares of the national markets change by 2033 and which geographical region will lead the market in 2033? Who are the leading players and what are their prospects over the forecast period? What are the smart TV projects for these leading companies? How will the industry evolve during the period between 2023 and 2033? What are the implications of smart TV projects taking place now and over the next 10 years? Is there a greater need for product commercialisation to further scale the smart TV market? Where is the smart TV market heading and how can you ensure you are at the forefront of the market? What are the best investment options for new product and service lines? What are the key prospects for moving companies into a new growth path and C-suite? You need to discover how this will impact the smart TV market today, and over the next 10 years: Our 352-page report provides 150 tables and 237 charts/graphs exclusively to you. The report highlights key lucrative areas in the industry so you can target them NOW. It contains in-depth analysis of global, regional and national sales and growth. It highlights for you the key successful trends, changes and revenue projections made by your competitors. This report tells you TODAY how the smart TV market will develop in the next 10 years, and in line with the variations in COVID-19 economic recession and bounce. This market is more critical now than at any point over the last 10 years. Forecasts to 2033 and other analyses reveal commercial prospects In addition to revenue forecasting to 2033, our new study provides you with recent results, growth rates, and market shares. You will find original analyses, with business outlooks and developments. Discover qualitative analyses (including market dynamics, drivers, opportunities, restraints and challenges), cost structure, impact of rising smart TV prices and recent developments. This report includes data analysis and invaluable insight into how COVID-19 will affect the industry and your company. Four COVID-19 recovery patterns and their impact, namely, V, L, W and U are discussed in this report. Segments Covered in the Report Market Estimation by Market Volume (Million Units) Market Value (USD Billion) Market Segment by Screen Shape Curved TV Flat TV Market Segment by Resolution UHD TV HDTV Other Resolution Market Segment by Screen Size Below 32 inches 32 to 45 inches 46 to 65 inches Above 65 inches Market Segment by Technology OLED QLED LED Plasma Other Technology Market Segment by Operating System Tizen WebOS Android TV Roku TV FireFox OS Other Operating Systems In addition to the revenue predictions for the overall world market and segments, you will also find revenue forecasts for four regional and 20 leading national markets: North America U.S. Canada Europe Germany Russia United Kingdom France Italy Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China Japan India Australia South Korea Rest of Asia Pacific Latin America Brazil Mexico Rest of Latin America Middle East and Africa GCC South Africa Rest of Middle East and Africa The report also includes profiles and for some of the leading companies in the Smart TV Market, 2023 to 2033, with a focus on this segment of these companies operations. Leading companies and the potential for market growth Google LLC Haier Inc. Hisense Co., Ltd. Hitachi, Ltd. Intex Technologies Koninklijke Philips N.V. LG Electronics Inc. Panasonic Holdings Corporation Samsung Group Sansui Electric Co., Ltd Sharp Corporation Skyworth Group Co., Ltd Sony India Private Limited TCL Electronics Holdings Limited Toshiba Corporation Overall world revenue for Smart TV Market, 2023 to 2033 in terms of value the market will surpass US$240.1 billion in 2023, our work calculates. Also, in terms of volume market will surpass 223.4 million units in 2023. We predict strong revenue growth through to 2033. Our work identifies which organizations hold the greatest potential. Discover their capabilities, progress, and commercial prospects, helping you stay ahead. How will the Smart TV Market, 2023 to 2033 report help you? In summary, our 350+ page report provides you with the following knowledge: Revenue forecasts to 2033 for Smart TV Market, 2023 to 2033 Market, with forecasts for screen shape, resolution, screen size, technology, operating systems and company size, each forecast at a global and regional level discover the industrys prospects, finding the most lucrative places for investments and revenues. Revenue forecasts to 2033 for four regional and 20 key national markets See forecasts for the Smart TV Market, 2023 to 2033 market in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa. Also forecasted is the market in the US, Canada, Brazil, Germany, France, UK, Italy, China, India, Japan, and Australia among other prominent economies. Prospects for established firms and those seeking to enter the market including company profiles for 15 of the major companies involved in the Smart TV Market, 2023 to 2033. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06430653/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Story continues CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 South Korean prosecutors will expand cooperation with overseas legal agencies and counterparts to facilitate the arrest and extradition of Kwon Do-hyung, a South Korean national known as Do Kwon. He faces fraud charges in South Korea related to the now collapsed Terra-Luna stablecoin, a project developed by his Singapore-based Terraform Labs. See related article: FBI investigating the collapse of Do Kwons Terra-Luna, WSJ reports Developing cooperation with overseas agencies will help efforts to return Kwon and five other Terraform employees to Korea, the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office told Forkast via text message Thursday morning. All the individuals were listed in an arrest warrant issued last September. The five include Greek national Nicholas Platias, the former head of research at Terraform Labs, and the former chief executive officer of Chai Corporation, who has only been identified by his last name, Han. Chai is a South Korea-based payments processor founded by Terra co-founder Daniel Shin, or Shin Hyun-seung. The spokesperson for the prosecutors office declined to give further details on the status of the legal cooperation with overseas counterparts. Last month, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit against Terraform and Kwon for allegedly defrauding investors by hosting a multi-billion dollar crypto asset securities fraud. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Southern District of New York prosecutors have been questioning former Terraform employees on a similar basis as the SEC lawsuit, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week. It was reported last week that the Singapore police have launched an investigation into Terraform Labs. Last month, South Korean prosecutors flew to Serbia, Kwons last known location, to ask the local authorities for their assistance in extraditing the Terraform chief. The Seoul prosecutors office told Forkast that Serbian authorities agreed to cooperate. Terraform Labs has previously said the Luna cryptocurrency was not a financial security and that South Koreas investigation of Kwon and the company was politically motivated. Kwon said in a podcast appearance last year that he acknowledges his responsibility in the failure of the Terra project but said there was no fraud involved. The Seoul prosecutors office said it is considering to again request an arrest warrant for Terraform co-founder Shin on accusations that include fraudulently misrepresenting the Luna cryptocurrency and profiting by as much as US$100 million from selling the token before it collapsed. Shin has denied making such amounts of money from Luna, saying he sold most of his Luna holdings prior to the price surge and still held a significant amount during the May collapse of the cryptocurrency. He also denied accusations that he promoted the Terra stablecoin as a payment method. In December, a South Korean court rejected the request from prosecutors to issue an arrest warrant for Shin. CEO of the natural foods retailer will accept the award from ASU's W. P. Carey School of Business on April 5 TEMPE, Ariz., March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Since joining Sprouts Farmers Market in 2019, Jack Sinclair has focused on providing a curated, attribute-based product assortment that has helped the specialty foods retailer grow through dynamic changes in the food industry, resulting in the planned opening of 30 new stores in 2023. For his leadership in making Sprouts a more efficient, profitable, and innovative retailer, the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University will honor Sinclair with its annual Executive of the Year Award. (PRNewsfoto/W. P. Carey School of Business ) With more than 35 years of experience in the retail and grocery industries, Sinclair previously served as CEO of 99 Cents Only Stores; as executive vice president in charge of Walmart's U.S. grocery division, the largest grocer in the United States; and Safeway PLC in London. At Sprouts, Sinclair has advanced a "doing well by doing good" long-term strategy rooted in initiatives that grow business while caring for the health of communities and the environment. "It is a pleasure to award Jack Sinclair this year's Executive of the Year honor," said Ohad Kadan, Charles J. Robel Dean, Professor of Finance, and W. P. Carey Distinguished Chair. "Jack has grown Sprouts Farmers Market through a tumultuous time in the grocery retail industry while advancing initiatives that benefit customers, communities, and the planet. That commitment to integrity in leadership is exactly what this award celebrates." Sinclair becomes the 40th annual Executive of the Year chosen by the W. P. Carey Dean's Council, a national group of prominent executives who advise the W. P. Carey School of Business. Previous honorees include Steve Sanghi, executive chairman of Microchip Technology; Sheryl Palmer, chairman and CEO of Taylor Morrison; and Chris Koch, chairman, president, and CEO of Carlisle Cos. Event details Sinclair will be honored at a luncheon at the JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa on Wednesday, April 5. The event, which begins at 11:30 a.m., is part of the Economic Club of Phoenix speaker series. Tickets are $100. For more information about the club or to reserve seats, visit wpcarey.asu.edu/ecp. Story continues About the W. P. Carey School of Business The W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University is the largest and one of the top-ranked business schools in the United States. The school is internationally regarded for its research productivity and distinguished faculty members. Students come from more than 100 countries, and W. P. Carey is represented by alumni in over 160 countries. Visit wpcarey.asu.edu. For more information Shay Moser, W. P. Carey School of Business shay.moser@asu.edu 480-965-3963 Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sprouts-jack-sinclair-is-w-p-careys-2023-executive-of-the-year-301773584.html SOURCE W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University FTI Consulting, Inc. Part Three of The General Counsel Report from FTI Consulting and Relativity Reveal Trends in In-House Counsel Management of People, Providers and Automation WASHINGTON, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FTI Consulting, Inc. (NYSE: FCN) today announced additional findings from its Technology segments annual study of corporate legal departments, in partnership with global legal technology company Relativity. Based on a detailed survey and one-on-one interviews between Ari Kaplan and chief legal officers at large corporations, Part Three of The General Counsel Report 2023: Global Legal Departments Alleviate and Respond to Critical Pressure Points revealed that legal department leaders are grappling with a delicate balancing act of boosting output while keeping budgets conservative, which has led many to accept flexibility as a vital ingredient to their success. As discussed in Part One of The General Counsel Report 2023, the vast majority of respondents conveyed that their legal departments are experiencing a strain on capacity, resources and budgets, often as a result of the growth that their organizations have driven over the past two years. Today, a requirement to continually adapt is manifesting in the legal department across adoption of advanced technology, employee engagement, compensation frameworks and outsourcing decisions. More than two-thirds (67%) of respondents said their organizations have specifically evaluated the role of automation and advanced technology in enabling a higher standard of professional quality of life, alleviating capacity demands and increasing talent retention. Chief legal officers have become incredibly agile in how they navigate a rising tide of risks, demands, resource constraints and team needs, said Sophie Ross, Global Chief Executive Officer of FTI Technology. Notably, as they look to increase productivity without burning out their department, general counsel are more open than ever before to automation and advanced technology solutions that can reduce the burden of time intensive tasks. At the same time, most in-house counsel are incorporating a mix of solutions alongside technology, including appointing internal specialists across their department and maintaining strong relationships with trusted outside counsel and other service providers. Story continues Key findings covered in Part 3 include: Nearly half (47%) said they are hiring specialists within the legal department to support specific efforts and needs, while 20% are hiring generalists. 60% of respondents also listed reliance on law firms, as well as reliance on other outside providers, as among their top strategies for managing risk and capacity constraints. A notable portion of the current workload allocation within legal departments skews toward contracting, with one-third of participants reporting they spend at least 40% of their time in this area, while half spend more than 30% of their time on contract-related work. Despite that current legal department adoption of artificial intelligence remains flat only 20% reported they are currently using AI, a slight decline from previous years 57% said they expect to increase their use of AI. 45% advised that their organizations, and their legal departments specifically, have experienced new challenges associated with remote work, including 30% who said prolonged remote and hybrid work have directly influenced how they address their regulatory compliance and data privacy risks. David Horrigan, Discovery Counsel and Legal Education Director at Relativity added, The COVID-19 pandemic may have come to an end for many around the globe, but the research contained in Part 3 of The General Counsel Report 2023 indicates workplace changes resulting from the pandemic have had a continuing impact on corporate legal departments. In recent years, The General Counsel Report has provided a barometer of the COVID effect on corporate counsel, and some of these trends continue in this years report, including in personnel matters, with chief legal officers noting challenges in retaining employees and meeting compliance obligations with a remote workforce, while, at the same time, finding hiring advantages in the flexibility of a remote and hybrid team. The complete edition of The General Counsel Report 2023, including Part 3, is available here. Demographics and Methodology From Aug. 22, 2022 through Sept. 7, 2022, Ari Kaplan personally interviewed 30 leaders serving as the general counsel or chief legal officer of their organizations. Forty percent work in organizations with more than $1 billion in annual revenue and 60% work for companies with more than 1,000 employees. About FTI Consulting FTI Consulting, Inc. is a global business advisory firm dedicated to helping organizations manage change, mitigate risk and resolve disputes: financial, legal, operational, political & regulatory, reputational and transactional. With more than 7,600 employees located in 31 countries, FTI Consulting professionals work closely with clients to anticipate, illuminate and overcome complex business challenges and make the most of opportunities. The Company generated $3.0 billion in revenues during fiscal year 2022. In certain jurisdictions, FTI Consultings services are provided through distinct legal entities that are separately capitalized and independently managed. For more information, visit www.fticonsulting.com and connect with us on Twitter (@FTIConsulting), Facebook and LinkedIn. About Relativity Relativity makes software to help users organize data, discover the truth and act on it. Its SaaS product, RelativityOne, manages large volumes of data and quickly identifies key issues during litigation and internal investigations. Relativity has more than 300,000 users in approximately 40 countries serving thousands of organizations globally primarily in legal, financial services and government sectors, including the U.S. Department of Justice and 198 of the Am Law 200. Please contact Relativity at sales@relativity.com or visit www.relativity.com for more information. FTI Consulting, Inc. 555 12th Street NW Washington, DC 20004 +1.202.312.9100 Investor Contact: Mollie Hawkes +1.617.747.1791 mollie.hawkes@fticonsulting.com Media Contacts: Ashley Allman +1.206.369.5209 ashley.allman@fticonsulting.com Relativity Public Relations pr@relativity.com After launching Jayvees in February 2023, the Companys subsidiary Beyond Alternatives sold out its entire first commercial batch of Jayvees edibles in a 14-day period Picture 1 Beyond Alternatives has started producing its second commercial batch of Jayvees edibles, which are pictured above as part of a display at a trade show exhibit. LAS VEGAS and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TAAT GLOBAL ALTERNATIVES INC. (CSE: TAAT) (OTCQX: TOBAF) (FRANKFURT: 2TP) (the Company or TAAT) is pleased to announce that its subsidiary Beyond Alternatives LLC (Beyond Alternatives) has commenced production of the second commercial batch of edibles under the Jayvees brand. In a press release dated February 6, 2023 , the Company announced that Beyond Alternatives would be launching Jayvees at the CHAMPS trade show being held in Las Vegas that same week. Jayvees was also featured in Beyond Alternatives exhibits at other B2B events such as Total Product Expo (TPE) and ASD Market Week , garnering overwhelmingly positive responses from attendees. Retailers of Jayvees edibles have reported that adult consumers often purchase several units of the product at a given time (approximately ten single-serving units per transaction on average). As of this writing, products under the Jayvees brand are sold in eleven U.S. states as well as in Puerto Rico. Beyond Alternatives initial supply of Jayvees edibles was completely sold out approximately 14 days after becoming available for purchasing on a wholesale basis. The second batch, which will be approximately 13% larger than the first batch, is expected to be ready to ship later this month, with four wholesale pre-orders already confirmed. Beyond Alternatives has started producing its second commercial batch of Jayvees edibles, which are pictured above as part of a display at a trade show exhibit. Beyond Alternatives has started producing its second commercial batch of Jayvees edibles, which are pictured above as part of a display at a trade show exhibit. Readers using news aggregation services may be unable to view the media above. Please access SEDAR or the Investor Relations section of the Companys website for a version of this press release containing all published media. TAAT Chief Executive Officer Michael Saxon commented, We are excited about the early-stage success of Jayvees, as we expand our footprint in the CPG space throughout the United States. Retailers seem to be further embracing edibles and other similar product offerings in 2023, and it is apparent that the Jayvees brand is resonating with adult consumers at the retail level, which is driving enough demand for us to begin manufacturing a second batch so promptly after the first. Story continues Pat Bell, President of TAAT wholesale subsidiary ADCO Distributors, Inc. (ADCO), commented, Although ADCOs business is primarily in legacy convenience categories such as tobacco and confection, we have been scaling up our range of alternative products such as edibles. Our retail accounts have reported that adult consumers are purchasing approximately ten units of Jayvees at a time in-store, and we have had to be diligent about keeping up with demand to make sure theyre kept in stock. The Peanut Butter variety of Jayvees edibles is the best seller, and we are excited for the second batch to be ready to ship so that we can continue supplying Jayvees to our accounts. On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Company, TAAT GLOBAL ALTERNATIVES INC. Michael Saxon Michael Saxon, CEO and Director For further information, please contact: TAAT Investor Relations 1-833-TAAT-USA (1-833-822-8872) investor@taatglobal.com THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE (CSE) HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE, NOR HAS OR DOES THE CSES REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER. About TAAT Global Alternatives Inc. TAAT is a vertically integrated consumer product and distribution company, generating more than CAD $90 million in overall gross revenue annually. TAAT is strategically expanding its product categories including tobacco and reduced-risk alternatives, hemp, kratom, and other emerging CPG segments. TAAT has facilities to include a processing plant in Nevada as well as a distribution centre in Canton, Ohio, leveraging existing retail shelf space and pipelines into national wholesale channels. For more information, please visit http://taatglobal.com . Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Often, but not always, forward-looking information and information can be identified by the use of words such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, estimates, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur, or be achieved. Forward-looking information in this news release includes statements regarding the anticipated performance of TAAT in the tobacco industry, in addition to the following: Anticipated completion of the production of the second batch of Jayvees edibles, potential performance of Jayvees in the wholesale and retail markets. The forward-looking information reflects managements current expectations based on information currently available and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed timeframes or at all. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include: (i) adverse market conditions; (ii) changes to the growth and size of the tobacco markets; (iii) changes to the regulatory landscape applicable to the Company's business; and (iv) other factors beyond the control of the Company. The Company operates in a rapidly evolving environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is impossible for the Companys management to predict all risk factors, nor can the Company assess the impact of all factors on Companys business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking information. The forward-looking information included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. The statements in this news release have not been evaluated by Health Canada or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As each individual is different, the benefits, if any, of taking the Companys products will vary from person to person. No claims or guarantees can be made as to the effects of the Companys products on an individuals health and well-being. The Companys products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This news release may contain trademarked names of third-party entities (or their respective offerings with trademarked names) typically in reference to (i) relationships had by the Company with such third-party entities as referred to in this release and/or (ii) client/vendor/service provider parties whose relationship with the Company is/are referred to in this release. All rights to such trademarks are reserved by their respective owners or licensees. Statement Regarding Third-Party Investor Relations Firms Disclosures relating to investor relations firms retained by TAAT Global Alternatives Inc. can be found under the Company's profile on http://sedar.com . President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has held a meeting with President of the Republic of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara. A guard of honor was lined up for the President of Azerbaijan at the Presidential Palace in Ankara. President of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. The heads of state posed together for photographs. The Turkish leader thanked the President of Azerbaijan for his initiative to hold the Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States in Turkiye. The sides underlined the importance of the format the summit of the Turkic States is held and the fact that the event is devoted to mitigating the impact of the earthquake, which occurred in Turkiye. Recep Tayyip Erdogan recalled Azerbaijans fraternal support and solidarity shown shortly after the devastating quake in Turkiye. The Turkish President hailed the efforts of Azerbaijani rescuers and doctors in the quake-hit regions and the country`s humanitarian aid to eliminate the consequences of the natural disaster. Expressing once again his condolences over the earthquake, President Ilham Aliyev said that the people of Azerbaijan were deeply shocked by the natural disaster. They praised the successful development of brotherly and friendly relations between the two countries in all areas based on one nation and two states principle, and discussed the further expansion of cooperation in the fields of politics, economy, trade, energy, defense and defense industry, as well as regional issues. During the conversation, the sides also exchanged views on the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the negotiations process on a peace treaty. OSLO (Reuters) - Oslo-listed Telenor on Thursday declined to comment on a report saying the operator was in talks with CK Hutchison relating to its businesses in Sweden and Denmark. "We do not comment on speculation or rumors related to our business," a Telenor spokesperson told Reuters in an email. The Financial Times on Thursday reported the Norwegian firm was in talks to combine its businesses in Denmark and Sweden with those of Hong Kong-listed ports-to-telecoms conglomerate CK Hutchison, owner of telecoms group Three. (Reporting by Victoria Klesty, editing by Terje Solsvik) Trillium Gold Mines Inc.; Pacton Gold Inc. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Trillium Gold Mines Inc. (TSXV: TGM, FRA: 0702) (Trillium) and Pacton Gold Inc. (TSXV: PAC, OTC: PACXF, FSE: 2NKM) (Pacton) are pleased to announce that they have entered into an arrangement agreement dated March 15, 2023 (the Agreement) to combine the two companies to create the leading gold explorer and dominant strategic land holder, over 15 projects covering over 1,260 km2 in the prolific Red Lake Mining District of Northern Ontario (the Transaction). Under the terms of the Agreement, Trillium and Pacton will merge on an at-market basis, with each common shareholder of Pacton (each, a Pacton Shareholder) entitled to receive 1.275 common shares of Trillium (each whole such common share, a Trillium Share) in exchange for each Pacton common share held (each, a Pacton Share). Upon completion of the Transaction, existing Trillium and Pacton shareholders will own 53% and 47%, respectively, of the combined company. Transaction Highlights Establishes dominant and strategic land position in the prolific Red Lake Mining District : With over 1,260 km 2 of properties extending across the Red Lake Mining District, the combined companys property holdings will be larger than major gold producers in the district such as Evolution Mining Limited (Evolution) and Kinross Gold Corporation (Kinross). Substantial synergies : The companies expect material cost savings and synergies from the consolidation of corporate overheads and exploration programs across this prolific mineral district. Pactons Red Lake Gold Project is located within 20 km of Trilliums Newman Todd Complex and the western portion of its Confederation Belt properties. In addition, Trilliums Leo and Pakwash properties are located immediately south of Pactons Dixie and Pakwash properties. Enhanced capital markets profile : The proposed Transaction will result in a greater combined market capitalization and an expanded institutional investor base. Shareholders are also expected to benefit from enhanced trading liquidity and a more robust treasury following completion of the Transaction. Proven leadership and technical team with expanded board: The combined companys forward leadership and technical team represents over 150 years of exploration and corporate development experience, with several senior geologists each having decades of exploration expertise in the Red Lake Mining District. The proposed Transaction will also add two experienced directors from Pacton to Trilliums existing board, increasing board depth and providing continuity for Pacton Shareholders. Story continues Russell Starr, President, CEO and Director of Trillium, commented, This combination literally changes the map of the prolific Red Lake Mining District. With the addition of Pactons neighbouring projects, Trillium will become the leading strategic landholder in the region. With over 1,260 km2 of prospective ground, we will effectively increase and diversify our opportunities, while realizing financial and operating synergies. Being the most dominant and strategic land holder in the jurisdiction for gold, we will also seek to leverage the lithium and critical element opportunities that exist throughout the combined land package. Nav Dhaliwal, President, CEO and Director of Pacton, further commented, The combination of Trillium and Pacton represents an all too rare outcome in our sector - real synergy. Our projects are proximal, our corporate philosophies are consistent and cost efficiencies will be realized. The new company shall be properly diversified and well positioned to achieve exploration success, while putting under one roof an extensive land position that we expect will present strategic value to other players in the industry. Benefits to Trillium Shareholders Increases Trilliums land holdings in the Red Lake Mining District by over 36,000 hectares (40% growth). Addition of Pactons Red Lake Gold Project, which is a 28,000 hectare land package located in the heart of the Red Lake gold camp between Kinross Great Bear gold project (acquired in February 2022 from Great Bear Resources for US$1.4 billion) and Evolutions Red Lake Operations. Leverages the significant work completed by Pacton at the Red Lake Gold Project, including 79 drill holes totaling 26,719 m and 1,011 surface samples. In 2022, a 15-hole drill program totaling 5,698 m intersected multiple high-grade gold targets, including 0.5 m of 17.2 g/t Au, of which high-grade surface samples included 126.5 g/t Au and 23.3 g/t Au. Pacton also identified a 2 km long gold-bearing trend at the Claremont Target, which has widespread, anomalous gold with exposed zones that are up to 60 m long and 50 m wide. Addition of Pactons 46.7% interest in the Sidace Project pursuant to its joint venture with Evolution. Sidace is an 8,600 hectare property located at the northern extent of the Red Lake Greenstone Belt. Over 80,000 m of past and recent drilling have defined three zones of high-grade and widespread gold mineralization. In 2021, 17 of the 18 holes drilled at Sidace intercepted gold, including 9.0 g/t Au over 2.3 m, 1.3 g/t Au over 75.2 m, 1.5 g/t Au over 61.2 m and 20.6 g/t Au over 1.0 m. Pacton has a strong existing balance sheet of cash and cash equivalents. Benefits to Pacton Shareholders Ownership in a larger, more diversified gold exploration company with substantial exposure to over 89,600 hectares of prospective properties in the Red Lake Mining District. Trilliums extensive Confederation Belt property holdings spans over 115 km along favourable structures, which is several times larger than Kinross LP Fault Zone. In addition to gold targets, these properties have substantial potential to host significant critical metals including copper, nickel, cobalt, lithium, zinc, molybdenum, indium and gallium. Trilliums greater Newman Todd project hosts over 20 high-grade zones and has a sizable historic NI 43-101 resource estimate. More than 31,000 m of drilling over 2020 to 2022 has been completed by Trillium, targeting high-grade veins with comparable widths to historical drilling (>55,000 m up to 2013), on the Newman Todd and Rivard projects, located 26 km from Evolutions Red Lake Operations. Enhanced market capitalization in combination with research coverage, a strong institutional and retail investor base, and greater trading liquidity. Transaction Procedures The proposed merger will be completed by way of plan of arrangement (the Arrangement) under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) resulting in Pacton becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Trillium. The Transaction will require approval of at least 66 2/3 percent of the votes cast by shareholders of Pacton at a special meeting of shareholders expected to be held in the second quarter of 2023 (the Pacton Meeting). All of the directors and senior officers of Pacton have entered into voting and support agreements with Trillium in support of the Transaction. The Arrangement will also provide for the issuance of Trillium stock options to Pacton optionholders in exchange for their existing Pacton options. Pacton optionholders who do not exercise their Pacton options prior to the effective time of the Arrangement will receive Trillium stock options to purchase Trillium common shares, in number and at exercise prices adjusted by the exchange ratio. Under the Arrangement, all existing warrants of Pacton will become exercisable to acquire Trillium common shares, in number and at exercise prices adjusted by the exchange ratio. The Agreement includes customary provisions including non-solicitation provisions, a right for Trillium to match any superior proposal, and a termination fee payable in certain circumstances. Currently there are 79,586,665 Trillium shares issued and outstanding. Upon closing of the Transaction Trillium is expected to have 149,070,735 shares issued and outstanding. Full details of the Transaction will be included in the management information circular of Pacton describing the matters to be considered at the Pacton Meeting, which is expected to be mailed to the Pacton Shareholders in the second quarter 2023, and made available on SEDAR under Pactons issuer profile at www.sedar.com . The Transaction is a result of arms length negotiations between the parties and there is no finder's fee associated with the Transaction. Financial advisors to Pacton are expected to receive advisory fees customary of transactions of this nature which will be described in more detail in Pactons management information circular in respect of the Transaction. Board of Directors Recommendations The Board of Directors of Pacton has unanimously approved the proposed Transaction and unanimously recommends that Pacton Shareholders vote in favour of the proposed Transaction. Haywood Securities Inc. has provided a fairness opinion to the Board of Directors of Pacton stating that, as of the date hereof, and based upon and subject to the assumptions, limitations, and qualifications set forth therein, the consideration to be received by Pacton Shareholders pursuant to the proposed Transaction is fair, from a financial point of view, to the Pacton Shareholders. Additionally, the Board of Directors of Trillium has unanimously approved the proposed Transaction. Board and Management It is intended that, upon the closing of the Transaction, the Board of Directors of the combined company will consist of six members, of which two members shall be selected by Pacton and four members shall be selected by Trillium. Qualified Persons William Paterson, P.Geo., VP Exploration of Trillium, is a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101). Mr. Paterson has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this press release relating solely to Trillium. Dale Ginn, P.Geo., Executive Chairman of Pacton, is a Qualified Person as defined under NI 43-101. Mr. Ginn has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this press release relating solely to Pacton. Advisors and Legal Counsel Red Cloud Securities Inc. is acting as financial advisor to Trillium and its Board of Directors. Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP is acting as legal counsel to Trillium. Haywood Securities Inc. is acting as financial advisor to Pacton and its Board of Directors. Cozen OConnor LLP is acting as legal counsel to Pacton. Webcast Trillium and Pacton will host a joint webcast tomorrow, March 17, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time / 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time to discuss the Transaction. Login to the webcast: https://redcloudfs.com/rcwebinar-tgm-3 About Trillium Gold Mines Inc. Trillium Gold Mines Inc. is a growth focused company engaged in the business of acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties located in the Red Lake Mining District of Northern Ontario. As part of its regional-scale consolidation strategy, the Company has assembled one of the largest prospective land packages in and around the Red Lake mining district in proximity to major mines and deposits, as well as along the Confederation Lake and Birch-Uchi greenstone belts. The Company recently closed acquisitions effectively extending its contiguous land position over more than 100 km of favourable structures on trend with Kinross Golds Great Bear Project and Evolution Minings Red Lake Operation. In addition, the Company has interests in highly prospective properties in Larder Lake and Shining Tree, Ontario. Visit Trilliums website at www.trilliumgold.com. About Pacton Gold Inc. Pacton Gold is a Canadian exploration company with key strategic partners focused on the exploration and development of high-grade mineral resource properties in Ontario, Canada. The Company also owns a strategic portfolio of prospective projects in Western Australia. Visit Pactons website at www.pactongold.com. For further information, please contact: Trillium Gold Inc. Russell Starr President, CEO and Director Donna Yoshimatsu VP Corporate Development and Investor Relations Tel: (416) 722-2456 Email: dyoshimatsu@trilliumgold.com or info@trilliumgold.com Website: www.trilliumgold.com Pacton Gold Inc. Nav Dhaliwal President, CEO and Director Tel: 1-(855)-584-0258 Email: info@pactongold.com Website: www.pactongold.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements This news release contains forward-looking information, which involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectations. This news release contains forward-looking information, which involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectations. Forward-looking information includes but is not limited to, completion of the proposed Transaction, receipt of all shareholder and court approvals, the completion of other regulatory approvals, the mailing of the management information circular, the completion of a concurrent private placement and, anticipated cash balance and anticipated cost savings following completion of the Transaction among other things. These statements are based on each of the management of Trillium and Pacton, respectively, reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions, which are based on each managements experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, but which may prove to be incorrect. Such factors, among others, include: impacts arising from the global disruption caused by the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak, business integration risks; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; fluctuations in spot and forward prices of gold or certain other commodities; change in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents); inability to obtain adequate insurance to cover risks and hazards; the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities and indigenous populations; availability of increasing costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development (including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses, permits and approvals from government authorities); and title to properties. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The companies disclaim any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. (Bloomberg) -- The US has told TikToks owners in China to sell their shares or risk a ban of the popular video-sharing app, people familiar with the matter said, a major escalation in the long-running standoff over privacy concerns around Chinese control of its data and algorithm. Most Read from Bloomberg The Treasury Departments Committee on Foreign Investment in the US made the demand recently to TikToks owner, ByteDance Ltd., the people said, indicating that the Biden administration has given up on a security review that was intended to blunt potential Chinese influence regarding the app. They asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations. Under the demand, Cfius would start a process to approve a buyer for TikToks US assets, according to one of the people. The objective would be to find a purchaser that could reconstruct the algorithm for the US operations, walling off access by the Chinese to US users and their data, the person said. There are a number of potential buyers who might be interested, including content companies, tech players and private equity, said the person. At the same time, ByteDance is determining whether to sue, the person said. A forced sale of TikToks operations under former President Donald Trump was stayed while the Biden administration reviewed the national security risks posed by the social media app. TikToks leadership has been discussing the possibility of separating from ByteDance Ltd., its Chinese parent, to help address concerns about national security risks, Bloomberg News reported. One person said TikToks owners could retain some form of ownership but through a passive structure. If protecting national security is the objective, divestment doesnt solve the problem: a change in ownership would not impose any new restrictions on data flows or access, TikTok spokeswoman Maureen Shanahan said in a statement. The best way to address concerns about national security is with the transparent, US-based protection of US user data and systems, with robust third-party monitoring, vetting, and verification, which we are already implementing. Story continues Earlier: TikTok Considers Splitting From ByteDance If US Deal Fails Under the Cfius security review, the company agreed last year to implement a number of changes in a plan it calls Project Texas. The proposal includes bringing in American technology giant Oracle Corp. to host US user data and review its software, and appointing a three-person government-approved oversight board. Many of the moves are already under way. The Cfius divestiture demand signals that US regulators dont think Project Texas goes far enough to address security concerns. The administration was unconvinced by TikToks proposal to add layers of oversight and separation from ByteDance, according to another person familiar with the matter. It administrations stance would likely face renewed legal challenges just as a similar attempted ban did under Trump. His Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, oversaw an agreement under which ByteDance would sell its American assets to the Oracle-led group, but the sale was delayed after the Chinese company scored a series of legal victories. Early on, the Biden administration asked a federal judge to pause a lawsuit over that ban while it reviewed its options. Still unclear is how Beijing would respond to a forced sale by TikToks owner, the worlds largest startup at a valuation of $220 billion and considered one of Chinas highest profile companies abroad. The government in the past has indicated it would scrutinize such a deal carefully, for fear of data or algorithms ending up in foreign hands. TikTok itself could be valued at $40 billion to $50 billion based on social media multiples and other factors, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Mandeep Singh and Damian Reimertz. TikTok has poured $1.5 billion into Project Texas, but the details have been met with skepticism on Capitol Hill as well. The move will only add to strain in the US relationship with China at a time when the two countries are already clashing over issues ranging from the fate of Taiwan to export controls of microchips to Chinas strengthening partnership with Russia. The US National Security Council and the Treasury Department declined to comment on Wednesday night. The Justice Department declined to comment. The Wall Street Journal reported the Biden administrations demand earlier Wednesday. US officials have been airing longstanding national security concerns about TikTok. FBI Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers in November that Chinas government could use the app to control millions of users data or software, and its recommendation algorithm which determines which videos users will see next could be used for influence operations if they so choose. Under Chinese law, Chinese companies are required to essentially and Im going to shorthand here basically do whatever the Chinese government wants them to do in terms of sharing information or serving as a tool of the Chinese government, Wray told the House Homeland Security Committee. Thats plenty of reason by itself to be extremely concerned. The issue had also become a focus of US lawmakers as part of intensified hawkishness against China. Several lawmakers had proposed bills that would ban TikTok in the US or force its sale. TikTok Chief Executive Officer Shou Chew has been asked to testify before a House committee next week about the apps data privacy and security practices, and the companys relationship with the Chinese Communist Party. --With assistance from Alex Barinka, Daniel Flatley and Sara Forden. (Updates with additional reporting on Trump administration lawsuit, possible divestiture.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City (Reuters) -The pressure on small and mid-sized U.S. banks following the swift downfall of SVB Financial Group could further slow the economy, and will likely raise the probability of a recession this year, analysts at Wall Street said. J.P.Morgan said regulatory scrutiny on smaller banks and a run on deposits will hamper loan growth. With no offset from larger banks, gross domestic product (GDP) would reduce by 0.5% to 1.0%, over the next year or two. "Ongoing pressure could cause smaller banks to become more conservative about lending in order to preserve liquidity in case they need to meet depositor withdrawals, and a tightening in lending standards could weigh on aggregate demand," said economists at Goldman Sachs led by Jan Hatzius. Banks across the globe slumped following the closure of SVB and Signature Bank, with worries about stresses in the global banking system exacerbated by troubles at Swiss lender Credit Suisse. U.S. banks started to find footing again on Wednesday thanks to bargain hunting. JPM notes that small banks, per the U.S. Federal Reserve's definition, account for 30% of aggregate banking system assets, and 38% of the system's loan book in the U.S. Analysts believe the collapse of SVB and Signature Bank highlights the delayed effect of the U.S. central bank's aggressive rate hike campaign. Goldman Sachs raised its probability of the U.S. economy entering a recession in the next 12 months by 10 percentage points to 35%, citing the stress on small banks. (Reporting by Aniruddha Ghosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Dhanya Ann Thoppil and Eileen Soreng) Fairfield Consultancy Services OPC Pvt Ltd North America, and Europe Represent a Collective Revenue Share of Nearly 55% London, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In addition to the thriving trend waves of natural and organic, greater consumer inclination toward plant-based ingredients predominantly drives the growth of natural vanillin market. An approximately US$336 Mn market (as of 2021) is all set to jump to revenue worth US$845 Mn by the end of 2029. The competitive landscape is highly diverse, and innovation will remain the winning imperative for key players. While manufacturers are more likely to eye the premium product categories, brands are also investing efforts in bringing cost-efficient innovations to the table, says the analyst at Fairfield Market Research. The company in its latest published study reports that the worldwide market for natural vanillin will experience strong growth in revenue between the years of forecast, 2022 and 2029. The application range continues to broaden, covering food and beverages, animal and poultry feed, personal care, pharmaceutical, fragrance, pesticides, and lubricant industries. Moreover, an evolving consumer lifestyle, and growing prominence of premium product ranges are expected to fuel market expansion to a large extent. Key Research Insights Global natural vanillin sales are likely to account for nearly 9.5% revenue growth for the market Food and beverages industry remains the largest segment registering natural vanillin consumption North America continues to be the top consumer region and is poised to display around 8.6% revenue growth by 2029 Get the Sample Copy of Natural Vanillin Market at https://www.fairfieldmarketresearch.com/report/natural-vanillin-market/request-sample Insights into Segmentation Analysis In terms of consumption of natural vanillin and derived products, the report affirms clear dominance of food and beverages industry that currently holds a lions share of more than 59% in the market. Beverages especially point to an attractive, continuous stream of business opportunities, marks the analyst. The study further highlights growing demand generation from the cosmetics and personal care segment with the current revenue share of around 25%. On the other hand, source-wise analysis of the natural vanillin market shows sustained preference for vanilla bean extract that recorded over 56% market value share in 2021. Story continues Key Report Highlights Ready-to-eat category emerges one of the key factors driving North Americas phenomenal growth potential Rising consumer desire for natural fragrances in premium products will create ample opportunities Givaudan, Firmenich SA, Symrise, Kerry Group, and Sensient Tech Corp. mark a few of the top performers across natural vanillin industry Insights into Regional Analysis Currently representing over 35% share in the global natural vanillin market revenue, North America will most likely spearhead through the end of forecast period. The market here will be closely trailed by Europes natural vanillin industry and both the regions are slated to account for a collective value share of nearly 55%, indicates the report. While the ready-to-eat sector provides a strong impetus to the North American market, the study highlights pivotal role of the processed food sector in accelerating the market progression across Europe. Led by Italy, the UK, and Germany, the latter is also projected to benefit from the other end-use segments, including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food processing. Leading Market Players SOLVAY, Kerry Group, Firmenich SA, Aurochemicals, Givaudan, Symrise, MANE, Sensient Tech Corp, Advanced BioTech, and PROVA constitute some of the top participants in worldwide natural vanillin market space. Do You Have Any Query or Specific Requirement? Request for Custom Research: https://www.fairfieldmarketresearch.com/report/natural-vanillin-market/request-customization REPORT SCOPE Report Attributes Details Base Year 2021 Forecast Year 2022 2029 Market Size in 2021 US$336 Mn Estimated Market Size in 2029 US$845 Mn CAGR 9.5 % Key Players SOLVAY, Kerry Group, Firmenich SA, Aurochemicals, Givaudan, Symrise, MANE, Sensient Tech Corp, Advanced BioTech, PROVA The Global Natural Vanillin Market is Segmented as Below: By Application Coverage Food & Beverages Bakery & Confectionary Beverages Dairy Others Pharmaceuticals Cosmetics & Personal Care By Sources Coverage Vanilla Bean Extract Eugenol Synthesis Ferulic Acid Synthesis Others By Geographical Coverage North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa Leading Companies Givaudan Firmenich SA Symrise Kerry Group Sensient Tech Corp MANE PROVA SOLVAY Aurochemicals Advanced BioTech Inside This Report You Will Find: 1. Executive Summary 2. Market Overview 3. Global Natural Vanillin Market Outlook, 2019 - 2029 4. North America Natural Vanillin Market Outlook, 2019 - 2029 5. Europe Natural Vanillin Market Outlook, 2019 - 2029 6. Asia Pacific Natural Vanillin Market Outlook, 2019 - 2029 7. Latin America Natural Vanillin Market Outlook, 2019 - 2029 8. Middle East & Africa Natural Vanillin Market Outlook, 2019 - 2029 9. Competitive Landscape 10. Appendix Learn More About the Report Inclusions, and Research Methodology: https://www.fairfieldmarketresearch.com/report/natural-vanillin-market/more-information About Us Fairfield Market Research is a UK-based market research provider. Fairfield offers a wide spectrum of services, ranging from customized reports to consulting solutions. With a strong European footprint, Fairfield operates globally and helps businesses navigate through business cycles, with quick responses and multi-pronged approaches. The company values an eye for insightful take on global matters, ably backed by a team of exceptionally experienced researchers. With a strong repository of syndicated market research reports that are continuously published & updated to ensure the ever-changing needs of customers are met with absolute promptness. Contact Fairfield Market Research London, UK UK +44 (0)20 30025888 USA (Toll-free) +1 (844) 3829746 Web: https://www.fairfieldmarketresearch.com/ Email: sales@fairfieldmarketresearch.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/FairfieldMarket LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fairfield-market-research-uk The Brainy Insights The market for xylose has an opportunity due to changes in sugar supply and price as well as rising xylose demand in the food and beverage sectors. Asia-Pacific emerged as the highest in the global xylose market, with a share of 39.66% in 2022. The Asia-Pacific region's demand for xylose is anticipated to be fuelled by rising public awareness of the product's expanding applications and the absence of adverse side effects. Newark, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Brainy Insights estimates that the USD 2.43 Billion in 2022 xylose market will reach USD 4.70 Billion by 2032. The popularity of xylose has substantially increased in recent years, especially in the expanding food and beverage sector, due to a significant change in customer preference for healthy and natural products. Sales of natural food ingredients like xylose from plants have increased owing to the thriving food and beverage industry and growing consumer health consciousness. This instance refers to moderate growth in the xylose market's expansion, where businesses are looking at using their products in more diverse sectors to establish a better position. Download PDF Brochure: https://www.thebrainyinsights.com/enquiry/sample-request/13359 Key Insight of the Xylose Market Europe is anticipated to expand at the highest CAGR of 9.34% over the projection period. Europe is expected to grow at the highest CAGR of 9.34% over the forecast period. Due to the region's increasing rates of cardiovascular disease and cholesterol, Europe is predicted to experience the fastest growth in xylose usage during the projection period. The xylose market is expected to develop in this region due to the increased popularity of packaged food products, rising consumer demand for food and drinks, rising consumer preferences for natural sugar, and increased number of diabetics. In the xylose market, the D-Xylose segment was estimated at USD 1.37 billion in 2022. The D-Xylose segment was valued at USD 1.37 billion in 2022 in the xylose market. D-Xylose, a white powder with a pleasant taste, is obtained from hemicellulose-rich plants, like rice straw and sawdust. It is divided into two types: Refined grade D-Xylose, mainly used by the food and beverage industry, and its raw form, employed in the glycoside industry. The D-Xylose Absorption Test is employed to ascertain the quantity of the sugar molecule in urine or blood samples to recognize ailments which impede the small intestine from assimilating nutrients. The small intestine is adept at taking in d-xylose productively. Story continues In the xylose market, the food segment was estimated at USD 0.60 billion in 2022. The food segment was valued at USD 0.60 billion in 2022 in the xylose market. Diabetes is treated using xylose, a significant sweetener in the food industry. Diabetes is treated using xylose, a significant sweetener in the food industry. The standard sweetener substitute, xylose, is produced by catalytically hydrogenating xylitol. Xylose can help lessen odours and make typical sugary foods taste better. Spices, meat items, and butter are just a few of the numerous foods that it is regularly used to sweeten. It tastes fresh and delightful and has the same sweetness as sucrose. Xylose is a molecule that can be used in pharmaceuticals as an intermediate and sweetener. Browse Detailed Summary of Research Report with TOC: https://www.thebrainyinsights.com/report/xylose-market-13359 Market Dynamics Driver: Rising consumer awareness regarding health and nutrition Because type 2 diabetes is more common, there has been a significant shift in consumer preference towards diabetic sweeteners over ordinary sugar, opening up new market potential. Diabetic sweeteners like xylose decrease blood pressure, prevent heart disease and assist in maintaining healthy levels of cholesterol and glycaemic index. White sugar can raise insulin levels in the body, unlike xylitol. This crystalline aldose sugar has gained popularity as a white sugar substitute since it does not have the same effects and is often used as a tea and coffee sweetener. Because of the product's textural, moisture-stabilizing, and non-carcinogenic properties, market demand is projected to rise as its application in chocolates and confectionery products expands. Xylose is a stable and chemically inert material in high demand since it is simple to include in other food products without modifying the formula. One of the many applications for xylose, which has unique and desirable texture-enhancing properties, is the production of cosmetics. The xylose market is increasing as more individuals learn how xylitol helps stop plaque-forming bacteria from expanding. Xylitons limit the growth of the germs that cause cavities because they cannot grow on xylose. Xylose is a naturally occurring substance in fruits, vegetables, and berries. It can also be synthesized artificially from xylan-rich plant materials. The general public and professionals in the medical and dentistry areas better understand the benefits of sugar-free sweeteners. MS numbers in plaque are reduced by xylose consumption. Chlorhexidine is a more effective antiplaque medication in children with minimal voluntary movements or when brushing cannot be adequately watched. Hence, the Xylose market will grow more quickly. Raising public awareness of health issues and increasing consumer knowledge are driving the growth of the xylose market. Xylose is an aldopentose-type reducing sugar that is a monosaccharide. Most edible plant embryos contain xylose, including some species of chrysolite beetle with cardiac glycosides in their defence system glands. Many consumers prefer ingredients made from plants as a result of the rise in diabetics, the inclination towards health and well-being, and the increase in consumers who have a focus on quality. Thus, the xylose market is anticipated to expand during the forecasting period. Restraint: Seasonal impact The supply of xylose is affected by seasonal variations. The weather has a significant impact on both its cost and quality. Research is being done to see if xylose has any adverse effects. The critical issues to the development of the xylose market are among these. Opportunity: Increasing requirements of xylose in the food and beverage industry Due to fluctuations in the availability and price of sugar and growing xylose demand in the food and beverage industries, the market for xylose has potential. People consume xylose as a nutritional supplement. The need for xylose is expanding due to its many nutritional benefits. Due to increased awareness, organic and natural beauty and hygiene products are in high demand. Many products for oral and dental hygiene are also manufactured with it. Challenge: Issues with pricing and changing consumer preferences The growth of the xylose market may be hampered by various factors, such as issues with pricing, political constraints, and shifting consumer preferences. Request for Customization: https://www.thebrainyinsights.com/enquiry/request-customization/13359 Some of the major players operating in the xylose market are: Futaste Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. Triveni Chemicals Shandong LongLive Biosynth Carbosynth Essex Food Ingredients Healtang Biotech Co, Ltd. Suvchem DuPont Chengdu Herbpurify Futaste Toyota Tsusho Corporation Key Segments cover in the market: By Product Type: L-Xylose D-Xylose By End-use: Beverages Personal Care Food Animal Feed Industry Pharmaceuticals By Region North America (U.S., Canada, Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Spain, Rest of Europe) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, Rest of APAC) South America (Brazil and the Rest of South America) The Middle East and Africa (UAE, South Africa, Rest of MEA) Immediate Delivery Available | Buy This Premium Research Report: https://www.thebrainyinsights.com/buy-now/13359/single About the report: The market is analysed based on value (USD Billion). All the segments have been analysed worldwide, regional, and country basis. The study includes the analysis of more than 30 countries for each part. The report analyses driving factors, opportunities, restraints, and challenges for gaining critical insight into the market. The study includes porter's five forces model, attractiveness analysis, product analysis, supply, and demand analysis, competitor position grid analysis, distribution, and marketing channels analysis. About The Brainy Insights: The Brainy Insights is a market research company, aimed at providing actionable insights through data analytics to companies to improve their business acumen. We have a robust forecasting and estimation model to meet the clients' objectives of high-quality output within a short span of time. We provide both customized (clients' specific) and syndicate reports. Our repository of syndicate reports is diverse across all the categories and sub-categories across domains. Our customized solutions are tailored to meet the clients' requirement whether they are looking to expand or planning to launch a new product in the global market. Contact Us Avinash D Head of Business Development Phone: +1-315-215-1633 Email: sales@thebrainyinsights.com Web: http://www.thebrainyinsights.com NYFA Conducting Visits to High Schools and In-Person Auditions and Portfolio Reviews in Sao Paulo, Brazil NYFA Conducting Visits to High Schools and In-Person Auditions and Portfolio Reviews in Sao Paulo, Brazil After four long years following the COVID-19 pandemic, the New York Film Academy (NYFA) is returning to Brazil for a series of information sessions, auditions, and portfolio reviews. NYFA's Brazil-based Admissions Representative Larissa Korolkovas Larissa Korolkovas supports prospective and current NYFA students in Brazil with a contact fluent in English and Portuguese. Larissas professional specialty lies not just in admissions and outreach support but in partnership and business development in the Brazilian Audiovisual Market. New York, NY, March 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- After four long years following the COVID-19 pandemic, the New York Film Academy (NYFA) is returning to Brazil for a series of information sessions, auditions, and portfolio reviews. With the country ripe for new film and television partnerships and opportunities in film, media, and performing arts education, Larissa Korolkovas, NYFAs Brazil-based Admissions Representative, is ready to answer the call. On the ground, Larissa Korolkovas supports prospective and current NYFA students in Brazil with a contact fluent in English and Portuguese. Larissas professional specialty lies not just in admissions and outreach support but in partnership and business development in the Brazilian Audiovisual Market. Major companies like Netflix, Amazon, Disney, and HBO recently began investing more in Brazil by developing new content and adding the country to their distribution outlets. Many NYFA alums from Brazil have achieved extraordinary success in film, TV, and media - showing just how far their studies at NYFA can take them. Brazilian alumni include teen superstar, Maisa Silva, VFX artist Adriano Araujo Dos Reis Botega, filmmaker Tiago Rocha de Jesus, and creative powerhouse Monica Mamudo. NYFA Senior Executive Enrollment Specialist Roger DelPozo will join Larissa in Brazil this year. Roger has visited Brazil over twenty times since 2010, conducting special events and teaching workshops with partner institutions. Roger has extensive experience working with Brazilian students, but this year will mark his first time in the country since 2019. Our team will be conducting in-person scholarship auditions and portfolio reviews for NYFA applicants and meeting prospective students, says Roger, the level of passion and talent that we meet in Brazil is extraordinary. I could not be more excited to visit with aspiring performers and visual artists interested in continuing their training at NYFA and assist in that process however I can. Story continues Beginning in Sao Paulo, Larissa and her fellow NYFA Admissions team members Miriam Estevam, NYFAs Director of Admissions in Los Angeles, and Roger DelPozo, NYFAs Senior Executive Enrollment Specialist, will conduct a series of trips to surrounding cities to attend student fairs and high schools across Brazil. In Sao Paulo on Saturday, 25 March 2023, and Sunday, 26 March 2023, Larissa, Roger & Miriam will hold an information session, auditions, and portfolio reviews. While the information session is open to the public, with an RSVP required in advance, the auditions and portfolio reviews will be available only to applicants to NYFAs programs. The opportunity for prospective students and applicants to meet with the Admissions in person is exciting. Applicants better understand what NYFAs admissions process entails in their native language and receive real-time feedback on their submissions from the team directly responsible for reviewing submissions for partial talent-based scholarships. Larissa, a NYFA Acting for Film alum, understands the school's operation better than most. With her own production company, NAKED CO. Production Company, based in Brazil, she and her partners created two festival-winning short films, celebrated in both the US and Brazilian festival circuits. Prospective students interested in learning more about student life at NYFA, alum support, and more should RSVP to join the information session in Sao Paulo. About NYFA NYFA is a leading film, media, and performing arts college that offers intensive undergraduate and graduate degree programs, certificates, and workshops across a multitude of areas of study in New York City, Los Angeles, South Beach/Miami, Gold Coast (Australia), Florence (Italy), Beijing (China), and more. NYFA also offers online education allowing students the opportunity to advance their creative and technical skills in Hands-Online Workshops, available across NYFAs film, media, and performing arts disciplines. NYFA is regionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). This accreditation extends to all NYFA campuses in the United States and overseas. For more information, please visit nyfa.edu. Attachments CONTACT: Laura Bailey-Wickins New York Film Academy pr@nyfa.edu BOSTON, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Zus Health , (pronounced "Zoose"), a next-generation shared health data platform bringing distributed patient data directly to the point of care, announced today that the company has closed a $40 million financing. Investors include JAZZ Venture Partners, F-Prime Capital, Maverick Ventures, and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). Zus will use this funding to continue growing its platform with additional unique data sources, workflow and referral solutions, and integration pathways to empower healthcare providers to leverage external patient data in their care and collaborate around a shared patient record. Zus logo In addition, Elation Health , the fastest-growing technology platform for high-value primary care currently supporting millions of patients, is enhancing its own data collaboration systems by integrating the Zus Aggregated Profile. Clinicians will be able to access expanded patient records from hospitals, clinics, labs, and pharmacies in real-time that help ensure the highest-quality care. "The Zus partnership will drastically accelerate Elation's ability to build out market-leading EHR solutions to support population health and value-based care initiatives," said Kyna Fong, CEO and co-founder of Elation Health. "Together, Elation and Zus are optimizing how external health data is synthesized within the EHR platform, which will support many of our key goals, such as reducing clinician burden, strengthening the patient-physician relationship, and driving primary care success." Healthcare data today remains highly fragmented, with providers frequently spending more time gathering patient data and entering it into their EMR than with their patients delivering care. The industry desperately lacks information fluidity, and with that a shared, consistent understanding across providers of how and when their patients are interacting with the healthcare system. Zus is building a healthcare common ground. In order for healthcare technology to deliver on the promise of transforming care delivery, patient data must be rapidly, accurately, and securely moving through the healthcare system to the right place at the right time. With its connected data platform, Zus is uniquely positioned to address these needs and enable the long-awaited collaborative healthcare ecosystem. Story continues "We have found a critically important role for Zus as the common information ground behind the many great electronic medical records, CRMs, and patient care technologies that healthcare works with," said Zus CEO Jonathan Bush. "What has been long overdue is a vision of digestible, comprehensive patient information at the point of care, which Zus is uniquely situated to bring about." The Zus platform is centered around the Zus Aggregated Profile , or ZAP, which represents a single, comprehensive, and actionable view of a patient's healthcare information. Alongside the ZAP, the Zus platform includes a FHIR-native data store and is built on common patient record technology to facilitate real-time, cross-provider insights into every patient, which saves customers a significant amount of time in their daily operations. The companies succeeding in healthcare today are those that have proven they can truly scale, and the ZAP enables provider scalability by empowering customers to serve a higher volume of patients without compromising on care quality or drastically increasing personnel. Along with providing physician, clinical staff, and developer time-savings, patient data access can also lead to improved health outcomes, higher patient satisfaction, and greater cost savings for healthcare organizations by facilitating more informed, holistic care and fewer duplicated tests and procedures. Ultimately, Zus plans to scale its platform to become the go-to source of aggregated health records for Americans, replacing pages of unstructured data from PDFs and faxes with an always-on network of healthcare insights. "Zus's ability in this market to secure the capital and support they need to really scale their platform is a testament to the potential of the company to create the connective tissue for healthcare," said Andrew Firlik, Managing Partner at JAZZ Venture Partners and newly added Zus board member. "Healthcare has needed a shared patient record for decades at this point, and we believe Zus is our best hope to achieve this vision and help deliver on the promise of technology-enabled care." About Zus Health Zus Health is a shared health data platform designed to accelerate healthcare data interoperability by providing easy-to-use patient data at the point of care via API, embedded components, and direct EHR integrations. Founded in 2020 by Jonathan Bush, co-founder and former CEO of athenahealth, Zus partners with HIEs and other data networks to aggregate patient clinical history and then translates that history into user-friendly information at the point of care. Their networks provide access to data across 70K+ provider sites and 270M+ patients. Zus's mission is to catalyze healthcare's greatest innovators by maximizing the value of patient insights - so that they can build up, not around. To learn more, visit www.zushealth.com . Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zus-health-closes-financing-signs-partnership-with-elation-health-to-accelerate-growth-of-its-data-service-to-provide-connective-tissue-for-healthcare-301774081.html SOURCE Zus Health What has a nice ring to it? Twenty-five years after opening on Broadway, Ragtime the Musical will hit the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts stage during the theaters very own 25th anniversary year. The show full of raw emotion and commanding tunes debuted at Riverside yesterday and runs through May 7. This is a piece thats timely ... showing the history of different cultures and what theyve gone through ... as well as what so many people still go through today, said Patrick AHearn, director of the show and producing artistic director at Riverside. And this is a show that is very much about family, love and redemption, too all things that so many people can relate to. Ragtime follows three totally different cultures in the early 20th century: the upper crest of New Rochelle, N.Y., determined immigrants from Eastern Europe and Black Americans, helmed by a young Harlem musician. The through line is they all believe in a better tomorrow and, together, tackle the parallels of American society and how to persevere. Along the way, historical figures like Booker T. Washington, J.P. Morgan and Harry Houdini are woven in, too. The Riverside company includes 23 adults and three children, along with an eight-piece orchestra. Together, the cast delivers powerhouse performances of Ragtime tearjerkers and classics like Wheels of a Dream, Make Them Hear You, Your Daddys Son and Look What Youve Done. At the musical helm is Riverside regular and music director Carson Eubank. This is a show Ive been looking forward to working on for a number of years, said Eubank. And we really bring all of the worlds together, though they each very much have their own flavor. This show is an overlap of sounds with everything from clarinets to piano, trumpets and trombone. Visually, the staging mimics a replica of a museum at Ellis Island, evoking feelings of coming to America. The set is two levels and, throughout, count on splashes of the Statue of Liberty, projections conveying Americana and scenery changes aplenty. Plus, according to AHearn, there is a 16-foot turntable making it that much more dynamic. Well, I dont think this show has ever been done with a turntable, AHearn said with a chuckle. Adding to the ambiance, AHearn really brings out the emotion as director. Im an emotional guy and I like tapping into peoples intelligence and psyche, so that is really brought forward in this, said AHearn. I also think this show is just so perfectly casted. Everyone in this show has experienced things to bring to this production. When people walk out of this one, they will believe every minute of it. We want to inspire and change minds. Leading the cast are Adrianne Hick as Mother, Nicole Vanessa Ortiz as Sarah and Jacquez LinderLong as Coalhouse Walker Jr. For Hick, this marks her first show at Riverside since starring in the bluegrass musical Bright Star in 2021. Reflecting on playing Mother, she said, shes used to being an upper-class white woman in a very cloistered community, without a voice. At that time, many women were still without a voice and, as a society, we thought for a while that it was OK. But she does have a voice. She added, here we are 100 years from the time the show was depicted and 25 years after its Broadway debut. We still need to keep pushing forward ... and things have not changed as much as perhaps they should have. Many of these turn-of-the-century themes are still very relevant today. In chats with Hick, Eubank and AHearn, the consensus was that LinderLong delivers a must-see, showstopping vocal performance as Coalhouse Walker Jr. The actor, who splits time between Florida and New York, is appearing in his first production at Riverside. This has been a dream role for me and to experience it at Riverside, where everyone is treating everyone with such respect, has been something, said LinderLong. Im hoping anyone that walks away from this show sees were a human race trying to survive and were a country that does have opportunity. Id also like to see it be open and fair to each culture. With so much multifaceted power spanning music to message this is shaping up to be a see-to-believe experience. In the words of AHearn, this is one of those shows at Riverside, if you miss it, you are missing something that is truly groundbreaking. - This story has been updated as of 8:40 p.m., March 16 A newly created policy at Keene Memorial Library that allowed parents of children ages 11 and younger to request the relocation of offensive books has come to an end after only two days. On Tuesday night, March 14, after more than two hours of passionate debate, the Fremont City Council voted 5-3 to rescind the new policy that was approved on Feb. 14 and went into effect on Monday, March 13. The decision came after several hours of public comment and lengthy statements from several members of the eight-person city council. The debate over the policy became very passionate at times, with several speakers crying and others loudly chiding the council and Mayor Joey Spellerberg. Ward 4 Council Member Sally Ganem had requested the reconsideration of the Feb. 14 approval of the policy on the agenda for the March 14, utilizing a caveat in the citys Municipal Code that allows a council member who voted in favor of an issue to request it be revisited within three meetings from original approval. On Tuesday, Ganem spoke about her reservations that had developed during the past month about the new library policy, which was theorized by Ward 1 Council Member Paul Von Behren as a way to come to a compromise between the two warring factions in the raging debate over sexual education and LGBTQ-themed books in the city library. Saying that the intent was good in regard to Von Behrens policy, Ganem proceeded to detail her reasons for asking to reconsider the new policy, among them the fact it lacked an appeals process for book relocations. In my mind, the book that was first brought forward (by Sandra Murray) was misplaced. We all make mistakes, Ganem said of the tome Sex is a Funny Word, the first book that ignited the current controversy. There is a larger issue I see. (The new policy) was the only item on the agenda (on Feb. 14) with no public input and no staff input, Ganem added. When I read (the policy), many questions came to mind. There is absolutely no appeals process for those who object. The idea was to make it simple again. In our zest to make it simple, we have made it more of a misunderstanding. City Council President Mark Jensen, who has robustly defended the library staff and supported not censoring or banning any books, said, There are a lot of things that need to be cleaned up about this. The council then voted 7-1 to reconsider the Feb. 14 decision, with Von Behren voting no. That decision then opened the flood gates of public comment, which saw speaker after speaker address both the policy as well as the issue of what books should be present in the citys library. Debate over policy passionate, lengthy The public comment and associated statements from the city council lasted more than two hours, and included speeches from many residents who have been vocal during the last three months the issue has raged in the community. For the first time since the issue arose in late December, three library staff employees spoke during a meeting about books and policies. Keene Memorial Library Advisory Board President Linda McLain addressed the policy in an emotional statement during which she paused several times to wipe away tears, telling those in attendance she had, lost a lot of sleep and did not want to be on the front page of the Fremont Tribune. I was here on (Feb. 14) and, honestly, I was shocked. I was blindsided by (Von Behrens) request. There had been no input from (library) staff, McClain said of the policy approved in mid-February. If Id been able to speak on (Feb. 14), I would have said, tap the brakes. I felt like we needed to step back and breathe and have a group figure this out. It has been really disappointing to me. It doesnt feel good to be ignored. McClain also emphatically defended the library staff and Library Director Laura England-Biggs, telling the council that accusations of sexualizing of children, were not happening and would never happen at the library in any manner. Emily Nimsakont, past president of the Nebraska Library Association Board of Directors, also spoke during the public comment, stating that the NLA vehemently opposed the new policy allowing for the relocation of controversial books. Claiming the policy was an attack on intellectual freedom and that it enabled censorship, Nimsakont urged the council to rescind the policy immediately. One local mother who identified herself as Gentry Klein spoke to the council, requesting that the policy be kept in place while also decrying what she alleged were sexually explicit books in the library that were not appropriate for children. Sexually explicit and obscene books have no place in the library, Klein said, while listing several claims about the contents of the book, This Book is Gay. Klein also said the Nebraska Library Association was a political organization with goals to, intimidate and gas light the council, and using buzzwords to misconstrue the issue. Local resident Scott Preston, who had raised eyebrows and caused blushed faces in past meetings while reading extremely sexually explicit passages from books found in the library, spoke again this time not delving into the words he had said before. You can relax, Im not going to read any book excerpts, Preston began, adding he supported the new policy created by Von Behren. This amendment does not remove any books from the library, it simply means kids may not discover them on their own, Preston added. As a society, we censor things all the time. And for the record, I am not a member of Sandra Murrays family. Prestons comment referred to local business owner and grandmother Sandra Murray, who with her daughter Brianna Kindler initiated the current debate over books. Murray and Kindler spoke during a Dec. 27 meeting of the city council, objecting to a book titled Sex is a Funny Word as well as four other LGBTQ-themed books. The duo demanded the books be removed from the library, saying in their opinion the content was akin to child pornography and was allegedly grooming children. As the book debate has unfolded since that meeting, Murray has sought the total removal of two books from the city library being rejected in both instances and enlisted multiple members of her family to contest books and complain at city council meetings. Sandra Murray and her daughter Kelley Garay were present at the meeting, however neither spoke during public comments on the issue. Other Murray family members who have also protested books, including Murrays husband, a second daughter, her son and two sons-in-law, were also absent on Tuesday based on multiple reviews of the audience by the Tribune. Former Fremont Public Schools high school librarian Ray Meister also spoke during the meeting, reiterating comments he has made at past meetings, that sexual education and LGBTQ books have a place in libraries, but there needs to be discernment due to content that could be explicit and not age appropriate. I am concerned about what is happening in our community. I am concerned for you as a council. I am concerned for the library. I am concerned for the library board, Meister said while visibly shaking. This is just the tip of the iceberg. It isnt going to go over easy even if you drop the amendment. As Meister continued to speak, the mayor reminded him multiple times that his allotted time was over and he should stop talking. Meister angrily retorted that other speakers had gotten longer time to talk before he walked back to his seat. An hour after his comments, Meister interrupted another speaker, yelling at Spellerberg and asking to speak again, stating that he felt, outnumbered. Decision to rescind policy confusing before OKd Following the public comment, and several minutes of discussion with City Attorney Travis Jacott on what actually the council was going to vote on, the council debated the issue with Von Behren, Glen Ellis, Lori Lathrop, Ganem, Jensen and James Vaughan all making comments about the policy and book debate. Ellis, who represents Ward 2, said he is uncomfortable allowing his children to go to the library without supervision due to what he said was unbalanced content in the library. He also suggested creating a task force. The solution is to come up with a task force to make modifications to the (materials) selection process, Ellis suggested. Vaughan disputed Ellis comments, noting that he has full confidence in the library content and he and his wife take their children to the city library for learning. He also said the issue lies with parental responsibility. Jensen also contested Ellis comments about balance, stating that there are more than 8,000 books or materials in the childrens section of the library and less than 1% are of sexual education or LGBTQ themes or content. You say the library isnt balanced? I say it is, Jensen responded. Lathrop kept her comments brief, saying, if you dont like the books, dont check them out. Von Behren then addressed the scrutiny of his policy, noting that in his opinion three main questions existed about the library and books present in it: is there a defined process for materials selection; is there a screening process for displays of materials and books; and is there a screening process for materials as to where they are placed in the librarys assorted sections. We dont have a consistent, coherent method of putting those books on display, Von Behren noted. Ganem proposed a new version of the policy, which would include retaining Von Behrens original policy details, but adding in a new section to it that would allow for the book relocation requests to be appealed similar to the current policy in place. That proposal from Ganem was never voted on, though, as Jensen made his own motion to rescind the policy entirely. But, that motion was not voted on per advice from City Attorney Travis Jacott. Following the Ganem and Jensen motions, confusion then arose about what was being voted on. After several minutes of explanations and questions, the council re-voted on the original Feb. 14 motion made by Von Behren to add the policy. In the reconsideration of Von Behren's Feb. 14 motion, Ellis seconded it. The council then voted 6-2 to reject the policy from Feb. 14 with Von Behren and Ellis voting to keep the policy. After the policy was rescinded, the entire library policy manual needed to be re-voted on according to Jacott. That motion to approve the library policy manual without Von Behren's policy was made by Jense and seconded of by Vaughan. The council voted 5-3 to re-approve the library policy manual without Von Behren's amendment. The no votes were from Von Behren, Ellis and new council member Tad Dinkins. Following the vote, McClain said in a brief interview that the decision meant the new policy which had gone into effect on Monday, March 13 was now completely ended. That change was also confirmed by City Attorney Travis Jacott, who said the Feb. 14 decision was now revoked and not included in the librarys policy manual. South Africa: Consumers urged to spend wisely Trade, Industry and Competition Deputy Minister, Nomalungelo Gina, has warned consumers against the danger and negative impact of buying impulsively, saying it leads to over-indebtedness and dire socio-economic consequences. Gina was delivering a keynote speech at the celebration of World Consumer Rights Day in the North West. World Consumer Rights Day was marked globally on Wednesday under the theme, 'Empowering Consumers through Clean Energy Transitions'. South African regulators have, however, added another theme, 'Creating a Fair Marketplace', as a way of reaffirming their commitment to protecting South African consumers'. According to the National Consumer Commission, which spearheaded the celebrations, the theme is a reminder to suppliers of goods and services of their responsibilities when marketing or providing goods and services, to ensure that they do so in a fair and just manner. The commission is an entity of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition. World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated across the world on 15 March to raise awareness of consumer rights and needs, highlighting that these should be respected and protected. Gina emphasised the importance of educating consumers to be prudent when making choices to buy products and services. All the actors in this sector of consumer rights must scale up their education campaigns to inform both businesses and consumers about their rights and responsibilities when products are being marketed. We have a responsibility as consumer organisations to police the adherence to regulatory compliance by companies marketing and promoting product sales. Gina said there is a serious need to instil consciousness in consumers to scrutinise products and services before committing themselves financially. The biggest problem is consumers who decide to buy through emotions and excitement, and pay no attention to the fine print and quality inspections. These things tend to catch up with them as the consequences of emotional and impulsive buying, bad financial decisions, over-indebtedness and failure to service ones debts. In addition, a bad credit score and the repossession of property by the banks have negative socio-economic impact on consumers, thereby plunging the entire family into difficulties. We must educate our people that debt is not always good, Gina said. She said it is imperative for consumer protection authorities to increase their efforts in educating consumers on what to look for before concluding a contract with the companies. This is important for consumers, as customers, to be cautious and pay attention to detail in order to inform themselves about the contents of contracts when making purchases, from big items such as buying properties through bonds and vehicle finance, to small items such as a contract with a mobile telephone company, and clothing store accounts or insurance. Gina said the high levels of unemployment, particularly amongst the youth and women, is making consumers vulnerable and susceptible to cheap and fake products sold to them by unscrupulous retailers. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2023-03-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. By Azernews Fuad Muxtar-Aqbabali Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev initiated the Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Ankara to demonstrate that Turkiye is not alone in the face of the recent devastating earthquake and steer international support to mitigate the pain. The event was initially due to be held in Shusha to galvanize support for Azerbaijans efforts to rebuild the region razed to the ground by the Armenian occupation. However, the president behaved in a statesmanlike manner and proposed to hold the Summit in Ankara for the purpose of supporting the brotherly nation. This is yet another vivid example of the Azerbaijani-Turkiye brotherhood, as well as a sign of mutual support and respect for the Turkic world. Nation-wide support for Turkiye The government and people of Azerbaijan were mobilized to provide humanitarian aid to Turkiye the moment the earthquake struck, Ilham Aliyev told the summit. 940 people from Azerbaijan, including rescue workers, medical personnel, and volunteers, were dispatched to the earthquake region. Azerbaijan topped the list of countries worldwide for the number of rescuers sent to Turkiye. Thanks to the efforts of our rescue workers and doctors, 53 people were saved from under the rubble. Also, the bodies of 780 people were found. Our medical personnel provided medical assistance to more than 3,000 people, the president emphasized. To date, over $45m have been transferred into the bank accounts of AFAD and other humanitarian organizations. In addition, 5,300 tons of humanitarian aid was delivered to brotherly Turkiye, the president added. Brothers through foul and fair Azerbaijan and Turkiye have always been by each other's side on both joyful and sombre days. And it will continue to be the case in the future too, the president said. The political, diplomatic, and moral support of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for Azerbaijan from the first hours of the Second Karabakh War to the last day in 2020 gave us extra strength. In the meantime, during the 44-day war, the entire Turkish people stood by Azerbaijan. Thousands of support and congratulatory messages from Turkiye came both during the war and after our historic Victory, the president underlined. Ilham Aliyev added that in June 2021, the Shusha Declaration between Turkiye and Azerbaijan was signed in the city of Shusha, the crown jewel of Karabakh, and our relations between Baku and Ankara were officially raised to the level of an alliance. Armenia has not yet fully withdrawn its troops from Azerbaijani lands Although Armenia recognized Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty in Prague and Sochi in 2022, it has not yet fully withdrawn its troops from the territory of Azerbaijan. Illegal Armenian detachments and criminal elements still remain in Karabakh, the president added. Armenia also evades the obligation to open the Zangazur corridor. Therefore, Armenia flagrantly violates the statement signed on November 10, 2020, and should be held accountable, Aliyev underscored. Azerbaijan rebuilding Karabakh After the liberation of Karabakh and East Zangazur from Armenian occupation in 2020, Azerbaijan launched large-scale reconstruction work in these areas. Azerbaijan is restoring life in vast areas Armenia has completely destroyed, Ilham Aliyev told the extraordinary summit in Ankara. We are building nine new cities and initially more than 300 villages and towns from scratch. This is a rare and unprecedented model of post-conflict reconstruction by a national government using its own financial resources. In 2021-2022, the state of Azerbaijan spent about $4bn on reconstruction in liberated areas. This year, we plan to allocate at least $1.7bn, the president elaborated. Turkish companies leading reconstruction process We have started implementing the Great Return program to return former internally displaced persons to their homelands. Turkish companies are actively involved in many infrastructure projects as contractors in the reconstruction process, the Azerbaijani leader added. Contracts worth over $3bn had been signed with Turkish companies to date, the president said, highlighting visits of the president of Turkiye to Shusha, Fuzuli, Zangilan, and Jabrayil. President Ilham Aliyev also thanked Uzbek and Kazakh Presidents Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev respectively for the school being built by Uzbekistan and the creative center under construction by Kazakhstan in the liberated Fuzuli District. Turkiyes development essential for the Turkic world In the last 20 years, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkiye has covered a tremendous and glorious path, Turkiye has gained a say in the whole world, and has become a powerhouse. Today, Turkiye is reckoned with and respected all over the globe, Ilham Aliyev said in Ankara. Everyone in the world now sees Turkiye's military power and tremendous successes in the defense industry. Thanks to the leadership of my dear brother, continuous stability in Turkiye over these years and the country's development are essential for the entire Turkic world, Ilham Aliyev highlighted. Western Azerbaijanis must return to historical lands Our fellow compatriots suffered from ethnic cleansing in Western Azerbaijan have now united in the Western Azerbaijan Community. They have set the goal of a peaceful return to their historical lands, the president said in Ankara, urging Armenia to guarantee the rights and security of the Western Azerbaijanis based on the principle of reciprocity. According to the Concept of Return developed by the Western Azerbaijan Community, an international legally binding agreement with an appropriate verification and guarantee mechanism for the return of Azerbaijanis expelled from the territory of present-day Armenia should be put in place. Just as we, the state of Azerbaijan, will guarantee the individual rights and security of the Armenian residents living in Karabakh, Armenia must guarantee the rights and security of the Western Azerbaijanis based on the principle of reciprocity, the president noted. In governing, as in life, timing is everything. Thats why Im supporting Kelly Brough for Denver mayor. She is the leader we need for the time we are in. As a Denver resident, former Denver district attorney and Colorado governor, Ive seen this city through its ups and downs. In the last three years. Mayor Michael Hancock steered Denver through a global pandemic, which hit our economy hard and created millions of dollars in budget deficits. Now, the citys economy is back on track but like so many cities around the country, Denver is facing significant challenges. In the wake of the pandemic, the city has witnessed a spike in homicides, gun violence and overdose deaths, sky-high housing and rental prices and a major increase in the number of homeless people living on our streets. Solving these challenging and complex issues require a proven leader like Kelly who knows how to bring diverse groups together to reach compromises and who has the executive experience both inside and outside of government to get things done. I first met Kelly 30 years ago during the creation of Drug Court when I was the Denver D.A. The court only the eighth of its type in the country at the time integrates substance abuse and mental health treatment, intensive supervision and judicial oversight to promote public safety and individual responsibility. At the time, Drug Court was still a novel approach to dealing with repeat drug offenders. It was very difficult to pivot from a purely punitive system to one that was a mix of treatment and criminal justice. But Kelly was masterful at facilitating stakeholders through this long, hard process and having the type of honest, pointed community conversations that Denver needed then and needs now. While I was governor, she was chief of staff to Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. I saw her continue to build bridges, unify people in search of solutions and skillfully handle municipal policy issues that intersected with state business. She later used these talents as the first female CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. What also separates Kelly from other candidates is that she directly relates to so many of the people struggling in Denver. Her father was murdered, leaving her mother to raise two young children alone in rural Montana. Later, when her stepfather was injured and couldnt work, her family relied on government assistance to make ends meet until he earned a degree and found a good job. She managed to save $10,000 working at Dairy Queen to go to college, where she continued to work nights and weekends to pay for her degree. After graduation, she and her husband moved to Denver, where she completed her MBA and had two daughters. Tragically, he suffered from addiction and eventually committed suicide, leaving her to raise her two girls alone. Her determination, strength and help from the community is what kept her moving forward and gave her the compassion for so many who face significant challenges. This is especially important when it comes to addressing homelessness. Living on the streets is neither safe nor dignified for both the people experiencing homelessness and the broader community. Kelly has a comprehensive plan to address homelessness on Day One that includes our regional partners, including the five mayors who have endorsed her. Perhaps most importantly, Kelly will eliminate unsanctioned encampments within her first year in office. What does that mean? People cannot continue under any circumstances to sleep on the sidewalk. But she wont just sweep them into another neighborhood or city. Instead, her multi-faceted approach requires not only providing housing, which is essential, but mental health care, treatment for substance abuse disorders, child care, employment help and other wrap-around services critical for those experiencing homelessness. Denver needs a mayor who understands the complexity of the challenges Denver faces. A mayor who has proven leadership skills and expertise in solving problems collaboratively and executive experience in both the public and private sectors. A mayor with compassion and commitment to community shaped by challenging life experiences. That mayor is Kelly Brough. Bill Ritter was the Democratic governor of Colorado from 2007 to 2011 and served as Denvers district attorney from 1993 to 2005. THURSDAY-SUNDAY Works by 60 artists in all photographic mediums are digitally projected on Daniels & Fisher Tower during Night Lights Denver for all of March. The 2023 Month of Photography Festival is 6:30 to 11 p.m. nightly except Mondays at 1601 Arapahoe St. cpacphoto.org/2023-night-lights-denver-mop FRIDAY-SUNDAY Wildly quirky Frozen Dead Guy Days died in its town of origin, Nederland, and was then rescued in December by Visit Estes Park and the iconic Stanley Hotel an hour away. It runs all weekend, starting Friday, in tribute to the Norwegian fellow cryogenically frozen and still in storage in Nederland. "Frigidly fun happenings" include coffin races, a polar plunge and frozen T-shirt contest. A big music lineup. For tickets: frozendeadguydays.com FRIDAY-SUNDAY So much to experience and learn from at this exciting cultural event, The Denver March Powwow has more than 1,600 dancers from almost 100 tribes from 38 states and three Canadian provinces. Shows at the Denver Coliseum, 4600 Humboldt St. A tradition since 1984, it includes singing, drums, storytelling, special food, arts and crafts and more. $7 or $20 for 3 days, senior discounts. denvermarchpowwow.org FRIDAY-SUNDAY All together in one spot, more than 600 of the sweetest faces ever. It's the National Alpaca Show at National Western Complex, 4655 Humboldt St. And on Saturday, how about trying out some alpaca yoga. Vendors with the softest socks, scarves, blankets and more. Competitions for National Supreme Champion, conformation and fleece qualities. alpacainfo.com/alpaca-nationals FRIDAY Swifties, it's your night. The Taylor-Swift-Inspired Tribute Night at Summit, 1902 Blake St., 9 p.m. Dance your way through her music decades. eventschaser.com/The-Taylor-Party-Denver-20230317 SATURDAY If you saw the energetic Oscar song of the year Naatu Naatu you'll know what fun's coming at Bollywood Dance Party - Holi Bash 2023. Cervantes' Masterpiece, 2637 Welton St., 9 p.m.-2 a.m. A festival of bright colors and live performances for a DJ dance party of Bollywood, Bhangra, EDM (electronic dance music) and Top 40. $17-25, tinyurl.com/bdf8pnv3 SATURDAY-SUNDAY Saving Yellowstone: The Creation of a National Icon, by historian and author Megan Kate Nelson is offered in several special programs this weekend by Tesoro Cultural Center and South Suburban Park and Recreation. Hear about its earliest day through how it became the first national park. Saturday at Buck Recreation Center in Littleton and Sunday at Goodson Recreation Center in Centennial, reservations free ssprd.org; Sunday is a four-course dinner lecture ($80) at The Fort in Morrison (303) 839-1671. In a new high-tech building taking shape on the Air Force Academy campus, cadets will someday learn to jam communications signals, test small quadcopter drones and attack and defend critical infrastructure, such as electrical grids. The $58 million Madera Cyber Innovation Center will provide a home for the Department of Computer and Cyber Sciences and space for students to help solve real world problems the Air Force is facing, said Col. Judson Dressler, head of the department. The students will also have the opportunity to work on real world missions in a secure portion of the building. "The nexus of cyber and artificial intelligence is really being integrated into war and future conflicts, so it becomes more and more imperative the cadets are getting that education and training ... in order to make sure we are prepared and ready to go for that next fight," Dressler said. The academy's current research facility for projects in cyber and artificial intelligence is housed in one room, so the new building with 48,000 square feet and seven labs will be a significant upgrade and has generated more interest among younger students who could use the building, he said. The facility will also allow easier access for industry and academic partners to visit and work with students on projects because it will be outside the secure area of the campus. The building was slated to open in 2023, and now it is expected to be ready for students starting in the fall 2024 semester, said Carlos Cruz-Gonzalez, director of logistics, engineering and force protection. The construction contractor, Bryan Construction, was delayed by a number of factors including major design changes to the building, unforeseen utilities on the site and pauses in work to accommodate parades and other events on a neighboring field. It is about a third complete, he said. Crews on Wednesday were busy working on the steel bones of the three-story structure that will eventually blend into the midcentury-modern architecture on campus featuring largely glass on the exterior. The interior will also be largely glass to give it an open feel, said Brett Kmetz, Bryan construction project manager. The building's design took about 18 months, compared to a typical timeline of six to eight months, and small changes are happening even now. Sign Up for free: Military Brief Your weekly local update on local military news and events, sent straight to your inbox. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. "We are still tweaking and evolving the design," he said. For example, the crew added a suspended spiral staircase that will span the three floors of the building and feature a glass handrail. It was inspired in part by the staircase in the McDermott Library, but it will be more oblong and sculptural, he said. The Army and the Navy's academies have similar facilities, but this one is meant to facilitate collaboration with experts in industry, Dressler said. For example, while cadets are working on real Air Force problems during their senior years, industry experts will be able to easily meet with them and teach them how to incorporate best practices, he said. The building will have office space for experts in industry and academia to help with that collaboration. Each year, about 1,400 students will attend class in the building, according to a news release. "We are teaching them to be forward thinking leaders," Dressler said. This story has been updated to correct the square footage of the building. A man was arrested Tuesday afternoon in southeast Colorado Springs on outstanding felony warrants after a foot chase with officers and a K-9, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department. Officials said about 3:30 p.m., detectives with the District of Colorado Violent Offender Task Force located a man with felony arrest warrants dating to September. According to task force detectives, they also had information the suspect had a gun. When authorities tried to make contact with the suspect near Jet Wing Drive and Warthog Heights, he ran 300 yards east through a construction site, commercial property and toward homes, according to detectives. Detectives said they gave verbal commands to the suspect to stop running. During the chase, Colorado Springs police Officer Robert Comstock and K-9 Milo arrived on the scene, and saw the suspect running toward a residential privacy fence. According to police, Comstock gave several warnings to the suspect to stop, or the K-9 would be released. Police said the subject ignored all commands and proceeded toward the fence. Comstock released K-9 Milo, who apprehended the suspect just before he reached the fence. Police said the suspect suffered minor injuries to his left arm and received treatment at a hospital. A Boulder judge ruled prosecutors can't use an expert they chose to conduct a neuropsychological evaluation on the accused King Soopers shooter. They wanted the expert to help determine whether the suspect's lack of participation in mental health treatment is a conscious choice or a manifestation of symptoms of his illness. In making that finding, Judge Ingrid Bakke ruled experts at the Mental Health Institute in Pueblo have sole authority to decide whether the man accused of the 2021 King Soopers mass shooting should undergo the evaluation. Prosecutors made the request for a neuropsychological evaluation to the judge early in February, saying they needed to determine whether the accused shooter's apparent lack of participation in treatment to restore his fitness to stand trial is a choice not to comply, or a manifestation of mental illness symptoms. He has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, a filing by his defense attorneys last month revealed. "The Court, the People, and Defense Counsel lack the authority to dictate the treatment of Defendant during his restoration treatment," Bakke wrote in an order Monday. "Therefore, the court orders that the People shall not bring in their own board certified forensic neuropsychological expert to perform a neuropsychological evaluation on Defendant." Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Ahmad Alissa, now 23, is accused of killing 10 people on March 22, 2021 in the King Soopers on Table Mesa Drive. He faces 115 charges and sentence enhancers, including 10 charges of first-degree murder, 47 counts of attempted murder, one count of first-degree assault, 10 counts related to possessing banned high-capacity magazines and 47 sentence enhancers. The state hospital had approved prosecutors' request to bring in their own expert for a neuropsychological evaluation. But defense attorneys objected, saying an evaluation done by an expert chosen by prosecutors would violate Alissa's constitutional rights. They also questioned the hospital's authority to approve prosecutors' request, according to Bakke's ruling. In objecting to the evaluation request, defense attorneys said his severe symptoms limit his ability to interact, render him resistant to medication and make him unlikely to have the ability to participate in a neuropsychological evaluation. Four experts have already found him unfit for trial: Two in his initial competence evaluation, one chosen by prosecutors and a fourth hired by the defense attorneys. To be considered fit for trial, an accused person must have a rational understanding of the case against them and the ability to participate in their own defense. Alissa has undergone mental health treatment intended to restore his competence since the evaluations. Experts have indicated they believe Alissa can eventually be restored to competence. Shooting victims included: 20-year-old Denny Stong, Neven Stanisic, 23; Rikki Olds, 25; Teri Leiker, 51; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Lynn Murray, 62; Jody Waters, 65; Tralona Bartkowiak, 49, and Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley. The district attorney who prosecuted the high-profile investigation into the disappearance and possible murder of Suzanne Morphew is being investigated herself. Linda Stanley, 11th Judicial District Attorney, has had at least two complaints leveled against her with the Colorado Supreme Court's Office of Regulation Counsel. "The investigation into those complaints is still pending regarding Ms. Stanley," confirmed Jessica Yates, Attorney Regulation Counsel, to the Denver Gazette. One of those complaints came from a Douglas County man who was one of the hundreds of people who helped search for the Chaffee County wife and mother who went missing in the spring of 2020. Tom Chelston requested the investigations citing a potential violation of the rules for professional conduct. Chelstons letter, which was obtained by the Canyon City Daily Record, states: My concerns were further realized when DA Stanley failed to provide formal interviews with actual news organizations while holding online interviews about this murder case with amateur YouTube crime channels. Stanley appeared on the YouTube show "Profiling Evil" Aug. 30, 2021 to discuss the preliminary hearing which had just wound up in Chaffee County Court. The judge determined enough evidence exists to send the murder case against Mrs. Morphew's husband, Barry Morphew, to trial. Morphew was arrested May 5, 2021, almost a year to the date to when Suzanne Morphew went missing. Chelston's letter also stated that Stanley displayed a "combination of ego, arrogance and demonstrated incompetence" which he said placed the rights of Suzanne Morphew and the rights of any other victims of crime "to qualified representation and justice in jeopardy." Prosecutors themselves dismissed the controversial Morphew case in April 2022 without prejudice, meaning that the investigation would continue, but that Morphew was temporarily free of all charges against him, including first-degree murder. Besides the complaint regarding the Morphew investigation, there are others filed against Stanley's office calling her competency into question. Two were made by a sheriff in one of the counties she represents. Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper filed two formal complaints against the 11th Judicial District Attorney's office in the last year and a half alleging Stanley's prosecutors were lying in court about his deputies alleging that they were not sharing evidence with them. Cooper said it got so bad, he had his deputies hand-carry evidence to the judge themselves to show that they were not withholding important documents. "I see this as a failure of leadership," said Cooper. "The real people who suffer here are the victims because theyre being re-victimized by the district attorneys office." Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Last summer, Stanleys law license was suspended due to her failure to complete the required hours of continuing legal education for the years 2019 2020 and 2021. As of Wednesday, the Colorado Supreme Courts Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel showed that Stanleys law license is active. Under Colorado Supreme Court guidelines, her license could be reinstated once she filed a plan to make up the 45 hours of continuing legal education she and all state attorneys are required to complete every three years. Yates confirmed that Stanley did complete the required work. She is handling the Park County docket for the 11th Judicial District. Yates said that the complaints against Stanley could be resolved through one of two actions. One, there would be a stipulation with an attorney with a proposed resolution to the disciplinary judge, or there will be an evidentiary hearing on the complaints which Yates compared to a grand jury. Chaffee County Sheriff John Spezze insists that the investigation into Suzanne Morphews 2020 disappearance is still open. "This is an active case," he told the Denver Gazette, but wouldn't comment further. Mrs. Morphew has not been seen since the Saturday before Mothers Day 2020 when she sent her last proof of life photo to her lover. In their motion to dismiss, prosecutors said they planned to look for the 49-year-old's body in the mountainous terrain near the Maysville home she once shared with her husband, Barry Morphew. Morphew, 56, has been a free man since the case was dismissed and will continue to be unless new evidence is found which would lend probable cause to arrest him a second time. Stanley did not respond to a The Denver Gazettes request for comment. She is up for reelection in 2024. Colorado's second-highest court determined last month that an Arapahoe County judge, prosecutors and corrections officials could disregard the deadlines in state law and still have the ability to send a youthful offender to prison. The state's Youthful Offender System enables defendants who were at least 18 at the time of their criminal offense but younger than 21 at sentencing to serve time at a rehabilitative facility in Pueblo, instead of a traditional prison. However, the law allows defendants to be "returned" to the trial court and potentially receive prison time if they cannot complete the terms of their YOS sentence. If the Department of Corrections decides to return defendants, the agency needs to transfer them to a county jail within 35 days and notify the district attorney. A trial judge then has 126 days after the district attorney is notified to review the sentence. In the case of Yusuf Mawiye Omar, the government honored neither of those deadlines. But a three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals upheld the ability of a judge to revoke Omar's five-year YOS sentence and impose a 15-year prison term, reasoning that the timeline was not mandatory. "It is undisputed that Omar failed to comply with the YOSs terms and conditions meaning that he must ultimately be returned to the district court for resentencing," wrote Judge David H. Yun in the Feb. 9 opinion. In March 2019, Omar pleaded guilty to an aggravated robbery he committed when he was 18. District Court Judge Ryan J. Stuart sentenced him to 15 years in the Department of Corrections, but the sentence would be suspended if Omar successfully completed five years in the YOS. Within months of his arrival in Pueblo, Omar racked up multiple disciplinary infractions, including his involvement in an assault on another inmate. A group of YOS personnel conducted a hearing in June 2019 and determined he violated the terms of his placement. On July 30, a YOS warden sent a letter in favor of revoking Omar's YOS sentence to the district attorney's office for Arapahoe County. The corrections department's deputy director signed the letter on Aug. 12. Omar came before Stuart again on Dec. 19, where he made two arguments. First, the corrections department did not transfer him to the county jail within 35 days of the decision to revoke his YOS sentence. Second, based on the July 30 notification of the prosecution, Stuart had not acted within 126 days to review Omar's sentence. Stuart believed the hearing fell within the 126-day window by four days using Aug. 12 as the start date. But he dismissed the request to revoke Omar's sentence for a different reason: only the executive director of the corrections department can certify the revocation decision, not his deputy. Two months later, the government tried again to get Omar's prison sentence reinstated. The executive director signed the new revocation decision on Feb. 4. Once again, the department did not transfer Omar to jail within 35 days, and instead held him in a different building on the Pueblo campus. Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. By early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had begun to affect court operations and Omar did not appear before Stuart until July. Omar renewed his argument that Stuart had no jurisdiction to hear the department's request because it was now beyond the 126-day deadline. "In this case, I didnt follow that," Stuart admitted at an Aug. 7 hearing. "We attempted to bring Mr. Omar to court. Mr. Omar was not brought to court within the 126 days. He also wasnt transported to the county jail within the 35 days that the statute requires." However, Stuart believed he still retained the authority to send Omar to prison. "Here, were dealing with a situation that the courts havent dealt with in over a hundred years. And that is a global pandemic," he said. "I cant find that because it was impossible to hold a hearing within 126 days physically impossible that the court now loses jurisdiction in all of these cases in which a 126-day timeframe was running." Stuart imposed the 15-year prison sentence on Omar and declined to issue sanctions for breaching the legal deadlines. On appeal, Omar reiterated that Stuart lacked jurisdiction to hear the case beyond the prescribed window, and the delay in processing the department's request caused him to miss YOS programming while he awaited action from the judge. "Mr. Omar was only twenty and twenty-one years old during the revocation process, a time in which his brain was still developing," wrote public defender Katherine C. Steefel. "The delays prevented him from maximizing his rehabilitative potential, and as research indicates, incarceration for young people is particularly harmful." The appellate panel disagreed. There was no "negative language" in the law stating judges cannot act on revocation requests beyond the deadline, Yun noted. Further, Omar received credit for the time he spent in YOS, so the delay "did not injure" his rights. Even though the Court of Appeals agreed Stuart, the prosecution and the corrections department violated the legal timeline, the consequence was Stuart's ability to dismiss the revocation request. In this instance, the panel found it acceptable for Stuart to decline to do so. The case is People v. Omar. An atmospheric river arrived in U.S. Northern California Tuesday morning, bringing heavy rains and high wind throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. There were 155,393 customers without power in the Bay Area as of Tuesday noon, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. said. "The storm is hitting PG&E's service area hard," the utility said. A wind gust of 74 mph was measured just before noon at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The Federal Aviation Administration briefly suspended flights from taking off, according to SFO. "We still expect delays and cancellations due to wind conditions," a spokesperson said. According to the FlightAware tracking website, there have been at least 345 delays and 38 cancellations at SFO. The man accused of killing an El Paso County ranchhand in 2021 will undergo a competency evaluation to determine whether he is mentally fit for his case to proceed, a judge ruled on Thursday. Kevin Armondo Chaparro-Macias, 26, is accused of killing Donaciano Amaya, 46, on May 12, 2021, in Rush. Amaya reportedly worked as a ranch hand for Courtney and Nicole Mallery, two Black ranchers in Yoder whose ongoing, highly publicized dispute with a neighbor has led to allegations of stalking and racism. At the end of the hearing, Nicole Mallery could be heard yelling something at Chaparro-Macias before she left the courtroom. "Leave right now," Judge Frances Johnson demanded during Nicole Mallery's outburst. Johnson made a formal record of Nicole Mallery's outburst after a request from the prosecution. Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Courtney Mallery had previously said he believed Amaya's homicide was a "clear message" to the couple to get out of their home in Yoder, which is 14 miles east of the May 2021 crime scene. In the release, the Sheriff's Office claimed allegations of the homicide being "a racially motivated hate message toward the Mallerys" were false. Nicole and Courtney Mallery face charges in 4th Judicial District Court. Nicole Mallery is accused of second- and third-degree assault on a law enforcement officer and a first responder in 2021 and Courtney Mallery is accused of felony stalking. Chaparro-Macias is charged with first-degree murder and tampering with a corpse. If Chaparro-Macias is determined incompetent to proceed, his case must be halted until he is restored to competency. When the judge asked him if he understood, Chaparro-Macias shrugged in response. The defense requested that the evaluation take place at the El Paso County jail, where Chaparro-Macias is being held without bond. The court is expected to receive an update on Chaparro-Macias' competency evaluation at his next court date on April 20. Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney will deliver the keynote address to Colorado College graduates this spring. The 1988 political science Colorado College graduate will speak at the colleges 149th commencement ceremony on May 28, according to a news release. Representative Liz Cheney is someone who has pursued courageous conversations and taken bold actions, Colorado College President L. Song Richardson said in the release. In recognition of her consistent and courageous voice in defense of democracy, she was awarded the Profile in Courage Award by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation in 2022. I am delighted to welcome our alumna and former trustee back to campus. Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, served as a Republican representative of Wyoming from 2017 until 2023 and chaired the House Republican Conference for two of those years. She now serves as professor of practice at the University of Virginia Center for Politics. She made headlines after calling on former President Donald Trump to respect the peaceful transition of power following the 2020 election and being one of 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach Trump following the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol. Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Cheney was removed by Republicans from her conference chair position shortly after, but later worked as House Jan. 6 Committee vice chair to investigate the attack and those involved. Cheney lost her spot in the House last summer, losing in a Wyoming GOP primary to a challenger backed by Trump. Recent commencement speakers include Dr. Margaret Liu, Richard Lariviere, Jill Tiefenthaler and Oprah Winfrey. Bills that propose overhauling the process for how Colorado disciplines its judges including a constitutional referendum that voters would see in 2024 were overwhelmingly approved by a state House committee on Wednesday. The three measures House Concurrent Resolution 23-1001, House Bill 23-1019 and House Bill 23-1205 each unanimously passed the House Judiciary Committee, 13-0. They are now headed to that chambers appropriations panel before it can go to a vote of the full House. The bills are the result of summer-long hearings by a special legislative committee formed after allegations surfaced in 2021 about judicial misconduct that went unpunished or was handled leniently. Those allegations were at the core of threats by a former high-ranking Judicial Department official who faced firing over financial irregularities. She threatened a tell-all sex-discrimination lawsuit and allegedly received a multi-million-dollar contract instead. Newspaper stories in 2019 exposed the contract and later, in 2021, the underlying threats that were allegedly the reason behind it. The contract was cancelled following the news reports. Two separate investigations, launched by the Judicial Department, could not prove the contract was the result of a quid pro quo but did admonish the department for a number of shortcomings that included concerns with the process for filing misconduct complaints against judges and the overall experience by victims who did. The hearings also uncovered an underbelly of deep distrust, disagreement and discord between the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline and the state Supreme Court, specifically with how the commission operates and how it is in part beholden to the courts oversight. Legislators chose to split the commission from the court into an independent body, but they noted additional changes are necessary to comply with how the Colorado Constitution already established the judicial discipline process, including a voter referendum to change it. The resolution, HCR23-1001, offers an amendment to the Colorado Constitution that changes how the judicial discipline process works. Voters would be asked to approve or reject the measure in 2024. The biggest change is removing the state Supreme Court from the discipline decision-making process. Currently, the court names three judges, known as special masters, to hear formal discipline cases and make recommendations to the Commission on Judicial Discipline, which prosecutes them. Those recommendations, if they are for formal and public censure, are forwarded to the Supreme Court, which can approve or reject them. The new system will have a 12-member adjudicative body made up of four citizens, four attorneys and four district court judges. One from each category is randomly selected to sit as the three-person committee to hear formal discipline cases and make a decision on any potential punishment, or to dismiss a case outright. Under the proposal, the Supreme Court acts only as an appellate body, deciding only issues brought up on appeal. It will not be able to dismiss a case or hide any decision from public view, as it can now. Additionally, the court must recuse itself from any discipline matter against a sitting or retired Supreme Court justice, or if an employee of a justice, a family member or a justice themselves is a witness in a discipline case. Should that happen, the court is replaced by a seven-member panel randomly selected from the states 22 sitting judges of the Court of Appeals and more than 300 district court judges. Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Another bill, HB23-1019, sets out rules for how guidelines governing the proposed judicial discipline process will be written, particularly how the Supreme Court and the discipline commission interact. Until now, the court has had overall authority to change the rules without specifically seeking input from the commission, which has occurred on occasion. The bill would require both sides to have input and make good-faith efforts at resolving any disagreements. It would also allow public comment about any proposed rule change, a first. The commission would also be required to publish annually statistics about discipline cases conducted over the previous year and allow the public access to a searchable database. Additionally, complaints about judicial misconduct can be filed anonymously or online, also a first, and the commission is required to update anyone who files a complaint about the status of their case. The bill would remove the misdemeanor criminal penalty for a complainant to disclose a matter before the discipline commission. That only has a chilling effect on any complainants, bill co-sponsor Rep. Mike Weissman, an Aurora Democrat. The Judicial Department, and by extension the Supreme Court, generally supported the referendum and first bill, according to its liaison, Terry Scanlon. It became clear that our process of judicial discipline was outdated, Scanlon told legislators. Weissman agreed. What we have from the 1960s is a bit of an outlier, he said. Weve gotten out of sync. Some of what we heard this summer was troubling over what its like to be a complainant. The last bill, HB23-1205, establishes an office of judicial ombudsman whose job is to create the anonymous reporting system for judicial employees and help complainants understand their rights and options in reporting judicial misconduct. The ombudsman would remain in contact with a complainant throughout the discipline process while ensuring its confidentiality. Its office would not be located in the same building as the Supreme Court to prevent victims from being intimidated to seek assistance. The office is separate from one the Judicial Department had proposed earlier in the year for its human resources department, where employees could go for help when considering filing a complaint about other department employees. That proposal was rejected by the legislatures appropriations committee. The ombuds concept is what CCASA finds the most important to changing the culture within the judicial branch, said Elizabeth Newman, public policy director for the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Providing that safe place is the most critical piece of this reform. Said Rep. Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver, who co-sponsored the ombudsman bill: All of this isnt necessarily about a Supreme Court justice, and Im sure well never see another multi-million-dollar contract again ... these issues became so notorious that people asked us to help them rebuild their confidence in the judiciary. A roll-over traffic incident late Wednesday night in north Colorado Springs sent multiple parties to the hospital, and police searching for the driver of a black sedan, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department. Police said that at 11:05 p.m., Wednesday state patrol received word of a roll-over traffic accident at the intersection of Uintah and Nevada, with one vehicle smoking and possibly on fire. Upon arriving on the scene, officers assisted multiple parties and arranged transport to the local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. According to officials, it was determined a black sedan traveling eastbound on Uintah ran a red light and struck the white SUV, which was headed southbound on Nevada. The impact caused the SUV to roll over and slide off the roadway. Police said no property damage was caused in the incident, and no vehicle was on fire. By News Center Turkiye's domestic and national car Togg is getting ready to go on sale this week. The national pride Togg, which has been prepared with the completion of the SCT bases and type approval process, will make another dream come true. Now this attractive four-wheel-drive contraption readies to please its news owner. The project, which is aimed to start the pre-order process with the announcement of its price this week. With the draws drawn since the end of March, 20,000 Toggs will be delivered to their owners in stages until the end of 2023, in order of priority. TRY 1M ($52,611M) expectation dominates the price The electric vehicle SCT, which was held in the past days, caused predictions in the eagerly awaited Togg, together with its tax bases. It has come to the agenda that Togg's 2-wheel-engined 200 hp 150 kW C-SUV option will be sold at an affordable price due to the ceiling limitation of TRY1.6m ($84,178). The suitors of the C-SUV Togg, which is expected to be sold with TRY1m ($52,611) for the starter packages by the citizens, are increasing day by day. For the NFT sale, which is planned to be held on February 5, 20,000 people opened a wallet on Togg's application Trumore and participated in the auction to buy it. Pre-order now delivery in April Explanations on how the sales process will work came from Togg management. 20,000 vehicles will be delivered to Togg C-SUV owners, whose pre-order has been received and will be entitled according to the sequence number, until the end of 2023. The first delivery will start at the end of March, that is, at the beginning of April. In the national car where the competition has been canceled, priority will be determined only by drawing. The priority right in the sale of NFTs was revoked. The personalized vehicle will be produced The production process of Togg after the pre-order will be based on the personalized smart device. The C-SUV Togg, which can be combined from its color to its equipment features, will not be produced as a stock vehicle, as it will be produced individually. This is the most important reason why Togg currently does not have ready-made wow stock vehicles. In addition, since the vehicle made public is a prototype, a superior C-SUV Togg will be showcased with the addition of new features. Colorados epic crime wave literally hit home for a state lawmaker last week after an apparent drive-by shooting at her house in Aurora. As The Gazette reported, a bullet traveled through state Sen. Rhonda Fields window and china cabinet before lodging in her living room wall. It could have been a lot worse had someone been home at the time. We are grateful and relieved no harm came to her though of course the trauma of such a violent attack lingers. My faith in my security, of being, feeling safe at home, has been shattered, Fields said. Though many Coloradans need no reminder of the states spiraling crime rate, plenty of Fields colleagues in the legislature could use this wake-up call. For the past several years, her fellow Democrats in the majority have been watering down wide-ranging criminal penalties for violent and property crimes. On the fundamentally flawed premise that Colorados justice system is inherently racist and generally unjust, the legislatures advocates for justice reform have made it ever harder to take repeat perpetrators of serious crimes off of Colorados streets. Fields unnerving brush with potentially lethal violence comes as all the more of a blow given her familys tragic history. In a well-known incident that shook our whole state, Fields own son and his fiance were shot and killed in Aurora in 2005. Her son was targeted because he was preparing to testify against two men accused in a previous murder, according to authorities. Fields is not one to back down, however, and she addressed the Aurora City Council at its regular meeting on Monday to raise awareness and call for action. She urged council members to do what they can at the local level to address gun violence. As noted in The Gazettes report, Fields also advocated for law enforcement to have the resources they need, and for teachers to be given adequate resources to deal with the trauma students face from exposure to gun violence. Sign up for free: Gazette Opinion Receive updates from our editorial staff, guest columnists, and letters from Gazette readers. Sent to your inbox 12:00 PM. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman pledged the city will do all it can at the local level but as The Gazette also reported, Coffman called out the legislature, as well. Coffman said gun violence is significant all over the Denver metropolitan area, and he pointed out local governments can only do so much. He commended Fields work at the Capitol in helping to address the concern, but said he wants her colleagues to do more. Coffman said he is frustrated by a state legislature that has spent years creating an environment that is too lenient on criminals. Lowering the penalty for various crimes from a felony to a misdemeanor, for example, allowed more people to legally own firearms who should not, the mayor said. Coffman also wants all car thefts to be charged as a felony, regardless of the vehicles monetary value as proposed in a measure now pending before the legislature. Stolen cars are often used in the commission of more violent crimes, Coffman correctly pointed out, and he said he opposes allowing someone convicted of felony auto theft to possess a weapon. Coffman joined Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers in a joint letter published in the media in January calling on the legislature to crack down on crime. The Colorado General Assemblys experiment with coddling criminals is a disaster. That should be obvious by now even to the lawmakers themselves. Its sad it took one of their own peers getting caught in harms way to make it plain as day. EMILYS List, a national group that backs Democratic women candidates who support abortion rights, on Wednesday endorsed U.S. Reps. Brittany Pettersen and Yadira Caraveo in the Colorado Democrats bids for reelection in 2024. The first-term Democrats represent competitive seats that could determine which party wins the House majority in next years election, the organization said in a news release. Theyre among the 18 House incumbents EMILYS List is backing in its initial round of endorsements. Caraveo, a former state representative and pediatrician, defeated Republican state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer by less than 1 percentage point last year in the states new 8th Congressional District, which covers parts of Adams, Weld and Larimer counties north of the Denver metro area. National Democrats and Republicans have already pegged Caraveos reelection bid as one of next years battleground races. Pettersen, a former state senator, won last years race in the open 7th Congressional District by a more comfortable margin, beating political newcomer Erik Aadland, the Republican nominee, by 15 percentage points. The district covers most of Jefferson County and all or parts of six mountain counties stretching south past Canon City. Neither Democratic incumbent has yet drawn a challenger. EMILYs List President Laphonza Butler called Caraveos election proof that her districts residents will not stand for the kind of radical anti-choice extremism and government overreach that has been threatening to take away our rights and freedoms. Sign up for free: News Alerts Stay in the know on the stories that affect you the most. Sign Up For Free View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Added Butler in a statement: Rep. Caraveos commitment to her community and experience as a pediatrician gives her unique insight into the problems that Coloradans face, and EMILYs List knows that she will go on to do even greater things in her next term in Congress. Caraveo welcomed the endorsement on Twitter. Last years election results were clear: our community wants a leader who protects womens abortion rights, not someone who supports extremist bans, she tweeted, referencing her Republican opponents support for abortion restrictions. Butler said in a statement that the group was thrilled to again endorse Pettersen. Her dedication to Coloradans shines through everything she does, and her record of fighting for working Colorado families, championing mental health and substance abuse recovery, and advocating for mothers and children speaks for itself, Butler said. Originally named after the acronym for early money is like yeast because it helps raise the dough EMILYS List is a powerhouse campaign organization on the left, counting millions of members nationwide and boasting that its helped elect more than 1,000 women since its 1985 launch. The group endorsed both Pettersen and Caraveo last cycle. The group and its affiliated committees raised nearly $50 million on 2022 elections, and its PAC contributed $475,000 to federal candidates in 2022 including $10,000 to Pettersens campaign and $5,000 to Caraveos according campaign finance site OpenSecrets.com. A proposal crafted by teenagers that seeks to offer substance abuse intervention guidelines to Colorado schools received approval on Wednesday from the state House. If passed into law, House Bill 1009 would create a committee tasked with developing best practices for middle and high schools to identify students who need substance use treatment, offer intervention and refer the students to treatment resources. House lawmakers voted 45-19 to advance the bill, sending it to the Senate for further consideration. "Substance use is pervasive among Colorado youth," said Rep. Mandy Lindsay, D-Aurora, who is sponsoring the bill. "Many substance abuse programs in schools, currently and in the past, are aimed at prevention rather than intervention. And while prevention is necessary, intervention is also key." Colorado is the seventh most prevalent state for substance abuse in the country, according to a 2022 study. Colorado teenagers are also 37.4% more likely to have used drugs in the last month and 15.1% more likely to use alcohol than the average American teenager, according to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics. Republican opponents raised issue with the bill not explicitly requiring the best practices developed by the committee to include notifying a students parents if the student is abusing substances. The bill aims to combat the use of alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, prescription drugs and illicit drugs. The committee would have until Jan. 5, 2024 to submit its report to every school district and charter school in the state, as well as the Colorado Department of Education. The committee would consist of 18 people, including students, parents, school staff and medical professionals. The bill came from the Colorado Youth Advisory Council, a group of local teenagers chosen to advise and recommend policies to lawmakers to address youth issues. Bhavya Surapaneni, a senior at Rock Canyon High School, is one of the teens behind the bill. Surapaneni said it is the norm to walk in on her fellow students vaping in the bathrooms, hear stories of their weekend binge drinking and occasionally watch her peers be suspended for possessing illicit drugs sent home with nothing more than a brochure on the dangers of substance abuse. Though theyve received education aimed at preventing substance use since middle school, Surapaneni said substance abuse still runs rampant among her peers, and efforts to help students who already struggle are virtually nonexistent. Sign up for free: News Alerts Stay in the know on the stories that affect you the most. Sign Up For Free View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. "Intervention is not a priority in many schools, including mine," Surapaneni said. Substance abuse is pushed to the side, dealt with as quickly and quietly as possible, without any emphasis on treatment. While the bill received unanimous bipartisan approval from the Colorado Youth Advisory Council interim committee in September, all Republican House members voted against the bill on Wednesday. All Democrats voted in support. Rep. Ken DeGraaf, R-Colorado Springs, initially raised issue with the bill's safety clause, which would have made the bill take effect immediately upon signage instead of after the usual 90-day wait period. Safety clauses are typically applied to bills determined necessary for the "immediate preservation" of public health or safety. DeGraaf said the safety clause was being "badly abused," introducing an amendment to remove it from the bill. Though the amendment passed, DeGraaf still voted against the bill, this time criticizing the bill for giving the created committee the power to distribute the substance abuse intervention guidance they create without requiring further legislative approval. "It's more of a blank check than a bill," DeGraaf said. "I would like to see the legislation that we're looking to approve beforehand." Under the bill, the committee would start by building off of and modifying the states existing Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Program, which is already in place at some of Colorados school-based health centers and is designed to detect early substance use disorders in students and refer them for treatment. The bill would not implement any programs in schools, leaving the final decision up to the schools and school districts. More than a dozen organizations registered in support of the bill, including Children's Hospital Colorado, the Colorado Education Association, Colorado Psychiatric Society, Colorado Society of School Psychologists, Peer Assistance Services and Mental Health Colorado. No groups are opposing the bill. The bill will next be sent to the Senate for another vote in the coming weeks. If passed, it will require the governor's approval before taking effect in August. By Azernews Qabil Ashirov We should increase our efforts to deliver additional natural gas from the Caspian Sea to international markets with TANAP, Azernews reports citing Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu telling at the meeting of the foreign ministers of the Organization of Turkic States in Ankara. "We jointly implemented large-scale energy projects such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and TANAP. We must increase our efforts to deliver natural gas from the Caspian to international markets with TANAP. The Memorandum of Understanding we signed with our Azerbaijani and Turkmen brothers is very important in this regard," he noted. With the completion of the TAP construction on December 31, 2020, Azerbaijan began commercial gas supplies to Europe via the Southern Gas Corridor. The SGC is an initiative of the European Commission for a natural gas supply route from the Caspian and Middle Eastern regions to Europe. The route from Azerbaijan to Europe consists of the South Caucasus Pipeline, TANAP, and TAP. In 2021, TAP transported 8.1 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe. In 2023, Azerbaijan plans to increase gas supplies to Europe to 11 billion cubic meters. As of 2022, Azerbaijan exported 9.3 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe in the first ten months and was expected to supply 11.5 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe by the end of 2022. Bills that propose overhauling the process for how Colorado disciplines its judges including a constitutional referendum that voters would see in 2024 were overwhelmingly approved by a state House committee on Wednesday. The three measures House Concurrent Resolution 23-1001, House Bill 23-1019 and House Bill 23-1205 each unanimously passed the House Judiciary Committee, 13-0. They are now headed to that chambers appropriations panel before it can go to a vote of the full House. The bills are the result of summer-long hearings by a special legislative committee formed after allegations surfaced in 2021 about judicial misconduct that went unpunished or was handled leniently. Those allegations were at the core of threats by a former high-ranking Judicial Department official who faced firing over financial irregularities. She threatened a tell-all sex-discrimination lawsuit and allegedly received a multi-million-dollar contract instead. Newspaper stories in 2019 exposed the contract and later, in 2021, the underlying threats that were allegedly the reason behind it. The contract was cancelled following the news reports. Two separate investigations, launched by the Judicial Department, could not prove the contract was the result of a quid pro quo but did admonish the department for a number of shortcomings that included concerns with the process for filing misconduct complaints against judges and the overall experience by victims who did. The hearings also uncovered an underbelly of deep distrust, disagreement and discord between the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline and the state Supreme Court, specifically with how the commission operates and how it is in part beholden to the courts oversight. Legislators chose to split the commission from the court into an independent body, but they noted additional changes are necessary to comply with how the Colorado Constitution already established the judicial discipline process, including a voter referendum to change it. The resolution, HCR23-1001, offers an amendment to the Colorado Constitution that changes how the judicial discipline process works. Voters would be asked to approve or reject the measure in 2024. The biggest change is removing the state Supreme Court from the discipline decision-making process. Currently, the court names three judges, known as special masters, to hear formal discipline cases and make recommendations to the Commission on Judicial Discipline, which prosecutes them. Those recommendations, if they are for formal and public censure, are forwarded to the Supreme Court, which can approve or reject them. The new system will have a 12-member adjudicative body made up of four citizens, four attorneys and four district court judges. One from each category is randomly selected to sit as the three-person committee to hear formal discipline cases and make a decision on any potential punishment, or to dismiss a case outright. Under the proposal, the Supreme Court acts only as an appellate body, deciding only issues brought up on appeal. It will not be able to dismiss a case or hide any decision from public view, as it can now. Additionally, the court must recuse itself from any discipline matter against a sitting or retired Supreme Court justice, or if an employee of a justice, a family member or a justice themselves is a witness in a discipline case. Should that happen, the court is replaced by a seven-member panel randomly selected from the states 22 sitting judges of the Court of Appeals and more than 300 district court judges. Sign up for free: News Alerts Stay in the know on the stories that affect you the most. Sign Up For Free View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Another bill, HB23-1019, sets out rules for how guidelines governing the proposed judicial discipline process will be written, particularly how the Supreme Court and the discipline commission interact. Until now, the court has had overall authority to change the rules without specifically seeking input from the commission, which has occurred on occasion. The bill would require both sides to have input and make good-faith efforts at resolving any disagreements. It would also allow public comment about any proposed rule change, a first. The commission would also be required to publish annually statistics about discipline cases conducted over the previous year and allow the public access to a searchable database. Additionally, complaints about judicial misconduct can be filed anonymously or online, also a first, and the commission is required to update anyone who files a complaint about the status of their case. The bill would remove the misdemeanor criminal penalty for a complainant to disclose a matter before the discipline commission. That only has a chilling effect on any complainants, bill co-sponsor Rep. Mike Weissman, an Aurora Democrat. The Judicial Department, and by extension the Supreme Court, generally supported the referendum and first bill, according to its liaison, Terry Scanlon. It became clear that our process of judicial discipline was outdated, Scanlon told legislators. Weissman agreed. What we have from the 1960s is a bit of an outlier, he said. Weve gotten out of sync. Some of what we heard this summer was troubling over what its like to be a complainant. The last bill, HB23-1205, establishes an office of judicial ombudsman whose job is to create the anonymous reporting system for judicial employees and help complainants understand their rights and options in reporting judicial misconduct. The ombudsman would remain in contact with a complainant throughout the discipline process while ensuring its confidentiality. Its office would not be located in the same building as the Supreme Court to prevent victims from being intimidated to seek assistance. The office is separate from one the Judicial Department had proposed earlier in the year for its human resources department, where employees could go for help when considering filing a complaint about other department employees. That proposal was rejected by the legislatures appropriations committee. The ombuds concept is what CCASA finds the most important to changing the culture within the judicial branch, said Elizabeth Newman, public policy director for the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Providing that safe place is the most critical piece of this reform. Said Rep. Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver, who co-sponsored the ombudsman bill: All of this isnt necessarily about a Supreme Court justice, and Im sure well never see another multi-million-dollar contract again ... these issues became so notorious that people asked us to help them rebuild their confidence in the judiciary. If you dont like the weather in Colorado, the saying goes, just wait, and it will change. Colorado Springs residents, and those in other areas across the state, have been treated to unseasonably warm weather over the past few days. But temperatures and conditions are set to do an about-face, according to the National Weather Service in Pueblo. After a Wednesday high of 68 degrees (accompanied by high fire danger), temperatures in Colorado Springs are expected to drop sharply Thursday, with a high of 30 degrees and an 80% chance of snow, the Weather Service predicts. The latest forecast calls for about 1 to 2 inches of snow. Were not expecting a ton of snow (in Colorado Springs), said NWS meteorologist Kyle Mozley. As you go farther north, up on the Palmer Divide, you could get 1 to 3 inches. To the west, over Teller County and the Pikes Peak area, anywhere from 5 to 10 inches is possible. March is typically the snowiest month of the year in Colorado, but it hasnt yielded much precipitation in Colorado Springs. According to NWS Pueblo, the average snowfall for March is 5.7 inches. As the month reaches its halfway point, the city has received only trace amounts about 0.02 inches. Last year at this time, Colorado Springs had received 2.5 inches of snow. Thursdays weather system is unlikely to add much to the citys March total, Mozley said. The past few storms weve had have focused mostly on the mountains, he said. If you look at the snowpack since, say, mid-December, the heaviest snow has been over the mountains and most of the plains have been fairly dry. That trend should continue over the next few days, Mozley said. The heaviest snow is expected to fall south of the Pikes Peak region over the San Juan and Sangre de Cristo mountains with 1 to 3 feet of snow accumulation in the forecast for Thursday, according to the weather agency. Sign Up for Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Most of the snow will be confined to the mountains, he said. The Continental Divide will probably see near-continuous periods of snow for the next several days. But down here on the lower elevations not so much. The snowstorm should help bolster the snowpack numbers along the Arkansas River basin, which have been below average so far. The upper Arkansas is at 83%, so its not terrible, but it could be better, Mozley said. This storm will definitely add to it. The cold weather is expected to stick around for at least the next few days, according to the weather agency. Friday will be mostly sunny, with a high near 38 degrees. Saturday will be similar, with partly sunny skies and a high of 37, before temperatures rise slightly to a high of 41 degrees on Sunday. By the middle of next week, temperatures should approach the monthly average, which is in the low 50s. We do have another storm coming in, late next week into the weekend, but its going to be mostly wind (in Colorado Springs), Mozley said. Its still a little early to know for sure, but I think it will be a lot like this storm: more snow for the mountains, not much for the plains. The construction of Kambarata hydropower plant-1 (HPP-1) was the key topic of a recent discussion in the framework of the meeting between the representatives of the energy ministries of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. The ministers exchanged views on the implementation of the roadmap signed in early January 2023. A draft document on the basic principles of cooperation between the countries in the framework of the project implementation was discussed. The officials of the three Central Asian countries also discussed the opportunities for electric energy exports to Kyrgyzstan via the grid systems of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. In addition, a discussion on water and energy issues in the region, as well as on the matter of rational use of water resources, took place between the sides. The representatives of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan exchanged views on the measures for the protection of the Toktokul reservoir during the summer irrigation period. Kambarata HPP-1 is expected to become a cornerstone of Kyrgyz energy security, in addition to providing energy and strengthening the water security of the signatory countries of Central Asia. DES MOINES Birth control pills, contraceptive patches and vaginal rings would be available to Iowans from a pharmacist without a prescription under legislation approved Wednesday by the Iowa Senate including by Republican lawmakers who previously rejected the proposal. If it becomes law, Iowa would join 17 other states and the District of Columbia in legalizing the dispensing of birth control without a prescription, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit organization that researches and advocates on womens reproductive health care policies. Some Iowa Senate Republicans earlier this session removed a similar provision from Gov. Kim Reynolds broad legislation on maternal health care. They approved that bill in the Senates health and human services committee, but only after the birth control provision was removed. And yet Senate Republicans brought back a similar proposal Wednesday, albeit on a completely different bill, one that would add epi pens to the list of medications that pharmacists can dispense without a prescription to Iowans 18 years of age and older. The amendment introduced Wednesday by Senate Republicans would also add to that list self-administered hormonal contraceptives. The proposal covers only birth control, not drugs designed to induce an abortion. Iowa Sen. Jeff Edler, a Republican from State Center who has been overseeing the bill, said during debate that the entire bill continues to expand the access of health care to Iowans. After debate, he declined a request to comment on the amendment that added birth control. Senate Democrats were pleased to see and support the amendment. This is a positive step for Iowa women and families that will increase access to essential reproductive care, Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, a Democrat from West Des Moines, said in a statement. I was pleased to see Democrats and Republicans come together to make health care more accessible for Iowans. I hope the House follows our example on this issue. After the birth control amendment was added, the legislation, Senate File 326, passed on a 45-3 vote, with three Republicans opposing. With that vote, the bill is now eligible for consideration in the House. House Republicans are scheduled Monday morning to hold a legislative hearing on their version of Reynolds maternal health care bill, House File 427, which still includes the birth control provision. Rep. Devon Wood, a Republican from New Market and vice chair of the House health and human services committee, said Wednesday she likes the language in the House bill because it includes details about pharmacists role, what information patients will have, and safety and health precautions. Reynolds broader bill includes $2 million in state funding for pregnancy resource centers, which counsel against abortion, a provision that Democrats oppose. It also contains for state workers four weeks of paid maternity leave for mothers and one paid week of paternity leave for fathers following the birth or adoption of a child. Re: According to industry experts, the biggest difference between colleges [ #permalink 1 Kudos There are several seats up for election in Pittsylvania County in November. Positions up for grabs include slots on the county board of supervisors, the county school board, all five constitutional offices (sheriff, clerk of court, treasurer, commissioner of revenue and commonwealths attorney) Chatham Town Council and three seats on the Soil and Water Conservation District. Also, state seats in the House of Delegates 48th, 49th and 51st districts and the Senates 9th district are up for election. We are still waiting to see if there will be a primary for any of these seats, said Pittsylvania County Registrar Kelly Keesee. The deadline for those who wish to run for local elections is 7 p.m. June 20. Contact our office, Keesee said. Candidate filing forms are available in our lobby as well as the Virginia Department of Elections website. The county registrars office can be reached at 434-432-7971. Residents not registered to vote who wish to cast ballots in the Nov. 7 election must register by Oct. 16, Keesee said. There are no local races in Danville, but elections will be held for seats held by Delegate Danny Marshall, R-49th District, and state Sen. Frank Ruff, R-9th District, said Danville Deputy Registrar Tammy Warren. Republication candidate Eric R. Zehr is running in the new 51st House District, which covers parts of Pittsylvania, Campbell and Bedford counties. Republican Matt Fariss currently holds the seat. The newly-created 49th House District includes Danville and parts of Pittsylvania and Halifax counties. Marshall and Delegate James Edmunds, R-South Boston, were paired in the district, but Edmunds announced he would not seek re-election. Marshall is the only candidate for the seat so far, according to the Virginia Public Access Project website. He has not publicly announced he would run for the seat. A voice message left for Marshall was not returned by deadline Wednesday afternoon. There are several candidates who have already filed and qualified to run for Pittsylvania County clerk of court. They include incumbent Seth W. Scarce, Jarrett T. Stone, Heidi L. Jones, Jennifer J. Wyatt and Karen L. Dixon. I have served others my entire adult life, Wyatt wrote in a statement to the Register & Bee. The clerk position is all about serving and helping others; that is all I know. Just like the clerks that have served previously, I will carry on high ethical standards, integrity and professionalism. It would be an honor to be elected by the people, to serve the people. Angela Angie Reece Harris is also qualified to run for clerk of court. Clerk of Court Mark Scarce is not running for re-election. For county treasurer, incumbent Vincent E. Shorter has filed to run for reelection. As for the board of supervisors, Robert M. Tucker Jr. is running for re-election as supervisor in the Banister District, and Kell L. Stone and Kathy B. Ramsey are in the process of qualifying as candidates. Tucker was appointed to the Banister seat after Jessie Barksdale resigned in December. Kenneth L. Bowman and Frank B. Fox are in the process of qualifying to run for the Chatham-Blairs seat, currently occupied by Bob Warren. Staunton River Supervisor Timothy W. Dudley is in the process of qualifying to run for reelection. Other seats open for election on the board include those in the Tunstall and Westover districts. Vic Ingram announced his intentions to seek reelection in an email to the Register & Bee. When I ran in 2019, I committed to work diligently to bring growth through economic development, and I pledged to fully support law enforcement, public safety and our blue ribbon educational system, he wrote in a statement. I am proud to say that Ive done just that. Seats on the school board are up for grabs in the Chatham-Blairs, Staunton River, Tunstall and Westover districts. Seven Henrico County sheriffs deputies held down a mental patient on the floor for 12 minutes while he was shackled and handcuffed, eventually smothering him to death, Dinwiddie Countys chief prosecutor told a judge Wednesday. Describing portions of security camera footage that captured the incident, Dinwiddie Commonwealths Attorney Ann Cabell Baskervill said the officers had no justification for putting Irvo N. Otieno, 28, on the floor while he was being admitted to Central State Hospital on March 6. The prosecutor said Otieno did not appear combative as authorities had claimed and he was sitting in a chair before being pulled to the floor by the officers. Otieno was asphyxiated from the weight of the officers laying on top of him in an act of deliberate and cruel treatment, which included knees that were pressed fiercely into parts of his body, Baskervill told the court. It was a demonstration of power that was unlawful, the prosecutor said. About eight minutes into the incident, the deputies were joined by five Central State Hospital security officers. The seven deputies were charged Tuesday with second-degree murder in Otienos death; Baskervill said additional arrests and charges are pending. The prosecutor said that Otieno had been assaulted even before he was taken to the hospital. On the same day Otieno was transferred to Central State Hospital, on March 6, a Henrico Jail video obtained by state police investigators shows several deputies tackle and deliver blows to Otieno while he is naked, the prosecutor said. Police: Otieno became physically assaultive towards officers Baskervill provided the gruesome details of the ongoing investigation in an attempt to keep two of the seven deputies behind bars after their attorneys asked Circuit Judge Joseph M. Teefey Jr. to grant bail for their clients. At the heart of his familys allegations is that Otieno, who had a history of mental health problems, should have been treated as a patient with psychological problems, and not as a criminal. Three days earlier, on March 3, his family said Otieno had experienced severe mental distress, which led Henrico police to take him to Henrico Doctors Hospital under an emergency custody order. Police were dispatched to Otienos home after a neighbor reported she believed her home was being burglarized, and Otieno was identified as a potential suspect. While at Henrico Doctors Hospital, police said, Otieno became physically assaultive towards officers, and was charged with several offenses. He was taken to Henrico Jail, where he remained over the weekend apparently without some or all of his medications, his family said. During Wednesdays hearing in Dinwiddie Circuit Court, attorneys representing two of the deputies questioned Otienos cause of death, noting he had been injected by hospital staff with two drugs about the same time as the deputies were restraining him. But Baskervill countered that Otieno probably died before the injections, which she described after court as an anti-psychotic medication and Benadryl. She said the two injections did not enter his system because by the time they were administered, his heart had already stopped. Baskervill said the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has ruled preliminarily that Otienos cause of death was asphyxiation and the manner was homicide. However, more testing is being conducted and the doctor who performed the autopsy plans to view the security footage from Central State Hospital, along with the Henrico Jail video, the prosecutor said. After attorneys Cary Bowen and Edward Nickel argued that their clients had unblemished backgrounds and were not flight risks and that Baskerville could not distinguish their clients actions from the other deputies the judge agreed to set bail for Deputy Jermaine Branch, 45, at $15,000 and Bradley Disse, 43, at $10,000. It could not be immediately determined if they made bail. The other deputies Randy Boyer, 57; Dwayne Bramble, 37; Tabitha Levere, 50; Brandon Rogers, 48; and Kaiyell Sanders, 30 told the judge they were in the process of hiring attorneys or needed court-appointed counsel. They will continue to be held at least until next week. Baskervill said she plans to seek indictments against the seven deputies when the grand jury meets Tuesday in Dinwiddie. Awaiting cause of death, toxicology reports Henrico Sheriff Alicia Gregory did not immediately respond to an email query or phone message seeking the ranks, assignments and tenure of the seven deputies who were charged. The Richmond Times-Dispatch also asked about the Henrico Jail video that Baskervill said shows several deputies assaulting Otieno before his transfer to Central State. After the hearing, Bowen indicated he was concerned with the manner in which the deputies were charged and the prosecutions insistence they not be granted bail despite their favorable records and willingness to turn themselves in. The deputies were charged under what is known as a criminal information, which is a somewhat obscure method of filing criminal charges in Virginia. Most defendants are charged by criminal warrants or direct indictments. Its pretty unusual to go about things the way its been done, Bowen said. Ann Cabell Baskervill is concerned about [what happened at Central State Hospital], and she has looked at videos that I havent seen, so I have to respect that. But I dont like a situation where you call people and they come down and turn themselves in as theyre supposed to and none of them have a criminal record, none of them have a history of failure to appear in court, or any violence, Bowen added. So its like, why rush to do that and then object to bond? It kind of surprises me a little bit. In court, Bowen suggested that the two medical injections Otieno received may have been a factor in his death. I think thats what some of these people that are charged believe, Bowen said later. But I have not talked to staff at Central State that saw that. The deputies of course werent authorized to give an injection. Once those the two injections were administered at least the way it was told to me there was no more [movement], he was not responsive. Obviously, the cause of death and the toxicology report are going to be a big factor here. WENTWORTH A 43-year-old man has pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder in connection to the 2021 shootings of three motorcyclists on the U.S. 29 Bypass in Reidsville. Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Stan Allen of Rockingham County Superior Court sentenced Martin Calvin Cox, Jr. to life in prison without the possibility of parole on March 9, according to a news release from county authorities. The shootings happened on the afternoon of May 24, 2021. Isaac Fitzgerald and his wife, Haneefa Fitzgerald, 42, both of Fredericksburg, Va., and their friend Kwandre Carey, 24, of Montross, Va., stopped at Loves Travel Stop in Reidsville on their way home to Virginia after a multiday, multistate motorcycle trip. Once they finished eating, the Fitzgeralds got on Isaac Fitzgeralds motorcycle, Carey mounted his, and the trio left to return home, according to investigators with the Rockingham County Sheriffs Office. As the group pulled out of the travel stop, Cox began following them in a red 2019 Dodge Ram 4500. The group headed north on U.S. 29 about 4:45 p.m. Cox caught up to them and fired several shots with a 9mm handgun, between Barnes Street and N.C. 14, authorities said. Shes yelling, Help Me! She says hes been shot. Thats what she just yelled when I pulled up and said, Are you OK?, a motorist witness told a 911 operator shortly after the shooting. I thought I seen her motorcycle fly off into the woods, the witness told the operator. All three riders were struck by Coxs rounds, but Haneefa Fitzgerald and Carey were fatally wounded, authorities said. Isaac Fitzgerald was treated for critical injuries at Moses Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro. Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page said at the time of the shootings that he believed the killings were targeted crimes, though he has not disclosed investigators theories about a motive in the shootings. This type of crime is horrific. Its not something we see here in Rockingham County. In fact, in my more than 30-year career in law enforcement in this county, I dont think Ive seen anything like it, Page said in 2021. Haneefa Fitzgerald had served in the U.S. Marines for 15 years before her retirement in 2015, according to a resume she published online via Wordpress, describing herself as a freelance journalist. An administrative assistant who dealt with human resources issues within her branch of service, Fitzgerald was awarded three U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals and a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for her work, the resume said. Authorities said Cox, who lived in Browns Summit, fled the scene after the shootings. He was apprehended the next day by the Kentucky State Police while traveling through Bullitt County there, an eight-hour drive from Reidsville. Cox was extradited back to Rockingham County. Cox had a criminal history involving the sale of drugs and other offenses. In 1999, he was charged in Guilford County with possession of drugs with intent to sell. His next arrest came in 2011 in Guilford when he was charged with possession of a controlled substance, trafficking and maintaining a place for a controlled substance. By 2013, Cox faced charges in Guilford of drug possession with intent to sell and selling a schedule IV controlled substance. He was charged with misdemeanor wanton injury to personal property that same year in Forsyth County. SUMMERFIELD The Guilford County Fire Marshal's Office is investigating a house fire early Wednesday that fatally injured one person and a dog. Firefighters were called at 4:41 a.m. to the 6200 block of Horseshoe Drive, off Hamburg Mill, where two people lived with two dogs. One of the residents was pulled from the blaze and later died at a local hospital, Assistant Chief Jenna Daniels said by telephone Thursday. The other resident was able to escape safely with one of the two dogs; the other dog perished in the fire, Daniels said. The residents' names were not immediately available; A message was left with the Fire Marshal's Office. Responding firefighters from Summerfield noticed that they did not hear any smoke detectors when they arrived at the home, Daniels said. An estimated 30 firefighters from Summerfield and Greensboro departments were on the scene. The fire was determined to be under control by 6:22 a.m., but crews were on scene well after that, Daniels said. CPAC: where hyperbole goes to die. Thats what I wanted to call this piece. It was to be a reaction to the offensive, mean-spirited language used by some of the speakers featured at the recent meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference. Then, well ... youll see. One of the early speakers at CPAC, Donald Trump Jr., strutted around the stage at the Gaylord National Resort and Conference Center like a wannabe comedian, and proclaimed, Pennsylvania managed to elect a vegetable. He obviously expected a laugh. He was referring to Sen. John Fetterman, who had a stroke while running for the Senate but managed to beat Dr. Mehmet Oz, Don Sr.s anointed one, anyway. The line wasnt funny. It wasnt clever. It was just schoolyard-bully mean. Id love for John Fetterman to have, like, good gainful employment, Don Jr. continued. Maybe he could be, like, a bag guy at a grocery store. Michael Knowles of the conservative Daily Wire created controversy of his own when he challenged the crowd, Transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely, which was immediately condemned as genocidal. Knowles shot back. There cant be a genocide, because (transgenderism) is not a legitimate category of being. Theyre laboring under a delusion. And so we need to correct that delusion. Which is being interpreted (I think) as this: Since transgenderism isnt real, there are no transgender people. Some people took that personally. After CPAC, Knowles took his lecture on the categories of being to the State University of New York at Buffalo, and gave a speech that the schools president called dehumanizing. Dehumanizing or not, there he was, along with Don Jr., on the program at CPAC. Nikki Haley was on the program, too, but she was clearly out of her league. She said that Democrats are socialists, that wokeism is worse than COVID-19, and that under the Biden administration our troops are forced to take gender pronoun classes. Thats pretty lame stuff when youre on the same bill as Tulsi Gabbard, whose forte seems to be over-the-top attacks that no one would have thought of, or if they had thought of them, would have had the decency not to say them out loud. When it was her turn to address the half-empty (Chris Christie) or half-full (Donald Trump) hall, Gabbard told the MAGA crowd, The Biden administration is trying to tell us pedophilia is normal because minor-attracted people are acceptable. Disgusting, yes, but not surprising. During a recent appearance on the network formerly known as Fox News, Gabbard claimed that Democrats have an agenda of identity politics. Lets be clear how serious of a problem this is, she warned. Its based on genetics, race, based on your blood, your genes; and where do we see that connection? These are the very same geneticist core principles embodied by Nazism and Adolf Hitler. People who have strokes are vegetables, transgenderism must be eradicated, and Democrats are on a slippery slope that leads to Nazism and pedophilia. That is what Republican partygoers heard from the podium at a respected conservative political gathering. I was feeling pretty good about the title I had chosen for this article: CPAC, where hyperbole goes to die. Then ... Lindy Li, Mid-Atlantic regional chair of the Democratic National Committee, appeared on MSNBC to offer her observations on CPAC, which began, CPAC has become a gathering of sexual predators. Li referenced Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and organizer Matt Schlapp. But she painted every MAGA-capped Republican in the building with the same sleazy brush. Then Li, whose Twitter account reads like a political gossip column, called Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) an adulteress and Donald Trump a serial rapist. So much for going high when the other side goes low. To her credit, the host, Yasmin Vossoughian, pushed back, pointing out to Li that her accusations were no more than that accusations. (Note to Fox News: That is what actual journalists do.). Apparently, Li was unrepentant. She bragged on Twitter that she had dropped some truth bombs when on MSNBC. She did, however, offer one amendment; she said that CPAC was a gathering of (alleged) sexual predators. I know that politics aint pickleball. It has always been rough. What is happening now is more dangerous. The personal nature and increasing viciousness of our political discourse, which is both an expression of, and a contributor to, the widening divide in our country, threatens to ignite the suspicion, bitterness and anger that has been collecting in the body politic for a decade or more. Aegean Airlines, Greece's largest airline company, is launching new direct flights between Thessaloniki and Tbilisi, the Georgian Civil Aviation Agency confirmed on Thursday. Flights will carry passengers twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays, between May 22-October 5, after the airline received the permit from the Agency on Wednesday. Aegean Airlines has been operating on the Georgian airline market since 2012 with flights between Tbilisi and Athens. The company resumed flights to Tbilisi International Airport in June 2021, after the hiatus caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. On March 14, the 2023 OpenPie "Infinite Possibilities" strategy and new product launch conference was successfully concluded in Shanghai. On the venue, OpenPie founder and CEO Ray Von announced the brand new release of PieCloudDB Database"Cloud on Cloud" version, which is based on a new generation of cloud-native data warehouse virtualization. OpenPie COO Brian Lu, OpenPie CTO Paul Guo and other industry senior experts attended the event, with participation of many industry guests and authoritative media. The data warehouse virtualization technology leads arrival of data computing era Close to a million of lines of code overturned and rewritten, numerous tests and iterations, OpenPie managed to deliver a new generation of cloud-native data warehouse virtualization technology in China as scheduled, and released a new virtual data warehouse PieCloudDB "Cloud on Cloud" version (CoC). In his keynote speech, Ray Von, the founder and CEO of OpenPie, shared the industry trends and OpenPie's 2023 development strategy with the guests, and proposed a novel innovative technology concept of data warehouse virtualization for the first time. Reciprocal improvements have had a profound impact on the industry, among which breakthroughs in server virtualization technology have ushered in the era of cloud computing, helping enterprises reduce server hardware costs and improve operational efficiency. As a pioneer in the field of data and data computing on the cloud, OpenPie's flagship product PieCloudDB Database is based on data warehouse virtualization. It uses the abstract thinking and design principle reuse of the industry's top databases as a technical route to achieve the analytical data warehouse cloud virtualization. We believe that data warehouse virtualization will usher in the arrival of the data computing era, and drive enterprises to continuously evolve from a "software company" to a "data company" and then to a "mathematical company". Regarding the strategic layout of OpenPie, Ray Von focused on sharing three focal points. The first is the talent development strategy. He pointed out that talents are the most important resource of OpenPie. The vitality and competitiveness of the enterprise can only be maintained by innovation and development driven by talents. Currently OpenPie has an R&D team with international topclass database core research and development capabilities built by top notch students from famous national and international universities. We hope that every employee can have a sense of achievement in OpenPie and become the future leader of the industry which is the core of OpenPie's talent concept. the second is to build a win-win ecosystem. In the future, OpenPie will focus on PieCloudDB to create product ecology, community ecology and business ecology, and strive to empower all industries with "data computing" and serve enterprises and society to create greater value. Finally, Ray Von mentioned the social responsibility of OpenPie. He said that OpenPie has always adhered to the original intention of digital ethics, and actively undertakes social welfare and social responsibility in the digital transformation of enterprises. Long-term support includes two non-profit sister organizations, 1024 Foundation and Carnegie Mellon University Shanghai Alumni Association. In the future, OpenPie is willing to work with the government and partners to explore breakthroughs in next-generation mathematical intelligence, promote innovative development in new business forms and models, and create a favorable ecosystem for the development of the China's digital economy! OpenPie CEO, Ray Von Ray Von mentioned that the new generation of cloud-native data warehouses virtualization can integrate multiple data warehouses into a high-availability cloud virtual data warehouse, connect multi-cloud data pipelines, and expand or shrink data computing resources on demand to improve the agility and resilience of data warehouses. This helps companies reduce the complexity of data warehouse management, achieve a significant increase in computable data space while reducing data warehouse costs, and open up unlimited data computing space to advance AI/BI to the next level of precision. With PieCloudDB's distributed eMPP patent technology, Serverless, TDE and other core technologies, it builds a high-security, high-reliability, and high availability cloud-native virtual data warehouse for enterprises, helping them to maximize the value of data and become the last line of defense in the digital world. Finally, Ray Von stated that the product matrix and services of OpenPie are getting closer to perfection. PieCloudDB CoC version builds a solid virtual data warehouse for enterprises, achieving infinite possibilities of calculation with the optimal configuration of cloud resources. PieCloudDB Enterprise Edition and Community Edition provide new cloud-based digital solutions for enterprises based on the data warehouse, helping them establish competitive barriers with data assets as the core. PieCloudDB domestic software and hardware integrated machine uses eMPP patented technology to achieve storage and computation separation, adapting to Information Technology Application Innovation (XinChuang) environment and reducing operation and maintenance costs and saving development time for first-party enterprises. In the future, OpenPie will continue to deepen product research and development innovation, adapt to products market interactions, empower all industries with "data calculation," and work together to achieve sustainable development for enterprises. PieCloudDB , Model of a new generation of AI data computing infrastructure In the new product release session, OpenPie CTO Paul Guo further explained the high security, high reliability and high availability of PieCloudDB Database CoC version from the perspective of product design. He said that the TDE technology adopted by PieCloudDB database guarantees all data Encryption is completed before storage. Serverless utilizes unlimited computing resources and elasticity on the cloud to ensure that the virtual data warehouse is always online and available. S3 storage and cross-cloud disaster recovery capabilities ensure that data will never be lost, truly achieving a 'rock-solid' solution. In addition, the core value of PieCloudDB "CoC" version is also reflected in the following two aspects: Reducing hardware and management costs for data warehouses: Multiple data warehouses are merged into a cloud-based virtual data warehouse, breaking down data silos in traditional data warehouse scenarios and solving the problem of multiple data copies. This helps enterprises reduce the complexity of data warehouse management and achieve more flexible configuration of storage and computing resources in the cloud at a lower cost. Improving the utilization efficiency of data computing resources: Data computing resources can be scaled up or down on demand, achieving optimal configuration of computing resources and improving the agility and elasticity of data warehouses. This opens up unlimited data computing space, better empowering business development and moving towards green computing. OpenPie CTOPaul Guo During the sharing session, Paul Guo emphasized the four core technical architectural advantages of PieCloudDB's data warehouse virtualization: Cloud-native storage-compute separation architecture: Using a three-layer architecture of metadata-compute-data separation to achieve independent management of cloud storage and computing resources. Cloud computing resources can be elastically allocated and started on demand when there are query and compute tasks, with costs calculated based on usage time and scale. Cloud-native eMPP (elastic Massive Parallel Processing) architecture: PieCloudDB uses the eMPP (elastic Massive Parallel Processing) architecture to achieve concurrent execution of tasks across multiple clusters in the cloud. This allows enterprises to flexibly scale up or down according to changes in workload, achieving efficient scalability and easily handling petabyte-level massive data. A brand-new storage "JANM", and cache architecture: At the computing layer, designs a multi-layer cache structure for metadata and user data at each computing node to avoid network latency and data movement, improve computing efficiency, and ensure users' real-time requirements. A brand-new optimizer "Darci": PieCloudDB can generate statistical information more intelligently and efficiently, and generate more efficient query plans. The Darci optimizer supports advanced features such as aggregate pushdown, precomputation, and block skipping, fully meeting various complex analytical query requirements. OpenPie Product Manager, Marco Huang Marco Huang, as the product manager of PieCloudDB Database CoC version, demonstrated the complete product operation process to the audience, bringing new usage scenarios and product experiences to users. He stated that in the future, OpenPie will achieve more product innovation breakthroughs in cloud data and data computing fields, and the data science and digital transformation team will also empower users from the perspective of product services and solutions. After more than a year of rapid development, OpenPie has been racing against time to adhere to its original intention of creating innovative products. Guided by the concept of "Big Data Promises Finally Come True," it continues to create value for customers and partners, and promote the industry's transformation. kj005 " " That protester has a bag of medical marijuana on his head. In 2011, supporters of medical marijuana protested the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency prosecuting people in compliance with state medical marijuana laws. Justin Sullivan/ Getty Images It's a bird ... it's a plane ... it's ... Captain Cannabis! OK, Captain Cannabis isn't a real superhero. However, medical cannabis advocates in Colorado, the most recent U.S. state to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, have joked about creating one, based on a caricature of Denver police chief candidate Robert White. White had a false positive test for marijuana more than 25 years ago and says that he has never used drugs, so he's not really the best choice for a medical cannabis champion. These same medical cannabis advocates -- the Medical Marijuana Assistance Program of America -- were also the butt of a joke on "Saturday Night Live" in early 2011. "Weekend Update" anchor Seth Meyers drew comparisons between the organization's efforts to get rural doctors to consider prescribing medical cannabis and "a guy selling weed out of a trailer" [source: Huffington Post]. Both of these news stories reflect many people's attitudes toward medical cannabis and the legal issues surrounding it -- that it's all a big joke. Advertisement It may seem like medical cannabis use started back with California's Prop 215, or the Compassionate Use Act, in 1996. That's when California law first allowed for the legal use of marijuana as recommended by doctors. However, it's far from the first time that cannabis has been used for therapeutic purposes. So what's the difference between the stuff that a doctor legally recommends to a patient to help with a medical condition and the herb purchased illegally for the purposes of intoxication? Part of it is the name. Medical cannabis includes not only parts of the plant but also synthesized versions of the active chemical compounds present in cannabis, known as cannabinoids. When it comes to the legal issues, the difference between medical cannabis and marijuana is whether it has been recommended by a physician for a documented medical problem. If you're talking about the plant, though, when you get right down to it, there's no difference between the actual substances. Cannabis is the scientific name; marijuana comes from Mexican Spanish. Numerous scientific studies over the decades, and around the world, have documented the therapeutic value of using cannabis to treat a host of illnesses and conditions. However, plenty of people have refuted those studies, claiming that they're inconclusive, there's a placebo effect at work or that it's just an excuse to get high. Critics also cite the potentially negative side effects of using cannabis as a medication. Despite its controversy now, cannabis has been used medically for a very long time. Let's go way back -- as in, thousands of years back -- to look at the role cannabis played in ancient civilizations. " " A few years of braces as a child is a small price to pay for a beautiful, healthy smile. Photodisc/ Thinkstock Visits to the orthodontist's office are nearly the norm for kids with crooked teeth. The endless progression of dental impressions, braces, headgears and retainers can suck up years of time and effort, causing no end of discomfort to your child and, of course, wreaking havoc on your wallet. All this fun isn't just for middle schoolers and teenagers -- the American Association of Orthodontists recommends that kids see an orthodontist by the time they're 7 years old. If they get in while they still have most of their baby teeth, the logic goes, the orthodontist might be able to detect and fix problems that otherwise might take years to correct. Advertisement So, what are the options for straightening your child's teeth? As it turns out, they're not so different from when you were a kid. Unfortunately, there haven't been any revolutionary advancements in the field of orthodontics that will allow your child to have shining rows of pearly whites in a matter of months. Treatment times have decreased a bit, but traditional metal braces and retainers are still the rage -- although braces are a little smaller nowadays (and sometimes clear). So, chances are you're in for the long haul. But that's a small price to pay for a beautiful smile. A 28-year-old Lincoln woman faces a felony aggravated assault charge after a game of pool became physical at a local bar, authorities said. Lewis and Clark County Sheriffs deputies were dispatched about midnight Tuesday to a business in the 500 block of Main Street in Lincoln, according to an affidavit filed Tuesday in Justice Court in Helena. A woman told deputies there was a disagreement over a game of pool with the defendant, and there was some arguing and physical contact. She said she separated from her only to have the defendant attack her again about 30 minutes later. She said the defendant put her in a chokehold that impaired her breathing and caused her to see stars." She said she scratched the defendants face. The defendant, Kayla Renae Hileman, told deputies she was mad over comments the woman made about her and said the woman instigated the incident. Deputies said they asked her if she choked the woman. Im sure I tried, she said, according to the affidavit. A bartender corroborated what the victim told the deputy, and Hileman was arrested. A federal judge has dismissed a challenge to the U.S. Forest Services Divide Travel Plan for the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest. U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris found March 10 the U.S. Forest Service and Helena Hunters have established as a matter of law that U.S. Forest Service complied with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and National Forest Management Act (NFMA) in adopting the travel plan in 2016 for the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest. The Administrative Record reveals the years of careful and thorough study that USFS has devoted to the question of how best to balance the interests of Forest users in the Divide area, Morris wrote in the 34-page decision. He then entered a judgment in favor of the defendants. The Capital Trail Vehicle Association, a nonprofit organization advocating motorized access to public land in Montana, filed a lawsuit in federal court Feb. 25, 2022, challenging the U.S. Forest Services Travel Management Plan which restricts motorized travel in the Helena National Forest. They were joined by Citizens for Balanced Use, a nonprofit multiple use advocacy organization. The Helena Hunters & Anglers Association entered into the lawsuit as an additional defendant with the Forest Service. Forest Supervisor Bill Avey signed the Record of Decision for the Divide Travel Plan on March 1, 2016. He has since retired. The plan includes 170 miles of National Forest System roads open to highway-legal vehicles and 52 miles of trails open to vehicles 50-inches in width or less. It also designates about 86,600 acres open seasonally to over-snow motorized vehicles. It provides an adequate motorized route system while minimizing potential adverse effects to forest resources, Helena Hunters said. Issues of particular concern to Helena hunters include wildlife seasonal habitat requirements, reduction of duplicative and dead-end travel routes, minimizing erosion and sedimentation that impact water quality and fisheries habitat, and maintaining quality hunting environments, the defendants said. The plaintiffs say the travel plan has cut access to existing roads and routes in the forest by 45%, and they challenge the Forest Service's decision to close 144 miles of roads in the forest. They said the decision violated federal guidelines. In his decision, Morris acknowledged the Trail Riders concerns the forest service subverted the NEPA process. The public had adequate opportunity, however, to demand full discussion of a wide range of concerns and priorities through the administrative process prescribed by NEPA, Morris wrote, adding he applauded the parties involved in soliciting and responding to comments. He said the forest service struck a reasoned balance among the sometimes competing goals of resource protection and recreation, as well as the sometimes competing goals of OHV users and other forest users. To call such agency action arbitrary and capricious simply because one disapproves of the outcome reached would be to distort the purposes of [the] APA and NEPA, Morris wrote. Helena Hunters and Anglers President Steve Platt said members are passionate about the Divide country. We feel vindicated by the courts decision and optimistic for the improved travel plans positive impacts on wildlife, he said in a news release. Doug Abelin, past-president and longtime member of the Capital Trail Vehicle Association, said he could not make a statement on behalf of the group but offered his own thoughts. My assumption is we are dead in the water, he said, adding the court experience taught us a good way to spend a whole lot of money. We are disheartened with the results, Abelin said. But he added their efforts were not all for naught and he noted the organization had spent years researching and had every reason to believe they are right. We feel like we accomplished a large portion of our goal to research, develop and put out the absolute truth on the issues, he said. The rest is up to interpretation. I guess you could say Watch and listen, we may show up again, Abelin said. Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest Supervisor Emily Platt called the judge's decision "good news." "Divide Travel Plan is a science-based decision that designates motorized use on routes and in areas that are most suitable for this particular recreational activity to ensure responsible resource management while providing quality recreational experiences on public lands," she said in an email. "The 2016 Divide Travel Plan decision was informed by years of comprehensive and intensive analyses." She said the Forest Service is seeing positive results for resources from those on-the-ground changes. Marlee Goska, staff attorney at the Western Environmental Law Center, who represented the hunters, said in a news release the court made the right call in rejecting all of the motorized vehicle groups claims in this case. Goska said many of the 144 miles of motorized roads and trails the Forest Service rightly closed were created illegally and in roadless areas, recommend wilderness areas, or sensitive wildlife areas along the Divide landscape. She said the area is important for wildlife, including big game, threatened grizzly bears and much of it is lynx critical habitat. To know more You can read the March 10 decision by U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris at https://bit.ly/3ZTKqsm. Editor's note: Online story updated to include comment from Emily Platt, supervisor of the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest. A bill that would define sex in state law is poised to clear the Senate after it passed an initial vote Wednesday. Senate Bill 458 is from Sen. Carl Glimm, R-Kila. It would define sex based on sex organs and chromosomes. To be defined as a female, a person would have to produce eggs; to be defined as a male, they must produce sperm. The legislation drew intense testimony in its initial committee hearing last month. The legislation passed a second reading vote on a 28-22 margin after it was amended in an effort the amendment backer said would offer protections to those with intersex conditions, something opponents disputed. Glimm told senators his bill adds simple definitions to Montana code. The legislation is necessary, Glimm argued, because sex and gender are frequently and incorrectly conflated. It's our job to define terms. Is not the courts job to define these terms, and so we need to do that, Glimm said. In 2021 Glimm carried a bill that would have required gender-affirming surgery and a court petition to update the sex marker on a persons birth certificate, and he has frequently cited his frustration with a judges order temporarily blocking the law, an order he says confuses sex and gender. Gender refers to internal and social identity and while it can correspond with sex, it is not the same. Gender is based on social constructs that change over time and vary by society. Sex is biological characteristics like chromosomes, as well as hormones or reproductive anatomy that can be medically altered. If were going to talk about sex, we need to use these definitions (in his bill), Glimm said. If were going to talk about gender, I encourage you to come up with a definition for that and put it into code. In opposition to the bill, Democrats in the Senate raised a range of concerns, from claims the bill would discriminate against members of the LGBTQ community to the potential financial effects of passing the bill. Earlier in the week Democratic legislators raised the alarm about a fiscal note attached to the bill declaring it had no financial hit to the state. They cited a document from the state Department of Corrections saying the legislation could put the state at risk for expensive lawsuits if passed, as well as from the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education saying the state could lose federal funding. Sen. Mary Ann Dunwell, a Democrat from Helena, called the bill the most extreme anti-LGBTQI-plus piece of (legislation) in our entire country. Dunwell echoed concerns raised in previous public hearings on the bill that it would not allow for the recognition of transgender Montanans in state law. You cannot erase them from being, from their existence, from their viability, Dunwell said. It is going to send a big message loud and clear to the country, to the world, that Montana wants to go back to the Dark Ages for political purposes. Sen. Denise Hayman, a Democrat from Bozeman, said the bill would require public employees to inspect someones genes or genitals in the case of uncertainty about a persons sex, something Republicans disputed would happen if the bill becomes law. Sen. Andrea Olsen, a Democrat from Missoula, said the bill would leave even me or all of us who might not be normal by Sen. Glimms standards left out of state law. Olsen also raised concerns about lawsuits that could spring from the bill if passed. This is millions of dollars that would be wasted and we have much bigger problems, Olsen said. Both earlier this week and again Wednesday, Glimm disputed the concerns about potential lawsuits, arguing that the possibility of future litigation is not taken into account when drafting fiscal reviews of bills. Sen. Greg Hertz, a Polson Republican, defended the bill from Democrats claims it was discriminatory. I am voting for this bill, but its not because I hate somebody. Its not because I want to discriminate against somebody, and its not because I dont approve of your gender or how you want live your lifestyle. Thats not what this is about. This bill is about definitions and we all know how important definitions are in our legal system, Hertz said. Minority Leader Pat Flowers, of Belgrade, approached his criticism by saying he was frustrated with what the bill focused on instead of other issues he said the state needs to address. We have a housing crisis. We can't find a place to live. We can't find an affordable rental. Why arent we debating that? We can't find child care resources. Why arent we debating that today? We haven't solved that, Flowers said. We've been here for over 45 days. We haven't solved that. No, we're spending our time talking about the definition of sex. Flowers added that in the bills policy hearing, lawmakers heard an hour and a half of pain and suffering from people who said they would be harmed by the bill. Glimm closed his arguments by saying that discrimination is already illegal in state laws and he doesnt see anything in the bill that would allow people to discriminate based on sex. Its the job of the Legislature to make definitions, to put them into law, so thats what we need to do," Glimm said The bill faces a final vote before it would advance to the House. A plan to transplant grizzly bears into the Bitterroot Mountains thats been stalled for 22 years must be actively reconsidered, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday. Because the (U.S. Fish and Wildlife) Service has unreasonably delayed in implementing its 2000 Record of Decision and Final Rule regarding grizzly bears and failed to conduct a supplemental EIS (environmental impact statement) based on the changed circumstances, plaintiffs succeed, U.S. District Judge Don Molloy wrote in his March 15 opinion in Alliance for the Wild Rockies and Native Ecosystem Alliance v. FWS and Idaho. Molloy ordered FWS to present a plan for updating the Bitterroot grizzly project by April 15, or he would impose a timeline himself. The case stems from an effort in the 1990s to create an experimental population of grizzly bears in the Bitterroot Ecosystem one of six recovery areas designated as grizzly habitat under the Endangered Species Act protection plan. While the 25,140-square-mile expanse of the Bitterroots along the Montana-Idaho border and an extensive roadless and wilderness complex farther west in Idaho were historic grizzly strongholds, the entire population was killed off in the early 20th century. After almost 15 years of public debate and scientific research, FWS approved a plan to transplant 25 grizzly bears in the Bitterroot Ecosystem in 2000. Unlike naturally occurring grizzlies in the Northern Continental Divide and Greater Yellowstone ecosystems, those Bitterroot bears would be an experimental population managed through a local community advisory committee. But the FWS plan was finalized just as President Bill Clintons administration was transitioning to that of President George W. Bush. Bushs Interior Department officials changed course in 2001 and chose a no action option. Confusingly, that 2001 proposed rule was never officially adopted. Now, almost 40 years have passed, and nothing has been done; no bears, no community advisory committee, no community or other educational instruction in towns or schools for bear safety, safe practices in garbage storage techniques, and other ways to reduce attracting bears, Molloy wrote. Because the federal government had never officially dropped the reintroduction plan, Molloy ruled it was obligated to carry out its commitment. However, the intervening 22 years have complicated everyones positions, to the point Molloy wrote further delay may be the most appropriate remedy to ensure that grizzly bear recovery efforts are based on contemporaneous and accurate scientific data The remedy conundrum creates the unenviable prospect of forgiving one wrong to prevent another. The biggest change came from the grizzly bears themselves. Along with a growing collection of sightings, tracking collar records and other evidence of grizzly presence, bear advocates decided to revive the debate over the dormant plan. The Bitterroot ecosystem is the lynchpin to recovering and delisting grizzly bears because it is the connecting corridor between the Cabinet-Yaak, Selkirk, Northern Continental Divide and Yellowstone ecosystems grizzly populations," Alliance for the Wild Rockies Executive Director Michael Garrity said on Thursday. "Of all remaining unoccupied grizzly bear habitat in the Lower 48 states, this area has the best potential for grizzly bear recovery, primarily due to the large wilderness area. To recover and delist grizzly bears, there has to be one connected population." Under FWS rules, the agency cant set up an experimental population in the same place a naturally occurring population has occupied. In his order, Molloy resolved that problem by ordering FWS to complete a new environmental impact statement reviewing how the bears are managed and what people must do to ensure they can persist there. Grizzly bears received threatened status under the Endangered Species Act in 1975. At that time, fewer than 1,000 grizzlies still survived in the Lower 48 states down from an estimated 50,000 at the time of the Lewis and Clark Voyage of Discovery in 1805. And while those grizzlies used to roam almost everywhere west of the Dakotas between Canada and Mexico, the remainder were restricted to about 2% of their former habitat. Today, about 2,000 grizzlies occupy the Rocky Mountains between Glacier National Park and northern Idaho south to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem of Wyoming and Idaho. The governors of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming have all petitioned to have the grizzly delisted from federal protection. In February, FWS began a formal review of the grizzlys ESA status. However, it noted that recent state efforts to liberalize grizzly killing could result in continued ESA management, rather than delisting. The presence of grizzly bears in the Bitterroots can affect lots of other human activity. For example, proposals to log old-growth forests and mine in the Cabinet-Yaak grizzly recovery area of northwest Montana have to account for the impacts on the roughly 50 grizzlies living there. Grizzly activity in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem restricts the use of hounds for hunting black bears and access for snowmobiles. Molloy noted in his order that FWS delay in implementing the 2000 grizzly reintroduction plan resulted in nobody in the Bitterroots having policies in place to keep bears out of trash, keep hikers food secured in the backcountry or other adaptations common in places like Kalispell or West Yellowstone. FWS spokesman Joe Szuszwalak said the agency was reviewing Molloys decision and had no further comment on Thursday. Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that a grizzly had denned and produced cubs there. No grizzly reproduction has been confirmed in the Bitterroots so far. The story has been corrected. Vote now until noon on April 20th to support the businesses that you think are the best in the New Braunfels area. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Finnish counterpart, Sauli Niinisto, will meet on March 17 to discuss Finlands bid to join NATO amid reports that Ankara plans to ratify Finlands accession protocol to the alliance in the coming days while delaying Swedens bid. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signaled that Ankara will ratify Helsinkis application and that he will talk about this issue with visiting Niinisto on March 17. We will run the necessary procedures. We will do our share and keep our promise. We will meet Mr. President, and we will do whatever is necessary, he told reporters at the parliament. The Turkish parliament is expected to go to recess before mid-April. Finlands President Sauli Niinisto will pay a working visit to Turkiye on March 16-17, 2023, at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. All aspects of the Turkiye-Finland relations, as well as the steps to be taken to enhance the cooperation between the two countries, will be discussed during the talks to be held in Istanbul on March 17, read a statement issued by the Turkish presidency on March 15. Besides the bilateral relations, Finlands NATO membership application in accordance with the trilateral memorandum signed on the margins of the NATO Madrid Summit, the Turkiye-EU relations and current regional and global issues are also expected to be on the agenda of the talks, it said. New Braunfels, TX (78130) Today Sun and clouds mixed. High 79F. Winds ESE at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low around 60F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation will hold a public meeting Tuesday, April 4, from 6-7:30 p.m. to discuss the Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park master plan. The meeting will be held in the Victorian Parlor at the Southwest Virginia Museum, 10 West 1st St. North, Big Stone Gap, according to a written statement. DCR planners and staff will provide an overview of the park, discuss the process for master plans, which are updated every 10 years, take questions from the audience and gather feedback. A master plan guides development for each Virginia State Park. Located in the town of Big Stone Gap, the park is unique among Virginias state parks. The main feature is the Southwest Virginia Museum, which is housed in a mansion originally built by Rufus Ayers from 1888 and 1895. The park serves to collect, preserve and interpret the history of Southwest Virginia in perpetuity through educational exhibits and programs, according to the statement. Supporting the recreational needs of the community requires the communitys input. Attendees will have the opportunity to give feedback during a portion of the meeting. Written feedback will also be accepted through May 4, 2023. Written comments may be emailed to samantha.wangsgard@dcr.virginia.gov; faxed to 804-786-9240; or mailed to Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Attn: Samantha Wangsgard, 600 E. Main St., 24th Floor, Richmond, VA 23219. WASHINGTON, D.C. A bi-partisan group of lawmakers Wednesday reintroduced the Save Rural Hospitals Act legislation to help curb the trend of hospital closures in rural communities. U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) were joined by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.). The bill would make sure hospitals are fairly reimbursed for their services by the federal government, according to a statement. First introduced in 2020 as a response to the record number of rural hospitals that closed in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Save Rural Hospitals Act would amend the Medicare Area Wage Index formula that has harmed rural and low-income hospitals, according to the statement. Currently, many hospitals in rural areas lack the resources available to those in more populated areas to offer competitive salaries. Due to those salary differences, rural hospitals receive lower reimbursements from the federal government, which contributes to their lack of resources and perpetuates a harmful staffing crisis. A total of 33 rural hospitals have closed since 2020. The Save Rural Hospitals Act would establish a national minimum of 0.85 for the Medicare Area Wage Index, which is used to adjust a hospitals overall payment from the Medicare program on the basis of geographic differences in labor costs, to ensure that rural hospitals receive fair payment for the care they provide. In Virginia alone, 16 hospitals across the Commonwealth would benefit from this floor being put in place. Rural hospitals across the country and the Commonwealth of Virginia are struggling to recruit and retain quality health care professionals, Sen. Warner said. This legislation aims to ensure that all hospitals are able to deliver appropriate care by attracting employees and compensating them fairly for their lifesaving work regardless of where they are located. Blackburn said this is also a problem in Tennessee. As I speak with Tennessee leaders and medical professionals, rural health care is a top priority. By establishing an appropriate national minimum to the Medicare hospital area wage index, we can help ensure rural hospitals have the resources to recruit and retain quality health care professionals. Im pleased to join Senator Warner in this bipartisan effort, said Sen. Blackburn. The Save Rural Hospitals Act would offer a permanent fix to Medicares Wage Index. Earlier this year, Sens. Warner, Blackburn and a bipartisan group sent a letter to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure requesting a four-year extension of the current Low Wage Index Hospital Policy, which serves as a temporary fix, raising the payments of hospitals in the bottom wage index quartile. Rural hospitals must have the capacity to recruit and retain high-quality professionals to serve their communities, said Beth OConnor, Executive Director of the Virginia Rural Health Association. The Save Rural Hospitals Act by Senators Warner, Kaine, and Blackburn will help ensure the Commonwealths rural hospitals can continue to do just that. Nearly 200 hospitals have closed in the past 20 years. Protecting rural hospitals is vital to the health and well-being of people in less populated communities across the Commonwealth and the United States so they can access essential medical services whenever they need them, said Sean T. Connaughton, president and CEO of the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association. Alan Levine, CEO of Ballad Health System said the bill is crucial to maintaining health care in this region. In the struggle to provide health care access, rural hospitals are on the front line nationwide for large numbers of our most vulnerable citizens, Levine said. The Save Our Rural Hospitals Act will fix long-standing problems in Medicare payment policy which has underpaid rural hospitals year after year, leaving many struggling financially or at worst, closing. This bill recognizes that rural hospitals are increasingly having to recruit nationwide for nurses and other staff in short supply, and Medicares Area Wage Index adjustments must account for that. Tennessees House K-12 Subcommittee passed a bill Tuesday that would address the states controversial third grade retention law. The bill is part of an ongoing effort in Nashville to improve a law that has drawn scrutiny for placing pass-fail implications on a single test the English Language Arts portion of a third graders Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program test. The law went into effect this school year and stipulates that students who dont pass that section of their TCAP face state-mandated pathways to promotion, including summer school and/or yearlong tutoring in fourth grade, depending on their score. The lone bill that passed through the eight-person subcommittees third grade retention calendar Tuesday was carried by Rep. Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka ,on behalf of House Education Administration Committee Chair Rep. Mark White, R-Memphis. Rewritten by a subcommittee-approved amendment, the bill would lead to less third graders being retained, Cepicky said. Weve looked at these retention bills, and there are some very legitimate, good ideas that weve decided to pull out and put on one bill to try to address some of the shortcomings, Cepicky said. Cepicky outlined three parts of the bill, prominently Section 1, which would green light promotion for third graders who score in the 50th percentile on their state-approved benchmark test and who also achieve a score of approaching expectations on the ELA portion of their end-of-year TCAP. The bill would also clarify an appeals process for parents and would assign tutors for students who are retained. That 50th percentile, along with the approaching category on the TCAP, would give us enough confidence to automatically send that child forward to the fourth grade, as long as the locals will provide the necessary supports and interventions for that child to make sure that they get caught up on grade level by the time they take their fourth grade TCAP test, Cepicky said. The bill now moves on to the 18-member Education Committee. A companion bill passed the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday and has been referred to the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee. HICKORY The Catawba Valley Community College SkillsUSA program recently received a proclamation from the city of Hickory, which recognized Feb. 6-10, 2023, as CVCC SkillsUSA week. Hickory Mayor Hank Guess presented the proclamation to Tammy Muller, executive director for SkillsUSA at CVCC; and Gary Muller, executive dean of economic development and corporate education for CVCC. It was a great honor to receive Hickory City Councils proclamation recognizing Feb. 6 through 10, 2023, as CVCC SkillsUSA Week, said Tammy Muller. Our Skills USA program has received so much support from our community over the years. National SkillsUSA Week is also Feb. 6-10 and this years theme was Our Time is Now, which implies that members have both the tools and the confidence to take on further education or employment in their career field. During SkillsUSA Week, CVCCs SkillsUSA students recognized the efforts of their colleges administration and their faculty advisors by sending appreciation cards, emails, voicemails and making face-to-face visits. As part of Give Back Tuesday, SkillsUSA students and advisors completed their canned food drive for the Hickory Soup Kitchen and delivered more than 600 canned food items to Austin Pearce, who is executive director of the Hickory Soup Kitchen. The CVCC SkillsUSA has been recognized as a National SkillsUSA Model of Excellence for six straight years. CVCC is the only chapter ever to be recognized six years in a row. The Model of Excellence recognizes the exceptional integration of personal, workplace and technical skills into SkillsUSA activities. Catawba Valley Community College also won nine national medals at the National Conference held this past June in Atlanta, and it has won 70 national medals during the past 10 years. CVCCs SkillsUSA program is such an important part of everything we do at the college, Muller said. Our faculty advisors have imbedded the SkillsUSA framework elements into their classrooms, so students see the importance of being a part of SkillsUSA. For more information about the CVCC SkillsUSA program, contact Tammy Muller at 828-327-7000 ext. 4323 or email tmuller@cvcc.edu. Submitted by Nichole Spurlock Whether it's field work, office management, or cooking and running errands, the role of the female in agriculture is vast and vital. With the volume of online information surrounding food production, "ag-vocating" is essential and the female farmer is the perfect representative. An organization called CommonGround is unifying farming women across the nation to tackle conversations surrounding food and farming with the average female consumer. Volunteers do this through food events, TV interviews, social media posts, and everyday conversations. Local to the Texas Panhandle and Moore County Gin growers, Cari Beauchamp and Nicole Spurlock were able to attend the National CommonGround Conference in Savannah, GA. There they gained insight on the latest consumer trends, trained on social media, and networked with other female farmers. They also got a little free time to enjoy the sights and pleasant weather! They will be working with fellow Texas CommonGround Volunteers to plan a consumer event soon. Cybersecurity isnt a glamorous topic to write about or discuss. However, that doesnt diminish its importance. Think of all the tasks on the farm that rely on some type of technology. How often do you use your phone each day? Where are your important documents stored? How easy are they to access? Consider what would happen if a ransomware attack completely shut down your robots. During the recent Kansas Dairy annual meeting, SureDefenses Dan Strom emphasized how important basic cybersecurity principles are on farms. You all have valuable information, he explained to the room of dairy farmers. Further, there are always people wanting to disrupt production. Strom identified financial and production disruption as two of the leading motivations for agricultural cybersecurity breaches. Anytime you can disrupt production it can cause significant ripple economic effects across the country, he detailed. Cybersecurity attacks happen in a number of ways, but the three Strom warned against for agriculture companies are business email compromises, ransomware, and phishing. Perhaps the least discussed of the three business email compromise is one that can easily impact dairy businesses. This type of scam involves someone receiving an invoice that mimics one that might be from a legitimate vendor. Instead, it routes the receiver to pay someone who is not a company vendor. This can impact operations of any size. Take action to protect yourself Strom proposed three key cybersecurity protocols to establish or refresh on the farm. First, have strong and unique passwords. Make it difficult for people to steal your information. Strom recommended utilizing some type of password manager. The first thing you can do is make sure your passwords are long passwords, he said. I would encourage you to install a password manager. Its a piece of software that can run on your computer, phone, or other devices that will create random, long passwords for your websites. His second recommendation was to run all updates. I realize there is some production equipment on your operations that you do not want to just randomly do updates to, he commented. That being said, he suggested regularly scheduling updates to keep security protocol up-to-date and working well. Finally, Strom encouraged backing up all important information. Follow the 3-2-1 protocol. Have three copies, in two forms, with one copy offsite or in the cloud. To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com. (c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2023 March 13, 2023 The Rev. Ricardo Tavarez, senior pastor of En Vivo Church in Grand Rapids, will deliver a lecture on the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ students on Christian campuses on Thursday, March 30, at 4 p.m. in the Maas Center auditorium at Hope College. The public is invited. Admission is free. Tavarez will be speaking through the Affirming LGBTQ+ Students Lecture Series organized by the colleges Center for Diversity and Inclusion. He will discuss how the current debate has aimed to erase the stories and experiences of queer-identifying individuals. He hopes to encourage students to reclaim their stories and history as an affirmation of their dignity and worth. Topics will include how to support and include LGBTQ+ students on a religious campus; and how to extend belonging, understanding and grace to students who have been and continue to feel marginalized, and to affirm who they are. Tavarez is an artist, writer and speaker local to Grand Rapids. He is an Afro-Latino of Dominican and Puerto Rican heritage and is proudly part of the queer community. To his audience, he delivers a unique intersection of writing, visual art and public speaking that reflect on race, gender, queerness, social justice, faith and doubt. Tavarez is the executive director of a faith-based non-profit called New City Neighbors, a youth development organization that empowers youth through leadership development and urban farming. He founded En Vivo Church, a queer-affirming church, in 2016. The presentation is co-sponsored by the colleges Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Prism and GROW collaboration. Audience members who need assistance to fully enjoy any event at Hope are encouraged to contact the colleges Events and Conferences Office by emailing events@hope.edu or calling 616-395-7222 on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Updates related to events are posted when available in the individual listings at hope.edu/calendar The Maas Center is located at 264 Columbia Ave., between 10th and 13th streets. The driver licence information of a hundred thousand Australians has been stolen after a major consumer finance company was targeted with a sophisticated and malicious cyber-attack. Latitude Financial, a major non-bank lender of consumer credit in Australia boasting 2.8 million customer accounts, revealed on Thursday that it had been breached following a significant cyber attack this week. So far, the company has identified that 103,000 identification documents, nearly all of which are copies of drivers licences, have been stolen, along with 225,000 customer records. Its the latest major cyber-attack to befall a significant Australian company and impact hundreds of thousands of Australians, following the Optus and Medibank breaches last year. According to Latitude Financials update to the market on Thursday, the company detected unusual activity on its systems over the last few days, originating from a major vendor used by the organisation. The company said it took immediate action but this didnt prevent the cyber attacker from obtaining Latitude employee login details. These details were then used to steal the personal information held by two other Latitude service providers, the company said. Latitude apologises to the impacted customers and is taking immediate steps to contact them, the company said in an announcement to the ASX. Latitude is continuing to respond to this attack and is doing everything in its power to contain the incident and prevent the theft of further customer data, including isolating and removing access to some customer-facing and internal systems. Latitude Financial has also informed the Australian Cyber Security Centre, alerted the relevant law enforcement agencies and engaged its own cyber security specialists. A notice on the Latitude Financial website states its contact centres are "currently unavailable". Latitude Financial was established in 2015 after a consortium of investors acquired it from GE, and is based in Melbourne. The company offers consumer finance in the form of personal loans, credit cards, card loans, personal insurance and interest-free retail finance. It is the biggest non-bank lender of consumer credit in Australia. Latitude says that it has 2.8 million customer accounts and more than 5,500 merchant partners in Australia and New Zealand. CEO and managing director Ahmed Fahour is due to depart Latitude Financial in two weeks, having resigned in August 2022. He was previously the CEO of Australia Post. Current Latitude Financial executive general manager of the Money division, Bob Belan, takes over as CEO from 1 April. More troubles Another ASX-listed company, IPH Limited, also halted trading earlier this week due to a cyber security breach. The intellectual property law group has also notified the Australian Cyber Security Centre, and said that the breach primarily relates to its document management systems and practice management systems. Data that may have been caught up in the breach could include business administration documents, client documents and correspondence and IP case management information. The investigation underway is focused on determining whether the information stored in these systems has been accessed by the unauthorised third party, a company statement said. The company said in an update to the market that it detected unauthorised access to a portion of its IT environment earlier this week. Australians are unfortunately becoming increasingly used to having their highly sensitive personal information caught up in data breaches. Late last year, major telecommunications firm Optus was struck by a cyber attack, with 9.8 million customers impacted. Shortly after, private health insurance provider Medibank also suffered a data breach, with the attackers gaining access to all 9.7 million of its customers personal details. This was apparently the result of a rookie mistake, with the systems accessed using a stolen Medibank username and password used by a third party IT service provider. After Medibank refused to pay a ransom, all of the personal data was eventually dumped on the dark web. In the wake of these attacks, a government-appointed expert advisory group is now considering major reforms to Australias patchwork of cyber policies, with the federal government formulating a new cybersecurity strategy. The Salvation Army Womens Auxiliary annually awards scholarships to graduating seniors or students completing a GED within this fiscal school year from Cabarrus and Stanly County area schools. The $1,000 scholarships will be granted to students who will be attending an accredited college, community college or technical school as full-time students upon their graduation. The scholarships will be paid directly to the students school of choice. The scholarship committee considers each applicants financial need, involvement in helping to better the community, and commendable character traits. Applications are available in the guidance offices at area high schools, on the Salvation Army Womens Auxiliary website: https://southernusa.salvationarmy.org/cabarrus-stanly/womens-auxiliary or, contact the Salvation Army at (704) 782-7822. Applications need to be submitted by the applicant to The Salvation Army Womens Auxiliary Scholarship Committee, 216 Patterson Ave. SE, Concord, NC 28025 or to Post Office Box 511, Concord, NC 28026-0511 postmarked no later than Wednesday, April 19th, 2023. By Azernews Sabina Mammadli Tree planting campaign was held in the departments and military units of Azerbaijans Defense Ministry with respect to the 100th anniversary of Azerbaijani National Leader Heydar Aliyev, Azernews reports per the ministry. In the framework of the campaign, the servicemen planted various types of trees to contribute the nature protection, support the restoration of the ecological balance, protect the environment, enrich the atmosphere with oxygen, and draw the public's attention to the importance of greening. The campaign was carried out in accordance with the action plan approved by Defense Minister Col Gen Zakir Hasanov with regard to the execution of the presidential order declaring 2023 as the Year of Heydar Aliyev. According to the ministry, three million trees will be planted in Azerbaijan as part of reforestation efforts in 2023. Over five tons of seeds from 21 different species were planted on 14 hectares in 2022. On May 3, 2022, the president signed a decree on measures to create a green energy zone in Azerbaijans liberated territories. Under the decree, $1.3 million shall be allocated from the presidential reserve fund to attract a specialized international consulting company to develop an appropriate concept and master plan for the creation of a green energy zone on Azerbaijan's liberated territories. On October 20, 2022, Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Azerbaijan-Turkiye International Forestry Training Center, Smart Seedlings, and Forest of Friendship Complex. The N.C. House won't vote until next week on whether to accept significant Senate changes to its historic Medicaid expansion bill. House speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, said during Thursday's floor session that the House would not vote on any bills in the Monday and Tuesday sessions, meaning the first day the bill could come before the House is Thursday. The Senate voted 44-2 on third reading Wednesday to approve the latest version of House Bill 76, which means expanding the state Medicaid program to between 450,000 and 650,000 North Carolinians is one vote away from potentially being signed into law. HB76 has been returned to the House for a vote on whether to accept substantial changes, primarily the easing or elimination of certificate-of-need restrictions on certain health-care providers. Typically when a bill has that many changes made by the other chamber, the returned bill will be voted down and then sent to a concurrence committee to negotiate a potential compromise. However, since Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, announced their support for the changes March 2, HB76 could be sent to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper as soon as next week. That would place North Carolina in position to be the 40th expansion state, and just second in the Southeast. When the Affordable Care Act was passed it contained an option for states to extend Medicaid coverage to adults with an income up to 133% of the federal poverty level, beginning in January 2104. To date, 39 states have adopted the expansion, which provides for the federal government to pay 90% of the costs to enroll new recipients, with the states responsible for the other 10%. North Carolina debated the expansion initially and determined not to participate for several reasons. The biggest was there was no guarantee that the 90% match would be permanent and North Carolina might have to eventually pick up those costs. Also, lawmakers were concerned about North Carolinas administration of Medicaid and wanted reforms, which they passed. So, nothing happened. Roy Cooper made it a cornerstone issue in his gubernatorial campaign in 2016 and has been prodding our lawmakers ever since. More and more states, both red and blue, decided to expand Medicaid, but our legislature wouldnt budge. Why? It appeared our lawmakers didnt care about people who couldnt afford health insurance. Other states were signing on to expansion, so why did North Carolina refuse to consider it? Then it dawned on me. It was political. Medicaid expansion had Barack Obamas fingerprints all over it and North Carolinas Republican leaders in the legislature didnt want to do anything that might validate Obama. Political polls have consistently shown that people support the expansion. A December 2022 poll indicated 78% favored expansion; even 64% of Republicans agreed. Hospitals across our state agreed to furnish the other 10% of the cost, meaning Medicaid expansion wouldnt cost North Carolina taxpayers an additional cent. Hospitals acknowledged that people without health insurance show up in their emergency rooms for treatment of any and everything. ER service is the most expensive of most any treatment, and hospitals realized it would save them money for more people to have health insurance and see regular docs. Finally, in 2021, (after more than half the states had taken advantage of the federal dollars to help poor people) there was a crack in the iceberg. Legislative leaders finally recognized the inevitability of Medicaid expansion. Each house of the legislature had separate approaches. One would expand Medicaid, but in turn the state would revoke certificate of need laws, a provision hospitals wouldnt accept. Another chamber would expand Medicaid with the provision that the scope of practice for nurse practitioners and physician assistants be expanded, allowing them to have more authority to perform certain procedures. But doctors wouldnt agree to that notion. Back and forth, back and forth they argued, refusing to just pass a clean Medicaid expansion bill. All the while, North Carolina was losing an estimated $8 billion a year in federal funding money that would have improved the health of many and kept them from clogging up our emergency rooms. You had to believe that if the House and Senate were really desirous of expanding Medicaid, they could have resolved the issue. Finally, in early March the stalemate was breached. Credit Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger for making it happen. Certificate of Need laws would be modified. No scope of practice expansion was included, however that is expected to be tackled later in the session. There was widespread rejoicing. At last, our legislature was doing the right thing and would provide health insurance to 600,000 citizens earning less than the federal poverty level. And hospitals will pay North Carolinas 10% match, meaning state taxpayers wont be on the hook for any more money. But before you get out the balloons, streamers and celebration cake you need to hear what the late Paul Harvey said is the rest of the story. The measure lawmakers considered isnt a clean stand-alone bill. There are caveats. Medicaid expansion will be included in the budget bill that needs passing by June 30th. If a budget isnt approved by that date, the whole expansion issue is dead. Once again, our lawmakers are playing politics with peoples health. They are setting Governor Cooper up for a truth or dare scenario. You can be sure the budget bill that lands on Coopers desk will contain lots of their conservative agenda. It might be abortion reform, perhaps more tax cuts, further reductions to executive powers perhaps all of the above or more. Governor Cooper will be faced with the real conundrum of signing a budget bill that contains many undesirable features, things that really shouldnt be included in a document that deals primarily with numbers. If he finds the budget noxious and vetoes it, he will have killed his signature campaign issue. Further, there are enough votes in the Senate to overturn that veto and the House will only need one Democrat to join the override vote. Either way, Governor Cooper is being set up. Its partisan politics again. I would like to think Im wrong and that our legislative leaders have good motives to help those less fortunate, but call me a doubting Thomas. Stay tuned. The base salary and incentive pay for Wells Fargo & Co. chief executive and president Charles Scharf was unchanged in fiscal 2022 confirming what the banks board of directors took the unusual step to announce on Jan. 27. However, Scharfs total compensation rose by 14.9% to $24.54 million based mostly on a sizable increase in the value of stock awards provided in 2022. Wells Fargos other four named executives also received a similar hike in the value of their 2022 stock awards. Typically, a publicly traded corporation discloses annual compensation for its top-five executives in a proxy filing that also serves notice of when an annual shareholder meeting will be held. The board said it made the Jan. 27 announcement as it expressed strong confidence in Mr. Scharfs leadership in driving the continued transformation of Wells Fargo and values his ongoing contribution and commitment to our shareholders, customers, communities and employees. The compensation breakdown for Scharf: $2.5 million base salary; $5.36 million in incentive pay; a long-term performance share award valued at $10.8 million; and a long-term restricted share rights award valued at $5.8 million. All other compensation was $142,487, listed as: $131,894 in personal use of company aircraft; $7,500 for accessing and implementing residential cyber security improvements; $2,911 for commuting by company car; and $192 for health benefit membership. According to the Jan. 27 regulatory filing, Scharf asked the committee and the board to leave his compensation unchanged. The board cited the remaining work left to be completed and therefore, (he) did not believe an increase in compensation level was appropriate this year. The filing was submitted as Scharf and the bank continue to struggle to resolve multiple legal and regulatory issues, some of which date back to October 2016 when the fraudulent customer-account scandal erupted publicly. Scharf took over as chief executive in October 2019 the banks fourth since September 2016. Tony Plath, a retired finance professor at UNC Charlotte, said the Scharf compensation filing is unusual here. But the board is sending a signal to both Scharf and the market that its satisfied with his performance in what is clearly a difficult year for the bank. The board doesnt want to lose his services as the company CEO, but at the same time, given the banks poor fourth-quarter numbers and continuing regulatory problems, theres just no way they could give him a raise this year. Plath said if Scharf were to resign or take another job, it would really place the board in a pickle right now, since nobody theyd want to hire in the first place to replace Scharf would ever take the job there. Bowman Gray IV, a local independent stock broker, said it is an intelligent move on Scharfs part to agree to no change in his core compensation for 2022. Had he not preemptively made this request, the board would likely have offered an increase and a bonus of some sort, which would have landed with a resounding thud with shareholders, regulators and the general public. While $24 million is a pea on the plate of what Wells Fargo earns, this acknowledges that things have yet to turn around, at least from Scharfs view. Other top executives Wells Fargo reported that all of its remaining four listed executives were paid $1.75 million in base salary, all unchanged from 2021. Jonathan Weiss, Wells Fargos chief executive of its Corporate and Investment Banking unit, received a 98.7% boost in incentive pay to $3.82 million and total compensation of $13.84 million, up 53.5%. Michael Santomassimo, Wells Fargos chief financial officer, received a 71.4% jump in incentive pay to $3.15 million and total compensation of $12.81 million, up 6.8%. Mary Mack, Wells Fargos chief executive of its Corporate and Small Business Banking unit, received a 62.1% increase in incentive pay to $2.53 million and total compensation of $11.77 million, up 47.2%. Scott Powell, Wells Fargos chief operating officer, received a 25.8% gain in incentive pay to $2.48 million and total compensation of $10.44 million, up 12.2%. Shareholder proposals Wells Fargo said it would hold a virtual shareholder meeting at 10 a.m. April 25. There are seven shareholder proposals, all of which the board recommends voting against. The first is that all votes requires shareholder permission be switched from a simple majority vote to a requirement for a majority of all votes cast for or against a shareholder proposal. Second is requiring an annual board report on the banks political spending, particularly as it is connected to ESG (environmental, social and governance) issues. The proposal would require an analysis between corporate values as defined by Wells Fargos stated policies and company contributions on electioneering and to any organizations dedicated to affecting public policy. The report should include a list of any such contributions occurring during the prior year misaligned with stated corporate values, stating the justification for such exceptions. Third is requiring an annual board report on the banks climate change spending efforts. Fourth is requiring an annual board report on the banks climate change lobbying efforts that describes how it intends to align its financing activities with its 2030 sectoral greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. Fifth is requiring the bank to phase out its support of lending and underwriting projects to companies engaged in new fossil fuel exploration and development. Sixth is requiring an annual board report on the banks efforts to prevent workplace harassment and discrimination. Seventh is requiring the development of corporate policies that permit employees to join a union and participate in collective bargaining. A prominent shareholder in British American Tobacco Plc is urging the manufacturer to move its primary stock listing from the U.K. to the New York Stock Exchange, according to multiple U.S. and U.K. media reports Friday. The founder of U.S.-based GQG Partners, the No. 5 investor in BAT according to Financial Times, is urging for the move from the FTSE market. GQG overall manages $92 billion. Rajiv Jain told Financial Times it makes no sense for BAT to be an orphan in Europe. The core ownership base (of BAT) has disappeared. It makes no sense for them to remain there. We are a large shareholder, so they listened to us and they werent committal in one way or the other, Jain said. BAT said in a statement provided to the Winston-Salem Journal that it does not comment on its engagement with shareholders. Citing the revenue prominence of its Reynolds American Inc. holding, as well as the valuation gap between BAT and U.S.-listed peer Philip Morris International, Jain said whats the point of remaining listed in London? As of Thursday, BATs market capitalization was $80.47 billion, compared with PMIs $148.21 billion. BAT had $15.31 billion in U.S. revenue in fiscal 2022, by far the largest among its then-four global markets at 45.7% of all revenue. Sales were broken down as: up 4.5% to $12.58 billion for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co.; up 9.3% to $1.41 billion for American Snuff Co.; and up 68.2% to $1.14 billion for new categories that includes electronic cigarette Vuse with R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co. and its modern oral and snus products. GQG is a top-10 investor in PMI which confirmed in October it reached an agreement with Altria Group Inc. to spend $2.7 billion to gain full rights to Altrias IQOS products in the U.S. as of April 30, 2024. PMI, which was spun off from Altria in 2008, said IQOS is the worlds leading smoke-free product, with $9 billion in annual net revenue business outside the U.S. in 2021. However, the product hasnt been available in the U.S. since November 2021 because of a legal dispute involving Philip Morris USA that does not affect PMI. PMI plans to establish a U.S. manufacturing plant for IQOS products by the April 30, 2024 timeframe. Brexit influence Financial Times reported that the widening debate on the merits of leaving the London market underlines the UKs difficulty in attracting and retaining companies, and reflects how a domestic investor base has increasingly shunned its home equity market. The lure of a deeper pool of U.S. investors has contributed to several U.K.-based publicly traded companies to make the U.S. its primary stock market. Examples cited by the newspaper include chip designer Arm and CRH, the worlds biggest building materials company. The exodus from the FTSE to the NYSE began with Brexit, said Bowman Gray IV, a local independent stock broker. There has been not only an increase in costs related to listing on the FTSE vs. NYSE, but further there have been some additional regulatory rules placed by the FTSE that make it less attractive than the NYSE. Most of the big companies that made the transition are driving the bulk of their revenues from the U.S., so there was a desire to be listed where the revenues were coming from. According to a November report by the BBC, Britains stock market has lost its position as Europes most valued to France. A weak pound, fears of recession in the U.K. and surging sales at French luxury goods makers are thought to be behind the shift, according to data from Bloomberg News. The BBC said the transition marks a huge reversal of fortunes for the London Stock Exchange, which was worth about $1.4 trillion more than its Parisian rival back in 2016. Londons loss of the top spot by stock market valuation to Paris will be seen as a blow to the citys prestige, Russ Mould from AJ Bell investors told the BBC Since the (Brexit) vote in June 2016, Paris CAC-40 index is up 47% and Londons FTSE 100 has advanced by just 16% but the gap is not down to Brexit alone. The Center for Research, Engagement and Collaboration in African American Life (RECAAL) at Wake Forest University will hold the Of Hearth & Table Symposium: Culture, Cultivation, Cooking and Food Access in Black Communities on March 24. The symposium is free and open to the public. This symposium will create much-needed dialogue at Wake Forest University about the various ways food connects with Black communities, highlighting the complexity, languages, struggles and ingenious creativity found in African American culinary traditions, the center says on its website. The symposium will begin at 9 a.m. and include a panel discussion of Black culture and history, farming, food access and chefs and restaurateurs. The symposium will end with a 6 p.m. keynote address by Dr. Jessica Harris, an authority on the food of the African diaspora whose book, High on the Hog, was the basis for a recent Netflix series. Harris will be joined by Gabrielle Etienne, a multidisciplinary artist who co-founded the Tall Grass Food Box CSA to support Black farmers in North Carolina. The keynote address will be in WFUs Porter Byrum Welcome Center Auditorium. All other symposium events will be in Broyhill Auditorium in Farrell Hall. For more information, visit recaal.wfu.edu/about/of-hearth-and-table. An Archdale man died Wednesday after his vehicle struck a commercial office building in that Randolph County town, authorities said. Richard Scott Bazen, 59, died from his injuries, Archdale police said. Police responded to a traffic crash at 10:45 p.m. involving a single vehicle on Cheyenne Drive in Archdale, police said. Officers received a report that a vehicle flipped and struck the building at 3901 Cheyenne Drive . When officers arrived at the scene, they found a Chevrolet Silverado inside the lobby of Hafele America Co. at 3901 Cheyenne Drive, police said. Bazen was identified as its driver. Bazen's family was notified of his death, police said. The cause of the crash is unknown at this time. Friday is St. Patricks Day, so heres a little history of the holiday: St. Patricks Day has been observed for more than 1,000 years, according to History.com. Patrick was born in Britain in the fifth century, when it was under Roman rule. When he was 16 years old, he was captured and taken to Ireland as a slave. He escaped, but returned in 432 A.D. to bring Christianity to Ireland, according to Britannica.com. He started churches, schools and monasteries. There are also many legends associated with Patrick. One of the best known is that he drove the snakes out of Ireland. According to the legend, Patrick was preaching a sermon that caused the snakes to slither into the sea, said History.com. But scholars say that the snakes in the legend are actually a metaphor for pagan rituals. St. Patricks Day commemorates Patricks death, believed to be March 17, 461. The Irish began observing the Feast Day of St. Patrick on March 17 in about the ninth or tenth century. The first St. Patricks Day parade wasnt held in Ireland, but in the Spanish colony of St. Augustine, in present day Florida. The colony had an Irish priest. In 1772 Irish troops serving in the British army in New York City had a parade to honor St. Patrick and the tradition began to grow among Americans in New York, Boston and other American cities. The St. Patricks Day parade in New York City was formed in 1848 when several Irish groups pulled together to have one parade. Its the largest parade in the world, with more than 150,000 people taking part. More than 3 million people line the parade route. It is also the worlds oldest civilian parade, according to History.com. In addition to New York City, St. Patrick Day parades are also held in Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Savannah. In Chicago green dye is used to turn the Chicago River green. In the early 1960s, Savannah tried to dye the Savannah River green, but the color didnt work well and the city decided not to try again. St. Patricks Day traditions For many in the United States the day has become a time celebrate all things Irish. Many people will have corned beef and cabbage, while wearing a green shirt and listening to Irish music. After they eat, they may work off the calories by doing some Irish dancing. While cabbage was eaten in Ireland, corned beef was not traditionally an Irish meat. In the early 20th century, Irish immigrants living in New York City substituted corned beef for the more expensive Irish bacon, which with cabbage, was a traditional Irish meal. The Irish learned about corned beef from their Jewish neighbors. The shamrock became associated with the day when, as legend has it, St. Patrick used the leaves of the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity. Although blue was originally associated with St. Patrick, green has become the color most people associate with the day. It began with Irish Catholics wearing a shamrock in their lapel on St. Patricks Day. Later they wore green clothing to identify as a Catholic after the Irish uprising against British rule in the late 1700s. In the United States, many people wear green on March 17 to show support for the Irish. New COVID-19 cases in Forsyth County reached an 11-month low last week, while there was one additional death disclosed, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported Wednesday. There were 198 cases listed for Forsyth, down from a revised 277 in the previous report. The most recent time the weekly case count was lower was 179 for the week that ended April 9. DHHS cautions its weekly totals are subject to revision, including factoring in cases and deaths that occurred weeks or months ago, but were only recently confirmed as related to COVID-19. About 24.2%, or 48, of the new cases were listed as reinfections by DHHS. Altogether, Forsyth has had 125,788 confirmed cases and 970 COVID-related deaths since the pandemic began in mid-March 2020. Forsyth health director Joshua Swift and Novant Health Inc. infectious diseases expert Dr. David Priest have stressed that the DHHS weekly case totals include only laboratory confirmed cases, and dont include most people who determine they are positive with an at-home test. Forsyth, along with the entire state, is listed in the low category for COVID-19 community spread in the latest update from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Forsyths three key metrics continue to trend in a more positive direction. The COVID-19 community level is determined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions and the total number of new cases in an area. The latest number of new cases per 100,000 people is 51 in Forsyth, compared with 60 and 109 in the previous two reports. The rate of new COVID-related hospital admissions per 100,000 people was at 8.6, compared with 11.2 and 8.8 in the previous two reports. Also, 2.3% of staffed inpatient beds are being used by COVID-19 patients, compared with 2.4% and 2.6% in the previous two weeks. DHHS reported that hospitals in a 17-county version of the Triad region averaged 127 COVID-19 patients, down from 152 for the week that ended March 4. Long-term care centers The number of Forsyth long-term care facilities with current COVID-19 outbreaks was at nine in the latest dashboard report. The number of infected residents linked to current outbreaks is at 86, up 36 from the previous report, while infected staff members are at 43, up seven. At least 14 long-term care residents have died since last April from a COVID-related illness, including at least two in the latest report. An outbreak is considered over if there is no evidence of continued transmission within the facility, according to DHHS. If new positive COVID-19 cases occur after an outbreak is considered as ended, it is listed as a separate outbreak. DHHS spokeswoman Bailey Pennington Allison has said it is important to remember that the number of cases associated with an ongoing outbreak are the cumulative total for that outbreak, not the number of people currently positive for COVID-19. Current outbreaks of at least 20 COVID-19 cases in Forsyth long-term care centers are: * Arbor Acres United Methodist Retirement Community Inc., with 20 staff (up one) and 12 residents (up six) * Willow Valley Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, with 21 residents and eight staff (both unchanged). * Homestead Hills, with 13 residents and seven staff. COVID-19 statewide DHHS reported the statewide count for last week was 4,104, compared with a revised 5,549 in the previous report. The latest weekly count is the lowest since 3,104 for the week that ended April 2. Of those North Carolinians with a positive test result in the latest weekly report 905 or 22% were considered re-infected. North Carolinas total confirmed case count since the onset of the pandemic is 3.48 million. There were 24 COVID-related deaths reported statewide last week, along with another 19 confirmed from previous weeks, for a total of 28,475. Last week, the number of COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals in North Carolina was at 606, compared with 686 for the week that ended March 4. The current dominant omicron subvariants have proven to be more contagious, contributing to the surge in hospitalizations. DHHS lists eight active subvariants, up one from the previous report. The XBB 1.5 subvariant made up 89% of new cases from Feb. 12 to Feb. 25, along with 6% the BQ 1.1 subvariant. This week, a reader writes: Jim, we will be taking a walking/hiking tour in Portugal this fall and will be using our iPhones and Apple Watch to track our activity. We should be able to charge our devices each evening (I have the original Apple charging cables/blocks and European adapters). But I want to have some kind of portable charger in case we need to charge our devices while we're out and about. I've seen some on Amazon and Otterbox. What would you recommend?" You have a few choices and all depend on what model of iPhone you have. iPhones 12, 13 and 14 have MagSafe, which is a round magnet built into the back of the phone to help keep accessories secured to the back of the phone. Apples first MagSafe accessory was a wired charger, which offered faster charging than non-Apple wireless chargers. Apple also introduced other MagSafe accessories like a wallet. The MagSafe connector opened the door for an external battery charger that snaps to the back of the phone. I think such a charger would be perfect to take on a daily hike to make sure your phones battery lasts until the end of the day. Because these packs stays connected with the magnets, you can continue to use your phone quite easily while it charges. Apple makes a MagSafe battery pack ($99), which can partially charge your iPhone. Apple says you can get a 60% charge using the battery pack on an iPhone 12, 13 or 14. This should be good for the day, when combined with a full charge of your phones battery each night. If I were in the market for such a battery pack, Id look at some other (cheaper) brands. Some third-party MagSafe battery packs have larger capacities, such as the myCharge Mag-Lock Magnetic Powerbank, which is available in three capacities: 3,000 milliamp hours, 6,000 milliamp hours and 9,000 milliamp hours, strangely all priced within $20 of one another on Amazon. The only difference is the capacity and weight of the battery. Id recommend the 9,000-milliamp-hour version. myCharge says it can keep an iPhone going for an additional 48 hours, and it weighs 8.8 ounces. I have reviewed this charger, and I recommend it. It is simple to use: Snap it to the back of your iPhone, and it starts charging. Take if off, and it stops. It also has a USB-C port you can use to charge another device, like AirPods or your Apple Watch. Of course, if your iPhone doesnt have MagSafe, youll need to carry an external battery that can charge the phone with a cable. This goes for Android phones, as well. Many Android phones have wireless charging. But without magnets, keeping a phone connected to a wireless charger is impossible if you are hiking. I like Anker products, and they have a 10,000-milliamp-hour external battery (PowerCore Slim 10K) for $22 at Amazon. It has one USB-A port for charging and can charge your iPhones battery twice, so you will certainly make it through a day. It weighs just 7.5 ounces. The Daily Minute is the Journal Star's morning news briefing where you can get the latest news in about a minute each weekday. Previous Daily Minute videos are archived here. Good morning, Lincoln. Here's what you need to know today. Amendment to LB626 A co-sponsor of a bill that would ban most abortions once cardiac activity was detected in an embryo said he had "signer's remorse" in voting the bill out of committee earlier this year. On March 15, Sen. Merv Riepe introduced an amendment to the so-called "heartbeat bill" that would instead lower Nebraska's existing ban on abortion from 20 weeks to 12 weeks instead of the 6-week ban proposed by LB626. "I've spoken with some other senators, who will remain nameless, who said they think a 12-week (ban) is more reasonable, more acceptable, Riepe said. Sen. Joni Albrecht, who introduced LB626 and made it her priority bill this year, said she did not support Riepe's amendment and will continue to push the "heartbeat" legislation as passed out of the committee. Flood on bank failure Rep. Mike Flood, who is at the center of congressional response to the sudden failure of Silicon Valley Bank in California, said Wednesday that he is impressed by the immediate federal government reaction to the potential financial crisis and remains alert to protecting the security of Nebraska banks. Flood said, he is trying to "make sure that there is not a ripple effect" that could impact Nebraska's community banks. As a member of the House committee, Flood participated in two conference calls organized by federal agencies to alert key members of Congress about the bank failure and its oversight response last weekend. Now, Flood said, he will be interested in exploring missed warning signs" that might have avoided the collapse. March Madness March Madness is officially here, as the NCAA mens tournament is set for the Round of 64 today. Eight Big Ten teams made the tournament, including Number One-seeded Purdue. Can a team from the league cut down the nets this season? Stay in the know with Lincolns longest-standing news source at JournalStar.com. Well see you back here tomorrow. Top Journal Star photos for March 2023 By Azernews The families who will be resettled in the first phase of the Great Return program to Talish village which had been liberated from the Armenian occupation in Tartar district, have left for the village, Azernews reports. A total of former 20 IDP families (90 people) living in temporary settlements in Baku, Barda, Tartar, Samukh, and Goranboy, mostly in dire conditions, are returning to their ancestral homeland on the eve of the Nowruz holiday. We should note that the Azerbaijani government has completed the first stage of restoration and construction works in Talish village. The Production Union of Azerigas built an 11.1-kilometer-long underground polyethylene gas line to the village. Also, at the meeting with the residents who will move to Talish village, a ceremony for choosing houses based on a casting draw will be held. At the meeting, contracts were also concluded between the employer and the employed regarding the employment of the population. Armenians occupied the village second time in April 1994, after had been liberated in July 1992. On April 2, 2016, the strategic heights around the village of Talish were fully de-occupied from Armenians. The village was liberated from occupation on October 3, 2020. Teacher retention, school safety, class sizes and cutting taxes were among the topics Lincoln Board of Education candidates pondered during a virtual forum Wednesday evening. Leadership Lincoln and the League of Women Voters of Lincoln/Lancaster County hosted the forum on Zoom, with all six school board candidates participating. Districts 2, 4 and 6 are on the ballot this spring, and each race features two candidates. Incumbents Annie Mumgaard and Bob Rauner are running for reelection while one seat is up for grabs with Connie Duncan declining to seek another term. The race is officially nonpartisan. Mumgaard, a Democrat representing north Lincoln's District 4, faces Republican Alaina Brouillette. Rauner, an independent, will square off against Republican Richard Aldag in east Lincoln's District 6. Meanwhile, Democrat Piyush Srivastav and Emmy Pollen, a Republican, are vying for Duncan's vacated seat in south-central Lincoln's District 2. Former City Attorney Jeff Kirkpatrick, who ran for mayor in 2019, moderated the forum. Each candidate gave a brief introduction and then answered a set of questions sent to them beforehand that ran the gamut from teacher retainment to private school scholarships. Mumgaard, who is seeking her third four-year term, said she can bring experience at a time when public education is being tested. "The one thing I can offer is steady leadership," said Mumgaard, a virtual learning coordinator for the University of Nebraska State Museum of Natural History at Morrill Hall. A vocal advocate of educational equity, Mumgaard said there is more work to be done to implement the district's equity action plan that aims to address disparities in areas like suspensions and honors-course enrollment. Brouillette, on the other hand, said teachers do not need training in diversity, equity and inclusion and called for a return to the basics. "Race" should be removed from discussions of academic achievement, she added. "I want to keep our education focused on education that matters," she said. Brouillette, who does billing for CHI Health, also called for greater transparency and keeping taxes lower. Rauner, the chief medical officer of OneHealth Nebraska and the president of Partnership for a Healthy Lincoln, said his background in health care could be helpful if he's elected to a second term. LPS could save millions in tax money by reducing health care costs, said Rauner, who added that the district will have to grapple with issues like school funding and students' mental health. His opponent Aldag, a retired Nebraska State Patrol trooper who owns a logistics company, said he is "a business, budget and facilities guy" who wants to cut wasteful spending and ensure teachers have the environment they need to succeed. "I don't think pay solves all your issues," Aldag said. "It's about environment." Aldag said class sizes are a big part of that, and added if elected he would also focus on special education to make sure students' Individualized Education Plans are met. Srivastav said workforce shortages are one of the biggest issues facing LPS. Growing the district's focus program offerings would be a "great tool" to address that issue from the inside. Students must also be engaged in the classroom, said Srivastav, who pointed to the pandemic's impacts on schools. "Students are struggling academically and behaviorally," said Srivastav, who owns an environmental consulting business. "We need to reengage those students." His challenger Pollen, an LPS substitute, said her priorities are safety and student proficiency in math and reading. More supports like school resources officers, therapists and behavioral interventionists would be helpful, she said. Compensating teachers is also necessary for retaining quality staff, Pollen added. "What we value, we need to pay," Pollen said. The candidates also leaned into discussions over school choice and funding, supporting LGBTQ students, parental control and the responsibilities of the school board. One of the forum's questions even concerned the "Opportunity Scholarships" bill the Legislature is mulling. The proposal would provide tax credits to those who donate to private school scholarships. In many cases, candidates landed on partisan lines. Srivastav, for example, said he does not support scholarship tax credits while Pollen said "competition is good." The top two vote-getters in each school board race advance from the April 4 primary to the May 2 general election. Top Journal Star photos for March 2023 OMAHA A lawsuit brought against Catholic Charities of Omaha by an employee after an active-shooter drill raises a novel legal question about whether an employee can sue their employer in civil court for a workplace injury. Sandra Lopez, a Catholic Charities employee, was at the organization's office May 19, 2022, when gunshots rang out. A man brandishing a semiautomatic handgun banged on the windows and fired shots into the air. One person laid on the ground covered in what looked to be blood. Lopez, terrified, ran across the street, jumped off a retaining wall and took shelter inside a nearby Scooter's drive-thru. When Lopez's son called her employer to let them know she was safe, he was told that the shooting was "play acting" and a "safety drill." Aside from three Catholic Charities executives, employees were not informed that a safety drill was taking place and many believed that they were in a real-life active shooter situation. Local police also were not notified. Catholic Charities had paid $2,500 to John Channels, the fake gunman who is now facing a litany of criminal charges, to facilitate an active shooter training. The nonprofit has said Channels insisted that leadership not tell employees it was a drill in order to make it as lifelike as possible. Channels, 28, denied that through his attorney and said the organization wanted it to be realistic. Earlier this year, Lopez filed a lawsuit against Catholic Charities alleging assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress and requesting damages. Lopez suffered a back injury from jumping off the retaining wall and post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the staged shooting. Catholic Charities has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, which Douglas County District Court Judge Timothy Burns took under advisement Tuesday. He will consider briefs from both parties and issue a written opinion. If Burns dismisses the lawsuit, Lopez's attorney, Thomas White, will appeal to the Nebraska Supreme Court. The lawsuit presents what White sees as a novel legal question that hasn't been decided in Nebraska: Do workers' compensation courts have exclusive jurisdiction over workplace injuries even if the employer specifically intends to do harm? Under Nebraska law, Workers' Compensation Court is the exclusive remedy for work-related injuries. But White said that an exception to that exclusivity should exist in cases where the employer "specifically intended to create the complained of injury." White, in a court filing, said that failing to hold employers accountable for intentional harms would create a dangerous precedent. "An employer who can escape general liability even when intentionally injuring his or her employee is given license to commit mayhem," the filing reads. In its filing, Catholic Charities claimed that the issue has already been litigated, citing multiple Nebraska Supreme Court cases that denied employee's attempts to assert intentional wrongdoing in common court and instead sent them back to Workers' Compensation Court. Other states have litigated the issue and come to different conclusions. For example, the Texas Supreme Court has repeatedly reaffirmed an intentional injury exception in cases where injury or death is "substantially certain to result" from an employer's actions. Top Journal Star photos for March 2023 Floor action in the Nebraska Legislature returned to a more steady pace Thursday as lawmakers reached an agreement that could mean the end of a three-week long filibuster. Speaker of the Legislature John Arch announced he and state Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha agreed to let floor debate continue as normal Thursday, while debate on a controversial bill that was the impetus of Cavanaugh's one-woman filibuster will begin next week. However, the agreement doesn't guarantee a permanent end to her effort. "I am going to take a break," Cavanaugh said Thursday. Cavanaugh has been filibustering as much as she can for the last three weeks, bringing the pace of action on the floor to a crawl. With the Legislature more than halfway through its session, her efforts have resulted in few bills advancing through the first of three rounds of debate, and none have entered the second round. Cavanaugh was mainly protesting LB574, which would ban gender-altering care to individuals under 19. She contends the bill "legislates hate" and targets transgender children. She initially intended to stall progress on the bill, but Cavanaugh and her allies now want to kill it outright. They believe LB574 doesn't have the 33 votes it needs to pass a filibuster-ending cloture motion. The bill has 23 co-sponsors, not including its principal introducer Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha. Cavanaugh has resisted the idea that the Legislature might debate the bill for a few hours before setting it aside not advancing it, but also not killing it. On Wednesday, she said she wanted lawmakers to vote on the measure because she wants the bloody hands of its supporters on the record. "I want your vote on these bills," Cavanaugh said. Arch said Thursday that LB574 will see a cloture vote. Debate will begin on the bill Tuesday, and will likely continue until Thursday. He said he spoke to Kauth about the agreement on Wednesday, and she indicated she also wanted to bring the bill to debate. The fate of Cavanaugh's filibuster efforts will depend on the outcome of the cloture vote. Cavanaugh said if LB574 reaches cloture and advances to the second round of debate, she will resume her filibustering to stall its progress. If the bill is killed, she said, she will not continue her filibuster. Top Journal Star photos for March 2023 Twice in the last 15 years the Democratic nominee for president has picked up a single electoral vote in Nebraska thanks to the state's unique system for awarding those votes in presidential races. A bill in the Legislature would prevent that from happening in the future. LB764 would strike language in existing state law that divides Nebraska's electoral votes by congressional districts in presidential elections, effectively implementing a winner-take-all system used by nearly every other state. The bill was the subject of a public hearing in the state Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee Wednesday. Currently, of Nebraska's five electoral votes, one vote is designated to the winner of each of the state's three congressional districts, and two votes are awarded to the winner statewide. Maine is the only other state to award electoral votes this way. Nebraska's current system was established in 1991. Since then, Nebraska's electoral votes have only been split in two presidential elections in 2008 and 2020. In both elections, four electoral votes went to the Republican candidate (John McCain and Donald Trump), and one vote went to the Democrat (Barack Obama and Joe Biden). In every other presidential contest, all five votes still went to the Republican candidate. State Sen. Loren Lippincott of Central City, who introduced LB764, said the system was set up as an experiment and it has had negative impacts on the state. "After 32 years, the experiment is over," he said. Republican lawmakers have tried unsuccessfully to change the state's system since shortly after it was established. Lippincott argued that it puts Nebraska at a disadvantage to other states, and discourages presidential candidates from addressing statewide issues that matter to rural voters. Lippincott described himself as a "rural guy." His rural district includes the communities of Genoa, Fullerton, Aurora and Giltner, among others. "We want our voice to be heard," he said. Committee member Sen. Jane Raybould of Lincoln, challenged Lippincott and other LB764 supporters Wednesday, arguing that urban voters are equally as important. "We want our urban voices heard too," Raybould said. Secretary of State Bob Evnen supported the bill, arguing that the current system dilutes Nebraska's electoral presence and encourages gerrymandering. Other supporters said the system disenfranchises rural voters. In contrast, LB764's opponents argued the opposite, with most claiming the bill would disenfranchise Nebraska's urban voters. In both the 2008 and 2020 election, Nebraska's one electoral vote that went blue represented the state's 2nd Congressional District, which includes Omaha. Opponents claimed that the current system ensures more of Nebraska's voices are heard in presidential contests, and encourages competition among candidates. Several opponents also argued the state's divided electoral votes is the reason why some presidential candidates are interested in visiting Nebraska instead of nearby states. "Because there's something they can fight over, they pay attention to us," said Gavin Geis, executive director of Common Cause Nebraska and an opponent of the bill. Photos: 2023 Nebraska legislative session Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha argued Thursday that Nebraskans ought to be given another opportunity to vote to abolish the death penalty in the wake of growing evidence and knowledge that it is "horrible, inhumane" and unevenly applied. "We say we care about lives," the North Omaha state senator said during a news conference in the Capitol Rotunda prior to a public hearing on his proposed state constitutional amendment (LR17CA) before the Legislature's Judiciary Committee in the afternoon. "Many individuals who are executed are found to be innocent," McKinney said. "That's reason enough to get rid of it." McKinney saluted his predecessor, former Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha, for his long effort to finally win legislative enactment of a bill to abolish the death penalty in 2015. Eight years ago, the Legislature overrode Gov. Pete Ricketts' veto of the Chambers bill, but then the death penalty was reinstated by a vote of the people in 2016 by a margin of 61-39 percent. Carey Dean Moore was the last person to be executed in Nebraska -- and the first by lethal injection -- in 2018. That marked the first execution in Nebraska in 21 years. A number of death penalty opponents joined McKinney at the news conference to express their support for his proposed constitutional amendment. "It impacts the poor most of all," Christopher "Spike" Eickholt, lobbyist for ACLU of Nebraska, said. "It's time to send this question back to the voters," he said. Tom Venzor, executive director of the Nebraska Catholic Conference, said the death penalty unevenly impacts people of color, low-income people and people with intellectual challenges. "Racial bias has factored into whether or not a murder is tried as a capital case," Christy Hargesheimer, speaking on behalf of Amnesty International, said. In Nebraska, eight Black and Hispanic inmates are on death row compared to three white inmates, she said. "Mental illness is also a factor to be considered," Hargesheimer said. McKinney said he believes there is "educational value" in spotlighting the issue, "even if we lose." McKinney is also sponsoring LR27CA, a proposed constitutional amendment to create a state Board of Commutation to help reduce the impact of "unjustly harsh sentences." The proposal would expand the Board of Pardons and include a formerly incarcerated individual as a member while also guaranteeing applicants the right to make his or her case before the board. The inmates on Nebraskas death row and their crimes Raymond Mata Jr. Jose Sandoval Jorge Galindo Erick F. Vela Jeffrey Hessler John L. Lotter Roy L. Ellis Marco E. Torres Jr. Anthony Garcia Nikko Jenkins Aubrey Trail CALEDONIA In the race for the Caledonia trustee No. 3 seat, a political newcomer is challenging an incumbent in the April 4 election. After Mark Gracyalny was defeated in the primary election by about 450 votes, Anthony Hammes is running against incumbent Bill Folk. Hammes has run for Racine Unified School Board and the Wisconsin State Assembly in the past but has not been successful. Folk has held his current trustee seat since being appointed in July, has served on the Caledonia Planning Commission and held various positions at a county political organization. Caledonia Village Board trustee positions are two-year terms with a salary of $6,600. In the primary election held Feb. 21, Hammes received 1,785 votes and Folk received 1,434, according to unofficial election results from Racine County. Folk said there are two main issues in Caledonia, and theyre directly tied to one another: public safety and commercial growth. Caledonia continues to grow, but public safety services have been nearly stagnant relative to the villages growth for over a decade, he said. We cannot continue that trend, Folk said. Commercial development is important in that we want people to be able to work, shop and live here in Caledonia. The days of being just a bedroom community are over. Hammes said he hopes to brand Caledonia, adding that it has no particular identity, and its an issue in bringing in new development. Buildings such as Kmart need to be filled, and developments need to be completed, Hammes said. Hammes said that with his marketing experience, hed promote high value developments along Interstate 94, which would reduce real estate taxes on residential properties. Caledonia must also address the issue homeowners are facing regarding the costly assessments from the extensions of sewer and water, Hammes said, referring to the extensions 16 property owners didnt ask for on the north side of Four Mile Road, across the street from the 178-acre DeBack Farms Business Park. The village put in the sewer and water connections to service the park and it is costing homeowners $16,000 to $142,000 each. We cannot allow these families to be subjected to this type of expense, Hammes said. Assessments should be put onto the developers. Folk said he believes he represents most people in Caledonia. Being fully employed and a trustee means that meetings, especially open meetings, are moved to a time where working people can participate in the local government process, he said. Hes served the last 17 years on the Caledonia Planning Commission, so my dedication to the village is evident and Im confident I can do great things on the Village Board, Folk said. Folk lives in the village but works outside of it and regularly asks, Why dont we have that in Caledonia? Hammes said that if elected, he would bring marketing experience and a new vision to the board. Ill work diligently to brand Caledonia, encourage new development and bring businesses to our village, Hammes said. I will protect our residents from assessments and reduce real estate taxes with new developments. He added the Hammes family has long worked to improve Racine County. Determination, creativeness and motivation has led my family for generations, and its how I will lead Caledonia to thrive and prosper, he said. Bill Folk AGE: 49 HOME ADDRESS: 2836 Frontier Drive OCCUPATION: North American account payable manager for CNH Industrial PAST ELECTED OFFICE: Caledonia Planning Commission from 2005-2022, appointed to the Village Board in July 2022, served as board member, treasurer, vice chairman and chairman of a county political organization for over 20 years until 2016 HIGHEST EDUCATION RECEIVED: Bachelors degree in accounting from the University of Phoenix CURRENT COMMUNITY SERVICE: St. Rita's cross country coach in the fall and track and field coach in the spring, Racine Youth Sports Running Club coach in the summer Anthony Hammes AGE: 44 HOME ADDRESS: 825 Waters Edge Road OCCUPATION: Marketing PAST ELECTED OFFICE: None HIGHEST EDUCATION RECEIVED: Currently re-enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside to earn a dual MBA in marketing and operations CURRENT COMMUNITY SERVICE: Volunteers and works with the National Alliance of Mental Illness Racine County, volunteers for Sleep in Heavenly Peace, works with Caledonia Conservancy 1. Yes. Switching back and forth every spring and fall is cumbersome and annoying. 2. Yes. It makes sense, although it would take a bit of getting used to at first. 3. No. The bill isnt enforceable. The federal government would have to approve the switch. 4. No. If other states dont follow suit, it could make long-distance travel problematic. 5. Unsure. Its hard to say without knowing all the impacts of the proposed change. Vote View Results The Emirates Institute of Finance (EIF) and Said Business School at the University of Oxford have signed an agreement to design and deliver a comprehensive programme that will shape future technology leaders in the financial sector. The course - Shaping Future Technology Leaders in Financial Services - was announced at the launch of the for 2023-2026 strategy for EIF, formerly known as the Emirates Institute for Banking and Financial Studies (EIBFS). It will be launched in July (2023) and aims to equip financial services professionals with the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate the sectors rapidly evolving technological landscape. The programme will cover financial services, technology, and disruption, delivered through a blend of face-to-face, virtual, and online teaching. Critical step Noura Alblooshi, Acting General Manager of EIF, said: The Shaping Future Technology Leaders in Financial Services Programme is a critical step forward in equipping our UAE national workforce in the banking and financial sector, and advancing the Emiratisation in the industry, in line with the directives of our wise leadership. Through such initiatives, we aim to create a strong, diversified, and sustainable financial services industry in the country. Andrew Stephen, LOreal Professor of Marketing and Deputy Dean of Oxford Said, said: We are delighted to collaborate with EIF to offer this groundbreaking programme, which will help develop a deeper understanding of the impact of technology on financial services. The programme will be delivered by programme directors, Oxford Said faculty, offsite programme management, and an EdTech partner, with a Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) provided for the hosting of materials, pre-reading, and access to discussion forums. The programme will also incorporate multiple student assessment points and offer recognition via certification to participants who complete the modules and pass the assessments. 100 participants The course is expected to enroll 100 participants. Students who complete the full programme, comprising phases one, two, and three, will receive a certificate of attendance from Oxford Said. Participants who complete the two six-week online programmes will receive a recognition certificate. The content includes The Oxford AI in Fintech and Open Banking Programme and Oxford Blockchain Strategy Programme, which will be delivered online, and Business Impact of Technology, Financial Services and Technology and Disruption, which will be delivered on-site in the UAE. The programme, among other modules on offer at EIF, offer a unique opportunity for UAE nationals in the financial sector to enhance their knowledge and skills, through world class teaching.-- TradeArabia News Service PINEDALE, Wyoming Sublette County Commissioner Doug Vickrey pulled no punches as he motioned to tell Joe Ricketts no to a restaurant, gymnasium, bunkhouse and cabin village at the end of the quiet, rural forest road. The billionaire TD Ameritrade founders proposal was detrimental to the public health, safety [and] welfare, Vickrey charged. Moreover, he said, the plans to make over the riverbank at the head of the Upper Hoback River valley would materially harm Ricketts neighbors. Vickreys objection was predictable. Hed been opposed though in the commissions minority in a series of decisions to OK major development plans that clashed with wildlife and the ethos of the quaint western Wyoming communities that dot Sublette County. Commissioner Dave Stephens and the Sublette County Planning and Zoning board have also been reliably opposed to the controversial construction proposals, but they and Vickrey have been overruled by three commissioners whove consistently supported giving developers what they want. Last week, however, commissioner Sam White flipped and, without explanation, joined Vickrey and Stephens in opposition. Sorry, guys, White told Ricketts agents whod pushed their plans through nearly five hours of deliberations. Your application is denied at this time. A Sublette County Library conference room full of Bondurant residents applauded. White did not return a call from WyoFile seeking comment. The first round of claps and cheers came several hours earlier, when Vickrey read from the code of the West that was adopted as the Wyoming State Code in 2010. Remember that some things are not for sale, Vickrey said, reading the code. Folks, Im going to tell you right now, I am one of those things. I am not for sale. So, I would like Mr. Ricketts to know that with all his wealth there are some things in this world money cannot buy, and by God Im one of them. Last weeks setback only hinders one facet of Ricketts multipronged development plans for the upper reaches of the Hoback River, where he has already secured multiple parcels and entitlements to build. Major changes are on the horizon for Bondurant, a picturesque rural enclave of 100 residents whose homes and summer dwellings sprawl out in the high desert between the Gros Ventre and Wyoming mountain ranges. The octogenarian billionaire who owns two ranches the Jackson Fork and the Dead Shot and several other lots secured permission to build a controversial 64-room exclusive resort. An earlier iteration of that resort, now planned for 56 acres on his Jackson Fork Ranch, was previously denied in 2020. The Ricketts team altered plans and came back 18 months later, winning over Sublette County commissioners 3-2. Ricketts Bondurant neighbors sued, and lost, according to the Sublette Examiner. The conditional use permit application denied last week would have dovetailed with the coming resort, by folding another Ricketts holding the 159-acre Dead Shot guest ranch into the larger 1,300-acre Jackson Fork Ranch. The Dead Shot is already permitted for a small guest ranch just five short-term residences used by no more than 15 guests. Ricketts sought to build that operation out with a 8,000-square-foot restaurant for guests, bunkhouse, gymnasium, staff quarters and 10 guest cabins of unspecified sizes. The guest cap would have jumped to 65 under the proposal. The Sublette County Planning and Zoning Board, an advisory body that county commissioners have repeatedly disregarded, recommended support for the permit revision on a 3-2 vote with stipulations. The boards aim, evidently, was to influence the outcome, rather than sit on the sideline advising straight denial. They attached 19 conditions to the yes recommendation, including a requirement that Ricketts retain a dark sky consultant to preserve Bondurants starry skies, and a cap of 215 guests recreating on the entire Jackson Fork and Dead Shot Ranch complex at any one time. Much of Sublette County commissioners deliberations revolved around the guest numbers, and the discussions dragged on for hours. Questions arose about the definition of recreation, whether visitors on one property influenced guest caps on the other, whod be allowed in the guest restaurant and how many people could be on the properties during special events. Bondurant residents blasted the convoluted discussion when given the chance to say their part. Lisi Krall, a seasonal Upper Hoback River Road resident, took issue with how Ricketts plans have been rolled out piecemeal and never considered as a whole. The purpose of the [conditional use permit] on the Dead Shot and the whole parcel is not to put in a modest little guest ranch, Krall said. Its to fit in with the entirety of an elaborate business plan Its a large-scale, exclusive resort along Upper Hoback River Road, thats whats happening here. As commissioners, youre charged with assessing the damage to somebody like me. Others echoed her complaint, including some unlikely commenters. Joy Ufford, a reporter at the Pinedale Roundup whos written about the Ricketts saga, took the lectern and explained she got special permission from her editor to share her feelings. I said if I dont say something Im never going to forgive myself, Ufford said. Im going to be sick, sick, sick if Bondurant is sacrificed as a stepping stone to Jackson. Ricketts refers to the Bondurant area as Little Jackson Hole, a moniker thats rooted in history according to research he commissioned. Teton County, infamously, is fast-transitioning into an outdoor playground for the wealthiest Americans, oftentimes at the expense of longtime residents and community culture. Graphic renderings of Ricketts forthcoming resort show a Jackson Hole brand of glitz. Ricketts staff has likened the vision for the Jackson Fork Ranch to the Brush Creek Ranch, a Saratoga-area resort that uses terms like unbridled luxury to describe itself. Its tough to say how Sublette County commissioners denial of the Dead Shot Ranch proposal will influence Ricketts larger plans for the Upper Hoback. The denial of Ricketts guest ranch application means he must wait one year before resubmitting any similar development proposal, according to Sublette County Planner Dennis Fornstrom. Ricketts agent and project front man Morgan Fischer declined WyoFiles interview request. A public relations agent requested written questions about where the denial leaves Ricketts plans, instead. They too went unanswered. Many suspect Ricketts has undisclosed larger plans for his Bondurant properties. Hes recently acquired most of a controversial national forest inholding, his agents confirmed, potentially as a bargaining chip for a land swap with the Bridger-Teton National Forest to increase his Upper Hoback River holdings. A cluster of private residences and a reach of national forest separate Ricketts Jackson Fork and Dead Shot properties. Vickrey pressed Fischer for some clarity on the long-range plan ahead of the commissioners no vote. Knowing the ability of Mr. Ricketts to get his way, my guess is that at some point whether its in the very near future or the next couple years he is going to make a swap that will give him more private property, Vickrey said. What is the endgame? Thats the important thing for me to know. Joes business plan is to open up his resort in conjunction with his guest ranch, Fischer said. Thats the end game. Thats where it ends. But Fischer also grouped Daniel housing into the current plan. He didnt go into details, but the Sublette Examiner has reported that Ricketts has acquired nearly 60 acres of land near the tiny hamlet of Daniel Junction. Fischer also conceded potential expansion of the Jackson Fork Ranch on the horizon. If an expansion happens, he said, it would be a minimum of four or five years from now. Construction and opening the approved resort and just-denied guest ranch will take three or four years, Fischer said. They would only return to the commission to ask for more after that if all goes well and the Bondurant communitys worries prove unfounded. Perhaps at that time, we might ask the board for future use, Fischer said. EVENTS Artist reception for Rhonda Bruggeman, 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Minden Opera House at 322 E. Fifth St., Minden. 308-832-0588; MindenOperaHouse.com. Free admission. Bruggeman will talk about her work currently on display at the Minden Opera House Gallery through April 30. Birds tell us, but are we listening?" part of the Speaker Series, 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Rowe Sanctuary at 44450 Elm Island Road, Gibbon. 308-468-5282; RoweSanctuary.org. Presented by Alison Holloran, executive director of Audubon Rockies. Pub Quiz @ Cunningham's Journal with the theme, "May the Schwartz Be With You," 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Cunningham's Journal at 15 W. 23rd St. Free admission. The team with the most correct answers will win a prize. Register in advance. Presented by Kearney Public Library. Visit KearneyLib.org for details and to register. Screening of "The Great Gilly Hopkins," 7 p.m. March 23 at The World Theatre at 2318 Central Ave. 308-234-8046; TheWorldTheatre.org. Free admission. Donations will be accepted for Compass, an organization devoted to foster care for children. Living History event highlighting Kearney businesses, presented by Ft. Kearney Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and Trails & Rails Museum, 2 p.m. March 26 at Trails and Rails Museum at 710 W. 11th St. 308-234-3041; www.BCHS.us. Free admission. A reception with refreshments will follow the event. Women's History Month Celebration, 6-8 p.m. March 29 at Ponderosa Room, Nebraskan Student Union at 1013 W. 27th St. on the University of Nebraska at Kearney campus. UNK.edu. Free admission. Open Mic Poetry Reading, 4 p.m. April 1 at G.W. Frank Museum of History and Culture at 2010 University Drive, West Campus of the University of Nebraska at Kearney. 308-865-8284; Frank.UNK.edu. Free admission. Part of "How the Light Gets In: A Celebration of Poetry in Central Nebraska" presented by Prairie Art Brothers and Kearney Public Library. Visit PrairieArtBrothers.org for details. "Celebrating Poetry: More About Poems," with Charles Peek, part of Senior College, 1 p.m. April 3 at Kearney Public Library at 2020 First Ave. 308-233-3282; KearneyLib.org. Visit SeniorCollegeNE.org for prices and details. Poetry workshop with Bruce Whitacre, part of "How the Light Gets In," presented by Prairie Art Brothers and Kearney Public Library, noon April 4 at Kearney Public Library at 2020 First Ave. 308-233-3282; KearneyLib.org. Admission is $15. Admission includes lunch. Register in advance. Visit PrairieArtBrothers.org for details. Poet Bruce Whitacre reads from his works, part of "How the Light Gets In," presented by Prairie Art Brothers and Kearney Public Library, 7 p.m. April 4 at Kearney Public Library at 2020 First Ave. 308-233-3282; KearneyLib.org. Free admission. Visit PrairieArtBrothers.org for details. CONCERTS "One Night in Memphis," a stage show featuring the music of Elvis, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. today at Merryman Performing Arts Center at 225 W. 22nd St. 308-698-8297; MerrymanCenter.org. Tickets start at $35. The 7 p.m. show is sold out. Darrell Scott performs as part of Rehmsworld Concert Series, 7:30 p.m. Saturday at The Balcony at 10775 Clifton St., Loomis. 308-867-2377. Tickets are $30 in advance or $35 at the door. Scott is the writer of the song performed by Travis Tritt called "It's a Great Day to Be Alive." Thursday Student Recital featuring University of Nebraska at Kearney music students, 12:30 p.m. March 23 at Fine Arts Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building at 2506 12th Ave., on the University of Nebraska at Kearney campus. 308-865-8618; UNK.edu. Free admission. Mychaela Fegter, clarinet, senior recital, 7:30 p.m. March 23 at Fine Arts Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building at 2506 12th Ave., on the University of Nebraska at Kearney campus. 308-865-8618; UNK.edu. Free admission. Fegter is a student at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Danielle Nicole and Brandon Miller perform the blues, 7:30 p.m. March 24 at The Lark at 809 W. Second St., Hastings. Thursday Student Recital featuring University of Nebraska at Kearney music students, 12:30 p.m. March 30 at Fine Arts Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building at 2506 12th Ave., on the University of Nebraska at Kearney campus. 308-865-8618; UNK.edu. Free admission. "Messiah," presented by Axtell Area Oratorio Society, 7 p.m. April 2 at Merryman Performing Arts Center at 225 W. 22nd St. 308-698-8297; MerrymanCenter.org. Tickets are $15 in advance, $10 K-12 or $20 at the door. Cash or check only. For more information, call 308-470-1209. THEATER "Happy Days: A New Musical," presented by Minden Community Players, 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday; 7:30 p.m. March 24-25; and 2:30 p.m. March 26 at Minden Opera House at 322 E. Fifth St., Minden. 308-832-0588; www.mindenoperahouse.com. Tickets are $18. "Happy Days, A New Musical," based on the hit Paramount Pictures television series, reintroduces one of Americas best loved families, the Cunninghams to a new generation of kids and parents. "Puddin' and the Grumble," a musical by Nebraska artists Becky Boesen and David von Kampen, 7:30 p.m. Saturday at The Golden Husk Theatre at 129 S. 16th St., Ord. (308) 730-8133; GoldenHuskArts.org. Tickets are $20 general; $10 youth; $55 family pass. Told through the eyes of a plucky fifth grader, the musical is an uplifting family tale that takes an unconventional approach to addressing childhood hunger, lasting friendships and the power of unconditional love. "Letters From Home 50-States Tour," presented by Crane River Theater and featuring Erinn Dearth and Dan Beckmann, 7 p.m. March 29 at The World Theatre at 2318 Central Ave. Tickets are $20. Dearth and Beckmann are touring to each of the 50 states to present this vaudevillian-style production. For tickets and more information, visit CraneRiverTheater.org or call 308-627-5796. "Jeeves at Sea," a play by Margaret Raether, based on the writings of P.G. Wodehouse, 7:30 p.m. May 11-13; 2:30 p.m. May 14; 7:30 p.m. May 18-20; 2:30 p.m. May 21 at Kearney Community Theatre at 83 Plaza Blvd. 308-234-1529; www.kearneycommunitytheatre.com. Tickets are $20 per person. The production combines farce, romance and priceless characters. "Forever Plaid," presented by Crane River Theater, 7 p.m. April 13-15; and 2 p.m. April 15-16 at The World Theatre at 2318 Central Ave. Tickets are $20 general admission or $10 for students. Forever Plaid is a delightful, mischievous and unashamedly heartwarming homage to the sweet and innocent sounds of the 50s and the 60s, and it features classic barbershop versions of popular hits such as Three Coins in the Fountain, 16 Tons and Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing. EXHIBITS Minden Opera House Gallery at 322 E. Fifth St., Minden. 308-832-0588; www.mindenoperahouse.com. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Artwork by Rhonda Bruggeman through April 30. Riot polices take their positions next of flames of cocktail molotov after throwing of a protestors as two protestors are seen on the right during a 24-hours general strike in central Athens, on Thursday, March 16, 2023. AP Clashes broke out in Athens Thursday during a general strike in Greece that was called in response to a rail disaster last month. Protesters hurled gasoline bombs at a police cordon near parliament. Riot police responded with tear gas and sound grenades, during the brief flare-up of violence that disrupted large, peaceful demonstrations. There were no immediate reports of injuries or arrests. The strike grounded flights and extensively disrupted services, while large protests were also held in other cities across the country. Clashes between youths and police also erupted in the southern port city of Patras. The strike also kept ferries to the Greek islands at port, left public hospitals running with emergency staff, halted public transport services and led to class cancellations at state-run schools. Unions have rallied behind railway workers' associations that have staged rolling walkouts since the head-on train collision in northern Greece on Feb. 28 that left 57 people dead and dozens injured. "This government has had four years to fix problems with the rail network, but instead of owning up to that responsibility, they are blaming everyone else," Popi Tsapanidou, a spokeswoman for main leftist opposition party Syriza, told private Skai television. The main protests were held in Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city, and in the capital Athens, where thousands chanted "this crime will not be forgotten" as they reached a police cordon outside a private rail operator. Stores and banks lowered their shutters when the protesters filed past as the capital was brought to a standstill. A wide variety of labor associations from those representing lawyers to delivery drivers joined the strike. The government, which faces a parliamentary election before the summer, says rail services will restart on March 22 and be restored gradually through April 11, with additional staff to monitor safety and mandatory speed reduction rules along sections of the track. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' center-right government has seen a strong lead in opinion polls reduced in recent weeks over its main rival, Syriza, with the two sides also locked in an ideological debate over how to reform Greece's antiquated rail network. Mitsotakis has promised clearer boundaries between privatized services and the authorities overseeing them, seeking assistance from European Union experts in drawing up the changes. His political opponents argue that the poorly managed dismantling of agencies under state control has ultimately compromised rail safety. (AP) The League of Women Voters of the La Crosse Area will hold a Candidate Forum on Wednesday, March 22 with Timothy Gaskell and Angela Palmer-Fisher, candidates for the office of Vernon County Circuit Court Judge. The goal of the forum is to encourage voter interest and participation in the upcoming April 4 election and give voters the opportunity to meet each candidate and learn about their views on judicial issues. Wisconsin circuit court judges are elected to six-year terms in nonpartisan spring elections. The League has made arrangements to host this informational event at the Westby Area Performing Arts Center, 206 West Ave. South, with a starting time of 6:30 pm. The forum is expected to last approximately one hour. League members will serve as forum moderator and timekeeper. Each candidate will respond to questions submitted in writing by the audience. Questions may also be submitted in advance by emailing them to lwvlawi@gmail.com by noon on Tuesday, March 21. This event is free and open to the public. Members of the press and surrounding communities are invited to attend. The forum will be livestreamed on the Vernon Reporter Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/VernonReporter/ and recorded for broadcast by Vernon Communications Cooperative. Recording links will be posted later on the La Crosse Area League of Women Voters website. The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin recently launched its VOTE411.org voter guide for the election on April 4. This nonpartisan election guide includes La Crosse area and state races and provides simple tools to help voters navigate the voting process and find candidate information. All candidates are invited to provide biographical information and respond to questions about their positions on issues. Their responses, published verbatim, are available for voters to be better informed before voting. In addition to the voter guide on VOTE411.org, our local Leagues website, lwvlacrosse.org, has information on voting including what to bring to the polls, early and absentee voting, as well as resources to inform voters about issues related to the races. VOTE411.org is an invaluable resource for voters who want reliable information about voting in Wisconsin, said Robin Schmidt, president of the League of Women Voters of the La Crosse Area. Tens of thousands of voters throughout Wisconsin, including many young people and first-time voters, rely on VOTE411.org as their go-to source for unbiased candidate information. Whats on the April 4 Ballot? Wisconsin State Supreme Court, La Crosse Council Districts 1-6, La Crosse County municipalities and school boards, Appeals Court, Vernon County Circuit Court, La Crosse County referendum, school district referendums, and State of Wisconsin ballot measures. Check out the Vote411 website and choose Make a Voting Plan. The Vernon County Censor March 14, 1923 100 years ago Once more along with the coming of the robins and pussywillows, the political pot commences to boil but this spring it appear to be a very modest simmering, for contests are few. Over one hundred million pounds of butter were manufactured in Wisconsin last year. Think of that! It surely seems unbelievable, until one stops to think that over one million pounds of it were made right here in our own big creamery. Merchant J.H. Quick came down from Sparta hospital and spent a few days of rest at home.Mr. Quick is being treated at Sparta, and will go to Madison to be under the care of specialists for several weeks. His friends hope that he will experience early and complete recovery, and will soon be back in his business place as of yore. Just received a shipment of fine separable soft shit cuff buttons. These buttons will not come a part until you pull the clasp, thus doing away with the risk of losing them. Come in and see them Ed. Harrington. AROUND THE COUNTY Viroqua, March 13 On account of so much snow and drifted roads, we have had no mail here for two days....The tobacco in and around this community has about all been delivered, and we are glad to see it go. WHEATLAND Saving wood is the order of the day these days.Willis Houston is drilling a well for Will Johnson.Considerable credit is due Genevieve Tenney who is attending school in DeSoto and rides a horse to and from home. Dont blame the Censor or the mail carriers if your mail or Censor is late this week. The boys had extreme difficulty in making their routes today, some not making all of their routes, and the strong wind and snow as we go to press is a pretty good sign that there will be nothing moving tomorrow trains, route carriers or anybody else. The Vernon County Censor March 11, 1948 75 years ago The grand opening of the Jack and Jill shop, which has recently been established, is announced for Saturday this week by the stores proprietors, Mrs. Cleo Schroeder and Miss Irene Homstad. It is located on the second floor of the Dahl Drug Store building. About 400 voluntary campaign solicitors have begun the Vernon county American Red Cross chapters campaign for funds, in the 67th annual drive to finance the local and national program of the organization. A farmer behind a desk instead of in front of it is not as uncommon now as it used to be. A good example of this change is the County Agricultural Conservation office. The Vernon county office is located at 117 North Main, Viroqua. The men in charge are the farmer-committeemen elected by farmers last fall and winter. These county committeemen manage their own farms and are usually at the county office only long enough to do their required administrative work. They are paid only for the time actually spent in this work. A major responsibility at this time of year is meeting with farmers, explaining program practices, and agreeing on conservation plans for the year. Other programs administered by the county ACP office are crop loans and other price support measures. Members of the committee are Annial Sherry, Gustav Sund, Wencel Stanek, and Harold Lord. The Vernon County Broadcaster-Censor March 15, 1973 50 years ago A million dollar shopping center was proposed before the Viroqua City Council Tuesday night by former Viroquan Edwin Hoyum and an affiliated contractor, Tito Nappi. A principal element of that shopping center would be a 15,000 sq. ft. Ben Franklin store. The VAS Middle School faculty approved a plan for four weeks of non-graded, individualized instruction, according to Jerry Sines, principal. A demonstration lecture sponsored by the Atomic Energy Commission on atomic energy and its uses was presented at Viroqua High School on March 20. Was Newton the first to have a 2-year high school in Vernon County? Or was it Coon Valley or Viroqua? Obituaries: Gladys DeLacy (77) Vernon County; Ole L. Thompson (99) Bristow; Edna Goplin (76) Westby; Iver N. Yttri (92) Viroqua area; Edna Rood (73) Newton Valley. The Vernon County Broadcaster March 12, 1998 25 years ago The Legion Auxiliary Unit and Post 315 of Stoddard paid tribute to the combined 208 years of service for Viola Groeschel (54 years), Alvina Krause (52 years ), Lucille Anderson (52 years) and Ardelle Umberger (50 years). They were each given an engraved plaque from the Unit. The Wisconsin Community Action Programs Best in Media award was presented to the Vernon County Broadcaster in Madison, February 25. The Broadcaster received this award for its fair and accurate coverage on issues of poverty and the work of Viroquas Community Action program. Dr. Rolando Macasaet was honored for his 25 years of practice in the Viroqua area. He was recognized last Monday night during the Vernon Memorial Hospital Foundation dinner at the Old Towne Inn in Westby. The entire Viroqua High School forensics team advances to district competition at UW-La Crosse on March 21. Michael Hanson will represent Viroqua at the state spelling bee in Verona on April 4. Hanson, an eighth-grader at Viroqua Middle School, has competed in two other state spelling bees. Krause Monument will hold its 38th open house on March 16 and 17 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 315 S. Main Street in Viroqua. This tradition started nearly 40 years ago, when south side businesses began hosting spring open houses all on the same days. Krause Monument has been operating continually as a monument company since 1895. The Vernon County Broadcaster March 14, 2013 10 years ago More than 40 students from Youth Initiative High School and Viroqua High School braved a night outdoors last Thursday as the thermometer registered six below zero for the Poverty Awareness event. The students stayed in cardboard boxes and used sleeping bags, blankets and layers of clothing to keep themselves warm. In order to participate in this years sleep-out, each student had to raise $50. This years goal is to raise $4,000. When all pledges come in, students should have met their goal. Viroqua Middle School students will step into the world of Roald Dahls Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when they present Willy Wonka Jr,, at the elementary school cafetorium, March 15-17. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. The over 50 Club held its business meeting with bingo and a potluck meal, Feb. 27. The meeting was called to order by President Odean Robson. The meeting opened with the pledge of Allegiance. The business meeting was adjourned. Ralph Shedivy and Diz Reed, celebrated their birthdays with everyone singing to them. Leonard Myer will be celebrating his 102nd birthday Tuesday, March 19. A celebration will be held later with his family. His children are Sandy and Garry Brudos, Fred and Deb Myer and Kay and Jim Yanske. Viroqua Elementary School has announced its February Students of the Month: Hailey Dregne, Gradyn Hanson, Ryder Steele, Georgia Goede, Evan Solberg, Miaya Campbell, Otto Voz, Ben Gillen, Olivia Ramsey, Hailey Mraz, Kylie Huschka, and Cody Burke. Hong Kong: Deputy SJ fosters dispute resolution Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan today led a delegation of 30 Hong Kong legal professionals to attend an international promotional campaign to promote Hong Kong's legal and dispute resolution services in Bangkok, Thailand. Co-organised by the Department of Justice and the Trade Development Council, the "Resolve2Win - Legal Services of Hong Kong, Opportunities for All" campaign attracted more than 200 participants from different sectors such as the financial, legal and professional services. In his opening remarks, Mr Cheung said that as an important economy in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Thailand has a mature alternative dispute resolution (ADR) culture, a pool of experienced dispute resolution professionals, and a strong legal infrastructure in line with international standards. He added that he hopes to foster exchanges and create opportunities for businesses and legal and ADR services providers in both places through this campaign. To further strengthen co-operation in mediation between Hong Kong and Thailand and bring about a change to the litigation culture in society, the department and the Thailand Arbitration Center (THAC) collaborated to promote the "Mediate First" Pledge campaign in Thailand for the first time. A signing ceremony of the "Mediate First" Pledge was held during the event, with 35 legal and business organisations, enterprises and individuals in Thailand agreeing to sign the agreement to support first exploring the use of mediation to resolve disputes, signifying a closer relationship between Thailand and Hong Kong on promoting mediation. This is the first time Hong Kong's "Mediate First" Pledge campaign was promoted overseas. Mr Cheung then delivered his keynote speech at the event's luncheon. Highlighting the unique opportunities offered by Hong Kong as the only common law jurisdiction within China under "one country, two systems", he pointed out that national strategies including the 14th Five-Year Plan, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development and the Belt & Road Initiative not only have injected continuous impetus to the growth of Hong Kong, but also brought opportunities to ASEAN member states. Mr Cheung further stated that as the leading legal and dispute resolution services centre in the Asia-Pacific region, Hong Kong has a strong pool of legal talent particularly in the area of dispute resolution services. He encouraged enterprises and talent to capitalise on Hong Kong's unique advantages of enjoying the strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world under "one country, two systems" to tap into the development opportunities of the bay area and beyond. Mr Cheung reiterated that the National Security Law has provided stability and a secure environment to enterprises and investors, which is conducive for both local and international businesses in Hong Kong to flourish. After the event concluded, Mr Cheung led the delegation to visit the THAC to strengthen the collaboration with the institution and exchange views on the development and promotion of alternate dispute resolution. Additionally, the group met with the Lawyers Council of Thailand to discuss the development of the legal profession and explore potential future collaborations with the council and facilitate the Thai-Hong Kong legal profession in building stronger and closer ties. Mr Cheung also took the opportunity to meet Secretary-General of the Office of the Judiciary of Thailand Teerasak Ngeeywijit. He emphasised that he looks forward to further exploring the enhancement of the existing collaboration with the Office of the Judiciary. The delegation will meet the Thai-Chinese Chamber of Commerce tomorrow morning before concluding their visit. This story has been published on: 2023-03-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB), the largest Islamic bank in the UAE, has concluded its Annual General Assembly (AGM) which approved a 30% cash dividend aggregating to an amount of around AED2.2 billion ($600 million) for 2022. The strong financial results reported this year are a further testament to DIBs role as a leader in the development of Islamic Finance in a year of exceptional global uncertainty. Supported by a solid growth in the total income, the banks net profit reached the highest ever in its history with a 26% surge in 2022, and a balance sheet of AED288 billion, culminating in a five-year CAGR of 7%. Board of Directors Other agenda items concluded at the AGM included the announcement of the banks Board of Directors for the next three-year term, in addition to the reappointments of its Internal Sharia Supervision Committee and external Auditors for the year 2023. Mohammed Ibrahim Al Shaibani, Director-General of His Highness the Rulers Court of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Islamic Bank, said: DIBs extraordinary progress mirrors the continued pace of growth across the UAE economy, which DIB is proud to contribute to. Through its role as a leading Islamic financial institution, the bank remains committed to transform and evolve the industry in the UAE and other major markets around the world. Going forward, we are confident to continue to deliver a ground-breaking customer experience, revenue growth and sustainable returns for our valued shareholders. Spectacular results Dr Adnan Chilwan, Group CEO of DIB, commented: Yet again, DIB has posted spectacular results, delivering AED5.6 billion in net profits, the highest ever in the Banks history. Given the rate environment and surplus liquidity, we made a deliberate tactical move focused on quality and structural sourcing of business. This led us to support large corporate and public sector entities in adjusting and aligning their balance sheet for the new medium-term environment, a winning combination for customers, the bank and the national economy. I want to take this opportunity to thank the shareholders for their confidence and support which was critical for the bank to deliver such an outstanding performance within a very uncertain global environment, I look forward to working closely with colleagues and partners to further drive sustained growth and value creation over the coming years. Looking to 2023 and beyond, the banks work as a leading Islamic financial institution, its award-winning digital platforms and strong commitment to sustainable finance have further strengthened DIBs position in the UAE and the global banking space. Aligned to UAE Net Zero 2050 agenda, the Bank remains fully committed to contribute to the sustainable development of the nation through not just leading by example but also positively impacting and influencing the progress on ESG in the other sectors of the economy.-- TradeArabia News Service Edgar Allan Poe, who would have turned 214 years old Jan. 19, remains one of the worlds most recognizable literary figures. But is his appeal less about the power and complexity of his prose, and more about the view of him as a perennial underdog? Liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Janet Protasiewicz said Tuesday that she would likely only serve one 10-year term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court if shes elected next month. This is a one-time thing for me, the Milwaukee County Circuit judge said about her upcoming election against conservative candidate Dan Kelly, adding that she is 60 years old. But she said shes also opposed to term limits, saying the experience and knowledge justices acquire on the job should qualify them for additional time on the court. In a wide-ranging interview with the Wisconsin State Journal editorial board, Protasiewicz also said she wouldnt recuse herself from cases challenging former Gov. Scott Walkers Act 10 legislation, which effectively eliminated collective bargaining for most public employees, despite having marched against the 2011 legislation and signed a petition to recall Walker. Im not committed to anything on any case, other than having an open mind and being independent and following the law, she said. Im very, very capable of separating my personal feelings from what the law is. ... I do it every day. Protasiewicz previously said she would recuse herself from cases involving the Democratic Party of Wisconsin after the organization donated $2.5 million to her campaign. At the time, she said she wouldnt recuse herself from cases involving abortion rights or redistricting even though groups supportive of abortion rights and redistricting reform have supported her. Protasiewicz has repeatedly made her support for abortion rights clear and has called the states legislative maps rigged. Kelly has said he would decide recusals on a case-by-case basis. He is scheduled to meet with the State Journal editorial board on Thursday. He participated in a Milwaukee Press Club event Tuesday co-hosted by WisPolitics.com and the Rotary Club of Milwaukee; Protasiewicz declined to attend the event. Asked whether she would be a swing vote on the court like Justice Brian Hagedorn, who has made his conservative views clear but also voted against conservative interests or a predictable member of an ideological bloc, Protasiewicz said, I dont think anybodys ever called me predictable. I also dont ever do anything the easy way, she said. I think those justices who call them as they see them and dont vote with the bloc are the justices that people respect. After being identified in late 2022, the remains of a World War II veteran will finally be laid to rest in Middleton at the end of March, federal authorities said Wednesday. Army Pfc. William L. Sonny Simon, 20, was assigned to Company G, 2nd Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division. Fighting alongside his unit at a battle in the German Hurtgen Forest in 1944, Simon was killed in action, but his remains were never recovered. He was only 19 when he enlisted, according to his family, which has lived in Middleton for at least three generations. For six months he was considered missing in action, before it was determined he was most likely killed in battle. After the war, the American Graves Registration Command conducted many investigations from 1946 to 1950 but was unable to find Simons remains, declaring him nonrecoverable in December 1950. Decades later, a historian with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) was able to determine one set of unclaimed remains buried in the Ardennes American Cemetery potentially belonged to Sonny. In April 2019, the remains were then sent to a DPAA lab in Nebraska, where the agency was able to confirm Simons identity using dental, anthropological and DNA analysis. Simon will be buried on March 28 at St. Bernard Cemetery by his surviving family, including his younger brother James Jumbo Simon, now 93. In his 16 months in the service, Sonny Simon wrote more than 200 letters to his family. In the last letter Jimbo Simons family received from Sonny, he wrote in part, Nothing to write, so with love, take good care of yourself & everybody. P.S. Would like to hear from Daddy. Simons name is etched on the Walls of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, Netherlands, along with other missing WWII soldiers. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate that his remains have been found. The Winona Area Public Schools referendum is one of five local school referendums Minnesota voters will consider April 11. In addition to Winona, the school districts of Hills-Beaver Creek, Jordan, Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop and Redwood all have question referendums. Winona, Hills-Beaver Creek and Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop will have two-question votes with Jordan and Redwood having a single question. For Winonas referendum, question one asks voters to invest $72.5 million into classroom and building improvements, and question two asks for an additional $21.7 million for improvements to extracurricular spaces. Question one must pass in order for question two to pass. The Hills-Beaver Creek School District referendum asks for an initial $26.5 million and an additional $3.4 million if the second question passes along the first. The Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop vote will be for $55 million for question one and $14.9 million for question two. The two single-question referendum votes for Jordan and Redwood will be for $34.9 million and $46.6 million, respectively. If both of Winonas referendum questions pass, it will total $94.2 million, making it the most expensive of the April 11 referendum votes. Winona also has the largest enrollment and number of schools of the five districts with referendums, with Winona having about 600 more students and three more schools than the second-largest, Jordan Public Schools. A common thread in multiple Minnesota school funding referendums this April is the addition of flexible learning spaces. Winona, Jordan and Hills-Beaver Creek school districts all hope to include new flexible learning and cooperative spaces with their referendum votes, reflecting a growing trend of school classrooms adopting these spaces. Unlike the Winona referendum vote, which seeks to add additions to the Jefferson and Washington-Kosciusko buildings, the Hills-Beaver Creek, Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop and Redwood communities will vote to build entirely new school buildings. A similarity across the board for all five schools is that a portion of each referendums funds will go to building maintenance. In Winonas case, this includes code upgrades; replacing or remodeling windows, stairs and bathrooms; and working on deferred maintenance. Jordan and Hills-Beaver Creek have plans to improve air quality with Jordan doing this with maintenance and Hills-Beaver Creek building a new school with upgraded heating/cooling equipment. The Redwood Area School District referendum opts for a new building because their current one is more than 60 years old and maintenance repairs would be too extensive to be fiscally responsible. Any referendum vote that passes on April 11 will have an impact on community members taxes. Using a residential home with an estimated market value of $200,000 for example, the Winona referendum would increase taxes by $177 for question one and $70 for question two, with a total of $247 annually if both question pass. Using the same $200,000 market-value home example, the Hills-Beaver Creek referendum would increase taxes by $463 annually if both questions pass. Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop residents would see a tax increase of $67.65 annually if both questions are approved, a number that also reflects an upcoming operating levy reduction. If Jordan and Redwoods one-question referendums are approved, residents would see a tax increase of $203 and $399 respectively.. The Winona Area Public Schools referendum vote is on Tuesday, April 11. For more information on the referendum, the plan, tax impact and voting locations, visit winonaschools.org. WATCH NOW IN PHOTOS AND VIDEO: Paddock Lake celebrates with annual bike and golf cart parade ahead of July 4 holiday PADDOCK LAKE - Dozens of bike riders young and old, along with golf cart motorists took the streets in procession that lasted just over half an hour Sunday morning in one of many celebrations taking place in Kenosha County over the Fourth of July weekend. The parade, which began at at McAlonan Park at 248th Avenue between 72nd and 73rd streets, included candy of all kinds tossed from golf carts to younger spectators, who scooped them up by the bag full. The family friendly event has become a community tradition and one which culminated with a free lunch of hot dogs, chips and lemonade at Village Hall, 6969 236th Ave. Gov. Tony Evers recently joined U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) in defense of Wisconsin dairy farmers in sending a letter to the Silver Spring, Md.-based U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), urging the department to reconsider its position on Docket No. FDA-2023-D-0451 for Labeling of Plant-based Milk Alternatives and Voluntary Nutrient Statements. Current FDA regulations define dairy products as being from dairy animals, but the guidance released on Feb. 22, 2023 amends that definition and proposes allowing non-dairy products, such as products made from nuts or plants, to be marketed as such. As Americas Dairyland, Wisconsin is known for producing, processing, and consuming dairy products, Evers wrote in his March 8 letter to FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D. Over the course of generations, Wisconsin farmers have built a reputation for producing high-quality, nutritious products. Consumers choose Wisconsin milk products because they know that our farmers take pride in producing quality products backed by rigorous industry standards. Inaccurate labeling of imitation products as milk not only creates confusion in the marketplace but threatens one of the core industries within Wisconsins $104.8 billion agricultural economy. In the letter, Evers also expressed his support for Baldwins Defending Against Imitations and Replacements of Yogurt, milk, and cheese to Promote Regular Intake of Dairy Everyday Act, also known as the DAIRY PRIDE Act. Introduced by Baldwin on Feb. 28, this legislation would require non-dairy products made from nuts, seeds, plants and algae to no longer be mislabeled with dairy terms such as milk, yogurt or cheese. In contrast to the recently proposed FDA rules, I support S. 549, the bipartisan DAIRY PRIDE Act, Evers wrote. This will ensure Wisconsin dairy producers have the protection they deserve when marketing their dairy products without unfair competition from non-dairy products claiming to be dairy products. Ghost Signs around the City of Racine Ghost Signs Miller Douglas.jpg Ghost Signs Schlitz - Washington Avenue.jpg Ghost Signs Just Bakery Douglas Avenue.jpg Ghost Signs Ivanhoe.jpg Ghost Signs - Pabst Famous Milwaukee Beer.jpg Ghost Signs Morey Back.jpg Ghost Signs Indian Motorcycles.jpg Ghost Signs The Times.jpg Ghost Signs - Diphtheria Cure Horizontal.jpg Ghost Signs - Wigley Close-up.jpg Ghost Signs - Racine County Bank.JPG Ghost Signs Pabst Renovated.jpg Ghost Signs - Bull Durham Belle Harbor.jpg Ghost Signs Miller Main Street Retouched.jpg Ghost Signs - Bull Durham Wisconsin Avenue.jpg Ghost Signs Morey Side Retouched.jpg Ghost Signs - Restored Pabst Ad at Ivanhoe.jpg Ghost Signs - Black Jack Gum.jpg Ghost Signs Kern.jpg Ghost Signs Gettelman Douglas.jpg Ghost Signs - Mail Pouch Tobacco 7-UP.jpg Ghost Signs Fish Joynt Retouched.jpg Ghost Signs -Schlitz Beer 936 MLK Drive.JPG Ghost Signs Racine Co. Bank.jpg Ghost Signs - Coca-Cola Belle Harbor.jpg Ghost Signs Wigley.jpg This editorial appears in the March 17, 2023 issue of Executive Intelligence Review. [Print version of this editorial] EDITORIAL EIR to Rep. Crenshaw: If You Are Serious About Stopping the Drug Trade, Invade Wall Street, Not Mexico The Editors of EIR issued this statement March 7 in both English and Spanish. It is now circulating widely in the Mexican media. On Jan. 12, 2023, Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) introduced a resolution into the House of Representatives (H.J.Res.18) to authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against those responsible for trafficking fentanyl or a fentanyl-related substance into the United States. Crenshaws resolution makes it clear hes talking about unilateral cross-border U.S. military attacks within Mexico. The resolution has been referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. The editors of Executive Intelligence Review, founded by the late American statesman Lyndon LaRouche, would like to suggest to Rep. Crenshawand others who have been quick to support his proposalthat if they are really serious about using U.S. military force to stop the international drug trade, and not just engaging in electoral posturing, they should authorize the U.S. Armed Forces to invade Wall Street, not Mexico. As every informed analyst of the drug trade has known ever since EIR published the first edition of its best seller Dope, Inc. back in 1978, as commissioned by Lyndon LaRouche, the international drug trade is run by international financial interests centered in the City of London and Wall Streetlargely through their offshore banking havens. That trade is now estimated at about $1 trillion per year, and is a not inconsiderable factor in keeping the bankrupt trans-Atlantic financial system alive, albeit on life support. We can further assure Rep. Crenshaw that such an action would arguably not be a violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the use of the American military on domestic soil, since Wall Street is clearly under top-down control by the City of London and can hardly be viewed as remotely American. Once Rep. Crenshaw et al. have demonstrated that they are serious about stopping drugs by taking such action, then U.S. representatives could reasonably sit down with their Mexican counterparts to discuss what joint measures could be taken, with full respect for each others sovereignty, to defeat their common enemy: Dope, Inc. Cummins Arabia, a global power technology leader, has signed a MoU with OWS Automotive for joint collaboration on defence service applications. This collaboration follows the participation of both firms at IDEX 2023 in Abu Dhabi and aims to explore powertrain solutions and technical support for defense end-users, with a focus on identifying viable and mutually beneficial business opportunities within the Middle East, said the company in a statement. The partnership will leverage OWS's expertise in civilian and defense service solutions and Cummins Arabia's commitment to sustainability and innovation to develop high-quality solutions for defense end-users. The companies will work together to analyse available defense fleet information, develop feasibility studies, and plan exercises to jointly develop a business case for the establishment of powertrain product solutions and post-installation technical services. Oweis Zahran, CEO of OWS, stated: "We are excited to collaborate with Cummins Arabia in exploring opportunities to develop innovative solutions for defense service applications. Our joint efforts will support the region's evolving needs and reinforce our position as a leading provider of automotive solutions." Ian Norton, Operations Director at Cummins Arabia, commented: "As a company committed to sustainability and innovation that has been serving the defense industry for over a hundred years, we are eager to expand our operations in the Middle East. We'll closely work alongside OWS to identify opportunities to serve our defense users with high quality solutions leveraging Cummins' expertise in powertrain." Furthermore, this collaboration reinforces the importance of strategic partnerships in the automotive industry, particularly in the defense sector, where reliability and sustainability are critical. The MoU serves as a framework for the cooperation between the two companies, enabling them to work together to achieve common goals and explore new avenues for growth.TradeArabia News Service This editorial appears in the March 17, 2023 issue of Executive Intelligence Review. EDITORIAL Saudi-Iranian Shock Shows the Culture of the Silk Road Is the Path to Peace [Print version of this editorial] March 10The Global Security Initiative, announced by China in 2022, delivered an important victory to humanity on March 10, with the announcement, from Beijing, of the resumption of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Representatives of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran made the announcement that they would reestablish diplomatic relations two months from now. This was done, as the Saudi Press Agency official statement put it, in response to the noble initiative of His Excellency President Xi Jinping, President of the Peoples Republic of China, of Chinas support for developing good neighborly relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Consider the role of the United States in Iran from the CIA-orchestrated coup in 1953 until 1979. Consider the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia, from the end of World War Two until now. Then, think more deeply about the colonial relationship of the British Empire to both Iran and Arabia, over centuries, and over the period since especially the 1916 Sykes-Picot Treaty. What has just happened to the Anglospheres geopolitical Great Game? To understand the strategic realm in which this success is actually locatedthe complex domain of universal historywe refer to Lyndon LaRouches 1983 proposal, Saudi Arabia in the Year 2023, Part 1: Overcoming 1,000 Years of Looting and Subjugation of the Arab World. It stated, During the reign of Caliph Harun Al-Rashid, at Baghdad, Mesopotamia is estimated to have supported a population of 30 or more million souls, ten million more than today. At that time the Caliphate was the most advanced culture in the world, in respect to scientific knowledge. As the Roman Empire collapsed of its own moral decay, to the west, the great Gupta renaissance had arisen in India to the east. [I]t was Al-Farabi, who returned to Europe the well-tempered, 12-tone, octave musical scale, and chiefly Ibn Sina who gave Europe medicine and much of its impetus for rigorous scientific knowledge, as the case of Englands Roger Bacon of the 13th century illustrates. To speak of Arab culture today, or to speak, more broadly, of Islamic culture, we must include the fact of the Arab renaissance of now more than 1,000 years ago. One cannot expect State Department cretins like cookie monster Victoria Nuland, or the offal of the once-not-only-evil-but-competent British Civil Service, to understand LaRouches strategic point, which an Arnold Toynbee would have recognized immediately. The diplomacy of durable regional security requires that Indian, Persian, Arab and, differently Islamic cultural heritage must be, not only understood and valued, but mobilized as the creative substrate and basis for, not merely regional peace, but progress and prosperity. The 5,000-year-old Chinese civilization, today possessed of the most productive economy in the world, and a leadership that has acted worldwide, for a decade, on its proposal of win-win cooperation, has just proven that, indeed, a Coincidence of Opposites can be achieved in even the most difficult of circumstances. This is a proof of principle for what can be done worldwide. That includes conducting diplomacy in the Russia/NATO conflict, misnamed the Ukraine conflict, as was indicated in the Chinese 12-point peace proposal, issued Feb. 24, titled, Chinas Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis. The forces of the international Schiller Institute are intervening in many nations, particularly in the Anglospheres France, Germany, the Netherlands, Greece, and the United States, in what is beginning to take shape as an authentic mass strike process. This does not merely refer to rallies, demonstrations and elections, but a palpable change in social consciousness that suddenly sweeps the world like a force of nature. Economist Rosa Luxemburg, in 1906, wrote, [T]he mass strike is not artificially made, not decided at random, not propagated, but that it is an historical phenomenon, which, at a given moment, results from social conditions with historical inevitability. The intelligence of mankind seems, of a sudden, to become greater, when and where it is successfully engaged by those who have prepared for that moment. The most alert, who tend to be young people, are satisfied only with frontier thinking, profound ideas that demand a re-thinking of the very purpose of life itself. The Schiller Institute international conference held March 11, titled, To End Colonialism: A Mission for All Youth, featured many such young people whose self-assigned mission is to initiate a worldwide permanent Socratic dialogue among thousands of their contemporaries. [See a report on it elsewhere in this issue.] In this way, by mastering the Socratic method of Cusa, Leibniz, Gauss, Riemann, and of LaRouche, they will be intellectually armed to assault and overthrow the Empire of the Mind with which the culturally decadent high priesthood of academia has enmeshed them, but cannot hold them. We are now seeing the potential for such a process, even as the world faces thermonuclear war. The multiple appearances of Schiller Institute representatives, led by Helga Zepp-LaRouche herself, founder and leader of the Institute, in various media outlets in China, the United States, and social media, as well as the many interviews done with Diane Sare, Independent U.S. Senate candidate for New York, have, in the past few days, successfully put into circulation the truth about the Ukraine warnamely, that its real intention is the dismemberment of Russia. The intent of carving up Russianot just weakening or containing it, has been openly discussed by geopolitical networks for years, including, for example, by the U.S. Commission for Security and Cooperation in Europe. A Bloomberg News article June 1, 2022, headlined Is Breaking Up Russia the Only Way To End Its Imperialism? is typical. Jose Vega, representing The LaRouche Organization, has been exposing this destroy Russia strategy in media appearances, including on the One America News network and the Jimmy Dore show. EIR News Service is currently preparing a dossier with documentation of this deadly policy. Standing in total contrast is the new diplomacy initiative March 10 by the joint China-Iran-Saudi Arabia announcement. It derives from the same method of thinking as that inherent in the pre-mass strike intervention process that is now creating an incipient solidarity among the populations of the Trans-Atlantic sector against war and for economic development. Look at it from another perspective, in the form of the deep-cleaning antiseptic of truth that Seymour Hersh provided the world through his Nord Stream pipeline expose. The truth-effect keeps spreading, and will keep spreading, with our assistance, and with every lie that is told about what obviously happened. The ridicule to which the enemies of humanity are now being submitted, as they try to convince the world that Moby Dick blew up the pipeline, is the necessary antidote to their persistent lies about nearly everything. Humor neutralizes the lies that have driven the captive populations of the Anglosphere nations to the psychological point, either of insanity, or to an even more insane point: moral indifference. When people read the Nord Stream pipe-dream story in the newspapers, including the very New York Times where Seymour Hersh was once a reporter, claiming that reinforced steel pipelines encased in concrete, sitting at a depth of 260360 feet (80100 meters) in the Baltic Sea, were booby-trapped with, not one, but four explosive charges, and this was done by two divers from a 5-man and 1-woman yacht team, financed by a shadowy Ukrainian oligarch, to be much later detonated by remote controleven the most dedicated users find themselves asking whether it might be time to reverse marijuana legalization. Speaking of sobering up, the just-announced bankruptcy of Silicon Valley Bank, preceded by San Diegos Signature Bank, means that, as with the precursor tremors that antedate an earthquake, the savvy should demand the shutdown of speculative commodities markets and Samuel Bankman-Fried-like scams. As a wise man once said, You can only kick a can down the road so many times before it becomes a bucket. On the Schiller Institute campaign regarding lifting the Syrian Caesar sanctions and removing American troops from their illegal occupation of that nation, H.Con.Res. 21, introduced by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) in February, calling for American troops to be withdrawn from Syria, was defeated March 8. Note, however, that there were 103 Congressmen and Congresswomen that voted for it. Unlike with the disgraceful resolution to uphold the murderous Caesar sanctions, passed Feb. 27, before the H.Con.Res. 21 vote and opposed by only 2 members of the entire House, the Gaetz resolution was even supported by Robert Ford, Ambassador to Syria under Barack Obama, obviously no political ally of Gaetz. Ambassador Ford said, We owe our soldiers serving there in harms way, a serious debate about whether their mission is, in fact, achievable. On sanctions, Ford said, I would say its disingenuous for those who justify the sanctions to say that they dont harm ordinary Syrians living in government-controlled territories. They obviously do. Allies of the Schiller Institute, specifically those involved in the Feb. 19 Rage Against the War Machine Rally, have announced Operation War-Hawk Down, a campaign to remove those House members from political office who voted for both the sanctions and for maintaining American troops in Syria. It were well to consider replacing them, and to repopulate American politics with independently-thinking persons concerned about the fate of humanity. Patriots who also consider themselves world-citizens of one humanity should take a moment to reflect upon what China has done with Saudi Arabia and Iran, and not only desire but seek to do likewise. Syrian President Assad in Moscow; Turkiye, Iran, Russia, Syria Reps Meet March 15, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)Today is a big day in Moscow for diplomacy related to Syria. Today was the first day of two days of meetings at the level of deputy foreign ministers of Russia, Turkiye, Syria and Iran at the Russian Foreign Ministry. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with Russian President Vladimir Putin after arriving in Moscow yesterday. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also met with Syrian Foreign Minister Fayssal Mikdad in Moscow. Upon receiving Assad at the Kremlin, Putin said that thanks to joint efforts by Russia and Syria significant success has been achieved in the fight against international terrorism. We stay in touch and our relations are developing. Thanks to our joint efforts and the decisive contribution of the Russian Armed Forces in Syria, significant results have been achieved in the fight against international terrorism. Putin stressed that the achieved results provided an opportunity for stabilizing the socio-economic and domestic political situation. Putin expressed regret that the Syrian people faced another very serious problem, a catastrophe, the effects of an earthquake. He told Assad that This, of course, aggravates the situation. But we, like real friends, are trying to support you. For his part, Assad expressed deep gratitude to Putin for the Russian Federations staunch defense of the Syrian Arab Republic and the integrity of its lands. It is necessary, he said, to oppose all foreign ground forces that are there illegally. He also expressed full support for Russias special military operation in Ukraine against the neo-Nazis and their predecessors. Assad explained that his position stemmed from the need to stabilize the world. Otherwise it is in for some big thunder. At the Foreign Ministry, Sergey Lavrov told Mikdad that apart from bilateral matters, international subjects were at the top of the agenda. We see that the situation in the region is changing, primarily in terms of the restoration of Syrias rights in the Arab League, he said. We will continue to support this positive trend and other positive sentiments in the Arab world during the next ministerial meeting of the Arab League countries and Russia, which we intend to organize in the next few months. No news has come out of the deputy foreign ministers meeting yet, but it is aimed at setting the conditions for a Syria-Turkiye foreign ministers meeting in the near future. EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR THURSDAY MARCH 16, 2023 To the Anglosphere, Beware The Ides of March March 15, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)The chain reactions of financial meltdown as of todaythe Ides of Marchare rippling through the Western system. At the same time, initiatives for peace and economic diplomacy among the Global Majority are impressive. Woe betides the Anglosphere. What is critical in these precarious times, is the policy, and methodology, embodied in the Schiller Institutes collaborative mobilization for an international emergency conference, released March 14 in the statement, Helga Zepp-LaRouche: Call for an International Emergency Conference To Reorganize the Bankrupt Financial System. This is, at the same time, an economic emergency response, and an anti-war mobilization. The statement, now circulating in Spanish and other languages, is hitting the mark on opening the way for what to do. In the U.S., a statement was released today by Diane Sare, LaRouche Independent candidate for the U.S. Senate from New York, Bank Bailout Is IllegalCongress Must Implement LaRouches Four Laws. The first law is to reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act from 1933, for bank regulation, which worked until its wrongful repeal in 1999. On Monday evening, March 13, Moodys the rating agency downgraded the entire U.S. banking system from stable to negative. This came within hours after the President of the United States made a nationally televised address to say, Your banks are sound. Your money is safe. The public response? Disbelief. Every hour now, some other authority, from the Dominican Republic to Switzerland is likewise saying, trust us, your money is safe, to the same public response. In Switzerland late today, the National Bank of Switzerland announced it will intervene to rescue Credit Suisse, an institution completely embedded in the web of Western mega-banks. During the day, bank stock values plunged on the trans-Atlantic exchanges. There must be, and there can be, a new system put in place, as Zepp-LaRouches statement makes clear. Along with the chicanery of cryptocurrency, and other wrongdoings in the existing, collapsing monetary system with its trillions in derivatives, the economy is collapsing in physical terms. For example, in Germany during 2022, natural gas consumption declined 13% over the prior year, associated with industrial production contracting drastically. In gas-intensive manufacturing of various kinds, the consumption of gas dropped over 20% last year. It reflects also the fraudulent green assault on high-tech energy and the sanctions against Russia and other nations. Against this process are key moves among the Global Majority nations toward economic mutual benefit and an end to the induced geopolitical strife. A meeting took place in Moscow today of deputy foreign ministers from Turkiye, Syria, Iran and Russia, setting grounds for collaboration in their region. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad headed a delegation in person, and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin today. Join the mobilization. Join up and enlist others to the drive for emergency economic action, which is one and the same with the drive to stop the Global NATO dynamic leading to World War III. Sare states in her new release, As my mentor, the late economist and statesman Lyndon LaRouche already warned decades ago, the system is completely bankrupt. There is no possibility of making good on the over $2 quadrillion of derivatives obligations held by the too-big-to-fail financial entities of London and Wall Street. The system must be put through an orderly bankruptcy reorganization as part of reinstating the Glass-Steagall Act-mandated separation of commercial from investment banking. This is the first of LaRouches Four New Laws which he drafted in June 2014. Now is the time. Oman-based SalamAir, a value-for-money airline, has introduced its 36th route, a direct flight between Muscat and Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia, with two flights per week beginning on July 3, 2023. Flights from Muscat to Kuala Lumpur are scheduled for Monday and Friday. The route serves both sides' high demand for leisure and business tourism. Kuala Lumpur, SalamAir's first destination in Malaysia, marks the airlines further expansion into Southeast Asia. For people living in Oman and those wanting to take connecting flights, its a convenient non-stop flight to Southeast Asian country for leisure, shopping, or business purposes. Captain Mohamed Ahmed, CEO of SalamAir, said: The new service marks another milestone in our network expansion strategy. We are delighted to launch flights between Muscat and Kuala Lumpur, providing our customers with a perfect value-for-money product that allows them to be flexible, save on airfare with our competitive pricing, and add services they prefer. The flights will boost tourism, economic relations, business opportunities, and student movements between Oman and Malaysia and serve the overall Oman 2040 vision of supporting the inbound tourism sector as one of the main contributors to the national GDP of the Sultanate of Oman. We are committed to connecting more destinations along new sectors to establish a strong pan-international presence. The journey between Muscat and Kuala Lumpur will take about seven hours. With the high demand for unique tourist destinations such as Kuala Lumpur, SalamAir looks forward to welcoming customers onboard these new flights soon. Air tickets for this route and other flights of SalamAir can be purchased on the official website of the airline www.salamair.com, mobile app, call centre, as well as accredited agencies of the air carrier. Kuala Lumpur is known for several attractions, including Petronas Twin Towers, the Petaling Street flea market, and Batu Caves, which are over 400 million years old. A skyline filled with luminous skyscrapers and historical architecture, the city also hosts the central hub called the Golden Triangle, which comprises Bukit Bintang, KLCC, and Chinatown. Extensive shopping malls like Pavilion KL and Suria KLCC are among the most fantastic attractions in the city. A wide range of upscale labels from around the world is part of these malls. Gastronomes have plenty of good reasons to love the city, with restaurants and cafes abounding every corner and serving every type of dish conceivable. Outside of Kuala Lumpurs steel, concrete, and glass, tourists will also find plenty of green spaces and natural attractions where they can delve into lush forests with hiking trails leading to waterfalls and hills. The capital city is considered one of the world's top tourist destinations with multi-faceted sights and attractions. TradeArabia News Service Google has released a series of new artificial intelligence (AI) tools designed to be used with Gmail, Google Docs and other products. Google has made the AI tools available for testing to developers and businesses before releasing them widely to the public. Google Cloud chief Thomas Kurian announced the AI additions this week. The tools are designed to assist users in writing and organizing emails and creating businesses documents and presentations. The technology is part of a group of recently launched tools that demonstrate major AI development progress in recent years. The tools are built by feeding huge amounts of data into machine learning computer systems. The data trains the AI systems to develop complex skills and produce human-like results. The technology received wide media attention last year after a company called OpenAI launched a free writing tool called ChatGPT. That tool can quickly produce human-quality written documents. Experts say such systems may bring major changes to many different industries and professions. Currently, some developers and companies are able to test Googles new tools in their development and business activities. The tools make it possible for developers to create easy, safe and scalable applications that use Googles AI technology. Like ChatGPT, Googles AI tools are designed to create fully written documents that can be used for many different purposes. For example, an employee could enter a brief description of the kind of document they want the AI system to generate, or produce. The tools could then create a full marketing email, training materials or a business plan in a few seconds. Google said its AI tools will also be able to generate brief email descriptions in Gmail, personalize business communications and take meeting notes as part of its Google Workspace service. Workspace is a product with billions of users on free and paid accounts. Kurian told reporters during a demonstration of Googles new AI tools that he sees the system being able to provide an AI collaborator to assist human workers in real time. A video presented by Kurian suggested Google aims to have its AI transform the work of marketers, lawyers, scientists, educators and more. However, Kurian said Google remains "deeply committed to developing responsible AI. He noted that was why the companys current AI tools are being used by groups of trusted testers rather than widely releasing its new products. Last month, Google chief Sundar Pichai announced the company had developed a new AI-powered tool called Bard. Google said Bard is designed to provide a better online search experience. Google currently holds more than 80 percent of the worldwide internet search market, the online data company Statista reports. Googles announcement about the new AI offerings is the companys latest move to compete for business by launching ChatGPT-like technology tools. Companies like Microsoft and Meta are also heavily investing in AI-related products. Earlier this year, Microsoft announced a new, multibillion-dollar investment in ChatGPT creator OpenAI. And shortly after Google confirmed the development of Bard, Microsoft confirmed plans to redesign its Bing search engine and Edge web browser with a series of new AI tools. Technology experts have warned that while the new AI tools can generate human-like writings and other complex documents, the systems can also make mistakes. Last month, a factual mistake Bard made in a demonstration added to a $100-billion drop in the companys market value. Microsoft also faced public criticism after some users said the companys new AI tools used with the Bing search engine produced hostile and insulting results. Im Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from Google, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. Quiz - Google Adds New AI Tools for Developers and Businesses Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story artificial intelligence n. the development of computer systems that have the ability to perform work that normally requires human intelligence scalable adj. able to grow or be made larger application n. a computer program designed for a particular purpose collaborate v. work together to create or achieve the same thing transform v. to change something completely, usually to improve it commit v. to make a firm decision to do something ___________________________________________________________________ What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: Write your comment in the box. Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with D on it. It is free. Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here. The U.S. Space Command recently released a proposal aimed at reducing the junk orbiting the Earth in space. Space junk might be a piece of metal that broke off from an orbiting satellite. Or it could be a whole satellite that is no longer powered on or controlled by the organization that launched it. If other countries and businesses agree to follow the U.S. proposal, outer space could become much safer and cleaner. Lloyd Austin is the U.S. Secretary of Defense. He approved the proposal, known as Tenets of Responsible Behavior in Space, in early March. It is not a legal document; it is a five-point list of so-called best practices. One of the points reads: avoid operatingin a way that may harmfully interfere with the function of (another) space object. Another is operate space objects through end-of-life disposal in ways that limitlong-lived debris. The other points relate to avoiding collisions, or crashes, between space objects, not interfering with an organizations ability to control a space device and communicating ahead of time about a possible collision. The main concern is that there are too many old objects in space that are no longer used. Those objects may get in the way of objects that are useful. Government space agencies and private businesses are working to create some kind of order, especially in the part of space that is called low Earth orbit. That is where a number of internet satellites launched by Elon Musks company SpaceX are currently active. Amazon is also planning to launch satellites into that area. Jack Deasy is a vice president for the company Astroscale, which is based in Tokyo, Japan. The company is testing a debris-removal device called ELSA. The device connects to space debris and pushes the objects towards Earths atmosphere, where they will burn up. Deasy said the points included in the U.S. proposal should be adopted by the industry before something bad happens in orbit. If something is not done soon and something happens in orbit, Deasy said he is worried the industry will make a fast decision in answer to an accident. He said, That kind of crisis-driven thing is not always the best way of setting up long-term policies that sustain the ecosystem." So far, Astroscale has raised $376 million for its space-cleaning program. One of the investors is Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa. He recently published a message on Twitter saying that garbage in space can become a big problem in the future. While Astroscale is developing a system to remove space debris, other companies are working on creating devices that can capture old satellites and refuel them. The hope is that the old devices can be reactivated so they can be useful for a longer period. Another company, Neumann Space of Australia, is working on a way to collect old satellites and turn them into fuel for currently active satellites. The metal can be used to power new satellites, explained Herve Astier. He runs Neumann Space. "Using the metal that's already there, that's a way to move forward in terms of sustainability, he said. Neumann plans to launch a test satellite in June. Im Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on a report by Reuters. ___________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story junkn. unwanted material, trash or garbage tenet n. a rule or idea accepted by many practice n. a way of doing something debris n. something unwanted that takes up space or is an obstacle adopt v. to put something into use ecosystem n. the place where something exists garbagen. unwanted material, or trash; something no longer useful sustainv. to keep something going for a long time __________________________________________________________________ We want to hear from you. Do you the space debris problem will be solved soon? We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: Write your comment in the box. Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with D on it. It is free. Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here. Viktor Mikhalev is a blacksmith, someone who creates and repairs things made of metal. He lives in the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. Mikhalev uses his skills as a welder to turn metal from weapons and ammunition into beautiful representations of flowers. He calls his pieces the flowers of war. The project began when a friend gave him a broken machine gun. Now more friends bring him similar objects, such as burnt machine guns and shells from the wars front line. Inside his workplace, religious statues and pictures fill the space. Outside, he has decorated his front door and fence with his metal flowers. He also creates containers out of equipment used to launch small explosives. Mikhalev has shown his war art in a museum in Donetsk. He also keeps his art as a remembrance of the war in eastern Ukraine. Real flowers will not last long, and my roses will become a reminder for a long memory, he said. Donetsk is in the Donbas region of Ukraine. It was once a center of industry. Since April 2014, however, the area has been the center of a separatist rebellion supported by Russia. The conflict began a few weeks after Russia seized control of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. Russia invaded Ukraine again last year. It has since declared Donetsk and three other areas in eastern and southern Ukraine as part of Russia. The city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region and the city of Donetsk itself has seen intense fighting. Im Faith Pirlo. Faith Pirlo adapted this story from the Associated Press for Learning English. __________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story welder n. person who join pieces of metal together by heating them and pressing them together decorate v. to make (something) more attractive usually by putting something on it reminder n. something that causes you to remember or to think about something __________________________________________________________________ What do you think about Viktors war flowers? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: Write your comment in the box. Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is a blue circle with D on it. It is free. Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here. Chances are youve never heard of Dianes Delicious Diner, even though its one of the best places in Madison for an elegant lunch. Thats because its hidden in Madison Area Technical Colleges Truax Campus and run by the schools culinary students, with meal service at noon on Tuesday and Thursdays. Reservations need to be made online and, as of Thursday morning, are now being taken for April 20. The restaurant will take some walk-ins if theres space. Students are divided into two groups. One group is in the kitchen cooking on Tuesdays and while the other provides front-of-house service. The script gets flipped on Thursdays. When I ate there one recent Tuesday, the food and the service were excellent, and the three-course meal was worth every bit of the prix-fixe price of $25 plus tip. The culinary schools program director Kevin McGuinnis, who also teaches, oversees the students and ensures a high-level experience with three distinct menus each semester. The menus usually run for three weeks at a time. The room, with big windows looking out into the colleges atrium area, has its tables spaced out nicely, with white linen tablecloths and black cloth napkins. A monitor in the dining room shows whats happening in the kitchen. On my recent visit, I was pleased to see an entirely Creole/Cajun menu with a choice of one each of two starters, two entrees and two desserts. I wasnt interested in either appetizer: the oyster po boy with cornmeal fried oysters, remoulade, tasso ham and frisee on a French roll; or the Cajun duo, a boudin ball with pork, chicken liver and rice, and blackened gator, served with maque choux corn, bell peppers, onions and okra. The main dishes, gumbo and shrimp etouffee, both sounded great, and I asked my engaging server if I could order the etouffee as my main and the gumbo as a starter. He consulted with his instructor and was able to swing it. The gumbo had a rich flavor and was packed with tender chicken and slices of andouille sausage. White rice was served in the center with scallions for a nice aesthetic effect. The deep, contemporary bowl it was served in added to the experience. My server, Devvin Thomas, who doubled as the host, pointed out the file powder on the table for the gumbo and said it was just ground sassafras. It served as a nice addition. The etouffee was even better than the gumbo and also attractively presented, with a mound of white rice in the center and five well-grilled, delicious shrimp surrounding it. It didnt have much sauce, but what it did have was subtle and flavorful. A healthy portion of rice and beans with chunks of pork was served in a separate dish. Dessert was either beignets, fried dough with powdered sugar, caramel and chocolate sauces, or Cajun pineapple cake, which is what I chose. The extremely soft cake got texture from its pecan and coconut glaze, and there were little pieces of pineapple in the cake and on the plate. The homemade praline ice cream it was served with went overboard with the pralines. The meal came with coffee, raspberry iced tea, or a nonalcoholic drink they called a twist and was apple and orange juice mixed with Sprite. It was popular at the next table, and served in beautiful glasses garnished with orange and lime. Dianes Delicious Diner is named after Diane Ballweg, a longtime local philanthropist who donated money to help the program grow. Food is prepared by students in the programs second-year culinary lab. First-year culinary lab students also sell food, but in a small outlet outside the dining room in the hallway. McGuinnis calls it the Culinary Express. It enables them to prep food at a professional level, he said. The Culinary Express sells food to students, staff and the public for $6 a plate from noon to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays this semester. During peak COVID, when the program couldnt sell its food, students would pack up 30 to 40 portions and send them to The River Food Pantry, which would use it for staff and volunteer meals. It was good to be able to give that food a home during COVID, McGuinnis said. My brother volunteered at the River then and occasionally brought the food home to share with me. We were both blown away, so when I learned about Dianes Delicious Diner, I was eager to go. In 1999, I reviewed MATCs Gourmet Dining Room, as it was known then, and found it to be hit or miss. I was glad to discover that things have changed a lot in the ensuing years. Now it is a pure hit. Diner's scorecard Restaurant: Dianes Delicious Diner at Madison Area Technical College Location: 1701 Wright St. Phone: 608-246-6368 Website: madisoncollege.edu/about/community/facilities/dining Hours: Noon to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday Prices: $25 for three-course meal Noise level: Low Credit cards: Accepted Accessibility: Yes Reservations: Necessary Gluten-free: Can accommodate Vegetarian: Can accommodate with vegetarian and vegan food Drinks: No alcohol Parking: Diners get instructions before visit Service: Excellent Bottom line: One of Madison's best lunch spots helps culinary students learn. An unnamed organization in Madison was taken for about $2.4 million in 2020 through a complex wire fraud scheme that led to the indictment last month of a citizen of Ghana, who is charged with conspiracy to launder the proceeds of the scheme, federal authorities said. Paul Williams Anti, 59, was arrested Monday at his home in the Bronx, New York, by agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, according to court documents from U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The indictment against Williams Anti was filed under seal in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin on Feb. 27. According to records filed in federal court in New York, Williams Anti appeared in court on Tuesday, where he was ordered detained and sent to face charges in federal court in Madison. No date for a court appearance for Williams Anti in Madison has been set yet. According to an affidavit by Homeland Security investigator Nathan Cravatta, the FBI learned on Oct. 23, 2020, that the unnamed Madison-based organization had lost about $2.4 million through a business email compromise scheme. The organization had paid vendor invoices, which had been altered, from Oct. 13-20, 2020, the affidavit states. According to the affidavit: Employees of the Madison organization said that invoices are normally received from vendors by email. A cybersecurity firm hired by the organization to investigate after the fraud was discovered found that settings to an employees email account had been changed without the employee knowing. Those changes caused any email containing the words invoice, wire transfer or bank to be automatically forwarded to a different email folder on the employees computer, where they were retrieved by the scammers. The scammers then altered the amount and the payee bank account information on the invoices and sent the emails to another employee in the organization. That employee, seeing emails that appeared to be from a colleague, approved the invoices for payment and unwittingly had the organizations bank wire funds to the scammers accounts. Bank records showed that on Oct. 19, 2020, $605,200 was transferred to a Wells Fargo account in Bloomfield, Connecticut. The money was then quickly transferred out of the account using checks purportedly signed by the purported owner of the account. The following day, nearly $500,000 was transferred to a Citizens Bank account in the same name. Those accounts were later found to be under Williams Antis control. Another $1.4 million was also transferred from the organizations bank to other bank accounts not controlled by Williams Anti. Transfers made Investigators found that the person whose name was on the accounts had nothing to do with the scam, and was an elderly resident at an assisted living home in Connecticut where Williams Anti worked under an assumed name with the initials K.A., and that the K.A. name and another persons name were used to open fraudulent bank accounts as well. Two of the bank accounts had the same email address associated with them. Records from Google showed the email account was used to transfer smaller amounts of money, including to Ghana. At one point, at the request of Small World Transfer, which facilitated the transfers, the sender provided an image of what was later found to be a fake Connecticut drivers license. The real person whose name was on the account looked nothing like the person in the drivers license photo, investigators found. The email account also revealed that its user took many Uber rides to and from an assisted living facility in Connecticut where the patient whose name was used lived. The facilitys director told investigators a postal worker had once remarked he found it odd that the resident received a lot of mail in other peoples names. Williams Anti, who was working there under the K.A. name, had claimed the mail was for members of his own family. Facial analysis K.A., investigators discovered, had given his employer a fraudulent Permanent Resident card, with a photo similar to the one in the fake Connecticut drivers license. Facial analysis by the FBI found that the photos on the cards were of Williams Anti, whose photo from his resident alien file appeared to match the photos in the fake drivers license and fake resident card. Investigators also found a Facebook profile for Williams Anti, whose photos there also appeared to match the fake identifications. In one of them, he is also wearing an identification badge from the company where he worked as K.A. In another online email account that was under Williams Antis own name, investigators found images of numerous drivers licenses and Social Security cards under the names of real people, but with Williams Antis photo. A citizen of Ghana, Williams Anti has pending applications to U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services to change his status, investigators found, and documents related to his petition were found in that email account. Nirvana Over The World (NOW), a leading B2B brand under the Nirvana Holding Group, has partnered with Turkish Airlines to offer a familiarisation trip to Turkey for top-performing UAE agencies. This exciting collaboration provided a unique opportunity for participants to explore one of the world's most popular destinations while also strengthening business relationships with key partners. The fam trip showcased the most sought-after hotels in Istanbul, including the luxurious Swissotel Bosphorus, ShangriLa Hotel, and Concord. Participants were treated to a range of delightful amenities and services offered by these hotels, providing an unparalleled experience for guests. "We are thrilled to have organised this fam trip to Turkey in partnership with Turkish Airlines," said Lina Bassam, CEO of Nirvana Over The World. "Our aim was to showcase the beauty of this destination to our clients and encourage them to visit this unique country. Turkey has always been a popular destination for UAE travellers, and we are delighted to have received such a positive response from our clients." As part of the itinerary, participants were taken on city tours of Istanbul and Bursa, discovering some of the most attractive places these cities have to offer. In addition, visits to the Topkapi Palace, the Basilica of Haghia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome Square, and Grand Bazaar provided an excellent opportunity to explore Turkish culture and history. The fam trip also included a Bursa city tour, which took participants on a cable car ride to the top of Uludag, the highest peak in the Marmara region, offering stunning panoramic views of the city. Additionally, the historic Cumalikizik Village and the Green Tomb of Sultan Mehmet I provided a unique glimpse into Turkey's rich history and heritage. One of the highlights of the trip was the dinner cruise in Bosphorus. Participants enjoyed a delicious dinner while cruising along the Bosphorus Strait, which separates Europe and Asia, providing a memorable experience for all involved. The fam trip was part of NOW's 2023 marketing plan, and more such events will be conducted with different customers from different source markets. Nirvana Over The World remains committed to providing its customers with exceptional service and unforgettable travel experiences. TradeArabia News Service A Dodgeville man died in a crash into a bridge pillar on Wednesday morning, the Iowa County Sheriffs Office reported. At about 9:10 a.m. Wednesday, a 911 caller reported a crash on Brennan Road at Highway 151 in the town of Dodgeville, Sheriff Michael Peterson said in a statement. First responders found a vehicle that had crashed into a cement bridge pillar and the initial investigation determined that Derrick R. Lee, 38, was eastbound on Brennan Road at high speed when he veered off the road and struck a pillar, Peterson said. Lee, who was alone in the vehicle and not wearing a seatbelt when he crashed, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Iowa County Coroner's Office, Peterson said. The fatal crash is the first in Iowa County in 2023. Photos: Madison's most dangerous intersections, as seen from space No. 10: Packers Avenue and International Lane No. 9: Zeier Road and East Washington Avenue No. 8: South Park Street and West Badger Road No. 7: Thierer Road and East Washington Avenue No. 6: North First Street and East Washington Avenue No. 5: Buckeye Road and South Stoughton Road No. 4: South Baldwin Street and East Washington Avenue No. 3: North Stoughton Road and East Washington Avenue No. 2: Watts Road and South Gammon Road No. 1: Pleasant View Road and Mineral Point Students at West High School organized two debates with Madison School Board and mayoral candidates on Wednesday, posing questions on issues from school safety to climate change that matter to them as the next generation of voters. School Board candidates Blair Feltham and Badri Lankella answered questions on subjects that impact students daily, such as honors classes, while Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and her opponent, former School Board President Gloria Reyes, tried to relate citywide issues like housing and transit to the lives of students. Hundreds of students attended the debates, which were hosted by Wests new Sifting and Winnowing Club, which promotes civic engagement. Questions and topics were created by students, and the club also worked with people who had experience moderating and organizing debates. Student organizers said the debates aimed to highlight how important local races are, and although most of their classmates cant vote yet, they said it was important to get them engaged now before they head to the polls in a few years. We always focus on governor, president, vice president, but these are the people making your decisions every day, and you should know what theyre doing and what they stand for, said Oluwadara Fadiran, a West sophomore and Sifting and Winnowing vice president who moderated the School Board debate. Experience is where Feltham and Lankella tried to set themselves apart from the other. Feltham has worked in public schools for 12 years and is a former Madison teacher. Shes now the equitable multi-level systems of support coordinator for the Sun Prairie School District. I really know how schools work, she said. What I hope to do on the School Board is take my applied, everyday knowledge of schools and use that to make sure the choices the board is making are actually going to support what we want to see in schools. A computer engineer, Lankella said his experience as a dad gives him a leg up, as well as his time serving on various city committees. He has two students who attend Vel Phillips Memorial High School. Im involved every day, he said. Lankella is a software architect for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, as well as president of BNLSoft Corp. and the regional director for the North South Foundation. Policymaking and budget management is very, very important right now, and that only comes with experience, and I have over 20 years making those decisions, he said. School safety Safety in schools continues to be top of mind for students. While moderating, Fadiran said she personally doesnt feel safe in school. Im really sorry and thats not right, Feltham responded. We wait for the big tragedies, but what youre experiencing is a tragedy, too, and I know youre not alone in that. She said the issue of safety in schools related broadly to safety issues in greater society. She added that the recommendations a recent School Board committee put forth look really good. As a dad, Lankella said, Every time I get an email from the school district I am scared. He pointed to the districts Behavior Education Plan, which has been controversial among staff and the community because its being implemented differently at each school. The plan is likely to be revamped soon, which Lankella supported to make everybody feel safe. While neither School Board candidate mentioned police in schools, the mayoral candidates were asked directly if they supported school resource officers, or SROs, which were removed by the School Board in 2020 after George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis. Before that vote, Rhodes-Conway was vocal that she didnt support SROs long term. On Wednesday, she said there were better ways to create a safe community besides law enforcement, but ultimately, she said, its a school district decision. Its up to the School Board, its up to the superintendent, and honestly its up to you, she said to the students. So, I hope theyre asking for your opinion if they ever raise those questions again. Despite voting unanimously with the School Board in 2020 to remove SROs, Reyes said that decision was made because of the social unrest after Floyds death, and that she supports officers in schools. I think they brought a valid relationship and building trusted relationships with our young people, Reyes said. As mayor, if I get a contract on my desk saying that you all want officers back in schools, Im going to sign it, she said. Superintendent search Whoever is elected to the School Board in April will help find and select the districts next superintendent. Carlton Jenkins announced he would retire this summer after nearly three years as the districts leader. The next superintendent needs to be able to collaborate with the community and district staff, Lankella said. We need the communitys support, he said, saying the superintendent is the bridge between all the players. Feltham agreed, and added that the next superintendent needed to have a love for Madison, but didnt necessarily need to be local. School and city collaboration The mayoral debate got heated over a disagreement on how much Rhodes-Conway and Reyes, in her former position as School Board president, met at the height of the pandemic. Local officials, including city and school district leaders, met weekly at the beginning of the pandemic, Rhodes-Conway said, but Reyes said the mayor was nowhere to be found during peak pandemic times. I requested over and over again to meet with her, and she wasnt even considering our schools and we were on an island by ourselves, Reyes said. Rhodes-Conway said that wasnt true, saying it was clear Reyes didnt like her. Its really unfortunate that my opponent is completely rewriting history, she said. We literally met during the pandemic, the two of us. So, for her to say she asked and asked and asked for a meeting and didnt get one is literally not true. For the first time in decades, Madison is exploring turning the 400 to 600 blocks of State Street into a pedestrian and bicycle mall, with the possibility of a limited pilot program as soon as this summer. In mid-2022, the Downtown Coordinating Committee asked city staff to study the idea. Since then, staff have been gathering information from city agencies as well as business and neighborhood groups about opportunities to reimagine the space as well as constraints, such as the need to provide Fire Department access, business deliveries, and access for the disabled. We are trying to figure out whats possible, city planner Daniel McAuliffe said. Any pilot program would likely block off the street for part of the time, perhaps afternoons, evenings and weekends. It would have to be done in a way that meets the needs of the Fire Department, which requires a 20-foot-wide fire lane on a thoroughfare lined with many structures without sprinklers, and accommodating deliveries, perhaps on weekday mornings or by devising alternate means. The possibility of transforming part of State Street has resurfaced because buses will be removed from the 400 to 600 blocks when the city begins to roll out a sweeping Metro Transit redesign in mid-June. Buses will continue to use the 100 to 300 blocks of the street those closest to Capitol Square and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) will operate on those blocks with special stops starting in late 2024. The possibilities are immense, said Jason Ilstrup, president of Downtown Madison Inc. For the first time in a generation our community has an opportunity to create a State Street where pedestrians are at the center of the streets design. We have the ability to take best practices from cities across the world and incorporate their ideas into our design, creating a street for everyone. Within this opportunity, though, there are limits, he said. The advisory Downtown Coordinating Committee is scheduled to discuss whats been learned so far and potential next steps at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Madison Municipal Building. Its unclear if it will seek more information or take votes to trigger a process that would involve a City Council resolution and consideration to do a pilot program. This will help educate us, said Ald. Mike Verveer, 4th District, a member of the coordinating committee, adding that hed like to have a pilot program in place soon after buses are removed. Advantages, constraints A pilot program could lead to a third incarnation of the states most famed street, although a permanent change must resolve added questions of financing, design and timing. The city converted State Street from a regular traffic street with parking to a transit/pedestrian mall in phases in the 1970s and early 1980s, fully reconstructing it between 2004 and 2014. Last year, the city decided to keep buses and BRT on the 100 to 300 blocks but to remove buses from the 400 through 600 blocks. The 700 and 800 blocks already function as a pedestrian/bicycle mall, known as State Street Mall. But the 400 to 600 blocks are much different than those blocks, which have just a few large buildings, all with access on other streets, McAuliffe said. DMI, Madisons Central Business Improvement District, the Greater State Street Business Association and the Campus Area Neighborhood Association have all recently expressed interest in improving the pedestrian experience on the 400 to 600 blocks. The advantages are many more foot traffic going by your business, no loud vehicles disrupting your outdoor dining experience, great for people-watching, opportunity to activate the street with different types of programing, said Vic Villacrez, chairman of the Central BID. A pedestrian-like mall would be great for our city, Ilstrup said. Now, more than ever, we need to build magnets to draw people Downtown. A revitalized State Street could be one of the strongest magnets our community could build. A big hurdle, Villacrez said, is deliveries. Most businesses can only take deliveries through the front door on State Street, and many businesses have deliveries going out based on having a robust online business. Other drawbacks arise from the street itself, which is narrow with little room for new uses, while fire and other emergency services must have constant access to the blocks, Ilstrup said. Many choices Many of those constraints would need to be worked out even for a pilot program, staff surveys of multiple agencies show. The street itself is only 24 feet wide, and a 20-foot fire lane is established in code, the Fire Department says. The department will try to be flexible but needs space to operate in emergencies, it says. Blasting through obstructions like tables or overhead festival lights can damage equipment and render a truck useless for firefighting purposes, it says. In early 1993, a deliberately set fire ripped through 210 State St., destroying five apartments in the three-story building and causing severe water and smoke damage to three street-level businesses. The city must also decide whether to separate bicyclists and pedestrians and how to guarantee access to all businesses and residents for everyone. This isnt a one-size-fits-all approach for businesses on State Street, and each individual business has their own perspectives about what would improve the street, McAuliffe said. We need to make sure any design works for all members of our community. Legislative Republicans on Wednesday proposed adding limited rape, incest and health exceptions to the states near-complete abortion ban, but the bill appeared to have foundered later in the day after the Senates top Republican said it wouldnt be taken up in that house. Five hours after the bill was announced Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, said his chamber, which is split on the topic, would not bring it to a vote. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has also repeatedly said he would not sign any bill that allows even an amended version of the states existing abortion ban on the books. Further discussion on this specific proposal is unnecessary, LeMahieu said, citing Evers opposition to the proposal. The bill will not be considered on the floor of the Senate. Republican lawmakers, including Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, unveiled the bill Wednesday morning in the Capitol. The bill was the most significant Wisconsin Republican abortion proposal since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last June. The decision appeared to reactivate the states near-complete abortion ban, which hadnt been in use for 50 years and was first passed in 1849, although that interpretation is being challenged in court. Is this an ideal bill? No, its not an ideal bill because we should be protecting all life, but this is not an ideal world, this is a world where bad things happen, tragic things happen, horrific things happen to people, bill co-author Rep. Donna Rozar, R-Marshfield, told reporters Wednesday. It is in the best interest to put these exceptions in there. Even if the measure were to make it through the Legislature, Evers said he will not sign it into law, saying the measure would leave Wisconsin women with fewer rights and freedoms than they had before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe. Evers has sought to codify Roe, which established a constitutional right to abortion until a fetus is viable. Bill co-author Sen. Mary Felzkowski, R-Irma, acknowledged Wednesday morning that Republicans did not have the 17 Senate votes needed to pass the measure. After signing on to the bill, Vos, R-Rochester, said he thinks he can get at least 50 votes in the Assembly. Its unclear if the measure will move forward in the Assembly with the Senate signaling no interest in discussing the matter. Democrats respond Legislative Democrats also pushed back against the proposal, which, if passed, could disrupt legal efforts to have a judge strike down the law the bill seeks to amend. In challenging Wisconsins ban, Attorney General Josh Kaul said more recent and permissive abortion statutes, passed during the Roe era, supersede the old one. He also said the law is unenforceable because of its disuse. An agreement to update the disputed law could very well undercut the current legal challenge, UW-Madison Law School associate professor Robert Yablon told the Wisconsin State Journal last November. If an amendment were to build on the 1849 law, that could well be interpreted as an acknowledgement that the 1849 law (as amended) continues to apply. Democratic leaders in the Assembly and Senate immediately blasted the proposal. Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard, D-Madison, described the bill as misguided and wholly inadequate, while Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer, D-Racine, said the bill is a political stunt and the GOP knows it. Any legislation that does not provide a woman with autonomy of her own body and her own health care decisions is a nonstarter for my caucus, Agard added. Marquette Law School polling in November found that 84% of respondents including 73% of Republicans think abortion should be legal for victims of rape or incest. Fifty-five percent of respondents said they oppose the U.S. Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe. Bill details The measure would change several aspects of Wisconsins abortion ban that was first signed in 1849, the year after Wisconsin became a state. It would allow for abortions for rape and incest victims, currently omitted from the ban, only during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Under Roe, abortions were prohibited after 20 or more weeks after fertilization or 22 weeks after the last menstrual cycle. That ban included exceptions for preserving the mothers life and, in some cases, the mothers health. The proposed bill would also allow abortions for cases where a pregnancy causes a serious risk of death of the pregnant woman or a substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function of the woman. It would permit abortions when a fetus has no chance of survival outside of the uterus, including an ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy or anembryonic pregnancy. The same would also apply if the fetus has a condition that wouldnt let it live outside the womb. There would be no time restriction on those health exceptions. While Vos had previously said he supported requiring victims of sexual assault to file a police report before they could qualify for an abortion under the exceptions, the bill unveiled Wednesday does not include such a requirement. Political issue Democrats have sought to use the current abortion ban to galvanize Wisconsinites ahead of the state Supreme Court election, a race that liberals who support candidate Janet Protasiewicz say offers them the most immediate opportunity to overturn the ban since it offers liberals a chance to win a majority on the seven-member court. Anti-abortion groups back conservative candidate Dan Kelly. The election is April 4. Vos said the Legislature is unlikely to vote on the bill until after the election. He said he hopes Kelly wins the election so the Supreme Court doesnt take up legislative decisions. Republicans also on Wednesday announced they are reintroducing a bill to allow pharmacists to prescribe birth control pills. The measure passed the Assembly last session but died in the Senate. Bill sponsor Rep. Joel Kitchens said the measure is intended to prevent unwanted pregnancies and abortions. I think the bottom line is, as Republicans, we dont want women to be faced with that choice of having to abort and I think that this bill goes a long way toward that goal, he said. Republicans on Thursday advanced legislation to define what offenses constitute violent crimes in preparation for the anticipated passage of a state constitutional amendment that would allow judges to consider defendants past convictions in setting cash bail. If passed and signed into law by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, the measure would clarify that judges can consider dozens of defendants past violent crime convictions, from reckless homicide to intimidating a witness by use of force, when they set cash bail. Democrats in the Senate judiciary committee Thursday criticized the bill as too expansive, pointing out that just spectating at a cockfight, dog fight or bullfight would also be considered a violent crime under the proposal. The measure passed 5-3, along party lines. If enacted, the measure would only become active if voters approve ballot questions in the April 4 election to allow judges to consider more elements in setting cash bail. Currently, judges may only use cash bail to ensure defendants appear in court, not to keep defendants from engaging in criminal activity by keeping them locked up. Judges may, however, add conditions to a persons bail that seek to address public safety concerns. The state Constitution also says defendants shall be eligible for release under reasonable conditions aimed at protecting community members from serious bodily harm. The proposal would change that standard to serious harm. Because state law is inconsistent about what constitutes a violent crime, the amendment authors in January said they were working on a measure to clarify the definition. Unlike the amendment, which would be enacted if voters approve it in April, the bill to define violent crime would need Evers approval. Evers spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Supporters of the proposed constitutional amendment maintain the change would fix Wisconsins bail system, which they say lags behind other states cash bail standards. Opponents have said the amendment would lead to some defendants being stuck in jail for longer periods of time without being able to pay bail, something they say could raise constitutional issues. The measure to put the constitutional amendment on the April 4 ballot, alongside the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, was passed by the Legislature with bipartisan support, though most Democrats opposed the change. ST. CHARLES A St. Charles County jury convicted a man this week for shooting an Amazon delivery driver in the back after the two argued over a disability parking spot outside a Target Store. Jurors on Monday found Larry Thomlison, 70, guilty of first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the shooting of driver Jaylen Walker, who was 21 at the time. Walker, who worked for an Amazon contractor, was paralyzed from the waist down. The dispute began just before noon March 5, 2019, outside the Target at 3881 Mexico Road. Walker had illegally parked his delivery van in a disability-accessible parking spot and was talking to the driver of a different Amazon van. Thomlison pulled out a cellphone to photograph the illegally parked delivery van, and posted the image to social media, according to court documents. Thomlison, who was driving a car with a disabled permit placard, then confronted Walker about the parking spot and attempted to photograph him. Walker pushed the phone away and Thomlison punched Walker, charges say. There was a tussle, and authorities said they ended up on the ground. Thomlison then pulled the gun from his waistband and shot Walker. Prosecutors presented surveillance recordings of the shooting, Thomlison's interviews with police and jail calls, among other evidence, in the more than weeklong trial that opened March 6. Thomlison, who lived on Lost Meadow Court about a mile and a half from the shopping center, will be sentenced May 1 in the case. He showed clear reckless disregard for life, St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Tim Lohmar said of the crimes in 2019. Any responsible gun owner will tell you this is not OK. The child of the Mequon man accused of killing a Kenosha man inside his apartment and then disposing of the body in spring 2020 testified Wednesday in the high-profile trial of their father. The minor testified for the state in the in jury trial of her father, Zachariah Anderson, in Kenosha County Circuit Court. Anderson, 42, is accused of killing 40-year-old Rosalio Gutierrez Jr. with blunt force the evening of May 17, 2020, inside Gutierrezs first-floor Wood Creek apartment in a jealous rage. Prosecutors allege Anderson killed him because Gutierrez was having a romantic relationship with Sadie Beacham, his ex-girlfriend and mother of his children. Gutierrezs body has never been recovered and his friends and family have not heard from him in nearly three years. Prosecutors maintain Gutierrez is dead based on the large amount of blood spatter found inside his apartment. Gutierrez, a father of two young children, was reported missing May 19, 2020, after Beacham went to his apartment in the 3700 block of 15th Street, and found the patio door open with heavy blood stains on the floor, door and furniture. Beacham testified that she had been trying to reach him by phone before driving to his apartment out of deep concern for his wellbeing. Kenosha Police focused on Anderson after Beacham reported that Anderson had been stalking and harassing her in the weeks after she began developing a relationship with Gutierrez. Anderson is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, a Class A felony that carries a sentence of life in prison if convicted. Anderson is also charged with felonies of hiding a corpse and stalking. Anderson and Beacham's child, who the Kenosha News is not naming, said Anderson asked her to spy on her mother and record with a smartphone "every single time my mother would get upset" and would to try and get Beacham in trouble. On the night of April 24 to April 25, 2020, the daughter said Anderson drove them both to Beacham's residence in Germantown to spy on Beacham and Gutierrez, who were inside on the couch, through a window. The girl said that night Anderson also went through Gutierrez's truck that night and took a picture of his license plate and his registration before ringing Beacham's doorbell and running back to his own vehicle and driving away. On May 16, the day before prosecutors believe Gutierrez was killed, the girl said Anderson took her and her siblings to his family's tree farm with his work van, the same van Anderson allegedly drove to a Saukville Walmart the morning of May 18, 2020, to purchase trash bags, cleaning wipes and gloves. On Wednesday, the girl testified the van was not missing a portion of its carpet and did not have bleach stains on May 16 when she rode in it to the tree farm. Investigators would later find a speck of a dried rust colored fluid that tested positive for Gutierrezs DNA and evidence of scrubbing with bleach. The van also had portions of the interior carpet removed. She also testified that Anderson had used a racial slur to describe Gutierrez in the past and implied that he would follow him. "He said something about showing him who the man was, and I didn't quite understand, but you kind of caught onto things that my dad was referring to or was implying," the child said. "My dad said to me, he said 'I may just watch him or follow him to his house one time just for the fun of it.' Those were his exact words to me." Anderson is being held on a $750,000 cash bond at the Kenosha County Jail. He has been in custody since shortly after Gutierrezs disappearance, initially charged with stalking. The homicide charge was added in December 2020 after an investigations found evidence that indicated Anderson may have moved Gutierrezs dead body in his van to another location. The trial, now in its third week, has sparked headlines across the nation. Judge Bruce Schroeder is presiding over the trial before a jury of eight women and five men, which includes on alternate. The prosecution is led by District Attorney Michael Graveley who throughout the trial has argued Anderson killed Gutierrez out of jealousy and an obsession over his ex-girlfriend. Defense attorney Nicole Muller has argued Kenosha Police failed to look at other possible suspects and prematurely zeroed in on Anderson based on claims made by Beacham. Improper communication claimed On Wednesday, someone made a complaint against Beacham alleging that she used sign language to communicate with her daughter instructions while she was on the stand. Beacham was called back to the stand and said she is somewhat fluid with American Sign Language. Beacham denied instructing with her child even though she had a sight-line to the child. "My hands were below the pews," Beacham said, adding that she could have mouthed "calm down" when her child was becoming "sassy" on the stand. Schroeder also warned those in the court against texting or taking pictures. The prosecution also questioned whether Anderson communicated instructions to his daughter while she was on the stand and reviewed a video of him allegedly tampering with the witness. The Senate on Wednesday confirmed President Joe Biden's nomination of Eric Garcetti to be ambassador to India after he had faced pushback from some Democrats. The final vote was 52 to 42. Seven Republicans voted in favor of the nomination: Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Susan Collins of Maine, Steve Daines of Montana, Todd Young of Indiana, Roger Marshall of Kansas and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. Three Democrats voted in opposition: Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Mark Kelly of Arizona. The chamber voted earlier in the day to break a filibuster on the former Los Angeles mayor's nomination, advancing it to a final confirmation vote. CNN reported last year that a number of Senate Democrats had privately expressed concerns over the nomination, which faced headwinds as a result of accusations that he had ignored alleged sexual harassment and bullying by one of his former senior aides. Garcetti has repeatedly denied the allegations that he ignored the alleged harassment. As some Democrats signaled they needed more time to vet the nomination and reach a determination on whether to support it, the nomination stalled. Biden originally announced his intent to nominate Garcetti to the post in 2021. But in a sign of forward momentum, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted last week to advance the nomination. The vote was 13-8 and two Republicans -- Sens. Todd Young of Indiana and Bill Hagerty of Tennessee -- voted with Democrats to support the nominee. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat who had been seen as a key holdout on the nomination, told CNN last Thursday that she will back Garcetti. Gillibrand said she is confident in the review by the Foreign Relations Committee. Democratic senators explain their votes Hirono said she voted against Garcetti's confirmation to be ambassador to India after being provided "credible information given to me in confidence" this week related to him. Asked repeatedly if it dealt with accusations Garcetti did not properly handle allegations of sexual harassment made against a former aide, Hirono would not say yes or no. Another Democratic senator who voted against the nominee was Brown, who is up for reelection in Ohio. He said his concerns were not related to the accusations over sexual harassment, but complained the former Los Angeles mayor didn't have the right diplomatic credentials for the important post. "I think there are better nominees that had more experience and expertise in a country set to be the biggest democracy in the world, so I just thought we could have done better," Brown said, adding his staff was "unanimous" in their concerns about Garcetti's "qualifications." One Republican who voted to put Garcetti in the post was Graham, who said he looked into the workplace issue and believes Garcetti's denial of claims that he knew something happened. "I'm confident about him not being involved, not knowing," Graham said. Senate Foreign Relations committee chairman Bob Menendez, a Democrat, told CNN's Manu Raju that he is satisfied with Garcetti's denials. "There's a lot of review of his file, reviews of witnesses, and the bottom line, not only does he deny it, but other witnesses deny that in fact he had any knowledge," said Menendez. "We take it seriously, we did a lot of vetting, and at the end of the day, it's a question as to how do you determine the veracity of the complaint. And when you weigh it all, the committee, on a bipartisan vote, voted" to advance his nomination. This story and headline have been updated with additional developments. The-CNN-Wire & 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. TWIN FALLS A 26-year-old man is facing felony drug charges after police found a bag containing marijuana near his house, court records say. Christian Isahia Maher-Olguin, of Twin Falls, was taken into custody by police officers Sunday after they responded to a domestic dispute call. Deputies said they found a bag that was full of leafy, green plants suspected to be marijuana and small digital scales. Court records said there was probable cause to believe Maher-Olguin dropped the bag near his house before he was detained. The bag contained almost 12 ounces of marijuana. He was charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, possession of marijuana in an amount greater than three ounces, and concealment of evidence, records say. Maher-Olguin was released as part of a pre-trial release agreement and a March 24 preliminary hearing has been set. TWIN FALLS Seven proposals are set to receive $8 million in recovery funds, after the city council on Monday approved recommendations from an advisory committee. The money comes from State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, which is a component of the American Rescue Plan in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. To determine which projects would get the money, the city formed a nine-member advisory committee that met for five months and heard more than 25 proposals requesting nearly $48 million. Council member Spencer Cutler served on the advisory committee, and at Mondays meeting he praised the process but said he wouldve liked to have seen some different outcomes. To be frank, this list is not what I wanted it to look like, but it wasnt about me, Cutler said. It was nine members that represented the broader interest of the community. I still want to support this list because I feel like the committee did its purpose. Two big-ticket items went to the the citys parks department. Director Wendy Davis told the council she submitted requests that would otherwise not be funded. I was really trying to look for projects that would be difficult to accomplish otherwise, or would take a long time to get there, Davis, on Monday, told the council. We tried to find a couple of projects we could do start-to-finish complete and have a completed project. An expansion to Vista Bonita Park was narrowly approved for $2 million by a 5-to-4 vote of the council. The funds will cover design and construction for a 6.4 acre expansion of the park, with the idea that it serve as a destination on the south end of town. The council voted unanimously to use nearly $3 million to rebuild Shoshone Falls Grade. The road is deteriorating and is exposed to year-round water damage from groundwater seeping from the canyon walls. The Idaho Housing Co. was awarded $1.7 million to support its 72-unit affordable-housing project, and to help cover the gap between construction costs and federal funding, allowing them to keep rents affordable for lower-income residents. The citys Fleet Maintenance Shop was awarded $1.5 million for a renovation to its shop facility, and the Police Department was awarded $62,000 to purchase crime scene mapping and diagramming equipment that can scan crime scenes and reproduce digital models and maps, saving the department time in investigations where all crime scene maps and diagrams were made by hand. Magic Valley Regional Airport has a single daily flight. It's 'pay-to-play' to keep it. Magic Valley Regional Airport has been slow to recover following the COVID-19 pandemic, and a combination of circumstances continue to hamper ambitions to grow services to and from Twin Falls. Economic Development received $125,000 for a feasibility study for a convention center, conference, meeting, civic and public-private gathering facility. Economic Development Director Shawn Barigar told the council that a study done by the chamber in 1992 recommended a convention or event center. Yet, 30 years later, theres no such facility. The Magic Valley Fellowship Hall was awarded $49,000 for ADA improvements and repairs to its events area, which will allow the organization to get Bingo back up and running. The nonprofit hosts 12-step recovery meetings and events. During a presentation for the request in December, Magic Valley Fellowship operations manager Katie Ayers-Hicks told the committee that bingo was the facilitys main source of income, but without improvements they would not be able to bring the event back. Our best month we were still in the negative $165, Ayers-Hicks said, explaining that bingo has been suspended since the COVID-19 pandemic. We are barely making it even on operations right now without bingo, and because of that we have no money to start bingo. The remaining $105,651 will go to fund sidewalk construction on Stadium Boulevard. In his Election Night remarks, Attorney General Raul Labrador said his job is to represent the people, not bureaucracy of Idaho, overlooking the fact that the attorney generals main job under Idaho law is to represent the agencies and officials of the bureaucracy. Labrador also promised to make Idaho a better place for our families. These remarks are hard to square up with Labradors heavy-handed action against upward of 80 community organizations that serve families across the state. Starting in early March, Labrador began serving civil investigative demands (CIDs) upon organizations that applied for and received federal funds designed to compensate for learning loss as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CIDs were improperly based on statutes designed to go after crooks, scamsters and fake charities. One such statute is the Consumer Protection Act, which is intended to target con artists. It is highly doubtful the Cascade Public Library, or Parma School District, or Idaho Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs, or United Way of Treasure Valley, or Middleton Counseling Center, or Marsing School District, are engaged in unsavory business practices so as to justify treating them like common criminals. The CIDs require them to furnish an oppressive amount of paperwork to Labrador in a short timeframe. This use of CIDs is virtually unprecedented and clearly outside of the intent of the laws cited by Labrador. It is unclear why he has spent so much time on this fool's errand, although it could be that he was goaded into it by his friends at the Idaho Freedom Foundation and the lobbyist for one of the grant recipients. The IFF has a longstanding objection to public education and a vendetta against the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children, which acted as a grant facilitator. Or, it might be that Labrador was hoping to embarrass Gov. Brad Little by going after the Department of Health and Welfare, which administers the grant program. He served three DHW officials, including the director, with CIDs. That is a bit dicey because DHW and its administrative officials, are his clients under the law. The well-regarded University of Idaho Extension Service, which administered 18 programs under the program last year, is also a state entity. If there really was a problem, shouldnt Labrador have tried to work it out with his clients before initiating legal proceedings? The issue appears to be whether funds were used to serve children under 5 years of age. Federal law allowed it. The Legislature targeted funds for kids ages 5 to 13, but did not prohibit use of funds for children under 5. DHWs grant guidance did not include such a prohibition, which was not an unreasonable interpretation of the state statute. The CID statutes are not intended to apply to this type of issue. Idaho law provides a mechanism to examine whether funds are being applied as intended by the Legislature. Legislators may request the Legislative Services Office to conduct an audit and report malfeasance to the Attorney General. Before Labrador fired his salvo against the community groups, legislative budget writers did just that. Apparently, Labrador did not want to hold his fire until a report was available through proper channels. Labradors misuse of his office has created a great deal of unnecessary fear and upset amongst grant recipients across the state who have done nothing wrong. They only responded to a grant opportunity to serve their communities. They followed the grant guidance given them by DHW, which was presumably developed with the assistance of deputy attorneys general. At most, this is just a dispute between DHW and some legislators. There was absolutely no reason to drag the grant recipients into it. Some of the recipients are lawyering up to respond to Labradors unjustified demands for a mountain of paperwork. The best course of action for the AGs Office would be to apologize for this rash act and withdraw the CIDs. If that does not occur, legislators should call for an immediate halt to this foolishness. Perhaps Labrador could better spend his time going after fentanyl dealers, as opposed to innocent educators. Carter B&T Carter Bank & Trust CEO Litz Van Dyke read to students at Patrick Henry Elementary School recently as part of the schools Virginia Reads One Book celebration. Van Dyke read two chapters of the book J.D. and the Great Barber Battle by J. Dillard. That book is being read by elementary students across the state in other schools participating in the program. PHES participation in Virginia Reads One Book is sponsored by Carter Bank & Trust, which provided copies of the book to every student at the school and even donated a barber chair for students to sit in for some quiet reading time. Several other Carter Bank employees have been visiting individual classes to read chapters of the book to students as well. The students were definitely engaged during his read-aloud times and our fifth graders thanked him for the contribution made by CB&T to fund a copy of the book for each student, stated PHES Principal Cameron Cooper in a press release. It was even more fun to have him read to students in the barber chair donated by Carter Bank for the two weeks we are reading this book. Virginia Reads One Book is a States Read One Book program of Read to Them, a Virginia-based nonprofit promoting family literacy. For more information, visit www.readtothem.org. Monogram grants Monogram Foods Monogram Loves Kids Foundation will award $60,000 to charitable organizations that sponsor programs benefiting children and their families. Local 5013 organizations within 100 miles of its plant at 200 Knauss Drive, Martinsville, may apply by completing an application on its website, monogramfoods.com/what-we-value/community-outreach/. Through the annual grants program, Monogram Foods Loves Kids will donate more than $650,000 total to charitable organizations in the communities in which Monogram Foods has production facilities. A committee of Monogram team members in each city will select recipients of the grants ranging from $500 to $10,000. The deadline for applications is 5 p.m. May 31. Applicants will be notified of the status of the application via email by Friday, September 8. ague in Richmond n Credit Union Day to help fund the Leagues advocacy on behalf of Virginias credit unions. The VACUL works to build a supportive network of lawmakers who can create a positive legislative and regulatory environment for Virginias credit unions, according to a press release. Incident response program New College Institute (NCI), in partnership with Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE) and Virginia Department of Educations K-12 IT Advisory, will host Incident Response is a Team Sport from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. March 30 at NCI. The event is targeted at K-12 leadership including IT professionals, cybersecurity experts and educators interested in learning more about and planning for incident response and management. It will feature presentations from Dr. Tara Nattrass from Dell Technologies, Dr. David Raymond from Virginia Tech Cyber Range, Philip Harmon from Woods Rogers Vandeventer Black PLC in Roanoke and Sergio Orellana of BinaryLab. Topics such as threat intelligence, incident response planning and best practices for managing cyber incidents will be addressed. The objective for the day is for schools to leave with a draft of an Incident Response Plan (IRP) to enhance the the plan they already have, according to a press release. Williams on committee ValleyStar Credit Unions business development manager, Rachael Williams, was selected to be a member of the Virginia Credit Union Leagues (VACUL) Financial Wellbeing for All Committee to address financial participation, education and inclusion. The committee aims to aid credit unions with initiatives and programs designed to improve financial outcomes, according to a press release. The committee will also advocate for the industry. I work diligently to provide financial education for ValleyStar members through classes and online resources to ensure all members are given the proper resources to achieve and maintain a healthy financial wellbeing, Williams stated in a release. Credit unions ValleyStar Credit Union presented a $10,000 donation to the Virginia Credit Union League in Richmond n Credit Union Day to help fund the Leagues advocacy on behalf of Virginias credit unions. The VACUL works to build a supportive network of lawmakers who can create a positive legislative and regulatory environment for Virginias credit unions, according to a press release. Summer meals As part of its efforts to ensure children and teenagers have access to healthy meals during the summer months, Henry County Public Schools will serve them summer meals at various sites. Starting on June 5, all kids 18 and under can receive meals free of charge, no registration needed Meals will be served Mondays through Thursdays June 5-29 and July 10 through Aug.3. The Summer Meals program is funded by the USDA and run by school districts and local organizations, served at sites throughout the community. Families can text FOOD or COMIDA to 304-304 and type in a zip code to find nearby summer meals sites, along with operating days and times. No application, registration or proof of residency or citizenship is required at sites. Visit https://www.henry.k12.va.us/domain/2845 or call 276-638-1165 for more information. Preschool in the Galleries Through Preschool in the Galleries, young children are introduced to the arts at Piedmont Arts. Performances are free for all area preschool and homeschool students. Recently, Carlisle Schools theater troupe, ZipZapZop, performed a Dr. Seuss-inspired musical for more 150 people. After the performance, another preschool group took part in planting for Piedmont Arts new pollinator path and played in the Discovery Room. After the first performance, preschool students from First Presbyterian Weekday School went outside and helped C.D. Prillaman of Prillaman Landscape Dimensions plant the first garden bed of the Piedmont Arts Pollinator Path. Equipped with trowels, mulch and fertilizer, the children dug holes with Prillaman and planted black-eyed Susans, dogwood trees and small shrubs. Prillaman tasked them with returning in a couple of weeks to see if the plants have started growing. This garden bed will be the first of many surrounding the new pollinator trail, partially funded by the Harvest Foundations Project Hope. ATTENTION: Please email your church news to mcdowellchurchnews@gmail.com or call 527-3175 and leave a message. The deadline is noon on Wednesdays. Please note the change in deadline and phone number. Clinchfield Baptist Church will have a yard sale on Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. Old Fort Church of God will have Pastor Appreciation Day on Sunday. Snapper Greene will bring the message and there will be a meal to follow the service. The congregation of Old Fort Church of God thanks its pastor, Carl Overton, for his dedication to the church. First United Methodist Church, across from Marion Elementary School, has Sunday school at 9:45 a.m. and worship at 11 a.m. Our Holy Week schedule includes the program Holy Week Journey Through Scripture and Song at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 2, followed by an Easter egg hunt for children through fifth grade. Holy Thursday, April 6, will be marked by a special service in the chapel at 6:30 p.m. Good Friday will include a community service held at St. Johns Episcopal Church at noon and a service of meditation and music held at FUMC at 7 p.m. by Howard Smith. Join us on Easter Sunday, April 9, for a sunrise service at 7:30 a.m. followed by breakfast, then the 11 a.m. service that will include special music and a butterfly release. Everyone is welcome. St. Matthews Lutheran Church, of 241 W. Court St., Marion, invites the community to join us to watch the global film phenomenon The Chosen. Experience the Bible as vividly real on Wednesday at 7 p.m. and each Wednesday thereafter. There will be refreshments and door prizes. First United Methodist Church, across from Marion Elementary School, invites anyone seeking a church family to join us. On Sunday mornings we have adult Sunday school at 9:45 a.m., followed by worship at 11 a.m, which includes a nursery and childrens church. The United Methodist Men continue to sell their peanuts for $5 a jar. Peanuts are available in regular, light salt, no salt and Cajun. Contact the church at 652-7010 to place an order. Chapel Hill Baptist Church, of U.S. 221 South, Marion, will have an all-you-can-eat breakfast on the second Saturday of each month from 7:30-10 a.m. for a donation. His Place Worship Center, 1423 U.S. 70 West in Marion, will host combined in-person and online meetings at 10 a.m. on the second Saturday of each month. Additional information about the Hickory Lighthouse, including links to the Zoom and Facebook Live meetings, are available at Hickory Aglows website and Facebook page at www.aglownet.org/hickorync and www.facebook.com/hickory.aglow. Interested persons may sign up on the website to receive a monthly email newsletter. Readers may receive related Facebook notifications by liking the Facebook page. The Sharing Food Pantry Ministry of Cross United Methodist Church needs donations of coats, sweaters and blankets for families in the community who may be in need. Donations can be dropped off at 85 W. Cross St., just past Blue Ridge Terrace Apartments in Marion. For more information, call 828-460-9257 or 828-559-4047 and leave a message. East Marion Baptist Church, of 660 Baldwin Ave., Marion, will host The Landing, a 12-step program for teens, every Wednesday from 6-7:30 p.m. For more information, email thelanding@embc.church. North Cove Church of God will have a breakfast sale on every third Saturday of the month. Living Waters Tabernacle of Old Fort is offering a worship service twice a month for college-aged adults called Encounter. The service will be the first and third Thursday of each month from 6:30-7:30 p.m. At each meeting, a new topic will be discussed with a guest speaker; live music will be played; and refreshments will be served. For more information, check out Living Waters Tabernacle of Old Fort on Facebook or email jakanjamison96@gmail.com. The church is at 344 Moffitt Hill Church Road in Old Fort. Cross Mill United Methodist Church has a sharing food pantry for the community. The tiny food pantry is outside the church fellowship building, and is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The nonperishable food items are available for anyone in need. If you would like to donate items to this ministry, you may drop them off at the pantry box or call 460-9257 or 442-8098. Greenlee Baptist Church, 5967 U.S. 70 W. in Old Fort, offers Kids on a Mission each Sunday from 6-8 p.m. Newborns to seniors in high school are invited to join. The church also has a deaf ministry available. Interpreters will be provided for the worship services every Sunday at 10:55 a.m. For information, call the church office at 668-6075 between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Cross Ties Cowboy Church meets every first Thursday at 2365 Bethlehem Road in Old Fort at 7 p.m. in the barn. For more information, call 828-925-2095. Landmark Independent Baptist Church will host a meeting on alcohol and addiction awareness by Gene Sigmon the third Friday of each month at 6:30 p.m. The church is at 225 Huskins Branch Road in Marion. For more information, contact Sigmon at soundmind16@yahoo.com. Apostolic Restoration Ministries is a new church to the area. If anyone is interested in attending, call Tim Eller at 828-443-2050. Peppers Creek Baptist Church will have a singing on the fourth Saturday of each month at 7 p.m. from January through October. McDowell Childrens Ministry, a ministry for children of the community interested in participating in a life-changing program, meets twice monthly. For more information, call Daniel at 659-0095 during the day or at 738-0733 in the evenings. Cross Mill Pentecostal Holiness Church has a soaking prayer and intercession meeting every Friday at 8 p.m. For information, call the Rev. Doug Beane-Hall at 442-6216. Vision Baptist Church, at 1841 Fairview Road, Marion, is offering Extreme Teens (Club 411) on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 10 a.m. Victorious Couples meet on Sundays at 10 a.m. Additional childrens and adult programs are also available. The number of Angolan citizens residing in Portugal has increased by over 50% in the last 10 years, rising from 20,366 in 2012 to 31,435 in 2022, according to data from the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF). Angola was among the top five most representative nationalities in Portugal on December 31, 2012, after Brazil, Ukraine, Cape Verde and Romania, with a total of 20,366 resident citizens. Ten years later, another 11,069 Angolans chose Portugal to reside, totaling 31,435, of which more than half preferred Lisbon (17,440), followed by Setubal (5,821) and Porto (2,285). The cities of Braga (905), Santarem (893) and Coimbra, with 712 citizens, have less than a thousand Angolans living. Madeira (40), Azores (41), Porto Alegre (57) and Guarda (59) are the places that register the smallest number of resident Angolan citizens. Last years data, made available by the SEF, show that most Angolans living in Portugal are young people between the ages of 20 and 39, totaling 12,158 citizens. Angolans between the ages of 40 and 64 (10,150 citizens) was the second largest age group residing in Portugal in 2022. At least 7,071 Angolans up to age 19 resided in Portugal last year, and there were also 308 Angolans aged 80 and over. According to the SEF, 54 Angolans made requests for international protection in 2022, but were not accepted by the Portuguese migratory authorities because they were unfounded. An unknown armed group on Tuesday killed three residents of a village in Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique, from where they abducted 10 women and children, local sources reported Wednesday. We were surprised yesterday [Tuesday] around 18:00 [13:00 in Cabo Verde]: terrorists appeared and beheaded three people, a neighbor of mine and two from the local force, described a 69-year-old resident who lives in Mitope, Mocimboa da Praia district. Its sad because we are close to security [forces] here in Awasse, she said in the local language kimwani, alluding to the nearest post where Rwandan troops are stationed, on National Road 380 (EN380), the asphalt road that crosses Cabo Delgado. The resident said that she walked on foot during the night from Mitope to Awasse, looking for safety. Another source in the community made it known that the same group took eight women and two children to an uncertain part. They took our family members, 10 in total, they are eight women and two children who we dont know where they went, lamented a 47-year-old resident, who was also speaking already from Awasse. After the attack, members of the local force were gathered and alerted the authorities, calling for an increase in the force. We are working to make sure this doesnt happen again and the authorities have already been informed. We will not rest until peace reigns again here in Mitope, said one of the elements. The community of Mitope is located near Awasse, along the EN380. Cabo Delgado province has been facing an armed insurgency for five years with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State. The insurgency has led to a military response since July 2021 with support from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), liberating districts near gas projects, but new waves of attacks have emerged south of the region and in neighboring Nampula province. The conflict has left one million people displaced, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and about 4,000 dead, according to the ACLED conflict registration project. The Cape Verdean Prime minister yesterday indicated public investment, but also private investment, from civil society and international partners are essential to finance the policies of the Strategic Plan for Sustainable Development 2022-2026 (PEDS II). It is an enormous challenge, it is not only a challenge to the Government, we will need public investment, but we will also need a lot of private investment, stated the head of the Government, in declarations to the press, in Praia, after a presentation of PEDS II. According to the Prime Minister, there is a part of funding that comes annually through the State Budget, because many of the programs in the document are multi-annual, and are already under execution. The Government also wants to involve the development partners, business investments and the civil society, which even if there is no financial impact, can have a transformative impact in several areas. But we do not focus only on financial investment, there is a lot of investment to be made in changing attitudes, a lot of investment in the qualification of our human resources, in adapting them to increasingly higher competencies, there is a lot of investment in creating a good business environment so that we have more and more capacity to attract investment, a lot of investment to be made so that civil society organizations participate more, that families participate more, with more sense of belonging and trust in relation to the future of the country, he pointed out. In addition, he mentioned that the Government will hold in April, on the island of Boa Vista, an International Development Partners Conference, where it is intended to make additional mobilization of the necessary investments. As China and Russia are bolstering their presence in Africa to tap its rich natural resources, experts have decried environmental impact of their projects and UN agencies have repeatedly warned the worlds poorest countries in the continent to avoid accumulating even more crippling debts. At a UN-sponsored summit in Doha, Qatar, of the Least Developed Countries on 5-9 March, leaders condemned the treatment of their nations by the wealthy nations. After Western countries reduced their infrastructure financing in Africa, it created a void that China and Russia stepped in to fill. One out of every three major infrastructure projects in Africa is built by Chinese state-owned enterprises, and one out of every five is financed by a Chinese policy bank, said Paul Nantulya of the US-based Africa Centre for Strategic Studies. Russia, a key arms exporter to Africa, is also making forays into the continent through mining projects granted to the Wagner private paramilitary group, he said. But Chinese and Russian infrastructure projects mostly (amount) to a debt trap, warned Anna Borshchevskaya of the Washington Institute think tank. China offers African countries loans for expensive infrastructure projects, which typically fail. And when the countries cant pay the loans, China then takes control of their strategic assets, she said. But China rejects practicing debt-trap diplomacy as an unfair criticism from Western rivals who have themselves burdened nations with huge debts. Projects led by China in Africa include the $5 billion Standard Gauge Railway project linking the Kenyan port city of Mombasa to the Rift Valley and another railway project in Tanzania that comes at the cost of $2.2 billion. Some China-funded projects have been profitable and sustainable, but the real benefit is to Beijing, with maintenance contracts that can run up to 99 years, said Nantulya. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Created with Microsoft Designer (based on DALL-E 2). Credit: Microsoft Designer (based on DALL-E 2) / The Authors DALLE 2 / Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) A new paper published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research describes how generative models such as DALL-E 2, a novel deep learning model for text-to-image generation, could represent a promising future tool for image generation, augmentation, and manipulation in health care. Do generative models have sufficient medical domain knowledge to provide accurate and useful results? Dr. Lisa C Adams and colleagues explore this topic in their latest viewpoint titled "What Does DALL-E 2 Know About Radiology?" First introduced by OpenAI in April 2022, DALL-E 2 is an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that has gained popularity for generating novel photorealistic images or artwork based on textual input. DALL-E 2's generative capabilities are powerful, as it has been trained on billions of existing text-image pairs off the internet. To understand whether these capabilities can be transferred to the medical domain to create or augment data, researchers from Germany and the United States examined DALL-E 2's radiological knowledge in creating and manipulating X-ray, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound images. The study's authors found that DALL-E 2 has learned relevant representations of X-ray images and shows promising potential for text-to-image generation. Specifically, DALL-E 2 was able to create realistic X-ray images based on short text prompts, but it did not perform very well when given specific CT, MRI, or ultrasound image prompts. It was also able to reasonably reconstruct missing aspects within a radiological image. It could do much morefor example, create a complete, full-body radiograph by using only one image of the knee as a starting point. However, DALL-E 2 was limited in its capabilities to generate images with pathological abnormalities. Examples of text-to-imagegenerated anatomical structures in CT, MRI, and ultrasound images created with DALL-E 2. CT: computed tomography; MRI: magnetic resonance imaging. Credit: Journal of Medical Internet Research (2023). DOI: 10.2196/43110 Synthetic data generated by DALL-E 2 could greatly accelerate the development of new deep learning tools for radiology, as well as address privacy concerns related to data sharing between institutions. The study's authors note that generated images should be subjected to quality control by domain experts to reduce the risk of incorrect information entering a generated data set. They also emphasize the need for further research to fine-tune these models to medical data and incorporate medical terminology to create powerful models for data generation and augmentation in radiology research. Although DALL-E 2 is not available to the public to fine-tune, other generative models like Stable Diffusion are, which could be adapted to generate a variety of medical images. Overall, this viewpoint provides a promising outlook for the future of AI image generation in radiology. Further research and development in this area could lead to exciting new tools for radiologists and medical professionals. More information: Lisa C Adams et al, What Does DALL-E 2 Know About Radiology?, Journal of Medical Internet Research (2023). DOI: 10.2196/43110 Journal information: Journal of Medical Internet Research Provided by JMIR Publications This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Doug Whitney, left, looks at his son, Brian, in Manson, Wash., on Nov. 5, 2022. Doug inherited the same gene mutation that gave Alzheimer's disease to his mother, brother and generations of other relatives by the unusually young age of 50. Doug is a healthy 73, his mind still sharp. Somehow, he escaped his genetic fate. Brian, who also inherited the devastating family gene, has reached the fateful age of 50 without symptoms but knows thats no guarantee. Credit: AP Photo/Shelby Lum Doug Whitney inherited the same gene mutation that gave Alzheimer's disease to his mother, brother and generations of other relatives by the unusually young age of 50. Yet he's a healthy 73, his mind still sharp. Somehow, the Washington man escaped his genetic fate. So did a woman in Colombia who dodged her own family's similar Alzheimer's destiny for nearly three decades. To scientists, these rare "escapees" didn't just get lucky. They offer an unprecedented opportunity to learn how the body may naturally resist Alzheimer's. "It's unique individuals oftentimes that really provide us with breakthroughs," said Dr. Eric McDade of Washington University in St. Louis, where Whitney's DNA is being scoured for answers. The hope: If researchers could uncover and mimic whatever protects these escapees, they might develop better treatmentseven preventive therapiesnot only for families plagued by inherited Alzheimer's but for everyone. "We are just learning about this approach to the disease," said neuropsychologist Yakeel Quiroz of Massachusetts General Hospital, who helped study the Colombian woman. "One person can actually change the worldas in her case, how much we have learned from her." Quiroz's team has a pretty good idea what protected Aliria Piedrahita de Villegasan additional genetic oddity that apparently countered the damage from her family Alzheimer's mutation. But testing showed Whitney doesn't have that protective factor so something else must be shielding his brain. Now scientists are on the lookout for even more Alzheimer's escapeespeople who may have simply assumed they didn't inherit their family's mutation because they're healthy long after the age their loved ones always get sick. "They just think it's kind of luck of the draw and it may in fact be that they're resilient," said McDade, a researcher with a Washington University network that tracks about 600 members of multiple affected familiesincluding Whitney, the escapee. "I guess that made me pretty special. And they started poking and prodding and doing extra testing on me," the Port Orchard, Washington, man said. "I told them, you know, I'm here for whatever you need." Answers can't come quickly enough for Whitney's son Brian, who also inherited the devastating family gene. He's reached the fateful age of 50 without symptoms but knows that's no guarantee. Brian Whitney sits with his daughter, Emily, in Manson, Wash., on Nov. 5, 2022. He inherited the same gene mutation from his father that gave Alzheimer's disease to generations of relatives by the unusually young age of 50. Brian has reached the fateful age of 50 without symptoms but knows thats no guarantee. Credit: AP Photo/Shelby Lum "I liken my genetics to being a murder mystery," said Brian Whitney, who volunteers for Washington University studies that include testing an experimental preventive drug. "Our literal bodies of evidence are what they need to crack the case." _____ More than 6 million Americans, and an estimated 55 million people worldwide, have Alzheimer's. Simply getting older is the main riskit's usually a disease of people over age 65. Less than 1% of Alzheimer's is caused by inheriting a single copy of a particular mutated gene. Children of an affected parent have a 50-50 chance of inheriting the family Alzheimer's gene. If they do, they're almost guaranteed to get sick at about the same age as their parent did. That near certainty allows scientists to study these families and learn critical information about how Alzheimer's forms. It's now clear that silent changes occur in the brain at least two decades before the first symptomsa potential window to intervene. Among the culprits, sticky amyloid starts building up, followed by neuron-killing tau tangles. What happens instead in the brains of the resilient? "That's why I'm here," said Doug Whitney, who for years has given samples of blood and spinal fluid and undergone brain scans and cognitive exams, in the hunt for clues. "It's so important that people in my situation come forward." Whitney's grandparents had 14 children and 10 of them developed early-onset Alzheimer's. The first red flag for his mother: Thanksgiving 1971, when she forgot the pumpkin pie recipe she'd always made from memory. "Five years later she was gone,"' Whitney said. Back then doctors didn't know much about Alzheimer's. It wasn't until the 1990s that separate research teams proved three different genes, when mutated, can each cause this uniquely inherited form of the disease. They each speed abnormal amyloid buildup. Doug Whitney's family could only watch and worry as his 50th birthday came and went. His older brother had started showing symptoms at 48. (Some other siblings later were tested and didn't inherit the gene although two still don't know.) "We went through about 10 years when the kids would call home their first question was, 'How's Dad?'" his wife Ione Whitney recalled. "By the time he turned 60 we kind of went, wow, we beat the coin toss." In this photo provided by the family, Doug Whitney's mother, Mildred Reiswig Whitney, back row fourth from left, stands with her siblings during a family reunion in 1959. Doug Whitneys grandparents had 14 children and 10 of them developed early-onset Alzheimers, including his mother. Credit: Courtesy of Ione and Douglas Whitney via AP But not the way he'd hoped. In 2010, urged by a cousin, Whitney joined the St. Louis research. He also agreed to a genetic test he'd expected to provide final reassurance that his children wouldn't face the same worryonly to learn he'd inherited the family mutation after all. "He kind of got leveled by that result," Brian Whitney said. While Brian inherited the family gene, his sister Karen didn'tbut she, too, is part of the same study, in the healthy comparison group. ___ U.S. researchers aren't the only ones on the trail of answers. In South America, scientists are tracking a huge extended family in Colombia that shares a similar Alzheimer's-causing variant. Carriers of this mutated gene start showing memory problems in their early 40s. In contrast, one family memberPiedrahita de Villegaswas deemed to have "extreme resistance," with no cognitive symptoms until her 70s. Researchers flew the woman to Quiroz's lab in Boston for brain scans. And when she died at 77 of melanoma with only mild signs of dementia, her brain was donated to Colombia's University of Antioquia for closer examination. Her brain was jampacked with Alzheimer's trademark amyloid plaques. But researchers found very little tauand weirdly, it wasn't in the brain's memory hub but in a very different region. Clearly something affected how tau formed and where. "The thing that we don't know for sure is why," Quiroz said. DNA offered a suspect: An ultra-rare mutation on an unrelated gene. That APOE gene comes in different varieties, including a version notorious for raising people's risk of traditional old-age Alzheimer's and another that's linked to lower risk. Normally the APOE3 version that Piedrahita de Villegas carried makes no difference for dementia. But remarkably, both copies of her APOE3 gene were altered by the rare "Christchurch" mutationand researchers think that blocked toxic tau. To start proving it, Quiroz's team used preserved cells from Piedrahita de Villegas and another Colombian patient to grow some cerebral tissue in lab dishes. Cells given the Christchurch mutation developed less tau. Doug Whitney, center, eats breakfast with his family in Manson, Wash., on Nov. 5, 2022. Whitney inherited the same gene mutation that gave Alzheimer's disease to his mother, brother and generations of other relatives by the unusually young age of 50. Doug is a healthy 73, his mind still sharp. Somehow, he escaped his genetic fate. Credit: AP Photo/Shelby Lum "We still have more work to do but we're getting closer to understanding the mechanism," Quiroz said. That research already has implications for a field that's long considered fighting amyloid the key step to treating Alzheimer's. Instead, maybe "we just need to block what's downstream of it," said Dr. Richard Hodes, director of the National Institute on Aging. And since Whitney, the Washington man, doesn't have that extra mutation, "there may be multiple pathways for escape," Hodes added. In St. Louis, researchers are checking out another clue: Maybe something special about Whitney's immune system is protecting his brain. The findings also are fueling a search for more escapees to compare. The Washington University team recently began studying one who's unrelated to Whitney. In Colombia, Quiroz said researchers are looking into a few more possible escapees. ___ That search for answers isn't just work for scientists. Whitney's son Brian estimates he spends about 25 days each year undergoing different health checks and procedures, many of them far from his Manson, Washington, home, as part of Alzheimer's research. That includes every two weeks, getting hooked up to a pump that administers an experimental amyloid-fighting drug. He also gets regular brain scans to check for side effects. Living with the uncertainty is tough, and he sometimes has nightmares about Alzheimer's. He tries to follow what he now knows was his parents' mantra: "Make the best of life till 50 and anything after that is a bonus." He makes lots of time to go fishing and camping with daughter Emily, now 12, who hasn't yet been told about the family gene. He hopes there will be some answers by the time she's an adult and can consider testing. "When I have a bad day and decide maybe I should not continue (the research), I think of her and then that all vanishes," he said. 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Trust in information given out by the government on cancer fell sharply among the Black populationby almost halfduring the COVID-19 pandemic, findings of a national U.S. study have shown. Experts are warning the vital need to monitor whether this mistrust has persisted beyond the pandemic and whether it could potentially cause an upsurge in late or fatal diagnosesfollowing a lack of uptake of important cancer prevention measures such as routine screening and human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccinations. The findings, published today in the Journal of Health Communication, come from research on data from 7,369 people who responded to the annual US Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS). The authors compared responses from 2018, before the pandemic, and in 2020, during the pandemic, and looked at whether this varied according to people's race/ethnicity. Overall, all those who took part in the survey said that they trusted cancer information from doctors, and this figure increased by around 3% during the pandemic compared with before. But trust in cancer information from government health agencies varied significantly according to respondents' race/ethnicity, with a 53% decline in the odds of reporting a high degree of trust among non-Hispanic Black people during the pandemic compared with before COVID-19 emerged. Odds of reporting a high degree of trust in cancer information from family and friends also plummeted by 73% for this group, and trust in religious leaders by 9%. In contrast, for all other racial/ethnic groups, trust levels remained stable between 2018 and 2020. HINTS aims to get an annual snapshot of cancer-related knowledge, attitudes and information-seeking across US adults aged over 18. The survey asked participants about their trust in information about cancer from government health agencies, doctors, friends and family, religious leaders or charitable organizations. Of those who took part, most (64%) were non-Hispanic white, 60% were aged over 45, and 69% had received at least some college education. COVID-19 emerged during an era of heightened attention to systemic racism and the spread of misinformation via social media. For example, just two months after the pandemic was declared, George Floyd's murder by a police officer sparked widespread #BlackLivesMatter protests. As the pandemic unfolded, it began to emerge that more Black and ethnic minority people than white were being hospitalized with COVID-19 and dying from the disease, and misinformation about the reasons for this proliferated on social media. Against this backdrop, there was also inconsistent advice on COVID-19 from politicians. Senior author of the study, Professor Erin Kobetz from the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami, comments, "Politically charged messaging around COVID-19 and heightened media attention to institutional racism and racial inequities may have intensified historically rooted distrust among non-Hispanic Black people." "The response to the pandemic continues to be highly politicized. Governmental agencies and leaders have provided guidance [e.g. on mask-wearing and social distancing] that is at times inconsistent and contradictory to scientific consensus." Kobetz and colleagues suggest that this may have undermined people's willingness to stick to policies and recommendations designed to stop the virus spreading. At the same time, other research has shown that the greater number of cancer cases and deaths among Black ethnicities compared with white has worsened as healthcare systems and resources were stretched during the pandemic. "This study is significant because it provides early insight into the actions we may need to take to rebuild trust in health information as a means to advance health equity in spite of the societal shifts that have accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic," added Kobetz, a professor of Medicine and Public Health Sciences. The loss of trust in cancer information from authorities like government health agencies suggests it will be important to monitor for changing patterns in the use of cancer prevention services. This could, further down the line, exacerbate racial/ethnic disparities in cancer cases and deaths, the paper authors say. One route to head off these problems could be to capitalize on study's finding that trust in doctors remains high among non-Hispanic Black people. This highlights the importance of everyone having access to a doctor so that recommendations for cancer screening and vaccination are communicated effectively to all, regardless of their background or ethnicity. The study authors also suggest training doctors on implicit racial/ethnic biases and improving patient-centered communication with those who tend to have less contact with healthcare, to nurture trust and improve the use of cancer prevention services. Kobetz and colleagues say that organizations should adopt health equity frameworks to guide their community outreach as well as advocacy work, so that marginalized populations are not left behind when it comes to preventative care. Bolstering partnerships between healthcare systems and community organizations will also help to make care more equitable, they recommend. More information: How trust in cancer information has changed in the era of COVID-19: Patterns by race and ethnicity, Journal of Health Communication (2023). DOI: 10.1080/10810730.2022.2117439 Journal information: Journal of Health Communication This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: An illustration of the connections between muscle fibers and a motor neuron, the latter of which relies on crucial proteins to create and send signals to the fibers to contract, resulting in movement. In some diseases, such as ALS, those proteins are lost, the neurons die and paralysis results. Credit: Somatic Movement Center In virtually all persons with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and in up to half of all cases of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia, a protein called TDP-43 is lost from its normal location in the nucleus of the cell. In turn, this triggers the loss of stathmin-2, a protein crucial to regeneration of neurons and the maintenance of their connections to muscle fibers, essential to contraction and movement. Writing in the March 16, 2023 issue of Science, a team of scientists, led by senior study author Don Cleveland, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Neurosciences and Cellular and Molecular Medicine at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues and elsewhere, demonstrate that stathmin-2 loss can be rescued using designer DNA drugs that restore normal processing of protein-encoding RNA. "With mouse models we engineered to misprocess their stathmin-2 encoding RNAs, like in these human diseases, we show that administration of one of these designer DNA drugs into the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord restores normal stathmin-2 levels throughout the nervous system," Cleveland said. Cleveland is broadly credited with developing the concept of designer DNA drugs, which act to either turn on or turn off genes associated with many degenerative diseases of the aging human nervous system, including ALS, AD, Huntington's disease and cancer. Several designer DNA drugs are currently in clinical trials for multiple diseases. One such drug has been approved to treat a childhood neurodegenerative disease called spinal muscular atrophy. Steric blocking of cryptic splicing rescues stathmin-2 levels in the central nervous system. (A) TDP-43 sterically blocks recognition of a cryptic splice site in STMN2 pre-RNA, enabling correct processing of intron 1, stathmin-2 protein synthesis, and axonal regeneration after injury. (B) Nuclear clearance of TDP-43 in ALS and other TDP-43 proteinopathies results in cryptic splicing within the first STMN2 intron and loss of stathmin-2 protein. (C) ASOs or targeted RNA-binding proteins can substitute for TDP-43 steric blocking of cryptic splicing within STMN2 pre-mRNAs. (D) Identification of ASOs capable of blocking STMN2 cryptic splicing and restoring stathmin-2 protein levels in the mammalian central nervous system independently of TDP-43 function. Credit: Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.abq5622 The new study builds upon ongoing research by Cleveland and others regarding the role and loss of TDP-43, a protein associated with ALS, AD and other neurodegenerative disorders. In ALS, TDP-43 loss impacts the motor neurons that innervate and trigger contraction of skeletal muscles, causing them to degenerate, eventually resulting in paralysis. "In almost all of instances of ALS, there is aggregation of TDP-43, a protein that functions in maturation of the RNA intermediates that encode many proteins. Reduced TDP-43 activity causes misassembly of the RNA-encoding stathmin-2, a protein required for maintenance of the connection of motor neurons to muscle," said Cleveland. "Without stathmin-2, motor neurons disconnect from muscle, driving paralysis that is characteristic of ALS. What we have now found is that we can mimic TDP-43 function with a designer DNA drug, thereby restoring correct stathmin-2 RNA and protein level in the mammalian nervous system." Specifically, the researchers edited genes in mice to contain human STMN2 gene sequences and then injected antisense oligonucleotidessmall bits of DNA or RNA that can bind to specific RNA molecules, blocking their ability to make a protein or changing how their final RNAs are assembledinto cerebral spinal fluid. The injections corrected STMN2 pre-mRNA misprocessing and restored stathmin-2 protein expression fully independent of TDP-43 function. "Our findings lay the foundation for a clinical trial to delay paralysis in ALS by maintaining stathmin-2 protein levels in patients using our designer DNA drug," Cleveland said. More information: Michael W. Baughn et al, Mechanism of STMN2 cryptic splice-polyadenylation and its correction for TDP-43 proteinopathies, Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.abq5622 Journal information: Science This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Test tubes. Credit: AI generated image. With a deluge of designer drugs hitting the streets, researchers from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) are racing to develop new drug testing methods that can quickly and accurately identify these drugs, along with better tests for traditional drugs. "The number of Australians who are hospitalized or die from accidental drug overdoses continues to rise, and treatment can be complicated because it's not always known what substances have been taken," said UTS Professor of Forensic Toxicology Shanlin Fu. "There is a flood of the new substances reaching our shores because the illicit drug industry is always trying to stay a step ahead and circumvent drug laws, so the need for effective drug testing methods has become increasingly urgent," he said. New psychoactive substances (NPS) are illicit lab-made chemical compounds that aim to produce effects similar to common drugs such as cannabis, amphetamines, LSD and heroin. They come in many different forms, including tablets, powders, liquids, and in blotter paper. These drugs, particularly the synthetic opioids, can be much stronger and more deadly than their traditional counterparts. Often, they are mixed with other drugs, so users don't know what they are taking, which can lead to an increased risk of death from overdose. "Usually, substance identification needs a reference standard, so we know the chemical structure. However, for newly emerging NPS there's no reference standard and no spectroscopic library database. Until we developed these tests, they often slipped through the law enforcement net," said Professor Fu. Researchers from the UTS Center for Forensic Science have patented three new NPS rapid tests: one for cathinones, which are stimulants also known as 'bath salts'; one for NBOMes, which are powerful hallucinogens similar to LSD; and a test for fentanyl analogs, which are synthetic opioids. They have also developed a test for piperazine derivatives, along with a new version of the Scott test, which is the current rapid test for cocaine, in the pipeline. Future plans include the development of an easy-to-use all-in-one NPS rapid test. UTS forensic scientist Dr. Morgan Alonzo worked with German company ESATest GmbH to develop the first test for synthetic cathinones, with support from the Global Connections Fund, as part of her Ph.D. The test works by changing color when it detects a particular class of drug, and has been commercialized by ESATest. "Synthetic cathinones are a large class of new psychoactive substances with a structure very similar to amphetaminesjust one oxygen atom differentbut that makes all the difference in terms of detection," said Dr. Alonzo. "Our test was able to give a quick indication, within a minute or two, that you had a cathinone present in a sample. Because the test was quite successful, we then went on to look at what other synthetic drugs we could detect using color tests," she said. The team is also working on better highresolution mass spectrometric analyses of new psychoactive substances, to improve detection and identification. This method of analysis can be used to screen for NPS in drug seizures, and in other sources such as wastewater, to identify usage trends in the community. These new tests will give law enforcement agencies and customs services another tool in their fight against illicit drug importation. They could also save lives by helping doctors and paramedics, as well as pill testing services, identify drugs that are causing harm and warn users of potential risks. Professor Fu and Dr. Alonzo recently co-authored a chapter on New Psychoactive Substances in the Encyclopedia of Forensic Sciences, Third Edition. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Neutralizing activity of vaccinee and convalescent serum samples against wild-type SARS-CoV-2 and Delta and Beta variants.Neutralization was measured against (A) wild-type SARS-CoV-2 strain USA-WA01/2020, (B) a Delta (B.1.617.2) isolate, and (C) a Beta (B.1.351) isolate in a microneutralization assay with authentic SARS-CoV-2. For vaccine groups, n = 35, n BNT162b2 = 20, and n HCS = 18. The exception is n 3 g = 34 in (B) and n 3 g = 31 in (C); n 1 g = 34 and n 3 g + ODN1018 = 34 in (C); and the n placebo = 34 in (A) and n placebo = 32 in (B) and (C), due to a lack of sample volume. Bars show GMT, and error bars indicate SD of the GMT. The horizontal dotted lines indicate the limit of detection; values below the limit of detection were assigned a value of half of the limit of detection. For statistical analysis, log-transformed neutralization titers were compared using a Kruskal-Wallis test corrected for multiple comparisons using Dunns multiple comparisons test. P values for significant differences are indicated in the panels. Experiments were performed once. The vertical dashed lines indicate that the samples on the left are from the clinical trial in Thailand, whereas the samples on the right are from the PARIS study in New York City. Credit: Science Translational Medicine (2023). DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abo2847 An experimental COVID-19 vaccine produced with technology based on a decades-old method, elicited virus-neutralizing antibodies in higher proportion than the amount induced by mRNA immunizations, a Phase 1 clinical trial has found. The investigational vaccine was developed in New York City and tested in Thailand where the shots were produced using a form of egg-based technology. The fact that researchers are still racing to develop new COVID-19 vaccines highlights an ongoing need, especially in low- and middle-income countriesand for good reason. A surprising slew of omicron subvariants has emerged since 2021. Last year, omicron spawned a dizzying number of subvariants: BA.5, BQ.1, and BQ.1.1. By January of this year, a new omicron subvariant called XBB.1.5 was sweeping across the United States and beyond. "A large number of vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 have been developed and licensed," asserted Juan Manuel Carreno, writing with a team of researchers in Science Translational Medicine. As a research scientist in the microbiology department at Mount Sinai's Icahn School of Medicine in New York City where the vaccine was developed, Carreno underscored the need for effective and affordable COVID shots in overlooked regions of the world. "There is a need for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines that can be produced at low cost locally in low- and middle-income countries," added Carreno, lead author of the new analysis. The study analyzed antibody responses elicited by the investigational vaccine known as NDV-HXP-S, which is produced in hens' eggs. The research found that the investigational vaccine prompted a higher proportion of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in volunteers compared with the proportion of neutralizing antibodies produced by a separate group of people who were vaccinated with Pfizer's mRNA vaccine. A neutralizing antibody is one that defends healthy cells from a virus by neutralizing the pathogen's efforts to get inside. For instance, a neutralizing antibody can stop a virus from making a conformational changeswapping its structure for a new shape. Viral shape-shifting is a way to infect a cell. Neutralizing antibodies differ from binding antibodies, which latch onto the pathogen and alert warrior cells of the immune system that a viral invasion is underway. While people who were vaccinated with NDV-HXP-S had a higher proportion of neutralizing antibodies, their binding to neutralizing antibody ratios were lower than those who were vaccinated with Pfizer's mRNA vaccine. When all variables were taken into account, the team concluded that the antibody responses between the two vaccines were comparable. Findings from the research suggest that even in regions with previously limited vaccine-production infrastructure, it's possible to manufacture robust COVID shots at low cost. Western countries averse to technology sharing early in the pandemic, a factor that left scores of people in low- and middle-income countries with few opportunities for vaccination. Now, the tide is turning, albeit three years after the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was declared. "Locally produced vaccines can increase vaccine access and vaccine independence, especially for low- and middle-income countries," Carreno added. "The NDV-HXP-S vaccine is designed to help close this gap because it can be economically produced in influenza vaccine manufacturing plants that are located in [these countries]. Moreover, it can be stored and distributed without the need for freezers." Although mRNA vaccines have dominated the U.S. response to the pandemic, the technology underlying those shots is expensive. The finicky, temperature-sensitive ingredients required for mRNA vaccines may be difficult to store in far-flung regions of the globe. To address the global need for a low-cost vaccine that can be produced locally, scientists have been developing alternatives, such as NDV-HXP-S. The vaccine's initials, NDV-HXP-S, stand for Newcastle disease virus, HexaPro, and spike protein. Producing the vaccine involves a vector, which in this case is the Newcastle disease virus, an agent that infects birds. The vaccine is manufactured by way of egg-based technology, which has been used for decades to produce annual flu shots. The Newcastle viral vector is not used in the production of influenza vaccines. The vector works exquisitely well in the NDV-HXP-S production process, ferrying vaccine components into embryonated chicken eggs. The result, in the case of the vaccine used in Thailand, is an inactivated vaccine, which is a viral particle displaying SARS-C0V-2's spike protein on its surface. "NDV-HXP-S can be used as a live vaccine or as an inactivated vaccine," Carreno explained, noting in Science Translational Medicine that clinical trials with a live version of the vaccine are ongoing in Mexico and the United States. As in Thailand, clinical trials in Vietnam and Brazil involve an inactivated form of the vaccine. The NDV-HXP-S immunization was developed at Mount Sinai's Icahn School of Medicine in New York City by world-renowned virologists and vaccinologists, Drs. Peter Palese, Adolfo Garcia-Sastre and Florian Krammer, all leading members of the current clinical research. The team analyzed antibody responses after Thai volunteers were vaccinated in the phase 1 clinical study. Researchers studied serum samples from 210 Thai volunteers who received either a placebo or the inactivated NDV-HXP-S vaccine. They compared antibodies from the Thai volunteers to those from 20 people who received the Pfizer mRNA vaccine in New York City. Antibodies elicited by NDV-HXP-S tended to target the receptor binding domain of the virus rather than the spike protein's S2 subunit, the researchers found. "Neutralizing activity of sera from NDV-HXP-S vaccinees was comparable to that of [Pfizer] vaccinees, whereas spike protein binding activity of the NDV-HXP-S vaccinee samples was lower than that of sera obtained from mRNA vaccines," Carreno and colleagues wrote. "This led us to calculate ratios between binding and neutralizing antibody titers. "In summary, we show that a vaccine candidate that can be produced locally in [low- and middle-income countries] at low-cost induces neutralizing antibody titers to SARS-CoV-2 comparable to those observed in cohorts having received mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines," Carreno concluded. More information: Juan Manuel Carreno et al, An inactivated NDV-HXP-S COVID-19 vaccine elicits a higher proportion of neutralizing antibodies in humans than mRNA vaccination, Science Translational Medicine (2023). DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abo2847 Journal information: Science Translational Medicine 2023 Science X Network This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: CC0 Public Domain A new analysis of global rankings of life expectancy over seven decades shows the UK has done worse than all G7 countries except the U.S.. Researchers writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine say that while UK life expectancy has increased in absolute terms over recent decades, other, similar countries are experiencing larger increases. In 1952, when Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne, the UK had one of the longest life expectancies in the world, ranking seventh globally behind countries such as Norway, Sweden and Denmark. In 2021 the UK was ranked 29th. The researchers show the rankings of the G7 countries at each decade from 1950 to 2020. The G7 is a collection of countries with advanced economies (UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the U.S.) that represent about half of global economic output. One of the researchers, Dr. Lucinda Hiam, of the University of Oxford, said, "The rankings show that the only G7 country to do worse than the UK is the U.S." The relative decline of the UK portrayed in the figures is stark, say the researchers, adding that the causes of the UK falling down the life expectancy ranks appear to have been decades in the making. "While politicians invoke global factors, especially the effects of the pandemic and the invasion of Ukraine, the reality is that, as in the 1950s, the country suffers from major structural and institutional weaknesses," said another researcher, Professor Martin McKee, of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. The researchers point to income inequalities which rose greatly in the UK during and after the 1980s. "That rise also saw an increase in the variation in life expectancy between different social groups," said Professor McKee. "One reason why the overall increase in life expectancy has been so sluggish in the UK is that in recent years it has fallen for poorer groups." According to the OECD, state the researchers, the UK recently became the second most economically unequal country in Europe after Bulgaria. "Perhaps we should not be surprised to see that inequality reflected in such wide health inequalities and a declining overall position," said Dr. Hiam. Dr. Hiam and her co-authors describe the UK at a crossroads, with the cost-of-living crisis meaning that 'business as usual' is no longer an option. "In the short term, the government has an acute crisis to address. However, a relative worsening of population health is evidence that all is not well. It has historically been an early sign of severe political and economic problems," said Dr. Hiam. "This new analysis suggests that the problems the UK faces are deep seated and raises serious questions about the path that this country is following." More information: Lucinda Hiam et al, Falling down the global ranks: life expectancy in the UK 19522021, Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (2023). DOI: 10.1177/01410768231155637 Journal information: Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Geneticists have written new chapters in the reconstruction of pre-colonial Americas history after using DNA from the indigenous Ashaninka people from Amazonian Peru. They have discovered previously unexpected levels of genetic variation in this group and uncovered a strong hint that these people were involved in a South-to-North migration that led to the transition from an archaic to ceramic culture in the Caribbean islands. The dramatic impact of European colonization during the second half of the last millennium has strongly influenced the genetic history of the Americas, making the reconstruction of the American genetic history difficult compared to other continents. The most informative sources that can allow us to go back into the indigenous genetic history are the ancient DNA and the DNA from modern individuals belonging to Indigenous groups. For the latter, the inner region of South America is significantly underrepresented. For these reasons, the scientistsled by Alessandro Achilli, Professor of Genetics at the Dept. of Biology and Biotechnology "L. Spallanzani" in the University of Pavia, and Marco Rosario Capodiferro, Postdoctoral Researcher in Trinity College Dublin's School of Genetics and Microbiologyfocused on a specific Indigenous group from Amazonian Peru, the Ashaninka, in the new study that has just been published in the journal Current Biology. The Ashaninka are an Arawakan-speaking group and the largest Indigenous group from the Amazonian areas of Peru. The genetic data of more than 50 Ashaninka individuals were merged to a large worldwide dataset of modern individuals to help the geneticists make their comparisons. In addition, more than 500 genomes of ancient Siberian and especially American individuals were added to get details of the past genetic history. This abundant dataset was then investigated with many of the latest approaches used in population genomics. Three key discoveries Surprisingly, the group was more genetically diverse than expected, with the geneticists identifying at least two different genetic groups. Although the Ashaninka genetic groups are very close to each other, past and probably continuing relations with neighboring populations, especially those of the Peruvian coast, led to this diversification. All the Ashaninkas have a common origin, derived from the South-Eastern or the Southern part of the South American continentalthough the addition of genomic data from ancient individuals from the inner region of South America will be needed to corroborate this result. In a broader context, the Ashaninka and other Arawakan populations are the closest to the Caribbean ancient groups associated with Ceramic cultures. This genetic link suggests Ashaninka and Arawakan ancestors from the inner part of South America were involved in the South-to-North migration, which led to the transition from Archaic to Ceramics cultures in the Caribbean Islands. Dr. Capodiferro said, "In combination, these exciting findings open a new line of investigation focused on the inner regions of the American continent and highlight the importance of microgeographic studies, and of the history of a single and specific Indigenous group. They give value to the genetic and cultural heritage inherited from Indigenous groups and allow us to understand fundamental information that impacts the whole continent. Prof. Achilli concluded, "Our work outlines that there is still much to be discovered about Indigenous American groups. The next step for us is to explore the entire genome of Ashaninka and other Indigenous groups by using ancient DNA from archaeological sites on the sameand surroundingareas and covering a wider timeframe, from early Holocene through colonial times, to further refine the region's genetic history." This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A UBC student researcher is looking at how the lack of health care resources for pregnant women living in the Northwest Territories influences their delivery and overall wellbeing. Lauren Eggenberger, a third-year Southern Medical Program student based at UBC Okanagan, has recently published research examining the ramifications of maternal evacuationthose who need to travel away from their families to give birth. Only four for the 33 communities in the NWT provide maternity care, meaning more than 40 percent of women must travel at least 100 kilometresoften furtherbefore the baby arrives. "For many years, perinatal travel has been an oppressive and isolating process for Dene, Metis and Inuvialuit women in the Northwest Territories," she says. "Due to a lack of lack of maternity care services these women move away their homes and often miss the joy of celebrating traditional birthing practices with family and friends." Until 2017 pregnant women travelled alone. That year, the Canadian government created an escort policy, with funding for travel, lodging and food so pregnant women can bring a companion. However, their partner often stayed home with other children, who are not funded to travel, leaving moms to rely on friends or family members. "This oppressive and essentialist policy continues to be applied to all women outside of the four NTW communities that offer birthing services," Eggenberger says. "Indigenous women, basically making the most of a bad situation, are formulating their decisions for choices of escorts on their unique situations, socio-economic circumstances and social supports." Eggenberger says lack of insight and research into the escort policy means it is unclear whether it has achieved the desired effect of reducing the emotional and physical hardships women experience while travelling for birth. To examine this issue, her research involved a systematic review of narrative literature from women who experience maternal evacuation. There are numerous challenges faced by women who are evacuated for birth including loneliness and fear, separation from family and children, and no connection to the community where their child will be delivered. Eggenberger says there are additional challenges including the financial burden of birthing away from home and the loss of self-determination and choice. She says this is concerning and may reflect ongoing systemic racism towards Indigenous people in the healthcare system Preliminary data show having an escort can alleviate loneliness and isolation, but Eggenberger notes it does not address the core issue of having to leave home to give birth. "The birthing process for women who must travel is fraught with separation from their loved ones. And without understanding the impact of the escort policy on the people regulated by it, we are worried about the wellbeing of these women," she adds. "There is a gap in stakeholder voices within the policy." While this study was taking place a maternal child unit at the regional hospital in Yellowknife was closed and 86 women, who normally would have stayed home to deliver, were evacuated from their communities. This exacerbated this situation and Eggenberger says these women, who experienced maternal evacuation for the first time, were outraged. The situation worsened when they were labelled as privileged by the many women who have experienced maternal evacuations for decades. Study participants are from both cohortsthose who have been mandated for decades to travel for birth and those who travelled during the recent four-month disruption of perinatal service. Eggenberger says while Indigenous and non-Indigenous women faced the same hardships while away for delivery, the decision of escort did differ. The non-Indigenous women chose their partners as escorts, while Indigenous participants chose friends, fathers, mothers and sometimes a partner. There continues, she adds, to be little effort to return to community birthing by creating safety for Indigenous families through traditional practices, Indigenous midwifery, and community ceremonies. The final goal should be changing the disproportionate burden of poor outcomes experienced by Indigenous women because they need to travel to give birth. "While women are given an opportunity in decision-making about who will travel with them as an escort, this does little to address the disparity of delivering their babies away from their families and communities, the burden of figuring out who cares for the children at home, and the impact their absences have on health of their families." Eggenberger's research was published recently in the International Journal of Circumpolar Health. More information: Lauren Eggenberger et al, Dene, metis and inuvialuit peoples' voices on the impact of Canada's perinatal transport and non-medical escort policy in their communities: an outcome assessment approach and narrative literature review, International Journal of Circumpolar Health (2022). DOI: 10.1080/22423982.2022.2149061 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Cell (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.12.033 The Alpha is the "king" of a horde of mice. While meeting another mouse in the pipeline, Alpha can scare it away with merely a glance. But one day the situation changes. With unexpected courage, the little "mouse brother" pushes Alpha out of the way directly after confronting the "king" for several seconds. After experiencing this Waterloo for several successive days, Alpha becomes depressed and loses his previous dominance. This reversal was orchestrated by a cohort of brain scientists who witnessed the whole process of Alpha's "crown loss" and recorded its neural activity in the brain. After six years of experiments, the team led by Prof. Hu Hailan has established a mouse model of depression to explore the key neural mechanism behind this process. Their findings were published in an article titled "Neural mechanism underlying depressive-like state associated with social status loss" in the journal Cell on January 23. Social hierarchy is pervasive in humans and animals. To measure social hierarchy in mice, HU's team developed the tube test by which the social rank of each mouse could be determined by the number of wins it gained when competing against other mice. Videos: 1) 1st trial of forced loss. 2) Simultaneous recordings of behavior and LHb photometry calcium signals in a high-ranking mouse during the forced loss paradigm. Credit: Zhejiang University In both humans and animals, social status has a significant impact on their physical and mental health. A study of immigrants in the United States reveals that immigrants with status decline are nearly three times as prone to depression as other people. Prof. Hu Hailan was intrigued by the neural mechanism behind these phenomena. "90% of the human depression cases are triggered by social factors." For scientists, the first step is to build animal models that could simulate the process in the lab. Thus, Alpha becomes the "chosen" mouse because it is the "king" of the tube test. A new day comes. The little "mouse brother" is about to go through a new round of competition in the tube. This time, the researchers quietly block the passage behind the little "mouse brother." Soon, it finds that the only way out is to charge forward. It thus braces itself to push Alpha hard. After several back-and-forth shoves, Alpha is pushed out of the way. After several consecutive days of "forced defeat," Alpha loses its dominance. Even in the absence of human intervention, the "king" begins to yield to the little "mouse brother" spontaneously. "This shows that it has lost its dominant position," says Fan Zhengxiao, the leading author of the study. Subsequent forced swimming tests or sucrose preference tests suggest that Alpha shows conspicuous depressive-like behaviors. "Alpha's experience, to some extent, mimics depression induced by the decline in dominance in the human world," says Fan Zhengxiao. The researchers can perform a series of experiments on this new animal model to explore the neural mechanism behind it. According to Fan Zhengxiao, they rule out the effect of loss per se. The lower-ranking mice won't get depressed even if they suffer from continuous losses to those higher-ranking mice. Depressive-like behaviors are triggered only in those higher-ranking mice which have a rapid decline in social status. This suggests that depression may be related to the discrepancy between the expectation of winning and the reality of losing. Through a series of experiments, Hu's team hypothesizes that the negative reward prediction error may act as a catalyst for neural changes, which mediate depressive-like behaviors induced by social status loss. "In a forced loss scenario, the higher-ranking mouse tends to have a higher expectation of winning. The forced loss will generate a negative prediction error. In contrast, the lower-ranking mouse, more often than not, has a lower expectation of winning. Therefore, their loss won't bring any psychological disparity," says Fan Zhengxiao. In the study, Hu's team repeatedly "replays" the "crown loss" scenario and tracks calcium activity and neuroelectric activity signals in specific brain areas via fiber photometry. After a series of experiments, the underlying neural mechanism gradually becomes clear. The lateral habenula (LHb) functions as an anti-reward center and it can be activated by a variety of aversive stimuli. When the high-ranking mouse suffers from a "forced loss," the reward prediction error signal will activate the LHb, thereby inducing depressive-like behaviors. Meanwhile, in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) where social competition is encoded, the activity of excitatory neurons will also be reduced, leading the high-ranking mouse to "retreating" and "self-degrading" behavior. "The activation of the LHb mediated by the negative reward prediction error is the neural mechanism behind the depressive-like state associated with social status loss," says Fan Zhengxiao. Interestingly enough, if neuronal activity in the LHb is inhibited by optogenetics, the higher-ranking mouse displays less depressive-like behaviors after a "forced loss." The tube test is a non-violent social competition. Alpha's experience to some extent simulates the dynamics of competition in human society, thus promising to help understand and intervene this type of socially-induced depression. Moreover, HU's team discovers the close interaction between the "social brain" and the "emotional brain." The activation of the mPFC can rekindle the "fighting spirit" of the mouse. With this spirit, it can reverse the situation. After several successive victories like this, the mouse will show less depression-like behaviors. In the end, Alphathe mouse that has gone through several "forced losses"regains its past glory. "This discovery provides insights into interventive therapy for depression," Fan Zhengxiao says. Compared with low-ranking mice, high-ranking mice, which are accustomed to winning, can be more fragile and vulnerable to losses. Prof. Hu Hailan thinks that this phenomenon may illustrate the necessity of "frustration education." More information: Zhengxiao Fan et al, Neural mechanism underlying depressive-like state associated with social status loss, Cell (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.12.033 Journal information: Cell Provided by Zhejiang University This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Philippine doctors worried about misinformation during the pandemic began posting educational videos online, but the move backfired as promoters of spurious treatments inserted the clips into their own posts. Philippine vlogger Rosanel Demasudlay holds a heart-shaped "virginity soap" bar in front of the camera and assures her hundreds of YouTube followers it can be safely used to "tighten" their vaginas. The video is part of a barrage of bogus and harmful medical posts on social media platforms where Filipinos rank among the world's heaviest users. Even before COVID-19 confined people to their homes and left them fearful of seeing a doctor, many in the Philippines sought remedies online because they were cheaper and easier to access. During the pandemic, AFP's Fact Check team saw an explosion of misinformation about untested cosmetic products and quick-fix treatments for chronic illnesses. The majority appear as free posts or paid advertisements on Facebook, the most popular social media site among the 76 million internet users in the Philippines. They can circulate for weeks or even months without detection as Facebook struggles to keep up with the torrent of misinformation flooding its platform. While there is no vetting of posts before they go live, Facebook has a multi-stage, largely automated, review system to check ads before they are published. Many of the products are promoted in videos that have been doctored to make it look like real medical professionals are endorsing them. Others appear in falsified news reports, while some are touted by vloggers such as Demasudlay. AFP fact checkers have debunked dozens of claims, including a manipulated Philippine news report that appeared to promote a herbal supplement for diabetics as an alternative to insulin. A single post of the false video was viewed more than three million times, shared more than seven thousand times and attracted almost ten thousand comments from people, many wanting to buy it. Bar Bilat, a brand of "virginity soap", is not approved by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration. Demasudlay's 15-minute video was posted in August 2022 and viewed more than ten thousand times. She falsely claimed the "Bar Bilat Virginity Soap" had been approved by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for skin conditions and a way to tighten the vagina. "Bilat" means "vagina" in a local Philippine language. In fact, the FDA has warned consumers against using the "unauthorised" soap due to possible health risks that range from skin irritation to organ failure. A few months later, Demasudlay admitted in another video that the soap had left her "itchy to the point of bleeding"but she kept promoting it. Demasudlay declined to be interviewed by AFP. Global problem Philippine doctors worried about the explosion of medical misinformation during the pandemic began posting videos providing free information about common health conditions. But the move backfired as promoters of spurious treatments used clips from those videos and inserted them into their own posts for credibility. Geraldine Zamora, a rheumatologist in the capital Manila, was among those targeted. In 2020, she began recording videos and posting them on TikTok, where she has more than 60,000 followers. Footage from educational videos by rheumatologist Geraldine Zamora was used to promote an unregistered brand of supplement for arthritis. "It was a good thing for us because we were able to extend our medical knowledge to people who otherwise wouldn't be able to consult with doctors," Zamora said. Her videos were watched hundreds of thousands of times. But then the footage was used to promote an unregistered brand of supplement for arthritis, which the FDA had warned consumers about. The manipulated posts were viewed tens of thousands of times before being taken down by Facebook. Zamora said some of her patients considered purchasing the product in the belief she was endorsing it. The World Health Organization told AFP that "inappropriate promotion and advertisements" for unregistered medical products had long been a global problem and the pandemic may have made it worse. Filipinos were particularly vulnerable to false or misleading health claims due to a shortage of doctors in the country and their heavy internet usage, said Eleanor Castillo, a public health expert at the University of the Philippines. "Even if we have our rural health units, or village health centres, many of them don't have doctors or they would visit once a week or twice a month, especially in far-flung areas," Castillo said. The consequences of using unapproved treatments can be dire. Vicente Ocampo, president of the Philippine Academy of Ophthalmology, said patients as young as 12 had become blind after using eye drops bought online instead of consulting a doctor. "It saddens us that people will readily believe advertisements that claim to heal all eye problems as speedily as possible and pay exorbitant prices for these eye drops," Ocampo said. Patients as young as 12 went blind after using eye drops bought online instead of consulting a doctor. Ocampo said Facebook posts selling an unregistered eye drop brand that had used images of real doctors and the academy's name. But the academy struggled to get traction with its warnings about the misinformation. Its statement issued in September 2022 notifying consumers about the false posts received 57 interactionslikes, shares and comments. In the same month, four ads for the product reviewed by AFP fact checkers received almost 34,000 interactions. AFP has a global team of journalists who debunk misinformation as part of the third-party fact-checking programme of Meta, the parent company of Facebook. Researchers from around 80 organisations, including media outlets, check posts on Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. Some of the viral medical posts AFP has debunked on Facebook were paid advertisements. Meta's ad policy prohibits any "promises or suggestions of unrealistic outcomes" for "health, weight loss or economic opportunity". It says ads for over-the-counter medicines should comply with licences and approvals required by local laws. However, keyword searches on Meta's ad library found hundreds of advertisements for products debunked by AFP still on the site. Meta told AFP it was working with Philippine law enforcement "to address" illegal commercial listings. 2023 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Historical (a) Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC) Redlining Grades and (b) Determinants of Health Index (DOHI) Scores Applied to 2020 Detroit Metropolitan Area Census Tracts. Source. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research redlining scores for 2010 census tracts. Credit: American Journal of Public Health (2023). DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2022.307162 Ninety years after the Home Owners' Loan Corporation enacted the discriminatory practice of color-coding neighborhoods by desirability for mortgage lenders, redlined neighborhoodsareas inhabited largely by Black familiescontinue to suffer poorer health than greenlined, majority-white neighborhoods, which tend to flourish healthwise and financially. These findings and persisting health and economic inequities between one neighborhood or one zip code and another is explored by Roshanak Mehdipanah and Amy Schulz of the University of Michigan's School of Public Health. Their research, published in the American Journal of Public Health, mapped 484 census tracts across the Detroit metropolitan area, home to 3.8 million residents. It analyzed associations between the HOLC's color-coded neighborhoods with a Determinants of Health Equity Index, which uses four well-established domains as predictors of health: economic growth, social and human development, governance and physical environment. Findings indicate that historically redlined neighborhoods currently score lower on the DOHI compared to neighborhoods with more favorable blue, yellow or green HOLC scores. Because redlined neighborhoods were disproportionately Black and greenlined neighborhoods disproportionately white, these scores reflect structural forces that, over time, have contributed to Black/white inequities in opportunities for health, the researchers say. Mehdipanah is an associate professor of health behavior and health education, director of Housing Solutions for Health Equity and co-leader of Public Health IDEAS for Creating Healthy and Equitable Cities. Schulz is a University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor and professor of health behavior and health education. They explain their findings and why understanding the lingering harm of redlining is necessary to repairing the damage of discriminatory policies. How does your research build on current research on the topic of health inequity and social determinants of health? Mehdipanah: There is a growing literature that shows associations between historical redlining practices and various negative health outcomes, including preterm birth and mental health issues. Our study provides context on some of the determinants of health that could be driving those associations. We are seeing the continued effects of redlining practices of the 1930s on present-day conditions, including median household income, home ownership and educational attainment. Could you provide some details? Mehdipanah: We saw a $60,000 difference in present-day median household income between neighborhoods that were historically greenlined compared to those that were historically redlined. We also see an almost 30% difference in homeownership between these neighborhoods. While historically redlined neighborhoods have experienced significant disinvestment, greenlined areas have accumulated greater benefits in various determinants of health, including education, employment and income. How could your research findings be used? Schulz: Our research aims to provide insight on the historical roots of contemporary health inequities. A goal is to inform current conversations about reparations, including those focused on reinvestment in housing, infrastructure and greeningall critical to health. What could governmental agencies, elected officials, advocates for health equity take away from the research? Schulz: Our findings highlight the continued effects of discrimination in local policies that govern funding and resource allocation. While a few neighborhoods benefit from investment resulting in greater opportunities for residents' health and well-beingsometimes called 'resource hoarding'historically redlined neighborhoods continue to have fewer opportunities for health and well-being. Stronger responses and protections are needed for residents whose economic well-being and health are at risk due to systematic patterns of disinvestment in predominantly Black Detroit-area neighborhoods. More information: Roshanak Mehdipanah et al, Historic Redlining Practices and Contemporary Determinants of Health in the Detroit Metropolitan Area, American Journal of Public Health (2023). DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2022.307162 Journal information: American Journal of Public Health This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Abortion-rights demonstrator holds a sign during a rally on May 14, 2022, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Tennessees GOP-dominant Statehouse on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, took a first step toward loosening one of the strictest abortion bans in the country, advancing a narrow exemption bill over threats from anti-abortion advocates that doing so would come with political retribution. Credit: AP Photo/Ben Margot, File Tennessee Republican lawmakers on Wednesday took another swing at adding a narrow exemption to one of the strictest abortion bans in the United States. Nearly a month ago, a Republican legislative panel defied political threats made by the state's influential anti-abortion lobbying group and advanced legislation clarifying situations where abortion could be allowed in Tennessee. However, despite the committee's endorsement, the legislation was almost immediately considered doomed inside the GOP-dominant Statehouse, owing to the reluctance of the members to support efforts to loosen the strict abortion ban. After weeks of political negotiating, Tennessee Right to Life announced on Monday they would support a newly crafted proposal that's even much more narrowly focused than the original version. The House Health Committee then advanced the proposal Wednesday. Currently, Tennessee has no explicit exemptions in its abortion ban. Instead the law includes an "affirmative defense" for doctors, meaning that the burden is on the physician to prove that an abortion was medically necessaryinstead of requiring the state to prove the opposite. The new proposal unveiled Wednesday removes the affirmative defense for doctors and adds in language that doctors may provide abortion services for ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages. However, it does not include the previous version's inclusion of "medically futile pregnancies" and lethal fetal anomalies as approved reasons for physicians to provide an abortion. Instead, it allows doctors to use "reasonable medical judgment" to determine if an abortion is necessary. There is no exception for rape and incest. Defenders of Tennessee's so-called trigger law, which include Republican Gov. Bill Lee, say pregnant women are protected from harm and doctors are unlikely to face any of the law's hefty felony charges. However a group of Republican lawmakers have voiced that the ban should be changed. Many have cited that doctors are terrified to do their job out of fear of being prosecuted and losing their medical licenses, while others point out that many Republican voters are in favor of clear exemptions. Yet ever since the ban went into place, there has been massive disagreement on how Tennessee's law should be modified. Republican-led attempts to add exemptions this year for rape and incest have been spiked by GOP-controlled committees, while Democratic attempts to explicitly state that birth control does not fall under the state's abortion ban have also faltered. "Removing affirmative defense, it gives doctors the ability to take care of a woman with these pregnancies," said Republican Rep. Esther Helton-Haynes, the bill's sponsor. "I was passionate about making sure affirmative defense was removed. When I spoke with physicians, that was their number one goal. It will save mother's lives." When pressed on whether she was comfortable with the new language, Helton-Haynes responded that she was "comfortable knowing this language will pass." Republican Rep. Ryan Williams called the new language "dramatically different" and praised Helton-Haynes for finding a compromise to getting more Republicans on board with the change. Democratic Rep. John Ray Clemmons warned that the new language still places on a burden on doctors and hospitals to prove in court that an abortion was necessary and lamented that lawmakers were giving into political pressure rather than advancing public policy that would benefit women. "At what point, where in that timeline, how close to death's door have to be before that doctor's decision is deemed reasonable?" Clemmons asked. "Doctors are going to wait until the very last minute." The bill would have to still clear the full House and Senate before it could head to the governor's desk. The Republican governor has not weighed in publicly on whether he supports the new proposal. Nationally, attempts to loosen strict abortion bans in Republican-led states have popped up in Arkansas, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia, according to the Guttmacher Institute research group that supports abortion rights. Many of the bills are backed by Democratic lawmakers, but a handful are being pushed by Republicans. "For the Democrats who introduce these bills, they're trying to showcase the harms of an outright ban," said Elizabeth Nash, the group's state policy analyst. "For the Republican side, we're seeing them introduce these bills because they understand their constituents are unhappy." Meanwhile, Nash argued the overall push to add exemptions to strict abortion bans would only apply to a narrow group of people, and doctors could still end up feeling unsure how they can proceed under a narrow exception. "These exemptions don't actually provide for meaningful access to abortion," she said. "By their very nature, they put a preference on some sort of abortion over others." 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. On a recent Sunday, bright jazz music floats from an unassuming building tucked away in Missoulas Slant Street district. The music is followed by cheerful applause indicating a live performance, but the building looks a bit too small to be a music venue. And technically, its not. Its the Longstaff House, an old renovated church and the private residence of John Parker, a local musician and owner of the building. While the bottom half is Parkers home, the top floor is entirely dedicated to house concerts open to the public. The Longstaff House specializes in a certain kind of house show, the intimate kind where the music is truly heard and experienced. Its quiet. You can hear everything. The musicians can hear everything, Parker said. Its the perfect way to play to a fairly big but totally attentive audience. On this night, the music is that of Camila Meza, a Chilean multi-genre musician who is playing to a crowd of at least 50 people. Shes joined on drums by her husband, Caleb van Gelder, who for part of the show tends to their baby at the back of the room. They are on a family music tour across the country and have stopped in Missoula to play at Longstaff. Toward the end of the show, Meza speaks to the crowd. Were so lucky to have this space in between to keep our tour going, Meza said. The most common places for musicians to book shows these days are at bars, Parker explained. Longstaff has become his answer to how to provide a drastically different experience for both the musicians and the audience. The setting adds to the intimacy since walking into the building feels like walking into someones home. Rows of mismatched chairs fill most of the space, arranged facing a small stage. The walls are lined with classic home decor, like Midwest-style quilts, rugs and of course, instruments. Theres even a bed in one of the back corners for musicians to crash on for the night. Despite the tight fit, the acoustics are perfect for live music. Parker provides a speaker system that fills the space with sound. With such an attentive audience, anyone speaking on stage hardly needs a microphone to be heard. Its a B.Y.O.B situation since Parker does not sell anything, not even tickets. He operates strictly on donations and all the money goes to the musicians. Being a full-time musician is expensive these days and one of Parkers goals with Longstaff is to help support touring artists. He also is consistent about bringing in local musicians to open up for the main artists. Its a way to not lose money for that day and play for a really good crowd, Parker said. On a good night, Longstaff shows can pull in close to 100 people. Parker has a website for the space where people can sign up for emails about updates and upcoming shows. His list of recipients has grown to include hundreds of people. Parker estimates that since 2016 when he started hosting music, he has put on around 100 shows. They have included performances by well-known and accomplished musicians and bands like John Reischman and the Jaybirds, Wood Belly and Lonesome Ace Stringband. Its amazing, the level of musicianship that comes through here and wants to play here, Parker said. As a musician himself, Parker said it has provided him a surprising opportunity to meet some of his musical heroes in the bluegrass community. At this point, Parker says he mostly deals with booking agents as opposed to the bands themselves. And with so many requests to book shows, Parker could probably keep the place filled every night. I cant tell you how many audience members say thanks for doing this, thanks for providing this space, Parker said. So that makes it rewarding. A spectacular collection of works by artist Shannon Webb coalesces cultures and spirituality in a masterful display of her trade. Webb is a student and candidate for University of Montanas Master of Fine Arts program and has been studying ceramics and sculpture. Her final masters project is now on display in the Gallery of Visual Arts (see box.) If you go Shannon Webb's exhibition, Making Mochi!, will be in the University of Montana's Gallery of Visual Arts in the Social Sciences Building through March 30. Her thesis exhibition is called, Making Mochi! and is a reference to the rice cakes she grew up eating. Webb explains that although her mother is Korean, she was raised calling the rice cakes by the Japanese word mochi. This blend and mixing of cultures is representative of what the show is all about, Webb said. All four of the pieces on display incorporate parts of Webbs Korean heritage and combine that with her experiences and time spent in Montana. It really just goes back to the central theme of my show, which is spirituality and connecting to the world through spiritual means, Webb said. To me, Im trying to do that through my Korean heritage. Each of the pieces accomplishes this differently but all allude to Korean myths or customs. Her sculpture, Haetae, is a direct reference to the Korean mythological creature that is known for protecting against fires and natural disasters. Webb is originally from Oahu in Hawaii and upon moving to Montana remembers being surprised by the prevalence of Montanas wildfire season. Creating a haetae as part of this project became something of a gesture from her to Montana. She was also struck by the abundance of deer on campus and the largeness of Montana bird species. She was lucky to have a few run-ins with some black bears as well and decided to incorporate these animals into the piece. The final product is a 6-foot-tall ceramic sculpture with the antlers of a deer, the body of a bear and a feather-like texture. Its a feat in both its size and its careful gesture and it looms with wide, watchful eyes over the rest of the exhibit. Two of Webbs other pieces are references to the Korean lunar New Year thats celebrated by creating whats called a moon house, which pays tribute to the Earth's satellite. My version of it is the idea of enshrining the spirit of the moon within oneself, Webb said. The fourth piece is called Deer Soop, and it took Webb about a year to complete. It depicts the legs of a deer standing in a pool of resin. The deers head and upper body are nowhere to be seen but appear to be in the process of being transformed into a tree. Colorful clay foliage hangs delicately from the trees canopy and also sits in the resin pool. The idea is that everything circles back into the earth and creates new life again, Webb said. The piece points to Webbs ability to incorporate mixed mediums, like resin, into her work. It also highlights her attention to fine detail with the careful patterns and folds that can be seen on each leaf. The actual sculpture and ceramic work was just half of the process, Webb said. As part of her thesis, she did a deep dive into Korean culture, myth and folklore. But the research was more than just academic. It was also a chance for Webb to reconnect with her heritage. Part of that process included her teaching herself how to make mochi, which she came to see as a metaphor for her spiritual practice. In a way I see my sculptures as mochi, Webb said. Theyre something I created to actively practice that pursuit. A key step in taking a script from page to stage with the Montana Repertory Theatre will happen in front of live audiences this spring. The Rep is starting a four-part First Reads series, starting this Saturday, where theater fans can watch actors give a staged reading of a new play at the Missoula Public Library. The Rep, a professional company housed in the University of Montana School of Theatre & Dance, is considering the four plays for a full production in its next season. One will be picked for sure, and theres potential for others, too. Were looking for scripts that we think are of interest to the community, that might foster some really good community partnerships, said Michael Legg, the Reps artistic director. Normally, the process happens out of public view. The Rep has a selection committee that includes community members, university folks and cast alumni go over scripts that Legg has picked and ones that have been suggested. A few other criteria are important, too. First, it must be a new play, meaning two things in the Reps case. It hasnt been fully produced in Montana before; and it was written in this century, ideally in the last 10 to 15 years. For instance, one of the First Reads picks is called The Christians, by Lucas Hnath, which takes place within a megachurch and naturally deals with faith. If the company took it to a full production, Legg said theyd look to partner with local religious leaders, and perhaps try to stage it in an actual church and invite folks to come in and be a part of a discussion about faith and religion in our community. On the other end of the spectrum regarding locales and subject matter, Chelsea Marcantels Airness, centers on an air guitar competition (a real thing, by the way). That could lead to collaboration with local musicians and could be a good fit to produce in a bar, he said. The readings will all take place in the MPLs Copper Room. Given the page to stage nature of the project, Legg said it seemed like an ideal location. After the readings, theyll invite folks to head over to a bar for a talkback. The first one will be Montgomery Distillery. The Christians is the first one on tap. The cast is comprised entirely of Montanans and recent transplants: Mason Wagner has acted with the Rep and founded an independent company, BetweenTheLines; Annika Hanson has starred in the Reps Buckle Up car plays; Karen Jean Olds had a part in the Montana-shot film Gods Country. Theyre joined by Rosie Hallet and Michael Rohd. The line-up All readings take place at 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Theyre free and open to the public. March 18 The Christians by Lucas Hnath. Here are the plot synopsis provided by the Rep: Twenty years ago, Pastor Pauls church was nothing more than a modest storefront. Now he presides over a congregation of thousands, with classrooms for Sunday School, a coffee shop in the lobby, and a baptismal font as big as a swimming pool. Today should be a day of celebration, but Paul is about to preach a sermon that will shake the foundations of his churchs belief. (Director Roger Hedden and collaborators independently produced Hnaths A Dolls House, Pt. 2 at the ZACC Show Room in early 2020.) April 8 Airness by Chelsea Marcantel Plot synopsis: When Nina enters her first air guitar competition, she thinks winning will be easy, but as she befriends a group of charismatic nerds committed to becoming the next champion, she discovers more to this art form than playing pretend. (Warning issued about language.) April 15 Annie Jump and the Library of Heaven by Reina Hardy Annie Jump is a 13-year-old science genius whose alien-obsessed father is the laughingstock of Strawberry, Kansas. One night in August, a meteor falls, and Annie meets Althea, an intergalactic supercomputer who manifests as a mean girl with really great hair. Altheas here to help Annie take humanity from the earth to the stars, but being the Chosen One isnt all glory. What is Althea hiding? And what will Annie have to sacrifice to fulfill her destiny? May 6 The Roommate by Jen Silverman Sharon, in her mid-50s, is recently divorced and needs a roommate to share her Iowa home. Robyn, also in her mid-50s, needs a place to hide and a chance to start over. But as Sharon begins to uncover Robyns secrets, they encourage her deep-seated desire to transform her life completely. (Silverman wrote a short audio play, Your Mother, in the Night Sky, for the Reps audio series in spring 2021.) Raffle The Rep will be selling raffle tickets are each drawing. Prizes include merch and other goodies from local businesses. The big winner will get a two-night stay at Big Sky Resort in July, when the Rep is hosting a private reading for a new play by Indigenous writer/actor Kendra Potter that the Rep will produce and premiere in a future season. The Host Julie Rovner KHN Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KHNs weekly health policy news podcast, What the Health? A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is the author of the critically praised reference book Health Care Politics and Policy A to Z, now in its third edition. This week, the eyes of the nation are on Texas, where a federal judge who formerly worked for a conservative Christian advocacy group is set to decide whether the abortion pill mifepristone can stay on the market. Mifepristone is half of a two-pill regimen that now accounts for more than half of the abortions in the United States. Meanwhile, Novo Nordisk, another of the three large drug companies that dominate the market for diabetes treatments, has announced it will cut the price of many of its insulin products. Eli Lilly announced its cuts early this month. But the push for more affordable insulin from activists and members of Congress is not the only reason for the change: Because of quirks in the way the drug market works, cutting prices could actually save the companies money in the long run. This weeks panelists are Julie Rovner of KHN, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico. Panelists Jessie Hellmann CQ Roll Call Sarah Karlin-Smith Pink Sheet Alice Miranda Ollstein Politico Among the takeaways from this weeks episode: The federal judge examining the decades-old approval of mifepristone could issue a decision at any time after a hearing largely behind closed doors, during which he appeared open to restricting access to the drug. Democratic governors seek to counter the chill of Republican states warnings to pharmacies about distributing mifepristone, and a separate lawsuit in Texas seeks to set a precedent for punishing people who arent medical providers for assisting someone in obtaining an abortion. In pandemic news, Congress is moving forward with legislation that would force the Biden administration to declassify intelligence related to the origins of covid-19, while the editor of Cochrane Reviews posted a clarification of its recently published masking study, noting it is inaccurate to say it found that masks are not effective. Top federal health officials sent an unusual letter to Floridas surgeon general, warning that his embrace of vaccination misinformation is harmful, even deadly, to Americans. While covid vaccines come with some risk of negative health effects, contracting covid carries a higher risk of poor outcomes. Novo Nordisks announcement that it will cut insulin prices puts pressure on Sanofi, the remaining insulin maker that has yet to adjust its prices. The Veterans Health Administration will cover Leqembi, a new Alzheimers drug. The decision comes as Medicare considers whether it will also cover the drug. Experts caution that new drugs shaking up the weight-loss market could prove costly for Medicare. Washington is eyeing changes to federal rules that would affect the practice of medicine. One change would force health plans to speed up prior authorization decisions by health insurers and increase transparency around denials, which supporters say would help patients better access needed care. Another proposal would ban noncompete clauses in contracts, including in health care. Arguments for and against the change both cite the issue of physician burnout though they disagree on whether the ban would make the problem better or worse. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too: Julie Rovner: Tradeoffs podcasts The Conservative Clash Over Abortion Bans, by Alice Miranda Ollstein and Dan Gorenstein Alice Miranda Ollstein: Politicos Sharpton Dodges the Spotlight on Latest Push to Ban Menthol Cigarettes, by Julia Marsh Sarah Karlin-Smith: Allures With New Legislation, You Can Expect More Recalls to Hit the Beauty Industry, by Elizabeth Siegel and Deanna Pai Jessie Hellmann: The New York Times Opioid Settlement Hinders Patients Access to a Wide Array of Drugs, by Christina Jewett and Ellen Gabler Also mentioned in this weeks podcast: Credits Francis Ying Audio producer Emmarie Huetteman Editor To hear all our podcasts, click here. And subscribe to KHNs What the Health? on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation. USE OUR CONTENT This story can be republished for free (details). Tamara Etiennes second pregnancy was freighted with risk and worry from its earliest days exacerbated by a first pregnancy that had ended in miscarriage. A third-grade teacher at an overcrowded Miami-Dade County public school, she spent harried days on her feet. Financial worries weighed heavy, even with health insurance and some paid time off through her job. And as a Black woman, a lifetime of racism had left her wary of unpredictable reactions in daily life and drained by derogatory and unequal treatment at work. Its the sort of stress that can release cortisol, which studies have shown heighten the risk for premature labor. Im experiencing it every day, not walking alone, walking with someone I have to protect, she said. So the level of cortisol in my body when Im pregnant? Immeasurable. Two months into the pregnancy, the unrelenting nausea suddenly stopped. I started to feel like my pregnancy symptoms were going away, she said. Then strange back pain started. Etienne and her husband rushed to an emergency room, where a doctor confirmed she was at grave risk for a miscarriage. A cascade of medical interventions progesterone injections, fetal monitoring at home, and bed rest while she took months off work saved the child, who was born at 37 weeks. Women in the U.S. are more likely to deliver their babies prematurely than those in most developed countries. Its a distinction that coincides with high rates of maternal and infant death, billions of dollars in intensive care costs, and often lifelong disabilities for the children who survive. About 1 in 10 live births in 2021 occurred before 37 weeks of gestation, according to a March of Dimes report released last year. By comparison, research in recent years has cited preterm birth rates of 7.4% in England and Wales, 6% in France, and 5.8% in Sweden. In its 2022 report card, the March of Dimes found the preterm birth rates increased in nearly every U.S. state from 2020 to 2021. Vermont, with a rate of 8%, merited the nations highest grade: an A-. The grimmest outcomes were concentrated in the Southern states, which largely earned F ratings, with preterm birth rates of 11.5% or higher. Mississippi (15%), Louisiana (13.5%), and Alabama (13.1%) were the worst performers. The March of Dimes report found 10.9% of live births in Florida were delivered preterm in 2021, earning the state a D rating. Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, many maternal-fetal specialists worry that the incidence of premature birth will soar. Abortion is now banned in at least 13 states and sharply restricted in 12 others states that restrict abortion have fewer maternal care providers than states with abortion access, according to a recent analysis by the Commonwealth Fund. That includes Florida, where Etienne lives, and where Republican lawmakers have enacted a series of anti-abortion laws, including a ban on abortion after 15 weeks of gestation. Florida is one of the least generous states when it comes to public health insurance. About 1 in 6 women of childbearing age in Florida are uninsured, making it more difficult to begin a healthy pregnancy. Women are twice as likely to die from pregnancy and childbirth-related causes in Florida than in California. I lose sleep over this, said Dr. Elvire Jacques, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Memorial Hospital in Miramar, Florida. Its hard to say, I expect [better birth outcomes] when Im not investing anything from the beginning. *** The causes of preterm births are varied. About 25% are medically induced, Jacques said, when the woman or fetus is in distress because of conditions like preeclampsia, a pregnancy-related hypertensive disorder. But research suggests that far more early births are thought to be rooted in a mysterious constellation of physiological conditions. Its very hard to identify that a patient will automatically have a preterm birth, Jacques said. But you can definitely identify stressors for their pregnancies. Physicians say that roughly half of all preterm births are preventable, caused by social, economic, and environmental factors, as well as inadequate access to prenatal health care. Risk factors include conditions such as diabetes and obesity, as well as more-hidden issues like stress or even dehydration. At Memorial Hospital in Miramar, part of a large public health care system, Jacques takes on high-risk pregnancies referred from other OB-GYNs in South Florida. When meeting a patient for the first time she asks: Who else is in your household? Where do you sleep? Do you have substance abuse issues? Where do you work? If you dont know that your patient works in a factory [standing] on an assembly line, she said, then how are you going to tell her to wear compression socks because that may help her prevent blood clots? Jacques has urged a store manager to let her pregnant patient sit while working. She persuaded an imam to grant a mom-to-be with diabetes a reprieve from religious fasting. Because diabetes is a major risk factor, she often talks with patients about eating healthfully. For those who eat fast food, she asks them to try cooking at home. Instead of, Can you pay for food? she asks, Of the foods were discussing, which one do you think you can afford? Access to affordable care separates Florida from states like California and Massachusetts which have paid family leave and low rates of uninsured residents and separates the U.S. from other countries, health policy experts say. In countries with socialized health care, women dont have to worry about the financial cost of care, said Dr. Delisa Skeete-Henry, chair of the obstetrics and gynecology department at Broward Health in Fort Lauderdale. A lot of places have paid leave, [and pregnant patients] dont have to worry about not being at work. Yet, as preterm births rise in the U.S., wealth does not ensure better pregnancy outcomes. Startling new research shows that at every U.S. income level, Black women and their infants experience far worse birth outcomes than their white counterparts. In other words, all the resources that come with wealth do not protect Black women or their babies from preterm complications, according to the study, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research. Jamarah Amani has seen this firsthand as executive director of the Southern Birth Justice Network and an advocate for midwifery and doula care in South Florida. As she evaluates new clients, she looks for clues about birth risks in a patients family history, lab work, and ultrasounds. She homes in quickly on stress related to work, relationships, food, family, and racism. I find Black women working in high-stress environments, even if they are not financially struggling, can face preterm birth, she said. She develops wellness plans that include breathing, meditation, stretching, and walking. Recently, when a patient showed signs of preterm labor, Amani discovered that her electricity bill was overdue and the utility was threatening to cut service. Amani found an organization to pay off the debt. Of Tamara Etiennes six pregnancies, two ended in miscarriage and four were threatened by preterm labor. Fed up with the onslaught of medical interventions, she found a local doula and midwife who helped guide her through the birth of her two youngest children. They were able to walk me through healthy, natural ways to mitigate all of those complications, she said. Her own pregnancy experiences left a profound impact on Etienne. She has since become a fertility doula herself. KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation. USE OUR CONTENT This story can be republished for free (details). Missoula County Public Schools will pitch four levies to registered voters in the spring school election this May. The districts board of trustees approved levies for the general fund and building reserve fund for both the elementary and high school districts. Though MCPS is a unified school district its K-8 elementary boundary serves a smaller geographic area than the high school, which stretches to serve students in outlying districts including Lolo, Hellgate, Target Range, Bonner and others. The board unanimously approved putting forward an elementary general fund levy for $261,504 and $128,054 for the high school general fund levy. If approved by voters, both levies would allow the district to adopt the highest budgets under the school funding formula. Were still relying upon one-time-only funds to balance (the budgets) so its not that theres not a use for these funds, said Pat McHugh, the districts executive director of business and operations. Were trying to build up these budgets so we can meet staff and salary obligations and the other increases that are reflected, including pulling away from ESSER. Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds, also known as ESSER, were distributed to schools in three installments during the COVID pandemic and expire in September 2024. MCPS received just over $28 million of these from the federal funds, which the district has been using to balance its budgets in the last few years. Over the last year, the districts reliance on ESSER funds to balance the elementary budget has decreased while the high schools have increased, McHugh said. School districts budgets are determined by a funding formula that is heavily influenced by enrollment. Based on the latest counts, elementary enrollment in the district decreased by 113 and the high schools increased by 84, McHugh said at an earlier board meeting. Since then, some state allocations have been made available and have changed the districts earlier budget projections. Youre seeing some definite fallout of the enrollment deep dive that we saw in the elementary district and weve patched it together with ESSER funds and weve done that intentionally, McHugh said. What were trying to do is ride that wave as long as we can to allow those enrollment numbers to recover. When you say that were trying to ride it out and sort of maintain as long as we can, what youre really talking about is our current level of service and staffing, added Trustee Grace Decker. That were trying to continue to provide as much of what weve been doing as we can do, despite the fact that fewer students are in the buildings, each individual student means less money coming in from the state. If approved by voters this spring, the elementary general fund levy would result in an annual tax increase of about $2.58 on a home with an assessed value of $100,000, the high school general fund levy would result in an annual tax increase of about $0.69 on a home assessed at $100,000. Taxpayers who live in the MCPS Elementary District 1 boundaries would pay both the elementary and high school levies if approved by voters this spring. Last year, voters approved general fund levies for both the elementary and high school districts. In addition to two general fund levies, voters will be asked to decide on two building reserve levies for both the elementary and high school districts. The district is asking voters to approve a $700,000-a-year elementary building reserve levy for five years (totaling $3.5 million) and a $700,000-a-year high school building reserve levy for seven years (totaling $4.9 million). If approved, the elementary levy would result in a tax increase of about $6.48 on a property assessed at $100,000 and the high schools would increase taxes by about $3.61 on a home assessed at the same value. Levies are the primary budgeting source for building maintenance for repairs and maintaining equipment, said Burley McWilliams, the districts director of operations and maintenance. The district has not run a building reserve levy since 2011 and those funds expired in 2016. This is something that we push off and we push off, its an annual maintenance obligation, McHugh said. Youll see that the expenditures are for roof repairs, electrical systems, mechanical systems, facility modifications, repairs, equipment, buildings, so it covers a wide swath of facility obligations for all of our buildings. Trustee Keegan Witt, who serves on the districts budget and levy committee, noted that costs associated with doors, vape sensors, security cameras and other safety items have been neglected and need to be picked up and would have to be absorbed by the general fund if the levies fail. Theres been a pretty common occurrence with our administrators asking for more safety and security measures or tools, and though we were able to make some really great upgrades I think theres some more we need to do in our district in regards to that, McWilliams said. And these levies will also help secure some of those upgrades. He added that the $700,000 a year will go fast and that the district needs more than that but decided to be sympathetic to what is the best time to run a levy and how much do we ask for to be passed. McWilliams recommended that these levies are not something the district should wait another 12 years to ask voters to support. Im looking at this as not an asset but an opportunity, said Trustee Koan Mercer. If we dont do this and the doors break we have to have doors thats a teaching position. So this is an opportunity for the community. This is our opportunity to invest in education. The Montana Board of Regents unanimously approved the University of Montanas request to plan its first phases of academic restructuring spearheaded by Provost Pardis Madhavi. Now the university will be able to continue mapping out the new School of Emerging and Applied Technologies and revising the scope and structure of the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation. UMs requests to plan a joint Masters of Public Administration and Masters of Public Health degree and a Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree also got a green light from the board. Simply put, students need to be prepared to solve unscripted problems, Mahdavi said. These are not things that can be solved with one disciplinary approach. The new School of Emerging and Applied Technologies will house UMs new cybersecurity degree, as well as programs on data science, virtual reality, augmented reality and artificial intelligence. However, it will begin as the Emerging and Applied Technologies initiative to further develop the school. The goal of the interdisciplinary school is to bring faculty together to study how emerging technologies affect, interact with and can be used to support learning effectively. With approval from the board, the university will also begin the process of moving its geosciences department into Forestry and Conservation. Geosciences are currently in the College of Humanities and Sciences. Mahdavi launched an inquest into academic renewal in late August, shortly after she took the reins of the provosts office. Since then, shes hosted multiple meetings, town hall events and surveys to solicit feedback from the campus community. The goal of creating more interdisciplinary opportunities for students at the university is largely aimed at combating the increasing number of Americans who do not view higher education as being important or having a positive impact on society, according to several studies and reports released in the last decade cited by Mahdavi during her presentation to the Regents. Obviously the work that you guys are doing is very large with a lot of implications as well, said Chair Brianne Rogers. In addition to the first phases of academic renewal, the joint Masters of Public Health and Masters Public Administration will leverage the existing programs at UM, Mahdavi said, noting that there are no programs like this currently in Montana and the nearest ones are in Utah and Washington. Mahdavi added that jobs in fields related to this new joint degree are expected to grow by 17% in the next seven years with an income earning potential of at least $70,000. Jobs for physician assistants are also expected to increase by 37% by 2026, Mahdavi said. The only physician assistant programs in Montana are at Rocky Mountain College in Billings and Carroll College in Helena. UM previously brought a request to plan a physician assistant program to the Regents in 2020, but was put on the back burner with the onset of the COVID pandemic. But we are now ready to engage and move forward, Mahdavi said. Mahdavi will be leaving the provosts office at the end of the semester to lead a new higher education initiative to expand educational opportunities for UM and other universities. Adrea Lawrence, the dean of the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education, will move into the role as interim provost. I really wanted to thank Dr. Mahdavi publicly because shes laid the groundwork for some really impactful and lasting innovation at our university, UM President Seth Bodnar said. Described as a rally to defend Montanas Constitution, several of those who have been vocal in their support of the document spoke about its value as the Legislature this week worked through hearings for some legislation that would, if passed, ask voters to make changes to the document in the fall of 2024. As many of us know, when you over-till the land, you sully the earth and destroy that which you seek to create, Keegan Medrano, of the ACLU of Montana, said Wednesday. What is happening right now in Montana is that effort to over-till. What is happening right now is a flagrant disregard for the existing provisions of the Constitution and a craven effort to impose their most unpopular ideas into our document. The event was promoted by the Montana Environmental Information Center and featured a list more than a dozen organizations that were co-hosts. Speakers touched on topics from the formation of the Constitution to concerns they had about efforts to put referendums before voters in the fall of 2024 to make changes to the document. Mae Nan Ellingson, a delegate when the Constitution was re-written in 1972, said the intent at the time was to write a document that let government serve the people and protect citizens from that government. We made a Constitution that belonged to the people, Ellingson said. We did not create a Democratic Party Constitution (or) a Republican Party Constitution its a We the People Constitution with the power derived from the people, the power retained by the people. It is far, far, far from being a socialist rag. The end of her comment referred to a statement made by former state Rep. Derek Skees, a Kalispell Republican, in 2021. Ellingson then pointed to laws passed in the 2021 legislative session that have since been found unconstitutional by courts, saying she thought some attempts to change the Constitution now stem from that. It seems to me the Legislature, duly elected as they are, think they are the supreme branch of government, Ellingson said. they simply do what they want to do, and that is why we have Constitutions. Still, she acknowledged lawmakers have a right to bring the referendums but said then its up to voters in the end. Any amendment, any prop amendment that makes it through this Legislature, will be on the general ballot in 2024, Ellingson said to the crowd in the Capitol rotunda. You the people are the only, only, only ones that can change (the Constitution). Dont despair if an amendment or two gets through. In a press conference Monday, Senate Majority Leader Steve Fitzpatrick, of Great Falls, was critical of the concerns raised about proposed referendums. There were more than 50 requested this session, though Republicans in the supermajority have narrowed their list of priorities to a dozen. I find it a little unusual that you hear so much about the threats to democracy and all of a sudden you have the chance of the people to engage in democracy and have a voice in what their Constitution and what their government looks like, and all of a sudden you have all these people like (former Republican) Gov. (Marc) Racicot and others that say its bad for the people to decide what their government looks like," Fitzpatrick said. "These constitutional amendments, they pass the Legislature but ultimately its the people of Montana that get to decide what their government looks like. So this is direct democracy in its best form and I really think that there needs to be a better appreciation for our democratic process and how constitutional amendments are proposed and become law. Some of the priorities include having Supreme Court justices be appointed and revising their terms, the right to hunt, constitutional carry, requiring legislative approval of redistricting, prohibiting public funding of some abortions and a personhood amendment. Former state Supreme Court Justice Jim Nelson spoke Wednesday against some of the referendums, saying he wanted to keep courts "impartial and nonpartisan." Our courts, our judges, our justices and our Constitution are the only thing standing between we the people and the tyranny of the majority, Nelson said. Tajin Perez, deputy director of Western Native Voice, raised concerns over bills this session that would change election laws. "Will we allow these efforts to go uncontested? Will we stand idly by while our cost is undermined?" Perez asked. State Rep. SJ Howell, a Missoula Democrat, focused on the right to privacy within the state Constitution. That right is where a 1999 state Supreme Court order found Montana's Constitution protects the right to access a pre-viability abortion, making the provision a target of some GOP legislators. Our choices about our bodies, about what care we receive, about how and when to start families, I can't think of much thats more personal and deserving of privacy than that," Howell said. Earlier in the week, Senate President Jason Ellsworth, of Hamilton, again emphasized it was not just Republicans making decisions about the Constitution. Everything that we do as a ... referendum, we give that to the citizens, so the citizens vote on this. The citizens at the end of the day make this decision. The only decision we make is what gets in front of them," Ellsworth said in a press conference. Before closing, 14-year-old Mica Kantor, an eighth grader from Missoula who is part of a lawsuit filed by several young people in Montana claiming the state government has not protected their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment, spoke. Kantor said he was concerned about losing access to his favorite outdoor activities and species endangered by climate change. "I'm not old enough to vote, so sometimes it's hard for me to feel like my voice is being heard," Kantor said of why he joined the lawsuit. Early Wednesday morning when many people were still sleeping, the first engine of a five-engine, 72-car Union Pacific Railroad train derailed after hitting a snow drift in Monida at the Montana-Idaho border. A spokesperson from Union Pacific said the train derailed in an upright position at about 4:45 a.m. north of I-15 near the intersection of South Valley Road and Snowline Stock Lane. No damage was sustained, there were no chemical spills and no one was injured, said Beaverhead County Sheriff David Wendt. Wendt said in addition to the snow, wind speeds probably contributed to the derailment. The wind was blowing like you wouldnt believe, Wendt said, adding that low visibility took him 20 to 30 minutes longer than usual to get there from his home in Lima. A meteorologist from the National Weather Service said the wind around the Monida crossing started gusting at 50 miles per hour at about 4:30 in the morning and continued for two hours. He said at 4:52 a.m., the speed maxed out at 55 miles per hour. He also said the fastest wind gust was 65 miles per hour. Wendt said Union Pacific personnel told him the train should be put back on the tracks between 7 and 9 p.m., which he said was remarkable. He added the train was expected to continue on its journey after that. Each engine weighs 412,000 pounds, according to a statement posted on Facebook by the Beaverhead County Sheriffs Office. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is hosting a series of upcoming public meetings in northwest Montana to discuss mule deer management. FWP Region 1 staff will discuss the ecology and management of mule deer in northwest Montana, the current status of populations in the region, and future management considerations. The intent of these meetings is for FWP to hear various questions and perspectives from interested members of the public. There will be no decisions made during these meetings. The schedule of public meetings in northwest Montana has changed and is as follows: March 21 Timbers Event Center, Eureka, 6 p.m. Timbers Event Center, Eureka, 6 p.m. March 22 Libby Little Theater, Libby, 6 p.m. Libby Little Theater, Libby, 6 p.m. March 23 Flathead Valley Community College (Arts and Technology Building), Kalispell, 6 p.m. Flathead Valley Community College (Arts and Technology Building), Kalispell, 6 p.m. April 5 Thompson Falls High School, Thompson Falls, 6 p.m. To learn more about mule deer management in Montana, visit https://fwp.mt.gov/hunt/regulations/deer. " " As you come into your first formal meeting with your new boss, keep an open mind, be honest, and above all, don't be fake. It's not always easy, but coming at this opportunity with the right attitude can make your life a lot easier. Digital Vision/ Thinkstock Meeting a new boss is a bit like going on a blind date. It's an uneasy mix of anticipation and anxiety. You don't know if you'll hit it off. Is your boss insecure? Confident? Needy? Energetic? Is he or she smart? Smarter than you are? What if your boss doesn't know what he or she is doing? Or worse yet -- what if your boss is just plain "bossy"? Even if you've both worked in the same organization for a while -- even if you've been friends with this person -- a new manager-employee relationship is a time of change and opportunity. This person has the power to make or break your career in your organization. That's why the way you deal with your new boss at the start is so critical. Handled the wrong way, this new relationship could sabotage your career or even land you in the unemployment line. Keep in mind your boss will size you up at the same time that you're evaluating this person who now has power over you. Advertisement How you handle the situation depends in part on the nature of your business relationship. If it's a traditional boss-employee situation, knowing the organizational psychology is as important as knowing your boss's personality. Today, more people are finding themselves in less traditional situations, reporting to people who may be thousands of miles away or in a more fluid or collaborative work environment. Maybe you're new to the organization. These issues (and more) are important considerations as you formulate a strategy for dealing with your new manager. This article will address ways to acquaint yourself with your boss, what to talk about when you do and how to make the most of the situation. We'll even talk about what your options are if things between you and your new boss turn ugly. That's a last resort, though. If you go into this new situation with the right attitude, you could be opening up doors you never knew were there. In the next section, we'll start with proper introductions. " " Reenactors are dedicated enough to perform in harsh conditions for the sake of getting the full experience. Mark Mainz/ Getty Images For many people, there's nothing drier than a dense history book. There are alternative ways to get your history education. If you crave intrigue and a dash of melodrama, historical fiction can make the past come alive. While these stories may transport you to Elizabethan England or ancient Rome, they're still fiction, after all, and don't always provide authentic history lessons. So, many die-hard history-lovers volunteer in historical reenactments for an action-packed and enlightening experience. Across the United States, Civil War battles rank among the most popular events to reenact -- they're often held on the original battlefields for true authenticity. But if you're more interested in other wars or time periods, don't despair. There are reenactment groups for almost any era that captures your interest, such as ancient Rome, the Middle Ages, the American Revolution or either of the World Wars. Advertisement In historical reenactments, people from all walks of life gather together, dressed head-to-toe in period clothing. Each reenactor has a specific role to play, so volunteers are expected to have extensive knowledge of the historical event as well as the time period in which it occurs. Each reenactment is a unique experience that allows participants to see through the eyes of a historical person and undergo all the hardships that go along with the times -- short of actually being killed in battle or catching typhoid. A more specialized type of reenactment is living history, which requires reenactors to adopt specific historic personas and engage directly with the public to educate them about a certain period. These reenactors can make a modest living by working in museums or historic sites such as Plymouth, Mass., or Williamsburg, Va. If you're thinking about volunteering in a historical reenactment, experienced reenactors will tell you that you shouldn't delve into this hobby without knowing what you're getting into. Too many curious volunteers have spent hundreds of dollars on costumes and equipment only to find out that the experience is more grueling than they bargained for. But if you've got the mettle and undying enthusiasm for history, we'll walk you through the basics of how to get involved. One thing that stands out about the largest criminal fines in history: All have been levied during the 21st century. "The fines that we're seeing in the past 20 years were unheard of before the dawn of the 21st century," explains Morvillo, the prosecutor turned defense lawyer. "The question governments face is how to deter criminal conduct," says Morvillo. "You can't send companies to jail. So, you impose massive fines, or you go after the individual wrongdoers within a company." That may mean pursuing criminal charges against specific company employees and getting the company to cooperate in the investigation of those employees. Advertisement Morvillo describes the federal government's tactics as a "swinging pendulum." There are periods where the government has focused on eye-popping fines to scare companies into honest behavior. The massive fines paid by companies like Bank of America and Facebook have occurred during these periods. However, the pendulum may now be swinging in the opposite direction. As of January 2023, Morvillo explains, "the Department of Justice has updated its corporate enforcement policies so as to offer incentives to companies that disclose criminal conduct. This means massive reductions in fines, provided that you self-disclose [internal wrongdoing]." In other words, if companies come clean and expose wrongdoers in their own organizations, the Department of Justice may reward them with much lower fines than they may have otherwise paid. If the Justice Department's recent trend holds, we may see lower criminal fines in the years to come. It also leads to potentially greater cooperation between governments and the companies they investigate. Morvillo explains, "The government dangles these deals in front of companies, and those companies' lawyers are incentivized to go in and cooperate as soon as possible." Now That's Criminal According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in a special report on the BP oil spill: "As the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill released 134 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico over a period of 87 days, fouling 1,300 miles of shoreline along five states ... the Deepwater Horizon oil spill killed thousands of marine mammals and sea turtles, and contaminated their habitats." Put a price on that. " " Sen. Richard Durbin introduced the Pathways to College Act in the Senate in 2008. Win McNamee/ Getty Images In July 2008, Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois introduced the Pathways to College Act, a bill that was also sponsored in the House by Rep. Tim Bishop of New York. The bill aims to increase college attendance among low-income and first-generation college attendees, which may explain why it has the support of both Republicans and Democrats. After all, an economy with a large college-educated labor pool tends to be a healthy economy. Although both Congressmen are Democrats, the bill has gained bipartisan support in both houses of Congress. If passed, the act will create secondary school grants designed to help bulk up their college admissions counseling programs. To know how this may increase college attendance is to know how college admissions counselors work. Essentially, it's their job to get kids into colleges and programs that will tap their innate abilities and expand their talents. It's a difficult, one-on-one job; multiply that by the number of students in a given high school, and you'll have a rough idea of just how daunting a task it can be for a single counselor. This is why Durbin and Bishop introduced the Pathways to College Act. Advertisement Admissions counselors can be generally divided in two categories: those who serve in secondary schools, and those who work for colleges. In high schools, admissions counselors are also commonly called guidance counselors. In colleges, they're sometimes referred to as recruiters. Private admissions counselors straddle the line between the two. These counselors are generally hired by the parents of a kid seeking to attend college. Depending on where an admissions counselor works, their jobs will vary, but all admissions counselors have the goal of getting kids to attend and graduate from college. In this article, we'll look at what admissions counselors do and what factors are involved with making the right fit between student, institution and course program. On the next page we'll discuss college admissions counselors. A Florida professor has been living underwater for the past two weeks and won't come back to the surface until June if all goes as planned. Joseph Dituri, a biomedical engineering professor at the University of South Florida, is attempting to shatter a world record for the most days a human has lived underwater. The previous record of 73 days was set in 2014 by two Tennessee professors. Dituri is attempting to live for 100 days in a special habitat about 25 feet down in an ocean lagoon in Key Largo, Florida. On the 15th day of his adventure, which began on March 1, Dituri spoke with USA TODAY from his underwater home on a Zoom call, sharing what's been the most rewarding, the most challenging and the most surprising thing about life in the sea. The mission: 100 days beneath the sea Joseph Dituri is pictured on a dive. Dituri's main purpose while living underwater is not breaking records but studying how the human body responds to long-term exposure to extreme pressure. Before he started living in the 100-square-foot habitat, called Jules' Undersea Lodge, Dituri underwent a battery of psychological and medical tests. While he's living underwater, and afterward, a medical team will continue running tests on the 55-year-old. Lion king: Bob Jr., an iconic lion known as 'King of the Serengeti', killed by rival lions: Report What is St. Patrick's Day?: Why do we celebrate it, and why do we wear green? What to know Among the goals of the project, which cost $250,000 to fund, will be to study the psychological effects of living in an isolated, confined environment for months, and to explore whether living under pressure can increase life spans and prevent certain aging diseases, according to a news release about the project. "We haven't done this level of research on people while they were underwater," Dituri told reporters last week. "No humans ever stayed past 73 days. We're going to go all the way to 100." Joseph Dituri gestures to his workspace and kitchen area in his underwater habitat. Underwater life's challenges and joys When Dituri spoke to USA TODAY this week about the project, he was 15% into his 100 days below water. Story continues The toughest part is missing his three grown daughters, mother and girlfriend, though he can still text and Zoom with them, he said. Being away from loved ones was something Dituri got used to when he was frequently deployed overseas while serving in the Navy for 28 years. Getting used to it didn't make it any easier, for him or them. "My daughter's in Caltech, graduates with a degree in physics in May. I'll miss that," Dituri said. "We had to fit it in between hurricane season and the holidays, and I'm like, 'Baby, something had to fall.' And she's like, 'Don't worry about it. I know you'll be there in spirit.' And I'm like, 'Damn.'" Joseph Dituri holds up a cellphone photo of his three daughters during a Zoom interview with USA TODAY. Dituri's favorite moment came when a bunch of kids were trying to hold their breath and make it down to a porthole in Dituri's habitat to wave hello. (He frequently sees scuba divers and other visitors curious to get a look at his life undersea.) "There were a bunch of kids trying to hold their breath and come down but this one little girl would not give up," he said. "I would see the little girl swim down, try and hold her breath, try and hold her breath, and she tried like, 15 times. I was like, 'C'mon, c'mon!'" The girl finally made it to his porthole and Dituri snapped a selfie with her, sent it to his mission director, who then made sure to get it to the girl. "This little kid was like, 'Hey, I got to do something that there was no way that I thought that I could, but I made it happen,'" he said. "This mission could end tomorrow and I'd be good." Joseph Dituri is pictured with young divers who visited him at his underwater habitat in Key Largo, Florida. Bad sleep, a stiff back and lots of bathroom trips Dituri recently gave a virtual tour of his habitat, showing reporters the bunk bed where he sleeps, the bathroom area that includes a toilet and a fresh-water shower, and his kitchen and workspace. The most important item on board might be Dituri's coffeemaker, he joked. He also has a microwave but can't do cooking beyond that because of the pressurized conditions. Luckily, visitors can bring him fresh food. Just recently he dined on frozen salmon patties that he heated up in the microwave and flavored with lemon pepper, salt and oregano. He's documenting some of his day-to-day life on Instagram, sharing things like a video showing how bananas crush at depth. What's everyone talking about?: Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news Physically, Dituri is having difficulty sleeping well in the habitat though isn't sure why. He also has a sore back because his living quarters are two inches shorter than his height of 6 feet, 2 inches meaning he's hunching all day. Dituri also realized pretty quickly that living underwater means more trips to the bathroom. It was so noticeable that everyone visiting the habitat has to give urine samples so researchers can compare amounts, he said. Outside of that, Dituri is feeling fine and staying in shape by doing 100 pushups and situps a day, in addition to yoga. It's all well worth it for the professor, who is passionate about biohacking and plans to live to be 110 years old. Some studies have shown that living in hyperbaric conditions can slow the aging process. So, we suspect I am going to come out superhuman, Dituri joked. "Who knows how cool I'm going to be." Joseph Dituri is pictured on a dive. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida professor trying for world-record 100 days living underwater A day after DeFi platform Euler Finance was hacked for nearly $200 million, the company sent a message to the thieves in a very DeFi way: on-chain. "If 90% of the funds are not returned within 24 hours, tomorrow we will launch a $1M reward for information that leads to your arrest and the return of all funds," the publicly encoded message from Euler Finance said. The reward was publicly announced by the Euler Foundation today. Today the Euler Foundation is launching a $1M reward in the hope that this provides additional incentive for information that leads to the Euler protocol attackers arrest and the return of all funds extracted by the attacker. Euler Labs (@eulerfinance) March 15, 2023 On Monday, attackers used a flash loan exploit to steal $8.7 million in the stablecoin DAI, $18.5 million in Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC), $135.8 million in Staked Ethereum (stETH), and another $33.8 million in Circle's USD stablecoin USDC. While Euler says the company is working with law enforcement in the United States and the United Kingdom, the company confirmed to Decrypt that on-chain messages directed at the hacker were legitimate. DeFi Lender Euler Finance Drained of $197M In Flash Loan Exploit After the initial attack, Euler addressed the thief, asking if the attacker would be open to speaking with the company about any potential next steps." "The simplest way to move forward today is to return 90% of both the DAI and ETH under your control to the EulerDAO treasury address," they wrote, adding that if this was done, the investigation would stop, and no legal actions taken. Story continues new message from euler team to exploiter pic.twitter.com/HDVtPNIqr1 0xngmi (llamazip arc) (@0xngmi) March 15, 2023 Finally, on Wednesday, Euler split the difference in tone. The simplest way to move forward today is to return 90% of both the DAI and ETH under your control to the EulerDAO treasury, the company wrote. Then investigations can be halted, and the focus here can turn to distribution of that back to protocol users, without needing to go the legal route. In a Twitter thread, Euler Finance said that it has engaged online forensics companies, TRM Labs, Chainalysis, and the broader Ethereum security community to help investigate and recover funds. Even though Euler Finance has offered not to take legal action if the terms were met, regulators and law enforcement in the U.S. and U.K. may have other ideas. The U.S. Justice Department and federal regulators have stepped up investigations and prosecutions related to cryptocurrency crime. In December, the Justice Department charged FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried with eight counts of fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy. "We are devastated by the effect of this attack on Euler protocol users and will continue to work with our security partners, law enforcement, and the broader community to resolve this as best we can. Thank you so much for your support and encouragement," Euler Finance said. On Tuesday, Kirby Smart met with the media for his opening spring practice conference. Smart provided an update on Georgias injury report, noting five players will miss this spring with various injuries. Those five players include: DB Dan Jackson (foot) OLB Marvin Jones Jr. (shoulder) OL Josh Miller (shoulder) RB Andrew Paul (ACL) LB Jalon Walker (shoulder) Regarding Paul, Smart did say that he is hopeful the running back will be good to go by the start of fall camp. [Ron Courson] would compare it to where Chubb was that first spring we got here He is not cleared, but hes on track, Smart said. Hes going to do individual drills We feel good about where hell be as far as fall camp Paul took a redshirt year during the 2022 season, his true freshman year, after suffering a torn ACL during Georgias second fall scrimmage. Dont hit the panic button just yet. As Dawgnation points out, recent players to miss spring practice include Darnell Washington, Smael Mondon, Nakobe Dean, and Brock Bowers. They all went on to have a fine season. Regarding the outside linebacker position, which will now be without Marvin Jones Jr. and Jalon Walker this spring, Smart said: Its probably the youngest position on the roster Well see how it goes. Those young guys have looked good in workouts Well need a lot of reps and work there Safety Dan Jackson is a key player in Georgias secondary. A big time contributor to the 2021 national title team, Jackson opened 2022 as the starting safety opposite of Chris Smith. Malaki Starks quickly overtook Jackson for the starting spot, but Jackson continued to play until suffering a midseason foot injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the year and will continue to do so through the spring. Story originally appeared on UGA Wire Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood has taken a strong stand against white supremacist groups that have spread antisemitic propaganda in the area. While the First Amendment protects the groups rights to free speech, threatening others and hiding behind a fake name online is a different story. And thats why Richard Golden, 38, of New Jersey, was arrested March 6 he is accused of making anonymous online threats against Chitwood. Arrest announcement:New Jersey man arrested for posting death threats online aimed at Sheriff Mike Chitwood Hate propaganda in Volusia:Sheriff calls out 'punk thugs' who spread antisemitic propaganda in Volusia County Chitwood targeted:Racist group targets Sheriff Mike Chitwood by dropping flyers in Port Orange area Here is what we know about Golden and the case: What did Richard Golden do? Golden used a 4CHAN chatroom, a communications platform shared by extremist groups, to write a death threat recommending that Chitwood be shot in the head, Chitwood said in a press conference on Tuesday. "Just shoot Chitwood in the head and he stops being a problem. They have to find a new guy to be the problem. But shooting Chitwood in the head solves an immediate problem permanently. Just shoot Chitwood in the head and murder him," Golden wrote on the platform on Feb. 22, according to Chitwood. How did investigators find Golden? The Central Florida Intelligence Exchange flagged Golden's post, launching a joint investigation that ultimately identified him. Investigators obtained search warrants to subpoena communications companies' records to track down the internet address used on the platform, and it took investigators to the New Jersey home belonging to Golden's mother, Chitwood said. They learned that he was living at the house in Monmouth Junction. Goldens mother told FBI agents and South Brunswick Police Department officers that her son stays in his room and is always on the internet, according to a press release from the Volusia County Sheriffs Office. She said he doesnt work, rarely leaves the house, and is hostile toward law enforcement and the government. Story continues South Brunswick police arrested Golden without incident. What is Golden charged with? Golden was charged with second-degree felony written threats to kill or injure, which carries up to 15 years in prison. The anonymous nature of the internet may make people feel they can say anything, but if you make threats or put people in fear we will use all our resources to track you down, South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka said in his own announcement of the arrest. Golden was transported to the Middlesex County Corrections Center where he will remain pending extradition to Volusia County, according to the VCSO. Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood holds up the photo of Richard Golden, a New Jersey man accused of posting death threats to Chitwood in a hate group chatroom. In a press conference Tuesday, Chitwood explained how authorities tracked Golden down. Golden admitted making the online post about shooting Chitwood, according to investigators. Hate groups targeting Chitwood Since his vehement stand recently against the spread of antisemitic and hateful propaganda in Volusia County following demonstrations on International Speedway Boulevard and distribution of flyers with derogatory language about the sheriff, Chitwood and his family suffered other intimidation attempts, according to the VCSO. There was an attempted swatting of the sheriffs home (making a false 911 call threatening violence in an attempt to provoke a police response) and harassment to one of his daughters all of which were unsuccessful, the department said. During Tuesdays press conference, Chitwood displayed new Scumbag Eradication Team T-shirts and Volusia Strong coffee mugs, which he is selling in response to the recent hate incidents. Sheriff Mike Chitwood anti-hate memorabilia on display at press conference. All proceeds will benefit a new Volusia Sheriffs youth foundation program to push back against hate and educate youth about history, including through foundation-sponsored trips to the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg, according to the sheriffs office. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: What we know about Richard Golden, accused of threatening Chitwood David Trulio The former managing editor of Fox News Digital has been named president and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. Officials announced Wednesday David V. Trulio, who also has worked in aerospace, defense and government, will lead the nonprofit foundation that raises funds for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley. He succeeds John Heubusch who is retiring after 14 years of leading the foundation. Johns leadership has brought the foundation to new levels, and he will be deeply missed, said Frederick J. Ryan Jr., chairman of the foundations board, in a news release. We are grateful for his service and wish him much success in this next chapter of his life. Related:Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at Reagan library, drawing fans and detractors Trulio will begin on April 3. He is charged with guiding a planned expansion of the foundation and institutes digital offerings, revenue streams and brand. He most recently worked as managing editor and head of strategy and editorial operations at Fox News Digital. The platform operates FoxNews.com and FoxBusiness.com websites and averaged 82.7 million multi-platform unique visitors in 2022. With David at the helm, we look forward to propelling the Reagan Foundation and Institute into a new digital age and expanding our reach to those Americans who are unable to visit Simi Valley, Ryan said. David is the perfect person to lead this important initiative and guide us into a new era of growth. Trulio also has worked at the federal agency, Export-Import Bank of the United States as counselor to the chairman and senior vice president for the program on China and transformational exports. At the U.S. Department of Defense, Trulio served as chief of staff to the undersecretary of defense for policy. He has also been employed as a vice president at Lockheed Martin International and at Raytheon Company. Earlier in his career, Trulio was appointed by President George W. Bush to be a special assistant to the president and the executive secretary of the Homeland Security Council at the White House. Prior to his government service, Trulio practiced corporate transactional law in Los Angeles. Story continues Trulio, who is relocating to Southern California from Northern Virginia, said he was honored to lead the foundation. Ronald Reagan is the greatest president of the 20th century. Especially in challenging times, one cannot overstate the importance to America and the world of securing and advancing Ronald Reagans legacy, his timeless principles and his elevating leadership example, he said in a news release. SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM: To see more stories like this, subscribe here. This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: David V. Trulio named new CEO of Ronald Reagan Foundation The U.S. Justice Department and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, according to a report today from The Wall Street Journal. The investigations include looking at stock sales SVB's bosses made before the bank crashed, WSJ reported. The Justice Department has involved its fraud prosecutors in Washington and San Francisco, it added. Just two weeks before the collapse of SVB, its CEO Greg Becker sold $3.6 million of company stock, regulatory filings show. Citing people familiar with the matter, Tuesday's report says that the investigations are in their preliminary phases and may not lead to charges or allegations of wrongdoing. California banking regulators closed Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) last week after rumors of liquidity issues led to a run on the bank, with customers attempting to withdraw $42 billion in one day alone. SVB's closure was the second biggest banking failure in the history of U.S. finance after Washington Mutual's fall in 2008. A long list of crypto companies had exposure to the bank, which catered to the tech industry. This Week on Crypto Twitter: Crypto Has a Banking Crisis SVB's collapse came after major crypto-friendly bank Silvergate said it was closing. And just days after SVB closed, New York regulators decided to shut Signature Bank, which also had many clients in the digital asset industry. Yesterday, the Federal Reserve Board announced that Vice Chair for Supervision Michael S. Barr was leading a review of the supervision and regulation of Silicon Valley Bank. Up your sleep quality, not quantity (Alamy/PA) Good quality sleep may be more important for a healthy and happy life than getting the recommended seven to nine hours of shut-eye, research suggests. Scientists have found that those who reported getting good quality sleep usually defined as being able to fall asleep quickly (within 15 minutes) and staying asleep without waking too many times also reported having a better quality of life compared to those who did not. Quality of life was measured using five parameters: life satisfaction, wellbeing, happiness, subjective health and work stress. The researchers said their findings, published in the journal Plos One, showed sleep duration is not as important to an individuals quality of life as a good nights slumber. The scientists wrote: Better sleep means a better quality of life. While when we sleep and how long we sleep is important, individuals who have better quality sleep also have a better quality of life, regardless of the time and length of sleep. The National Sleep Foundation recommends adults get at least seven hours of sleep each night. As part of the study, the researchers from Charles University and the Czech Academy of Sciences followed more than 4,000 people in the Czech Republic over a period of three years, with adults responding to surveys in 2018, 2019 and 2020. The team also looked at social jetlag where socially directed sleep patterns and biological sleep rhythms are mismatched. Like normal jetlag, social jetlag is a result of the human body moving between two time zones: one dictated by work and social obligations, the other by the internal timing system, which is the circadian clock. An increasing body of scientific work indicates the importance of good sleep quality for health and that a one size fits all seven-to-eight hours of sleep each night for adults is not necessarily a requirement for everyone Prof Neil Walsh It can also occur when people go to bed later and wake up later at the weekend than on weekdays. Story continues The team found that sleep quality was associated with health and happiness, while work stress was linked to social jetlag. But the researchers wrote: The study suggests, with the exception of extremes, that sleep duration alongside the differences in sleep habits on workdays and free days is not as important to the quality of life as what is considered a good nights sleep. They added: By following 4,253 people for three years, we found that those whose sleep improved also had an improved quality of life. Commenting on the study, Professor Neil Walsh, of Liverpool John Moores University, said the findings indicate a strong relationship between self-reported sleep quality and quality of life. Prof Walsh, who recently authored a paper on sleep quality and infection, told the PA news agency: An increasing body of scientific work indicates the importance of good sleep quality for health and that a one size fits all seven-to-eight hours of sleep each night for adults is not necessarily a requirement for everyone individual sleep needs matter too. Studies are required to tackle the limitation that these findings are associational its not clear whether poor quality sleep lowers quality of life or whether low quality of life leads to poor sleep quality. Also, studies are required in a larger population, over a longer time frame and ideally with more objective measures of sleep and clinical health outcomes. The measures in this study were self-reported. Nevertheless, these new findings support the recommendation that improving sleep quality may have beneficial effects on clinical health outcomes. Hypersonic missiles can change course to avoid detection and anti-missile defenses. The U.S. Department of Defense scrubbed a test launch of an undisclosed missile out of Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station earlier this month. Airspace closure warnings issued by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) indicated launch activity scheduled for between March 2 and March 6, generating interest and speculation in the event, Florida Today reported . Marco Langbroek, a lecturer in optical space situational awareness at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, noted that the navigational warning drew a "forked" flight path over the north Atlantic, indicating that the mission was not a typical orbital launch activity but more likely a hypersonic missile test. Related: Hypersonic air-breathing weapon concept passes 2nd flight test New blogpost:"A possible (hypersonic?) missile test from Cape Canaveral"https://t.co/f4xRH05UjYMarch 6, 2023 See more While gaining attention, however, the test did not take place. The Office of the Secretary of Defense informed Florida Today that, "as a result of pre-flight checks, the test did not occur." "Delivering hypersonic weapons remains a top priority for the Department of Defense," the statement continued. I think LRHW test. On the left is a photo of SLC-46 at the cape. On the right is a render of the LRHW silo. They look pretty much the same from this angle. Left Credit: @spacecoast_stve Right Credit: @LockheedMartin pic.twitter.com/YhIaohOKkeMarch 3, 2023 See more RELATED STORIES: US Air Force launches 1st operational hypersonic missile Lockheed Martin tests new hypersonic weapon concept for DARPA Hypersonic missile defense program moves toward 2 prototypes The nature of the system to be tested was not disclosed, but apparent clues emerged on Twitter. The U.S. has been stepping up efforts to develop hypersonic weapons in the wake of apparent progress by both Russia and China in this field. The word respect comes up a lot in a conversation with John Kuntz. Last year, Kuntz joined with fellow Miles City residents Matt Rinella and Miles Muscha to form the group Montana Hunters for Access. The goal was to create a way to thank landowners involved in the states Block Management Program. Anyone who wants to donate time or money to Montana Hunters for Access is welcome, more info can be found online at montanahunteraccess.org. The Block Management Program pays landowners to allow public hunting. In 2022, in Region 7 of southeastern Montana, 321 landowners enrolled 243 Block Management Areas, according to Fish, Wildlife & Parks. That provided access to 2.03 million acres of land 1.48 million of which was private property connected to another 546,000 acres of state and federal lands. By showing respect for those landowners and by providing volunteers for work days on the farms and ranches, or prizes at two appreciation dinners, Kuntz, Muscha and Rinella hope to preserve or even, with luck, expand landowner interest in Block Management. Heres a group of sportsmen who want to show some respect for what the landowners have done, Kuntz said, adding that its a big deal to let people you dont know onto your property. Theres a definite concern were not giving these people the respect they deserve. 38 years The Block Management Program, founded in 1985, is largely funded through nonresident license sales. The Montana Legislature is currently working on a bill that would double the payment cap to cooperators from $25,000 a year to $50,000. According to FWP, in Region 7 alone more than 41,500 resident days and 27,600 nonresident days were tallied last year more than 69,000 hunter days afield just in that region of the state. It took more than 40,600 hunters to tally all those days. Only about one-third of the hunters killed game, yet 73% saw game and 93% were satisfied with their experience. Kuntz, Muscha and Rinella are also working to counter poor hunter behavior theyve heard landowners complain about. Incidents like leaving gates open or trash behind has led some participants in Block Management to drop out. I hope the group can turn that around, Kuntz said. And I would love to see this group in every region. LandTrust Montana stands at a crossroads where programs like Block Management could easily evaporate if landowners lose interest. Rinella said his fears are heightened by a fairly new Bozeman-based business. LandTrust is promoting Airbnb-type rental of private lands for activities such as hunting, fishing, hiking and mountain biking. Some state hunters and Block Management cooperators are already complaining about crowding on publicly accessible lands. If more property is leased, that in theory crowds other hunters without cash onto less land, another issue the Montana Legislature is struggling to address. So far, LandTrust lists more than 1 million acres of lands in Montana, with more soon to come, according to a recent press release. Thats because the Wilks brothers, one of the largest landowners in the state, plan to enroll hundreds of thousands of acres. The brothers have also provided a large part of the $6 million for the first round in venture funding. The investment will allow LandTrust to expand into five more states this year, the company said. "We invested in LandTrust and are adding some of our lands to the platform because it allows us to provide the general public access to our private land in a safe, secure and simple way to create a more equitable and accessible outdoor experience for all, said Justin Wilks, executive vice president at Wilks Brothers. The Wilkses property in central Montana houses one of the largest elk herds in the state. According to the LandTrust press release, Similar to other companies in the sharing economy, such as home sharing sites like Airbnb and VRBO, LandTrust is a land sharing site where landowners can earn income by hosting a full range of outdoor recreational experiences on their land including hunting, fishing, bird watching, RVing, and more. At LandTrust, we believe the future of working lands will be dependent on a portfolio of income from agricultural production, conservation, and recreational opportunities, said Nic De Castro, founder and CEO of LandTrust. Unlike a more traditional annual lease by an outfitter, De Castro said LandTrusts platform allows landowners to let their friends, family and neighbors hunt and fish, and then generate income when they arent using it. Fees vary widely depending on the experience, ranging from $200 for a late cow elk hunt to $1,500 for a three-day elk hunt. In comparison, for Block Management enrollees FWP provides landowners a base fee and $13 per hunter per day. Some Block Management properties in northeast Montana are reportedly so popular with out-of-state upland bird hunters that the Legislature is contemplating limiting the amount of time nonresidents can bird hunt in the state. According to FWP data, nonresident bird hunter numbers have increased 50% in the last five years. Threat Rinella said LandTrust and other private leases of land by outfitters is not a good sign for publicly accessible, nonpaying hunting. He pointed to other western states where leased private lands are the rule, not the exception. The kind of hunting I care about is under grave threat, Rinella said, who noted between 2012 and 2016 outfitter leased acreage in Montana climbed from around 7 million acres to more than 18 million, almost a third of private lands in the state. I put the blame squarely on hunting celebrities because they are free advertising for people who want to lease their land, Rinella said, explaining that he believes hunting shows increase the appeal of paying to lease private lands. Pressure is continually building for more and more privatization of wildlife, he added, and once land is leased, it rarely reopens to the public. So for now, Rinella and Kuntz are looking to help preserve Block Management through a simple program. Hunting has been good to us, Rinella said. We dont want to see it become inaccessible because its all leased out. We want to help preserve something that approximates what hunting has always been in this country. Human trafficking is happening in Montana, and it can happen to anyone at any time. Often accurately described as modern-day slavery, human trafficking most often shows up in Montana as sex trafficking. For example, a pimp may force a young girl into commercial sex work against her will. As law enforcement officers in our local communities, we need better tools in our toolbox to protect Montanans from this heinous crime. As the state's foremost police organization representing nearly 800 municipal officers from 25 different agencies, we are proud to support Attorney General Austin Knudsen and Representative Jodee Echert's legislation that strengthens our states human trafficking laws and increases penalties for those who participate in human trafficking. House Bill 112 will clarify the crime and make it easier for law enforcement, prosecutors, victims, and potential jurors to understand by simplifying the current statute into four clear, straight-forward categories. It will also increase punishments for offenders who encourage or compel a victim to engage in commercial sexual activity and those who patronize the system. Not only will the overall sentence be increased, but mandatory minimums will be put in place for the worst-of-the-worst offenders. Additionally, the bill will make it crystal clear that those who patronize or encourage sex trafficking of minors will be held accountable for their conduct. Our current human trafficking laws dont do enough to punish offenders and protect victims. We are also in desperate need of more human trafficking agents on the streets to help our local agencies find these criminals and hold them accountable. Right now, the Department of Justices Division of Criminal Investigation only has two agents to assist the entire state in human trafficking investigations thats just not enough. In the last seven years, the number of cases they track has skyrocketed from seven to 106, an increase of 1,400 percent. We also support the attorney general and governors proposal to increase the investment in public safety which would add four human trafficking agents to DCIs current team that would be available to help us fight human trafficking in our communities and provide comprehensive coverage of the state. To help prosecute the increased caseload, the proposal would also fund an additional prosecutor. Our officers enjoy a great, collaborative relationship with the Department of Justice and are thankful for their help and the attorney generals attention to this matter over the last two years. The training that our cadets receive at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy helps our new officers spot human trafficking and what to do when they do see it in the field. Now, its time for the Legislature to do their part and help crack down on human traffickers by passing HB 112 and the DOJ budget to provide DCI with additional agents so they have the bandwidth they need to go after every offender and get them off our streets. Its time we send the message to offenders of sex trafficking that their criminal behavior will not be tolerated in Montana. There is a growing movement in the world today to empower Indigenous peoples who safeguard 80% of the worlds biodiversity of plants and wildlife on only 5% of the worlds land mass; and, to redress the gross injustices of colonialism, which are still systemically perpetuated in many ways, such as grinding poverty on tribal reservations and exploitation of the Global South. The Biden Administration is to be commended for being more progressive in this regard than any previous administration. Biden appointed our first Native American Secretary of Interior, Deb Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo and a 35th generation New Mexican. Our National Parks Director, Chuck Sams, is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla. Haaland just announced $25 million will be spent on building new bison conservation herds and forging new bison management agreements with Tribal Nations, just part of an ambitious program to develop co-stewardship agreements with Tribes to repair their broken and severed relationships with sacred lands, waters, and wildlife species. This holistic effort will ensure that this powerful sacred animal is reconnected to its natural habitat and the original stewards who know best how to care for it, Haaland said in announcing the new initiative. By acknowledging and empowering Tribes as partners in co-stewardship of our countrys lands and waters, according to Haaland, every American will benefit from strengthened management of our federal land and resources. Nowhere are the traumas and injustices of the past pogroms against Indigenous Americans more evident today than in the severed sacred relationship between Tribes and Americas last wild buffalo. Because of the overweening political influence of Montanas livestock industry, Yellowstone Bison are regularly trapped, shipped to slaughterhouses, and prevented from accessing 85% of their natural habitat in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. In effect, theyre treated as cattle, confined to a national zoo called Yellowstone National Park. Its a national disgrace to treat our National Mammal as something other than cherished wildlife. In a cynical ploy to avoid further political embarrassment, Montanas Department of Livestock now pits Yellowstones treaty Tribes against one another by severely limiting both the herd size and the tolerance zones where bison are allowed to roam on National Forest lands outside Yellowstone National Park. Tribes were cut off from their aboriginal food source for more than a century. Given the chance to harvest bison once more, theyre placed in competition with one another and with state hunters in a cruel spectacle managed by the Department of Livestock in full public view just outside the Park. Montana is only too happy to let Tribes take the heat from animal rights groups and buffalo lovers for the culls Montanas ranchers demand. This chronic mismanagement of Yellowstone bison is what led the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to consider listing Yellowstone Bison for protection under the Endangered Species Act. A quarter of the population has been wiped out this winter alone, threatening genetic diversity. Clearly, the Yellowstone Bison management system is broken. It is now in the best interest of wild buffalo, conservation herds, and the grassland ecosystems that depend on them, for the Tribes to assert their inherent jurisdiction over Yellowstone Buffalo by cooperating with one another rather than competing in Montanas zero sum game and by assuming shared responsibility with our federal land stewards, as the Biden administration is encouraging. According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, there is room for at least 70,000 buffalo in the Yellowstone Ecosystem. According to the U.S. Constitution, as interpreted by the Supreme Court, states cannot lawfully interfere with the Tribes exercise of off-reservation treaty rights on National Forest lands. And according to the worlds leading scientists, empowering Tribes to get buffalo back on the (500M acre) Western Savannah is critical to reversing global warming. Allowing Bison bison to restore grassland ecology has the potential to sequester twice as much carbon dioxide as we currently emit. Both American Indians and the American Buffalo are, against all odds, still here. As a country, America is big enough to acknowledge the sins of our past. And Montanas Big Sky country is big enough to accommodate wild buffalo. By managing our National Mammal as wildlife, everyone wins. Russian attacks against civilians in Ukraine, including systematic torture and killing in occupied regions, amount to war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity, according to a report from a U.N.-backed inquiry released Thursday. The last thing I remember is a medical technician named Walt telling me to lie on my left side as he administered a sedation drug into my IV. Boom, I was out of it. A half-hour passed in a half-second. My third colonoscopy was in the books, this one at Northwest Health Porter in Valparaiso. Unlike my first two procedures, in 2000 and 2016, I remember practically everything afterward. Including the name of every nurse. How are you feeling? asked Barry, a 61-year-old travel nurse from Texas who wheeled me back to my recovery room Thursday afternoon. I felt surprisingly lucid. We continued our conversation from a half-hour earlier when he wheeled me into the procedure room. As usual, I asked too many questions, knowing I would be writing about it. I knew Id be writing today's column since Sept. 26, 2022, when my 82-year-old mother was diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer. Our journey through the health care system prompted my ongoing series, From the emergency room to the operating room. (Read the first four columns at NWI.com.) Within 24 hours in my mothers hospital room, three physicians strongly recommended that I get a colonoscopy as soon as possible. You now have a family history of colorectal cancer, one of the doctors told me in a somber tone. I was scheduled to get a colonoscopy in 2021. I put it off, as so many of us do with medical tests, screenings and procedures we should get done. Shame on me. Shame on you too? Its so convenient to ignore or neglect our health. That is, until you hear the word cancer hundreds of times in six months. This has a way of slapping you in the face or, in my case, on my butt. Ive been concerned about the possibility of colon cancer since my mom was diagnosed. Higher risk, I heard the doctor say into a voice recorder during my colonoscopy before the sedative kicked in. Anesthesia administered through an IV can be a miraculous experience, especially for someone like me. I dont drink alcohol, Ive never taken drugs, I dont use any serious prescription medications. I can now see the addictive attraction of such escapism. One second, I was perfectly lucid, taking detailed notes for this column. The next second, it was lights out and my head was in a haze. Maybe thats a good thing when it comes to having a colonoscopy, a truly invasive procedure that scares off too many people, according to the American Cancer Society. No one wants to be told they have colon cancer, which is partly why too many people avoid having a colonoscopy or alternative testing. Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States when men and women are considered separately. Its the second leading cause when the genders are combined, according to ACS data. Colon cancer is expected the cause more than 50,000 deaths in 2023, although its death rate has been dropping for decades. Credit the screening process to find and remove potentially dangerous polyps, in addition to improved treatment options. Immediately after my colonoscopy, the physician, Dr. Daniel Young, told me that he found one polyp, 2 mm in size, which was removed and sent to a lab for a biopsy. The exam was otherwise without abnormality, the written findings stated. A day earlier, preparation for the exam was also without any abnormality. Its perfectly normal to spend more time in your bathroom than in your bedroom after guzzling 60 ounces of Gatorade mixed with an entire bottle of Miralax powder and a chaser of four laxative pills. The quality of the bowel preparation was good, the exams written assessment stated. Im nothing if not good at bowel preparation. Ill stand by those words. By Thursday morning, I felt completely cleansed and 4 pounds lighter. It was the rare time I was eager to step on a scale. Youre boringly healthy, a hospital staff person told me during preregistration. She asked me a long list of questions regarding my overall health and any preexisting conditions or ailments. Fortunately, I was able to reply no, no, no, no, no to her checklist. Not everyone can say this, a nurse told me before my procedure. A colonoscopy involves a thin, flexible tube with a small video camera attached. The last image I saw inside the procedure room was a video monitor used to view what the doctor viewed in my colon. Its not the ideal image before drifting off into dreamland. After my colonoscopy in 2016, I still felt a bit loopy and told two nurses: I feel gassy, but Im not a natural farter. True story. Nurses have seen everything. Its interesting how what may be an unforgettable medical appointment for patients is just another day at the office for health care professionals. I dont know how they do it. I dont know how you can share your personal medical experience with so many strangers, a social media reader told me Thursday. I posted a before and after video about my experience, openly making fun of myself (watch a video and view more photos at NWI.com). If my post or column prompts only one person to begin a needed discussion with a loved one or their health care provider, then my public embarrassment is worth it. Not everyone needs a colonoscopy, but the recommended age to receive your first one is now 45. I hope todays column encourages others to get screened. It could possibly prevent the cancer diagnosis my mother is battling. I wish I could go back in time, show her my column from 2016 and coax her into getting the procedure. MUSCATINE The trial of a man accused of vehicular homicide after allegedly stealing a vehicle with another man in it and driving it into the Mississippi River had been continued to Sept. 11. A pretrial hearing for Joshua Scott Peters, 37, of Davenport, was also set for Sept. 1 during a video hearing on March 10. The trial had been scheduled to begin March 20 and is expected to last five days. Court records show the trial has been delayed to allow the defense time to conduct depositions and gather discovery. Peters remains in the Muscatine County Jail and is charged with homicide by vehicle, first-degree theft, and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death for an incident in which Peters allegedly stole a vehicle and drove it into the Mississippi River, killing the passenger. He remains in the Muscatine County Jail under a $500,000 cash-only bond. On April 22, 2022, Peters allegedly stole a blue 2016 Chevrolet Equinox from the Fairport State Recreation Area at 3284 Highway 22 in Muscatine. The vehicle contained William A. Talbot, 71, of Davenport. Witnesses claim Peters left the area driving erratically braking and swerving in an aggressive manner. Peters later drove the vehicle into the Mississippi. He was able to escape and swim to shore, but Talbot had been trapped inside. Muscatine County Search and Rescue recovered Talbots body. Peters was later apprehended when he tried to get a ride into Davenport. ST. HELENA In 2017, Chappellet Winery spent $200,000 for $80 million in insurance coverage. After the North Bay wildfires of October 2017, its premium rose to $250,000 for $50 million in coverage. Now, in the aftermath of the 2020 Napa County wildfires that ravaged the Napa Valley, the winery pays $1.2 million for just $25 million of protection. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. From 2017 to 2020, wildfires burned through more than half of Napa County's land area and destroyed more than 1,500 structures. The valley's fire risk has had major repercussions for wineries' and all North Bay landowners ability to buy affordable insurance. As Chappellets premiums were climbing, the owners of the winery located on Pritchard Hill in St. Helena worked with their neighbors to lessen fire risks specific to their property. Chappellets president, Cyril Chappellet, thinks those efforts have been effective, yet the premiums have not come down. It doesnt work in the long term. In the long term, its not sustainable to keep these rates going up like this, said Chappellet, who said the high cost of insurance along with the costs for fire mitigation threaten to kill the winerys cash flow. Its a real challenge. Last week, Chappellet was one of more than a dozen speakers at the Estate Yountville for the Wildfire Resiliency Summit hosted by Galway Holdings, a financial services and insurance distribution company. The conference brought together winery and insurance representatives and wildfire experts to discuss the regions wildfire threats, and to brainstorm ways to restore insurability to a Napa Valley wine industry that has increasingly struggled to find affordable insurance since 2017. There was nobody leading any industry initiatives around bringing insurance companies, reinsurers, risk modelers, mitigation experts and the winery owners no one was bringing them together, said John Hahn, executive chairman of Galway Holdings. Everybody right now is just individually oriented, so each winery owner hires a broker to represent them, they go to insurance companies (and) they do the best they can do," Hahn said at the March 9 event. "They come back with typically, now, a lousy product at a lousy price. So the transactional wheel doesnt work. Were trying to create a different concentrative wheel thats got a lot more impact, and also lot more data analytics associated with it, so better decisions can be made. Patrick Gallagher, head of analytics at EPIC Insurance, spoke about the high premiums wineries paid from 2017 to 2022. In that period, he said, there was $371 million in insured winery wildfire claims in the North Coast AVA, a region that encompasses grape-growing areas in six counties including Napa and Sonoma. According to Gallagher, no wineries in that region filed wildfire claims in 2021 or 2022. An analysis by EPIC Insurance brokers estimates those wineries paid $275 million in premiums last year. And while information is not available for 2021, according to Gallagher, similarly to 2022, 2021 also had elevated rates compared to 2017 and prior. This data suggests insurers would have recouped losses over the six years given the high premiums paid in the past two years, when no regional wineries filed wildfire claims. The insurers may be sitting on the sidelines because they're conflating risk with all properties in California," said Gallagher. "But Napa wineries have invested more in protection and theyve suffered higher rate increases than has the broader California wildfire market relative to their historical claims. On Friday, insurance company representatives boarded shuttle buses and headed to Chappellet Winery and Harlan Estate in Oakville to tour their properties and to learn about the wineries' fire mitigation steps, which include field reduction, vegetation treatment, emergency egress and dozer lines. Ralph Salce, a vice president at Tokio Marine America, an insurance and risk management group, said that taking fire risk into consideration when deciding whether to insure wineries is critical to what they do. But after the presentations he saw at the summit, he said current approaches may be too broad. When youre underwriting back in the office, you dont see these things, physically seeing whats actually going on, on the ground," said Salce. "And I think this opportunity gives you a real sense of clearing up brush (and what it means) to take fuel away from the area or stuff like that. Its very abstract but when you see it on the ground, you realize that makes a lot of sense. This actually is improving the risk. After learning about progress wineries like Chappellet are making to lessen their fire risk, Salce said he planned to return to his base in Jersey City, New Jersey to share some findings that are not obvious to underwriters weighing such risks across the country. Being here, kind of seeing exactly whats being done on the ground, is extremely helpful, and it (gives) a real understanding to whats going on as opposed to them telling us, This is what were doing, said Salce. Stu Smith, founder of Smith-Madrone winery in St. Helena, attended the summit hoping it would give insurance agents the proper context to work toward a solution to the insurance cost problem he and his peers have endured in recent years. They make money off of us. But also, we need them. So to come together in a synergistic way is really important, added Smith. Ultimately, what were hoping is the insurance companies will look at our properties and evaluate them based on risk and not ZIP code. NEW YORK Depositors withdrew savings and investors broadly sold off bank shares Monday as the federal government raced to reassure Americans that the banking system was secure after two bank failures fed fears that more financial institutions could fall. President Joe Biden insisted that the system was safe after the second- and third-largest bank failures in the nation's history happened in the span of 48 hours. In response to the crisis, regulators guaranteed all deposits at the two banks and created a program that effectively threw a lifeline to other banks to shield them from a run on deposits. "Your deposits will be there when you need them," Biden told the public, seeking to project calm. He also said the banking executives responsible for the failures would be held accountable. In other developments, the Federal Reserve announced that it would review its supervision of Silicon Valley Bank. "We need to have humility and conduct a careful and thorough review of how we supervised and regulated this firm, and what we should learn from this experience," said Michael Barr, the Fed's vice chair for supervision, who will lead the effort. Regulators closed the bank Friday after depositors rushed to withdraw their funds all at once. The only larger failure in U.S. banking history was the 2008 collapse of Washington Mutual. New York-based Signature Bank also collapsed in the third-largest failure in the U.S. In both cases, the government agreed to cover deposits, even those that exceeded the federally insured limit of $250,000. Despite the message from the White House, investors broadly dumped shares in bank stocks. Shares of First Republic Bank plunged more than 70% even after the bank said it was taking emergency funding from the Federal Reserve and additional money from JPMorgan Chase. First Republic wasn't alone. Shares of well-known franchises like Charles Schwab, Fifth Third Bank, Truist, Comercia and Ally Financial all fell sharply. The selloff happened in part because the country woke up to a new banking system and investors had to find the winners and losers, banking experts said. There was no guarantee that the anxiety would not spread. Customers at other banks with deposits over the $250,000 limit remained at risk of losing access to their money for a time. Just because the government covered for Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank "doesn't mean they are going to cover for these smaller banks," said Chris Caulfield, a senior partner at West Monroe. But the government's actions suggested it would stand behind all deposits if doing so prevents damage to the broader economy. "Everything is now covered. That's a fact. No matter how specialized or isolated your bank is, if there's a risk of contagion, regulators have made it clear that they are going to intervene," said Norbert Michel, a banking policy expert at the libertarian-leaning Cato Institute. Amid the selloff of midsize banks, investors kept relatively calm over the health of the nation's biggest banking bulwarks, such as JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Bank of America and Wells Fargo. Investors apparently concluded that the only place to be safe in banking was with the nation's most strictly regulated institutions. Regional banks were seen as the riskiest, since they do not have the scale to compete against larger competitors. Large account balances once seen as a positive sign that a bank's clients are well off were a liability since they could be withdrawn at the first sign of trouble. "I wouldn't want to be running a regional bank right now where my services are no different from my competition," Caulfield said. International regulators also had to step in to ease fears. The Bank of England and U.K. Treasury said they facilitated the sale of a Silicon Valley Bank subsidiary in London to HSBC, Europe's biggest bank. The deal protected 6.7 billion pounds ($8.1 billion) of deposits. Under the plan announced by U.S. regulators, depositors at Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank were able to access their money. A new Fed program will allow banks to post those securities as collateral and borrow from the emergency facility. The Treasury has set aside $25 billion to offset any losses. However, Fed officials said they do not expect to have to use that money, given that the securities posted as collateral have a very low risk of default. New York bank regulators took possession of Signature Bank on Sunday, ousting its leaders and handing day-to-day control over to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the decision by the state Department of Financial Services was aimed at holding off a bigger crisis involving more banks. "Our view was to make sure that the entire banking community here in New York was stable, that we can project calm," Hochul said Monday at a news conference. She said a high volume of withdrawals that began last week continued with online transactions through the weekend. The bank was open Monday under the name of Signature Bridge Bank. Signature, which was founded more than two decades ago, has about 40 offices across the country and says it focuses on banking for privately owned businesses, their owners and senior managers. Though Sunday's steps marked the most extensive government intervention in the banking system since the 2008 financial crisis, the actions were relatively limited compared with 15 years ago. The two failed banks themselves have not been rescued, and taxpayer money has not been provided to them. Some prominent Silicon Valley Bank executives feared that if Washington did not rescue their bank, customers would make runs on other financial institutions. Stock prices plunged at other banks that cater to technology companies, including First Republic and PacWest Bank. Among the bank's customers are a range of companies, including many California wineries that rely on Silicon Valley Bank for loans and technology startups devoted to combating climate change. Winemaker Tom Rinaldi is on his 48th vintage, which makes him one of the most veteran winemakers currently working in the Napa Valley. He has made some of the valleys most iconic wines, some when he was the winemaker at Duckhorn Vineyards from 1978 through 1999. Now, along with his friend and business partner, Eric Risch, Rinaldi has embarked on a new project called Patent Wine Co. that is crafting truly remarkable wines. I enjoy winemaking and the process of creating something that people might enjoy together, Rinaldi said. Its nice to be working on a smaller project like Patent because I can get my hands dirty and keep my feet wet. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. Tom Rinaldi As a kid growing up in San Francisco, Rinaldi was a self-proclaimed hippie, or perhaps he was more akin to a character out of the movie Easy Rider. In 1965, he was barely 16, but he had long hair, drove a motorcycle and would occasionally converse with the likes of Jerry Garcia and Janis Joplin. But there was a problem. Rinaldi was growing increasingly uncomfortable with the serious drug use and self-destructive behavior that he saw around him. While he was all for freedom and self-expression, he was also an athlete, and he was also interested in wines made in the nearby Napa Valley. At first I think I liked it [wine] because even as a teenager, I could ride to the Napa Valley and stop at BV [Beaulieu Vineyard] and buy some without being carded, he said. But then it became something more. Looking back on it, wine not only captured my attention but held it. By 1967, the Bay Area had become a mecca for the flower-child generation. It was the site of the Summer of Love festival and widespread protests against the ongoing Vietnam War. Sensing that if he stayed he might be swept away by the swift undercurrent of drugs and increasing lawlessness, Rinaldi took the unpopular step of joining the Navy. He served as an aircrew member, often flying in the skies over Vietnam. In 1971, he was honorably discharged from the military, and using the GI Bill, started his education at Santa Rosa Junior College. He eventually transferred to UC Davis, graduating first with a degree in malting and brewing and then going back to study viticulture and enology. With degree in hand, Rinaldi headed straight for the Napa Valley. His hope was to work at BV with winemaker Tom Selfridge, but instead he was hired first at Freemark Abbey as an intern and soon after at Rutherford Hill, where he worked with winemaker Phil Baxter. The young winemaker was turning heads. His attention to detail, insistence on strict cleanliness in the winery, ability to distinguish wines at blind tastings and use of high-end oak barrels had caught the eye of Dan Duckhorn, who had recently opened his winery. Another local winemaker, Sterling Vineyards Ric Foreman, had suggested Duckhorn meet Rinaldi while touring the Three Palms Vineyard, a Merlot vineyard that would become central to Duckhorns success. According to Duckhorn lore, Rinaldi drove up on a motorcycle and Margaret Duckhorn exclaimed, He looks like a flower child! During the 22 years that Rinaldi oversaw winemaking at Duckhorn, the winery became famous for making Merlot-influenced Right-Bank Bordeaux-style wines, winning numerous awards and accolades. Rinaldi departed Duckhorn in 1999 to pursue other projects such as Pellet Estate, Provenance Vineyards and Hewitt. Today, beyond making Patent wines, Rinaldi consults for numerous small wine brands, including Teaderman Vineyards (Oakville), Ambassador Wines (Washington state) and Stout Family Wines (Napa Valley). Eric Risch Primarily in charge of marketing and sales at Patent, Risch is not new to the Napa Valley or to the world of wine. When he was growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, his family owned a construction company that built residential homes. Even when he was young he was expected to work summers, learning the trade and how to work with his hands. His family had always appreciated good food and wine, often traveling to Europe on family vacations or having celebrated chefs such as Giuliano Bugialli visit their home. Surrounded by such influences, Risch came to believe that wine and food would be central to his life. But that needed to wait. First California was calling his name. After attending boarding schools on the East Coast, Risch headed west to obtain a degree in information systems management at the University of San Francisco, graduating in 1985. It was the 1980s, and the Bay Areas tech sector was red-hot. Risch moved to the Silicon Valley and worked for a variety of businesses before launching his own company, Grapevine Software in 1991. Risch said his company an early internet technology design and marketing firm grew to be one of the largest such firms in California. In 2000, Risch left the tech world behind and moved to the Napa Valley, where he eventually became the general manager for Pellet Estate winery. Thats where Risch and Rinaldi first met. Today, beyond overseeing the Patent Wine portfolio, Risch manages winery operations, sales and marketing, and grape-grower relations. He also stays engaged with his three adult children (one of whom, Ansel, is pursuing winemaking in the Napa Valley), and he also sits on the board of directors as vice president of Appellation St. Helena. The wines Since Patent doesnt have a winery of its own, the wines are made at the Madrigal Family Winery in Calistoga. The grapes are grown in Yountville and Napa on vineyards managed by another Napa Valley veteran, Jim Munk. The label on each bottle includes wine-related drawings found within the historic U.S. Patent Office database, many of them from the 1800s and often showcasing corkscrews, wine presses and the like. The 2021 Patent Sauvignon Blanc ($33 a bottle and 750 cases) is made from grapes grown at the Miller Ranch in Yountville. A blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Masque and Muscat, this pale-gold-colored wine is aromatically explosive full of mandarin flowers, citrus zest and oak elements such as vanilla and toast. Although endowed with a mouthwatering acidity, this wine is richer and more complex than many California Sauvignon Blancs and shows a delicious yeastiness that comes from weekly stirrings (batonnage) while in barrel. Spending time with this wine will reveal tropical fruit, green tea and marmalade. Serve this wine with a Greek-style watermelon salad full of mint, feta and Kalamata olives. The 2022 Patent Rose ($33 a bottle and 100 cases) is crazy delicious. Made from the saignee (wine drawn off from the initial stages of a wine as it ferments) of Cabernet Sauvignon, this magenta wine is full of red-fruit aromatics such as massenez pasteque, strawberry and raspberry with an undertow of sarsaparilla and rosemary. Like the Sauvignon Blanc, this wine is bright but with a richness that includes a hint of fine tannins. If you can find it before it sells out last year it sold out in just weeks drink this wine with sunshine and friends. The 2020 Patent Cabernet Sauvignon ($68 a bottle and 550 cases) is made from grapes grown in the valley's Oak Knoll District. Because this wine is fermented in French oak barrels unlike most that are fermented in stainless-steel tanks before being transferred to age in oak there is a decided creaminess to both the aromatics and the flavors. This is an extraordinary wine that highlights the quality and complexity of both the fruit and the winemaker. Think of this as a benchmark example of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valleys more southern environs. Classic elements include black currant, fresh tobacco, Chinese plum sauce and stony graphite. This wine has a complete flavor and texture profile that fills the mouth with joy, the mind with curiosity and is a pleasant reminder of just why winemakers flock to this region and are willing to pay exorbitant prices to obtain this particular cultivar. Serve this wine with beef bourguignon (a la Yountvilles Bistro Jeanty) or a lamb burger with Manchego (a la Mustards Grill). I spoke with Rinaldi, Risch and vineyard manager Munk at the Madrigal Family Winery as they bottled next years wine offerings, the clinking of glass constant as the bottles passed through a machine that always reminds me of a Rube Goldberg invention. Around us, in the distance, vineyards stretched north toward Mount St. Helena, which was topped with a rare dusting of snow. Barely visible to the northeast, tall palms towered over the iconic Three Palms Vineyard. During a break in the conversation, Rinaldi, nearly always clad in shorts, grinned widely, his smile evident even behind his thick winter beard. He scanned the horizon. You know he said and then paused. I pictured what it must be like to look out over the valley and have such a deep and personal history with many of the vines that stretched out before us. Almost half a century of doing this and each vintage has been completely different, he said. Its fun; thats a big reason why I keep doing it but its also a lot more than that, too. Find Patent wines either directly through their website (patentwines.com), or local retailers such Garys or Sunshine Market in St. Helena. There are many countriesthe UAE, China, Turkey, etc.on the list you mentioned; being on that list is not a tragedy in itself. Armenian Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan stated this in an interview with Armenian News-NEWS.am, reflecting on the fact that the US has put Armenia on its list of countries whose companies are used in order to circumvent the sanctions against Russia. "We [i.e., Armenia] work very openly and transparently with our EAEU partners and Western partners, alike. We are constantly in discussions with our American, European partners, and we openly discuss all issues, we tell why Armenia needs to use this or that mechanism, we explain the impossibility of excluding it, and I can say that our partners are willing to understand us and work with us. And now, we have agreed that the US partners will send specialists [to Armenia] so that we can work more cooperatively with each other. It's not about trade restrictions; it's about doing what we do more systematically, more regulated, with the introduction of risk control mechanisms, as we do not want our companies to fall under secondary sanctions, and we try to see to it that such risks do not arise. Now we are working with the EU and the US to create the environment that will keep Armenian companies away from the risk of falling under secondary sanctions," said the Armenian economy minister. In the conditions of its illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor, Azerbaijan continues to ignore all the calls of the international community, failing to fulfill the obligations it assumed under the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020, as well as the binding decisions of the ECtHR and the UN International Court of Justice. At Wednesdays meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CoE), Permanent Representative of Armenia to the CoE, Ambassador Arman Khachatryan, again raised the issue of the blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan. In particular, it was noted as follows: Azerbaijan undertakes new provocations, trying to divert the attention of the international community from the Lachin corridor issue. Continuing the blockade of Lachin corridor, Azerbaijan launched a sabotage attack in Nagorno-Karabakh on March 5, as a result of which three officers of the Nagorno-Karabakh police were killed. The actions of the Azerbaijani sabotage team cannot be described as anything other than terrorism. Parallel to the actions aimed at creating a humanitarian disaster in Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan continues to terrorize the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh with the ultimate goal of Armenian ethnic cleansing by creating inhumane conditions for living in their homeland. Reaffirming Armenia's desire to achieve peace in the region, Armenia once again emphasizes the need for the immediate dispatch of an international fact-finding mission to Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin corridor to prevent the unleashing of new aggression by Azerbaijan. Hong Kong: HK set to become green tech leader Financial Secretary Paul Chan The Green Way Forward recommendations First of all, my thanks to the European Chamber and the EU Office to Hong Kong & Macao as well as Invest Hong Kong, the Business Environment Council, ReThink and the many others involved in producing the recommendations, which I am pleased to receive today. I know they cover four critical areas: finance, mobility, the city and stakeholder involvement. Rest assured, this Government will give them due consideration, including the essential roles that industry and business in general must play if we are to realise our environmental goals. Indeed, some of the recommendations are much in the same direction with our policy and practice. For instance, on fostering environmental, social and governance capacity, the Government has launched a variety of schemes to help nurture local talent, covering pertinent internship opportunities for students as well as training for market practitioners and people interested in the field. In my recent Budget for the next financial year, there are further measures to support our green city development. For example, we have set aside $350 million for subsidising ferry operators to construct and test electric ferries; we will provide a loan guarantee to encourage the tax trade to switch to battery electric taxis; and we will also allocate more resources for food waste collection. These measures underpin a government- and community-wide urge to step towards a greener economy and city life. Looking beyond But we also have a vision that is greater than simply turning Hong Kong into a greener city. Reducing carbon emissions and realising sustainable development are high priorities for governments, institutions and communities all over the world. Our nation is an active participant in and contributor to the process. It has set out its 3060 targets. As stated in the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China as well as the recent government work report, a green and low-carbon economy and society are crucial to high-quality development. Our country is taking a multitude of steps and measures to realise this great goal: by developing green industries and promoting circularity; by better supporting green and sustainable finance; by participating in international co-operation on climate change; and much more. Hong Kong earnestly shares our country's vision. Behind the recent Budget's numbers and initiatives is the importance this Government places on high-quality development, and that includes transformation to a green economy. We will also position Hong Kong as an international centre for green tech and green finance. International Green Tech and GreenFi Centre Indeed, the global pursuit to carbon neutrality has created a huge demand for innovative and technological solutions to reduce, mitigate or offset carbon emission, ranging from environmental engineering and carbon sequestration to the production of more environmentally-friendly products. The global market for green technology is forecast to reach more than US$410 billion by 2030. That is more than 11 times the total from just two years ago. This is a huge market to tap. Hong Kong, I am pleased to say, has much to offer in this respect. More than 100 green-tech companies and startups operate out of the Science Park and Cyberport. Many of them are applying innovative and cutting-edge technologies in their work, and they are very impressive. For example, one of the startups has invented bionic materials which were inspired by the biological structure of ants living in the Sahara Desert. Such materials are used as coating for the exterior of buildings, which can radiate heat and create cooling, thereby bringing down room temperatures by five to six degrees Celsius, consequently saving 30% to 40% of energy and costs. The enterprise was born out of our incubation schemes, and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government departments were the first to procure their products. Indeed, many of the startups we helped to grow are finding their markets and success overseas. No less remarkable is the cluster of green technologies enterprises and startups in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), in particular Shenzhen. For green finance, the opportunities are also boundless. It has been estimated that the green financing needs in Asia alone would reach US$66 trillion for the next three decades. For Mainland China alone, US$14.5 trillion. We are a leading player in green finance. In 2021, green and sustainable debts arranged or issued in Hong Kong amounted to over US$57 billion, and our success has continued in 2022 with a much greater leap in amount. Just last month, we also issued a tokenised green bond, the first of its kind released anywhere in the world by a government. In short, ladies and gentlemen, Hong Kong has what it takes to rise as a world leader in green-tech and green-fi. Our ultimate goal is to bring them together so that they can form a symbiotic relationship which will support an integrated and dynamic green industry cluster with a complete value chain. To fast-track that promise, we will organise the International GreenTech Week later this year, inviting companies and investors from green technology industries around the world. I am also establishing a Green Technology & Finance Development Committee. It will be tasked with producing an action agenda covering a number of areas. First, building a green technology ecosystem to attract top-notch enterprises or startups to set up their operations in Hong Kong. We will also encourage cross-sector collaboration to commercialise research and development outcomes and boost demand for green technology. Second, continuing to develop green financing, helping green projects and companies get the capital they need faster and easier. Third, promoting green certification and green standard setting and converging the Mainland and international standards. Indeed, we are working to develop a green classification framework for adoption in the market which will facilitate easy navigation among the Common Ground Taxonomy. Fourth, nurturing talent, through providing local training as well as attracting talent from all over the world. Fifth, enhancing collaboration with the GBA and the international markets. EU enterprises and talent are welcome For our vision and project to materialise, it requires the right enterprises and talent. For this, we are eager to attract a world of enterprises and talent in green finance, technology and innovation. The Office for Attraction Strategic Enterprises or OASES, is now fully operational. Meanwhile, for the various talent schemes rolled out since December last year by this Government to compete for talent, we have received more than 30,000 applications, of which more than 20,000 have been approved. And, in my Budget, I introduced a Capital Investment Entrant Scheme. It will, I am confident, help enrich our talent pool, while attracting fresh capital to Hong Kong. The green tech industry is certainly one of the areas to channel such new capital. I am confident that a good many of the strategic companies and professionals in Europe will find a flourishing future to collaborate with us. Ladies and gentlemen, Hong Kong is committed to promoting sustainable development. And we are eager to work with governments and businesses of the European Union in building a bright, green new world. Financial Secretary Paul Chan gave these remarks at the EU & Hong Kong: The Green Way Forward forum on March 16. This story has been published on: 2023-03-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. The main goal of the recent press conference by PM Nikol Pashinyan of the Republic of Armenia (RA) is to further adapt the public to the idea that Armenias authorities have no chance and have no particular desire to keep Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). Political technologist Vigen Hakobyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am about this. "That was perhaps the most important message [of that press conference]. The second main goal was to reaffirm that the RA authorities are in major geopolitical trade. On the one hand, it was once again said that Russia is not the guarantor of the RA security and even, according to Nikol Pashinyan, the military-political alliance with Russia poses a threat [to Armenia]. On the other hand, it was said that this flirting with the West is not particularly fruitful either, and Azerbaijan, by achieving some result, after extracting another concession, as Pashinyan says, Azerbaijan is making fundamental changes to the draft of the document called the peace treaty. I believe it [i.e., the Armenian PMs press conference] had these two main messages, it had mainly the geopolitical and domestic political message," said Hakobyan. When asked why there was talk about a 5th pillar in this press conference when there was also a risk of military escalation, Hakobyan said that Pashinyan himself admitted that his geopolitical flirtation is not yielding serious results because his goal is to form a system of international guarantors as an alternative to Russia. "But as life has shown and Pashinyan also admitted, yes, Russia's allied guarantees are not anything; indeed it is so. But, nevertheless, it is also not being possible to create an alternative security system because those potential guarantors have other geopolitical and geoeconomic interests. That is why, when it is not possible to bring the era of peace [noted by Pashinyan] closer, then its alternative can always be escalation [of tension], and Nikol Pashinyan prepares the Armenians of Armenia and Artsakh that we did everything, we were even ready for excessive concessions, but Azerbaijan did not take that step, and an institution of guarantors was not formed, and that is why there may be an escalation [of tension], and Pashinyan and his team cannot have any fault in this, as they do not have any guilt. And in this case, it is necessary to find the reason for further collapses in the future; that is, who was to blame in the war because of which Armenia was defeated; it was about the 5th pillar. The 5th pillar, in my impression, is the generalitat that infiltrated the army under the former [Armenian authorities], the highest officer composition, and since, according to Pashinyan, the RA power structures are full of agents and the RA power structures were formed in Russia, therefore the 5th pillar must be connected with Russia. On the one hand, the topic of the former [Armenian authorities] is not directly raised, on the other hand, messages are again sent to other geopolitical centers that certain processes will take place against the 5th pillar in Armenia, which will occupy and also distract the streets from the main topic, which will get another chewing gum," the political technologist said. A mechanism of international peacekeepers is needed to guarantee the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the founding chairman of Rasmussen Global international political consultancy organization and former Secretary General of NATO who is visiting Armenia, said this during an interview with First Channel television of Armenia. Rasmussen said he is in Armenia at the invitation of the Armenian government to help the country have stronger ties, especially with the EU and the West, Armenia needs reliable friends, and he will try to help the country get those friends. According to him, the blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan is inhumane and illegal, he had the opportunity to talk with people who lived in Nagorno-Karabakh, there is a lack of food and medicine there. Rasmussen noted that a few weeks ago, the International Court of Justice made a decision to have the Lachin corridor reopened, this is a binding decision, and this blockade is a violation of international law. Also, the former Secretary General of NATO sent a message to Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev to stop the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh immediately. Rasmussen said he believes that Aliyev does not want to become an international aggressor. Also, Rasmussen said he would encourage the EU to maximize its pressure on Aliyev, as since the EU already has energy cooperation with Azerbaijan, this can be an excellent platform to tell Aliyev that he cannot violate international law and go unpunished. Rasmussen added that he also encourages the EU to increase its monitoring mission in Armenia to make sure that Azerbaijan will avoid further aggression against Armenia and to make sure that a peace treaty between the two countries will be fair in terms of guaranteeing the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. Past daily of the Republic of Armenia (RA) writes: The EU observation mission is conducting its monitoring at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border area for a long time. Let us note that quite contradictory comments are made regarding the mission, as its actual functions and objectives are still unclear. By the way, as it was predictable, quite harsh viewpoints are made on the mission, especially from the Russian domain where they perceive it as another deal against Russia and the Russian presence. According to the newspapers information, the RA authorities have started a process of excuses related to the EU mission, which is mainly carried out through Western-oriented representatives of their team and some pro-government individuals with a reputation for being Western addict. In particular, they are assigned to provide a positive background on various information platforms, especially on social media. According to our sources, a special team has also been created to cover the work of the EU mission. MOD: Armenia soldier who was in critical condition due to Azerbaijan provocation is now in severe condition New, smart Yerevan bus stops modern version being developed Armenia cinema celebrating 100th anniversary Armenia Sotk gold mine operations stopped due to Azerbaijan shooting Armenia PM to Syria president: I would like to confirm our readiness to support Syrian reconstruction process Sudan fighting death toll reaches 97 MOD: Azerbaijan fires at Armenia positions in Sotk Berlusconi transferred from intensive care unit to hospital regular ward Putin receives China defense minister Sudan army agrees to open passage for urgent humanitarian cases New ombudsperson visits Azerbaijan servicemen detained in Armenia Another anti-government rally takes place in Prague 130 Ukrainian servicemen back as part of prisoner exchange Finland launches Europe's most powerful nuclear reactor Over 6,000 British to play role in Charles III and Camilla Coronation 9 patients transported from Artsakh to Armenia thanks to ICRC Washington forces Yerevan to join anti-Russian sanctions Gyumri - Yerevan train crashes into truck and derails Group brawl due to traffic accident SK military prevent North Korean patrol chasing boat Russian peacekeepers celebrate Easter in Artsakh Traffic on Getap-Martuni road one-way due to risk of bridge collapse RA Ministry of Finance delegation visits Washington $230 million damage to Artsakh economy due to blockade The Danish ambassador was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry: Ankara has made a demand Bloomberg: New pandemic possible in coming decade 44-year-old man found hanging from a tree Yerevan Metro Police detain armed young man Poland receives Bayraktar from Turkey 4.2 magnitude earthquake in Turkish Adana Ukraine preparing a counteroffensive Azerbaijani Armed Forces open fire at Sotk Gold Mine Sudanese army blocks presidential palace entrances in Khartoum No safety threat to Azerbaijani athletes nor could there ever be Dozens of Tegh families in difficult social situation 12 patients transported from Artsakh to Armenia, 8 back in Artsakh Azerbaijan and Iran FMs announce possible continuation of negotiations Tigran Abrahamyan: Citizens of Artsakh remain alone in their worries Azerbaijani athletes to leave EWF Championships Suspect of Wakayama incident arrested Macron signs pension reform bill Aram Nikolyan: My only desire is to ensure that Azerbaijan's flag doesn't fly in Yerevan IMF and World Bank unable to reach agreement on communique Biden demands stricter protection of secret information Moodys reaffirms "Export Insurance Agency of Armenia"s rating The newly appointed Human Rights Defender conducted fact-finding activities in Tegh village Armenia ambassador to Canada, newly elected mayor of Ottawa discuss cooperation Investigative Committee: Criminal proceeding launched into wounded soldiers case Woman who threw umbrella at Armenia premier is charged Zakharova responds to Armenia parliament majority faction secretary: They probably mistranslated it to him shamshyan.com: Man found dead, car found on train tracks in Yerevan Matviyenko: Russia hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed soon as possible Armenia, Russia FMs discuss matter of Yerevan-Baku relations normalization Smart solution from AraratBank: electric car loans at an interest rate starting at 9% Armenian legislature speaker: We call on international community to clearly condemn Azerbaijan aggressive actions Ameriabank CEO Artak Hanesyan sums up Triple Best campaign: We believe in potential of our team, Armenia Armenia MOD: Soldier wounded by own weapon Karabakh NSS deputy director, head of presidential Central Information Department are dismissed Armenia official: I wouldn't call this a vector change, I would call it a search for certain security guarantees Armenia parliament speaker expresses concern to Ashimbayev regarding Kazakhstan collaboration with Azerbaijan Armenia, Russia FMs meet in Uzbekistan GeoProMining Gold develops social cooperation with Ararat region Armenia Security Council chief briefs OSCE Minsk Group US co-chair on Azerbaijan provocation near Tegh village CIS FMs next meeting slated for October in Kyrgyzstan Armenia Security Council secretary: International presence needed to resolve many security issues in Karabakh Armenia ruling force lawmaker: PMs orders are mandatory for execution Armenia police hand over Azerbaijani found in Kapan city area to National Security Service Security Council head on CSTO: Not possible that Armenia be offered arms, ammunition help and it refuses Armenia ruling force MP to Zakharova: If we hadn't fought, given casualties, Russia MFA could call as much as it wants USD depreciating against several other major currencies Armenia Security Council chief on Azerbaijan border stability: We expect Brussels to take appropriate steps Armenia Security Council head: There were arrangements with Azerbaijan but most of them were broken CIS FMs to hold meeting in Uzbekistan Armenia Security Council chief: Azerbaijan is preparing for military escalation Newspaper: Army General Staff chief admits that Tegh village incident was Armenian sides omission as well Armenia MOD: Sanitary vehicle staff not hospitalized shamshyan.com: Armenia MOD driver, 2 medical assistants hospitalized after truck, MOD sanitary vehicle collide Brazil's president in China called for abandoning the dollar Artsakh's Ombudsman expresses dissatisfaction to OSCE chairman for attitude of international community Ararat Mirzoyan will go on a working visit to Uzbekistan Police and demonstrators clash on the 12th day of demonstrations in France Anahit Manasyan had a phone conversation with the Human Rights Ombudsman of Artsakh The 12th protest against pension reform takes place in France Russia MOD: No ceasefire violations recorded in Karabakh during last 24 hours Lemkin Institute issues statement on Azerbaijan noncompliance with ICJ order to unblock Lachin corridor MFA: Shushi is Artsakhs integral part in territorial, cultural, economic, historical aspects An earthquake of magnitude 4.3 occurred in southeastern Turkey Charles Michel explains his activeness in Armenia-Azerbaijan relations normalization process Armenia PM to Bujar Osmani: This visit is good opportunity to get familiarized with complicated situation South Korea bans its citizens from traveling to Armenia-Azerbaijan border region Karabakh President convenes working consultation, security challenges discussed OSCE Chairman-in-Office: I am here to find out if there is possibility to build bridges between Yerevan and Baku Armenia PM chief of staff: Azerbaijanis are already in Yerevan, we have ensured their safety Chairman-in-Office: OSCE toolkit provides mechanisms to assist peace process between Armenians and Azerbaijanis Osmani: We are ready for any efforts to achieve positive dynamics between Azerbaijan and Armenia Armenia FM: Replacing army with guards on Azerbaijan border should be part of final settlement Armenia MFA: Rumors about OSCE Minsk Group activities termination are greatly exaggerated 168.am: Who is the Azerbaijani already rendered ineffective in Armenia? What does he say in video? Armenia village youth tell how they caught Azerbaijani Armenia Investigative Committee issues statement on murder of security guard, 56, in Syunik Province Despite the decision of the International Court of Justice published on February 22, Azerbaijan continues to illegally close the only passable asphalted road of the Lachin corridor connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. This was announced by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at Thursdays Cabinet meeting of the Armenian government. "As a result of this, the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh continues to be tense. At the same time, we see specific actions by Azerbaijan aimed at aggravatingfrom a military point of viewthe situation on the line of contact with Nagorno-Karabakh. The latest blatant manifestation of this was the killing of three Nagorno-Karabakh police officers on March 5," said the Prime Minister. According to Pashinyan, this incident took place in the zone of responsibility of the Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh. "It is important to record that the Ministry of Defense of Russia clearly stated in the message released on March 6 that the initiator of the incident is the Azerbaijani side. In the message of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, it is also said that proceedings are being conducted, with the participation of the representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan, to find out the details of the incident. In this regard, I believe that the fact that the murders of Nagorno-Karabakh policemen took place in the Lachin corridor should be given a special evaluation. As you remember, according to point 6 of the 2020 trilateral statement, the Lachin corridor is not only the road closed by Azerbaijan since December 12, 2022, but also the 5km wide security zone; therefore, the killings carried out by Azerbaijan on March 5 is a triple violation of the tripartite statement of November 9[, 2020]. Not only the ceasefire, not only the Nagorno-Karabakh line of contact, but also the 5km zone of the Lachin corridor has been violated," Pashinyan announced. He said that Azerbaijan's state and near-state propaganda creates a media background for a large-scale attack on Nagorno-Karabakh for a long time, and the trend of tension is also visible on the ground. "Our assessment remains the same: the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan makes preparations for [Armenian] ethnic cleansing and genocide against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh," said the Prime Minister. Pashinyan said that he considers it important and urgent that Armenia take measures to launch international mechanisms for the prevention of genocides. "In particular, its about the mechanisms planned within the framework of the United Nations; I have given relevant instructions to the foreign ministry about this," he said. Also, the Armenian PM noted that the work on sending an international fact-finding mission to the Lachin corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh is ongoing. "I believe the fact-finding mission is important to address Azerbaijan's baseless claims that Armenia has an army in Nagorno-Karabakh and that military transports are carried out from Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh. These claims are groundless, Azerbaijan is trying to make them a new pretext for regional military escalation; therefore, dispatching an international fact-finding mission becomes unnecessary in this regard as well," said Nikol Pashinyan. Azerbaijan is doing everything to abort the Baku-Stepanakert dialogue. This was announced by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at Thursdays Cabinet meeting of the Armenian government. "Despite the agreements reached at the international level, Azerbaijan announcesafter only two meetingsthat it will discuss the topic of reintegration with the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, while the international agreement is that the discussion should be about the rights and security of the Nagorno-Karabakh people. Against this background, the launch of the international mechanism of Stepanakert-Baku dialogue becomes more important because now it is obvious that without such a mechanism, the agenda will fail, will be forgotten by Baku," he said. The Prime Minister said the fact is also worrying for Armenia that the international mechanism defined by point 7 of the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020 has not yet been activated; that is, "Internally displaced persons and refugees shall return to the territory of Nagorno Karabakh and adjacent regions under the control of the Agency of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. "This means that international mechanisms for the return of Armenians from Hadrut region, Shushi, Martuni and Martakert regions, Shahumyan region, Getashen, Lachin, and other adjacent regions of Nagorno-Karabakh should be launched. I have instructed the foreign ministry to start official negotiations [in this regard] with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees," he added. The problem, according to Pashinyan, is that point 7 of the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020 refers only to the refugees and internally displaced persons of Nagorno-Karabakh and their immediately adjacent regions. Western sanctions against Russia have led to an increase in the supply of goods to Russia from Armenia. At the same time, the two countries have completely stopped mutual calculations in US dollars and euros, Armenian economy minister Vahan Kerobyan said in an interview to Vedomosti daily. According to him, the choice of payment currency has become a big problem for trading partners in the current conditions. The reason is that the Russian ruble is now too volatile against the US dollar and the euro to sign long-term contracts, so the Armenian dram is now becoming more preferable. At the same time, the potential of the Armenian national currency to be used in bilateral trade is limited. In April 2022, the leaders of Armenia and Russia agreed to expand the use of their national currencies during calculations within the framework of mutual trade. Also, the Armenian economy minister pointed to the four-fold increase in supplies from Armenia to Russia as a result of last year. In 2022, exports from Armenia to Russia increased from $850 million to $2.5 billionin dollar equivalent. The reason is the departure of Western companies from the Russian market, and this enabled Armenian suppliers to expand their business in Russia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold talks with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in Moscow on March 20. Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian foreign ministry, announced this during Thursdays press briefing. According to her, Lavrov will discuss with Mirzoyan the settlement of the situation around the Lachin corridor and the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. "On the agenda of the negotiations are regional issues, including the settlement of the Lachin Corridor and, in general, the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh, the implementation of tripartite agreements between the leaders of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. We expect that the upcoming meeting will contribute to the improvement of the quality of the dialogue with Yerevan, as well as to the strengthening of security and stability in the South Caucasus," said Zakharova. In September 2022, Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman, was allegedly murdered by the Iran morality police for improperly wearing her headscarf. Her crime? Her hair was showing under the scarf. Aminis tragic death has sparked widespread protest throughout Iran. Iranian girls and women began removing their headscarves, burning them, and cutting their hair in protest. And yet many Muslim women, including me, proudly choose to wear a hijab. Hijab is an Arabic word that refers to a barrier or partition separating you from others. It is a scarf used by Muslim women to cover their hair for modesty and religious reasons. Worldwide, we live at a daily risk of religious discrimination. On social media, we can see forceful people harassing Muslim women into removing their hijab to protest their perceived oppression and stand in solidarity with Iranian woman. Why is it that when Muslim women choose to wear the hijab, it is seen as oppression, but when others wear head coverings, tattoos, or other physical representations of their beliefs, it is seen as religious or cultural expression and freedom? Why is the hijab so divisive? I am a Muslim woman living in the United States and a health researcher studying the effects of discrimination at the University of Miami. Coming to the United States as an international student from a country where Islam is the majority shifted my perspective and offered me a unique insight into research, particularly in religious minority groups. I have also personally experienced religious discrimination. It happened to me here in Miami in 2019 when I was completing my clinical rotation as a student nurse practitioner in a clinic while wearing my hijab. A patient verbally attacked me, made an offensive remark about my hijab, and told me I was "un-American." Muslims, Jews, and Sikhs experience this every day due to the fact that they are minorities in the United States, and their religion is more visible. Discrimination resurfaced due to social influence, political climate, economic shifts, and environmental changes. The incidence of hate crimes based on discrimination increased to approximately 1,715 reports in 2019 compared to the 1,244 incidences reported in 2015. It is important to keep in mind that each incident report does not represent individuals, but rather organizations or groups of people, so the number is much higher. In 2021, of 1,477 respondents, Muslims reported high levels of discrimination with 37 percent reporting a great deal of discrimination and 34 percent reporting a fair amount of discrimination. As a Muslim woman who wears the hijab, a registered nurse, a nurse practitioner, a Ph.D. student, and a researcher on the impact of religious discrimination, I strongly believe that the community of religious minorities needs support from all authorities. Discrimination comes in many forms, and the aftermath can be devastating. The term discrimination is defined as biased action conducted toward a person based on race, religion, skin color, age, gender, nationalityand the list goes on. Discrimination has a negative impact on a person's physical and mental health. Individuals who are subjected to discrimination on a regular basis may develop chronic stress, which may contribute to major health concerns such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other ailments. Discrimination is responsible for mental health illnesses such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, suicidal ideation, and subclinical paranoia. Although there is well-established research on racial discrimination and poor health outcomes, there is not much research on the effects of religious discrimination. In addition, emerging research on the effect of religious discrimination on minority populations is focused only on mental aspects, not on physical aspects such as stress biomarkers. After the incident in the clinic, I found it difficult to wear the hijab. I removed it temporarily to feel safer and to safeguard my child. I tried to fit in with society and assimilate, but I was miserable, lost, and only a shell of the person I was. When I chose to wear it again, I felt like a whole person. Even though I look different from everyone else, I am both resilient and happier. I wear a hijab not because I am oppressed or forced. I wear it because I am a proud Muslim woman who worships the creator "God," and obeys his commandments. I also have autonomy over how I show my body to others. I proudly exhibit this identity for all to see. Individuals who choose to display their faith could face discrimination and have physical and mental health issues. Creating a sense of urgency is necessary to get people to realize the importance of acting quickly, especially in health care prevention and treatment. True America is the freedom to dress and practice whatever you want. Khulud Almutairi is a graduate student in the School of Nursing and Health Studies at the University of Miami. Read more about the inaugural Op-ed Challenge. A team of graduate students and researchers from the University of Miami are navigating through the northern Atlantic Ocean on an international research voyage to learn more about how the ocean is changing through time. The team of 11 ocean researchers and seven students, as well as one alumna, from the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science and its Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) are joining scientists from 15 organizations across the country. The group of about 60 scientists is collecting water samples from a variety of depths and locations in the Atlantic to gain insight about how the oceans chemistry is evolving as water temperatures warm. The cruise is part of the GO-SHIP program, which is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Science Foundation, to monitor the transformation of our oceans as a result of climate change. This is one of the most important climate change projects that these two agencies are involved in, said Chris Langdon, a professor of marine biology and ecology at the Rosenstiel School, and one of the principal investigators for this cruise. Approximately 25 percent of all the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere each year dissolves into the ocean and its critical to know if that amount is changing, because the earth would be warmer today if the oceans were not absorbing that much carbon dioxide. Aboard the 274-foot Ronald H. Brown, which is the largest vessel in the NOAA fleet, scientists and students are collecting water samples at 24 different depths about every 60 miles along the same latitude in the Atlantic Ocean. As part of the program, they take the same voyage approximately every 10 years, according to Leticia Barbero, an associate scientist at CIMAS as well as at NOAAs Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, and one of two chief scientists for the current voyage, which lasts from March to May. In fact, Barbero is also one of the lead investigators for all the U.S.-based GO-SHIP cruises. She pointed out that the trips are critical because the data gathered on board helps scientists worldwide understand howand at what ratethe oceans are soaking up carbon dioxide. While global oceans absorb between 25 and 33 percent of the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, that amount could be decreasing with time, she noted. We want to find out how much carbon that humankind is producing is being stored in the ocean, as well as where it goes in the ocean. And we want to evaluate that decade after decade, said Barbero, a chemical oceanographer focused on tracking the movement of carbon dioxide. We are also looking at how the oceans temperature and oxygen concentration have changed. This is important because seawater has dissolved oxygen in it, which fish and other organisms in the ocean use to breathe. And certain parts of our oceans are getting dangerously low concentrations of oxygen today. The voyage began in early March when the research vessel motored out of Suape, Brazil, toward the equator and then turned north to travel up through the Atlantic. In April, the ship will stop in Spain to refuel and then continue along a specified latitude to its destination in Reykjavik, Iceland. Langdonwho studies how ocean chemistry affects marine life, especially coralssent a team of graduate students and staff scientists on the massive research vessel but trained them in Miami and in Brazil before the voyage. With the help of scientists on board, his team will be using the ships large conductivity, temperature, and depth sampler, or the CTD, to collect ocean water around the clock. Specifically, they will be measuring dissolved oxygen, pH, and total alkalinity in the water. Its an ideal way for students to be exposed to what this field is all about, and a lot of the things they have learned about in their classes that relate to climate change come from data collected on these trips. So, they can make connections to what they are learning in class, said Langdon, who has been on several research cruises, including one that sampled ocean water along North Americas eastern coasts, and others in the Gulf of Mexico and the Antarctic Ocean. The way it works is water collection instruments are lowered from the side of the boat with a cable, then students do chemical analysis in real time, and they have six hours to measure it before they do it all over again. While one of Langdons graduate students, Emma Pontes, has attended three research cruises in the past, masters degree candidate Riley Palmer is going for her first time. Palmer will be on board for the entire two-month voyage, but said she is looking forward to broadening her field research experience. This is a unique opportunity that most people dont have access to, so it will be good for my career and personal development, said Palmer. Also, Im excited to get more comfortable with applied water chemistry benchwork and to see what other labs are doing on board. One trend that has been noted on many of the GO-SHIP voyages is that as the oceans warm, the waters pH levels are decreasingwhich means it is getting more acidic, according to the scientists. In the early 2000s, Langdon was one of the first to discover the critical importance of pH in ocean water to sustain marine life. And the more acidic seawater is, the harder it is for marine organisms that calcify to thrive. This is an unfortunate phenomenon Pontes has seen firsthand in her research with Langdon. Ocean pH is decreasing and thats a huge problem for corals, clams, shellfish, and anything that forms a calcium carbonate shell or skeleton, Pontes said. To that point, for the first time on this cruise, according to Barbero, scientists also will be collecting ocean water samples to explore their biological, environmental DNA. Im really curious to see what will come out of that, she said. This will be our baseline to see the distribution of organisms along the ships path by looking at the DNA. We can then relate it to environmental measurements like temperature, oxygen concentration, and depth to understand why there are certain concentrations of certain plankton groups, for example, in a given areaand then we can see if they are still there in 10 years. The team also will be deploying ARGO floats, which are instruments that sample seawater from under the water and periodically send data back to shore. Throughout the frenetic analysis of water samples, however, there will likely be some incredible moments, Pontes said. On past trips she has seen dolphins, a pod of pilot whales, and other marine life around the ship. She is hoping to see an ocean sunfish or a killer whale this time. Yet, the aspiring research scientist also understands the importance of the trip. We need to be tracking whats happening in our oceans and these are some of the only long-term, comprehensive datasets of the worlds oceans, Pontes said. These are really good tools for monitoring changes in the oceans chemistry, especially with the impact of climate change. Since Hurricane Irma in September 2017, Miami has been relatively hurricane free. Do these quiet periods benefit Miami hurricane preparedness, or do they lull the city to sleep, exacerbating mental biases in preparedness? If so, who do these biases hurt the most? When Hurricane Ivan made its way into the Gulf of Mexico in 2004, officials in New Orleans, Louisiana, were almost certain that they were underprepared for a direct hit from a major Category 4 storm. However, the storm made a right turn into Alabama and the Florida panhandle, only brushing the extremely vulnerable city. A year later, the infamous Hurricane Katrina arrived, and instead of taking advantage of the scare that Ivan provided, complacency set in, and the storm devastated the city. While that relative inaction may just seem extremely carelessor just plain lazyit can be considered a type of mental bias that leads to preparedness avoidance. It appears that New Orleans fell victim to inertia bias, or the lack of motivation to act, which overwhelmed logic. The thought that a disaster of that magnitude would never happen in New Orleans as well, was also likely rooted in a second type of bias called optimism bias. Being affected by this bias simply doubts that adverse effects will occur and hopes for the best. Many of us fall victim to this bias, including city residents who are ordered to evacuatea most recent example being those who were impacted by Hurricane Ian in Southwest Florida. Much of Fort Myers was ordered to evacuate, yet many didnt and the death toll continued to rise in the storms aftermath. A third mental bias that likely affects more places than just New Orleans (*clears throat*, Miami) is known as amnesia bias. The pains of unpleasant memories are discarded after a certain period of time for those who experience this bias. After Katrina, hurricane preparedness likely became a major priority for the entire Gulf of Mexico region for years to come. Seventeen years later, in 2022, how present in the mind of decision-makers might such an initiative be? Florida, the state most frequently visited by hurricanes, is widely known for its out-of-the-ordinary headlines. This unique culture seems to have carried over into severe weather preparednesswhere flood watches and warnings can turn into potential pool or beach party invites. Videos of nightlife seekers running and driving through flood waters could be found all over social media. Ironically, despite the carefree, blissful lifestyles, Florida is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to climate change and its associated weather hazards, and Miami-Dade County contains 26% of the entire countrys most vulnerable areas to sea-level rise. While environmental or climate vulnerability is one layer, social vulnerability is another, and many communities in Miami deal with both. To live in Miami is to face the danger of tropical cyclones, but it can also mean that you suffer from one of the nations worst (and worsening) income inequalities. For less affluent communities with high percentages of renters, it means that hurricane preparedness may be unaffordable or even neglected. It is also for this reason that communities of color, in which poverty is most pronounced in Miami, suffer the most from a hurricanes adverse effects not only during the storm, but after as well. For someone who can afford flood insurance and all the safeties that come with being able to prioritize preparedness, the impact that these biases have are not as harmful. But for our communities who will be left reeling after a storm, these biases can leave even more vulnerable. Thus, it is important that when city officials wake up and smell the seawater, that they include these communities first in initiatives for not only hurricane preparedness, but also climate resilience. And you, as a Miami resident, can email your commissioner today and help to wake them up. Nkosi Muse is a doctoral researcher in the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science at the University of Miami. Read more about the inaugural Op-ed Challenge. A prolonged delay, and eventual cancellation, of the Air India flight from Chicago to Delhi left passengers fuming, as they complained that they were kept in the dark about the delays and the airline did not inform them about alternate arrangements to reach their destination till Wednesday evening. AI 126 flight from Chicago to Delhi was scheduled to depart on March 14 at 1.30 p.m. (local time) and reach Delhi airport on 2.20 p.m. on March 15. However, its nearly 300 passengers were waiting at the Chicago airport on Wednesday late evening and they were clueless about any alternate arrangement. "The flight is over 22 hours late and we are still at the airport. There is nobody to guide us. The airline staff are hardly informing anything. We don't know when we will be able to reach Delhi," said Gopal Krishan Solanki who was waiting for information about the flight. Sources claimed that amongst the passengers is a person who lost his mother and he was to arrive for the last rites. Solanki said the air passengers were provided with a hotel, but it was arranged very late. "We had to wait here for a long time and there was no information about the fight and accommodation. We were told about the hotel very late," he added. Meanwhile, Air India has said that the flight has been cancelled due to technical reasons. "Air India flight AI 126 on March 14, 2023 had to be cancelled due to technical reasons. The affected passengers were offered all-round support and are being accommodated on alternate flights. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers," said a Air India spokesperson on Wednesday. A total of 1,171 flights were cancelled during the year 2022 due to technical reasons, as against 931 in 2021 and 1,481 in 2020, the government told Parliament on Tuesday. --IANS kvm/vd ( 325 Words) 2023-03-15-22:40:02 (IANS) Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 16 (ANI/PRNewswire): LDRA, the leading provider of automated software verification, source code analysis, unit testing tools, and consultancy services, today announced the enhanced CAST-32A & A(M)C 20-193 validation capabilities of the LDRA tool suite for safety-critical, multi-core processor (MCP) applications. These innovative features cover the entire software development lifecycle and provide a robust certification framework in support of DO-178C - Software Considerations for Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification. "Manufacturers of critical multi-core processor systems are choosing LDRA because of our comprehensive support of CAST-32A & A(M)C 20-193 guidelines from requirements to development to testing," said Ian Hennell, Operations Director, LDRA. "No other software vendor combines timing measurement, data and control flow analysis, automated test generation, and requirements traceability into a compliance package that also fits easily into today's agile development processes." CAST-32A & A(M)C 20-193 support ensures robustness of multi-core processor applications The LDRA tool suite has long been the standard for simplifying and accelerating compliance for mission- and safety-critical systems. CAST-32A has matured into the de-facto guidance for the adoption of MCPs in civil aviation in the form of the current European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AMC 20-193, and the upcoming Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) AC 20-193 guidelines. With the enhanced CAST-32A & A(M)C 20-193 support offered by the LDRA tool suite, development teams now get: - Industry-leading CAST-32A & A(M)C 20-193 coverage that includes worst-case execution time (WCET) measurements on target hardware, the capability to exercise specified interference channels, WCET histograms aligned to the CAST-32A & A(M)C 20-193 objectives, and LDRA's patented analysis of data and control flow couplings- Flexible analysis and reporting options that support different operating system guarantees, including verifying components in isolation or in the context of the entire application- Rapid creation of certification evidence with reports and graphics aligned to the CAST-32A & A(M)C 20-193 papers- Robust and automated regression testing that re-validates WCET analysis after every code change- Comprehensive command line interface that simplifies integration into any continuous integration and DevOps framework. "The LDRA tool suite's support for CAST-32A & A(M)C 20-193 enables any manufacturer to collect timing evidence and tell their certification story faster than ever before," Hennell added. "When development teams are feeling the integration crunch, LDRA eliminates the complexity and effort needed to certify multi-core processor applications by integrating WCET support into every aspect of safety-critical development." For more than 45 years, LDRA has developed and driven the market for software that automates code analysis and software testing for safety-, mission-, security-, and business-critical markets. Working with clients to achieve early error identification and elimination, and full compliance with industry standards, LDRA traces requirements through static and dynamic analysis to unit testing and verification for a wide variety of hardware and software platforms. Boasting a worldwide presence, LDRA has headquarters in the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, and India coupled with an extensive distributor network. For more information on the LDRA tool suite, please visit www.ldra.com. Readers may direct questions to: Mark James Email: mark.james@ldra.com Media contacts: Neeraja Nair, LDRA, Assistant Manager - Marketing CommunicationsTel: +91-80-40808707, Email: neeraja.nair@ldra.com Mark James, LDRA, Marketing Manager Tel: +44 (0) 151 649 9300, Email: mark.james@ldra.com This story has been provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire) JP Morgan on Thursday said it sees Reliance Industries (RIL) as a relative outperformer in the calendar year 2023 (CY23) in what could be a sluggish earnings environment overall, but see multiple potential catalysts over CY24-25 to help drive absolute outperformance. The financial services company said it sees continued strength in the refining business, a likely rebound in petrochemicals (petrochem) spreads from decadal low levels from China re-opening, and volume growth in exploration and production (E and P) - driving earnings growth. According to JP Morgan, RIL continues to offer multiple growth options across businesses (petrochem, E and P, telecom, retail, financial services, new energy) and ongoing investments should drive the next leg of growth. "RIL's ongoing capex/investments should allow it to scale up its (already industry-leading) petrochem, telecom and retail segments. New energy is likely a multi-year opportunity, but we do not see it as material to the investment case for next 12-18 months," JP Morgan said in a note, adding, "We expect this year's AGM to focus on Jio Financial Services (JFS)." It said Jio's 5G should drive the next leg of growth; while non-telecom been slow so far, should pick up. "Jio should have a relatively soft FY24 as we do not expect telecom tariff hikes," it added. According to the note, JP Morgan said it continues to see subscriber growth, and the company's mega 5G (capital expenditure) capex positions it well. "Jio's 5G launch (currently available across 134 cities and a pan-India rollout by December 23) and the company's plans to connect 100 million homes via Jio Fiber and Jio Air Fiber should allow for material ARPU increase (blended basis) over the coming years," it said. JPM's Telecom Analyst Ankur Rudra said that Jio was changing focus from low-end subscribers to the higher end and will be attacking high-end subs. "We assume no telecom tariff hike from FY24; energy and E and P to aid the performance." In JP Morgan's view, RIL is among the best positioned refiners globally in the current environment of strong product cracks. "RIL's refining strength comes from the diesel-heavy production slate, export-focused refineries, and the ability to purchase and process 'arbitrage barrels' which have a discount vs benchmark oil," the note said, adding, "Although we build in a conservative earnings estimates, with a sharp decline in refining margins (vs CY22 average), overall we expect RIL's refining business should deliver strong." In terms of Ebitda as compared to the previous years, JP Morgan said, "RIL's MJ field development is on track and production should start by the end of FY23. Overall, with the new fields entering production, volumes should pick up materially in the India E and P segment." It said realisations should also remain supported as the ceiling formula reset translates into higher prices. "The overall E and P segment, while small in the overall Ebitda mix (FY22 E&P Ebitda was 5 per cent of consolidated Ebitda), should report strong Ebitda growth in FY23-25, on our estimates, driven by volumes and elevated prices, and the Ebitda (Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) contribution should increase to more than 10 per cent of consolidated Ebitda. (ANI) New Delhi [India], March 16 (ANI/PNN): The American India Foundation, catalyzing social and economic change in India for the past 22 years, organized the annual Livelihoods knowledge event 'Future of Livelihoods' at Silver Oak, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi today. Starting with the Keynote address by the Chief Guest Smriti Zubin Irani, Union Cabinet Minister for Women and Child Development and Minority Affairs, Government of India, the event addressed emerging gaps in women's labor force participation, the inclusion of women with disability in the workforce, and the far-reaching impact of climate change on their livelihoods in the next decade. Helmed by AIF's award-winning flagship Livelihoods Program - Market Aligned Skills Training, 'Future of Livelihoods' brought together 130 sectoral experts, policymakers, academicians, and corporates to cogitate on building back a better world for women by unpacking the evolving role of CSR in promoting their livelihoods. Co-organized by Market Aligned Skills Foundation, the event brought together ecosystem partner National Skill Development Corporation (N.S.D.C.) as co-hosts, Madhya Pradesh Rural Livelihood Mission as Special Partner, and iForest (International Forum for Environment, Sustainability, and Technology), Skill Council for Green Jobs and Wadhwani Foundation as Knowledge Partners. In the inaugural session Smriti Zubin Irani, Union Cabinet Minister for Women and Child Development and Minority Affairs, Government of India, in conversation with Mathew Joseph, Country Director, AIF, brought a keen focus on enabling women as key social change drivers by supporting their livelihood aspirations. Addressing the audience at the event, her powerful and thought-provoking session stated that 'It is not incumbent upon one department to look at women's issues but it needs to be a part of every department, and that has been one of the biggest changes to have come in the governance.' The dialogue highlighted how discourses like these, between ecosystem stakeholders, will lay the roadmap for women's success and increase their voice, agency, and meaningful participation in economic decision-making at all levels from the household to international institutions. On the occasion, the Guest of Honor Dr Shalini Rajneesh, Additional Chief Secretary Planning, Programme Monitoring and Statistics Department, Government of Karnataka said 'While the social sector is addressing many challenges and creating livelihood opportunities through skill and entrepreneurship development, improving access to capital and markets, opening additional revenue streams is critical. India is moving towards digital transformation, but only 30 per cent of women have access to the internet and lack of resources is keeping them away from livelihoods.' The eminent panels consisted of foremost thought leaders and ecosystem stakeholders such as Ashish Chaturvedi, Head - Environment, Energy and Resilience, UNDP; Poonam Chandok, Head - HR, L&T Energy; Praveen Saxena, CEO, Skill Council for Green Jobs; Richa Singh, VP HR - D&I and CSR, Max Life Insurance; Vivek Misra, Director - Customer Support and India lead for Disability ERG, Microsoft; Sunil Dahiya, Executive Vice President Skilling, Wadhwani Foundation; Madhu Bala Sharma, Sr. DEI Business Partner - International Markets, Amazon; Rupali Kathuria, Lead, Social Impact for South Asia at Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, Mastercard; Rishikesh Patankar, CEO, CSC Academy; Nithyanandam Yuvraj Dinesh Babu, ED - Power and Utilities and Climate Change Assurance & Sustainability Services, E&Y and Kamesh Sanghi, Director, Livelihoods, American India Foundation (AIF) among others distinguished speakers. With an overarching theme of 'Unpacking the Evolving Role of CSR in Building Women's Livelihoods in the Post-COVID Era', Future of Livelihoods' first session 'Building the Women Entrepreneurship Ecosystem - Enabling the Next Leap' kick-started with the discussion on how India's growth story has left behind a key demographic: women! It threw light on how women entrepreneurs can be enabled as drivers of this growth and their success will not only boost the economy through job creation but also deliver transformational social and personal outcomes for women. The second panel 'Leveraging technology - Mainstreaming disability at workplaces' emphasized the need for a multidimensional approach to catalyze accessibility while keeping women with disabilities at the center of this mediation. The session set the stage to discuss how the ecosystem must enable and empower them by promoting inclusion and diversity in the workplace. Panelists also reflected on the need for innovation in this space and how the government, both at the national and state level, along with NGOs, and CSR partners can come together to institute systemic change. The event's last and concluding panel 'Women as Enablers of the transition to a Green Economy' drew from a rich tapestry of leaders and practitioners in the space, to examine the multitude of challenges to the ones on the front line of climate change impact, especially vulnerable women and communities living at the edge of environmental disasters. It deliberated the need for resilient pillars of development,to prepare for an imminent and urgent shift towards green and sustainable livelihoods while nurturing women to be the catalysts, who enable and lead this transition to the green economy. 'It is incumbent on all of us to galvanize women's economic empowerment which is deeply connected with poverty reduction, climate change, and an increase in the economic growth of the nation. Increasing women's role and participation means greater voice, choice, and power at home and in the economy. AIF, empowering women since 2001, is honored to partner with key ecosystem stakeholders to further our mission." said Mathew Joseph, Country Director, AIF. Learn more at www.AIF.org This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN) New Delhi [India], March 16 (ANI/NewsVoir): The Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IFCCI) in partnership with Business France, today held the 5th edition of its flagship event, the Indo-French Business Awards (IFBA) and Grand Prix VIE in the presence of Edouard Philippe, former Prime Minister of France and Mayor, Le Havre as Guest of Honour. The award ceremony brought together more than 150 CEOs and business leaders from the most prominent Indo-French companies in India across varied sectors like aerospace and defence, mobility, energy, consumer goods, agro, luxury at the Residence of France. The Indo-French Business Awards announced 11 categories for which more than 100 applications were received from across India and France. The maximum number of applications received were for the 'Most Innovative Product/Service of the Year' category, showcasing France's strength in innovation. Speaking at the event, Edouard Philippe, said, "The political relationship that France and India have built together is truly unique and a source of great pride. For it to continue to thrive in the future, it is also vital to bring our economies closer together. We need French and Indian entrepreneurs who invent, produce, create together. And this is what the members of the Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry are doing every day, with the support of Team France Export. I want to thank them, because their Indo-French achievements are not only business success stories but also a key contribution to making the France-India strategic partnership stronger for the future." Payal S. Kanwar, Director General, Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry said, "The Indo-French Business Awards and Grand Prix VIE are a platform which enables the entire Indo-French business ecosystem to share their most significant projects and accomplishments. It is very interesting to note that most French companies are focussing on innovation and sustainability while doing business in India. I congratulate all winners and nominees for the grand success of this event!" The winners of the 11 categories were awarded by Emmanuel Lenain, Ambassador of France to India. The awards jury comprised of highly recognized Indo-French business leaders, Embassy of France officials and IFCCI's governing council members. The event was addressed virtually by Mr Aiman Ezzat, CEO, Capgemini, who was awarded the 'Personality of the Year' for his outstanding contribution to the Indo-French business ecosystem. The award ceremony also highlighted the VIE programme of the French Trade Commission. VIE is a programme enabling young French and European talents from 18 to 28 years of age to do a 6 - to 24-month assignment in South Asia, working for a company registered in France. Business France organizes a Grand Prix every year to distinguish and reward the best talents posted at French companies on VIE assignments in this region. France is one of India's largest scientific partners, with over 25 French R&D centres, 15 joint Indo-French research laboratories, and 500 collaborative projects in the country. France has also emerged as India's trusted strategic partner in many key sectors. The recent deal, the biggest in the history of the aviation industry, between Tata Group-owned Air India for the purchase of 250 planes from Airbus, shows the Indo-French business strength which is here stay. Winners - VIE Awards - Prix VIE - Talent 2023 - Alice Bonnefoy, VIE at Bassetti India, based in Kolkata and Remi Sarro, VIE at Plastic Omnium in Pune - Prix VIE - Enterprise 2023 - Ludovic DUMONT, Country Delegate India - MBDA - Prix VIE - Jury Special - Capucine BROSSIER, VIE at Plastic Omnium This story has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir) Madurai (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 16 (ANI/NewsVoir): Coats, the world's leading manufacturer in thread and structural components for apparel and footwear, has officially opened a new state-of-the-art Sustainability Hub - a spinning and twisting pilot plant in Madurai, India to further progress its sustainability commitment. Over the last 4 years, Coats has achieved strong progress against ambitious targets in the areas of Energy, Materials, Water, Waste and People. Coats has now announced new targets for 2026 across the same material areas and these provide the next horizon towards its 2030 commitments. Emissions reduction across the company's entire value chain is at the heart of these new targets. The new Sustainability Hub in Madurai will sit alongside the Coats Sustainability Hub in Shenzhen, China, accelerating the material transition to recycled and renewable materials. The two hubs will work together to innovate new-generation materials for sustainable sewing threads for apparel, footwear and performance materials. This material transition journey is fundamental to the delivery of Coats' emissions reduction targets. The Sustainability Hub in Madurai will support customers and other stakeholders in creating sustainability in the industry, enabling Coats to streamline sustainability innovation, enhance brand collaborations and facilitate faster sustainable product offers and market entry capabilities. It is part of a 10 million USD investment planned over next five years in scaling up the development of green technologies and materials to accelerate the achievement of Coats' ambitious sustainability targets. Rajiv Sharma, Group Chief Executive, said, "I am pleased to announce the launch of this state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Madurai, as the 'Centre of Excellence' for spinning and twisting in Coats. We are firmly committed to a journey towards net zero and alongside our energy transition strategy, materials transition is fundamental to this." The new state-of-the-art spinning and twisting pilot facility is located in the heritage site of Coats in Madurai in a sprawling area of 10,000 square feet. It has the infrastructure to process multiple fibers, blends & high-performance fibers like aramids. Coats is a world leader in thread manufacturing and structural components for apparel and footwear, as well as an innovative pioneer in performance materials. These critical solutions are used to create a wide range of products, including ones that provide safety and protection for people, data, and the environment. Headquartered in the UK, Coats is a FTSE250 company and a FTSE4Good Index constituent. Revenues in 2022 were USD 1.6bn. Trusted by the world's leading companies to deliver vital, innovative, and sustainable solutions, Coats provides value-adding products including apparel, accessory and footwear threads, structural components for footwear and accessories, fabrics, yarns, and software applications. Customer partners include companies from the apparel, footwear, automotive, telecoms, personal protection, and outdoor goods industries. With a proud heritage dating back more than 250 years and spirit of evolution to constantly stay ahead of changing market needs, Coats has operations across some 50 countries with a workforce of over 17,000, serving its customers worldwide. Coats connects talent, textiles, and technology, to make a better and more sustainable world. Worldwide, there are three dedicated Coats Innovation Hubs, where experts collaborate with partners to create the materials and products of tomorrow. It participates in the UN Global Compact and is committed to Science Based sustainability targets for 2030 and beyond, with a goal of achieving net zero by 2050. Coats is also committed to achieving its goals in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, workplace health & safety, employee & community well-being, and supplier social performance. To find out more about Coats visit, www.coats.com. This story has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir) Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 16 (ANI/PRNewswire): The groundwater crisis in India is a cause and an indicator of the ongoing climate change in the world. It fights individuals in the form of contaminated water sources, untimed floods and droughts, rise in sea levels, and shrinking ice sheets. The inextricable link between the actions at the household level and the resilience of a society is the only way to curb the threat. Experts and geologists have raised concerns about making water the heart of all the action plans to protect lives from the water crisis in India. The link between groundwater and climate crisis Significant impacts of climate change have been witnessed through changing water availability. These observations are anticipated to only worsen with time. Water patterns have made it difficult to access drinking water, leading to vulnerability in rural parts of India. Soil erosion has become so prominent in the running of the highly-nutritious topsoil, worsening the quality of the crops that are being sowed in the arable lands. Mass deforestation is another factor leading to the climate crisis in a country like India. Rural stretch in India depends on groundwater resources for most of its uniform and non-uniform tasks. Since two-thirds of India's total population depends on the agricultural sector for employment, water availability is a must as it plays a crucial role in deciding the outcome of the crops. Many experts have argued that rainwater could be an excellent substitute for groundwater in the coming years, owing to the depletion of groundwater channels. But in retrospect, the current water cycle problems, 78 per cent of the rainwater flows directly into the ocean yearly. Only 6 per cent of the rainwater is saved and used for agriculture. If this was not enough, the already scarce groundwater is extracted approximately 239 trillion litres yearly. This is a clear testament to the fact that the current recharge system that India is following needs to be more efficient to prepare for water management and conservation. JalTara- a unique solution for rural India's water crisis Protecting ecosystems and safeguarding resources is a must to mitigate the water problems stemming from the country. In recent years, all environmentalists have focused on reducing carbon footprints to eradicate the climate crisis. But more is needed to balance global water needs, and for which innovative and scalable solution for water crisis has been formulated. One such unique and efficient guide towards water conservation is JalTara. JalTara is a social initiative by Art of Living, formed under the able guidance of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to curb the water crisis in the rural parts of India. It aims at transforming impervious topsoil into an absorbent sponge that can hold groundwater for all commercial agricultural purposes. The project is aimed to create porous recharge structures that are 6 feet deep and 4 feet across at the lowest point within the arable acre-plot of land in different regions in a village with two fruit-bearing trees on each side. These recharge structures will help the rainwater to bypass the dense, impervious topsoil and recharge the underground aquifers. From March 2021 to March 2022, an average of 14 ft. rise in the water table has been seen. The total farmers' income is more than doubled which has helped solve major financial problems in rural India. There has been an increase in the average crop yield by 42 per cent defining the prominent positive impact of the project in the villages. Rural belts in India witnessed a 58 per cent average increase in land usage. This project's scope is centred on the positive impact it has brought in the lives of the villagers in India. With increased land productivity empowering farmers with better employment opportunities, farmers can finally focus on the core farming activities rather than worrying about the routine water problems in the region. The Art of Living JalTara, under the guidance of world-renowned humanitarian and spiritual leader - Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, is solving India's looming water crisis & eradicating water poverty. For more updates:Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/artofliving.sp/Tweet us at: https://twitter.com/artofliving_spPlease message us at: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/artofliving-sp Contacts:Shamika Gandhi, +91 9986557389,shamika.gandhi@projects.artofliving.org This story has been provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire) The Ministry of Ayush and the Ministry of Rural Development signed an MoU to transform rural youth into an economically independent and globally-relevant workforce at Transport Bhawan on Thursday. The agreement was signed by Manoj Nesari, Advisor, Ministry of Ayush, and Karma Zimpa Bhutia, Joint Secretary, Rural Skills, Ministry of Rural Development. The signing was done in the presence of Union Minister Ayush Sarbananda Sonowal and Giriraj Singh, Panchayati Raj. Minister of Rural Development Giriraj Singh in his speech praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ayush ministry for the growth seen in the sector, which scaled from USD 3 billion in 2014 to USD 19 billion in 2022. The minister also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for scaling and giving opportunity. Talking about DDU-GKY (Deen Dayal Upadhyay-Grameen Kaushal Yojana, he said that it would empower self-help groups of women and the collaboration with the Ministry of Ayush will help the achieved growth in self-employment and skill development. Speaking on the occasion, Director of All India Institute of Ayurveda Tanuja Manoj Nesari said that the collaboration between both ministries will play an important role in enhancing the skill and service sector related to ayurveda. The purpose of this collaboration is to help in developing skilled personnel for AYUSH Healthcare system and AYUSH management sectors, training will be benchmarked to global standards, to enable growth of skilled human resources in such sectors, to serve both national and international demand. The association between the two ministries will help in providing training to rural poor youth in the National Skills Qualification Framework aligned courses available on National Qualification Register under DDU-GKY Scheme. The mission of the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) to skill rural youth from the humble background will combine with the Ministry of Ayush (MoA) through Deen Dayal Upadhyaya-Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDUGKY) it will open new doors in the horizon of opportunities and development empowering rural youth. (ANI) Franklin Templeton Asset Management (India) Pvt Ltd on Thursday said that they are cooperating the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in their search operations being conducted at an official's residential premises in connection with a Prevention of Money Laundering case. A company official told IANS that that the ED, as of now, didn't seek information about any three years business transactions and the raid was also happening at residential premises, not the business premises. The places where the ED was conducting searches are said to be belonging ti Santosh Kamath, Chief Investing Officer-Fixed Income at Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund, Vivek Kudva, former head of Asia-Pacific (APAC) distribution, and his wife Roopa Kudva. According to information, she is the head of Omidyar Network, India. The firm has said that they will support the investigation agency in the probe and were willing to provide all the datas and information sought by the agency. "We continue to cooperate with all regulatory and statutory authorities and provide all data and information required by them. Franklin Templeton places great emphasis on compliance with regulations, and we have appropriate policies in place, consistent with Indian regulations and global best practices," a company spokesperson said. They also issued a press note saying they were cooperating in the matter. --IANS atk/vd ( 224 Words) 2023-03-16-19:14:04 (IANS) The price of the Indian crude oil basket, in rupee per barrel terms, rose by 23 per cent from December 2021 to March 2023, but compared to this, the increase in retail selling price of petrol and diesel in Delhi has only been 1.08 per cent and 3.40 per cent, the Parliament was told on Thursday. Prices of petrol and diesel have not been increased by public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs) since April 6, 2022, despite record high international prices, Minister of State for Petroleum Rameswar Teli told the Lok Sabha in a written reply. The three OMCs, namely Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, have booked a combined loss of Rs 18,622 crore between April 2022 and December 2022, it said. The three OMCs have also suffered huge losses on sale of domestic LPG where the price is moniotored by Government. To compensate these losses, the Centre has recently paid a one-time compensation of Rs 22,000 crore to them. Prices of petrol and diesel in the country have been market-determined with effect from June 26, 2010 and October 19, 2014 respectively. Since then, the OMCs take appropriate decision on pricing of petrol and diesel, the minister said. --IANS ans/vd ( 221 Words) 2023-03-16-20:16:04 (IANS) Actor Jeremy Renner has been doing his best to recover from the injuries he sustained in the snow plow accident. On Thursday, Jeremy Renner posted a story on Instagram and it was the cutest thing on the internet. Jeremy took to Instagram to share a cute note written to him by his nephew and it has made many of us go 'aww!' The note read, "I am very lucky because my uncle is hawk eye," the note in the photo reads. "I am also very lucky that my uncle is alive from his accident." Jeremy shared the photo of the note on his Instagram story and wrote, "Love my little man," accompanied by a couple of emojis. Check it out: Talking about Jeremy's recovery, last month, the Marvel star shared a video of him improving his leg strength with the help of a Technogym bike. He also revealed he is working on his mental recovery too by reading The Book Of Awakening: Having The Life You Want By Being Present In The Life You Have, by Mark Nepo - which is a series of daily reflections. Prior to that, Renner -- who underwent multiple surgeries after the serious accident that happened on his property near Reno, Nevada -- wrote on Instagram Jan. 21, "Morning workouts, resolutions all changed this particular new years .... Spawned from tragedy for my entire family, and quickly focused into uniting actionable love. I want to thank EVERYONE for their messages and thoughtfulness for my family and I .... Much love and appreciation to you all. These 30 plus broken bones will mend, grow stronger, just like the love and bond with family and friends deepens. Love and blessings to you all." Renner has been chronicling his recovery ever since surviving the horrifying incident which occurred on New Year's Day. According to Variety, a US-based news outlet, Renner's accident occurred on January 1 after he tried to help remove a family member's car from being stuck in the snow. The actor's snow plow ended up running him over and critically injuring him. After receiving a blow to the chest and incurring orthopaedic problems, Renner required two surgeries the following day. PistenBully or Sno-Cat, an enormous piece of snow-clearing machinery weighing at least 14,330 pounds, was the snow plough used by the actor. (ANI) Prince William feels his late mother, Princess Diana, would be disappointed that greater progress in combating homelessness has not been made. According to People Magazine, the Prince of Wales was exposed to the suffering of homeless people and street sleepers by Diana, who accompanied him and his brother Prince Harry to shelters, and he has been a long-standing campaigner on the issue. People Magazine reports that in a new video, Prince William says that Diana, who died at age 36 in 1997, would be frustrated that more progress hasn't been achieved in the area. "My mother introduced me to the cause of homelessness from quite a young age, and I'm really glad she did," he said. "I think she would be disappointed that we are still no further on in terms of tackling homelessness and preventing it than when she was interested and involved in it." According to People Magazine, the video was created by Comic Relief and will be shown in its entirety at a telethon on Friday. In a brief video posted on Wednesday, William is shown visiting Groundswell, a charity supported by Comic Relief, and recording a podcast as part of Groundswell's Listen Up! Programme. Homelessness has long been a focus of Prince William's public activity, and he has supported two organisations, Centrepoint and The Passage. In reality, he followed in the footsteps of his mother, who accompanied him and Harry, 38, to The Passage as youngsters. (ANI) The BJP's Minority Morcha on Wednesday started a Muslim outreach programme titled 'Sufi Samvad Maha Abhiyaan' with an eye on the Lok Sabha elections next year, party sources informed. To make the campaign successful, the BJP has put together a team of 150 non-political people to take this mega outreach effort across the length and breadth of the country. These people will be split into separate teams and will spread out across the country as part of the outreach towards the minorities, ahead of the all-important Lok Sabha elections next year. The teams will visit several Muslim-dominated Lok Sabha constituencies to make the minorities aware of the work done for them by the Narendra Modi-led BJP government. Also as part of this initiative, a nationwide campaign will be conducted for about a year through various dialogue programmes. At the end of the year-long, a mega outreach event for Muslims will be organised under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. Speaking on the outreach programme, the president of the BJP's Minority Morcha, Jamal Siddiqui, said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed us to reach out to the Sufi community with the agenda of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayaas'. The idea is to be among the Muslim community and tell them that the government, under the leadership of PM Modi, works for all, irrespective of caste, creed or community. We will also dispel false notions of the Opposition about the BJP and Prime Minister Modi." Sources informed further that outreach programmes will be organised in a big way in Lok Sabha seats where Muslims account for more than 20 per cent of the population. A range of events such as seminars, dialogues, and door-to-door visits, among others, will be planned and organised. A dedicated outreach campaign will be conducted in many states, including Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, and West Bengal. In Uttar Pradesh, such events will be organised in Lok Sabha constituencies such as Saharanpur, Meerut, Rampur, and Azamgarh, as well as in Bihar's Kishanganj, Araria, and Katihar. Prime Minister Modi, on various occasions in the recent past, exhorted party leaders and workers to reach out to the minority community. At the BJP's National Executive meeting in Delhi, he advised BJP workers to build relationships with people from all sections of society, especially Bohra and Pasmanda Muslims, as well as Sikhs and Christians, without worrying about votes, informed sources. The party believes that with support of the Muslims and other minorities, the BJP can secure an even bigger mandate in 2024 than it did in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. (ANI) The Geological Survey of India (GSI) proposed to carry out more exploration activities in J&K for identifying lithium resources, the Parliament was informed on Wednesday. GSI, an attached office of Ministry of Mines, carried out a G3 stage mineral exploration project during Field Season 2020-21 and 2021-22 in Salal-Haimna areas of Reasi district, Jammu & Kashmir and estimated an inferred resource (G3) of 5.9 million tonnes of lithium ore and the report has been handed over to the J&K government, Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi told the Lok Sabha in a written reply. The estimated value of lithium in J&K will be estimated on completion of further exploration, it said. GSI generates baseline geoscience data through mapping, e.g. geological, geochemical, geophysical which is pre-requisite for identifying the potential area for systematic mineral exploration. Based on the mapping data, GSI carries out systematic mineral exploration activities for various major mineral commodities including lithium. As a follow up of lithium exploration in SalalHaimna areas of Reasi district, the GSI has taken up another reconnaissance G4 stage exploration programme on lithium and associated mineral in Panasa - Dugga - Baldhanun - Chakar - Sangarmarg (Saro-da-Bas) area of Reasi district during current field season 2022-23 and the work is in progress, the reply said. Based on the mapping outcome, more exploration programmes on various mineral commodities including lithium will be taken up in future in different parts of the country including Jammu & Kashmir. The GSI and Mineral Exploration & Consultancy Limited (MECL) have taken up a number of exploration projects of lithium and will take up more projects in future. Ministry of Mines provides 100 per cent funding from National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) to state governments and private exploration agencies, if they take up lithium exploration projects. --IANS kvm/vd ( 305 Words) 2023-03-15-22:34:03 (IANS) The language row in Karnataka -- Hindi versus Kannada, seems to be again rearing its ugly head in the backdrop of recent developments on allegations of Hindi imposition by actress-turned-politician Ramya, and ill-treatment of dancer and choreographer Salman Yusuf Khan for not knowing Kannada by an official in Bengaluru airport. Both incidents have led to 'Kannada versus Hindi debate' on social media. A video of an auto driver asking a passenger in Bengaluru why he should speak in Hindi to a passenger has also gone viral and sparked a debate. In the video, the auto driver is seen refusing to talk with the passenger in Hindi even as she requests him to speak in Hindi. He, however, continues talking to her in English. "Why should I speak in Hindi? You are in Karnataka, first you should speak in Kannada," he says in Kannada. After the arguments and counter arguments, the woman gets down from the auto-rickshaw, and goes away. This video also has gone viral on social media. Kannada actress-turned-Congress politician Ramya, also known as Divyaspandana, had stirred a controversy by stating that India is not all about Hindi and Bollywood. Ramya stated: "I am also really glad 'Naatu Naatu' was performed in Telugu - about time the world knows that India is not just Hindi. India is not just Bollywood. Stereotyping is lazy thinking." An incident of dancer and choreographer Salman Yusuff Khan being insulted by an immigration officer for not knowing Kannada language has come to light at the KempeGowda International Airport at Bengaluru on Wednesday. Khan has alleged that the official questioned him for not knowing Kannada language despite being born in Bengaluru and used "threatening tone". "I am a proud Bangalorean. But, what I have faced today is unacceptable. You should always encourage people to learn any local language but not demean them for not knowing it. And you should not pull your parents' name into it," Khan wrote on his social media account. The dancer had challenged him and finally stated that, "well this is what I get to represent my city and win national accolades, that I have to prove myself to these brutes at Bengaluru airport." The incident has stirred a controversy and Khan is getting support from many people. --IANS mka/pgh ( 396 Words) 2023-03-15-22:42:01 (IANS) They said the fire was brought under control, adding that the cause of the blaze could not be ascertained till the filing of this report. Further details are awaited. On March 15, a massive fire broke out in the forest area near the Kodaikanal hills of Dindigul district in Tamil Nadu, officials said. Forest department officials said they were working on controlling the forest fire. A video of the incident was also shared widely on social media. The forest fire comes days after a massive forest fire broke out in the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary in Goa. The Indian Airforce took all required initiatives to tackle the forest fire and deployed helicopters to dispense water over the affected areas. Indian Air Force's Mi-17 helicopter dispensed over 25,000 litres of water over forest fire-affected areas of Goa on March 11, the force said. According to information, 48 fire spots were detected from March 5 till Saturday. Of these, 41 fires have already been doused, while seven were reported to be active as of March 12. Further, as per the officials, the Indian Air Force is coordinating with the Indian Navy and the civil administration in combating forest fires in the affected areas of the coastal state. With forest fires continuing to rage in Goa, the Union Environment ministry on Saturday opened a 24x7 control room to monitor real-time alerts generated by the Forest Survey of India (FSI). Earlier, on March 14, a massive fire broke out at a factory in Dhayari area of Pune city, officials said. According to officials, seven fire tenders were rushed to the spot. (ANI) The Supreme Court on Wednesday observed that the Governor cannot lend his office to effectuate a particular result as it questioned if could the difference of opinion among MLAs within a party could become a sufficient ground for the Governor to call for the floor test? B.S. Koshyari, who was then the Governor of Maharashtra, had asked the then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to face a floor test to prove his majority. Thackeray, sensing imminent defeat, resigned and this resulted in the appointment of Shinde as the new Chief Minister. A five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Maharashtra Governor, how a difference of opinion among MLAs within a party could become a sufficient ground for the Governor to call for the floor test? The top court made these observations after Mehta narrated the sequence of events and said there were various materials before the Governor, which prompted him to order a trust vote. The bench further added that the Governor cannot lend his office to effectuate a particular result and emphasised that calling for a trust vote will lead to toppling of the elected government. Mehta said the material included: a letter signed by 34 Shiv Sena MLAs, a letter from independent lawmakers withdrawing support to the Uddhav Thackeray government, and another letter from the Leader of the Opposition. The bench -- also comprising Justices M.R. Shah, Krishna Murari, Hima Kohli and P.S. Narasimha - said the opposition leader's letter did not matter and also the letter from MLAs citing threat to their security was also not relevant in this case. The bench questioned Mehta if could widespread discontent among the party cadres and legislators' sufficient ground to call for a trust vote? The bench orally observed: "People will start ditching the ruling party and Governors being willing allies would end up toppling the ruling party. This will be a sad spectacle for democracy." The bench said Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) remained a solid bloc and it was only Shiv Sena, where there was dissension and questioned Mehta, can this dissension be sufficient to ask the Chief Minister to face the floor test. "This is our concern and it is very dangerous for democracy," it added. The Chief Justice said suppose a group of MLAs feels their leader has deviated from the party discipline, then they can always ask for a change of leadership at a forum within the party, but where is the room for the Governor to call for a floor test based on the dissension. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the Thackeray faction, in his rejoinder submission said, "We are back to a position of 'aaya Ram-gaya Ram..." He added that now your political affiliation does not matter, what matters is numbers. The hearing in the matter will continue on Thursday. The top court is hearing petitions in connection with Maharashtra political crisis triggered due to rebellion in Shiv Sena. --IANS ss/vd A ( 515 Words) 2023-03-15-23:00:05 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday said that they have arrested an Assistant Labour Commissioner (Central) in Maharashtra's Nagpur for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000 from two persons. A senior CBI official said that a case was registered against Vijay Kumar Jaiswal, the Assistant Labour Commissioner (Central), Block-C, CGO Complex, Nagpur on complaint alleging a demand of bribe of Rs 30,000 each from two persons to issue cheques of their gratuity to them. It was alleged that both the Complainants at the time of their retirement could not vacate the government allotted houses and the PSU referred their gratuity matter to the Office of Labour Commissioner (Central), Nagpur and deposited their gratuity amount with the said office. "When the complainants contacted the accused to obtain their gratuity cheques, the accused allegedly demanded bribe of Rs 30,000 each from both the complainants. After negotiation, the accused agreed to accept the reduced bribe of Rs 15,000 each," said the official. The CBI laid a trap and caught the accused while demanding and accepting the bribe money from the complainants. The official said that searches were also conducted at the office and residential premises of the accused which led to the recovery of documents related to property. The arrested accused was produced before the Special Judge, CBI Cases, Nagpur which remanded him to the CBI's custody till March 18. --IANS atk/vd ( 245 Words) 2023-03-15-23:08:04 (IANS) Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra on Wednesday slammed Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar for criticising DGP Praveen Sood, saying it will affect the morale of the state police force. "Shivakumar has made baseless allegations against DGP Praveen Sood," he said while reacting on the matter, adding "it is not fair to target government officials in pursuance of selfish goals". "The support and welcome given to beloved Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Mandya district for the inauguration of the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway has taken away the sleep of the Congress leaders. "Shivakumar is desperate due to this development... and taking the pretext of installing an entrance by the name of Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda, who are said to have killed Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan, and also criticised DGP Praveen Sood," he said. The Karnataka Home Minister further said Congress leaders do not have any guarantee of returning to power, and are showing concern for Tipu Sultan and hating Uri Gowda as per the policy of their party. Shivakumar has demanded the arrest of the state DGP Praveen Sood on Tuesday for allowing erection of an entrance in the name of Nanje Gowda and Uri Gowda, both historical figures whom the Hindu activists claim to have killed erstwhile Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan. "During the visit of PM Modi to Karnataka to dedicate Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway, Praveen Sood has allowed distortion of history by allowing an entrance to be named after Nanje Gowda and Uri Gowda. A case should be lodged against him and he has to be arrested," Shivakumar had said. "This DGP is a nalayak (useless). He had heeded to the demands of the government. Immediately, a case should be registered against him. The Election Commission should transfer him to a different place. He was there in the post for three years. Why is he still there?" Shivakumar charged. "If Congress takes up an agitation, DGP will lodge 25 cases against us. Why isn't the case lodged against those who erected the entrance? Let our government come to power. The legal action will be initiated against whoever worked as the puppets in the hands of BJP in the legal framework," he said. --IANS mka/pgh ( 380 Words) 2023-03-15-23:16:01 (IANS) The arrested individuals have been identified as Ali Raja Sekh, Satyawan and Ramnath. They were operating in Delhi-NCR, Haryana, Rajasthan and West Bengal. NCB Deputy Director General Gyaneshwar Singh told IANS that acting upon intelligence inputs gathered by the officers of Delhi Zonal unit, they formed a team to arrest the accused. "The team conducted a raid at Badarpur border and successfully intercepted a truck with a Delhi registration number plate. One person was detained. His questioning led to the arrest of two of his aides who came to collect the consignment," Singh told IANS. Later, searches led to the recovery of 8 kg opium and an amount of Rs 3,37,500. The official said that initial investigation revealed that the truck driver had procured the contraband from Jharkhand. "Seized drugs were concealed in the cabin of truck which was further supposed to be distributed in Haryana and Rajasthan. A trend has recently been noticed that some drug peddlers based in Haryana and Rajasthan and other adjoining areas come to Delhi, especially in odd hours to avoid the enforcement agencies for trafficking of drugs," the official said. --IANS atk/pgh ( 224 Words) 2023-03-15-23:24:05 (IANS) The Jammu and Kashmir administration has launched a range of public outreach programmes to address and resolve the problems of the people by visiting them. The initiative has been showing positive results. The public darbars organised by various departments are being warmly received by the people at the local level and being seen as satisfying the needs of the local populace. The administration organised a public forum in this regard in the backward and hilly areas of the Kokarnag constituency of the Anantnag district. Dozens of local residents attended the Awami Darbar, with the Gujjar community, in particular, ensuring their attendance and conveying their demands to the authorities for resolution. Several Kokarnag town officers attended the public darbar, including ADC Anantnag, Gulzar Ahmed, DDC chairman, Anantnag Muhammad Yusuf Gorsi, DDC Veri Nag Pir Shehbaz, SDM Kokarnag, Tehsildar Kokarnag, D. FO Anantnag, and DDC Kokarnag Munira Akhtar, BDC Kokarnag, among others. At one such outreach event, one of the officials at the Awami Darbar addressed the people, personally assuring them that their problems would be resolved. The officials further assured locals that they would always be at the forefront of bringing them relief and respite. Those attending the meetings demanded that local residents be given preference if workers or labourers are needed for the construction of the Wailu, Singapura Tunnel, saying that it would open up means of livelihood for the poor. Apart from that, residents also informed authorities about the lack of other basic services in the area such as electricity, water, as well as flagging the paucity of roads. They demanded that the existing roads be repaired, supply of drinking water ensured, and electricity bills be discounted. "The area gets electricity supply for a maximum of six months. There is no electricity during winter, especially on snowy days. Yet, people are charged monthly electricity fees," a local resident said. After listening to the public grievances, the officers assured locals that all necessary steps would be taken to meet their demands and that all efforts would be undertaken to resolve their issues in the coming days. (ANI) Amid a rise in H3N2 influenza virus cases in Maharashtra, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Wednesday said 32 patients were admitted in Mumbai of whom 4 have been diagnosed with H3N2 and the remaining 28 with H1N1. "All of the patients are currently in a stable condition," the BMC said a statement. Amid the spike in influenza cases, the state government will hold a meeting on Thursday in the presence of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis. "A meeting regarding H3N2 will be held tomorrow in the presence of the chief minister and the deputy chief minister," state Health minister Tanaji Sawant informed the Assembly on Wednesday. Sawant informed further that 352 patients in the state have been diagnosed with the H3N2 virus so far. "A total 352 patients are afflicted with the H3N2 virus so far. They are currently under treatment and all hospitals have been put on alert. H3N2 is not fatal. It can be cured through proper medical treatment. There is no need to panic," the minister said. Two deaths from suspected H3N2 influenza virus infection have been reported from Nagpur while another was reported from Ahmednagar district. Till March 13, 2023, the total number of patients tested for influenza in Maharashtra was at 2,56,424. The total number of suspected patients has been reported at 1406. The number of patients suffering from swine flu virus, H1N1, was 303 while those suffering from H3H2 was 58. The number of patients admitted hospitalised so far is 48. Seasonal influenza is an acute respiratory tract infection caused by 4 distinct types -- Influenza A, B, C and D belonging to the Orthomyxoviridae family. Among these types, Influenza A is the most common pathogen for humans. Globally, influenza cases are typically seen to increase during certain months of the year. India usually witnesses two peaks of seasonal influenza: one from January to March and another one in the post-monsoon season. According to the Union Health Ministry, the cases arising from seasonal influenza are expected to decline from March end. In most of cases, the disease is self-limiting with symptoms of cough and cold, body ache and fever etc. and usually resolves within a week or so. However, potentially high-risk groups such as infants, young children, pregnant women, elderly above the age of 65 years and people with comorbidities might experience more symptomatic illnesses requiring hospitalization also. Disease transmission is mostly airborne from person to person, through large droplets generated by the act of coughing and sneezing. Other modes of transmission, include indirect contact by touching a contaminated object or surface (fomite transmission), and close contact including handshaking. (ANI) A special court on Wednesday sentenced the accused in the rape and murder of a minor girl to death, informed police. The accused was convicted of raping and murdering a 9-year-old girl, police said. "The court sentenced the accused to death in the case of rape and murder of a minor. The sentence was pronounced by the Ghaziabad POCSO court. After about 6 months, the court sentenced the accused under IPC sections 302, 363 and 376," Ravi Kumar, DCP Rural, Ghaziabad, said. The incident dates back to August 18, 2022 when a minor girl was found dead at a village in the Modinagar area. "The incident took place on August 18, 2022 when a 9-year-old girl was found dead in a village in the Modinagar area. On August 13, the court convicted the accused, who hails from the same village," he said. Earlier, on February 9, a POCSO court in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad convicted a man of raping and killing a six-year-old girl and sentenced him ti death. The accused was convicted by a Special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court. The incident dates back to December 1, 2022 when a minor girl was found dead in City Forest in the Shahibabad police station limits. According to the complaint filed by the deceased's parents, she was raped and murdered. Advocate Sanjiv Bakharwa, the public prosecutor in the case, said, "A case was registered on the basis of a complaint filed by the girl's parents. The chargesheet was filed in this case on December 15, after the police arrested the accused on the basis of CCTV footage." He said the case was then transferred from the main POCSO to POCSO 1 on January 9, 2023. "I have since then produced 15 witnesses in this case, including those who said in court that they saw the accused near the girl's house on the day of the incident. We also provided evidence in court," he added. (ANI) The personnel was in E Company Sukma from the 18th Battalion. The case pertains to Kamleshwarpur police station of Surguja district Mainpat where the CAF personnel lodged his missing report on March 6 after killing his wife on March 2. On the basis of his complaint, Mainpat police had started an investigation. "During the investigation, it was found that the CAF personnel killed his wife on March 2 and threw her body in the concrete ghat of Mainpat Machli river. After the recovery of the dead body, the CAF personnel was arrested," said SDOP Sitapur Dhurvesh Jaiswal. "The body has been sent for postmortem and an investigation is underway. The reason for the murder is yet to be ascertained.," said Dhurvesh Jaiswal. Further details are awaited. (ANI) Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha on Thursday skipped the summons by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case related to Delhi Excise Policy case. The BRS leader had approached the Supreme Court for an urgent hearing claiming that as a woman, she cannot be summoned to the ED office, and the probe agency's representatives must visit her instead On Wednesday the Supreme Court had agreed to hear her plea challenging the ED summons on March 24 but refused to grant her interim relief. Kavitha did not appear for the third round of ED questioning conveying to the probe agency that the matter is still pending before the apex court. According to the sources, Kavitha has sent the necessary documents sought by the probe agency through her legal representative. The ED had asked the BRS MLC to appear before it today. Heavry security was deployed outside the Delhi residence of the Kavitha ahead of her questioning by ED. The court has agreed to hear her petition on March 24, in the Delhi excise policy case. Kavitha, who is the daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, approached the Supreme court saying as per norms a woman cannot be summoned for questioning before ED in office and her questioning should take place at her residence. The advocate for Kavitha said that a woman is now being summoned by ED for questioning and that it is "completely against the law". Kavitha's lawyer mentioned the plea before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and sought an urgent hearing on her petitions. The court agreed to list it on March 24. The court asked the lawyer what was the urgency in the matter and the lawyer replied that Kavitha has been asked to appear before ED tomorrow. In a petition filed through advocate Vandana Sehgal, Kavitha has urged the top court to quash the ED summons dated March 7 and 11 stating that asking her to appear before the agency office instead of her residence is contrary to the settled tenets of criminal jurisprudence and thus, wholly unsustainable in law being violative of the Proviso to Section 160 of the CrPC. She has also sought that all procedures carried out by ED, including those in relation to the recording of statements be audio or videographed in the presence of her lawyer at a visible distance inter-alia by way of installation of appropriate CCTV cameras. She has also sought to set aside impounding order dated March 11 2023 and declare the seizure made thereunder null and void. In the petition, she said, "Despite the petitioner, Kavitha not being named in the FIR, certain members of the incumbent ruling political party at the Center made scandalous statements linking the Petitioner to the Delhi Excise Policy and the said FIR." "The political conspiracy against the petitioner (K Kavitha) unfortunately did not end with judicial intervention by way of the Suit. The Enforcement Directorate filed a remand application qua one of the accused on November 30, 2022, before the concerned Court. This remand application contained the personal contact details of the petitioner. There was no rhyme or reason to include the personal contact details of the petitioner in a remand application which did not even concern the petitioner. The act is all the more egregious considering the Petitioner is a lady," BRS leader said. "The subsequent events are extremely shameful and in the belief of the Petitioner, were orchestrated by the Enforcement Directorate at the behest of the members of the incumbent ruling party at the Center, as part of a larger conspiracy against the Petitioner," she said. K Kavitha further added that the said remand application containing the contact details of the Petitioner were leaked to the media and the public." The remand application was shared extensively over social media. Such an act is petty, illegal, and an unfortunate reflection upon the malicious conduct of the Enforcement Directorate in consonance with the political party in power at Center," Kavitha said. Kavitha said that ED has also denied her request seeking to be examined at her residence, and the probe agency made a categorical statement that "there is no provision under the PMLA for the recording of statements at any persons' residence". "That immediately thereafter on March 8, 2023, at 11:03 pm, the Petitioner sent an email asserting her rights to be examined at her residence. However, the Petitioner after reserving her rights intimated to the Respondent that she will appear before them on March 11, 2023," Kavitha added. (ANI) Trinamool Congress MPs entered the Well of the Rajya Sabha on Thursday with black cloth tied around their mouths as they registered a unique protest which led to the adjournment in both Houses. A similar protest was seen in Lok Sabha as well. Opposition MPs have been protesting against the Government, demanding a JPC probe into the allegations against the Adani Group. The party's MPs in both Houses wore a black cloth around their faces and entered the Well even before the Presiding officers arrived. They kept pointing towards the Treasury benches and shouted "BJP Ministers and MPs are not allowing the opposition to speak. Not allowing the opposition to express themselves." The MPs said that the protest will be repeated at 2 pm. Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned till 2 PM today. Congress and other opposition parties insisted on their demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Adani-Hindenburg row and the BJP members seeking an apology from Rahul Gandhi over his remarks made in London. On Wednesday, TMC MP Mahua Moitra alleged that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla allowed only the BJP ministers to allow in the last three days of the Budget Session of the Parliament. Taking to Twitter, Moitra said, "Last three days saw speaker Om Birlaallow only BJP ministers to speak on mike and then adjourn parliament with no single opposition member being allowed to speak. Democracy is under attack. And the speaker leads from the front. And I am willing to go to jail for this tweet." Parliament is facing disruptions for the fourth successive day today. The second half of the budget session began on Monday and has been marked by disruptions and ruckus over the last three days. BJP has accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of maligning India's institutions on foreign soil. (ANI) Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday assured the Delhi High Court that he will join the CBI investigation on March 25 for questioning in connection with the land-for-jobs scam case. Yadav's lawyer assured the court after noting the submissions of CBI that "at this point of time, there is no endeavour to arrest him" During arguments on Thursday before Delhi High Court, senior advocate Maninder Singh appeared for Tejashwi Yadav and submitted that CBI has been calling him while the budget session is underway. "I can appear through Video Conferencing. I am constantly telling them that I am a resident of Bihar. I m been served with three summons by the agency in just a few days," Singh said representing Yadav. CBI advocate DP Singh said, "The budget session is not on Saturday. He (Tejashwi Yadav) was in Delhi during the first summon but he refused to join the investigation. We need his appearance before us as there are documents to be shown," add a CBI lawyer. The bench of Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma on Thursday after noting the submissions of both sides disposed of the matter and granted liberty to the petitioner to re-approach the court if any grievance occurs in the future in this regard. Tejashwi had submitted that notice under section 160 of the CrPC can only be issued to a person, who is situated within the local jurisdiction of that police station or is within the adjoining police station. Therefore, the Impugned Notices have been issued in gross violation of the provisions of the CrPC more particularly the provision stipulated in Section 160 of the CrPC. However, the petitioner has received the above-mentioned Impugned Notices from the Respondent, requiring him to appear in New Delhi. The same is, however, in disregard of the law, the Yadav's lawyer said. Tejashwi Yadav through plea also prayed that directions be issued to the CBI that whenever Yadav is interrogated in the present FIR, he is allowed the presence of his advocate(s) at a visible but not audible distance, as per the law laid down by the Supreme Court of India. He also said the petitioner (Tejashwi Yadav) is duty-bound to render full cooperation and assistance in the ongoing investigation. Tejashwi Yadav also sought the issuance of direction, especially in the nature of mandamus for quashing of summons dated February 28, 2023, March 4, 2023, and March 11, 2023, issued by the CBI for appearance before the New Delhi branch of CBI. The Rouse Avenue Court on Wednesday granted regular bail to ex-Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, ex-Bihar CM Rabri Devi, their daughter-RJD MP Misa Bharti and other accused in Land for Job alleged scam case. Special Judge Geetanjali Goel on Wednesday while granting regular bail to all accused in the case noted that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had not arrested any accused in the case and the chargesheet was filed without arresting. The CBI in its first chargesheet filed in connection with the alleged land-for-job scam stated that irregular appointments of candidates were made in Central Railway, violating the laid down norms and procedures of Indian Railways for recruitment. As a quid-pro-quo, the candidates directly or through their immediate relatives/family members, sold land to the family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav (then Union Railway Minister) at highly discounted rates up to 1/4th to 1/5th of the prevailing market rates, stated CBI. CBI further stated that investigation has revealed that Lalu Prasad Yadav during the period 2007-08 when he was Union Minister of Railways, with the intent to acquire the land parcels situated in Vill- Mahuabagh, Patna and Vill-Kunjwa, Patna which were situated adjacent to the land parcels already owned by his family members; entered into a criminal conspiracy with his wife Rabri Devi, daughter Misha Bharati, Officers of Central Railways namely Sowmya Raghvan the then General Manager, Kamal Deep Mainrai, the then Chief Personnel Officer, and residents of Vill-Mahjabagh, Patna and Vill-Bindaul, Bihta, Patna and Patna City namely Raj Kumar Singh, Mithlesh Kumar, Ajay Kumar, Sanjay Kumar, Dharmendra Kumar, Vikas Kumar, Abhishek Kumar, Ravindra Ray, Kiran Devi, Akhileshwar Singh, Ramashish Singh. According to the CBI, all the candidates after their engagement as substitutes were subsequently regularized. In lieu of getting them appointed in Railways, Lalu Prasad Yadav got the lands transferred owned by candidates and their family members in the names of his wife Rabri Devi and Misha Bharti for sale consideration which was much lesser than the prevailing circle rates as well as the prevailing market rates. (ANI) The designer allegedly offered to provide Amruta with information on some bookies who can help her earn money, police said. "A case was registered against a woman designer, Aniksha and her father after they allegedly tried to bribe Rs 1 crore and threaten Amruta Fadnavis, wife of Maharashtra Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis," Mumbai Police said on Thursday. Anishka had known the Deputy Chief Minister's wife for over 16 months, police said. After receiving calls and messages on her phone Amruta lodged a complaint at the Malabar Hill Police Station on Thursday, police said. The Mumbai police booked Anishka and her father under sections 120 (B) (conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 8 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. No arrest has been made as of now, police said. Further investigations are underway. (ANI) Defence Guwahati Public Relations Officer Lt col Mahendra Rawat said that the aircraft was reported to have lost contact with the Air Traffic Controller at around 09:15 AM today. Search operations for the pilots are underway. Further details are awaited. Previously, thirteen 13 Indian Air Force personnel died after an AN-32 aircraft crashed on June 3, 2019 after taking off from Assam's Jorhat. The aircraft was headed for Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) in Arunachal Pradesh when it lost contact with ground authorities at around 1 pm. After a massive search and rescue operation for eight days, during which assets from several agencies were deployed, the wreckage of the aircraft was located by a Mi-17 chopper. The remains IAF personnel were retrieved on June 20 from Arunachal Pradesh where the plane crashed. The wreckage was located 16 km north of Lipo in Arunachal Pradesh at an elevation of 12,000 feet. (ANI) "A fire broke out in the Kodaikanal forest area on March 15 due to severe heat in which more than 10 hectares of forest area was destroyed. The fire has been doused," a forest department official said. The official further stated that the Senpaganur town in the Kodaikanal area was affected mainly by the fire and smoke had started to spread to residential areas. "Following this, people were unable to leave their homes. The affected areas include rare trees and species besides patta lands" an official said. "The day before yesterday there was a forest fire in Kodaikanal. After that, the fire burned till yesterday evening. The fire was extinguished last evening. There is no major affected area in the forest" a forest ranger added. A video of the forest fire was also shared on social media. Previously a massive forest fire broke out in the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary in Goa. The Indian Airforce took up all required initiatives to tackle the blaze and deployed helicopters to dispense water over the affected areas. Indian Air Force's Mi-17 helicopter dispensed over 25,000 litres of water over forest fire-affected areas in Goa on March 11, the IAF said. (ANI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday issued a fresh summons to Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's daughter and Bharat Rasthra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha to join its ongoing investigation in the Delhi excise policy case on March 20. The federal agency issued the fresh summons as Kavitha refused to attend the ED interrogation on Thursday citing a pending petition in the Supreme Court. Kavitha did not appear for the third round of ED questioning conveying to the probe agency that the matter is still pending before the apex court. According to the sources, Kavitha has sent the necessary documents sought by the probe agency through her legal representative. The ED had summoned her earlier this month to appear before it on Thursday in the Delhi excise scam, alleging that she was a key member of the south cartel. The BRS leader had approached the Supreme Court for an urgent hearing claiming that as a woman, she cannot be summoned to the ED office, and the probe agency's representatives must visit her instead. On Wednesday the Supreme Court had agreed to hear her plea challenging the ED summons on March 24 but refused to grant her interim relief. The Apex court has agreed to hear her petition on March 24, in the Delhi excise policy case. Kavitha approached the Supreme court, saying as per norms a woman cannot be summoned for questioning before ED in office and her questioning should take place at her residence. The advocate for Kavitha said that a woman is now being summoned by ED for questioning and that it is "completely against the law". Kavitha's lawyer mentioned the plea before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and sought an urgent hearing on her petitions. The court agreed to list it on March 24. As per sources, Kavitha will be confronted with Hyderabad-based businessman Arun Ramchandra Pillai, who was arrested on March 6 night in the case. In its investigation, ED has come to know that Pillai is one of the key persons in the entire scam involving payments of huge kickbacks and the formation of the biggest cartel of the South Group. South Group comprises Telangana MLC Kavitha, Sarath Reddy (promoter of Aurobindo Group), Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy (MP, Ongole), his son Raghav Magunta, and others. The South Group was being represented by Pillai, Abhishek Boinpalli and Butchi Babu, the federal agency investigation has revealed. Pillai along with his associates was coordinating with various persons to execute the political understanding between the South Group and a leader of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Pillai has been an accomplice and was involved in the kickbacks from the South Group and the recoupment of the same from the businesses in Delhi, ED investigation reveals. The ED had earlier said that the South Group gave kickbacks of Rs 100 crore to AAP leaders. Pillai is learnt to be a partner of 32.5 per cent in Indo Spirits, which had got an L1 licence. Indo Spirits is a partnership firm of Arun (32.5 per cent), Prem Rahul (32.5 per cent) and Indospirit Distribution Limited (35 per cent), wherein Arun and Prem Rahul represented the benami investments of Kavitha and Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy and his son Raghava Magunta. Pillai is a partner in Indo Spirits. In this partnership firm, Pillai represented the interests of Kavitha. Kavitha, who is a member of the Telangana Legislative Council, was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the same case in December last year. ED, last year filed its first chargesheet in the case. The agency said it has so far undertaken nearly 200 search operations in this case after filing FIR after taking cognisance of a CBI case which was registered on the recommendation of the Delhi lieutenant governor. The CBI inquiry was recommended on the findings of the Delhi chief secretary's report filed in July showing prima facie violations of the GNCTD Act 1991, Transaction of Business Rules (ToBR)-1993, Delhi Excise Act-2009, and Delhi Excise Rules-2010, officials had said. In October, the ED had raided nearly three dozen locations in Delhi and Punjab following the arrest of Sameer Mahendru, Managing Director of Delhi's Jor Bagh-based liquor distributor Indospirit Group, in the case and arrested him later. The CBI too filed its first charge sheet in the case early this week. The ED and the CBI had alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the Excise Policy, undue favours were extended to licence holders, the licence fee was waived or reduced and the L-1 licence was extended without the competent authority's approval. The beneficiaries diverted "illegal" gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection. As per the allegations, the Excise Department had decided to refund the Earnest Money Deposit of about Rs 30 crore to a successful tenderer against the set rules. Even though there was no enabling provision, a waiver on tendered licence fees was allowed from December 28, 2021, to January 27, 2022, due to COVID-19. This allegedly caused a loss of Rs 144.36 crore to the exchequer, which has been instituted on a reference from the Union Home Ministry following a recommendation from Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena. (ANI) Deputy leader of the Norwegian Nobel Committee Asle Toje here on Wednesday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for telling Russian President Putin that "this is not the era of war." Speaking to ANI, Toje said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement that 'this is not the era of war' was an expression of hope. India has given signals that this is not how we should resolve world disputes today. PM Modi has the worth majority of the world's population behind him." Talking about the Russia-Ukraine war he said, "War in Ukraine is a tragedy. This is the war that needs to be brought to the end. All nations and countries of goodwill should try to find a solution and that regard intervention by India to remind Russia of the consciousness of the actual use of nuclear weapons was very helpful," he added. India didn't speak in a very loud voice and didn't threaten anybody, it just made its point known in a friendly manner. India is one of the primary powers of the world, "we need more of that in International politics," Toje said. "I am not in India as Deputy leader of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, I am here as a Director of International peace and understanding and as a friend of India," he said. Giving the message of 'Peace', Toje said, "Let us join together in the cause of peace across all boundaries. The great Mahatma Gandhi gave us all advice that is equally applicable no matter where you live in the world. Be the change you want to see... In that spirit, I have visited India to learn and I have learnt a lot." (ANI) Kabirdham District Collector Janmejay Mahobe on Thursday ordered a probe into the matter of a purported video that surfaced on social media platforms in which a group of school students were seen being assaulted by others in Chhattisgarh's Kawardha. "The incident took place on March 11 and in the video, the students of Class 11th were seen assaulting and misbehaving with the children of standard 6th," said the Collector, and added that as soon as the incident came to the notice, a team was immediately rushed to the school to probe the matter. "As the negligence of the hostel superintendent surfaced in the prima-facie investigation, he was immediately removed, and a proposal to remove the Principal from his position has been sent to the government", Collector Mahobe told ANI. The Collector said that considering the students involved in the incident are juveniles, the action will be moved in the case according to the provision in the law and a discussion in connection with the incident was held with the Superintendent of Police. "Necessary actions are being taken to prevent the repetition of such incidents in near future", Collector Mahobe said. (ANI) A delegation of the National Conference, PDP and Congress leaders will meet ECI today over the demand for elections in Jammu and Kashmir. National Conference President Farooq Abdullah, Pramod Tiwari, People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti, and Naseer Hussain will be part of the delegation. On Wednesday, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief visited a temple in the Poonch district and offered prayers. Bharatiya Janata Party termed Mufti's temple visit a "political gimmick." BJP leader and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Kavinder Gupta had said, "I have also just come from the temple but the news is about her (Mehbooba Mufti) because she is doing something different." It is very obvious when elections are coming they start doing these kinds of "drama and gimmickry," he said today. "If they are really doing this with their whole heart then it's good. May god give them the wisdom to work for the country and Jammu and Kashmir. I hope they do not support Pakistan," Gupta had said. Talking about PDP chief Mufti's visit, Udesh Pal Sharma, son of a late PDP leader had said, "We are very happy that she visited the temple. She is former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. She visited the temple, offered prayers and offered water (jal) to lord Shiva. She has set a very big example by visiting the temple." "The former CM has given a message to the whole of Jammu and Kashmir that no one can destroy and harm the peace of J&K," he had told ANI. Talking about the temple, he had said, "In November 2017, the construction of the temple was started by my father former PDP leader late Yashpal Sharma. Each and every person of Poonch have contributed to the making of the temple." (ANI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who appeared in Parliament for the first time on Thursday amid the ongoing row over his remarks on Indian democracy in the UK, alleged that the Centre is "scared" of the Adani issue which is why it has "prepared the entire 'tamasha' (drama)". The Congress leader said that he conveyed his message to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla about speaking in the House, and added that he felt that he would not be allowed to speak in the Parliament. Gandhi turned up in the Parliament today for the first time after returning to India from his UK visit. The Ministers in the government have been demanding an apology from the Congress leader for his alleged "anti-India" remarks. Addressing the media after Parliament adjournment here, Gandhi said that it is his right to speak in the Parliament where allegations have been levelled against him. "I told Speaker today that I want to speak in the Parliament. Four Ministers of the government have leveled allegations against me in the House. It is my right to speak. There is no clarity, but I don't think that he will let me speak. I am hopeful that he will let me speak tomorrow. He adjourned the House within one minute of my arrival. I want to put forth my stand," he said. Referring to the expunged speech in Lok Sabha in the first half of the ongoing Budget Session, the Wayanad MP claimed that he had stated everything in his speech which was already in the public domain. "The idea is that in the speech that I delivered in the Parliament House a few days ago on Adani and his relationship with PM Modi, I asked questions. The entire speech was expunged. There was nothing in that speech that I had not carved from the public record, from the newspapers, statements of various people. But it was expunged," he said further suggesting that the entire issue of demanding an apology from him was a "distraction". "The entire matter is about distraction. The government and the Prime Minister are scared of the Adani issue because of this they have prepared this entire 'tamasha'. I feel that they will not let me speak in Parliament because the main question is still on the table. What is the relation between Adani and PM Modi and why are the defence contracts being given to him?" Gandhi asked. "I am an MP and my first responsibility is to answer in the Parliament. I want to discuss things with you after answering in Parliament," he told the media persons. The central ministers including Anurag Thakur, Smriti Irani, Kiren Rijiju took on the Congress leader for his remarks in the UK. Earlier today, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju hit out at Gandhi over his remarks on India in the UK and said that citizens cannot remain silent over the "defamation" of the country. In a veiled attack against Congress, Rijiju said that India is not their "fiefdom" anymore and the grand old party cannot digest this fact. "Abuse us as much as you want but we can't let you insult the nation. Rahul has insulted the judiciary, our judicial system is a robust one. The only demand is that Rahul will have to apologize to the country for insulting it. India is not their fiefdom anymore, they can't digest this fact," Rijiju said. "Congress and Rahul have been rejected by the people of this country. He has undermined the reputation of our democracy and Parliament..it is not acceptable," he added. On Wednesday, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha faced disruptions for the third successive day with Congress and other opposition parties insisting on their demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Adani-Hindenburg row and the BJP members seeking an apology from Rahul Gandhi over his remarks made in London. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, in a lecture at Cambridge University in London recently, had said, "Everybody knows and it's been in the news a lot that Indian democracy is under pressure and under attack. I am an Opposition leader in India, we are navigating that (Opposition) space." "The institutional framework which is required for a democratic Parliament, free press, the judiciary, just the idea of mobilisation, moving around all are getting constrained. So, we are facing an attack on the basic structure of Indian democracy," he had added. (ANI) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday celebrated the festival of Phooldei with school children at the Chief Minister's residence in Bharadisain. On this occasion girl students from Government Inter college Bharadisain met Chief Minister Dhami. CM wished them a brighter future. Uttarakhand education minister Dr Dhan Singh Rawat also joined the Phooldei celebration at the Chief Minister's residence. (ANI) The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the respondents to file written submissions in four days in the Jamia Millia Islamia University violence discharge case. The court has asked Delhi police to place on record the relied upon videos. The matter has been adjourned as the counsel representing Delhi police was not available today. The matter has been adjourned as the counsel representing Delhi Police was not available on Thursday. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma adjourned the matter as the adjournment was sought by the Delhi Police. The proxy counsel submitted the main counsel is down with a fever. The matter may kindly be heard next week. Meanwhile, the bench directed the respondents to file their written submissions in four days. The bench also directed the counsels to file their Vakalatnama in two days. The bench asked, "Why did you not file your vakalatnamas?" Some of the respondents have filed their submissions and some of them are yet to file. The bench has directed the Delhi police to place on record the relied Videos. The matter has been listed on March 23 for further hearing. Sharjeel Imam has filed his written submissions. He has refuted the allegations of violence levelled by the Delhi Police. In his written response to the appeal moved by the Delhi Police, said he is a victim of violence, not an offender. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma on the last date had issued notice to the respondents including Sharjeel Imam. Delhi Police has challenged the discharge of accused persons including Sharjeel Imam, Safoora Zargar, Asif Iqbal Tanha and eight others. In his response, Sharjeel Imam submitted that violence occurred during the peaceful protest at Jamia which the glasses of the respondent were broken, this fact is not indicative of that the respondent participated in the said violence. Actually, he is not an offender but a victim of violence. He also submitted that the act of raising slogans in no manner shows his participation in the said violence that happened during the anti-CAA protest. The Delhi High Court on February 13, issued notice on the appeal moved by Delhi Police. However, the court summoned the trial court record (TCR) in digitised form. Though the court has refused to expunge the observations made by the trial court judge. However, the high court said that the observations will not affect the further investigation police undertake or the trial of any accused in the matter. The High Court had not summoned the case diary. However, it was submitted by one of the counsels that the TCR and case diary may be summoned. The trial court made some serious remarks while discharging the accused persons on February 4. Trial court records have been summoned in digitised form. The observations have not been expunged. The ASG appearing for Delhi police had said that the observations were misconceived and will prejudice further investigation. Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain argued that the observations made by the trial court are misconceived and prejudicial to further investigation. ASG submitted that there was an FIR and one main charge sheet and three supplementary charge sheets. The third charge sheet was disregarded by the trial court on the basis of reasoning which is misconceived in law. On the other hand, the counsel for Asif Iqbal Tanha argued that the supplementary chargesheet was filed to fill the lacunae of the investigation. She also argued that there is a difference between dissent and peaceful protest. The persons named in the second charge sheet were students of Jamia Milia Islamia University. Therefore their presence was not unusual there. Delhi Police submitted that the Impugned Order is null and void, non-est and in the teeth of well-settled principles of law. It is stated that vide the said Order, not only has the Trial Court discharged the Respondents butalso swayed by emotional and sentimental feelings, it cast aspersions on the prosecuting agency and passed gravely prejudicial and adverse remarks against the prosecuting agency and the investigation. It was submitted that a bare perusal of the Impugned Order would reveal that Trial Court has proceeded to make observations on the merits of the matter. It is also submitted that at the stage of discharge, the Trial ought to have only merely to sift the evidence in order to find out whether or not there is sufficient ground for proceeding against the accused. In other words, the sufficiency of grounds would take within its fold the nature of the evidence recorded by the police or the documents produced before the court which ex facie disclose that there are suspicious circumstances against the accused so as to frame a charge against him, the petition stated. It was further submitted that while exercising its judicial mind to the facts of the case in order to determine whether a case for trial has been made out by the prosecution, the Trial Court ought not to enter into the pros and cons of the matter or into a weighing and balancing of evidence and probabilities which is done at the stage of the trial. Delhi's Saket court on February 4, discharged Sharjeel Imam, Asif Iqbal Tanha, Safoora Zargar and other eight accused in Jamia Milia Islamia University violence case registered in 2019. However, the court had directed to frame charges against Mohd Iliyas alias Allen in the matter. The trial court had made serious remarks in the case. The court had said that the accused were made scapegoats in the matter. The court had said that police had no evidence against the accused persons. This case pertains to violence in Jamia and surrounding areas in December 2019. Violence erupted after a clash between people protesting against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the police. Sharjeel was granted bail in 2021. A case was registered at Jamia Nagar police station in connection with the violence that broke out on December 13, 2019. Delhi police had made 12 persons accused in the case. Delhi Police alleged offences of rioting and unlawful assembly and Section 143, 147, 148, 149, 186, 353, 332, 333, 308, 427, 435, 323, 341, 120B and 34 of IPC were invoked in the FIR. (ANI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday got remand of Hyderabad-based businessman Arun Ramchandra Pillai till March 20, in connection with its ongoing probe in Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 money laundering case. The Special Judge MK Nagpal on Thursday allowed further ED remand of Arun Ramchandra Pillai. The court noted that certain new details have come to light as per ED, after a confrontation with Hyderabad-based chartered accountant Butchibabu Gorantla on March 15. Court further noted ED submissions that, these confrontations are not yet over as the same person has been re-summoned for March 17. Butchibabu Gorantla is the former auditor of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's daughter MLC K Kavitha whose name surfaced in the case. K Kavitha was summoned by ED on Thursday, but she did not turn up and instead sent certain documents through her authorised representatives. Pillai requires to be shown these documents as well, ED informed. Magunta Reddy was also summoned on March 18. Pillai needs to be confronted with him, said the central agency in Court. ED informed the court that Kavitha has been called in on March 20. ED further informed the court that it issued a summons to Butchibabu to confront Pillai. Butchibabu was recently granted bail by the same court in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case. Advocate Manu Sharma appearing for Pillai opposed the further remand plea of ED and submitted that such confrontations of the accused are a never-ending process. He was questioned several times and gave statements, Advocate Shram told the court. Pillai was arrested on March 6, following his day-long questioning by the ED officials in the case. The agency has so far arrested 11 persons in the case. After Pillai's arrest, former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was also arrested by ED in the same case. Sisodia is presently on the ED remand. The Enforcement Directorate has recently arrested liquor businessman Amandeep Dhall in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. The Court on Thursday also sent him to judicial custody. Dhall, the owner of Brindco Sales Private Limited, was allegedly involved in the conspiracy to formulate and implement an excise policy that extended favours to liquor manufacturers and distributors, said the ED. In February, the federal agency also arrested Rajesh Joshi, owner of Chariot Production Media Pvt Ltd, in the case. Last month, the agency arrested Punjab-based businessman Gautam Malhotra, son of former Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Deep Malhotra, in the case. ED last year filed its first chargesheet before Delhi Court in the excise policy money laundering case naming liquor businessman Sameer Mahandru as one of the accused. The agency said it has so far undertaken nearly 200 search operations in this case after filing FIR after taking cognisance of a CBI case which was registered on the recommendation of the Delhi Lieutenant Governor. The CBI inquiry was recommended on the findings of the Delhi chief secretary's report filed in July showing prima facie violations of the GNCTD Act 1991, Transaction of Business Rules (ToBR)-1993, Delhi Excise Act-2009, and Delhi Excise Rules-2010, officials had said. In October last, the ED had raided nearly three dozen locations in Delhi and Punjab following the arrest of Sameer Mahendru, Managing Director of Delhi's Jor Bagh-based liquor distributor Indospirit Group, in the case and arrested later. The ED and the CBI had alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the Excise Policy, undue favours were extended to licence holders, the licence fee was waived or reduced and L-1 licence was extended without the competent authority's approval. The beneficiaries diverted "illegal" gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection. (ANI) The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved the verdict on a batch of petitions filed by rival factions Uddhav Thackeray and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in relation to the Maharashtra political crisis. Five-judge Constitution bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justices MR Shah, Krishna Murari, Hima Kohli, and PS Narasimha was dealing with the issue related to Maharashtra political crisis. The court reserved the order after all the parties concluded their arguments. During the hearing, CJI DY Chandrachud noted that the Uddhav Thackeray govt chose not to face a trust vote. Justice MR Shah asked how can the court reinstate the CM who did not even face the floor test. The lawyer appearing for Uddhav camp said that the illegal act of the Governor is a prior pending sub judice challenge before the trust vote. In today's hearing Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Uddhav Camp said that political party has primacy in the relationship between the legislature and political party, Kapil Sibal argued that the constitution doesn't recognise any faction whether there is a majority of a minority. Sibal further argued that the dissent is outside the house not inside the house. Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud sought to know from the lawyer of the Uddhav camp whether the governor cannot look at the number of members who say they want to withdraw support. CJI noted that there were groups who don't want to support the government and may face disqualification, which can affect the strength of the house. Kapil Sibal replied that this used to take place when there was no tenth schedule of the constitution and they are going back to a stage with no tenth schedule. Kapil Sibal said that the governor cannot call for a trust vote based on a faction as calling for a trust vote is based on alliances. He said that suddenly some members decided to withdraw support. Justice Narasimha remarked that such an argument could sometimes be dangerous observing there are many regional parties that are run by one family and there is absolutely no freedom in the party except for one leader. Justice Narasimha said that there is no scope for anyone else to come into the frame and the lawyer is interpreting the constitution to say that it's just not possible for any legislator. Kapil Sibal replied that this is his grievance and give examples of the US and the UK and said in the US, where a president of the Republican party will reach out to Democrats to get a bill passed. During the argument, Sibal argued that disloyalty is for a price that has secured Ekanth Shinde the position of Chief Minister. During the hearing, the court noted that a merger was not an option for the Shinde camp because it was not their case as a merger may lead to losing their political identity as Shivsena is gone. The court also noted Shinde camp is saying they don't want to leave, they are Shivsena. The Supreme Court's Constitution bench has earlier said it will decide later on referring the cases related to the Maharashtra political crisis to a larger seven-judge bench for reconsideration of a 2016 Nabam Rebia judgment on powers of Assembly Speakers to deal with disqualification pleas. The hearing that went on for almost nine days had witnesses and arguments made by various senior lawyers including Kapil Sibal and AM Singhvi for the Uddhav camp and Harish Salve, NK Kaul, and Mahesh Jethmalani for the Shinde camp. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta represented the Maharashtra Governor and explained to the court about the governor's decision to call for a floor test after a rival camp wrote that they are withdrawing support from Uddhav Thackeray-led government as they don't want to continue. During the hearing, the court observed that the governor should not enter into any area which precipitates the fall of a government and called Maharashtra's political crisis a serious issue for democracy. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, arguing on behalf of the Maharashtra governor, has apprised the court of the fact that the rival legislators had written to the governor about their unwillingness to continue with the then government and the governor has invited Thackeray to prove his majority. Uddhav Thackeray camp had submitted before the Supreme Court that if a crisis like Maharastra political is permitted then it will have far-reaching consequences for the country as any government can be toppled. Uddhav Thackeray's camp had also submitted that the opposite camp has no defense under the tenth schedule. Shinde Camp had argued before the Supreme Court that the head counting is not meant for taking place in Raj Bhavan but on the floor of the house and the governor did nothing wrong by calling the floor test. Countering the argument of the rival Uddhav camp, Senior Advocate NK Kaul, appearing on behalf of the Shinde camp, said that political party and legislative party are conjoined and connected and the argument made by the Uddhav camp that the other fictions represent the legislative party and not a political party is a fallacy. He has also said that dissent is the hallmark of democracy. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's camp had earlier apprised the Supreme Court about Shiv Sena party's pre-poll alliance with BJP and reiterated their claim on the right of the party. (ANI) A delegation of the National Conference and People's Democratic Party and Congress met the Election Commission of India over the demand for elections in Jammu and Kashmir. National Conference President Farooq Abdullah, Pramod Tiwari, People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti, Naseer Hussain among others were a part of the delegation. After the meeting, Abdullah said that the ECI has assured to look into the matter. The former J-K chief minister said that there is a need for a "democratic government" in Jammu and Kashmir. "ECI has assured us that they're looking into this matter. It's unfortunate that a State which is the crown of India was made a Union Territory. We want a democratic govt in J-K," he said. Stating that the situation in the Union Territory has normalised, Abdullah sought to know why are the elections not being held. "People of 13 parties from J-K met here today and agreed that the statehood of J-K should be restored. We all are together on the issue of why elections are not being held in J-K when the situation has normalised," he said. NCP chief Sharad Pawar said that the Opposition parties are ready to visit Srinagar to give assurance to the people of J-K. "We all have agreed on issues (of restoration of statehood in J-K and Assembly elections). We all are ready to visit Srinagar to share the pain of the people of J-K and to give them assurance," he said. NC leader and former J-K chief minister Omar Abdullah said during party workers meeting at Aarigam, Khansahib Budgam that the BJP is "afraid of losing" the Assembly elections in J-K which is why elections are not being conducted. "BJP is afraid of holding assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir because it knows that it will lose badly not only in Kashmir but also in Jammu. If they can hold elections in Tripura and Nagaland and in Karnataka next month, why are they not holding here? Because they know that they have destroyed Jammu and Kashmir and they will lose here badly," he said. (ANI) Reiterating the Bharatiya Janata Party's demand for an apology from Rahul Gandhi for critical speeches about Indian democracy abroad, party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad on Thursday said that the Wayanad MP still has no remorse for his remarks. Addressing a press conference here in the national capital, senior BJP leader Prasad said that Rahul Gandhi has a habit of "criticising" and "demeaning" Indian democracy. "Rahul has made it a habit to derail Indian democracy, criticise it and demean it. He has insulted Indian democracy and must apologise for his remarks," Prasad said. Rahul Gandhi dominated the headlines as he returned from London after giving speeches at Cambridge university, critical of the government and throwing light on the Indian democracy, which he alleged is "under attack". "Everybody knows and it's been in the news a lot that Indian democracy is under pressure and under attack. I am an Opposition leader in India, we are navigating that (Opposition) space," Rahul Gandhi had said at Cambridge university in the UK. "The institutional framework which is required for a democratic Parliament, free press, the judiciary, just the idea of mobilisation, moving around all are getting constrained. So, we are facing an attack on the basic structure of Indian democracy," he had added. The remarks by the Congress MP gave fresh ammunition to the ruling BJP, who are demanding an apology from Gandhi. Taking note of it, Prasad further said that Rahul Gandhi is misleading the country and must apologise for his disrespectful remarks about India. "How long will Rahul Gandhi continue to mislead the country and 140 crore people?" the BJP leader roared. "Rahul Gandhi has not expressed any regret about what he had said. BJP keeps its sound stand that he must apologise. If Congress doesn't get votes, it's because of its inability & misdeeds. It doesn't give their party leaders the right to shout against India and disrespect India," Prasad said further. (ANI) Gupta renounced her citizenship of India and acquired the citizenship of the Republic of Dominica after UIL after declaring UIL a non-performing asset (NPA). A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha stayed the Bombay High Court order and issued notice to Suman Vijay Gupta and others. The court was hearing the State Bank of India's plea against the Bombay High Court order dated March 10 and March 14. The Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that Suman Gupta, the woman who took up the citizenship of the Dominican Republic after the declaration of her account as NPA, has been permitted to travel by the impugned orders dated March 10, 2023 and March 14 2023 of a Division Bench of Bombay High Court. He further submitted that this order was passed despite a contrary view which was taken on July 3, 2020 by a coordinate Division Bench of the High Court. Earlier a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against Suman Gupta before she was to fly to Dubai from Mumbai airport in 2020. (ANI) As Sikkim initiated G20 events in the state on Thursday, Chief Minister Prem Singh Golay laid thrust on the globalisation of local-made goods instead of localisation of global items. The G20 events in Sikkim kicked off today with Business B20 meeting on the topic 'opportunities for multilateral business partnership in tourism, hospitality, pharmaceuticals and organic farming' at Chintan Bhawan in Gangtok. CM Prem Singh Golay and Principal Economic Advisor Rupa Dutta of the Department of promotion of industry and internal trade were present at the inaugural session. The session also had representatives from NITI Aayog, the External Affairs Ministry, the G20 Secretariat and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) North East Council. Speaking at the B20 meeting, Sikkim CM Golay spoke on 'globalisation of locals as against localisation of globals'. "So far the globalisation process has just been one way - localisation of globals. We want to reverse the process," he said. Unlike the traditional framework of Foreign Direct Investment or domestic interments, Sikkim CM proposed, a "fully owned or joint venture in areas like technology transfer, supplier of raw materials, infrastructure like cold chains, professional participation, and expertise provider, finance, marketing, value chain, research and development". Among the various areas of focus for Sikkim, CM Golay appealed to B20 and G20 delegates to support and invest to make Sikkim a green agro-ecological destination of the world. "We are in dire need of green technology that would enhance the productivity and yield in our limited farmlands. Most of our farmers are small and marginal. We are ready to explore the possibility of fair trade principles to value chain arrangements so that our farmers get remunerative prices right at the farm gates in the rural vicinities of Sikkim. We want value addition and processing facilities within the State and create an organic niche. We have varieties of seeds and plants indigenous to Sikkim. We need to build capacities among new-generation farmers and train them on newer methods of organic farming. We need a range of interdisciplinary institutions that deal with training, research and experimentations, productivity enhancement, processing, marketing, and making other sectors move to organic culture," he said. Speaking on Sikkim's tourism potential CM Golay highlighted how the State records 1.5 million tourist arrivals annually. "We have long-term objectives to gradually move a major segment of Sikkim tourism to high-value tourism. We want to integrate tourism with our plans of making Sikkim an educational hub, a health destination and the geography of politico-cultural history, trade, and pilgrimage routes and biodiversity hotspots. The delegates can effectively participate in our business of Organic Tourism and high-value tourism ventures," he said. With over 55 pharmaceutical units in Sikkim, Sikkim CM said, "we want to consolidate it further both by bringing in other well-known pharmaceutical giants and also by diversifying the products with substantive Sikkimese organic inputs and active pharmaceutical ingredients. We plan to commercially establish horizontal and vertical integration of rich traditional medicinal systems with the global market." "This would also mean bringing together stakeholders like traditional faith healers, and communities that cultivate herbs. The global naturopathy market is staggering today. The partnership would do wonders to both India and the global community," he added. CM Golay also highlighted the scope for investment in climate change-related activities including green energy, small and mini hydro projects, zero carbon ventures, disaster forecast and management, and climate change resistance agriculture. "Some of our farmers have already adapted to the climate changes by just using their traditional wisdom and their orthodox practices. They do not know the science and complexities of climate change impact. We are yet to build institutions to understand, deal and propagate the knowledge to the global world", CM Golay said. (ANI) A search operation was carried out by the Indian Army, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and police after the crash. Public Relations Officer (PRO), Defence Guwahati Lt Col Mahendra Rawat said an Army Aviation Cheetah helicopter flying an operational sortie near Bomdila, Arunachal Pradesh lost contact with the Air Traffic Control (ARC) at around 9:15 am on March 16. "Five search parties of the Indian Army, SSB and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) were immediately launched. The wreckage of the aircraft was found near Banglajaap village East of Mandala. With regret, we inform that the pilot and the co-pilot of the helicopter lost thier lives in the accident," said the Defence PRO. "A Court of Inquiry is being ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident," he added. "General Manoj Pande Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and All Ranks of Indian Army salute the supreme sacrifice of Lt Col VVB Reddy and Maj Jayanth A, in the line of duty at Arunachal Pradesh and express deepest condolences to the bereaved families," tweeted Additional Directorate General of Public Information, Indian Army. (ANI) Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot approved the proposal to increase the honorarium of 195 contract workers employed under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) Phase-II, an official statement said on Thursday. Under the Rajasthan Contractual Hiring to Civil Post Rules - 2022, along with determining the monthly consolidated remuneration of these contract workers, higher honorarium and designation will be given on completion of a service period of 9 and 18 years, the statement said. According to the proposal, the honorarium of accountant and MIS cum M&E employed in Swachh Bharat Mission has been fixed at Rs 16,900 whereas, the honorarium of District Project Coordinator, Block Coordinator, and Data Entry Operator working under the mission has been fixed at Rs 18,900, 13,150, and 10,400 respectively. "The honorarium of Accountant and MIS cum M&E will increase to 29,600 and 51,600 respectively on completion of 9 and 18 years contract service period. Also, on completion of 9 and 18 years of contract service of District Project Coordinator, Block Coordinator and Data Entry Operator working in the mission, the honorarium will increase to Rs 32,900 and 57200, Rs 23,100 and 40,300, Rs 18,500 and 32,300 respectively," the statement said. On completion of contract service period of 9 and 18 years of contract workers, Grade-II and Grade-I will be added to the designation respectively. At present, the honorarium of contract workers who are getting more honorarium than the new honorarium will be protected. (ANI) The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued a notice to the Central government on a plea seeking details of the Lokpal Selection Committee meeting. The plea was filed by the RTI activist Anjali Bhardwaj in 2021 challenging the order of the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) denying the information. Justice Prathiba M Singh on Thursday issued notice to the respondents, the Central government, and directed them to file a reply in four weeks on the petition. The matter has been listed on September 16. The petitioner has challenged the order passed by the CIC in January 2021, upholding the decision of the First Appellate Authority denying a copy of the minutes of the meeting of the Selection Committee. It has been stated in the petition that the CPIO of the Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT) had refused to provide a copy of the minutes of the meetings saying that the authorship of such documents by high-level dignitaries did not vest in the DOPT and that the same had been shared as secret documents. "The disclosure of information that forms the basis of the decision of the selection committee is in the interest of the public at large since the public has a right to know the basis on which the chairperson and members of the Lokpal are selected," the plea stated. It is also stated that under the RTI Act, access to information can be rejected only on the grounds mentioned in Section 8 or 9 and that there is no provision for denying information merely because the authorship vests in high-level dignitaries and not in public authority or because some documents are shared as secret. During the earlier hearing, the previous bench had said that the only question that it will be considering is whether the same falls within the meaning of information or whether there are any instructions that restrict the centre from making the disclosure. The petitioner has also stated that transparency in appointments to oversight bodies is a crucial safeguard against arbitrariness in appointments and also ensures their independent functioning. The petition has claimed that though the Act was passed in 2013, the government failed to make appointments for over 5 years and that the Selection Committee headed by the Prime Minister met in March 2018, after a contempt petition was filed in the Supreme Court. The Centre's Standing Counsel had objected to this submission. (ANI) Launching a scathing attack on the ruling party, the national general secretary of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Nara Lokesh on Thursday said that it is the youths, who suffered a lot after YSRCP came to power. During his ongoing pada yatra, Yuva Galam, Lokesh interacted with the youths at the Vijaya Ganapathy Function Hall at Maddaiah Garipalli of Thamballapalle Assembly segment. "During the regime of Chandrababu Naidu, Andhra Pradesh was known to be the capital of jobs in India but now it is known as Ganja capital of India," Lokesh said. The TDP leader also assured the youths that jobs will be announced every year once his party is voted to power in the State. Lokesh asked the youths to strive to bring the TDP back into government again. Earlier the youths of the State complained to Lokesh that there is no government degree college nearby for them and the unemployment allowance that was paid during the TDP regime is discontinued now. They also complained to Lokesh that there are no self-employment opportunities in the State now. The youths asked the TDP leader to brief them on what steps his party will take if it comes back to power to rid the State of drugs. Earlier in the day, at the Indiramma Colony campsite, Lokesh paid rich tributes to Potti Sriramulu on the occasion of his birth anniversary. The leaders of the Buduga Janga Welfare Association met Lokesh at the same campsite and apprised him of the problems, they have been facing for the past four years. Promising all possible measures for their welfare, Lokesh called upon the Buduga Janga leaders to work hard to bring his father and former State's CM, Chandrababu back as the chief minister. (ANI) Union Minister for Environment Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav on Thursday highlighted the importance of the implementation of NCAP and emphasised coordinated actions from the Union Government, State Governments and Union Territory Administrations, Urban Local Bodies and State Pollution Control Boards for taking air quality improvement measures. Bhupender Yadav was addressing the meeting of the National Apex Committee under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). The Union Minister appreciated the performance of 95 cities which have improved air quality and 20 cities which met the National Ambient Air Quality Standard in FY 2021-22 under the Programme. Bhupendra Yadav spoke on the significance of the Airshed approach adopted in the Indo-Gangetic Plain and stressed on the need for regional cooperation to address the issue of air pollution. During the meeting, the importance of Mission LiFE launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking citizen-centric actions to protect and conserve the environment was emphasised. It was stated on August 15, 2020, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi assured the Government's commitment to ensuring clean air to all the people of the country, and announced the intent and plan to improve the air quality in more than 100 cities through a holistic approach. Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change informed that Rs 8915 Crore have been provided from 2019-20 to 2022-23 for taking air quality improvement measures in 131 cities for achieving the prescribed annual air pollution reduction targets. 24 States/Union Territories and 131 Cities/Urban Local Bodies under NCAP have been requested to incorporate relevant actions of Mission LiFE in State and City Action Plans for the improvement of air quality. The Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) on January 10, 2019, as a national-level strategy outlining the actions for reducing the levels of air pollution at the city and regional scales in the Country. The Programme aims to systemically address air pollution by engaging all stakeholders and ensuring necessary action. A total of 131 non-attainment and million-plus cities have been identified for the implementation of the city-specific action plans under this Programme. The Programme focuses on the preparation and implementation of the national-level action plans, state-level action plans and city-level action plans of the targeted 131 cities. NCAP targets to achieve a reduction in Particulate Matter (PM10) levels up to 40 per cent or achievement of national standards (60 microgram/cubic meter) by 2025-26 in targeted 131 cities of 24 States. Further, States/UTs have been requested to mobilise the resources from the convergence of various Schemes of the Union Government for improving air quality. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board (NAEB) on Nagar Van Yojana in 131 targeted cities. Ministry of Power on status of installation of Flue-Gas Desulfurization and pollution control measures for new emissions norms and National Mission on use of Biomass in TPPs near 131 targeted cities.Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on phasing out of old vehicles and implementation of vehicle scrapping policy in 131 targeted cities. State Governments of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra also presented the progress of the implementation of Clean Air Action Plans and various activities under NCAP. States were requested to convene regular meetings of Steering Committees, State Level Monitoring and Implementation Committees and City Implementation Committees for effective implementation of the Programme. All cities have been requested to upload action plans and progress reports on the PRANA portal. The National Apex Committee under National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) was convened to review the implementation of NCAP under the co-chairmanship of Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav and Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ashwini Kumar Choubey. Representatives of eight Union Ministries, Ministry of Raod Transport and Highways, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministry of Power, Ministry of Heavy Industries, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Department of Agriculture and Farmer's Welfare, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and representatives from Central Pollution Control Board, Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas, Chief Secretaries, Additional Chief Secretaries/ Principal Secretaries, Environment Department, Chairman of State Pollution Control Boards / Pollution Control Committees of 24 States/Union Territories and 131 Municipal Commissioners representing cities covered under NCAP were present during the meeting. (ANI) Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma took to Twitter and stated that the budget will help Assam become a significant contributor to national growth. "Assam's first budget of Amrit Kaal will fulfil the aspirations of a new Assam and prioritise the dreams of the neediest sections of society. This budget will strengthen the foundations of our developmental trajectory and will make our State a major contributor to national growth," the CM tweeted. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said that this budget is significant as it will help India in its journey to becoming a USD5 trillion dollar economy. "Assam Budget 2023 will script history as it endeavours to take Assam's GDP to 5.5 lakh crore in 2023-2024, a significant milestone in our country's march towards a USD5 trillion dollar economy. Assam CM further stated that the budget has drawn inspiration from PM Modi and it will help in contributing to the Indian economy. He tweeted, "AssamBudget2023 has drawn the greatest inspiration from our Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji and will maximise Assam's contribution to ensuring the grand objective of making Bharat the top 3 economies in the world by 2047". He also mentioned the importance of Mukhya Mantri Sva-Niyojan Yojana. "Through Mukhya Mantri Sva-Niyojan Yojana, we have sown seeds of a huge employment boom that will be built on the twin pillars of talented Assamese entrepreneurs and the State government's unprecedented support to nurture their talent" he tweeted. Finance Minister Ajanta Neog on Thursday presented a deficit budget of Rs 935 crores for the financial year 2023-24. (ANI) Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah on Thursday hit out at the BJP-led Central government and questioned the "rationale behind delaying" elections in the Jammu and Kashmir. Omar said when it is asked to someone (without naming anyone), why do not you hold elections in J&K, they say Panchayats are functioning here. "What does that mean? Are not Panchayats functioning in other parts of the country?", Omar Abdullah said while addressing workers in Budgam, claiming the BJP is aware they will be badly defeated when elections are held here. "You conducted elections in Tripura and Nagaland? You are going to conduct elections in Karnataka? Are not panchayats functioning there? Then why are you not conducting elections here," he said The dates to elect 224 members of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly have not been announced so far. NC leader said that BJP is "gripped by fear" to conduct elections in J&K. "Is it because you are fearing that you will lose the elections?" "They (BJP) know they will be badly defeated if elections are held here," Abdullah said. NC Vice President said that people here are living under the wrong impression that the people in Jammu are very happy under the BJP rule. "We are the only party who have set out to stop the march of the BJP," he added. (ANI) The IMD's Mumbai Regional Meteorological Center, has predicted thunderstorms and lighting for the next few hours, on Thursday. "Thunderstorm accompanied with lightning and light to moderate spells of rain with gusty winds reaching 30-40 kmph very likely to occur at isolated places in the districts of Raigad, Pune, Ahmednagar, Satara, Solapur, Nanded, Dhule during next 3-4 hours" said IMD statement. According to the statement, the IMD has advised people to take precautions during this time. The IMD in Nagpur has also issued a yellow alert for the next three days and an orange alert for the next 24 hours in a few parts of the state. 'There is a possibility of rain accompanied with storms, wind and lightning in some districts of Vidarbha," an IMD official said. "Hailstorm is likely to occur in Gadchiroli, Gondia, Yavatmal and Nagpur. An orange alert has been issued for the next 24 hours and a yellow alert has been issued for the next three days," the official informed. Heavy rains lashed several parts of Hyderabad on Thursday bringing much-needed respite amid the summer heat lowering temperatures a few notches below normal at a few places. Vikarabad district, Marpally village and parts of Zaheerabad in Telangana received rains accompanied by gusty winds and hailstorms on Thursday. Earlier, the India Meteorological Department issued an orange alert in the entire region of Telangana, in view of the hailstorm in one or two places in the state along with the possibility of gusty winds for the next two days. "Light to moderate rains are likely expected at a few places in Telangana on Thursday and Friday and at many places," an IMD official said. According to Nagaratna, Director at Meteorological centre, Hyderabad a trough is formed at an altitude of 0.9 km above sea level from Bangladesh and its surrounding area through West Bengal and Odisha to north coastal Andhra Pradesh. (ANI) According to the reports, the incident took place in the Kampur area in central Assam's district where the persons, who were engaged in their work on an under-construction bridge over the Kopili river, fell off the bridge after it snapped. Narendra Kr Shah, Deputy Commissioner of Police of Nagaon district said, "As per preliminary information, four workers were injured in the incident." He said that the injured workers have been rushed to hospital and a report from the Public Work Department (PWD) has been asked. " Narendra Kumar Shah said. The police officer further said that a probe into the matter will be initiated. On the other hand, the locals alleged that the bridge was constructed using low-quality materials. (ANI) Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday expressed his happiness at the Assam Budget 2023-24 presented by Finance Minister Ajanta Neog at the floor of the Assam Legislative Assembly. Speaking to the media, Chief Minister Dr Sarma exuded confidence the Budget presented on Thursday is a document aimed at ensuring socio-economic empowerment and equitable growth comprising all sections of society in the State. Chief Minister Dr Sarma said the Budget shall prove to be a milestone in fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of all sections of the society and that it pave the way for Assam to reach its destined heights on all fronts. Stressing on the Rs 5,000 crore allotment in the Budget so as to provide self-employment opportunities to the State's 2 lakh youths, the Chief Minister said this revolutionary step would prove immensely helpful in helping the youths of Assam stand up on their own feet. Stating that the current dispensation in the State believes in the concept of equitable growth, Chief Minister Dr Sarma said the provisioning made for microfinance loan waiver is a step in that very direction and shall fulfil one of the most talked-about promises made during the last Assembly elections campaigns. The Assam Chief Minister was seen stressing the measures announced in the Budget for nearly 39 lakh members of 3.27 lakh self-help groups of the State. He said empowering the members of the self-help groups through financial aid would help build a robust home-based industry in the State. Dr Sarma also emphasized the scheme of health insurance, titled Chief Minister Ayushman Asom, on the lines of the central government's Ayushman Bharat scheme, and the Chief Minister Awaas Yojana, modelled around Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana, for the economically disadvantaged sections of the State. The Chief Minister also congratulated the Finance Minister and her team of officials for preparing a Budget that reflects the potential of a new and resurgent Assam. (ANI) Tamil Nadu Education Department plans to expand the Mental Health Program to Schools across all districts, officials said on Thursday. Education Department Minister Anbil Mahesh said, "Mental Health Programs for school students are already underway there in 44 blocks in 15 districts and we are looking forward to expanding this to all districts in Tamil Nadu." Following two suicides in a month at the Indian Institute of Technology here, an inquiry committee has been formed to look into such incidents, the IIT-Madras said on Wednesday. "A standing Institute Internal Inquiry Committee, including elected student representatives, which has been recently constituted will look into such incidents," the IIT said in an official statement. Tamil Nadu Education Minister Anbil Mahesh had a discussion with Education Department Officials and all District Chief Educational Officers over the absentees of 12th Standard students in Tamil language board exams, officials said. After this, while speaking with the media, Minister Anbil Mahesh mentioned that around 5.6 per cent of the total students did not appear for the 12th Board Tamil language exam and most absentee students were from Salem, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Dindukkal and Thiruvannamalai districts. "We are holding discussions with the officials of the Education department to know the reasons for this. We have held an online discussion with all officials including CEOs. CEOs have given alarming numbers of students not appearing for examinations. We are addressing this issue, and a committee will be formed to resolve this issue" Anbil Mahesh added. Answering the question on recent suicides and IIT report on suicides Anbil Mahesh noted, " We are giving training to students as far as mental health is concerned. Many Students are benefitting. We need to extend this. Now it is being done in 44 Blocks of 15 Districts and we are planning to expand it to all districts next year". (ANI) Before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has up the ante to woo the Muslim community. In an aggressive approach to bringing muslims to the party fold, BJP Minority Morcha will launch a special 'Modi Mitra' outreach program from April 20 onwards till February 2024. Party has selected 65 Muslim-dominated Lok Sabha seats where the Muslim population is more than 30 per cent. BJP's Minority Morcha will start this campaign after Eid. "We are commencing a Muslim engagement programme 'Modi Mitra' post-April 20 till February 2024. For this, we have identified 65 Lok Sabha seats across the country, where Muslim population is more than 30 per cent. Under this outreach campaign, our target is those muslims who do not belong to any political party and are impressed with PM Modi's schemes," said BJP Minority Morcha President Jamal Siddiqui. "As per our assessment, there are at least 5,000-10,000 people in every targeted Lok Sabha seat. We will talk to them and take their feedback on how the government schemes helped them and what further can be done for them to make improvements. We are also planning a 'Samvad' of PM Modi of all those in February next year," added Siddiqui. Under this campaign, BJP Minority Morcha will run different programmes in all these Lok Sabha seats. Starting from door-to-door campaigns to the use of social media, small seminars, advertising campaigns etc, the party will showcase the Modi government's welfare works for the Muslim community. BJP is planning to reach out to people will be from all walks of life be it doctors, engineers, social workers, journalists, professors etc. In other words, these people will not be political activists but have the power to influence society. To connect them with the party, they will be made 'Modi Mitra' so that the message and policies of the Modi government can be delivered among the Muslims in a better way, the BJP Minority Morcha chief said. "The population of Muslims in the country is 14 per cent, which is considered very important politically. Since the formation of the government under the leadership of Narendra Modi, BJP has been trying to make its place among Muslims, but the hearts of the Muslims have not yet melted. BJP knows very well that if it connects with this community, then the way ahead will be much easier. That is why BJP is working in many ways to make a place in the hearts of Muslims," Siddiqui said. Out of the total 543 Lok Sabha seats across the country, there are 80 seats where the Muslim population is more than 20 per cent while 65 seats have more than 30 per cent Muslims. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP won 58 out of 80 seats with a vote share of more than 20 per cent and had to face defeat in 22 seats. Whereas, Muslim MPs were elected on 27 seats in the 17th Lok Sabha. Out of these 65 Muslim-majority Lok Sabha seats, 13 each from Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have been included. Five seats are from Jammu and Kashmir, four from Bihar, six each from Kerala and Assam, three from Madhya Pradesh, two each from Telangana and Haryana and one seat each from Maharashtra and Lakshadweep. In these seats, Siddiqui said along with the BJP, the 'Rashtriya Muslim Manch' associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is having 'dialogues and contacts' with the Muslims. (ANI) The Mumbai Crime Branch team during the HSC Board Mathematics paper leak case investigation found that apart from Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry papers were also leaked by the management staff, said the police on Thursday. "Before the leak of Mathematics paper was caught on March 3, the papers of Physics on February 27 and Chemistry on March 1 were also leaked and shared through WhatsApp an hour before the exam to the students appearing for the same", the official said. "Question papers were shared through WhatsApp. The staff of Matoshree Bhagubai Bhambare Agriculture and Science Jr College, Ahmednagar were arrested and their mobile phones have been seized," the Mumbai Police told ANI. The Crime Branch official said that they have found some evidence which proves that two more papers have been leaked. Talking to ANI, the Crime Branch official said, "The police received enough evidence when the WhatsApp data of the arrested staff from the management and the teachers of the college was recovered from their phones." (ANI) The Tamil Nadu Education Minister Anbil Mahesh on Thursday said that an alarming number of students were absent for Class 12 board exams. "5.6 per cent of the total students did not appear for the 12th Board Tamil language exam", Mahesh told media. Mahesh said, "We are holding discussions with the officials of the Education department." The minister also said that online discussion with all officials including CEOs was held. "CEOs have given alarming numbers of students not appearing for examinations, mainly from Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri and Thiruvannamalai districts. We are addressing this issue, and a committee will be formed to resolve this issue", the minister said. In another event, Draft Committee Chairman of State Education Policy, retired Justice Murugesan, on Wednesday, said that the preliminary works of the new Education policy for the state are almost complete and the report would be submitted to the Tamil Nadu government in a couple of weeks. "We almost completed the preliminary works, and we are awaiting the various sub-committees formed by the committee to submit their report. It will be submitted in a couple of weeks or maximum in one month. Thereafter we have to draft which will take another month or two to draft policy then we will put it to the public opinion and thereafter we have to correct it and submit it to the government. The last date to submit the report is the end of May. The process would take another three months or so," Murugesan told. (ANI) Remembering late Gen Bipin Rawat on his 65th birth anniversary, Chief of Defence Staff Anil Chauhan on Tuesday said Rawat's biggest contribution was to change the narrative of counter-insurgency and counter-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir. "General Bipin Rawat was an operational man. His biggest contribution was to change the narrative of counter-insurgency and counter-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir. Whatever relative peace we enjoy in Jammu and Kashmir today is fall out of what he did as Chief of Army Staff (COAS)," said the CDS Chauhan. On December 8, 2021, General Rawat along with his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 others lost their lives in a helicopter crash in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. During his illustrious service, India's first CDS was conferred with PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, VSM and Padma Vibhushan (posthumously). He was a visionary leader and a scholar soldier, known for his professionalism, principles, conviction and During his four decades in service, General Rawat had gained vast operational experience in the full spectrum of warfare. As a brigadier, he led successful counter-terrorism operations in Sopore in J-K and successfully commanded a multinational brigade under United Nations in Democratic Republic of Congo. As a Major General, he had commanded an Infantry Division along the Line of Control in North Kashmir. As a Corps Commander, he oversaw the conduct of hot pursuit of terror groups executed by the Indian Army's Special Forces into Myanmar. This was the beginning of the transformation of India's strategic culture from restraint to assertion. Later on, as Vice Chief of the Army Staff, he was instrumental in overseeing the surgical strikes against Pakistan-based terrorist groups in PoK. As Chief of the Army Staff, General Rawat's achievements were remarkable in all spheres of military and national security affairs. He followed the Indian Army's motto of 'Service before Self' as a guiding principle throughout his Army career. As the first CDS, he rallied for organisational and structural reforms to integrate the Armed Forces. Path-breaking transformational initiatives and civil-military synergy will remain his legacy. PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, VSM, ADC General Rawat was also the former General Officer Commanding of 19 Infantry Division and commanded the Division in 2012. (ANI) The final Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) for Chandigarh Tri-City Complex was discussed in the meeting held on Thursday under the Chairmanship of Chandigarh Administrator Banwarilal Purohit. According to the official release, RITES made the presentation covering all aspects of CMP i.e. the vision and objectives of the study, existing traffic scenario, problems and issues, Short, Medium and Long Term Plans and proposals, Citywide Integrated Multi-Modal Transport Plan, Institutional Strengthening, Broad Cost Estimate, and the way forward. The Chief Minister of Haryana suggested that this is a need to connect Panchkula via Madhya Marg by MRTS to serve the areas of PGI, Punjab and Haryana Secretariat and Panjab University. Manohar Lal Khattar also suggested connecting Haryana Secretariat, Assembly, High Court, PGI and Panjab University in the first phase of Metro. He also stressed that measures also need to be taken to improve connectivity to Pinjore - Kalka and of Zirakpur to Pinjore - Kalka, segments. The Chief Principal Secretary to CM, Haryana suggested that the road connectivity from Panchkula to Mohali Airport may also be examined at the earliest for the convenience of all commuters. The Minister of Tourism and Culture Affairs, Punjab said that the overall transport improvement proposals with respect to Mohali are in order and further suggestions if any shall be communicated to Chandigarh Administration within a week's time for incorporation in the final report. The Principal Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Punjab advised connecting MRTS from Airport Chowk Mohali to Airport in First Phase itself. Mayor of Chandigarh, Anup Gupta also seconded this suggestion made by CM Haryana. The CM of Haryana and Minister of Punjab appreciated the Chandigarh Administration for preparation of CMP for Tricity through RITES Ltd. and accepted the proposals to ease out the traffic and transportation problems of Tricity. Further, it was also agreed to set up a Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) a unified platform to handle overall Mobility issues of Tricity UMTA will comprise Govt. of India, officials Chandigarh Administration, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab stakeholders to ensure coordination among various institutions and implementation of this mobility plan to improve the traffic situation in the city. Banwarilal Purohit appreciated the positive feedback and valuable suggestions given by different stakeholders that would benefit the residents of Tricity and resolve the existing traffic-related issues of UT Chandigarh and the neighbouring areas of Punjab and Haryana. The final CMP report submitted by RITES was unanimously approved with the above observation and the same will be submitted incorporating these suggestions for further approvals by Govt. of India. The meeting was attended by Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister Haryana, Anmol Gagan Mann, Minister of Tourism and Culture Affairs, Punjab, Anup Gupta, Mayor, Chandigarh, Chief Secretary Haryana, senior officers from Punjab, Haryana, Civil Aviation, Air force Authorities, Railway Authorities and all other stakeholders. (ANI) "Two accused have been arrested and 15.743 kg of Ketamine have been recovered. The market value of the substance in the international market is worth Rs 8 crores," the officials said. "During the initial probe, it was found that these drug smugglers are part of an international syndicate and had come to Mumbai to supply the drugs," Mumbai police said. Further investigation is on, the official added. (ANI) Following Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's remark that he would take measures to stop Maharashtra from offering the health insurance scheme in 865 border villages, Maharashtra Minister Shambhuraj Desai on Thursday said the Eknath Shinde government will keep trying to help the Marathi-speaking people provide health facilities. "Talks on 865 villages on the border of Karnataka and Maharashtra are already going on. The matter has also been to Supreme Court before. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also called on Chief Ministers of both states to find a compromised solution," If the Karnataka government takes any action to stop these facilities, we will anyhow keep trying to help the Marathi-speaking people provide health facilities," added the Minister. Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraja Bommai on Thursday strongly condemned the Maharashtra Cabinet's decision on the health insurance scheme for border villages between the two states. Addressing mediapersons, Bommai said, "Maharashtra cabinet's resolution announcing health insurance scheme for the people of Karnataka border is an unforgivable crime. When spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, he said we should wait for the Supreme Court's order. It was agreed that there should be no provocation. Now, this is violated. The order should be withdrawn immediately." This matter will also be brought to the attention of the Home Minister, CM Bommai said Karnataka can also announce projects like this. "Many taluks and gram panchayats have already decided that we are not getting justice in Maharashtra and should join Karnataka. In such a situation, the Maharashtra government should act very responsibly," he said. This comes after the Eknath Shinde government in Maharashtra recently announced an additional Rs 54 crore to implement the 'Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana' in villages bordering Karnataka. Maharashtra Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on the dispute with Karnataka over border areas saying that the state will legally pursue the inclusion of 865 disputed Marathi-speaking villages that are in Karnataka. Earlier, the Maharashtra assembly unanimously passed the resolution which says that Maharashtra will fight the pending case in the Supreme Court with full strength for the inclusion of each and every inch of 865 villages including Belgavi, Karwar, Nipani, Bidar Bhalki in Maharashtra. The resolution also condemned the Karnataka administration for its anti-Marathi stand in the border area. According to the resolution the Maharashtra government will stand behind the Marathi people in border areas and will go for a legal fight in the Supreme Court to ensure that these areas become a part of Maharashtra. The Central government should urge the Karnataka Government to implement the decision taken in the meeting with the Union Home Minister and the government should be given the understanding to guarantee the safety of the Marathi people in the border areas, the resolution read. Notably, the border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka dates back to the implementation of the State Reorganization Act, of 1956. The then Maharashtra government had demanded the readjustment of its border with Karnataka. Following this, a four-member committee was formed by both states. The Maharashtra government had expressed willingness to transfer 260 predominantly Kannada-speaking villages, but the proposal was turned down by Karnataka. Both governments later approached the Supreme Court to expedite the matter. (ANI) Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday said that the prevailing situation in Pakistan where police are attempting to arrest ex-prime minister Imran Khan was no different from Jammu and Kashmir where leaders have also been put behind bars post abrogation of Article 370. "It's really bad (Pakistan police trying to arrest former PM, Imran Khan). Ex-ministers, Ministers are also being put behind bars here in our country. So it's not a different issue," says PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti. The former CM was responding to queries asking her about the political turmoil in Pakistan where the police are attempting to arrest PTI Chairman and ousted Prime minister Imran Khan. PDP Leader said the way federal investigative agencies were being "misused", and opposition leaders were put behind bars, which indicates that the prevailing situation here "can be compared" with Pakistan. Mufti cited the example of former Delhi Depity chief minister Manish Sisodia who has been arrested by CBI during its probe into the alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy case. (ANI) Lashing out at Congress, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said that the party showed that India's history was all about the Mughal emperors and added that it represents the "new Mughals today". "Once upon a time, the ruler of Delhi used to talk about demolishing temples but today under PM Modi's rule, I am talking about building temples. This is new India. Congress is working to weaken this new India. Congress is representing the new Mughals today," Sarma said. Accusing Congress and Communists of highlighting the Mughals in Indian history, the Chief Minister said that Indian history was also about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. "Congress and Communists showed that India's history was all about Babur, Aurangzeb, and Shajahan. I want to tell that India's history was not about them but about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Guru Gobind Singh," he said. Sarma said that during Aurangzeb's rule, he made attempts to end the 'Sanatan' culture alleging that various people were forcefully converted to Islam. "During Aurangzeb's rule, attempt was made to end the 'Sanatan' culture and many people were forcefully converted to Islam. At that time Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj took birth and he showed that Bharat Mata can give birth to a son like him who can challenge Aurangzeb," he said. "Aurangzeb was not able to destroy our 'Sanatan' culture. Today India is 'Sanatan' and Hindu and will continue to remain so... It was not true that Aurangzeb had captured entire India," Sarma added. The Chief Minister further lashed out at the communist historians for trying to portray that entire India was under the control of Aurangzeb. "South India and North East were never under Aurangzeb's rule but communist historians try to show that whole of India was under Aurangzeb's control. Today we need to write a new history," he said. "There are many people in our country who proudly say they are Muslim, Christian and I have no problem with that but we need a person who can proudly say that I am a Hindu. India needs such a person today," the Assam Chief Minister added. (ANI) Anishka was arrested from Ulhasnagar. The arrest was made after, Amruta Fadnavis filed a complaint with Mumbai Police alleging she was threatened and offered a bribe of Rs 1 crore by an acquaintance named Anishka, a designer. "A case was registered against a woman designer, Aniksha and her father after they allegedly tried to bribe Rs 1 crore and threaten Amruta Fadnavis, wife of Maharashtra Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis," Mumbai Police said on Thursday. Anishka had known the Deputy Chief Minister's wife for over 16 months, police said. After receiving calls and messages on her phone Amruta lodged a complaint at the Malabar Hill Police Station on Thursday, police said. The Mumbai Police is now searching for the second accused, Anil Jaisinghani, father of Anishka. Police said that Anishka's father, who is also a bookie, is booked in 16 cases and is absconding for five years. Further information is awaited. (ANI) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday inspected the Bhalswa Sanitary Landfill and that the government aims to remove the waste at the site by March next year. The Chief Minister was accompanied by Delhi Government's Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj, MCD's Mayor Shelly Oberoi, Deputy Mayor Aaley Mohammad Iqbal and senior officers of concerned departments. Upon his arrival at the site, Kejriwal reviewed the process of Bio-Mining & Bio-Remediation of legacy waste at the landfill. He took note of the data regarding the functioning of the landfill and the timelines of garbage processing operations. Notably, the Bhalswa Sanitary Landfill is a 28 year old site, spread across 70 acres. The landfill is one of the three infamous garbage mountains of Delhi. Speaking to media persons after the inspection, CM Kejriwal said, "It was after the 2019 order of the NGT that work began to remove waste from this landfill site. At that time there was around 80 lakh metric tons of waste. From 2019 until now, around 30 lakh metric tons of waste has been removed from this site and at present it holds around 50 lakh metric tons of waste." "Over the last two and a half years or so, 30 lakh metric tons of waste has been removed from here, but the MCD now under the Aam Aadmi Party will work even faster and we are targeting to remove another 30 lakh metric ton of waste by December this year. The final target of the state government is to remove the entire 50 lakh metric ton of waste that is remaining at the site by March of next year," he added. He said that the wastes are being removed at a faster pace than the initial target. "The initial target was to remove 6500 metric tonnes of waste per day, but yesterday 9000 MT was removed. By the end of this month, 12000 MT of waste will be removed every day. With the speed at which the work was going on here at Bhalswa landfill site, the area would be cleared of all the garbage by March 2024," he said. Replying to a media query on waste segregation, the Delhi CM highlighted that segregation of waste is important and urged the residents to try and segregate waste at the source. (ANI) The Uddhav Thackeray group on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to set aside the then Maharashtra Governor's order for him to take a floor test. The top court, after hearing submissions for nine days , reserved its judgment on a batch of cross-petitions of Thackeray and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde groups in connection with the Maharashtra political crisis. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the Thackeray group, submitted before a five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud that democracy will be in danger if it is not overturned, while stressing on setting aside Governor's order to the then Chief Minister Thackeray to take a floor test. In June last year, then Governor B.S. Koshyari asked Thackeray to take a floor test. Sibal pressed on rescinding the order, a day after the top court shot a volley of tough questions at Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Governor, on the Governor's decision to call for a trust vote and observed that the Governor should not enter into any area which precipitates the fall of a government. The bench had stressed that the Governor of a state cannot lend his office to effectuate a particular result and asked Mehta, how a difference of opinion among MLAs within a party could become a sufficient ground for the Governor to call for the floor test? Sibal, who concluded his rejoinder arguments, submitted that he is absolutely certain that without the intervention of this court, the country's democracy will be in danger because no elected government will be allowed to survive. "It is with this hope I make this plea to this court to allow this petition and set aside the order (of floor test) of the Governor." Sibal said if rebel Shiv Sena MLAs had lost their faith in the government, they could have voted against it in the House when a money bill was moved and they could have reduced it to a minority. He further added that it is not that the government cannot run in minority and cited that former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao ran a minority government, while insisting that there was no scope for the Governor to recognise the rebel MLAs and call for the floor test. He submitted that Governors can only deal with alliances and political parties and not individuals, otherwise it will create havoc and also referred to the Emergency imposed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He said that there have been occasions like the ADM Jabalpur, 1976 verdict, which is in dissonance with what this court has done over years and this is an equally significant case for our democracy to survive. The bench, also comprising Justices MR Shah, Krishna Murari, Hima Kohli and PS Narasimha, reserved its judgment after hearing submissions from both groups and also the office of the Governor. --IANS ss/vd ( 493 Words) 2023-03-16-19:02:02 (IANS) A joint team comprising officials of the Chief Minister Flying Squad, the drug controller's department and the local police on Thursday raided shop number 89, Jain Supari located in Vyapar Kendra, Sushant Lok Phase-1 in Gurugram. The accused has been identified as Rajesh, a resident of Khanpur, Delhi. The police have recovered huge packets of e-cigarettes of different brands and foreign cigarettes. The CM's flying squad officer, Harish said: "After receiving information about the illegal selling of e-cigarettes and foreign cigarettes without permission, we raided the spot and arrested the criminal along with the prohibited items." The accused used to procure the banned items from Delhi and was running the illegal trade for the last six months and paying Rs 25,000 as monthly rent for the shop. He has been booked under Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (COTPA) Act and Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, at Sushant Lok police station of Gurugram. --IANS str/prw/bg ( 192 Words) 2023-03-16-19:04:03 (IANS) By Ellen K. Mather, Adjunct associate lecturer, Flinders University Mike Lee, Author provided The year is 1959. Speleologists descend a 17-metre shaft to explore the depths of Mairs Cave in the southern Flinders Ranges. Some 55 metres into the main chamber, they find fossils scattered throughout a boulder pile. Among these fossils are a claw and part of a wing bone that appear to have come from a large eagle. Over a decade passes. An expedition to the cave, led by naturalist Hans Mincham and palaeontologist and geologist Brian Daily, now arrives with the purpose of retrieving more fossils. Among the many mammal fossils they recover are another talon and most of a large bird breastbone from the same large eagle. https://images.theconversation.com/files/512331/original/file-20230227-5... 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512331/original/file-20230227-5... 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512331/original/file-20230227-5... 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512331/original/file-20230227-5... 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512331/original/file-20230227-5... 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"> Aaron Camens, Author provided No more fossils of this animal are found until more than 50 years later. It is December of 2021, and a team of Flinders University palaeontologists and speleologists have travelled to the cave for a single purpose to find more of this enigmatic bird. As they descend into the caves depths, they hope to find a few more bones. Instead, they find a partial skeleton, including leg and wing bones, and a skull. With this last discovery, we were finally able to name and describe this gigantic eagle in the Journal of Ornithology. Historys third-largest eagle Dynatoaetus gaffae (Gaffs powerful eagle) lived during the Pleistocene epoch, perhaps between 700,000 and 50,000 years ago. At twice the size of a wedge-tailed eagle (which it coexisted with) and with a potential wingspan of up to 3m, this species is the largest known eagle to have lived in Australia, and one of the largest continental raptors in the world. Only two larger eagles ever existed anywhere: Gigantohierax suarezi, which hunted giant rodents in Cuba, and the giant Haasts eagle, Hieraaetus moorei that hunted large moa in New Zealand. Thanks to the relatively complete skeleton from Mairs Cave, we were able to identify other fossils of Dynatoaetus from the Naracoorte caves in South Australia and the Wellington caves in New South Wales. It appears this species was widespread across most of southern Australia. https://images.theconversation.com/files/512313/original/file-20230226-4... 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512313/original/file-20230226-4... 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512313/original/file-20230226-4... 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512313/original/file-20230226-4... 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512313/original/file-20230226-4... 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"> Ellen Mather, Author provided A surprising family tree After discovering the fossils, we investigated how Dynatoaetus was related to other eagles, with surprising results. Dynatoaetus was not closely related to any modern Australian eagle. Instead, these birds (and another fossil Australian raptor Cryptogyps lacertosus) were related to the old-world vultures and to the serpent-eagles of south Asia and Africa. Dynatoaetus was clearly not a vulture-like scavenger, as indicated by its large and powerful leg bones and talons, so to infer how it lived, we looked to the serpent-eagles. Serpent-eagles, as their common name suggests, primarily hunt snakes and other reptiles. Most are small to medium-sized raptors and would have been dwarfed by Dynatoaetus. However, there is one species in this subfamily that is an exception: the Philippine eagle. This raptor is one of the largest eagles alive today, and unlike its reptile-eating relatives, it prefers to prey on monkeys, flying lemurs, bats, birds, and occasionally young pigs or deer. https://images.theconversation.com/files/512317/original/file-20230227-4... 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512317/original/file-20230227-4... 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512317/original/file-20230227-4... 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512317/original/file-20230227-4... 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512317/original/file-20230227-4... 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"> Sinisa Djordje Majetic, Author provided Strong feet for large prey Much like the Philippine eagle and other very large raptors, the legs and feet of Dynatoaetus were quite robust. This strongly suggests it was suited for killing large prey, perhaps much heavier than itself. Dynatoaetus shared ancient Australia with giant kangaroos and flightless birds, the young and sickly of which would have been suitable prey. Koalas and possums would have been plentiful in the treetops, and Dynatoaetus was certainly large enough to snatch them up. This giant eagle was most likely one of Australias top predators during the Pleistocene. Read more: It was long thought these fossils came from an eagle. Turns out they belong to the only known vulture species from Australia We can also find clues to potential prey via fossils found alongside Dynatoaetus. Small mammals have previously been collected from Mairs Cave, but the 2021 trip also recovered bones of short-faced kangaroos, wombats, bettongs, bandicoots, possums and even koalas (the only record of koalas inhabiting the Flinders Ranges), many of which were potential prey for the giant eagle. We further found fossils of thylacines, Tasmanian devils and Thylacoleo (the marsupial lion), indicating Dynatoaetus competed for prey with a cohort of marsupial carnivores. No one has yet identified beak and talon marks left on fossil bones from this giant raptor but this may simply reflect that, until now, no-one was looking. The end of Australias megafauna So why did Dynatoaetus become extinct? It appears to have died out around the same time as much of the Australian megafauna, around 50,000 years ago. Perhaps it was specialised to hunt certain large species, and when this preferred prey went extinct it was unable to adapt. With the demise of specialist raptors like Dynatoaetus and Cryptogyps, the generalist wedge-tailed eagle was left as the sole survivor of the large inland raptors. Read more: Meet the prehistoric eagle that ruled Australian forests 25 million years ago Mike Lee has a joint appointment at the South Australian Museum and Flinders University, and receives funding from the Australian Research Council Trevor H. Worthy has received funding from the Australian Research Council. Aaron Camens and Ellen K. Mather do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Originally published in The Conversation. The logjam in Parliament continued for the fourth successive day on Thursday with the ruling BJP and opposition parties sticking to their stands. The BJP is demanding apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks in United Kingdom and the opposition parties are pressing for a joint parliamentary committee probe into the Hindenburg-Adani row. The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were first adjourned till 2 pm and then for the day amid protests. The second part of budget session began on March 13. The tussle also played outside the parliament with Rahul Gandhi stating that he wants to respond to the ministers who had made allegations against him in the two Houses. Rahul Gandhi held a press conference at the party headquarters and said he had asked relevant questions from the government on the Adani issue. BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad slammed Rahul Gandhi and said he has "made it a habit to derail Indian democracy, criticise it and demean it". Prasad said Rahul Gandhi "has insulted Indian democracy and must apologise for his remarks". Rahul Gandhi referred to his speech during the motion of thanks to the President's address and said it had rattled the government. He also referred to ministers taking jibes at him for his remarks during events in the United Kingdom. "I went to Parliament this morning with the idea of putting what I have said, what I feel on the floor of the house. Four Ministers have raised allegations against me in Parliament House. It is my right to be allowed to speak on the floor of the house. I requested to the Speaker today. I went to his chamber and I requested him. I told him that people from the BJP have made allegations against me and as a Member of Parliament, it is my right to speak," Gandhi said. He said the Speaker was "non-committal". "This story started, the day I gave my speech in Parliament about Adani. I asked some fundamental questions to the Prime Minister about his relationship with the businessman, about how Mr. Adani has been given pretty much the entire India-Israel defence relationship? How he is being given the Bombay Airport, other Airports, how rules have been changed to allow him to be given these things...," he alleged. "These are relevant questions and the whole idea is that these questions must not be under table and that is why, this whole exercise or four or five Ministers, the Prime Minister is giving a speech to distract from this fundamental question which is, what is the relationship between the Prime Minister of India and Mr. Adani and his companies and more importantly, whose money is in the shell companies? Who is this unknown person, whose money is in the shell companies? What is his relationship with Mr. Adani? These are the questions," he added. Gandhi said he hoped to speak in parliament in detail. "Unfortunately for you, I am a Member of Parliament and as the allegation has been made in Parliament by four ministers, it is my right to have the opportunity. It is my democratic right," he said. "So, if Indian democracy was functioning, I would be able to say my piece in Parliament. So, actually what you are seeing, is a test of Indian democracy. After four leaders of the BJP have made an allegation about a Member of Parliament, is that Member of Parliament going to be given the same space that those four Ministers have been given or is he going to be told to shut-up? That's what the real question in front of this country is right now," he added. Prasad, who also held a press conference, accused Rahul Gandhi of misleading people. "How long will Rahul Gandhi continue to mislead the country and 140 crore people?" the BJP leader asked. "Rahul Gandhi has not expressed any regret about what he had said. BJP keeps its sound stand that he must apologise. If Congress doesn't get votes, it's because of its inability and misdeeds. It doesn't give their party leaders the right to shout against India and disrespect India," Prasad said. In his remarks at Cambridge university in the UK, Gandhi had said that everybody knows and it's been in the news a lot that Indian democracy "is under pressure and under attack". "I am an Opposition leader in India, we are navigating that (Opposition) space," Rahul Gandhi had said at Cambridge university in the UK. The institutional framework which is required for a democratic Parliament, free press, the judiciary, just the idea of mobilisation, moving around all are getting constrained. So, we are facing an attack on the basic structure of Indian democracy," he had said. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that BJP members disrupt the parliament proceedings and blame the opposition. "Every day, leaders of the ruling party disrupt the Parliament proceedings and put the blame for it on the opposition. They are trying to spoil Rahul Gandhi's image as a part of a conspiracy ahead of Karnataka polls," he said. "If the Modi government has the courage, then it should give permission to hold a debate in Parliament on Rahul Gandhi's speech. We will prove who is against the country," he added. Earlier, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju attacked Rahul Gandhi. "If Rahul Gandhi says something and Congress gets into trouble because of that, we have nothing to do with it. But if he defames our country, then as the citizens of this country, we can't be quiet," he said. "Abuse us as much as you want but we can't let you insult the nation. Rahul has insulted the judiciary, our judicial system is a robust one. The only demand is that Rahul will have to apologize to the country for insulting it. India is not their fiefdom anymore, they can't digest this fact," he added. (ANI) Former West Bengal Education Minister and ex-Trinamool Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee on Thursday told a special CBI court that he had "absolutely no role in the recruitment process" of teachers and non-teaching staff in the state-run schools in his capacity as the education minister. He also said the onus for the irregularities lies with West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC), West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) and West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE). "I was not the appointing authority. I was just the minister. I do not support such irregularities... and won't support them in future as well. The commission and boards have their own set of rules that they follow," he said. Even as the WBSSC is the selection authority for teaching and non-teaching staff in state-run schools, it is not the appointing authority. After completion of the selection process, the commission sends recommendation letters to the board, who then appoint candidates as per the recommendations and as per the number of vacancies. On Thursday, Chatterjee sought "five minutes of time to speak about something". However, he was not granted the time to do so. He will be presented at the same court again on March 23, when he will be allowed to speak. --IANS src/pgh ( 224 Words) 2023-03-16-19:44:05 (IANS) A Tibetan-origin Chinese woman was held during vehicle checking at the India-Nepal border in Bihar's Sitamarhi district on Thursday, police said. The Sitamarhi police were doing vehicle checking in Sonbarsa block on the border and intercepted a vehicle in which the woman was travelling. Asked about the purpose of traveling on this route, the Chinese national, named Yenki, 44, was found to neither speak Hindi nor any other Indian language or Nepalese. Of the others in the car, Vishwa Kumar Lama, Sanju Lama and Kamla Lama were identified as Nepalese nationals, and Mohammad Salauddin as a native of West Champaran district. The Indian and Nepalese nationals presented the valid documents but Yenki was not carrying a passport or visa. During interrogation, it was also revealed that she came to India in 2017 and 2018 to attend Kaal Chakra Puja in Bodh Gaya. She further revealed that the purpose of her visit was Kaal Chakra Puja this year too. She stayed in Bodh Gaya and attended the Kaal Chakra Puja where Tibetan religious leader Dalai Lama was the chief guest. The Sitamarhi police is investigating her claim and it will take action as per the law. --IANS ajk/vd ( 210 Words) 2023-03-16-20:58:04 (IANS) The rescued tourists included the elderly, women as well as children. Earlier, on March 12, the Indian Army, in collaboration with civil police and administration, rescued 370 tourists stranded due to heavy snowfall in East Sikkim, an official release stated. The tourists were returning from Natu La & Tsomgo (Changgu) Lake when about 100 vehicles got stuck in heavy snowfall, it said. Troops of Trishakti Corps in collaboration with the civil police and administration launched a rescue mission -- 'OPERATION HIMRAHAT,' which continued through late night on March 11, the statement said. Further, according to the statement, the tourists were moved to safe areas and provided shelter, warm clothing, medical aid and hot meals. Detailed coordination was done with the General Reserve Engineering Force (GREF) for road opening in the morning, the statement informed further. On the morning of March 12, the road opening work was taken up with the assistance of GREF dozers. By 9 am, the road was cleared to enable the movement of vehicles to Gangtok, it said. The quick reaction by the troops provided relief and comfort to the stranded tourists under inclement weather conditions and ensured early clearance of the road to enable the movement of vehicles to Gangtok, the statement said. Stranded tourists and the civil administration of Sikkim expressed their gratitude for the timely relief provided by the Army, it said. The Army, while guarding the border in Super High-Altitude areas of the Himalayas, are always proactive in providing assistance to tourists and the local population, the statement stressed. (ANI) Some of the members of the British parliament asked the international community to discuss the reopening of girls' schools in Afghanistan with the Taliban, TOLOnews reported. On the eve of the start of the new academic year, some members of the British parliament asked the international community to persuade and argue with the Taliban regarding girls' education. "There are parts of the country where education is taking place both for the primary and secondary levels for girls, and it is the job of the international community to try and persuade and argue with the Taliban administration, that what is happening in those particular areas should be extended across the whole country," TOLOnews quoted Andrew Mitchell, UK Member of Parliament as saying. The closure of girls' schools in Afghanistan has drawn criticism from some members of the British Parliament, who claim that so far, about 850,000 girls have been prevented from attending school. "Since the fall of Kabul, some 850,000 girls have been prevented from attending school by the Taliban. Recently, people at St Matthew... primary school at Stratford undertook a whole school march in solidarity with the plight of Afghan girls denied an education. They have done all they can to raise awareness of this important issue, what more does the minister believe that his government can do to raise awareness of this ongoing travesty, and crucially, will he agree to bring forward a comprehensive Afghanistan strategy that takes into account the ongoing crackdown on the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan?" British MP Andrew Western said, according to TOLOnews. Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and Qatar's Foreign ministry have stressed the need of supporting women's rights in Afghanistan, particularly in the field of education. Earlier, UN Secretary-General Guterres urged the world to support Afghan women, stating that it is a struggle on "many fronts" in Afghanistan, Khaama Press reported. Guterres, while addressing the UN Committee on the Status of Women on Monday, said they have been "supporting schools wherever it is possible, schools with girls in the secondary level." "The donor community has said there will only be aid where women are involved. Where women are not involved, the aid will not be present. So, the pressure goes on to guarantee that we have women working in the humanitarian sector. In the public services, few women are working, and we are fighting hard to increase it," he said, according to Afghanistan-based Khaama Press. The UN Commission on the Status of Women started on Monday to assess the situation of women around the world and will continue till March 17. The situation of women, particularly in Afghanistan, will be discussed by representatives worldwide, reported Khaama Press. It has been more than 530 days since the schools for female students have remained closed. The Islamic Emirate also in a recent decree banned female students from going to universities, TOLOnews reported. (ANI) Kolkata Railway Station is an international station handling two inter-dominion trains connecting Kolkata to Dhaka and Khulna. To facilitate such overseas passengers availing Visa services for Bangladesh-bound trains, the Visa Information and Application Centre has started operating at the Kolkata Railway Station, read a press statement released by the Eastern Railway on Wednesday. The project was conceived under the New Innovative Ideas scheme. The visa information centre will provide information and other assistance to passengers boarding the Maitree and Bandhan Express trains. The centre will also guide visitors from Bangladesh on ways to go about processing their visas. The Bangladesh Visa Information Centre was inaugurated by the deputy high commissioner of Bangladesh, Andalib Elias, on Monday. The centre in Kolkata will provide updated information and facilitate and expedite the visa application process. Now, visa applications can be filed without seeking prior appointments through walk-ins at application centres in Salt Lake, Kolkata, and Siliguri, the statement informed further. The centres will also provide a wide range of services, including visa application form filling, photograph taking, passport collection and delivery, and more. The centre will also help passengers get visas at their doorsteps and provide all necessary information regarding the application procedure, which could be quite cumbersome otherwise. International passengers can easily get all visa-related information from the Kolkata station while also reserving seats for the two inter-dominion trains. This is also a significant step towards strengthening the ties between India and Bangladesh, the statement read. Apart from providing visa facilities to Bangladesh-bound passengers, the visa centre shall also fetch handsome revenue to Railway Exchequer, the statement read further. (ANI) North Korea fired a long-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Thursday, hours before the leaders of South Korea and Japan meet to discuss the recalcitrant regime's evolving threats and other shared challenges, Yonhap News Agency. Notably, this is the third missile that has been launched this week. The last one took place on March 14. Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that it had detected the launch from the Sunan area in Pyongyang at 7.10 am. "While strengthening its monitoring and vigilance, our military is maintaining a full readiness posture in close cooperation with the United States," the JCS said in a text message sent to reporters, according to Yonhap News Agency. The latest launch also came amid the ongoing South Korea-US Freedom Shield (FS) exercise, which the North has decried as "preparations for a war of aggression" against it. Earlier, on Tuesday, North Korea fired two "strategic cruise missiles" from a submarine in waters off its east coast over the weekend, state media said on Monday, reported Yonhap News Agency. The missiles were fired from 8.24 Yongung in waters off Kyongpho Bay in the East Sea in an underwater launching drill held at dawn Sunday, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The drill confirmed the reliability of the weapon system and examined the underwater-to-surface offensive operations of submarine units that constitute one of the other major forces of the DPRK nuclear deterrent," the KCNA said. "The missiles precisely hit preset targets in the East Sea after "traveling the 1,500 km-long eight-shaped flight orbits for 7,563 to 7,575 seconds," the KCNA stated, adding, "The drill...verified the current operation posture of the nuclear war deterrence means in different spaces." Meanwhile, on Thursday, South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol will visit Japan for a long-awaited summit with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. South Korean and Japanese leaders are set to meet in Tokyo, in the first official bilateral meeting between the two countries' leaders in 12 years, The Japan Times reported. A potential thaw in ties between these two key US allies could yield big dividends for the Biden administration and its Asia policy. (ANI) The United States Senate on Wednesday (Local Time) confirmed Indian origin Ravi Chaudhary as the Assistant Secretary of Air Force for Energy, Installations, and the Environment. Chaudhary won the mandate by a vote of 65-29 as he became a part of one of the top civilian leadership positions in the Pentagon. Chaudhary will be the first Indian-American to serve as an Assistant Secretary of the Air Force. After Minneapolis native Chaudhari won the vote, US Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) released a statement that read, "Growing up as the son of immigrant parents in Minnesota, Dr. Ravi Chaudhary dreamed of serving our country as an Air Force pilot. From his more than two decades of service as an active duty Air Force officer to his tenure at the Federal Aviation Administration, Dr. Chaudhary has dedicated his career to public service." "I fought to advance his nomination through the Senate because I am confident that Dr. Chaudhary has the qualifications and experience needed for this critical role. Now that he has been confirmed by the Senate, I look forward to working with him to support the men and women of the Air Force," she added. According to the statement, Chaudhary served as an active duty Air Force pilot between 1993 and 2015, conducting numerous combat missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Following his retirement from military service, Chaudhary served for five years as a senior official within the Regions and Center Operations and Office of Commercial Space at the Federal Aviation Administration. He was also appointed by President Obama to serve on the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, the statement added. The Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Energy, Installations, and the Environment is responsible for the Air Force's sustainability and operational readiness, including installations and basing strategy, as well as ensuring the quality of military housing. (ANI) A Pakistan court judge on Thursday, said that he would halt the arrest of the country's former prime minister Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case, only if Khan surrendered in the court, Dawn reported. The bench of Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ), Zafar Iqbal made the above remarks while hearing the reference of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that sought criminal proceedings against Imran for hiding details of Toshakhana gifts. According to a report in Dawn, the PTI Chairman was scheduled to be indicted in the reference by the sessions court on February 28, but his attorney had asked the judge to excuse him from the hearing since he had to show up in numerous other courts. He had previously had his indictment postponed several times. Khan was then issued non-bailable arrest warrants, and the judge ordered the police to bring him before the court by March 7. The PTI leader avoided being taken into custody and then petitioned the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to have the warrants revoked. The former prime minister of the country was given some reprieve by the IHC, but was still instructed to appear in the sessions court on March 13; nevertheless, the former prime minister again skipped the hearing. As a result, Khan was granted new non-bailable arrest warrants on Monday by ADSJ Iqbal, who also ordered the police to take him to court by March 18. PTI supporters and law enforcement agents engaged in two days of fierce combat when the police attempted to arrest Imran at his Zaman Park mansion in Lahore on Tuesday. After the courts got involved on Wednesday, the fights eventually stopped. The most recent arrest warrants for Imran were also contested by the PTI on the same day before the IHC. The PTI leader was told to give the trial court an undertaking stating that he would appear at the hearing on March 18 after the plea was rejected. The case was picked up again by the ADSJ Iqbal court on Thursday morning. Khawaja Haris Ahmed and Babar Awan, Imran's attorneys, were present. A report published in Dawn read legislators from the ruling coalition filed the reference last year, alleging that Imran had not disclosed information about the gifts he had received from the Toshaskhana (during his tenure as prime minister) and the money from their alleged sales. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) reached the conclusion that the former premier had in fact made "false statements and erroneous declarations" about the presents on October 21. The Toshakhana is a division of the Cabinet Division that houses presents that foreign dignitaries and the heads of other states have given to monarchs and officials. Imran was declared ineligible according to Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution, according to the order. The ECP then submitted a copy of the reference to the Islamabad Sessions Court, requesting that Imran be charged with a crime for allegedly lying to officials about the gifts he received from foreign dignitaries while serving as prime minister, Dawn reported. (ANI) France-led multilateral exercise, La Perouse, enhanced cooperation between partner navies in the Indo-Pacific, according to an official release. The exercise which was conducted on March 13 and 14, brought together seven nations involved in maritime security in the Indo-Pacific: India, Australia, Canada, the United States, France, Japan and the United Kingdom. Eight ships and seven aircraft came together in the Bay of Bengal to conduct a series of high-level training exercises to strengthen interoperability between the partner navies. France was represented by the Jeanne d'Arc Group, the official release said. Navy ships FNS Dixmude and La Fayette, INS Sahyadri, INS Jyoti, USS Charleston, HMS Tamar, HMAS Perth and JS Suzutsuki gathered on the morning of March 13, to start the first manoeuvres together, it said. They kicked off with replenishment at sea between the INS Jyoti and the HMAS Perth, followed by a gunnery exercise on floating targets in formation. The next day, the units conducted a simulation of air defence exercises, followed by aviation manoeuvres of increasing complexity between the helicopters and the ships, before concluding with an advanced tactical evolution exercise in formation, under the surveillance of the P8 Indian maritime patrol aircraft. Finally, the commanders of the various ships involved met on board the French Navy's LHD Dixmude for a review of the exercise, according to the official release. The eight ships then separated to continue their respective patrols and missions in the Indian Ocean. The Dixmude and the La Fayette are heading for Singapore, the next stage of their circumnavigation, before participating in the major exercise CROIX DU SUD in New Caledonia, and to conduct patrols in France's Exclusive Economic Zones in the Indo-Pacific, it said. In the space of 48 hours, about 10 training sequences were carried out, including twenty cross-decks. These numerous sequences enhanced mutual knowledge between our navies, contributing to maintaining international stability based on adherence to international maritime law and safety at sea. According to the official statement, for five months, the Jeanne d'Arc group will contribute to asserting French sovereignty in its maritime space, and strengthening cooperation with partner nations, while training the French Navy officers of tomorrow. The JEANNE D'ARC group is composed of the Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) Dixmude and the frigate La Fayette, which can carry nearly 800 sailors and soldiers, including around 160 cadets. The group also includes an embedded tactical group (GTE) with 150 soldiers and 40 vehicles of the French Army, an amphibious flotilla detachment, an S-100 drone, and a Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy, and two Gazelle helicopters of the French Army. The Dixmude and La Fayette carried out a port call in Kochi early March. (ANI)